Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF AUGUST 09, 2018 FBO #6103
DOCUMENT

R -- Post-Separation Transition Assistance Plan Assessment - Attachment

Notice Date

8/7/2018
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541611 — Administrative Management and General Management Consulting 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

36C10E18Q9426
 

Response Due

8/15/2018
 

Archive Date

8/30/2018
 

Point of Contact

Depertment 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. 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 Performance Work Statement (PWS). 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 Please see draft Performance Work Statement below for background details NAICS 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting 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. n 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", "Capabilities Statement, and General Questions sections below. Company Details The page limit for responses to this section is 1 page. 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 capability statement response is 3 pages. Provide an overview of your business capabilities to fulfill the requirements of the PWS, to include organizational and staff capability and experience. Describe your experience in conducting Office of Management and Budget surveys. Describe your experience in developing & executing longitudinal studies General Questions The page limit for responses in this section is 1 page. Provide feedback and recommend any changes to better support the requirements detailed in the PWS. RESPONSE SUBMISSION Please submit responses via email to ross.byrne@va.gov by 6:00 p.m. (ET), Aug 15, 2018. The VA reserves the right to not reply to any emails, responses, and/or materials submitted. **DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT** A. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Title: Post-Separation Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Assessment (PSTAP). 2. Scope of Work: The Contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in the PWS. The Government is in the process of developing assessment instruments which shall provide Veteran, spouse and caregiver feedback to better understand outcomes as a result of a Transitioning Service Member s (TSM) participation in TAP at the six months, 12 months and 36 months post separation points for a cross sectional study each year and an accompanying longitudinal study of participants from the cross-sectional study cohorts with up to six cohorts over the Period of Performance (PoP). The Government intends to use assessment results to refine outreach, education, messaging, and planned partnerships to enhance delivery and utilization of Government benefits and services offered to Service members in their short and long-term transition goals. Execution of the cross-sectional study and development of the longitudinal assessment shall be conducted during the Base Year of the PoP. Cross sectional assessments shall be conducted each year. The longitudinal study shall be conducted in each of the option years, as detailed in this PWS. Three cross sectional assessment instruments shall be fielded annually for TSMs six months, 12 months and 36 months from separation from Military Service. Detailed information on the fielding and reporting frequency can be found in the Specific Mandatory Tasks and Associated Deliverables. 3. Background: VA is developing the PSTAP to ensure TAP services and messages are accurately aligned with the needs TSMs face today and in the future. The data collected through the assessment instruments will provide government with various satisfaction measures on numerous touch points the agency has with Veterans and spouse and caregiver. This cross sectional and longitudinal study shall allow the Government to establish performance metrics and provide the Government with an overall TAP review using assessment information collected. The Contractor shall compare Government processes against commercial organizations and other Government agencies providing similar services and processes and provide best practices from those organizations on how to increase overall customer satisfaction. Activities and tasks within this PWS will allow the Government to develop the assessment instruments to continuously measure and track how executed TAP initiatives impact satisfaction metrics. The data collected from this assessment shall be analyzed to determine what aspects of the Veterans experience is most important in terms of satisfaction and what TAP content or processes need to be created or changed in order to increase satisfaction. 4. Performance Period: The period of performance is one year from the date of award followed by four (4) consecutive option years, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. The Government s decision not to exercise an option shall not be considered a termination. Work at the Government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). Base Year Performance Period: September 20, 2018-September 19, 2019 Option Year One - September 20, 2019-September 19, 2020 Option Year Two - September 20, 2020-September 19, 2021 Option Year Three - September 20, 2021-September 19, 2022 Option Year Four - September 20, 2022-September 19, 2023 5. Type of Contract: Firm Fixed-Price 6. Place of Performance: The Contractors facility must be the Washington DC area. The majority of work on this contract will be performed at the contractor s site. Attendance and participation at management status meetings and briefing presentations shall be required; these meetings and sessions shall take place at the Government s site. During each Government work day, at least one employee of the Contractor shall be available for questions concerning contract deliverables. B. CONTRACT POST AWARD CONFERENCE The Contractor shall not commence performance on the tasks in this PWS until the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and the CO has conducted a post award conference or has advised the Contractor that a post award conference is waived. C. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1. For every task, the Contractor shall identify in writing associated costs by task and with associated. The Contractor's subtask structure shall be reflected in the quote and detailed Project Management Plan (PMP). 