R– Continued Support of Modern Claims Processing (MCP) expanding on current VA Rating Schedule of Disabilities (VASRD) Automation and Support Services for the Automated Veteran Data (AVD) initiative.
Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice
Posted Date:
Office Address:
Subject: R-- Continued Support of Modern Claims Processing (MCP) expanding on current VA Rating Schedule of Disabilities (VASRD) Automation and Support Services for the Automated Veteran Data (AVD) initiative.
Classification Code: R - Professional, administrative, and management support services
Solicitation Number: 36C10E19Q0146
Contact: Vernon M QuiliciContract Specialist 240-439-6282 mailto:[email protected]
Description:
INTRODUCTION
THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. The
BACKGROUND
The Modern Claims Processing (MCP) program is intended to provide a comprehensive modernization of the Disability Compensation Program, as well as, the programs supporting separating Servicemembers. The MCP program leverages computable medical data, mapped to regulatory criteria specific to the adjudication of claims. This data mapping eliminates the need for the myriad of laborious administrative functions that are currently undertaken by adjudicators in order to prepare a claim for a decision, ultimately delivering a decision to the Veteran/Servicemember more quickly. As VBA continues to modernize the claims process, the following three areas are central to that effort:
To empower Veterans and Servicemembers to interact with
To leverage data in order to streamline and standardize the claims process
To improve the quality and clarity of communication with the Veterans it serves
CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERESTED CONTRACTORS
The Contractor shall be required to provide and accomplish ALL specific tasks, optional tasks, and deliverables described within the Performance Work Statement (PWS) listed below. NAICS: 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. Responses are solely treated as information for the Government to consider. Direct or Indirect costs incurred in response to this
It is requested and appreciated that all contractors interested in participating in this market research effort note their interest by responding to the areas identified in the, Company Details", and the, "Capabilities Statement , sections below.
COMPANY DETAILS
The page limit for responses to this section is three (3) pages.
Provide company point(s) of contact information (name, email address, address, telephone, fax numbers and DUNS number)
Identify if your company are any of the following business concern statuses (include all that apply): Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB); Small Business (SB);
Provide contracting vehicles your company holds, such as
CAPABILITIES STATEMENT
The page limit for responses to this section is seven (7) pages.
Provide a brief narrative summary of your technical approach, with specific expertise and with ramp up time, to meet ALL of
Provide an overview, detailing proof of your firm s capabilities to fulfill ALL the requirements within the PWS, to include: organizational; staff capability; and specific experience.
Provide up to three (3) contracts that your company has performed for the same or similar requirement and of comparable size, complexity and scope. Describe scope, similarities, and differences, as pertinent.
Again, this
PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)
BACKGROUND
The Modern Claims Processing (MCP) program is intended to provide a comprehensive modernization of the Disability Compensation Program, as well as the programs supporting separating Servicemembers. The MCP program leverages computable medical data, mapped to regulatory criteria specific to the adjudication of claims. This data mapping eliminates the need for the myriad of laborious administrative functions that are currently undertaken by adjudicators in order to prepare a claim for a decision, ultimately delivering a decision to the Veteran/Servicemember more quickly.
As VBA continues to modernize the claims process, the following three areas of central to that effort:
To empower Veterans and Servicemembers to interact with
To leverage data in order to streamline and standardize the claims process
To improve the quality and clarity of communication with the Veterans it serves
To that end, this contract seeks specifically to:
Provide automation tools to Disability Compensation Adjudicators in order to simplify the claims process for Separating Servicemembers.
Provide improved reporting based on medical database queries associated with Hospitalization, Aid & Attendance (A&A), Convalescence, and others.
Expand upon previously started data-mapping work in support VASRD modernization and Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs).
Support the VBA with improving the processing of claims for benefits by automating processes through data gathering, processing, and analysis.
APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS
The Contractor shall comply with the following documents, in the performance of this effort:
Veteran Information System (VIS) and VA Department of Defense Identity Repository (VADIR) Documentation
VBA Benefit Process Flows as provided and directed by VA Leadership
Technical Reference Manual
http://www.va.gov/TRM/VAStandardPage.asp tid=5176&lob=1
VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) Technical Reference Guide http://vistaadaptivemaintenance.info/va-cloud/VA_Cloud-Technical_Reference-2017.pdf
VA Handbook 6500; VA INFORMATION SECURITY PROGRAM and NIST SP 800-53 https://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp Pub_ID=793&FType=2
VIP Process Guide https://www.va.gov/DIGITALSTRATEGY/docs/VIP_Guide_1_0_v14.pdf
The contractor, their personnel, and their subcontractors shall be subject to the Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks regarding information and information system security as delineated in this contract.
SCOPE OF WORK
The contractor will provide services under the following work areas and tasks:
Provide automation tools to Disability Compensation Adjudicators in order to simplify the claims process for Separating Servicemembers. Specifically, a Proof of Concept Adjudicator Portal.
A Working Prototype of the Adjudicator Portal integrated into the VBA-approved application platform user interface (via additional tab) and integrated with the VBA, VHA, and
All development and implementation work to comply with current
Provide VBA Compensation with improved reporting based on
Expand upon previously started data-mapping work in support of VASRD modernization and Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs). This work will initially focus on the mapping of each of the DBQs back to specific VASRD codes and the individual compensation claims as submitted by the Veteran for Adjudication.
Support the VBA with improving the processing of claims for benefits by automating processes through data gathering, processing, and analysis. The contractor will also assist VBA, where needed, with improving the claims process itself to leverage the automation improvements implemented in the tasks above.
APPLICABILITY
This PWS is within the scope of paragraph(s) 5.1 Program/Program Management Support, 5.2 User/Human Centered Design (UCD/HCD) and 5.3 Technical Assistance. Optional Tasks will be elected and executed as required, according to Order Type requirements.
ORDER TYPE
Firm Fixed Price (FFP),
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
PERFORMANCE PERIOD
The Contract Period of Performance (PoP) shall consist of a Base Year
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
Efforts under this TO shall be performed at Contractor facilities. The Contractor shall identify the Contractor s place of performance in their Task Execution Plan submission. Program Management and Requirements gathering tasks shall be performed on-site at
TRAVEL OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
The Government does not anticipate travel under this effort to perform the tasks associated with the effort, including program-related meetings or conferences throughout the period of performance.---- Contractor are only expected to travel within the local commuting area and will not be reimbursed.-- Face-to-face meetings, code integration and planning sessions may be requested on an as-needed basis.
Should contractor and the Government determine that such travel is required it shall be estimated and reimbursed under this contract as Other Direct Costs (ODCs) on a task-by-task basis. No reimbursement shall be paid unless the travel itself and an estimate of total costs is approved in writing by the contract COR.
Location:
CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
All specifications of this Performance Work Statement (PWS) apply to this effort. This PWS shall be addressed in the Contractor s Project Management Plan (PMP) as set forth in this contract. The Contractor shall design an adjudicator portal application to assist VBA Adjudicators complete rating-related tasks more quickly and efficiently. Work will include Human-Centered Design for UX strategy, UI and visual design, rapid prototyping, and front-end engineering. The Contractors shall also provide VBA business logic related to Hospitalization Reports to OIT staff for operational implementation and assist VBA with updating related operational business rules. Contractors shall liaise with
GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY
The Government has multiple remote access solutions available to include Citrix Access Gateway (CAG), Site-to-Site Virtual Private Network (VPN), and RESCUE VPN.--
The Government s issuance of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) is limited to Contractor personnel requiring direct access to the network to: development environments; install, configure and run Technical Reference Model (TRM) approved software and tools (e.g., Oracle, Fortify, Eclipse, SoapUI, WebLogic, LoadRunner); upload/download/ manipulate code, run scripts, and apply patches; configure and change system settings; check logs, troubleshoot/debug, and test/QA.
