SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Call Center Services
- Notice Date
- 7/20/2012
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Office of Personnel Management, Boyers Contracting Group, Boyers Contracting Group, 1137 Branchton Road, Boyers, Pennsylvania, 18018, United States
- ZIP Code
- 18018
- Solicitation Number
- OPM33-12-R-0001
- Archive Date
- 8/18/2012
- Point of Contact
- Walter J. Werner, Phone: 7247947173
- E-Mail Address
-
walter.werner@opm.gov
(walter.werner@opm.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OPM33-12-R-0001 U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT RETIREMENT SERVICES RETIREMENT OPERATIONS CALL CENTER SERVICES 1.0 GENERAL 1.1 PURPOSE & SCOPE This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for informational and planning purposes and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposal, or Request for Quotations. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract, nor do they affect a potential offeror's ability to respond to any future synopsis/solicitation which may or may not follow or restrict the U.S. Government's eventual acquisition approach. Additionally, the U.S. Government will not provide reimbursement for any information that may be submitted in response to this RFI. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Interested vendors responding to this RFI may provide capability information for all pieces of this requirement or for an entire solution. Respondents will not be notified of any results derived from a review of the information provided; however information gathered may be utilized for technical and acquisition purposes. Time permitting and depending upon the information received individual vendors MAY be contacted for capability demonstrations. The U.S. Government will not pay for any costs associated with such demonstration(s) of products or services. Instructions on responding to this RFI are described in section 5.0 & 6.0 of this RFI. 1.2 BACKGROUND The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Retirement Service (RS), Retirement Operations (RO), provides services to over 2.4 million Federal retirees and their survivors. RO's Retirement Information Office (RIO) is the primary point of contact for retirees and survivors to obtain and potentially change information to their benefits. RO maintains two separate call centers locations (Boyers, PA and Washington, DC) that functions as a single Call Reception Center for incoming customer calls, staffed by approximately 94 Customer Service Specialists/Customer Service Representatives. These two centers make up the RIO and are serviced by a single toll-free number that is "front ended" by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The number of calls to this toll-free number has increased each year since its inception. NOTE: Refer to Table 1, Call Volume Received, in Attachment 1 to this RFI. NOTE: Refer to Table 2, Historical Monthly Call Volume, in Attachment 1 to this RFI. January, February and March are the busiest in times of the year; tax season begins in January when 1099R forms (Statement of Annuity Paid) mailed to annuitants to file their Federal and state income tax returns. During October and November, calls are generated by the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Open Season and consequently, these months are busy as well (although to a lesser extent than January - March). RO is conducting research to determine capabilities of Contractors who would be able to perform overflow call center services to answer retirement related questions; perform retirement and insurance related transactions while reducing busy signals and the long wait times for annuitants and survivors. 1.3 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL 1.3.1 Project Manager. The Contractor must provide a Project Manager who will be responsible for all Contractor work performed under this PWS. The Project Manager is further designated as key by the Government (see section 1.4). 1.3.1.1 The Project Manager shall be a single point of contact for the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). It is anticipated that the Project Manager will be one of the senior level employees provided by the Contractor for this work effort. The name of the Project Manager, and the name(s) of any alternate(s) who will have the authority to act for the Contractor in the absence of the Project Manager, shall be provided to the Government as part of the Contractor's response. During any absence of the Project Manager, only one alternate shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all matters relating to work performed under this PWS. The Project Manager and all designated alternates must be able to read, write, and speak and understand English fluently. Additionally, the Contractor must not replace the Project Manager without prior approval from the Contracting Officer. 1.3.1.2 The Project Manager must be available to the COR via telephone between the hours of 0800 and 1600 EST, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holiday and must be able to respond to a request for discussion or resolution of technical problems within 24 hours of notification. 1.3.2 Qualified Personnel. 1.3.2.1 Contractor employees must be citizens of the United States of America. Contract employees (to Include applicants, temporaries, part-time and replacement employees) under this needing access to sensitive information successfully complete a Federal background investigation. 