2. All written deliverables shall be phrased in layperson language. Statistical and other technical terminology shall not be used without providing a glossary of terms. 3. Where a written milestone deliverable is required in draft form, the Government will complete its review of the draft deliverable within 10 calendar days from date of receipt. The Contractor shall have 5 calendar days to deliver the final deliverable from date of receipt of the Government s comments. 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 periods stated in Section A.4 of this PWS. Task/Deliverables: 1.0 TASK ONE: Administration and Program Managements Task 1: Part A Project Management Plan The contractor shall provide a detailed Project Management Plan (PMP) and briefing for the project team, which presents the contractor's plan for completing the PWS within 14 days after award effective date which presents the Contractor s plan for completing the contract describing the technical approach, management plan, organizational structure and resources, and management controls that will meet the objectives of this PWS. The Contractor's plan shall be responsive to this PWS and describe, in further detail, the approach to be used for each aspect of the contract as defined in the proposal. The Contractor shall keep the PMP up to date throughout the period of performance, specifically; the Contractor shall provide recommended updates in the form of tracked changes in Microsoft Word, on a monthly basis. Negative response indicating no updates are made is required. The Contractor shall use artifacts and processes determined at time of award. Further, the Government may, at any time, request additional updates that will be completed by the Contractor and delivered to the Government no more than ten (10) days after the request. These updates may include the addition of activities not included in the initial plan. For example, during the course of the major milestone implementation, the Government may require contract changes that will require prior approval from the CO. The Contractor shall provide recommended changes to PM, COR and CO. Any recommended changes that impact the price shall be identified with price impact and shall not be implemented until and unless approved by the CO through a modification. The final PMP shall comply with Project Management Institute (PMI) suggested requirements and the Draft PMP shall be inclusive of the following deliverables, at a minimum: Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan: The Contractor shall conduct risk identification, risk analysis, risk management, and risk monitoring and reporting, focusing on the processes, resources and data sources critical to managing the project. The Contractor shall provide a Risks and Mitigation plan weekly. Risk and issues shall be reported during the weekly update meetings as critical, high, medium, or low. A description shall be included of the risk/issue, the owner, progress made, and management strategy as applicable. Weekly status will be provided on each risk until they are closed out. The PMO may request that a perceived risk or issue be added and tracked for the contract. Deliverable 1.A.1: Project Management Plan (PMP) Deliverable 1.A.2 Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan TASK 1: Part B Contract Post Award Conference The Contractor shall attend a Post Award Conference with Government project team, and project advisory group comprised of key stakeholders and SMEs. The post award conference briefing will be held within ten (10) calendar days after contract award or as agreed upon between Government PM, COR, and Contractor. At the Post Award Conference, the Contractor shall brief the details of the project management plan (PMP), which shall include the Contractor s intended approach, work plan, and project schedule including deliverables, tasks, and subtasks, with major milestones. Deliverable 1.B.1 Post Award Conference Briefing 2.0 TASK TWO: Status reporting Task 2: Part A- The Contractor shall participate and facilitate weekly update meetings. Weekly meetings shall be set up after the post award conference, considering availability of government PMO staff, providing phone dial in and/or web conferencing. The weekly status report shall highlight risks and issues as well as any outstanding items. The WSR shall be delivered via email to both the COR and PM. A summary shall be provided (2) business days prior to the meeting. The Contractor, PM and/or COR shall facilitate the meeting. The Contractor shall track action items, and provide minutes within (1) business day of the meeting. The Contractor shall support the Government with data calls concerning the PMP, project data, Customer Satisfaction scores, or methodology. Deliverable 2.A.1: Weekly meetings, status report and summary TASK 2: PART B- Monthly interim progress review and report Monthly Interim Progress Review (IPR): The Contractor shall support the government with IPR activities in implementing a disciplined, comprehensive, and flexible program and project management processes, including: monitoring of project metrics; rigorous risk management; and prompt reporting on Government-approved schedule, performance, and risk baseline. Monthly Status Report (MSR): The Contractor shall provide the MSR to the Government electronically, no later than the 15th calendar day of each month. The SMT shall cover all work completed during the preceding month and will present the work to be accomplished during the subsequent month. The SMT shall identify any problems that have arisen and a statement explaining how the problem was resolved or an explanation why it has not been completely resolved. The MSR shall review key findings and progress for that month. The Contractor shall provide a written summary of each meeting within one day of meeting occurrence for use in accomplishing subsequent tasks. Deliverable 2.B.1: Monthly IPR briefing Deliverable 2.B.2: Monthly status report TASK 2: PART C Quarterly reporting and analysis: The contractor shall provide a quarterly analysis of data including key developmental findings with recommendations. Deliverable 2.C.1 Quarterly briefing Deliverable 2.C.2 Quarterly status report 3.0 TASK THREE: The Contractor shall develop and/or refine, in conjunction with government, an assessment-sampling plan detailing the amount, frequency and method of data collection and statistical analysis for the research studies, and a plan to keep the sampling plan current throughout