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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF JUNE 04, 2017 FBO #5672
DOCUMENT

U -- Training Program Support & Delivery - Attachment

Notice Date: 6/2/2017
Notice Type: Attachment
NAICS: 611710 — Educational Support Services
Contracting Office: Department of Veterans Affairs;Veterans Benefits Administration;Office of Acquisition;1800 G. Street N.W.;Washington DC 20006
ZIP Code: 20006
Solicitation Number: VA101V17N0247
Response Due: 6/15/2017
Archive Date: 7/15/2017
Point of Contact: Department of Veterans Affairs
E-Mail Address: ct
Small Business Set-Aside: N/A
Description: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) - SOURCES SOUGHT INTRODUCTION THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing this Request for Information (Source Sought). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation; therefore, do not submit a quote. There is no obligation for the Government to acquire any products or services described in this RFI. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in developing its acquisition strategy and to revise the Statement of Work (SOW). Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. Only electronic responses to this RFI will be accepted. The Government will not pay for any time expended or information submitted in response to this RFI. Eligibility in participating in a future acquisition does not depend upon a response to this notice. BACKGROUND This contract is a requirement of the VBA s existing training event support for all services, designed to provide training and performance support to VBA employees on critical job tasks. NAICS 611710 Educational Support Services QUESTIONS AND CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERESTED CONTRACTORS Responses are solely treated as information for the Government to consider. Direct or Indirect costs incurred in response to this RFI are at the expense of the vendor, not the Government. In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Any contract that may be awarded will not be based on information received or derived from this RFI, but rather on the outcome of a subsequent competitive process. It is requested that all vendors interested in participating in this effort note their interest by responding to the areas identified in the Company Details" and "Capabilities Statement sections below. COMPANY DETAILS The page limit for responses to this section is two pages. Provide company point(s) of contact information (name, email address, address, telephone, and fax numbers). Identify if your company are any of the following business concern statuses (include all that apply): Small Business (SB); Certified Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) firm; Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB); Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB); Economically Disadvantage Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB); Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB); Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HubZone) Small Business; Large Business Provide contracting vehicles your company holds, such as GSA schedules. CAPABILITIES STATEMENT The page limit for responses to this section is five pages. Provide an overview of your firm s capabilities to fulfill the requirements of the SOW, to include organizational and staff capability and experience. Provide a brief narrative summary of your technical approach to meet VA s high-level requirements in the attached draft SOW. Provide an example of your capabilities to assist learners in a Web-Based training environment, including registration support, student and instructor assistance in delivering and navigating training in a Web-based environment. Describe your experience and personnel who meet the Learning Management System Curriculum Support Team Requirements listed under the LMS / CST eligibility requirements in this provided SOW. Provide up to three (3) contracts that your company has performed for the same or similar requirement and of comparable size, complexity and scope. Describe scope and similarities and differences as pertinent. Identify specific tools and platforms used such as the Training Management System or similar online training platforms. Please be specific and provide a complete reference to include: contract number, contract title, description, period of performance, and award amount; as well as identify whether you performed as a prime contractor, sub-contractor, teaming partner, or as a project manager. RESPONSE SUBMISSION Please submit responses via email to ross.byrne@va.gov on 15 June 2017, 3:00 p.m. (ET). VA reserves the right to not reply to any emails, responses, and/or materials submitted. ** DRAFT** STATEMENT OF WORK GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Title of Project: Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Training Program Support and Delivery. 2. Scope of Work: The Contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in the Statement of Work (SOW). The scope of this contract is for a Contractor to plan, create, implement, update and develop program initiatives supporting all VBA Business Lines, and Leadership Development Directorate products and services. The Contractor shall provide representation and liaison with respect to program coordination, scheduling, logistics, and operational matters. This includes technical and programmatic guidance, consultation, and support via all phases of the Instructional Systems Development (ISD) process, supporting VBA products including, Talent Management System (TMS) Administrative Support (Learning Management Systems Administrator / Curriculum support), Instructor Web based Training (IWT) and Virtual Training Support (Online Training Developer / Course Advocate support), ISD and Human Performance support, Training Delivery, and Training Administrative and Project support. The scope of work includes working with Government personnel as well as other Contractors. 3. Background: This contract is a requirement of the VBA s existing training event support for all services, designed to provide training and performance support to VBA employees on critical job tasks. 4. Performance Period: The period of performance is 12 months from date of award, with four option years. Work at the Government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). 