General Services Administration (GSA)/Technology Transformation Service (TTS)
and
Department of State (DOS)
Issued by:
General Services Administration (GSA)/National Capital Region (NCR)
Federal Acquisition Service (FAS)/Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS)
February 10, 2017
NCR AAS Project Number ID11170017
- OBJECTIVES
The DOS seeks the creation of a new system, TalentMAP, that will equitably and transparently manage and match Foreign Service employees to appropriate work assignments. The new system will maintain the existing business functionality and meet evolving requirements while leveraging best practices in software development. The DOS will be able to better carry out its diplomatic mission by: improving the matching process, reducing the amount of time it takes for Foreign Service employees to find good jobs, and improving the workflow for administrative staff to manage Foreign Service employees.
The target date for a beta version of a new TalentMAP application is the end of calendar year 2017. To help mitigate risk associated with such a long-term, yet aggressive timeline, the system will be built following agile development principles. Additionally, it will leverage open-source code, robust documentation, human-centered design, and an extensible infrastructure.
The initial phase of work will center on the management and display of information about Diplomatic Posts (for example, an Embassy in Paris) and Service Positions (for example, a Cultural Affairs Officer position at the Embassy.
- BACKGROUND
TalentMAP is anticipated to replace the Foreign Service Bidding (FSBid) application and serve as a unified source of information (currently stored outside of FSBID) regarding available Foreign Service positions and post data for Foreign Service employees. FSBid is the current system of record for internal bidding and assignment processes for Foreign Service employees. TalentMAP’s primary goal is to bring about a more secure, reliable and dedicated system to support the Bureau of Human Resources’ Career Development and Assignments Office (HR/CDA) business processes. HR/CDA supports the mission of the DOS by transparently and equitably assigning employees with the right skills to the right positions at the right time. The three Career Development Divisions of HR/CDA (EL, ML, and SL) are staffed by Career Development Officers (CDOs) who represent their clients in the assignments process. They provide counseling and advice on issues related to assignments from bidding to arrival at post, tenure, promotions, developmental training, tour of duty (including extensions and curtailments), skill code change, and leave without pay. HR/CDA also includes the Assignments Division (HR/CDA/AD), which supports the assignments process, the Professional Development Unit (HR/CDA/PDU), which manages details and long term training assignments, and the Office of Continuity Counseling (HR/CDA/CC), which supports mentoring and counseling programs, among other functions.
- SCOPE
The scope of this Call Order is for the Contractor to deliver the TalentMAP system.
The first 4- months of this Call Order will focus on the management and display of Diplomatic Posts and Foreign Service Position information. Per the QASP, based on what is accomplished the first 4-months, the following 8 months of the task order will consist of bi-monthly product workshops between GSA TTS, DOS, and the vendor to further refine the roadmap functionality of the TalentMAP system.
- TASKS
The Contractor will provide the following services:
Task 1 - TalentMAP System
The first 4 months of the performance period, the Contractor shall focus on delivering an informational-only tool that includes information on positions and posts with an improved user interface, where the post and position data will be sourced as follows:
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Position
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Provide data about the positions available from the DOS’s existing systems of record, possibly including features such as:
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Position Management (e.g., Grade, Career Track, Job Category, record number, etc.)
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Projected Vacancies (e.g., factors that influence when a position could be available)
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Customization Tables
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Post
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Provide data about the Post from Existing Bidding Tool, with appropriate controls over data that is protected.
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Depending on output of user research, develop features that could include:
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Displays of posts on maps or other graphic format
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Provide for searching or filtering of data that bidders may need to find appropriate placements
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In accordance with agile methodologies, the vendor, GSA TTS team, and DOS will work together on a minimum bi-monthly basis throughout the period of performance to determine and refine the prioritization of the backlog for the remainder of the period of performance.
Contractor shall develop a system that can ingest data from multiple DOS data sources to properly integrate, display, and manage information related to DOS employees, Diplomatic Posts, and Foreign Service Positions.
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Following 18F’s (TTS) API-first strategy, any new data system developed must have the capability to provide output data.