the lifecycle of the program for both the cross sectional and longitudinal studies. The Contractor shall develop the methodology and sampling plan in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget s (OMB) Guidance on Agency Assessment and Statistical Information Collections, dated January 20, 2006. The sampling plan will also outline the data cleaning specifications, sample selection criteria, Government Printing Office (GPO) print order process, data collection protocol, and strategies to maximize response rates. The Contractor shall work with Government staff to determine what data is needed to develop appropriate assessment samples (stratified where necessary) to provide statistically significant results and useful information to capture the customer experience with TAP. An example of the data elements is included in Attachment B (Data File Sample List). The Contractor shall: Develop a sampling design plan that satisfies the Government s objectives. Provide statistically sound data collection plan that is valid for use in a statistical capacity. Ensure that the sample plan is representative of the selected population and provides enough records to reduce bias. Identify the sampling method (probability or non-probability based) and any limitations to the data to be collected. Define data cleaning specifications and sample selection criteria that shall be applied to the government dataset(s).   See Attachment A example. (Sample Cleaning Rules). Stratify subpopulations of interest to government e.g., women Veterans, elderly Veterans, or Veterans of certain wars. Develop a Production Schedule. Develop the Business Requirements Documents (BRD) for submission to PAI to generate the required sample file data sets; cross sectional sample will consist of a census sample for a three-month window centered on the target month (i.e. the sample will be for those TSMs that separated from five months to seven months from the date of request to capture the six months post separation group). Generate an assessment sample (Cleaned Government Sample) file for each data set for each assessment following the frequency identified in the methodology. Create a Cleaned Government Sample within 72 hours of receipt of the dataset(s) Identify discrepancies within data files and assist in the resolution of these discrepancies. Verify that all sample respondents have United States addresses (e.g. United State territories, Military APO/FPO boxes).   Foreign postage is not permitted. Provide a plan yielding results that shall be at a 90% confidence interval plus or minus 3% margin of error. Detail the amount, frequency and method of data collection for the research study(ies) Provide a glossary for complex terms or jargon and explain statistical terms and concepts in clear language. Update the sampling plans throughout the lifecycle of the program. Deliverable 3.A.1: Sampling Design Plan Deliverable 3.A.2: Data Collection Plan Deliverable 3.A.3: Sampling Method Plan Deliverable 3.A.4: Data Cleaning Specifications Deliverable 3.A.5: Sample Selection Criteria Deliverable 3.A.6: Production Schedule Deliverable 3.A.7: Cross Sectional BRD Deliverable 3.A.8: Longitudinal BRD Deliverable 3.A.9: Cleaned Government Sample Deliverable 3.A.10 Updates to Plan Documents 4.0 TASK FOUR: Federal Agencies must design the assessment to achieve the highest practical rates of response, commensurate with the importance of assessment uses, respondent burden, and data collection costs, to ensure that assessment results are representative of the target population so that they can be used with confidence to make informed decisions. Nonresponse bias analyses must be conducted when unit or item response rates or other factors suggest the potential for bias to occur. Per OMB s Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Assessments (September 2006), a nonresponse bias evaluation is recommended if any assessments yield a response rate below 80%.   The nonresponse bias evaluations shall be conducted in order to ascertain the possible causes of variance in response rates among different respondent demographics, and/or to determine the underlying cause of low response rates for the sample as a whole.   The Contractor shall conduct such statistical analysis (e.g., weighting/imputing) in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the OMB Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Assessments (September 2006). The Contractor shall provide Government with a written report which discusses possibilities for assessment sample biases based on the necessary OMB standards and guidelines for statistical assessments.   Deliverable 4.A.1: Written report addressing the non-response bias analysis for each assessment conducted as required by OMB guidance. (Base year shall only include non-response bias analysis for the cross-sectional assessment, all option years shall include both cross sectional and longitudinal assessment non-response bias analysis)     5.0 TASK FIVE (BASE YEAR ONLY): The Contractor shall work with staff to develop the longitudinal assessment questionnaires, based on Human Based Design, and analysis received from Government research or technology and/or process changes. Contractor shall submit final copies of materials electronically to Government for approval including demonstrations of web assessment in the internet environment. Government shall approve the final versions of all questionnaires. Deliverable 5.A.1: Final assessment questionnaires for TSMs for the longitudinal study covering up to six cohorts. Deliverable 5.A.2: Demonstrations of final web assessments in the internet environment for TSMs for the longitudinal study. 6.0 TASK SIX: The Contractor shall work with staff to revise and edit the assessment questionnaires, based on Human Based Design, and analysis received from research or government technology and/or process changes. Contractor shall submit final copies of materials electronically to government for approval including demonstrations of web assessment in the internet environment. Government shall approve the final versions of all questionnaires. Deliverable 6.A.1: Final assessment questionnaires for TSMs; six months post separation, 12 months post separation and 36 months post separation from Military Service. Deliverable 6.A.2: Demonstrations of final web assessments in the internet environment for TSM s; six months post separation, 12 months post separation and 36 months post separation from Military Service. Deliverable 6.A.3 (Option years only): Final assessment questionnaires for TSMs for the longitudinal cohorts. Deliverable 6.A.4 (Option Years only): Demonstrations of final web assessments in the internet environment for TSMs for the longitudinal cohorts. 