5. Type of Contract: To Be Determined 6. Place of Performance: The primary place of performance shall be at the contractor s facility. A limited amount of Contractors performance may be required at the VBA s Training Management and Performance Improvement Division (TMPI) in Orlando, Florida. There is a requirement to have certain principle work activities, to include both management and production of training-related requirements, to be conducted in these specific areas. Specifically co-located at the Baltimore PDA, will be (1) Administrative Support Specialist, and (3) Course Advocates. The Washington D.C. ED&T office requirements are (1) Administrative Support Specialist, (5) Program Support Specialists, and (4) Instructional Systems Designers. For Orlando office requirements are (1) Project Coordinator III, (1) Program Support Specialist (12) Online Training Developer / (Course Advocates), and (7) TMS / Learning Management Systems Administrators (Curriculum Support) personnel. It is permissible to have a limited number of individual s complete activities remotely if a robust management structure is in place in these key areas to mitigate risk. B. CONTRACT AWARD MEETING The Contractor shall not commence performance on the tasks in this SOW until the CO has conducted a post award conference or has advised the contractor that a post award conference is waived. C. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1. The Contractor shall provide a detailed Project Management Plan (PMP) with their quote and shall update that plan as required throughout the contract period of performance. The PMP will address only the work specific to this contract. It shall define the roles and responsibilities of Contractor s program and project managers. The Contractor shall document their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for completion of the specific tasks in this SOW. The VBA Project team should be briefed on the PMP which provides the Contractors detailed plan for completing the required deliverables. The Contractor's plan shall be responsive to this SOW and describe, in further detail, the approach to be used for each aspect of the contract as defined in the quote. An updated PMP and SOP are due within 30 days after contract award effective date. 2. For every task, the Contractor shall identify in writing all necessary subtasks, associated costs by task, and together with associated sub-milestone dates. The Contractor's subtask structure shall be reflected in the quote and detailed project management plan (PMP). 3. All written deliverables will be phrased in layperson language. Statistical and other technical terminology will not be used without providing a glossary of terms. 4. Where a written milestone deliverable is required in draft form, VBA will complete their review of the draft deliverable within 15 calendar days from date of receipt. The Contractor shall have 10 calendar days to deliver the final deliverable from date of receipt of the government s comments. 5. All Contractor personnel who will have access to veterans claims information, for the purposes such as; needs assessment, job/task analysis and/or developing case-based test and practice exercises and other such tasks, shall complete a background investigation and sign a confidentiality statement agreeing to protect the veterans data and privacy. The VBA Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for this contract will provide the Contractor the background investigation paperwork and a copy of the required confidentiality statement. 6. All deliverables, except where specified otherwise, shall be provided in one electronic copy to the COR. All deliverables shall be delivered via software compatible (type and version) with that used by the VBA and shall become the sole property of the VBA upon creation. 7. The Contractor shall not deliver to the VBA any proprietary products or information, software, tools or systems. Company financial information provided in invoices and other documents are exempted from this requirement. If the contractor believes further exemption is required to this requirement as necessary for effective or efficient execution of this task order, the contractor shall request a specific exception in writing to the COR and shall not provide the proprietary tools or information until written approval is received from the Contracting Officer (CO). 8. The Contractor shall perform all work in compliance with Contractor s SOPs for application of Government and industry best practices for Instructional Design. The Contractor shall maintain compliance and conformance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, which requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, they shall ensure that the electronic and information technology allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities. Section 508 compliance with VA standards is mandatory and Contractor shall meet the most recently updated requirement specifications to comply (effective as of 18 January 2017), conformance to VA TMS templates and the associated standards; to include current SCORM (SCORM v1.2, 2004 edition) standards is mandatory. The Contractor shall ensure newly created content is compliant with Section 508, and SCORM standards at creation. The Contractor shall execute any changes required to ensure compliance and/or conformance by modifying any aspect of each curriculum and course that would prevent continued use of the materials is remedied as required for 508 compliance and conformance continuously as a part of the normal scheduled Life Cycle Maintenance (LCM) cycle. D. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES Description of Tasks and Associated Deliverables: The Contractor shall provide the specific deliverables described below within the performance period stated in Section A.4 of this SOW, although the components may be modified at any time by VBA through the CO / COR in order to reflect the results of needs assessment and learning analysis and changes in VBA training requirements. The Contractor shall identify all assumptions as to scope of required activities and number and type of components along with their technical approach. Task 1.0: The Contractor shall provide Program Support Specialists to aid the Leadership and Organizational Development Directorate (LODD) in conjunction with LODD senior program manager s to deliver required training events and other related needs. This support includes assisting in developing materials for key coordination events throughout the year, including national leadership development programs residential sessions, ad-hoc training events, Executive Week program events in Washington, DC and various training events held at the Professional Development Academy in Baltimore, MD and other events as required. The Contractor shall draft formal correspondence and provide editorial reviews for both external and internal communications, maintain oversight of events calendar, monthly staff meeting agenda and scheduling. The Contractor shall work in conjunction with Employee Development and Training (ED&T) travel team and program managers on compiling data and requirements in support of the conference package approval process. The Contractor shall assist with coordination and logistics for leadership programs residential and virtual training needs and formally track the successful close out of all training activities as well as the timeline for all program start dates, application periods and all other related activities for monthly, quarterly and annual reporting needs. Task 2.0 includes the following subtasks. Branding and Messaging: The Contractor will provide support to Leadership Development Division programs with developing marketing and communications tools for promoting national leadership program opportunities throughout the VBA enterprise. The contractor will provide the branding and message-development process that supports the development of coherent and compelling messaging which promotes awareness of EDT sponsored training opportunities, functions and goals. Communications and Web Content Support: The Contractor shall provide web content support for all content on the EDT intranet website, and VA Pulse portal, as well as additional portals, websites, applications and social media used for communication to stakeholders. Web content support includes the update of content, daily maintenance, correction of content errors, responding to website comments, and troubleshooting technical issues that may occur. The Contractor shall monitor on a weekly basis website's traffic statistics and provide reports monthly, and provide analysis to ensure information is valuable and beneficial to consumers. The Contractor shall coordinate with the Government Program Manager and content owners within EDT to ensure content is accurate, relevant and in align with messaging priorities. Deliverable 1.0: Program Support Package Task 2.0: The Contractor shall provide Talent Management System Administrative Support (Curriculum Support Team) (CST), and Learning Management Systems (LMS) support via the Adobe Captivate Prime Platform. The purpose of this task is to provide support for the Training Management System (TMS) (This is VA s Plateau-based Learning Management Systems LMS system). The Adobe Captivate Prime is an additional LMS platform used for VBA national training. Task 3.0 includes the following subtasks. All responsibilities under this task will be identical in scope and function once the Adobe Captivate Prime LMS is put into place. TMS Support: The Contractor shall provide dedicated personnel with LMS expertise to provide TMS / LMS support for approximately 30,000 VBA employees for VBA-specific items via a VBA TMS Support Help Desk. The Contractor will be responsible for: providing TMS-related support to VBA TMS Administrators and Training Managers, to include posting of announcements, creation of classes and assignment of training, creating, modifying and deleting TMS curricula, items and objects, creating job aids and similar materials related to the use of TMS, provide support and guidance to the VBA Services in regards to their curricula and training offerings and reports, creation and maintenance of TMS-related competency content as well as other TMS-related support activities, such as support for TMS updates. VBA Training Catalog: The Contractor shall provide personnel to maintain and update currency of the VBA s Training Catalog training content, to include adding new courses, updating entries, and attaching support materials as well as creating job aids related to the catalog. Online Registration Support: The Contractor shall provide personnel to work closely with VBA Services when they are planning training events by creating and monitoring online registration sites, providing reports and updates and generating class lists and support products based on registration information. LMS / CST Eligibility Requirements Certain account permissions and privileges are restricted. CST contract employees eligibility for the Assignment Profile permission is authorized when all of the following criteria have been met: Successfully completed all five required TMS training courses Successfully completed the Assignment Profile advanced training Acted as an active TMS administrator for a minimum of two years Has been designated National Training Curricula (NTC) infrastructure responsibilities that require this permission An email request of need sent to the Director of Training Management and Performance Improvement (TMPI) Division with a CC to the VBA Domain Manager. A written statement and acknowledgment that the 1st four criteria listed above have been met. Director of TMPI will either grant or deny permission, VBA Domain Manager will grant access as directed. Deliverable 2.0: TMS / LMS Administrative Support Package. Task 3.0: The Contractor shall provide an Instructor Web Based Training (IWT) Virtual Training Support Package. The purpose of this task is to support activities to provide real time course advocacy to facilitate Instructor-led, Web-based Training (IWT) for VBA. The Course Advocate (CA) position provides both instructional and technical support to both Instructors and students in virtual training environments. Support is specifically tailored to each course depending on the IWT experience of Instructors and the level of development of the training materials. Course Advocates are responsible for facilitating and providing technical support before, during, and after all IWT training sessions. Task 4.0 includes the following subtasks. IWT Course Advocate Support: The Contractor shall provide personnel as Online Training