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Contractor shall create and execute, in collaboration with GSA TTS and the DOS, a research strategy that accounts for periodic interaction with TalentMAP users and stakeholders. Contractor shall coordinate with the DOS to recruit, for purposes of this research, stakeholders. Stakeholders will include, but are not limited to, Foreign Service employees as well as employees inside the Bureau Executive Office and the Career Development and Assignment Office.
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Contractor will conduct research activities including, but not limited to, ethnographic studies, stakeholder interviews, and usability tests. Contractor shall create and deliver to the DOS, records and notes collected during their research subject to the privacy considerations.
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Contractor shall post all code to a publicly-available code repository, with a Public Domain license.
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Contractor shall ensure that the prototype provides the ability to import/pre-populate and export data by interacting with a file or an API, and that the architecture is extensible to allow for future development.
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Contractor shall incorporate analytics, monitoring, continuous integration, and measurement tools into their code base.
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Contractor shall use plain language in application design and development whenever possible. In the event that the DOS does not provide the Contractor with content-specific guidance or grammatical rules for TalentMAP, Contractor should adhere to GSA TTS 18F’s content guide.
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Contractor shall establish, and ensure TalentMAP’s adherence to, a reasonable performance budget for mobile devices. At a minimum, pages with similar functionality in TalentMAP shall render as quickly as they currently render in
FS Bid.
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Contractor shall utilize the US Web Design Standards or other development standards as developed by the GSA TTS team.
Additional requirement:
- As part of this being purchased off of the Agile Blanket Purchase Agreement (aBPA), work will be conducted in two-week sprints and reviewed at the end of each sprint for acceptability before moving on. The Contractor and government may mutually agree to alter sprint length as needed.
The Contractor will not be responsible to perform the following:
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Hosting of the of the system
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Manage the granting of an Authority to Operate
The first 4 months of the performance period, the Contractor shall focus on delivering the informational-only tool that includes information on positions and posts with an improved user interface, where the post and position data will be sourced as follows:
-
Position
-
Provide data about the positions available from the DOS’s existing systems of record, possibly including features such as:
-
Position Management (e.g., Grade, Career Track, Job Category, record number, etc.)
-
Projected Vacancies (e.g., factors that influence when a position could be available)
-
Customization Tables
-
-
-
Post
-
Provide data about the Post from Existing Bidding Tool, with appropriate controls over data that is protected.
-
Depending on output of user research, develop features that could include:
-
Displays of posts on maps or other graphic format
-
Provide for searching or filtering of data that bidders may need to find appropriate placements
-
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In accordance with agile methodologies, the vendor, GSA TTS team, and DOS will work together on a minimum bi-monthly basis throughout the period of performance to determine and refine the prioritization of the backlog for the remainder of the period of performance.
- OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
The Contractor shall provide qualified personnel commensurate with this task's performance work statement, in terms of necessary skills at the requisite level of knowledge and experience.
Broadly, a team assigned to this task order is expected to have experience with:
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Importing and exporting data in machine-readable formats, such as XML and JSON
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Structuring a database based on an XML or JSON schema, which must comply with FIPS 140-2.
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Using any of the languages and containers approved for use with the DOS, including:
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Node.JS
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Python 2.7
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PHP 5.6.3
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Apache Web Server
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Using any of the approved hosting environments:
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Windows Server 2012 R2
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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Server 6.x
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Designing and configuring a database with staging and integration/presentation layers to integrate inputs from different batch sources
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Building applications that interact with web APIs
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Human-centered design practices, such as:
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Research, such as (but not limited to) contextual inquiry, stakeholder interviews, and usability testing
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User experience design
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Front end development
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Sketching, wireframing, and/or prototyping
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Visual design
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Content design
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Responsive design
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“Mobile first” approaches, performance budgeting, and progressive enhancement
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Building and testing public facing sites and tools
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Open source software development
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Cloud deployment
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Open-source login/authentication services
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Low-bandwidth environments
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Managing and securing PII
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PIV-Card authentication services
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Agile and scrum methodologies
Contractor’s Project Manager (PM) and Technical Lead for this project must be listed as Key Personnel.
To ensure successful performance of the requirement, Contractor shall satisfy the following:
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The Contractor shall assign a PM and a Technical Lead as Key Personnel whose résumés are submitted with its quotation to perform this call order.