7.0 TASK SEVEN (OPTIONAL TASK FOR OPTION YEARS): The Contractor shall work with government staff to develop any documentation required for internal Government approval of the instruments and methodology for the assessment questionnaires. The Contractor shall follow all requirements in accordance with the guidance set forth by Government. The contractor shall prepare the instrument coordination and approval package which will be submitted to government leadership for approval. Transition staff will provide all of the appropriate information pertaining to the government process and any necessary support to help facilitate the concurrence process and approval through the government internal process. This task shall also cover any required OMB review/approval of any revisions to both the cross sectional and longitudinal instruments. Deliverable 7.A.1: Internal Government coordination and approval package; both draft and final version signed by government leadership. 8.0 TASK EIGHT (OPTIONAL TASK FOR OPTION YEARS): The Contractor shall work with Government staff to develop supporting documentation for OMB approval of the assessment instruments and methodology for the assessment questionnaires. The Contractor shall follow all requirements in accordance with the guidance set forth in OMB guidance pertaining to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 https://www.opm.gov/about-us/open-government/digital-government-strategy/fitara/paperwork-reduction-act-guide.pdf. The Contractor shall prepare Supporting statement for the Paperwork Reduction Act Submission, including Part A, Justification, and Part B, Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods, which shall be submitted to OMB for approval. TAP staff shall provide all of the appropriate information pertaining to the OMB process and any necessary support to help facilitate the concurrence process and release to OMB. This task shall also cover any OMB review/approval of any revisions to both the cross sectional and longitudinal instruments as required throughout the PoP. The Contractor shall: Conduct cognitive labs or field testing of assessment questionnaires prior to OMB Submission Complete the Generic Clearance Package for Cognitive Labs/Field Testing as required Complete Cognitive Lab/Field Testing and develop findings Develop an Analytical Map regarding the purpose for each submitted question for OMB Prepare the Supporting Statement for the PRA Submission, including Part A, Justification, and Part B, Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods. for OMB Submission Develop a 60-day Federal Register Notification Develop a 30-day Federal Register Notification Provide support to the government in answering any public comments from either the 60 or 30 days notification Provide responses and guidance to government regarding inquiries from OMB during the approval process Provide program management services for the OMB approval process Deliverable 8.A.1: Generic Clearance Package for Cognitive Labs/Field Testing if required Deliverable 8.A.2: Cognitive Lab/Field Testing Findings Deliverable 8.A.3: Analytical Map for assessment questionnaires Deliverable 8.A.4: Federal Register Notifications Deliverable 8.A.5: PRA Supporting Statement Part A. Justification Deliverable 8.A.6: PRA Supporting Statement Part B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods 9.0 TASK NINE (Base year cross sectional only; option years both cross sectional and longitudinal studies are required): The Contractor shall receive assessment sample files and clean those files for assessment development and stratify assessment samples to ensure statistically significant results for the transition office. Detailed sampling procedures and cleaning rules shall be outlined in the Sampling Plan. In creating the sample files for all assessments, the Contractor shall remove any duplicate records, both within, and between assessment samples. At no time will a respondent be assessed more than once within a 12-month period. The estimated number of respondents for a twelve-month period to be included in the assessments is detailed in the table below. The Contractor shall: Determine if proofs are required Review all proofs received from the print vendor Compare each proof against the specifications Provide written certification to government that the submitted proofs are acceptable for printing Notify the COR and government PUBS via email regarding the independent review findings and list any deficiencies with screen shots of the issue via email The Contractor shall remove those records that do not contain all required data elements for each line of business in the sample data file as detailed in Attachment C (sample cleaning rules) before forwarding to the GPO vendor for processing. All printing and mailing activities shall be conducted by the GPO Print Vendor. The Contractor shall communicate with GPO s selected print vendor in order to ensure quality and specifications of the assessment materials are correct. The Contractor shall do a quality check of variable data (laser) PDF proofs received from GPO print vendor. This will be completed before sample files with respondent contact information and mail materials are provided to the print vendor. This is to ensure the correct assessment instruments are provided to Government s clients. Additionally, to also ensure the Contractor can scan and use the returned assessment instruments. The Contractor shall: Create a list of assessment respondents from the Cleaned Government Samples Generate VA Form 7700, Request for Reproduction of Services, for each assessment instrument package to be fielded (Attachment B VA Form 7700) Utilize the VA Publications cost calculator to estimate print order cost Label the sample files as defined in the Printing Specifications Transmit a courtesy notification to the print vendor regarding the items that will be requested for mailing to assist with timely ordering of supplies. This notification shall list the assessment number, the quantity to be printed, and the name of the sample file that will be transmitted Transmit sample files to the print vendor using a