Developers / Course Advocates who are responsible for ensuring all IWT courses are designed for optimal online virtual delivery of instruction and manages and maintains the training materials resident within the VBA Virtual Schoolhouse, which serves as a one stop shop resource for both IWT students and Instructors. The VBA Virtual Schoolhouse is a Moodle-based system. Online Training Developers / Course Advocates also should be knowledgeable and have expertise with several other school house platforms to include Adobe Captivate Prime as VBA plans to transition from its current primary LMS system (Virtual Schoolhouse) in the near future. The Contractor must have prior experience with multiple online delivery technologies and COTS products to include Microsoft LYNC, SKYPE and Adobe Connect. Course Advocates facilitation responsibilities of online classrooms may range up to as many as 600 simultaneous students at one scheduled offering. The Online Training Developers / Course Advocates provide support for VBA Service Lines which primarily reside on Government site in Orlando FL. The Contractor shall provide personnel as Online Training Developers / Course Advocates to provide Instructional, Student and Instructor support. Provide Instructional Support: Online Training Developers / Course Advocates collaborate with Government SME s to facilitate the development of essential training and support materials, apply lessons learned to lesson materials and interactivities, develop innovative strategies to meet each Service s needs thus ensuring a smooth implementation of each training session. Provide Student Support: Online Training Developers / Course Advocates send welcome emails to students with class dates and times. For some courses, Online Training Developers / Course Advocates also conduct a pre-training check during which they provide an informational overview to students about Microsoft Lync or Adobe Connect and the course, check student access to required VA systems, troubleshoot any technical difficulty students might be having, and address any training-related questions. Online Training Developers / Course Advocates serve as a point of contact for students during and in between virtual sessions for the remainder of the course. Online Training Developers / Course Advocates are accessible during Office Hours to answer questions and address student or Instructor needs. Online Training Developers / Course Advocates are responsible for setting the tone of the course and for building community among students so they feel connected and engaged in their learning experience. Provide Instructor Support: Online Training Developers / Course Advocates coordinate the development of all aspects of IWT courses, including setting up registration links and Talent Management System (TMS) items as well as Level 1 and Level 2 surveys. They provide lesson materials, an overview of the virtual training environment (Microsoft Lync or Adobe Connect), one-on-one or small-group train-the-trainer sessions, and technical support within the virtual training environment. Lesson materials include user-friendly Lesson Plans and PowerPoint presentations as well as interactivities to engage students and reinforce their learning. Online Training Developers / Course Advocates support practical exercises that may be completed individually or in small groups. During an IWT session, Online Training Developers / Course Advocates navigate through the PowerPoints, whiteboards, and poll questions so that Instructors can focus on the presentation of the lesson. Other duties include taking attendance and recording the session and posting it to the VBA Virtual Schoolhouse so that students who are absent can catch up on anything they missed. Online Training Developers / Course Advocates also monitor student progress and communicate progress to Instructors, follow-up with students who need support, and collaborate with Instructors to make adjustments based on student input from daily surveys. Leadership IWT Online Training Developers / Course Advocates Support: The Contractor shall provide personnel as Online Training Developers / Course Advocates who have the specific responsibility for providing IWT support to VBA s Leadership and management program offerings including the mandatory supervisory training programs of New Supervisor Soft-Skills Training (NSSST), Supervisory Management Training (SMT), Intermediate Management Training (IMT) and the Advanced Management Training (AMT) as well as additional training offerings requiring support such as Lunch and Learn Workshop offerings. The Course Advocates providing support for this Leadership IWT subtask primarily reside on Government site in Baltimore MD at the Professional Development Academy. Deliverable 3.0: Online Training Developers / Course Advocates Support Package. Task 4.0: The Contractor shall provide Instructional Systems Design and Human Performance Support package. The contractor will provide personnel in order to perform functions in the areas of Human Performance and all phases of Instructional Systems Design to provide support and assistance to personnel within the VBA training community. Task 5.0 includes the following subtasks. Instructional Systems Design and Human Performance Support: The Contractor shall provide mid to senior level Instructional Systems Designers/Human Performance Improvement experts to provide full-time onsite support to the Washington DC Central Office location to establish strong, long-lasting partnerships with VBA Service Lines Training Chiefs and their training personnel to include: Benefits Assurance Service, Compensation Service, Education Service, Insurance Service, Loan Guaranty, Pension & Fiduciary, and Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Services as well as 56 VBA Regional Offices supporting their designated Training Managers and Training support personnel within VBA s Program Offices. The Contractor shall provide ISD and Human Performance expertise to provide full-time onsite support specifically for VBA s Leadership programs as well as the mandatory Supervisory and Management training courses which often require updates and enhancements to pre-existing content as well as the need to design and develop additional training topics, workshops or sessions as identified as a validated training need or otherwise directed by VBA