Human Resources Support Services

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION Contracting Office Address: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street, N.W. Rm. 1342 Washington, D.C. 20415 This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with FAR Part 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotations (RFQ) and incorporates Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions and clauses as amended in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-26 dated June 12, 2008. This RFQ is a set-aside for small businesses utilizing the North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code of 541612, with a small business size standard of $6.00 Million. PURPOSE The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM), Center for Human Capital Management Services (CHCMS) is responsible for providing human resource management services to the OPM community and its clients from the first point of contact to the last point of contact using state of the art methods which are supported by efficient, effective, timely service, and a nurturing cooperative attitude. The Talent Service Group is responsible for providing high quality human resource services and products that help recruit and retain the best talent for the Office of Personnel Management. Due to a recent increase in workload and staff turnover has created a manpower shortage, the Talent Service Group needs to obtain contractor human resources support services. SCOPE The Talent Service Group is needs to acquire a contractor to provide human resources support services, due to a recent increase in workload and staff turnover has created a manpower shortage. The Talent Service Group will require these services for a total of 40 hours per week to include, but not limited to, operational staffing and placement services, and recruitment and position classification services. REQUIREMENTS The contractor will be required to interact with a diversity of customers (i.e. job applicants, OPM staff members, managers etc). The required Human Resource Support services must include but are not limited to the following: 1. Staffing and Recruitment - The contractor is required to: - Provide comprehensive staffing and placement services covering a variety of occupations/series/grade levels in accordance with the laws, statutes, and regulations governing all aspects the full range of staffing operations and position classification in both the competitive and excepted services. - Provide staffing case work and management advisory services regarding filling positions using USAStaffing from recruitment through the final selection and closing out the case file. - Perform staffing/placement duties including conducting job analysis, preparing vacancy announcements, determining appropriate rating and ranking selective factors, and developing crediting plans to assess job qualifications for a wide range of positions in the competitive and excepted service. - Post vacancy announcements and evaluation criteria using USAStaffing, evaluates candidates, prepares referral lists or certificate(s) of eligibles (both merit promotion and competitive examining) for referral to managers, reviews selections to ensure selections are made in accordance with requirements, and closes out the case file once a selection has been made. - Identify and propose recruitment strategies in order to attract a high quality, diverse pool of candidates. - Identify and recommend special recruiting authorities or programs (e.g., FCIP, veteran's authorities) that may facilitate hiring of highly qualified candidates. - Complete or review SF-52's in accordance with the Guide to Processing Personnel actions and other requirements, using the General Service Administration's (GSA) human resources data system (CHRIS) to enter and process personnel actions. 2. Position Classification - Pursuant to Governmentwide position classification standards, the contractor is required to: - Review or develop position descriptions and accompanying evaluation statements in accordance with regulatory guidelines. - Determine appropriate occupational series, title and grade, as well as FLSA and position sensitivity designations. - Perform desk audits, if necessary. DELIVERABLES The contractor must provide the required human resources support services in accordance with the timeframes stated below: - Vacancy announcements (developed and posted through USA Staffing in accordance with relevant procedures, policies and timelines) must be completed within 10 days from receipt of SF-52 - Request for Personnel Action - Rating guides/crediting plans (to be used to assess candidate qualifications and determine best qualified applicants) must be completed within 2 days before closing of announcement. - Certificates of eligible/merit promotion referrals (following evaluation, rating, ranking of applications) that are in full compliance with applicable laws, rules, regulations, policy and procedures must be completed within 16 days from job announcement closing - Position descriptions and supporting evaluation statements (prepared in accordance with applicable Classification Standards) must be completed within 15 days of receipt of electronic SF-52 - Request for Personnel Action. PERIOD OF PERFPRMANCE The period of performance for the purchase order will be for one (1) year (base period of six months and two (2) three-month option periods). The option periods may be exercised to extend the contract to a period not to exceed one (1) year. Pricing submitted should be broken out accordingly. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Quotations are due by 3:00 PM local time in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 15, 2008. Email responses to: Patricia Broome contact@example.gov Quotations shall also include the following information: 1. RFQ number. 2. Time specified for receipt of offers. 3. Name, address, and telephone number of offeror. 4. Warranty terms. 5. Price for each line item in the requirement given above and any discount terms. 6. Delivery timeframe. 7. A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3. 8. Prospective contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration database. Information regarding CCR requirements may be obtained at www.ccr.gov or by calling +1 (555) 000-0000. 9. The Offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation. 10. Any offer, modification, revision, or withdrawal of an offer received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt shall not be considered. 