method approved in the DTA Maintain a sortable log file with a record of each mailing requested. At minimum, the file shall list the assessment name, assessment number, sample file name, the print quantity, date of courtesy notification, the delivery date to the print vendor, the status of proofs or samples, the date of mailing (as determined by mail receipts), the date of additional cleaning and subsequent mailings Contractor shall supply the selected print vendor with sample files with respondent contact information for deployment via a secure Enterprise Data Exchange (EDX) FTP site in accordance with the Data Transfer Agreement #466. Each assessment and postcard will be printed with the respondent s first and last names, mailing address and a unique recipient ID number. Assessment Instrument Methodology Total Assessment Instruments Targeted Number of Completes Number of Postcards (eAssessment) Number of Mail Packages Fielding Frequency Cross Sectional Mixed 230,000 46,000 230,000 100,000 Annual *Longitudinal Mixed TBD** TBD** TBD** TBD** Annual *First longitudinal assessment will be executed in option year one; each option year will add an additional cohort from the previous year s cross sectional six-month post separation cohort for a total of six longitudinal cohorts to be tracked over the PoP; final option year longitudinal cohorts will be Veterans at 18, 30, 42, 54, 60 and 84 months post separation ** Number of longitudinal assessment instruments will be determined by the cross-sectional study Opt In question responses for each longitudinal cohort. Deliverable 9.A.1: Generate and provide sample files with respondent contact information, mail materials and written certification of proofs from the GPO Print Vendor for the cross sectional assessment. Deliverable 9.A.2: Provide final assessments, letters, postcards, and mailing materials to the GPO vendor for printing for each of the cross sectional cohorts; six months, 12 months and 36 months post separation from military service. Deliverable 9.A.3 (option years only): Generate and provide sample files with respondent contact information, mail materials and written certification of proofs from the GPO Print Vendor for the longitudinal assessment. Deliverable 9.A.4 (option years only): Provide final assessments, letters, postcards, and mailing materials to the GPO vendor for printing for each longitudinal cohort. 10.0 TASK TEN: Respondents shall initially be mailed a postcard inviting them to complete the assessment online, which shall be validated by government Section 508 office and be in conformance with 508 standards. Those respondents who do not complete the assessment online may be subsequently mailed a assessment packet containing a cover letter, scannable paper assessment, and postage-paid return envelope. Initial postcards shall provide respondents with the Internet address and location of the corresponding online assessment (for assessment that include both an online and mail option). Postcards shall also include the assessment recipient ID number on the mailing label. All printing and mailing activities, for the fielding of the assessments, shall be conducted by the GPO Print Vendor. Printing costs will be included in the GPO awarded contract to the selected vendor. Contractor shall work with the Government and their approved GPO vendor for printing all materials associated with the assessments. The Contractor shall receive all completed assessment materials and paper-based responses for processing of data results. Image/Scan all returned assessment instruments, with quality assurance check (manual) for 10% of instruments returned a maximum of 100,000 paper assessment instruments will be sent out annually for the cross-sectional study. The maximum number of paper assessments for the longitudinal study will be determined by the total number of cross sectional participants opting in for the longitudinal study. Deliverable 10.A.1: Clean and process assessment sample files for the Veteran assessment populations. Deliverable 10.A.2: Monthly disposition reports, which include total assessments/postcards mailed, response rates, and disposition of sample for that month. Deliverable 10.A.3: Contractor shall set-up and host a secure FTP sites through EDX the first shall be for secure transfer of raw sample files from government to be processed and cleaned; the second for secure transfer to Printing Vendor to be printed on instruments. 11.0 TASK ELEVEN: The Contractor shall provide the live links to government staff for certification that the questionnaires are live and accessible. The Contractor shall be required to host the website, and to ensure it meets the Government data security requirements and is 508 compliant. For the duration of the fieldwork portion of the assessments, government requires 95% up-time for the site. Complex matters and/or technical difficulties which could affect the access and use of the questionnaires shall be reported to government staff on the same business day reported/discovered. The contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that 95% up-time requirements are met, and for rectifying any technical or accessibility issues related to this task. Deliverable 11.A.1: Live, Contractor-hosted website, which hosts the questionnaires for the online assessments. Deliverable 11.A.2: Monthly disposition reports, which include total eAssessments completed, response rates, mid-terminates for electronic assessments, and disposition of sample for that month. 12.0 TASK TWELVE: For the duration of the fieldwork portion of the assessments, the Contractor shall provide both toll-free phone and Internet-based assistance to assessment respondents who require it on business days Monday through Friday from 0900-1800. The term fieldwork refers to the time period for which each assessment is open for response. The web helpdesk shall be staffed so that all requests for assistance are responded to within one business day. The toll-free telephone lines shall also have voicemail capabilities, which allow for leaving of messages so that inquiries can be responded to no more than one business day after receipt. The Contractor shall log all received calls and web-based inquiries, and record the disposition of each. Contractor shall provide government with ongoing logs, provided in excel format, of inquiry trends on a monthly basis throughout the duration of fieldwork. Deliverable 12.A.1: Toll-free telephone assistance line, web helpdesk assistance and corresponding call/inquiry logs logs of calls/emails that do not require government follow up and logs of calls/emails that do require government follow up with trend analysis. Deliverable 12.A.2: At the conclusion of the fieldwork portion of the assessments, the contractor shall provide final logs to transition subject matter experts for review. The Contractor shall also separate the log into two separate files; the first will be standard calls that do not require any government follow-up (for example, those who have general questions about the assessment or require assistance with the assessment); and the second will be calls that require government to follow-up directly with the respondent (for example, callers who request that government call regarding their benefits). 