When necessary, the Government will furnish desktops or laptops, for use by the Contractor to access
The Government will not provide IT accessories including but not limited to Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots/wireless access points, additional or specialized keyboards or mice, laptop bags, extra charging cables, extra Personal Identity Verification card readers, peripheral devices, or additional Random Access Memory (RAM). The Contractor is responsible for providing these types of IT accessories in support of the TO as necessary and any
The Contractor will also receive access to a SharePoint site containing historical documentation of data mapping and methodology documents associated with the past deliverables specific to this project.
SECURITY AND PRIVACY
All Contractors and Contractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal security and privacy laws, regulation, standards and
All Contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to
1.---'sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of behavior, Appendix E relating to access to
2.---'successfully complete the
3.---'successfully complete the appropriate
4.---'successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training as
Contractor Employee Training: All employees of the Contractor and assigned to work on this project shall complete annual Cyber Security training and Privacy Training using the Talent Management System (TMS)--
Certificate of Completion: The Contractor shall provide copies of training certificates and certification of the employee signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior within 5 days of working on this contract and annually thereafter.-- --
Failure to Comply: Failure to comply with the mandatory initial and annual training and signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior within the timeframe required is grounds for suspension r termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete.--
The Contractor shall notify the program manager and COR assigned to this contract for
a. Critical Must be remediated immediately.
b. High Must be remediated within 60 days.
c. Medium Must be remediated within 90 days.
d. Low Must be remediated according to the timeframe established by the system owner. Typical in the next release or no longer than 120 days.
Security Investigation: The term security incident means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to
Security Violations: To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/subcontractor s notice to
Data Breach: With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement.
Theft or Break-In: In instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors and their employees shall cooperate with
Notice of Security Incident: The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to
Liquidated Damages for Data Breach: Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. '' 5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the Contractor is liable to
Notice of Security Incident: The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to
Security Risk Analysis: Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following:
Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access)
Description of the event, including:
Date of occurrence
Data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code;
Number of individuals affected or potentially affected;
Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected;
Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text;
Amount of time the data has been out of
The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons);
Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any;
Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals
Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Security and Privacy Incidents as appropriate and
Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised.
Reimbursement: Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the Contractor shall be responsible for paying to the
Notification;
One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports;
Data breach analysis;
Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution;
One year of identity theft insurance with
Necessary legal expenses the subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories or financial affairs.
Liquidated Damages: This PWS is further subject to the statutory requirement to assess liquidated damages against Contractors and/or subcontractors under 38 U.S.C. --5725 in the event of a breach of Sensitive Personal Information (SPI)/Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Said liquidated damages shall be assessed at
When the Security Fixes involve installing third party patches (such as Microsoft OS patches or Adobe Acrobat), the Contractor will provide written notice to
POSITION/TASK RISK DESIGNATION LEVEL(S)
All contract employees who require access to the
In accordance with VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Security and Suitability Program, the position sensitivity and the level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access for the following tasks within the PWS are:
Task Number
Tier 2 / Moderate Risk
Tier 4 / High Risk
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
The Tasks identified above and the resulting Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation requirements identify, in effect, the Background Investigation requirements for Contractor individuals, based upon the tasks the particular Contractor individual will be working. The submitted Contractor Staff Roster must indicate the required Background Investigation Level for each Contractor individual based upon the tasks the Contractor individual will be working, in accordance with their submitted proposal.
SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES
The Contractor shall perform the following:
PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
CONTRACTOR PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Contractor shall deliver a Project Management Plan (PMP) that lays out the Contractor s approach, timeline and tools to be used in execution of this effort. --The P/PMP should take the form of both a narrative and graphic format that displays the integrated master schedule, milestones, risks and required contractor resource support.----The P/PMP shall also include how the Contractor shall coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection reporting requests as identified within the PWS. The initial baseline P/PMP shall be concurred upon and updated in accordance with Section B of the Contract. The Contractor shall update and maintain the VA Program Manager (PM) approved P/PMP throughout the Contract Period of Performance (PoP).
Deliverable:
Program/Project Management Plan
MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT
The Contractor shall provide the Contract Officer Representative (COR) with Progress Reports, monthly, in an electronic form using appropriate formats. The report shall include detailed instructions/explanations for each required data element, to ensure that data is accurate and consistent. These reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding period.