1.3.2.2 The Contractor must confirm that each employee working on the PWS has a Social Security Card, issued and approved by the Social Security Administration. The Contractor must be responsible to the government for acts and omissions of his own employees and for any sub-contractor(s) and their employees. Subject to existing law, regulations and/or other provisions of this PWS, illegal or undocumented aliens shall not be employed by the Contractor or assist with this PWS. The Contractor must ensure that this provision is expressly incorporated into any all subcontracts or subordinate agreements issued in support of this PWS. 1.3.3 Contractor employees working on-site at Government facilities must wear a Government issued identification badge. All Contractor employees shall identify themselves as Contractors when their status is not readily apparent and display the government issued badge in plain view above the waist. 1.3.4 Employee Conduct Contractor employees must comply with all applicable Government regulations, policies and procedures (e.g., handling of sensitive personnel data, fire, safety, sanitation, environmental protection, security, "off limits" areas, and possession of weapons) when visiting or working at Government facilities. The Contractor must ensure contractor employees present a professional appearance at all times and that their conduct shall not reflect discredit on the United States, or the Office of Personnel Management. 1.3.4.1 If a prospective employee is found to be ineligible for access to government facilities or information, the COR will advise the Contractor that the employee may not continue to work or to be assigned to work under the contract. 1.3.4.2 RO reserves the right and prerogative to deny and/or restrict the facility and information access of any Contractor employee whose actions are in conflict with the OPM standards of conduct, 5 CFR 2635 and 5 CFR 3801, or whom RO determines to present a risk of compromising sensitive Government information to which he or she would have access. 1.3.4. 3 The Contractor must report any adverse information coming to their attention concerning contract employees working on this to the CO or COR. Reports based on rumor or innuendo should not be made. The subsequent termination of employment of an employee does not eliminate the requirement to submit this report. The report shall include the employee's name and Social Security Number, along with the adverse information being reported. 1.3.4.4 Contractor must notify the COR of all terminations and/or resignations immediately upon occurrence. The Contractor shall return any expired RO-issued identification cards and building passes, remote access or strong authentication devices belonging to terminated or departing employees to the COR. If an identification card or building pass is not available to be returned, a report shall be submitted to the COR, referencing the pass or card number, name of individual to whom issued, and the last known location of the pass or card. 1.3.5 Removing Employees for Misconduct or Security Reasons. The Government may, at its sole discretion, direct the Contractor to remove any Contractor employee from RO facilities for misconduct or security reasons. Removal does not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility to continue providing the services required under the contract. 1.3.6 Conflict of Interest. The Contractor must not employ any person who is an employee of the United States Government if that employment would, or would appear to cause a conflict of interest. 1.4 KEY PERSONNEL In the event that the Contractor replaces any individual designated as KEY by the Government, the Contractor must submit written justification for replacement, and provide the name and qualifications of any proposed substitute(s). All proposed substitutes shall possess qualifications equal to or superior to those of the Key person being replaced. The Contractor may not replace Key Contractor personnel without written consent from the Contracting Officer. The Government may designate additional Contractor personnel as Key at its discretion. 1.5 SECURITY The Government has determined that performance of this PWS requires the Contractor to have access to PII sensitive information. Sensitive information which requires the protection in accordance with Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Section 552a and applicable RO rules and regulations. Contractor employees shall safeguard this information against unauthorized disclosure or dissemination in accordance with the law and Government policy and regulation. Contractor access to classified information is not currently required for this contract. However if access to classified information is required notice will be provided to the contractor. 1.5.1 Personnel/Security Requirements 1.5.1.1 The contractor must demonstrate its ability to provide an adequate, suitable, and qualified staff with the skill necessary to perform all work outlined in this statement of work. OPM reserves the right to conduct the needed background investigations for each contractor employee and charge the contractor a specified fee based upon the case type. 1.5.1.2 The contractor may not employ persons for work on this contract if such employees are considered by the CO, to be a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general order, wellbeing, and/or operational mission of the Retirement Services (RS) and its personnel. The CO will forward written notification of such designated employees to the Project Manager. 1.5.1.3 The contractor must provide a list of all employees and subcontractors to be used on the contract, identified as to position, experience, social security number, all names used, date and place of birth, date and type of last investigation, and date of clearance, if applicable. The OPM Adjudications Officer will determine if the personnel security requirements have been met. The contractor is responsible for initiating reinvestigations of these personnel as required and provides notification of these reinvestigations to OPM. 1.5.1.5 The contractor must be responsible for maintaining satisfactory standards of employee competency, conduct, appearance, and integrity of telephones service, except as authorized. 