13.0 TASK THIRTEEN: The Contractor shall provide government with data matrices and analysis via a secure FTP site through EDX that is accessible to appropriate government staff and management. Matrices are provided in accordance with the reporting frequency (listed below), not the fielding frequency. Matrices shall provide cumulative summaries of all data and analysis quarter-to-date, and year-to-date, on a secure FTP site, hosted by the contractor. Data analysis and collection will include all government data on the assessment participants as well as any additional available data sources to ensure the data sets provide a holistic and robust pool of data from which to draw conclusions about veterans. The analytic reports will be delivered in accordance with the following schedule: TAP Quarterly The Contractor shall send an email to the COR each time data is loaded. Deliverable 13.A.1: Merge respondent-level mail assessment returns with respondent-level eAssessment return, and produce one respondent-level file for each assessment instrument on a quarterly basis. Deliverable 13.A.2: Process respondent-level returns into one aggregate file, which shall include aggregated data for government and corresponding Regional Office(s), if applicable, on a quarterly basis for both the cross sectional and longitudinal studies Deliverable 13.A.3: Provide Government with data matrices with statistical analysis and recommendations for the assessment populations and results on a quarterly basis. Deliverable 13.A.4: Verbatim report for all open-ended questions on a quarterly basis with statistical analysis and recommendations. Deliverable 13.A.5: Provide all raw data in an industry standard format to government annually for archive purposes or future data analysis. 14.0 TASK FOURTEEN: The Contractor shall also provide six (6) reporting site training sessions for Government personnel. During these sessions, the Contractor shall provide an extensive overview of the reporting site, to include all pages available to government personnel, as well as the various functions and features. Online training materials/resources shall be available to users. Deliverable 14.A.1: Perform six, one hour, reporting site training sessions with associated materials for government staff and/or other identified Government staff over a 12-month period, as data is loaded to the reporting site. 15.0 TASK FIFTEEN: Contractor shall prepare presentations and provide briefings on data collected with Government management semi-annually. This detailed presentation and briefing shall be delivered in-person and/or via teleconference and shall provide a summary of key findings and recommendations based on the data collected. The Contractor shall follow OMB guidelines for data analysis and reporting. Contractor shall provide 20 printed versions of the findings and recommendations (overviews) for review during the meetings. Deliverable 15.A.1: Presentations and analysis briefings of data collected semi-annually. The contractor shall provide printed versions. 16.0 TASK SIXTEEN: Contractor shall prepare a detailed annual formal Executive Leadership report on data collected. These annual formal reports will be delivered in-person to government leadership to validate program objectives, data trends and recommendations across assessments based on the data collected. Contractor shall provide government with 25 color copies of the report as handouts for leadership at the meeting. Contractor shall provide written summaries with all conclusions derived from the data. The written summaries/reports shall provide a high-level overview with key outcomes, recommendations, best practices for the reporting period. Contractor shall work with government to ensure all edits are incorporated into the final report and written summaries. DELIVERABLE 16.A.1: Annual contractor report, written summaries and presentation of the data. 17.0 TASK SEVENTEEN: Contractor shall use the data trends from Task 16 and categorize the trends into suggested priority groupings. Contractor shall review the suggested priority groupings with government stakeholders to determine up to four relevant topics for participation in two action planning meetings annually. Action planning meetings shall be no longer than a half-day. Contractor shall develop all meeting materials and facilitate an action planning meeting per topic to discuss causes, explore solutions, and determine actions, action owners and desired outcomes. Contractor shall assist government by providing senior-level guidance to action owners. Contractor shall then reconvene the stakeholders for each of the topic areas to discuss progress, challenges and future actions. The follow-up meetings shall be continued until action plans are finalized. Deliverable 17.A.1: After Contractor meets with the TAP Office, initial and updated action plans shall be delivered with detailed tasks, timelines, action owners, and status updates. F. 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 CO, including a firm commitment of when the work shall be completed. This notice to the CO shall cite the reasons for the delay, and the impact on the overall project. The CO will then review the facts and issue a response in accordance with applicable regulations. G. CHANGES TO PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT Any changes to this PWS shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the CO. A copy of each change will be kept in a contract folder along with all other products of the contract. Costs incurred by the Contractor through the actions of parties other than the CO shall be borne by the Contractor. H. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 1. The Contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) with monthly written progress reports delivered via email. These are due to the COR by the second workday following the end of each calendar month throughout the contract duration. 2. 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 will 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. I. TRAVEL No travel will be required under this contract. J. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Government will: 1. Provide background materials, a general overview of objectives of the contract, along with any issues and suggestions raised by Government staff. 2. Provide lists and/or data files of information found in Attachment B to the Contractor to administer the assessment. 3. Provide a Data Transfer Agreement (DTA), which will be the governing authority for the transfer of data from Government to Contractor for the life of the contract. 4. Provide printing services through GPO. K. CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS KEY PERSONNEL These 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. These are defined as key personnel and are those persons whose resumes were submitted. The Contractor agrees that the key personnel shall not be removed, diverted, or replaced from work without approval of the CO and COR. Contractor shall provide at least one key personnel with Government TAP subject matter expertise (SME). The SME shall provide TAP knowledge of policy, procedures, and data elements that are critical to accurately analyzing trends and long-term outcomes of TAP participants. Educational accomplishments or work experience shall be clearly relevant to the scope of work required under this contract. 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 the CO within 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 resume 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. L. SECURITY Background Investigation All Contractor employees working on this contract are required to complete a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) background investigation, prior to starting services on this contract. Attachment A Schedule of Deliverables Deliverable No. 1.A.1 Deliverable Project Management Plan Quantity one hard copy; One electronic copy-MS PowerPoint Delivery Date Within fourteen (14) days of award effective date. 1.A.2 Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan one hard copy; One electronic copy-MS PowerPoint Within ten (10) calendar days after contract award effective date or as agreed upon between government PM, COR, and Contractor. 1.B.1 Contract Post Award Conference One electronic copy-MS PowerPoint Two (2) business days prior to the meeting 2.A.1 Weekly, status report, meeting and meeting minutes One electronic copy-MS PowerPoint Two (2) business days prior to the meeting 2.B.1 Monthly IPR briefing one hard copy, One electronic copy MS Word No later than the 5th calendar day of each month 2.B.2 Monthly status report One hard copy, one electronic copy MS Word No later than the 15th calendar day of each month 2.C.1 Quarterly briefing One electronic copy-MS Word No later than the 5th calendar day from end of quarter. Quarters are per fiscal year 2.C.2 Quarterly status report 20 copies-MS Word/PowerPoint No later than the 15th calendar day from end of quarter. Quarters are per fiscal year 3.A.1 Sampling Design Plan One-MS Word initial plan due within 30 days of award and by the 5th of each month, as needed 3.A.2 Data Collection Plan One-MS Word initial plan due within 40 days of award and by the 5th of each month, as needed 3.A.3 Sampling Method Plan One-MS Word initial plan due within 45 days of award and by the 5th of each month, as needed 3.A.4 Data Cleaning Specifications One-MS Word initial plan due within 50 days of award and by the 5th of each month, as needed 3.A.5 Sample Selection Criteria One-MS Word initial plan due within 60 days of award and by the 5th of each month, as needed 3.A.6 Production Schedule One- MS Project Due 60 days before planned projection 3.A.7 Cross Sectional BRD One-MS word As required 3.A.8 Longitudinal BRD One-MS word As required 3.A.9 Cleaned government Sample One format to be determined after award As required 3.A.10 Updates to Plan Documents As required As required 4.A.1 Written report addressing the non-response bias analysis One per assessment- MS word/ PowerPoint As needed 5.A.1 Final assessment questionnaires for TSMs for longitudinal study One -format to be determined after award As needed 5.A.2 Demonstrations of final web assessments One, PowerPoint As needed 6.A.1 Final assessment questionnaires for TSMs one year, three years and five years from separation from Military Service One- format to be determined after award As required 6.A.2 Demonstrations of final web assessments One, PowerPoint As required 6.A.3 Option years only- Final assessment questionnaires for TSMs for longitudinal study One -format to be determined after award As required 6.A.4 Option Years only Demonstrations of final web assessments One- format to be determined after award As required 7.A.1 Internal government coordination and approval package; both draft and final version signed by government leadership One Final per assessment, must be signed off as government approved and ready for submittal to OMB As needed 8.A.1 Generic Clearance Package for Cognitive Labs/Field Testing One per OMB requirements As needed 8.A.2 Cognitive Lab/Field Testing Findings per OMB requirements As required 8.A.3 Analytical Map for assessment questionnaires per OMB requirements As required 8.A.4 Federal Register Notifications per OMB requirements As required 8.A.5 PRA Supporting Statement Part A. Justification per OMB requirements As required 8.A.6 PRA Supporting Statement Part B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods per OMB requirements As required 9.A.1 Generate and provide sample files with respondent contact information, mail materials and written certification of proofs from the GPO Print Vendor One per assessment format to be provided after award As required 9.A.2 Provide final assessments, letters, postcards, and mailing materials to the GPO vendor for printing for each of the cohorts; six months, 12 months and 36 months post separation from military service. One per assessment -format to be provided after award As required 9.A.3 Generate and