The Progress Reports shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period for each project.-- The report shall also identify any problems that arose and a description of how the problems were resolved.-- If problems have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including its plan and timeframe for resolving the issue. The report shall also include an itemized list of all documents and electronic deliverables. The Contractor shall monitor performance against the P/PMP and report any deviations. The Contractor shall keep in communication with
Deliverable:--
Monthly Progress Report (MPR)
SPRINT REVIEW REPORT
Once development has begun (Task 5.7 Adjudicator Portal Proof of Concept Application), the Contractor shall provide the Contract Officer Representative (COR) with Sprint Completion Reports, at the agreed-to development sprint cadence, in an electronic form using appropriate formats. The report shall include detailed outcomes for issues originally included in the Sprint Planning Meeting as well as the completion, delay, or movement to a subsequent sprint, etc. These reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding period.
The Sprint Review Report may be delivered via Government access to the implemented issue management tool (e.g. Jira).
Deliverable:--
Recurring Sprint Review Report
TECHNICAL KICKOFF MEETING
The Contractor shall hold a technical kickoff meeting within 10 days after contract award. The Contractor shall present, for review and approval by the Government, the details of the intended approach, work plan, and project schedule for the effort. The Contractor shall specify dates, locations (can be virtual), agenda (shall be provided to all attendees at least five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting), and meeting minutes (shall be provided to all attendees within three (3) calendar days after the meeting). The Contractor shall invite the Contracting Officer (CO), Contract Specialist (CS), COR, and the VA PM.
Deliverable:--
Technical Kickoff Meeting
ONBOARDING
The Contractor shall manage the onboarding of its staff. Onboarding includes steps to obtain a
A single Contractor Onboarding contact shall be designated, by the Contractor, who tracks the onboarding status of all Contractor personnel. The Contractor Onboarding contact shall be responsible for accurate and timely submission of all required
Deliverable:--
Onboarding Status Report
USER-/HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN (UCD/HCD)
The Contractor shall be prepared execute a point-forward strategy that will focus on improving and enhancing VBA s claims processing systems, while integrating with existing
APPLICATION NEEDS ELABORATION AND SCOPING
The contractor shall design digital services that help people easily complete the desired tasks utilizing User-Centered Design. Work will include UX strategy, UI and visual design, rapid prototyping, and front-end engineering. Contractors shall implement the UCD methodology as a default for work performed.
The contractor shall design digital services that help people easily complete the desired tasks and are designed to optimize the Veteran s experience of the overall process. Work will include (but is not limited to) such tools and techniques as: Veteran interviews, adjudicator interviews, developing user personas, card sorting, requirements development and priority setting, UX strategy, UI and visual design, rapid prototyping, and front-end engineering. Contractors shall implement the agreed-to design and functionality called for in the final UCD/HCD outputs.
Deliverable:
High level Application Technical Needs Review / Evaluation Worksheet
TECHNICAL DESIGN
As a part of Technical Design, the Contractor shall provide the Technical User Stories and supporting collateral necessary to complete the technical user stories. The Contractor shall present the technical design and provide meeting minutes at an SME review meeting. If PWS 5.6 optional task 5 is approved, The Contractor shall identify and resolve any issues prior to finalizing design and beginning coding.
Deliverables:
Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Technical User Stories
DATA MAPPING
Contractor shall continue the data mapping task begun under the previous contract. The outputs of this task will be used by the Adjudicator Portal business logic. As VBA undergoes VASRD modernization, the Contractor shall identify medical evidence data elements, computable or otherwise - indicating when it is available but not computable - that map to specific VASRD rating criteria level. The team will also explore when the mapping is not exact, the reasons and possible alternative or additional sources of medical evidence.
