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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 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 pl... REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 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 The VBA has a need for a Contractor to provide support services to assist in researching of military records, drafting written responses, completion of data/record collecting, performance of data analysis, and reporting data. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision and other items and non-personal services necessary to support the record research operations as defined in this PWS, except for those items specified as Government furnished property and services. NAICS: 541611 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", "Capabilities Statement , 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 responses to this section is 5 pages. Provide an overview of your firm s capabilities to fulfill the requirements of the PWS, to include organizational and staff capability and experience. Provide a brief narrative summary of your technical approach to research military records, drafting written responses, completion of data/record collecting, performance of data analysis, and reporting data. Provide an example of Research Activities: Records research support includes document handling and accountability, records review for information pertinent to a Veteran s claim, quality assurance, systems management, and database IT and management support. The records to be reviewed are a variety of media, including paper, electronic data, microfilm, microfiche, maps, and hand-written documents. RESPONSE SUBMISSION Please submit responses via email to ross.byrne@va.gov by July 26, 2019 3:00 p.m. (ET). The VA reserves the right to not reply to any emails, responses, and/or materials submitted. **DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) Records Research Center (RRC) Support Services GENERAL INFORMATION Introduction The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Compensation Service is seeking contractor services for support of research of military records. Compensation Service requires support with the new requirements assumed from the Army by VA to research Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard records containing historical information on individual units within these branches of service, as well as some personnel records, as they relate to claimed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) stressors and some Agent Orange exposures. Department of the Army has started reducing its support of the mission of the U.S. Army s Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) in its current operations. Reduced support for this mission will negatively impact VBA processing timeliness and accuracy on cases from Veterans claiming PTSD, including that due to Military Sexual Trauma, and cases regarding Agent Orange exposure, including Blue Water Navy. JSRRC s mission since 1989 has been to research Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard records containing historical information on individual units within these branches of service, as well as some personnel records, as they relate to claimed PTSD stressors and some Agent Orange exposures. JSRRC has developed expertise and relationships over time to retrieve records and provide an official response to VBA regional offices (ROs) with a summary of findings necessary for a claims processor to rate a case. Army leadership s position is that JSRRC is the middleman and that ROs could go directly to the Services and National Archives for records. However, the primary benefit of JSRRC is that researchers run to ground each RO request and return an answer on a stressor event in an average of 45 days. If RO employees had to do their own research today, there would be several incidents of back and forth conversations for clarification between the RO, Services, and their archive departments until the stressor verification is accomplished, causing more cases to roll into the claims backlog. Scope or Purpose Compensation Service requires support services to assist in researching of military records, drafting written responses, completion of data/record collecting, performance of data analysis, and reporting data. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision and other items and non-personal services necessary to support the record research operations as defined in this PWS, except for those items specified as Government furnished property and services. Additional information regarding deliverables can be found in Section 6. Period of Performance The anticipated Period of Performance (PoP) shall be for twelve months from date of award. Any work at the Government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). If required, the CO may designate the Contractor to work during holidays and weekends. There are ten (10) Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103) that VA follows: Under current definitions, four are set by date: New Year's Day January 1 Independence Day July 4 Veterans Day November 11 Christmas Day December 25 If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday. The other six are set by a day of the week and month: Martin Luther King's Birthday - Third Monday in January Washington's Birthday - Third Monday in February Memorial Day - Last Monday in May Labor Day - First Monday in September Columbus Day - Second Monday in October Thanksgiving - Fourth Thursday in November Place of Performance The Contractor is responsible for conducting business that meets the needs of the location where they are assigned (Fort Belvoir Military Base). Usually this is an eight (8) hour day with 30 min for lunch, local time. The Contractor must be available 6:30 a.m.to 6:00 p.m. (eastern standard time) for weekly meetings and deliverables. The contractor may be requested to provide services at any of the following locations: 1800 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20420, and/or Any VA Facility within the District of Columbia, and/or Contractor s facilities (off-site), and/or DoD installations in the National Capital Region. Travel Contractor travel must be reviewed and approved by the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) in advance, reimbursed at cost, and in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) (https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr) and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-46. Travel within a 50-mile radius between the Contractor s facility and