Senior Leadership. The Contractor shall provide ISD and Human Performance expertise by providing support to: Perform full spectrum ISD responsibilities across all phases of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation as required Advise, consult and educate VBA training community personnel on the comprehensive Four-phased approach referred to as Plan, Create, Execute, Sustain (PCES) a model of excellence for training system management. Design and develop training materials and products for small, quick turn efforts Deliver instructional workshops on ISD and HPI to improve knowledge and educate training community members Review pre-existing training materials to verify/validate instructional effectiveness and adherence to good instructional systems design principles and methodologies. Recognize and identify common training needs at an enterprise level and assist in determining when a formal needs assessment is required. Provide high level expertise and bring value with providing advice, consultation, templates, job aids, and other tools (Standardization in Training) utilizing resources from the Training Center of Excellence. Provide expertise and support in training strategy development and how to best execute and operationalize major training programs and initiatives. Develop Training plans for program offices for enterprise-wide training deployments Support the Office of Employee Development and Training (EDT) in the capture, storage and prioritization of training needs and requirements. Deliverable 4.0: Instructional Systems Design and Human Performance Support Package. Task 5.0: The Contractor shall provide Instructors for Training Delivery Support: The purpose of this task is to provide personnel to support multiple EDT programs that provide delivery of instruction to VBA employees in a combination of Face-to-Face classroom; Instructor-Led Web based Training, and/or in a Blended learning delivery formats. The contractor shall provide experienced instructors for delivering of formal instruction for EDT sponsored programs and training events. The EDT programs and recurring training events requiring instructor and facilitation expertise are specifically related to the following programs: Essentials of Classroom Instruction (ECI), Instructor Qualification Workshop (IQW), Virtual Instructor Qualification Workshop (VIQW), VBA Training System Framework (PCES) Workshops, Lunch & Learns, Training Manager Symposiums, VBA-Specific Talent Management System Community of Interest calls, Training Managers Monthly Calls and other Leadership and Organizational/ Professional Development Workshops. Deliverable 5.0 Instructors for Training Delivery support package Task 6.0: The Contractor shall provide Training Administration and Project Support Package. Administrative and Project Support: The purpose of this task is to provide personnel to support multiple EDT programs in planning, logistics, and project support. The Contractor shall provide project specialists to assist and support EDT project managers with the implementation of programs, projects and initiatives. The Contractor shall support duties to include planning, developing, implementing and evaluating programs and projects, coordinating project activities, collaborating with project team members, developing measurable project goals and objectives, and monitoring progress toward achievement. Project specialists will prepare agendas for meetings, document key decisions and collaborate with team members to develop project collateral. They write and disseminate work plans and project documents, including procedures, proposals, progress reports and presentations. Project specialists will actively participate in project work groups and committees, and they provide recommendations to achieve goals. They assist to facilitate meetings, contribute to planning and decision making, coordinate project resources and liaise with project stakeholders to collect and disseminate project information. Project specialists will communicate effectively in both oral and written forms to a variety of stakeholders. They deliver presentations; provide status reports and progress updates as needed for all aforementioned VBA training programs Deliverable 6.0 Administrative and Project Support package E. SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES 1. The Contractor shall complete the Delivery Date column in Attachment A for each deliverable specified. 2. Unless otherwise specified, the number of draft copies and the number of final copies shall be the same. 3. If for any reason the scheduled time for a deliverable cannot be met, the Contractor is required to explain why (include the original deliverable due date) in writing to the COR and CO, including a firm commitment of when the work shall be completed. This notice to the COR and CO shall cite the reasons for the delay, the impact on the overall contract and provide a corrective plan of action with a get well date. The COR and CO will then review the facts and issue a response in accordance with applicable regulations. F. CHANGES TO STATEMENT OF WORK Any changes to this SOW shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the CO. A copy of each change will be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the CO shall be borne by the Contractor. G. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 1. The Contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) with monthly written progress reports. Monthly reports are due to the COR no later than the fifth business day of the month. The Program Management Review (PMR), unless otherwise specified by the COR will be held the second Tuesday or Wednesday of each month as designated by the COR throughout the project s duration. The PMR slides are due to the COR no later than three business days prior to the scheduled monthly PMR. 2. The Contractor shall provide the COR and with the following reports initially within 15 business days after completion of the kickoff meeting, and thereafter biweekly delivered via email. Required biweekly documentation consists of: Work Breakdown Structure and Schedule updated and submitted to include task breakdown to the fourth level of detail, milestones, ODC pre-approval dates, and travel pre-approval dates. The WBSS shall delivered to the COR in Microsoft Project format and a PowerPoint format. 