Specifically, the contractor shall complete the following data-mapping areas:
Computable Medical Data to VASRD
DBQs to VASRDs for Current Environment
Evaluated medical evidence to Evaluation Builder criteria/fields
Deliverable:
Data Mapping Documents
DEVELOP TO-BE AND FUTURE SEPARATING SERVICEMEMBERS (SSMs) PROCESS MAPS
Contractor shall create process maps for the To-Be and Future Process Maps for the Separating Servicemembers (SSMs) process. The process maps shall use the As-Is process map developed in the last contract period as a starting point and shall indicate the step-changes required to transition between the As-Is , the To-Be , and the Future states.
These process maps will be used by the development team to determine integration points with other systems for the Adjudicator Portal as well as the source of other data needed to be collected for a complete adjudication. Process maps shall be delivered in a format compatible with Microsoft Visio currently in use by VBA.
The process maps will also be used by VBA Compensation Service to validate and expand upon the planned process changes to be implemented during the moves to the To-Be and the Future process states.
Deliverable:
To-Be state SSM Process Map
Future state SSM Process Map
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
As part of the
SCD-RELATED HOSPITALIZATION REPORTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The Contractor shall design and deliver query logic based on their intricate understanding of VBA and VHA data and business process flows that will assist VBA with obtaining VHA and compensation related information to provide real-time dynamic solutions for SCD hospitalization benefits. The Contractor shall support VBA s future goal of tying a Veteran s SCD(s) to hospitalization and thusly their hospitalization record, removing false positives from the report.
HOSPITALIZATION REPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
When a Veteran is hospitalized--in excess of 21 days for an existing service connected--disability (SCD), they are entitled to be paid a temporary 100 percent rate for that disability during that period of hospitalization. Within the Base Period, the Contractor shall create query logic to be submitted to VBA to run queries based on the criteria below:
Utilize applicable healthcare-related data in VBA and VHA systems to obtain SCD information to include demographic data
Track admission dates including the tracking of a patient transitioning from one unit to another within a hospital stay
Track discharge date information documenting the patients release from the medical facility
Create tests using synthetic and real data, in a VBA-approved sandbox environment
This includes testing scripts that will allow VBA to audit past hospitalizations actions
*-Deliverables
Business Logic based on the above criteria
Test case and scripts criteria
CONVALESCENCE REPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
When a Veteran receives inpatient or outpatient treatment or is discharged from the hospital--in 21 days or less--for an SCD,--which may be flagged in CAPRI or in CDW,--it may require a period of--convalescence--of one or more months. In these cases, the Veteran may be entitled to be paid at a temporary 100 percent rate for the period of--convalescence.--Within the Base Period, the Contractor shall create query logic to be submitted to VBA to run, based using the criteria below:
Admission dates are included and accurate based on the use case
This includes tracking a patient transitioning from one unit to another within a hospital stay
Ensure discharge date information is incorporated and accurate and determine whether convalescence data is available in Discharge Summary
Create tests using synthetic and real data, in a VBA-approved sandbox environment
This includes testing scripts that will allow VBA to audit past hospitalizations actions
Research Note titles to see if there is any information in there to indicate 'convalescence'.
Explore several sources including the Mobile Application Environment (MAE), VistA and other reporting
*---Deliverables
Business Logic based on the above criteria
Test case and scripts criteria
AID AND ATTENDANCE (A&A) REPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE--
When a Veteran receives Aid & Attendance (A&A) benefits and hospitalized at the government s expense, the A&A benefits must be--immediately--reduced to a lower rate of payment (Housebound rate) for the duration of the hospitalization. The goal is to ensure A&A--Compensation payment is reduced--until the day the Veteran patient is discharged. Within the Base Period, the Contractor shall create query logic to be submitted to VBA to run, based using the criteria below, which will result in new VBA business rules:
Utilize applicable healthcare-related data in VBA and VHA systems to obtain SCD information to include demographic data
Admission dates are included and accurate based on the use case
This includes tracking a patient transitioning from one unit to another within a hospital stay
Ensure discharge date information is incorporated and accurate
Create tests using synthetic and real data, in a VBA-approved sandbox environment
This includes testing scripts that will allow VBA to audit past hospitalizations actions
Ensure in parameters that Veteran does not show up on Hospitalization Report
Deliverables
Business Logic based on the above criteria
Test case and scripts criteria
ADJUDICATOR PORTAL INTERFACE DESIGN
Improving speed and efficiency of adjudicating benefit claims for Veterans, including Separating Servicemembers, requires VBA, VHA, and
Separation date data
Service Treatment Records (STRs)
Disability Benefit Questionnaires (DBQs)
The wireframe and comp designs may require more than one iteration as VBA leadership provide feedback and insight, using updates to the PRD. The Contractor shall also have experience and the ability to extract healthcare record data from sources such as CDW for various SCD use case scenarios related to Veteran benefit ratings for compensation.