Government locations is considered local travel and will not be reimbursed. Travel to and from work is consider the cost of doing business and shall not be reimbursed. The Government will reimburse contractor for all appropriate costs associated with official travel. Local travel will be necessary on a regular basis. Total travel cost shall not exceed the travel amount in the price schedule. The Government will not be responsible for any relocation expenses associated with moving Contractor personnel (even if a replacement is required) to the Washington, DC, commuting area or other job sites as may be identified either initially, or if necessary, with replacement of personnel. Task Statement GENERAL REQUIREMENTS For every task, the Contractor shall identify in writing all necessary subtasks (if any), and associated price by task, together with associated sub-milestone dates. The Contractor's subtask structure shall be detailed in the project management plan (PMP). All written deliverables shall be phrased in layperson language. Statistical and other technical terminology shall not be used without providing a glossary of terms. Where a written milestone deliverable is required in draft form, Compensation Service will complete its review of the draft deliverable within fifteen (15) calendar days from date of receipt. The Contractor shall have ten (10) calendar days to deliver the final deliverable from date of receipt of the Government s comments. All deliverables shall be delivered to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and Government Program Manager (PM). The PM and/or COR will attend all meetings and briefings where deliverables or the execution of this contract will be discussed. The Contractor shall include the PM and COR in all communication related to this PWS and the execution of the contract. All contract communication and communication related to work completed toward this contract must occur using VA-approved email accounts. All externally used documents must be 508 compliant. All documents must be stored on VA Network or other location that has been expressly approved by the COR and Government PM. The Contractor shall deliver all work products and deliverables throughout the Period of Performance, Close of Business (COB) shall be understood to mean 4:30 pm ET. All work products and deliverables shall, at a minimum, be 95% free of errors, specifically content, spelling, grammar, formatting, and punctuation. All Contractor personnel shall complete, at a minimum, fingerprint submissions for security background checks before performing work. SPECIFIC MANDATORY TASKS AND ASSOCIATED DELIVERABLES The work described herein is divided into four task areas: Administration and Program Management; Operations; Training; and Analysis/Evaluation. 6.1 Administration and Program Management Project Management Plan (PMP) The Contractor shall provide an updated detailed Project Management/ Implementation Plan (PMP) (original is submitted as part of the proposal) and briefing for the project team, within fourteen (14) days after award effective date. The PMP will present 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 PoP, specifically; the Contractor shall provide recommended updates in the form of tracked changes in Microsoft Word, monthly. 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 major milestone implementation, the Government may require project changes that will require prior approval from the CO. 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: a. Staffing Plan: The staffing plan is to define the roles and responsibilities for all personnel supporting the contract. The goal of the plan is to ensure the contract support staff is properly aligned to the strategic goals, mission, and objectives of the research requirements. Staffing plan should also include the Contractor s organizational structure in support of the contract. The Contractor shall provide a detailed hiring plan and tracking tool that shows status of hiring including background checks, Personal Identification Verification (PIV) and start dates. The tracker shall include issues related to hiring and be included on the Risk and Issues Matrix for mitigation. The Staffing Plan shall also demonstrate the Contractor s process for immediately identifying and taking appropriate remedial action in addressing Contractor personnel determined to be unacceptable in terms of technical competency or personal conduct in performance of contract activities. Contractor remedial actions shall be executed in a manner that does not disrupt or degrade the quality or timeliness of services. Only trained staff shall be permitted to conduct research activities. All staff changes must receive prior approval from the PM and COR. The Contractor shall create and maintain a staffing tracker. b. In-Processing Plan: The Contractor shall develop an In-Processing Plan that addresses in-processing of all personnel supporting this contract to include describing how to meet the learning needs of the researchers and Training. The Contractor shall provide a tracking tool that shows status of in-processing and scheduled training. c. Training Plan: The Contractor shall outline, as part of the proposal, how new hires will be trained. The Contractor shall complete initial training of staff members to include VA onboarding and badging within sixty (60) calendar days of effective date of the contract. All new hires shall be trained within sixty (60) days throughout the period of performance. d. Operational Deployment Plan: The Contractor shall describe how contract personnel must be deployed to ensure little to no disruptions in the operations as well as the plan to maintain operations throughout the course of the contract. Contractor shall provide weekly updates. e. Contractor Communication Plan: The Contractor shall outline the Contractor s roles and responsibilities of project participants in the review, approval and dissemination of information about key project processes, events, documents and milestones. f. 