3. The progress report shall cover all work completed during the preceding month and shall present the work to be accomplished during the subsequent month. This report shall also identify any problems that arose and a statement explaining how the problem was resolved. This report shall also identify any problems that have arisen but have not been completely resolved with an explanation. The report shall also provide complete, detailed financial reports. H. TRAVEL Travel is required for the completion of the work addressed in this Statement of Work. The Government estimates 10 trips for five Contractor employees to support essentials of Classroom Instruction Course, Instructor Qualification Workshop, VBA Training System Framework Workshops, and other Leadership and Organizational/ Professional Development Workshops. For estimation purposes the trips for instructors typically are three to five days and will be held and various Regional Offices throughout the CONUS. There is anticipated additional travel for two Instructional Systems Design personnel once a quarter to meet for four days with SME to discuss pertinent courseware updates, changes, and course development strategies. There will be two trips for ten Contractor employees each for Adobe Captivate Prime LMS Administrator training. For estimation purposes the trips typically range from two to five days and will be held at either the Denver, CO or Baltimore, MD Professional Development Academy in Maryland. Travel requirements may change due to a number of factors, such as project requirements resulting from analysis and test results, or changes in location of travel due to VBA operational requirements. Travel and per diem shall be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 31.206-45. Each contractor invoice must include copies of all receipts that support the travel costs claimed in the invoice. Travel must be pre-approved by the COR prior to scheduling actual travel arrangements. Travel must be priced separately in the price schedule. Local travel within a 50-mile radius from the contractor s facility is considered the cost of doing business and will not be reimbursed. This includes travel, subsistence, and associated labor charges for travel time. Travel performed for personal convenience and daily travel to and from work at the contractor s facility will not be reimbursed. Travel, subsistence, and associated labor charges for travel time for travel beyond a 50-mile radius of the contractor s facility are authorized on a case-by-case basis and must be pre-approved by the COR I. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES The Government will provide access to VBA procedural guides, reference materials, field sites, and subject matter experts and trainee personnel required for analysis, design, development, evaluation, and implementation. If required, the Government may provide Government Furnished Equipment such office space, desks, printer, telephone and access to VBA training content servers. J. CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS KEY PERSONNEL Skilled experienced professional and/or technical personnel are essential for successful contractor accomplishment of the work to be performed under this contract and subsequent task orders and options. The Program Manager, Senior ISD, Online Training Developers, and Learning Management Systems Administrators are designated as Key Personnel and shall not be removed, diverted, or replaced from work without approval of the CO and COR. Any personnel the Contractor offers as substitutes shall have the ability and qualifications equal to or better than the key personnel that are being replaced. Requests to substitute personnel shall be approved by the COR and the CO. All requests for approval of substitutions in personnel shall be submitted to the COR and CO, at least 30 calendar days prior to making any change in key personnel. The request shall be written and provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution. The Contractor shall submit a complete rÃ©sumÃ© for the proposed substitute, any changes to the rate specified in the order (as applicable) and any other information requested by the CO needed to approve or disapprove the proposed substitution. The COR and CO will evaluate such requests and promptly notify the Contractor of approval or disapproval thereof in writing. K. SECURITY VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Requirements General All Contractors and Contractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal security and privacy laws, regulations, standards and VA policies as VA, including the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. §552a, and VA personnel, regarding information and information system security. Contractors must follow policies and procedures outlined in VA Directive 6500, Information Security Program; and VA Handbook 6500.6, Contract Security which are available at: http://www1.va.gov/vapubs and its handbooks to ensure appropriate security controls are in place. Access to VA Information and VA Information Systems VA will supply the Contractor with the minimum logical (technical) and/or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for employees, sub-contractors: (1) to perform the services specified in the contract, (2) to perform necessary maintenance functions for electronic storage or transmission media necessary for performance of the contract, and (3) for individuals who first satisfy the same conditions, requirements, and restrictions that comparable VA employees must meet to have access to the same type of VA information. All Contractors and subcontractors working with VA Sensitive Information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of regular VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level of background security investigation will be in accordance with VA Directive 0710, Handbook 0710, which are available at: http://www1.va.gov/vapubs, and VHA Directive 0710 and Implementation Handbook 0710.01, which are available at: http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/index.cfm. Contractors are responsible for screening their employees. VA Information Custodial Requirements VA information provided to the Contractor for either the performance or administration of this contract shall only be used for those purposes. No other use is permitted without the CO s express written authorization. This clause expressly limits the Contractor s rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d)(1). The Government shall retain the rights to all data and records produced in the execution or administration of this contract. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, Contractor will not destroy information received from VA or gathered or created by the Contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the CO. A Contractor destroying data on VA s behalf must do so accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, and applicable VA Records Control Schedules. All data and reports shall be transferred to VBA upon contract completion. The Contractor shall not make copies of VA information, electronic or otherwise, except as necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on Contractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the Contractor needs to be restored to an operating state. The Contractor shall not use technologies banned in VA in meeting the requirements of the contract (e.g., Bluetooth-enabled devices). Training All Contractor and subcontractor personnel requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and networks: Sign and acknowledge understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the National Rules of Behavior related to access to VA information and information systems Successfully complete VA Information Security Awareness training and annual refresher training as required Successfully complete VA Privacy Awareness training and annual refresher training as required Successfully complete any additional Information Security or Privacy training as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access The Contractor shall provide to the COR a copy of the training certificates for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required. These online courses are located at www.tms.va.gov. To self-enroll, click the Create New User button on the red bar and complete the assigned training. The COR will provide the contractor with the appropriate information to complete self-enrollment. Technical issues with TMS should be directed to the TMS help desk at vatmshelp@va.gov or 1.866.496.0463. Failure to complete this mandatory training within the timeframe required will be grounds for suspension or termination of all physical and/or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training is completed. Contractor Personnel Security All contract employees who require access to the VA site(s) and/or access to VA local area network (LAN) systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Security and Investigations Center (SIC). These requirements are applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same level of Background Investigation. The level of background security investigation will be in accordance with VA Directive 0710 dated September 10, 2004 and is available at http://www1.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=487&FType=2 Background Investigation The contract employee level of background investigation required for this effort is: NACI. Contractor Responsibilities 1. The Contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations or reciprocals of previous investigations held that meet or exceed the required investigation level. The cost of background investigations is based on the current Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rate at the time the application is processed at OPM. Fiscal Year 2017 rates are as follows: Low Risk (NACI) $381, Moderate Risk (MBI) $1,730, High Risk (BI) $4,431 or Reciprocals are $62. VA will pay for investigations or reciprocals processed through the VA SIC and conducted by OPM in advance; however, the Contractor shall reimburse the full cost of background investigations/reciprocals to VA within 30 days of Bill of Collections received from VA. VA shall send up to three plus one final delinquent notice to the Contractor. If the Contractor does not adhere to the Bill of Collections, future invoices may be subject to be offset by VA to recoup background investigation/reciprocal costs. 2. Immediately after contract or task order award, the COR will provide the Contractor with the following background investigation documents to be completed by the Contractor and returned to the COR to begin the background investigation process for all contract employees working on the contract who will have access to VA facilities, VA systems, or privacy data: Background Investigation Request Worksheet Optional Form 306 Declaration of Federal Employment Fingerprint Request Form 3. Upon receipt of the above-stated documents from the COR, the VSC will perform preliminary onboarding review and process the request through the SIC. Upon notification of favorable fingerprint results by the VSC, the contractor may begin work while the background investigation is ongoing. Thereafter, the Contractor will receive an email notification from the SIC identifying the website link that includes detailed instructions regarding completion of the background clearance application process in the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system. E-QIP is an online, Internet accessible system where the contractor employee shall complete the security questionnaire required for OPM to process the background investigation. 4. Contractors who have a current favorable background investigation previously conducted by OPM or Defense Security Service (DSS) may be accepted through reciprocation. When a previous clearance is currently held, it does not preclude the vendor from submitting a complete Background Investigation Package as stated above to the COR immediately after contract or task order award for all contract employees who will be working on the contract. 5. The Contractor shall prescreen all personnel who require access to VA site(s) and/or access to VA LAN systems to ensure they maintain a U.S. citizenship or Alien Registration that authorizes them to work in the U.S. and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language. 6. Contract performance shall not commence before: The VSC has confirmed favorable fingerprint results, or SIC confirms that it has received the Contractor s investigative documents, the documents are complete, and that the investigation information has been released to OPM for scheduling of the background investigation, or VSC or the SIC has confirmed that the verified investigation will be reciprocated. 