11. Award evaluation shall be in accordance with FAR 13.106-2 and shall be based on price, warranty, delivery terms, and other factors most advantageous to the Government. Please note: All vendors holding GSA FSS Schedule contracts must offer prices equivalent to or discounted from the prices offered on their GSA contracts. All responsible sources may submit a quotation, which, if received prior to the expiration of the deadline, shall be considered by this agency. This solicitation will be posted on the Electronic Posting System (EPS) Internet website only. Offers that fail to furnish the required information and representations, or those who reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. The following clauses and provisions apply to this acquisition: Incorporated by reference are FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (JUNE 2008) and FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (FEB 2007). 52.212-2 Evaluation'Commercial Items (JAN 1999) (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers and are in descending order of importance. Technical capability (knowledge, skills and direct experience) Past performance Price Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than price. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (JUNE 2008) An offeror shall complete only paragraph (j) of this provision if the offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at http://orca.bpn.gov. If an offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at the ORCA website, the offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) through (i) of this provision. 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (JUNE 2008) are incorporated by full text. 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 14 days; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension. (b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause. (c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed one (1) year. 1752.200-70 On-Site Working Conditions (a) OPM facilities are smoking restricted workplaces. Due to the nature of the work, facilities, and requirements, contractor staff may only smoke outside in designated smoking areas. (b) Normal operating hours are 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Meeting task objectives within specific timeframes may require the working of extended/overtime hours. Any extended hours must be authorized in advance, and certified as worked by the task Government Project Manager(s). (c) Government personnel observe the following days as holidays: New Year's Day January 1 * Martin Luther King's Birthday Third Monday in January President's Day Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Independence Day July 4* Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Veterans Day November 11 Thanksgiving Day Fourth Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25* * If the date falls on a Saturday, the Government holiday is the preceding Friday. If the date falls on a Sunday, the Government holiday is the following Monday. (d) In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days: - Any other day designated by Federal Statute - Any other day designated by Executive Order - Presidential Inauguration Day - Any other day designated by the President's Proclamation (e) It is understood and agreed between the Government and the Contractor that observance of such days by Government personnel shall not otherwise be a reason for an additional period of performance, or entitlement of compensation except as set forth within the contract. In the event the Contractor's personnel work during the holiday, they may be reimbursed by the Contractor, however, no form of holiday or other premium compensation will be reimbursed either as a direct or indirect cost, other than their normal compensation for the time worked. This provision does not preclude reimbursement for authorized overtime work if applicable to this contract. (f) When the Federal, State, Local or other Governmental entity grants excused absence to its employees, assigned Contractor personnel may also be dismissed. The Contractor agrees to continue to provide sufficient personnel to perform critical tasks already in operation or scheduled, and must be guided by the instructions issued by the CO or COR. (g) If Government personnel are unavailable due to furlough or any other reason, the Contractor must contact the CO or the COR to receive direction. It is the Government's decision as to whether the contract price/cost will be affected. Generally, the following situations apply: (1) Contractor personnel who are able to continue contract performance (either on-site or at a site other than their normal workstation), must continue to work and the contract price shall not be reduced or increased. (2) Contractor personnel who are not able to continue contract performance (e.g., support functions) may be asked to cease their work effort. This may result in a reduction to the contract price. 1752.204-70 Contractor Personnel Security Requirements (a) The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-05-24, referenced in paragraph (a) of FAR 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel, is available on-line at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2005/m05-24.pdf. (b) The Government may require security clearances for performance of this contract. The Contractor must obtain these clearances before beginning work on the contract (OPM will not allow Contractor employees without clearance in any of its facilities). The Contractor must obtain these clearances by using the eQIP system. If satisfactory security arrangements cannot be made with the Contractor, the required services must be obtained from other sources. (c) The level of classified access required will be indicated on DD-254 or other appropriate form incorporated into each request requiring access to classified information. Contractors are required to have background investigations for suitability if they occupy positions of trust (e.g., systems administration) even if they do NOT have access to classified information. (d) Necessary facility and/or staff clearances must be in place prior to start of work on the contract (e) Contractors are responsible for the security, integrity and appropriate authorized use of their systems interfacing with the Government and or used for the transaction of any and all Government business. The Government, through the Government's Contracting Officer, may require the use or modification of security and/or secure communications technologies related to Government systems access and use. (f) The Government, at its discretion, may suspend or terminate the access and/or use of any or all Government access and systems for conducting business with any/or all Contractors when a security or other electronic access, use or misuse issue gives cause for such action. The suspension or termination may last until such time as the Government determines that the situation has been corrected or no longer exists. 