The Contractor shall be familiar with three key components:
Data elements maintained within VBA s CorpDB
Data from the
Apply the evaluation logic, as defined within the Veteran Benefits Management System (VBMS) evaluation builder, to the CDW medical data to determine a proposed SCD rating.
To develop the Adjudicator Portal wireframes to support the Proof of Concept and explore options for production deployment, the Contractor shall utilize a Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprises (SAFe) methodology that executes sprints in 2-week increments and delivers functionality in increments not to exceed 90 days. The Contractor shall develop the wireframes based on the Business and Design stories cited in Section 5.2 above, using Agile methods.
The Contractor shall deploy release candidates into the wireframe environment for User Acceptance Testing (UAT), after completing internal testing and Independent Verification and Validation (IVV). The Contractor shall ensure that all necessary testing occurs within applicable and available test environments.
Deliverables
Adjudicator Portal Wireframes
Adjudicator Portal Comprehensives (Comps)
The Portal interface design shall meet the objectives detailed below:
USER INTERFACE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (WIREFRAMES & COMPS)
The team is comprised of the appropriate distribution of cross functional roles that include technical lead(s), developers, dedicated quality assurance and tester(s), technical analyst(s), and a Scrum Master.
The Team may have one or two Technical Leads as part of the team that provide technical guidance and resolve technical impediments. A Scrum Master is recommended per team; however, Scrum Masters may be shared across two teams when appropriate size and technical leadership as described above is available
The team shall provide dedicated technical requirements analysts to ensure requirements are properly decomposed and to provide the Business perspective and context to the developmental teams
The team shall design wireframes and provide comps with 2-week or 3-week increments
Deliverables:
Design Review Presentation/Documentation
Design Schedule
USER INTERFACE DESIGN TESTING
Following successful development testing, The Contractor shall deliver wire frames for each capability, in preparation for product documentation, if approved by VBA leadership to go beyond design. The Contractor shall host a User Interface Design Testing sessions during the UAT testing period to facilitate the business sitting side by side the developers and providing for quick and complete feedback regarding wireframe development.
Following successful testing and acceptance of the software product, if permitted by VBA Leadership, the Contractor shall support the implementation and release of the software product into production, based on PWS Section 5.6 Optional Task 3.
Deliverable:
User Acceptance Testing Criteria and Reporting
BUSINESS LOGIC MAPPING
Contractor shall utilize outputs from data-mapping tasks in PWS section 5.2.3 as well as defined (through established VA IT standards or Contractor discovery) integration requirements to derive Adjudicator Portal business logic. The Contractor shall provide documentation on how to implement future logical mappings in order to support sustainment efforts for continual data mappings for future
Deliverable:
Supporting Documentation capturing Adjudicator Portal Business Logic
Instructions for Implementing Future Logical Mapping
BASE YEAR OPTIONAL TASK 1 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND INTEGRITY (PA&I) REPORTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The Contractor shall design and deliver query logic based on their intricate understanding of VBA and VHA data and business process flows that will assist VBA with obtaining VHA and compensation related information to provide real-time dynamic solutions for SCD hospitalization benefits and other compensation related processes. The Contractor shall support VBA s future goal of improving SCD reporting that impact Veteran compensation.
BASE YEAR OPTIONAL TASK 2 NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING (NLP) / MACHINE LEARNING
The Contractor shall collaborate with VBA leadership to derive what use cases require data scraping and machine learning especially in rating elements that could be determined as subjective or less objective.