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 Project Manager may request that a perceived risk or issue be added and tracked for the contract. g. Quality Control Plan (QCP): The Contractor shall provide a detailed QCP within 14 days of contract award. The QCP shall be reviewed quarterly and if there are any changes, the updated QCP shall be submitted to the PM and COR. The QCP shall document the overall approach to quality assurance activities. The QCP shall provide specifics regarding how the Contractor defines, implements, and assures quality during the contract life. The Contractor s QCP will be the basis for the Government s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). The VA will create the QASP upon receipt of the Contractor s first QCP and will be updated as the QCP is updated. h. Transition Plan: The Contractor shall submit a Transition Plan that describes the process, details, and schedule for providing an orderly transition during the Contract s Phase in/Phase out period in accordance with the PWS. The initial transition period will include an effective date 30 days after date of award and then 60 days of transition. The objectives of the Transition Plan are: to minimize the impacts on continuity of operations; maintain communication with staff and affected stakeholders; identify key issues; and overcome barriers to transition. The Contractor shall establish a transition management team capable of providing overall management and logistical support of all transition activities. The Contractor shall regularly report status to the PM, COR and CO at periodic meetings and through regular written reports during the Transition period. The Transition Plan shall include the following: Inventory all Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and Government Furnished Information (GFI) in Contractor possession Status of all deliverables, current issues, problems, or activities in process that require immediate action 6.1.1 Deliverable will include the Project Management Plan (PMP) as defined above with the following structure/updates: Staffing Plan, Organizational Structure Weekly Hiring Plan and Tracker TEI In-Processing and Training Plan In-Processing and Training Plan Tracker Operational Deployment Plan with weekly updates Contractor Communications Plan Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan Quality Control Plan (QCP) Transition Plan Post Award Conference The Contractor shall attend a post award conference project kick-off briefing with VA project team, and project advisory group comprised of key stakeholders and SMEs. The post award conference will be held within ten (10) calendar days after contract award or as agreed upon between VA 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. 6.1.2 Deliverable will be participation in the post award conference and copies of any/all briefing materials created by the contractor. Monthly Interim Progress Review & Smart book Report 6.1.3.1 Monthly Interim Progress Review (IPR): The Contractor shall support the VA 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. 6.1.3.2 Monthly Status Report (MSR): The Contractor shall provide the MSR to the Government in a Smart book (SMT) format, 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. Anticipated travel request shall be included as part of the Monthly IPR and SMT to include training for operational implementation. In addition, to seeking advanced approval of all travel requirements, the Contractor shall provide, on a rolling basis, a pre-trip request at least fourteen (14) business days in advance. The Contractor shall submit a post-trip report to the COR and PM within three (3) business days of trip completion, with receipts and validated expenses. The Contractor shall complete administrative tasks (e.g., background investigation forms, staff roster, mandatory training) to obtain access to military installations, VA facilities or other places of performance. All Contractor employees supporting this contract shall obtain a VA email address to use in support of all related PWS requirements. The MSR shall be organized according to the PWS Tasks, and shall include, at a minimum, the following items: Any requirements stated in the PWS; Roster of personnel; Pending in-processing status for new personnel; Pre-trip projections, detailing planned travel for the upcoming sixty (60) day period; Post-trip summary log; Submission of all information necessary to obtain VA email addresses for contract staff; Planned replacements for the upcoming thirty (30) day period; Current expenditures and forecasted expenditures toward completion of the PoP; Identification of risks; A summary of the tasks and work products completed; Planned training schedule; A status of all contract deliverables to include schedule of delivery; and Any other items requested by the Government, through the CO. 6.1.3 Deliverables include the Monthly IPR Briefing and the Monthly Status Report. Weekly Operations Meeting with Weekly Status Reports (WSR) The Contractor shall participate and facilitate weekly update meetings. Weekly meetings shall be set up after the kick-off meeting, considering availability of VA 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. 6.1.4 Deliverables include the Weekly Operations Meeting, Status Report, and Summary. 6.2 Operations 6.2.1 Operational Support VA Support Concept: The objectives of this requirement are to provide technical support services necessary to assist VBA in managing the complete life cycle of Records Information Management System. Life cycle management of records includes, but is not limited to, record identification, creation, maintenance, indexing, preservation, collection, conversion, disposition, review for declassification, research, FOIA/Privacy Act (PA) review for release, and retirement/destruction. The contractor shall provide technical, analytical, and professional support as required to satisfy the objectives stated above. This support must be provided within the core hours of 6:30 am 5:30 pm, (EST) as a minimum. Research Activities: Records research support includes document handling and accountability, records review for information pertinent to a Veteran s claim, quality assurance, systems management, and database IT and management support. The records to be reviewed are a variety of media, including paper, electronic data, microfilm, microfiche, maps, and hand-written documents. The contractor must be required to research paper records at various locations and use a laptop computer to access records and correspond with U.S. Army Records Management and Declassification Agency (RMDA), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and VBA staff. The contractor must comply with all records handling requirements to include requests for documents, signing out documents, and returning documents to the proper location. Contractor personnel shall be able to conduct independent reviews or participate as part of a team. In accordance with VA guidance to include monthly metrics and production statistics, the contractor shall prepare and submit reports. Compensation Service estimates that the contractor must be able to process a minimum of 1300 records research requests per month. The contractor shall ensure compliance with all NARA policies and perform all duties necessary to receive, process, and respond to requests for information from Compensation Service analysts. 