1752.205-70 Announcement of Contract Award OPM complies with FAR 5.3, Synopses of Contract Awards, in terms of synopsizing and publicly announcing contract awards. These actions take place at the time of, and not before, the contract is awarded. Contract award, in this case, means signature of the contractual document by the Contracting Officer and forwarding of the contractual document to the contract awardee. If the contract awardee wishes to make a separate public announcement, the awardee must obtain the approval of the Contracting Officer prior to releasing the announcement, and must plan to make announcement only after the contract has been awarded. 1752.209-70 Contractor Performance Capabilities The Contractor must be capable of performing all the tasks described in the Statement of Work. The Government shall not be liable for any costs or other involvement in the purchase, repair, maintenance or replacement of Contractor items used to implement or comply with requirements of the contract. Likewise, the Government shall in no way be held accountable by the Contractor for the Contractor's inability to perform under this Contract due to Government technology implementations and or changes. 1752.209-71 Contractor's Key Personnel (a) In order to ensure a smooth and orderly start up of work, it is essential that the key personnel specified in the Contractor's proposal be available on the effective date of the contract. If these personnel are not made available at that time, the Contractor must notify the Government Contracting Officer and show cause. If the Contractor does not show cause, the Contractor may be subject to default action. (b) The Contractor shall not of its own will remove or replace any personnel designated as "key" personnel without the written concurrence of the cognizant Contracting Officer. Prior to utilizing employees other than specified personnel, the Contractor shall notify the Government Contracting Officer and the COR. This notification must be no later than five (5) calendar days in advance of any proposed substitution and must include justification (including resume(s) of proposed substitution(s)) in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on contract performance. (c) Substitute personnel qualifications must be equal to, or greater than, those of the personnel being substituted. If the Government Contracting Officer and the COR determine that the proposed substitute personnel is unacceptable, or that the reduction of effort would be so substantial as to impair the successful performance of the work under the contract, the Contractor may be subject to default action. If deemed necessary by the Government, substitute personnel must be given a one-(1) day orientation by Contractor personnel at no additional cost to the Government and with no change in the delivery schedule. (d) In the event that the performance of assigned Contractor personnel or any substitute(s) is determined by the Government to be unsatisfactory at any time during the life of the Contract, the Government reserves the right to request and receive satisfactory personnel replacement within five (5) calendar days of receipt by the Contractor of written notification. Notification will include the reason for requesting replacement personnel. (e) The Contractor-supplied personnel are employees of the Contractor and under the administrative control and supervision of the Contractor. The Contractor, through its personnel, shall perform the tasks prescribed herein. The Contractor must select, supervise, and exercise control and direction over its employees (including subcontractors) under this Contract. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the Contractor in its performance of contractual services under this contract. The Contractor is accountable to the Government for the action of its personnel. (f) The Contractor is herewith notified that employee recruiting and employee retention practices shall be monitored on a regular basis. 1752.209-72 Qualifications of Contractor's Employees The Contracting Officer may require dismissal from work of those employees which he/she deems incompetent, careless, insubordinate, unsuitable or otherwise objectionable, or whose continued employment he/she deems contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the best interest of national security. The Contractor must fill out, and cause each of its employees on the contract work to fill out, for submission to the Government, such forms as may be necessary for security or other reasons. Upon request of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor's employees must be fingerprinted. Each employee of the Contractor who works on this contract shall be a citizen of the United States of America, or an alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence as evidenced by Alien Registration Receipt Card Form 1-151, or who presents other evidence from the Immigration and Naturalization Service that employment will not affect his/her immigration status. 1752.209-73 Standards of Conduct (a) Personnel assigned by the contractor to the performance of work under this order must be acceptable to the Government in terms of personal and professional conduct. Contractor personnel shall conform to standards of conduct as follows: (1) No contractor employees shall solicit new business while performing work under this order. (2) The contractor and its employees shall not discuss with unauthorized persons any information obtained in the performance of work under this order. (b) Should the continued assignment to work under this order of any person in the contractor's organization be deemed by the Contracting Officer to conflict with the interests of the Government, that person shall be removed immediately from assignment, and the reason for removal shall be fully documented in writing by the Contracting Officer. Employment and staffing difficulties shall not be justification for failure to meet established schedules, and if such difficulties impair performance, the contractor may be subject to default. 