1.5.1.6 Contractor employees must conduct themselves at all times in a proper, friendly, efficient, courteous, and businesslike manner in accordance with the policies and procedures of OPM. 1.5.1.7 All contractor employees must complete and submit security clearance/history forms prior to the start of the contract. The Government will provide the necessary forms. The Government reserves the right to bar any contractor employee from the facility for security reasons. 1.6 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The Government's objective will be to award a contract consisting of a base award period of twelve months plus up to four option periods, each twelve months in length. The total contract period if the base and all options were exercised would total sixty months. Exercise of any option periods is at the sole discretion of the Government. 1.7 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The physical location of the contractor's work facility is at the contractor's discretion so long as the IT connectivity described elsewhere in this PWS can be accomplished to the extent needed to allow the work described to be accomplished in terms of call volume and incompliance with the quality and timeliness standards described in this PWS. 1.8 HOURS OF OPERATION Contractor employees shall generally perform all work between the hours of 7:30AM and 8:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays). However, there may be occasions when Contractor employees may be required to work other than normal business hours, including weekends and holidays, to fulfill requirements under the contract. If the Government needs to make changes to the hours of operation, the contractor will be given a 24-hour notification. Contractor must staff according to scheduled hours provided by RO not less than two weeks in advance of the calendar month and operate on fluctuating staffing demands month to month. 1.9 PROJECT PLAN The Contractor must provide a Draft Project within five (5) business days following date of award, five (5) - ten (10) days later a contractor Kick-Off Meeting will be held and feedback will be given at that time The Final Project Plan will be due within ten (10) business days from the Kick-Off Meeting. 1.10 MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORTS The Project Manager must provide a monthly progress report to the COR and Contracting Officer via electronic mail. This report shall include a summary of all Contractor work performed, including a breakdown of labor hours by labor category, all direct costs by line item, an assessment of technical progress, schedule status, any gravel conducted and any Contractor concerns or recommendations for the previous weekly period. 1.11 PROGRESS MEETINGS. The Project Manager is responsible for keeping the COR informed about Contractor progress and ensuring Contractor activities are aligned with RO objectives. At a minimum, the Project Manager must review the status and results of Contractor performance with the COR on a weekly basis by telephone. 1.12 GENERAL REPORT REQUIREMENTS The Contractor must provide all written reports in electronic format with read/write capability using applications that are compatible with RO Standard Workstations (Windows and Microsoft Office Applications). 2.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED RESOURCES. The Government will provide initial training and training material. If necessary, the government can be available to provide follow up training; if the nature of the program changes, the government will provide new training. The government will also provide examples of previous call distributions, anticipated schedules and examples of require reporting. The government will provide access (via citrix) to the OPM network and to the tools necessary to answer customer calls such as additional training material, organizational info, or regulation changes that may impact the call flow. 2.1 Staffing/Training The Government will be assist with a program technical advisor/coordinator to support daily call center operations during implementation and periodically thereafter. The Government will provide a trainer and course materials during ramp-up at each facility. Training includes registration logic overviews, taking a call, and accurately entering information into a custom designed computer based system. 3.0 CONTRACTOR FURNISHED PROPERTY. 3.1 Telecommunications/IT The Contractor must provide all facilities, staff, equipment, and supplies to operate the call center, including telephone and data transfer lines. The Contractor must provide a personal computer (PC) for each individual answering telephone calls. PC's should be capable of supporting a Graphic Users Interface (GUI) or GUI program (supplied by RO) including any additional software deemed necessary by OPM or the Contractor to carry out the mission of the call center. OPM currently uses a GUI software package that works with IBM Host on Demand (HOD) 3270 Emulator, Version 6.4 or 6.5 software. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide a suitable work area for RO staff when conducting on-site visits. Citrix is used to access OPM systems via VPN. The Contractor must provide and maintain all necessary telecommunications equipment and services to support the specified number of agents, to include appropriate hardware and software to support the specified number of agents and will immediately report to the COR any problems that cause or could potential cause service disruptions. The Contractor shall provide and maintain an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) switch sufficient to support all traffic and queues for the specified number of agents and associated telephone sets and headsets with appropriate hardware and software support. The Contractor shall provide to OPM the appropriate circuit ID numbers necessary to deliver calls with the First Draft Project Plan. This information must include the circuit capacity, POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) or DID (Direct Inward Dialing) numbers and the main circuit numbers if using Mega Trunks (most preferred method). The contractor shall provide physical interface capability to T-1 trunks to the ACD sufficient to service all available telephone agents and provide for an adequate number of queue slots (30% more than actual staffed workstations). 