*-
The notes for convalescence reporting may present use cases
Relating VHA and DBQ data (medications, diagnosis, number of visits, etc.) to actual VBA disability codes
BASE YEAR OPTIONAL TASK 3 TRANSITION PLANNING
The services under this TO are vital to the Government and must be continued without interruption, and upon TO expiration a successor, either the Government or another contractor may continue them. The Contractor therefore must propose a technical approach that will provide phased-in training and utilize best efforts and cooperation to affect an orderly and efficient transition to a successor.
The Contractor must propose a Transition Plan capable of supporting 90 days of outgoing transition support. Any proposed plan must meet with the VA PM s approval prior to its implementation. Once
Coordination with Government representatives
Review, evaluation and transition of current support services
Transition of historic data to new Contractor system
Transition of Rational accounts
Transfer of hardware and software warranties, maintenance agreements and licenses
Transfer of all necessary business and/or technical documentation
Orientation phase and program to introduce Government and Contractor personnel, programs, and users to the Contractor's team, tools, methodologies, and business processes
Disposition of Contractor purchased Government owned assets,
Transfer of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and Government Furnished Information, and GFE inventory management assistance
Turn-in of all Government keys, ID/access cards, and security codes
Deliverable:
Transition Plan
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
PERFORMANCE METRICS
The table below defines the Performance Standards and Acceptable Levels of Performance associated with this effort.
Performance Objective
Performance Standard
Acceptable Levels of Performance
Technical / Quality of Product or Service
Shows understanding of requirements
Efficient and effective in meeting requirements
Meets technical needs and mission requirements
Automated Processing Success Rate No lower than 40%
Payment Accuracy Manual - No lower than 98%
Payment Accuracy Automated - 100%
Provides quality services/products
Satisfactory or higher
Project Milestones and Schedule
Quick response capability
Products completed, reviewed, delivered in accordance with the established schedule
Notifies customer in advance of potential problems
Satisfactory or higher
Cost & Staffing
Currency of expertise and staffing levels appropriate
Personnel possess necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to perform tasks
Satisfactory or higher
Management
Integration and coordination of all activities to execute effort
Satisfactory or higher
The COR will utilize a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) throughout the life of the Task Order to ensure that the Contractor is performing the services required by this PWS in an acceptable level of performance. The Government reserves the right to alter or change the QASP at its own discretion. A Performance Based Service Assessment will be used by the COR in accordance with the QASP to assess Contractor performance.
SECTION 508 ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (EIT) STANDARDS
On
The following Section 508 Requirements supersede Addendum A, Section A3 from the T4NG Basic PWS.
The Section 508 standards established by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) are incorporated into, and made part of all
Federal agencies must comply with the updated Section 508 Standards beginning on
The Contractor shall comply with 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements for all electronic ICT and content delivered under this contract. Specifically, as appropriate for the technology and its functionality, the Contractor shall comply with the technical standards marked here:
E205 Electronic Content (Accessibility Standard -WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Guidelines)
E204 Functional Performance Criteria
E206 Hardware Requirements
E207 Software Requirements
COMPATIBILITY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
The standards do not require installation of specific accessibility-related software or attachment of an assistive technology device. Section 508 requires that ICT be compatible with such software and devices so that ICT can be accessible to and usable by individuals using assistive technology, including but not limited to screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software.
ACCEPTANCE AND ACCEPTANCE TESTING
Deliverables resulting from this solicitation will be accepted based in part on satisfaction of the Section 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements standards identified above.
The Government reserves the right to test for Section 508 Compliance before delivery. The Contractor shall be able to demonstrate Section 508 Compliance upon delivery.
ENTERPRISE AND IT FRAMEWORK
A signed waiver has been obtained from the VA OI&T CIO Office that the IPv6 requirement within Section 3.8 of the T4NG Basic Contract cannot be met, and as a result, IPv6 is not a requirement for this TO effort.
The required Assurance Levels, in reference to the Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) requirements set forth in Section 3.8.2 of the T4NG Basic PWS, are Identity Assurance Level (IAL) x, Authenticator Assurance Level (AAL) x, and Federation Assurance Level (FAL) x for this specific TO.
