Inactive Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (specific to Department of Veterans Affairs)

(FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY) THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY (as defined in FAR 15.201(e)), and this is not a solicitation. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests f... (FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY) THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY (as defined in FAR 15.201(e)), and this is not a solicitation. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received, provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted, or respond to any questions or comments that may be submitted in response to this RFI. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government and does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI/Sources Sought. The purpose of this RFI/Sources Sought is to identify Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business(es) (SDVOSBs) and Veteran Owned Small Business(es) (VOSBs) who are active in the System for Award Management (SAM) https://www.sam.gov/ and verified in the Veterans Business (VETBIZ) https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov/ database, Vendor Information Pages (VIP) that are certified to issue ISO certifications and perform surveillance audits in accordance with 9001:2015 standards for financial services. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking services of a Contractor that can perform the role as the Certifying Body and Registrar to conduct certifications and perform surveillance audits under the ISO 9001:2015 standards. Desired qualifications and experience includes, but is not limited to: Experience issuing ISO 9001:2015 certifications and performing audits for financial services or related industries, issuing ISO certifications and performing surveillance for government agencies, to include the VA, the ability to travel to VA sites located outside of the local Washington DC area, as well as perform tasks and provide deliverables within an aggressive timeline. Please ensure that the information and qualifications above are clearly stated in the company s/firm s Statement of Capabilities. The VA is only interested in identifying sources that meet the stated criteria. Through this process, VA is requesting the capabilities from Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran Small Businesses (VOSBs) interested in providing these services. The responses to this RFI will be captured as market research and may contribute to the development of an acquisition strategy. Information provided may be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. It is highly recommended that you review the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) prior to preparing your organization s RFI response/Statement of Capabilities. INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THIS RFI CONFIDENTIALITY: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). Response Format/Page Limitations: The overall total page limit for responses to this RFI is ten (10) pages. Response submissions should be submitted in Microsoft Word format with Times New Roman font, at least 12 pt. font size. Interested parties should limit marketing material in order to allow sufficient space for adequately, directly, and substantively responding with the information of most interest to the Government. In all correspondence related to this RFI, please identify it as a response to the VA Debt Management Center (DMC) ISO 9001:2015 Certification/Surveillance and refer to the identifying number of 36C10X19Q0106. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Respondents are requested to limit responses to the information, and in the format provided below. A - GENERAL INFORMATION: Organization name and the year in which the company was established/founded (please list any previous names used). Company ownership (public, private, joint venture). What is your company s/entities socio-economic designation (SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB, HUBZone, etc. and whether Vendor Information Pages (VIP) verified- https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov/ Please Identify any GSA FSS/PSS schedules or other contract vehicles you hold that support this work as described in the draft PWS. Please provide the schedule number. B CAPABILITY AND EXPERIENCE INFORMATION Please provide evidence that your company or firm is a Certifying Body (CB) and/or Registrar that is certified to issue ISO 9001:2015 certifications and perform surveillance audits. Please describe current and past experience conducting ISO certifications (preferably under 9001:2015 standards) as well as surveillance audits. Detail specific experience issuing ISO certifications to federal/government agencies, to include post certification audits for financial services or closely related field. Please list any experience issuing certifications to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Describe the total number of principals and certifying body audit personnel/staff, including the total number of years of experience. Please forward your company s Statement of Capabilities via email to Myla.Wyatt@va.gov and Corey.Mann@va.gov no later than 3:00PM EST on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. Price quotes are highly encouraged, but not required. QUESTIONS: No questions will be accepted at this time. Depending upon the RFI responses received, VA may request additional information or conduct future question and answer sessions. GENERAL INFORMATION: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Debt Management Center (DMC) is a franchise fund organization which offers a wide range of fee for service debt management activities to include, but not limited to: debt resolution and debt counseling services for Veterans and their beneficiaries, schools, vendors, current and ex-employees. DMC ensures debt management services are provided to customers in accordance with applicable U.S. codes, federal laws, and regulations. Working collaboratively across all VA administrations, and with the U.S. Department of Treasury (TRES), DMC remains the preferred debt management center for the VA. 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997) (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (b) Although proposal and offeror are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of: Information. (End of provision) The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Your interest is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your interest and response. DRAFT-PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Debt Management Center (DMC) International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification and Surveillance under 9001:2015 Standards DRAFT 1.0 BACKGROUND The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Debt Management Center (DMC) is a franchise fund organization which offers a wide range of fee for service debt management activities to include, but not limited to: debt resolution and debt counseling services for Veterans and their beneficiaries, schools, vendors, current and ex-employees. DMC ensures debt management services are provided to customers in accordance with applicable U.S. codes, federal laws, and regulations. Working collaboratively across all VA administrations, and with the U.S. Department of Treasury (TRES), DMC remains the preferred debt management center for the VA. 2.0 SERVICES The Contractor shall be the Certifying Body (CB) and Registrar and is required to conduct certification and surveillance audit actions under the ISO 9001:2015 standards. The contract entails an initial certification audit followed by two (2) surveillance audits over the next two (2) years. Based on funds availability, the vendor may be requested to provide non-customized training and consultation to DMC to achieve certification or conformance on ISO 9001 standards audited. Any additional work or services which are outside of the scope of this PWS must be approved by the Contracting Officer in advance and must be in in writing. This Performance Work Statement (PWS) addresses only ISO 9001:2015, and any quotes and supporting documents are required to be based on these established standards. 