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Key Personnel must have a full understanding of the technical approach discussed in the Oral Presentations and delivered by the Contractor after award. NOTE - the labor category proposed is at the Contractor's discretion.
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Key Personnel will be a direct liaison to the COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead. Key Personnel shall be responsible for the supervision and management of the Contractor’s personnel, technical assistance, and interface. Desired skills and experience include:
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Experience in technical leadership.
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Ability to rapidly prioritize competing requirements.
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Ability to understand and simplify customer requirements.
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Ability to communicate end user feedback to technical and design leads.
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Strong communication skills.
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Proven knowledge of industry standards.
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Active Secret-level Security Clearance (For at least the Technical Lead)
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If any individual proposed as Key Personnel becomes unavailable during the course of the solicitation and evaluation process, the Contractor shall notify the CO immediately and provide a substitute person with résumé. Any Key Personnel proposed who are not currently employed by the Contractor shall be identified as such and an additional letters of intent signed by the proposed Key Personnel shall be provided that indicates that person's intent to be employed by the Contractor if awarded this call order.
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The Contractor agrees during the period of performance, no Key Personnel substitutions shall be made unless necessitated outside the Contractor's control. In any of such event, the Contractor shall promptly notify the COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead and provide the information required by paragraphs below on the proposed replacement for Government approval.
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All requests for substitutions/additions of Key Personnel must include a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution or addition, a complete résumé for the proposed substitute or addition including skills, experience, education, training, and security level, and an additional letter of intent signed by the proposed Key Personnel. As determined by the CO, all proposed substitutes/additions must have qualifications that meet or exceed the qualifications of the person to be replaced.
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The CO, or duly designated COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead, will evaluate the requests for substitutions/additions of Key Personnel and the CO will notify the Contractor, in writing, of approval or disapproval. Disapproval of the proposed individual(s) shall not provide grounds for non-performance by the Contractor or form the basis of any claim for monies, delivery schedule extension, or any other equitable adjustment.
The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager (PM) as the primary point of contact for the government’s program office to enable timely problem resolution, reporting in accordance with Program Management methodologies, and properly aligning staffing requirements. Sprint plans will be developed collaboratively with the GSA TTS Product Lead for this aBPA buy as well as the Product Owner from the DoS TalentMAP team.
Per agile development principles, the Contractor will be expected to work with the COR/ACOR, the GSA TTS Product Lead, and the Product Owner.
The Government estimates this project will require no more than 10 personnel --- though not all will be needed on a full time basis. Contractors are encouraged to use their own estimating methodology to determine the skill mix and level of effort necessary to successfully perform this task order.
The Government's team, CO, COR/ACOR, the GSA TTS Product Lead and the Product Owner will hold a Kick-Off Meeting/Post-Award Conference with the Contractor. Ideally, this will physically be located in Washington, DC, but may be done virtually with Contractor’s team and other relevant Government staff to review and clarify the project’s objectives, expectations from the Government, and address any questions the Contractor may have. Discussion topics shall include, but not be limited to:
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Introduction of the Contractor and Government Staff;
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Understanding of the workflow;
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Project management expectations;
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Agreement on communication methods; and
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Discussion of any other relevant specific concerns.
The Kick-Off Meeting/Post-Award Conference will take place within 10 calendar days from award. The Contractor shall provide any finalized Contractor Teaming Arrangements (CTAs)/Subcontractor arrangements at this time.
Contractor’s Project Manager shall be responsible for daily operations as well as coordinating and communicating with the GSA TTS Product Lead. Daily operations may include:
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Daily standup via video or phone, depending on the technology available at the DOS
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Regular, informal daily communication via web-based chat software, Github issues, or other system as mutually agreed upon
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Manage and update user stories + workflow tasks in shared project management system - could be Github or another system
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In order to manage the continuous delivery model we ask that 1-2 technical staff with an active Secret security clearance be regularly on-site at the DOS, in order to continually make sure that the system will work in the production environment.
- SYSTEM SECURITY
The Contractor shall be subject to all applicable federal and agency-specific IT security directives, standards, policies, and reporting requirements.