APPENDIX A ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
Authority to Operate (ATO)
Citrix Access Gateway (CAG)
Commercial Off-The-Shelf product (COTS)
Contracting Officer (CO)
Contracting Officer s Representative (COR)
Contract Specialist (CS)
Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP)
Create, Read, Update, Delete Matrix (CRUD matrix)
Electronic and Information Technology (EIT)
Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP)
Enterprise Architecture (EA)
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
Government Furnished Equipment (GFE),
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Information Security Officer (ISO)
Integrated Master Schedule
Lines of Business (LOB)
OI&T Technical Reference Model (One-VA TRM)
Period of Performance (PoP)
Personal Health Information (PHI)
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Personal Identity Verification Card (PIV)
Point of contact (POC)
Privacy Officer (PO)
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Personal Identity Verification (PIV)
Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)
Security and Investigation Center (SIC)
Single Sign-On (SSO)
System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
System Security Plans (SSP)
Task Order (TO)
Veteran-Focused Integration Process (VIP)
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
DELIVERABLES CADENCE TABLE
TASK #:
TASK DESCRIPTION:
DELIVERABLES:
INITIAL DELIVERY:
UPDATE CADENCE:
5
SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES
5.1
PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
-
-
-
5.1.1
CONTRACTOR PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN
Program/Project Management Plan
Project Kickoff Meeting
Monthly
5.1.2
MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT
Monthly Progress Report (MPR)
30 days following project kickoff
Monthly
5.1.3
SPRINT REVIEW REPORT
Recurring Sprint Review Report
2 days after completion of initial development sprint
2 days after the completion of each subsequent sprint (~ every 2 -3 weeks)
5.1.4
TECHNICAL KICKOFF MEETING
Technical Kickoff Meeting conducted
10 days after award
-
5.1.5
ONBOARDING
Onboarding Status Report
5.2
USER-/HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN (UCD/HCD)
-
-
-
5.2.1
APPLICATION NEEDS ELABORATION AND SCOPING
High level Application Technical Needs Review / Evaluation Worksheet
5.2.2
TECHNICAL DESIGN
Product Requirements Document (PRD)--
Technical User Stories
5.2.3
DATA MAPPING
Data Mapping Documents
5.2.4
DEVELOP TO-BE AND FUTURE SEPARATING SERVICEMEMBERS (SSMs) PROCESS MAPS
To-Be state SSM Process Map
Future state SSM Process Map
5.3
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
-
-
-
5.3.1
SCD-RELATED HOSPITALIZATION REPORTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
-
-
-
5.3.1.1
HOSPITALIZATION REPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Business Logic based on the above criteria
Test case and scripts criteria
5.3.1.2
CONVALESCENCE REPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Business Logic based on the above criteria
Test case and scripts criteria
5.3.1.3
AID AND ATTENDANCE (A&A) REPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Business Logic based on the above criteria
Test case and scripts criteria
5.3.2
ADJUDICATOR PORTAL INTERFACE DESIGN
Adjudicator Portal Wireframes
Adjudicator Portal Comprehensives (Comps)
5.3.2.1
USER INTERFACE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (WIREFRAMES & COMPS)
Design Review Presentation/Documentation
Design Schedule
5.3.2.2
USER INTERFACE DESIGN TESTING
User Acceptance Testing Criteria and Reporting
5.3.3
BUSINESS LOGIC MAPPING
Supporting Documentation capturing Adjudicator Portal Business Logic
Instructions for Implementing Future Logical Mapping
5.4
BASE YEAR OPTIONAL TASK 1 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS AND INTEGRITY (PA&I) REPORTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
-
-
-
5.5
BASE YEAR OPTIONAL TASK 2 NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING (NLP) / MACHINE LEARNING
-
-
-
5.6
BASE YEAR OPTIONAL TASK 3 TRANSITION PLANNING
Transition Plan
Link/URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/WDCVARO372/WDCVARO372/36C10E19Q0146/listing.html
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