3.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS In the performance of the tasks associated with this Performance Work Statement, the Contractor shall comply with the following: The following document forms a part of this specification to the extent noted herein. Unless stated otherwise, the document shall be the version listed by the number and date from the referenced organization. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001:2015 Quality Management Systems (QMS). 4.0 PERFORMANCE PERIOD The base year period of performance (POP) shall be from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. In addition, there are two (2) twelve-month Option Periods which may be exercised based upon the availability of funds, and at the discretion of the Government. Base Year: July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 Option Period (1) One: July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 Option Period (2) Two: July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 5.0 CONTRACT TYPE Firm Fixed Price 6.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Tasks under this PWS shall be performed at Government facilities located at VA-DMC BHWFB, One Federal Drive, Suite 4500 Fort Snelling, MN 55111. Contractor(s) may be required to perform work at remote locations with prior notification and approval from the COR. Any work at the Government site shall not take place on federal holidays or weekends unless Contractor receives written approval from the Contracting Officer. 7.0 SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES- See Section 12.0 below 8.0 CERTIFYING BODY (CB) REGISTRATION AUDITS: The Contractor shall provide a certifying body auditor (CB auditor) who is experienced with ISO 9001 audits of government agencies. The CB auditor(s) shall travel to and perform a registration audit and/or surveillance audits at the DMC for conformance to the designated scope of services for the ISO 9001:2015 standards. The CB Auditor(s) shall interview various DMC personnel at sufficient levels to determine and evaluate the extent to which the QMS is implemented. The Contractor shall prepare and provide an audit schedule to the DMC Center at least thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of the registration audit at the DMC. The CB auditor(s) shall provide an opening meeting to discuss their audit process and address any center questions regarding the audit activities. After the scheduled audit at the DMC, the CB auditor(s) shall conduct a closing meeting to summarize results, note difficulties and give at least a draft report with recommendations as part of the closing meeting. When only a draft report is provided at the conclusion of an audit, a final report must be provided to the DMC Executive Director and Chief of Internal Controls and Process Improvement of the DMC within one week of the audit. The DMC will have at least 30 calendar days to provide response to any findings. 9.0 SURVEILLANCE AUDITS FOR OPTIONS YEARS ONE AND TWO: The Contractor shall conduct surveillance audits annually to certify the DMC continues to comply with the ISO 9001:2015 standards. The Contractor will provide to the Debt Management Center the audit schedule at least thirty (30) days prior to the start of each annual surveillance audit at the DMC. The CB Auditor(s) shall interview various DMC personnel at sufficient levels to determine and evaluate the extent to which the QMS is implemented. The CB auditor(s) shall provide an opening meeting to discuss their audit process and address any center questions regarding the surveillance audit activities. After the scheduled surveillance audit at the DMC, the CB auditor(s) shall conduct a closing meeting to summarize results, note difficulties and give at least a draft report with recommendations as part of the closing meeting. When only a draft report is provided at the conclusion of a surveillance audit, a final report must be provided to the DMC Executive Director and Chief of Internal Controls and Process Improvement of the DMC within one week of the audit. The DMC will have at least thirty (30) calendar days to provide response to any findings. After the audit, the Lead Auditor shall conduct a closing meeting at the DMC to summarize results, note difficulties and give a draft report with recommendations. 10.0 CERTIFYING BODY REGISTRATION: The registration to be granted shall be subject to the Contractor s determination of the degree to which the Center s QMS is in conformance with the ISO 9001:2015 Standard. The Vendor shall identify any deficiencies found in the DMC s QMS and shall specify a time frame for corrective actions to be implemented. The nature and scope of any reassessment required to maintain full registration shall be explained in detail by the Vendor. The registration shall include as applicable; delivery of Certificates of Compliance to the ISO 9001:2015 Standard, presentation of camera-ready artwork (hard copy or digital) of the Contractor s registration mark, and those of the Contractor s accrediting agencies for use on DMC documents. The registration shall be valid for a period of three (3) years from the date of issuance and may be withdrawn subject only to the DMC s request for withdrawal, or Contractor s determination the DMC is not fully compliant with the ISO 9001:2015 Standard and applicable ISO requirements during a scheduled surveillance audit. 11.0 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: All written reports and registration certificates shall be delivered to the designated COR, the DMC s Executive Director and Chief of Internal Controls and Process Improvement. 12.0 DELIVERABLES:Â Deliverable/Task Task One Conduct initial ISO 9001:2015 certification audit TBD- early 4th qtr. FY19 Deliverable 1.1 ISO 9001:2015 certification document TBD- early 4th qtr. FY19 Deliverable 1.2 Audit final report TBD- end of 4th qtr. FY19 Task Two Surveillance Audit of DMC s Quality Measurement Standards (QMS) and transition plan to ISO 9001:2015 Option Years one and two Deliverable 2.1 Post Surveillance Audit final report ISO 9001:2015 Option Years one and two 13.0 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SURVEILLANCE PLAN: TBD Performance Objective Method of Surveillance Performance Standard Acceptable Quality Level Incentives