Contractor shall work with GSA TTS and DOS project teams to ensure that the system is compliant with security policies, including:
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Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Title III of Public Law 107-347, December 17, 2002 (the E-Government Act of 2002) (as amended), 44 USC § 3541 et seq.
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Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Appendix III; Security of Federal Automated Information Resources
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National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-18, Rev. 1, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Information Technology Systems
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Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a (as amended)
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NIST SP 800-53, Rev. 4, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organization.
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Contractor shall work with GSA TTS and the DOS to ensure that the application can be integrated into the DOS internal environment. In order to do so, Technical Architects will need to regularly be on site at the DOS, which necessitates an active Secret-level security clearance for access control.
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Contractor shall ensure that the system includes user authentication and authorization functionality that, at a minimum, includes two-factor authentication using open source encryption protocols.
- SECURITY CLEARANCES
Key personnel performing the efforts must have at a minimum a Secret Level security clearance at time of award of this Task Order. To perform the work specified herein, Contractor key personnel are expected to have routine physical access to the Government facility. To gain routine, physical access to a Government facility, the Contractor and its employees shall comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12, Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors. Work performed under this task order will require a Secret Level Background
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The personnel investigation procedures for Contractor employee require that the Contractor prepare and submit background check/investigation forms based on the type of investigation required. The minimum Government investigation for a non-sensitive position is a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) with fingerprinting. More restricted positions–i.e., those above non-sensitive, require more extensive documentation and investigation. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in advance when any new personnel, who are subject to a background check/investigation, will work under the contract and if they have previously been the subject of national agency checks or background investigations.
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Within 7 calendar days after the Government’s final acceptance of the work under this contract, or upon termination of the contract, the Contractor shall return all identification badges to the Contracting Officer or designee.
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The Contractor shall notify the GSA/NCR COR when an employee’s building pass is lost, and shall apply immediately for a replacement pass.
All costs associated with obtaining/possessing such security clearances should be factored into the price offered under the contractors IT Schedule 70 contract.
- Travel
The Government does not anticipate any travel being completed for this Call Order.
- Deliverables
In lieu of a typical status report, Contractor's progress must be documented and submitted to the GSA TTS COR/ACOR, GSA TTS Product Lead and the Product Owner for each sprint with a mix of the following deliverables:
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Github issues/commits/branches accepted by the GSA TTS Project Team
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Screenshot, links, or other documentation from the shared project management system reflecting completed features, including number and percentage of completed sprint tasks (e.g. percentage of tasks completed)
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User research documentation
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Summary slide decks or other collateral created for design, development, system architecture, and stakeholder briefings
| Deliverable | Due date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tested Code & Status Reports | 1 business day after each sprint | Demonstration of progress throughout each sprint |
| Code Repository of Product | End of call order | Version-controlled Open Source repository of code that comprises prototype |
| Research | A research plan shall be delivered during the first sprint. Research-related records shall be delivered at the end of second sprint, and every applicable sprint thereafter | A summary of research conducted and results found. If applicable, next steps or recommendations based on research. |
| Design Deliverables | End of every applicable sprint | Mock ups and/or design files if applicable, or design changes reflected in the Development Prototype |
| Development Prototype | End of second sprint, and every sprint thereafter | In-progress development prototype, accessible on the web via staging server / development server at the DOS. |
| Transition plan | To be worked on no later than the second to last sprint of the initial Period of Performance | Work with the DOS and TTS team make sure there is a clear plan for handing off code repository. |
The Contractor shall submit all deliverables to COR/ACOR, GSA TTS Product Lead, and Product Owner.
Within 1 day after the Sprint, the Contractor shall notify GSA TTS the Code deliverables has been submitted via the Github repository. A copy of any document deliverables shall be submitted to the CO, COR/ACOR, the GSA TTS Product Lead and the Product Owner. Research-related records shall be delivered in accordance with OMB Circular A-130.
Within approximately 5 business days of each sprint's conclusion, GSA TTS will inspect, test, review and accept all Code submitted in Github, as applicable.
The COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead will review all deliverables and provide concurrence to the CO for deliverable acceptance/rejection. The CO will formally accept all deliverables to the Contractor within approximately 30 days from the end of the call order, via electronic means. The COR/ACOR’s acceptance of all deliverables will be contingent on Product Owner approval.
Any Contractor performance to correct defects found by the Government as a result of quality assurance surveillance and by the Contractor as a result of quality control, shall be in accordance with FAR 52.246-6, Inspection – Time-and-Materials and Labor-Hour. The COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead will monitor compliance and report to the Contracting Officer.
The Contractor shall consult with the GSA TTS Product Lead to determine what is appropriate, effective, and essential for system documentation. The Government requires, at a minimum, that the Contractor will generate comprehensive and complete documentation, both within the code itself, within the source code version control system (e.g., through proper use of descriptive commit messages, issue tracking, pull requests, etc.), and as appropriate, in separate documentation, provide artifacts, and create new user stories based on each sprint.
The Government will use the attached draft Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) to monitor the Contractor’s performance. The QASP will provide oversight help to ensure that service levels reach and maintain the required levels for performance of this task. Further, the QASP provides the Government with a proactive way to avoid unacceptable or deficient performance, and provides verifiable input for the required Past Performance Information Assessments. The QASP is a living document and may be updated by the Government as necessary. Any updates to the QASP will be provided to the Contractor. If needed, the draft QASP will be updated within 10 business days of contract kick off meeting by GSA TTS Product Lead and/or the COR/ACOR.
- Transition
The Contractor shall:
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Ensure and agree that all deliverables, products, licenses, designs, data, documentation, tests, user research notes, source code, configuration settings and files, and materials developed throughout this call order will be the property of the U.S. Government and in the public domain.
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Two weeks prior to call order conclusion, provide a brief Transition Plan for all deliverables, products, and materials in coordination with the COR/ACOR, GSA TTS Product Lead and Product Owner.
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Coordinate with the COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead and potentially another vendor, and implement the Transition Plan according to the COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead’s direction.
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Provide assistance to the COR/ACOR, GSA TTS Product Lead, and potentially other Government staff to stand-up the application.
During the transition to the Government, or a new Contractor, the Contractor shall perform all necessary transition activities. Expected transition activities may include, but not be limited to, continuation of full services to GSA TTS and other customers; participation in meetings with the Government or new Contractor to effect a smooth transition and provide detailed information on the operation of all deliverables, at COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead's discretion; training of new personnel, either Government or new Contractor, during transition period; and appropriate close-out of any outstanding technical and related performance elements for this task.
Final report shall include a list of sprint tasks completed, documentation, and link to code repository developed for GSA TTS. Should the Contractor be terminated prior to the end of the period of performance, the Contractor shall transfer all project materials to the COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead within two weeks of the COR/ACOR and the GSA TTS Product Lead’s request.
- TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This is a Labor-Hour (LH) Call Order awarded under the Agile BPA (aBPA).
The POP for this Call Order consists of a Base Year (12-months). Actual dates will be provided at time of award.
For all but two staff, the primary place of performance will be at the Contractor’s facility.
In order to manage the continuous delivery model we ask that up to 2 technical staff with an active Secret security clearance be regularly on-site at the DOS, in order to continually make sure that the system will work in the production environment.
Business core hours shall be 0900 to 1800 EST, Monday – Friday on Government scheduled work days. The Contractor may set its own work hours except that the Contractor shall be available for technical contact by the Government between the hours of 0900 and 1800 local time on Government work days.
The Contractor is not be required to report on the following federal holidays:
New Year’s Day
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Washington’s Birthday
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
The following POC are applicable to this order:
GSA NCR:
Contracting Officer (CO): Fred Thomas, frederick.thomas@gsa.gov
Contract Specialist (CS): Julio Perdomo, julio.perdomo@gsa.gov
GSA TTS
CO’s Representative (COR): Kirsten Green, kirsten.green@gsa.gov
Alternate CO’s Representative (ACOR): Esther Kim, esther.kim@gsa.gov
GSA TTS Technical
Technical Representative: Greg Walker, michael.walker@gsa.gov
Alternate Technical Representative: Steven Reilly, steven.reilly@gsa.gov
With the proper clearance, DOS will be provide physical OpenNet desktops, non-production data, and requisite digital assets. No other hardware, software or property will be provided by the Government. Office space, such as a working area, conference rooms, or other work locations will be provided by DOS located at 2201 C St NW, Washington, DC 20520.