4.0 REQUIREMENTS NOTE: Refer to Table 3, Requirements, in Attachment 1 to this RFI. 5.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO RFI Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Boyers Contracting Group no later than 3:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Friday August 3, 2012, in the form of a "white paper." Email address for responses is: walter.werner@opm.gov. Response to this RFI must conform to the format below and provide the following information: 1. Cover Letter - The cover letter must include the following information a. Company Name b. Company point of contact, telephone number and email address c. Applicable company GSA schedule number d. RFI Number OPM33-12-R-0001 e. Vendor's Organization/Company Name, Address, Contact Person Information; f. Vendor's DUNS Number; 2. Offeror's responses must be submitted in Microsoft Word and are limited to fifty (50) single spaced pages exclusive of marketing slicks or published information available at time of release of the RFI request. Font size used in your response shall not be smaller than 10 point. Margins must be a minimum of 1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right). a. Marketing and/or reference materials, if included, must be placed as the end of the response, in an appendix. 3. Submissions must be in sufficient detail and clarity to provide the information needed for the Government to assess your solution approach. 4. As part of the market research associated with this RFI, we are also seeking pricing information, as applicable, for proposed solutions. This may be in the form of specific pricing from applicable GSA FSS schedules, or commercial pricing if your company offers solutions that may meet particular program specific needs. Any pricing information received is solely for information gathering and planning purposes. 5. Qualifications/Capabilities Statement package as the cover letter. The cover letter must cite the following information at a minimum: 6. Business Size and Size Standard / North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code of 541611 "Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services" 7. Please identify your business size classification relative to Classification for this requirement. Specify whether or not you are a small business; HUB Zone small business; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small business; women-owned small business; or small disadvantaged business in order to assist the government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. Small business suppliers are encouraged to respond and to include a copy of your capabilities statement along with your response in the interest of helping the Government to make a determination as to whether a future acquisition for the services described could be set aside for small business. 8. Please note that the collection of this data does not obligate the U.S. Government to the incorporation of the solicited comments in any future procurement action nor does it obligate the Government to the procurement of any services or products related to this RFI. Proprietary information should not be included in the RFI response. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Interested parties shall provide the following information in their white paper responding to this RFI: 1. Full or Partial Solution and/or Alternative Solutions - What is the respondent's approach(es) to the requirements stated above? Respondents shall formulate their responses as a requirement-by-requirement analysis, with "Not Available" stated clearly next to any requirements their solutions do not meet. 2. Nature of the Solution - What approach or mix of approaches (e.g., products, tools, processes, and services) does the respondent believe most appropriate for providing the capability that OPM is requesting. Describe preference and options for implementation. 3. Vendor Experience - Please describe the vendor's experience implementing the solution described above. In addition to the vendor's experience implementing the solution described above, please describe results that customers have obtained in terms of the vulnerabilities that have been discovered and remedied. Vendors should provide references for at least two clients where a similar service has been performed within the past five years. 4. Related Services - Describe any related services which you have determined could assist in meeting the requirements listed throughout. 5. Miscellaneous - Suggestions regarding the PWS are welcome. If you have suggestions which may improve the PWS please list your suggestions in an appendix. 6.0 QUESTION AND ANSWER. Questions regarding the contents of this RFI should be submitted via email to: Walter.Werner@opm.gov no later than 3:00PM Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Question and Answer Responses will be provided via email and posted not later than 4:00PM on Friday, July 20, 2012. AMENDMENT #1: Request for Information OPM33-12-R-0001 is hereby amended as follows: a. To extend the date and time for posting Question and Answer Responses. The new date and time is Friday, July 27, 2012 at 3:00PM Eastern Daylight Time. b. To extend the date and time deadline for receipt of proposals. The new date and time is Friday, August 10, 2012 at 4:00PM Eastern Daylight Time. c. Question and Answer Responses will be posted only on the FedBizOpps website. No individual email responses will be provided. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.
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