provide sample files with respondent contact information, mail materials and written certification of proofs from the GPO Print Vendor for the longitudinal assessment Three file transfers; + 1 additional file transfer for each option years two three and four for the added longitudinal cohort As required 9.A.4 Provide final assessments, letters, postcards, and mailing materials to the GPO vendor for printing for each longitudinal cohort. (d) Three file transfers; + 1 additional file transfer for each option years two three and four for the added longitudinal cohort As required 10.A.1 Clean and process assessment sample files for the Veteran assessment populations. Three files Base; Six option year 1; + 1 additional file transfer for each option years two three and four for the added longitudinal cohort As required 10.A.2 Monthly disposition reports, which include total assessments/postcards mailed, response rates, and disposition of sample for that month. One per assessment -format to be provided by printer after award As required 10.A.3 Contractor shall set-up and host a secure FTP sites through EDX the first will be for secure transfer of raw sample files from government to be processed and cleaned; the second for secure transfer to Printing Vendor to be printed on instruments. Provide log in information to sites As required 11.A.1 Live, contractor-hosted website, which hosts the questionnaires for the online assessments. (a) One web site As required. 11.A.2 Monthly disposition reports, which include total eAssessments completed, response rates, mid-terminates for electronic assessments, and disposition of sample for that month. Monthly after execution of assessment As required 12.A.1 Toll-free telephone assistance line, web helpdesk assistance and corresponding call/inquiry logs logs of calls/emails that do not require government follow up and logs of calls/emails that do require government follow up. One Phone line, two logs As required. 12.A.2 Final Logs One 30 days after end of fieldwork portion 13.A.1 Merge respondent-level mail assessment returns with respondent-level eAssessment return, and produce one respondent-level file for each assessment instrument on a quarterly basis(e) One per quarter of execution As required 13.A.2 Process respondent-level returns into one aggregate file, which will include aggregated data for government and corresponding Regional Office(s), if applicable, on a quarterly basis. One per quarter of execution As required 13.A.3 Provide government with data matrices with statistical analysis and recommendations for the assessment populations and results on a quarterly basis. One per cohort for both cross sectional and longitudinal As required 13.A.4 Verbatim report for all open-ended questions on a quarterly basis with statistical analysis and recommendations. One per cohort for both cross sectional and longitudinal As required 13.A.5 Provide all raw data in an industry standard format to government annually for archive purposes or future data analysis. Annually As required 14.A.1 Perform six, one-hour reporting site training sessions for government staff over a 12-month period, as data is loaded to the reporting site with associated training materials one-hour sessions with PowerPoint As required 15.A.1 Presentations and analysis briefings of data collected semi-annually. One per six months of execution As required 16.A.1 Annual contractor analysis report, written summaries and presentation the data. One per year, 25 copies As required 17.A.1 Action Plans As required As required Attachment B Data Sample File List TAP Modules completed Module completion method Module track Utility Open comment Profile establish status Employment method TAP Utility government Benefit Understanding TSM government Benefit Understanding Family Transition to Civilian Life Understanding government Benefits applied for government Benefits intended to be applied for Open comment TAP Utility for civilian employment Open comment government Advisor Feedback Assistance Visit Utilization Open comment Employment/Education Status Open comment Current Military Status Open comment Military rank Branch of Service Gender Email Contact Open comment Open comment Attachment C Sample Cleaning Rules The Contractor shall process the sample according to the following cleaning rules: De-duplicate records based on the unique identifier (EDI_PI or Government_ID) for each record. When each new sample file is received, the contractor will clean it against all sample selected from every sample batch that has been delivered 12 months prior to ensure a respondent does not receive a assessment more than once in a 12 month-period. Clean out records present on the contractor s do not contact list and clean against the National Change of Address (NCOA) list. Clean out any respondents who do not have any EDI_PI or Government_ID included in their sample record. Clean out any respondents not specified as a dependent/spouse who have a date of death (DOD) in their sample record. Clean out any respondents who do not have any address included in their sample record. Assign and maintain unique sampling identifiers to each sample record in order to track history of sampling. Exclude records that have been sampled in the past twelve months to ensure no respondent is mailed assessments more than once in a twelve-month timeframe. Attachment D Contractor Background Investigation Request Worksheet Station Where Applicant Will Work: Station Name City: State: Station #: Station to be Billed for Clearance: Station Name City: Washington State: DC Station #: 101 Please provide the following information for each contract employee: Applicant s Full Name Social Security Number Date of Birth E-Mail Place of Birth (City, State, Country) Position Title Does applicant have a clearance pending or completed with OPM? Yes No If yes, what level? Type of Investigation Requested BI (High Risk) MBI (Moderate Risk) NNACI (Low Risk) Is this a security upgrade to the contract you are currently working? Yes No Are you asking for a low risk clearance on a foreign national? Yes No Government COR Government COR Telephone Government COR E-Mail Address City/State/Zip Prime Contracting Company Name Prime Contracting Company POC POC Telephone POC E-Mail Address City/State/Zip Contract Title Task Order/Contract Number Obligation Number If you are a Sub, what is your Company Name?
 

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