This call order is not being used to procure personal services prohibited by FAR 37.104, Personal services contract.
Contractor personnel shall adhere to the Privacy Act, Title 5 USC § 552a, OMB Circulars A-130, A-108, and any other applicable rules and regulations.
Conducting research on behalf of the government requires that Contractor personnel have access to Private Information and Sensitive Information.
Research-related records will not be committed to the public domain per section 7.9. Rather, research-related records shall be owned by the DOS, and DOS shall reserve the right to disclose research-related records in accordance with its privacy program.
Contractor personnel are responsible for the secure delivery of any research-related records by some means other than a public GitHub repository. Contractor’s research performance shall be evaluated based on the attached draft Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP).
Should the TalentMAP system store PII, Contractor personnel shall be made available to help DOS conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and issue a System of Record Notice (SORN) for the new system.
Vendors are advised that GSA TTS will publish on a publicly available website documents associated with this requirement, including any Requests for Quotation (including amendments), Question and Answer exchanges with vendors (source-identifying information removed), and other relevant information that is not confidential/proprietary in nature or source selection sensitive information that would otherwise implicate procurement integrity concerns.
Upon award, GSA TTS will publish the total price of the selected proposal and certain non-source-identifying data (for example, the number of bids, the mean price, median, and standard deviation of price). During the performance of this call order, GSA TTS will similarly publish source code, data related to project management (for example, user stories, milestones, and performance metrics), and top-line spending data.
Outside of research-related records (see § 7.7), the Government intends that any data or deliverable created as a result of the work performed under the call order be committed to the public domain. The default GSA TTS policy mirrors that of the 18F (TTS) Open Source policy found at the following link: https://github.com/18F/open-source-policy/blob/master/policy.md
Further, GSA TTS intends to commit the following items, to the public domain, at a minimum:
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All data, documents, graphics and code created under this call order including but not limited to, plans, reports, schedules, schemas, metadata, architecture designs, and the like;
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Any and all new open source software created by the Contractor and forks or branches of current open source software where the Contractor has made a modification; and,
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Any and all new tooling, scripting configuration management, infrastructure as code, or any other final changes or edits to successfully deploy or operate the software.
The Contractor shall use open source technologies wherever possible, in support of the 18F (TTS) Source Code Policy. All licenses must be expressly listed in the deliverable. Regardless of license(s) used (e.g., MIT, GPL, Creative Commons 0) the license(s) shall be clearly listed in the documentation.
If the Contractor needs to use work that does not have an open source license, the Contractor is required to request permission from GSA TTS in writing, before using that work in any way in connection with the order. If approved, all licenses shall be clearly set forth in a conspicuous place when work is delivered to GSA TTS .
If an open source license provides implementation guidance, the Contractor shall ensure compliance with that guidance. If implementation guidance is not available, the Contractor shall attach or include the license within the work itself. Examples of this include code comments at the beginning of a file or contained in a license file within a software repository.
The Contractor shall support the Government in its conformance with Section 508 throughout the development and implementation of the work to be performed.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic information technology, Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who do not have disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.
The following standard is applicable for compliance: 1194.22 Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications.
The Contractor should review the following websites for additional 508 information:
All Contractor key personnel, employees, agents, Subcontractors, and Subcontractor personnel who will have access to documents or data during the performance of their duties under the contract shall execute the attached Non-Disclosure Agreement and return it to the CO within 5 calendar days of award and before being given access to such information or documents.
- INVOICING & PAYMENT
The period of performance for each invoice shall be for one calendar month. The Contractor shall submit only one invoice per month per order/contract.
The Government reserves the right to audit, thus; the Contractor shall keep on file all backup support documentation for travels as applicable.
The Contractor’s invoice will be submitted monthly for work performed the prior month. The Contractor may invoice only for the hours, travel, and unique services used in direct support of the call order. The invoice shall be submitted on official letterhead and shall include the following information at a minimum.