7. The COR will notify and forward the Contractor a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility (Form 4236) if the investigation has been reciprocated. The Contractor, if notified of an unfavorable adjudication by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract. Failure to comply with the Contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default. 8. The Contractor shall be responsible for the actions of those contract and subcontract employees they provide to perform work for VA. In the event damage arises from work performed by Contractor personnel, under the auspices of the contract, the Contractor will be responsible for resources necessary to remedy the incident. 9. Should the Contractor use a vendor other than OPM or DSS to conduct investigations, the investigative company must be certified by OPM/DSS to conduct Contractor investigations. The Vendor Cage Code number must be provided to the VA SIC, which will verify the information and conclude whether access to the Government s site(s) and/or VA LAN systems can be granted. 10. The investigative history for Contractor personnel working under this contract must be maintained in the databases of either OPM or the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Organization (DISCO). Government Responsibilities 1. After the SIC has adjudicated the background investigation package from the Contractor, the SIC will send an e-mail notification to the Contractor and their POC identifying the e-QIP website link that includes detailed instructions regarding completion of the background clearance application process and the level of background that was requested. 2. Upon receipt of required investigative documents, SIC will review the investigative documents for completion and initiate the background investigation by forwarding the investigative documents to OPM to conduct the background investigation. If the investigative documents are not complete, the SIC will notify the vendor of deficiencies and include corrective instructions. 3. VA will pay for investigations and reciprocals processed through the VA SIC and conducted by OPM in advance, however, the Contractor shall reimburse the full cost of background investigations/reciprocals to VA within 30 days of Bill of Collections from VA. VA shall send up to three plus one final delinquent notice to the Contractor. If the Contractor does not adhere to the Bill of Collections, future invoices may be subject to be offset by VA to recoup background investigation costs and may be considered grounds for default. 4. The COR will notify and forward the Contractor a copy of the Certificate of Investigation when the background investigation has been favorably adjudicated or a Certificate of Eligibility (Form 4236) if the investigation has been reciprocated. The COR will also notify the Contractor of an unfavorable adjudication by the Government. Security Incident Investigation The term security incident means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action the breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the COR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/subcontractor has access. M. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES This SOW is further subject to the statutory requirement to assess liquidated damages against contractors and/or subcontractors under 38 U.S.C. §5725 in the event of a breach of Sensitive Personal Information (SPI)/Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Said liquidated damages shall be assessed at $37.50 per affected Veteran or beneficiary. A breach in this context includes the unauthorized acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of VA SPI which compromises not only the information s security or privacy but that of the Veteran or beneficiary as well as the potential exposure or wrongful disclosure of such information as a result of a failure to follow proper data security controls and protocols. N. CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE It is agreed that: 1. The preliminary and final deliverables and all associated working papers, application source code, and other material deemed relevant by the VA which has been generated by the Contractor in the performance of this task order are the exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the COR at the conclusion of the task order. 2. The CO will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, the draft deliverables, the final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this task order. No information shall be released by the contractor. Any request for information relating to this task order presented to the contractor shall be submitted to the CO for response. 3. Press releases, marketing material or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the CO. ATTACHMENT A SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES Deliverable No. Item Quantity Delivery Date Task 1.0 Program Support package One As determined in the Government-approved PMP Task 2.0 TMS Administrative Support Package. One As determined in the Government-approved PMP Task 3.0 Course Advocate Support Package. One As determined in the Government-approved PMP Task 4.0 Instructional Systems Design and Human Performance Support Package. One As determined in the Government-approved PMP Task 5.0 Instructors for Training Delivery support package One As determined in the Government-approved PMP Task 6.0 Administrative and Project Support package One As determined in the Government-approved PMP
Web Link: FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/WDCVARO372/WDCVARO372/VA101V17N0247/listing.html)
Document(s): Attachment; File Name: VA101V-17-N-0247 VA101V-17-N-0247.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=3547159&FileName=VA101V-17-N-0247-000.docx); Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=3547159&FileName=VA101V-17-N-0247-000.docx; Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
Place of Performance: Address: Department of Veterans Affairs;Veterans Benefits Administration;1800 G. Street N.W.;Washnington DC; Zip Code: 20006
Record: SN04531074-W 20170604/170602234808-141e345476cb736d47ee556fb4807dcd (fbodaily.com)
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