6.2.1 Deliverables include contractors processing at a minimum 1300 records research requests per month. 6.3 Training 6.3.1 Training Support The contractor shall assist Compensation Service in preparing and presenting mission related training as required. The technology trainer shall deliver quality training of end-user programs, which includes the development of informal and formal Microsoft Office and Adobe training, course content and student learning objectives, course syllabi, lesson plans, and student handouts/manuals. This shall encompass meeting with government personnel, determining training requirements, and preparing for and delivering required training. Emphasis on ensuring excellent customer service will be a key to success and serve as a single point of contact for all Microsoft Office training, as well as additional training/Computer-Based Training (CBT) on government developed applications. The Contractor is encouraged to maximize the use of online and virtual tools to increase contact and communication with staff. In support of the training environment, the contractor shall create and maintain help documents to assist Compensation Service personnel with Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, and Acrobat, as well as create and maintain a training page for employees to find answers to commonly asked questions. The contractor shall provide guidance on technology and industry direction to Compensation Service on the latest trends, in addition to educating personnel on VA/VBA directives. The contractor shall maintain, update, and/or revise Computer-Based Training and Web-Based Training on all VBA supported business applications to benefit and enhance records, research, and declassification support to VA. Additionally, the Acronym List must be updated and managed in a searchable format for ease of use. 6.3.1 Deliverables include delivery of training and development of informal and formal training, course content and student learning objectives, course syllabi, lesson plans, and student handouts/manuals within first quarter of contract award. 6.3.2 Refresher Training Conduct and update short-term course aimed at recall and reinforcement of previously acquired knowledge and skills with all the requisite skills and information necessary to successfully execute the required research. Occurs annually. 6.3.2 Deliverables include training delivery and development of refresher course within six months of contract award. 6.3.3 VBA Research Tool Timely reporting and tracking of data are essential to the maintenance and sustainment of the records. The contractor must be responsible for safeguarding and maintaining any records used in the research of claims. The contractor must participate in the collection and categorization of operational records for expanding the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) research library. 6.3.3 Deliverables include accurate reporting and tracking of records by each research into the identified VA tool. 6.4 Plans, Analysis and Evaluation (PA&E) (FFP) Planning, analysis and evaluation (PA&E) are at the core of all functions of this PWS. PA&E task shall support and foster a culture of evidence-based decision making to ensure Compensation Service maintains the capability to provide effective support to the regional offices. The Contractor shall support measuring program effectiveness to include reviewing objectives, recommend evaluation criteria, collecting data, synthesizing data, drafting reports and support in the implementation of results. Access to the appropriate databases will be provided to the extent required to carry out PWS requirements. The Contractor shall: Support short- and long-range strategic planning and implementation; track and report on progress toward the achievement of strategic goals; identify and overcome potential barriers to success. Develop a formal performance management framework, which offers approaches that use measurement as a component of improving performance supported by an evaluation and data analytics infrastructure. Support Compensation Service in conducting advanced data analytics through data mining, modeling, forecasting, and advanced statistical methods. 6.4 Deliverables include mid-year and end-of-year assessments of the program and quarterly advanced data analytics report. 6.5 (Optional Item) Maturation and Transition Priority Programs 6.5.1 Maturation of Records Research Model The Contractor shall develop a proposed maturation framework approach to mature the current records research model to support effective and optimized management, integration and oversight. 6.5.1 Deliverables TBD Delivery Schedule All Contractor provided work products are to be furnished within the specified delivery schedule (see below). Any changes to delivery dates must be discussed with the CO and COR. Significant changes to delivery schedule must be requested in writing to the CO. If for any reason any deliverable cannot be delivered within the scheduled time frame, the Contractor is required to explain why in writing to the CO including a firm commitment of when the work will be completed. This notice will 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. All deliverables shall be delivered to the Government network unless otherwise noted. Task Deliverable Quantity Delivery Date 6.1.1 Project Management Plan 1 NLT 14 days after award, updates throughout the PoP 6.1.2 Kickoff Briefing Materials 1 NLT 10 days after award 6.1.3 IPR Briefing and Status Report 12 Once Monthly 6.1.4 Operations Briefing and Status Report 52 Once Weekly 6.2.1 Minimum of 1300 records research requests completed Monthly 6.3.1 Training delivery and development of informal and formal training, course content and student learning objectives, course syllabi, lesson plans, and student handouts/manuals TBD NLT 90 days after award 6.3.2 Training delivery and development of refresher course 2 Once Yearly 6.3.3 Reporting and tracking of records TBD Daily or as work is completed 6.4 Mid-year and end-of-year assessments of the program 2 Twice Yearly 6.4 Quarterly advanced data analytics report 4 Once a Quarter 6.5.1 TBD TBD TBD Personnel 8.1 Personnel Qualifications The tasks and projects are for the Department of Veterans Affairs, working with Department of Defense and the Military Services. It is preferred that the contractor is familiar with organizat...