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Client Order ID Number
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ACT Number
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Prompt Payment Discount
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Remittance Address
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Period of Performance for Billing Period
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Point of Contact and Phone Number
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Invoice Amount
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Skill Level Name and Associated Skill Level Number (for Labor Hour)
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Actual Hours Worked During the Billing Period (for Labor Hour)
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Clearly indicate both the current invoice’s monthly “burn rate” and the total average monthly “burn rate” (for Labor Hour)
All invoicing shall be done electronically. Password and electronic invoice access may be obtained through the AASBS web portal.
The Invoice and the Status Reports for the applicable billing period shall be entered into the AASBS portal within 5 to 10 calendar days after the end of the month. The Contractor shall submit invoices electronically by logging into the AASBS portal (https://portal.fas.gsa.gov), navigating to the appropriate order, and creating the invoice for that order and attach a copy of invoice, status reports with all required back-up documentation as applicable.
The Contractor shall NOT submit any invoices directly to the GSA NCR Finance Center (neither by mail nor via electronic submission). If the invoices are acceptable, then the Procurement Project Manager and COR/ACOR will approve them for payment and complete the information in the AASBS portal.
Invoices for final payment must be so identified and submitted within 60 calendar days from task completion and no further charges are to be billed. A copy of the written acceptance of task completion must be attached to final invoices. The Contractor shall request for an extension from the COR/ACOR for final invoices that may exceed the 60-day time frame.
The Government reserves the right to require certification by a COR/ACOR before payment is processed, if necessary.
The Contractor shall submit a final invoice within 60 calendar days after the end of the performance period. After the final invoice has been paid the Contractor shall furnish a completed and signed Release of Claims (GSA Form 1142) to the CO. This release of claims is due within 15 calendar days of final payment.
DEFINITIONS
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Contracting Officer (CO). Responsible for monitoring call order contract compliance, contract administration, and cost control and for resolving any differences between the observations documented by the Government and the Contractor. The CO will designate, at a minimum, one (1) CO’s Representative (COR) and one (1) Alternate CO’s Representative (ACOR) as the Government authority for performance management. The CO may, at their discretion, designate in writing any number of additional representatives to serve as technical inspectors depending on the complexity of the services measured as well as the Contractor’s performance.
Contracting Officer’s Representative(COR) and Alternate Contracting Officer’s Representative (ACOR). Designated in writing by the CO to act as his or her authorized representative to assist in administering a contract. COR/ACOR limitations are contained in the written appointment letter. The COR/ACOR are responsible for technical administration of the project and ensure proper Government surveillance of the Contractor’s performance. The COR/ACOR are not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the Government’s behalf. Any changes that the Contractor deems may affect contract price, terms, or conditions shall be referred to the CO for action. The COR/ACOR will have the responsibility to document the inspection and evaluation of the Contractor’s work performance. The COR/ACOR’s acceptance of the vendor product is dependent on the Product Owner’s approval.
Procurement Project Manager (PM). Interface between the requiring organization (GSA TTS) and contracting organization (GSA FAS AAS/NCR). The Procurement PM coordinates technical aspects of the contract with the COR/ACOR and CO, assists with contract administration, ensures client acceptance of services, and reviews invoices for payment.
GSA TTS Product Lead. The GSA TTS Product Lead is responsible for coordination between the Contractor, the Product Owner, as well as the CO and COR/ACOR.
GSA TTS Technical Lead. The GSA TTS technical lead is responsible for coordination between the Contractor’s development team, the Product Owner and the key interagency stakeholders.
Product Owner DOS (Department of State). The Product Owner is the project’s key stakeholder and is from the DoS TalentMAP team. They are responsible for having a vision of what he or she wishes to build, and convey the vision to the GSA TTS Product Lead and the Contractor’s scrum or development team. The Product Owner does this in part through the product backlog, which will be a prioritized features list for the product. The Product Owner is responsible for advocating on behalf of the agency’s needs and responsible for decision-making during sprint planning and implementation. The Product Owner will work with the COR/ACOR to inspect vendor work.
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QASP
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Non-Disclosure Agreement