1752.209-74 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (a) The Contractor warrants that, to the best of the Contractor's knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which could give rise to an organizational conflict of interest (OCI), as defined in FAR 9.5, Organizational and Consultants Conflicts of Interest, or that the Contractor has disclosed all such relevant information. (b) The Contractor agrees that if an actual or potential OCI is discovered after award, the Contractor shall make a full disclosure in writing to the Contracting Officer. This disclosure must include a description of actions, which the Contractor has taken or proposes to take, after consultation with the Contracting Officer, to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the actual or potential conflict. (c) The Contracting Officer may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if it deems such termination necessary to avoid an OCI. If the Contractor was aware of a potential OCI prior to award or discovered an actual or potential conflict after award and did not disclose or misrepresented relevant information to the Contacting Office, the Government may terminate the contract for default, debar the Contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract. (d) The Contractor must include this clause in all subcontracts and in lower tier subcontracts unless a waiver is requested from, and granted by, the Contracting Officer. (e) In the event that a requirement changes in such a way as to create a potential conflict of interest for the Contractor, the Contractor must: (1) Notify the Contracting Officer of a potential conflict, and; (2) Recommend to the Government an alternate approach which would avoid the potential conflict, or (3) Present for approval a conflict of interest mitigation plan that will: (i) Describe in detail the changed requirement that creates the potential conflict of interest; and (ii) Outline in detail the actions to be taken by the Contractor or the Government in the performance of the task to mitigate the conflict, division of subcontractor effort, and limited access to information, or other acceptable means. (4) The Contractor must not commence work on a changed requirement related to a potential conflict of interest until specifically notified by the Contracting Officer to proceed. (5) If the Contracting Officer determines that it is in the best interest of the Government to proceed with work, notwithstanding a conflict of interest, a request for waiver must be submitted in accordance with FAR 9.503. 1752.222-70 Notice of Requirement for Certification of Nonsegregated Facilities By signing this offer or contract, the contractor will be deemed to have signed and agreed to the provisions of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Clause 52.222-21, Certification of Nonsegregated Facilities, incorporated by reference in this solicitation/contract. The certification provides that the bidder or offeror does not maintain or provide for its employees, facilities which are segregated on a basis of race, color, religion, or national origin, whether such facilities are segregated by directive or on a de facto basis. The certification also provides that the bidder/offeror does not and will not permit its employees to perform their services at any location under its control where segregated facilities are maintained. FAR Clause 52.222-21 must be included in all subcontracts as well. 1752.222-71 Special Requirements for Employing Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (a) If this contract contains FAR Clause 52.222-35 (Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans), your company must comply with the requirements of this clause, including the listing of employment opportunities with the local office of the state employment service system. (b) If this contract contains FAR clauses 52.222-37 (Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans) or 52.222-38 (Compliance with Veterans Employment Reporting Requirements), you are reminded that your company must comply with the special reporting requirements described in those clauses. Your company must submit information on several aspects of its employment and hiring of special disabled and Vietnam era veterans or other veterans who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized. You must submit this information no later than September 30 of each year, in the - Federal Contractor Veterans Employment Report or VETS-100 Report. The U.S. Department of Labor has established a web site for submitting this report. The address is: http://www.vets100.cudenver.edu. 1752.223-70 Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)-Registered Electronic Products (a) Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a tool to help purchasers evaluate, compare and select computer desktops, laptops, notebooks and computer monitors based on their environmental attributes. To obtain additional information regarding EPEAT-registered electronic products, go to http://www.epeat.net. (b) FAR 52.223-9, IEEE 1680 Standard for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products, requires that at all of the electronic products that the agency acquires under this Information Technology (IT) contract to meet the agency's requirements must be EPEAT Bronze-registered or higher electronic products. (c) By signing this offer or contract, the contractor will be deemed to have signed and agreed that all of the electronic products that the contractor provides under this contract are EPEAT Bronze-registered or higher electronic products. 1752.223-71 Environmentally Preferable Products and Services (a) Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, requires in agency acquisitions of goods and services (i) use of sustainable environmental practices, including acquisition of biobased, environmentally preferable, energy-efficient, water-efficient, and recycled-content products, and (ii) use of paper of at least 30 percent post-consumer fiber content. (b) By signing this offer or contract, the contractor will be deemed to have signed and agreed that all goods and services provided under this contract will comply with the above requirements of Executive Order 13423. 1752.224-70 Protecting Personally Identifiable Information (a) Applicability This clause applies to contractor personnel and addresses specific OPM requirements in addition to those included in the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a - the Act). The following should not be construed to alter or diminish civil and/or criminal liabilities provided under the Act. (b) Definition of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is - information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, such as their name, social security number, biometric records, etc. alone, or when combined with other personal or identifying information which is linked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, etc. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2007/m07-16.pdf). In other words, PII refers to any information, on any medium, that identifies a specific individual whether the information is on paper or electronic. (c) Responsibilities for Handling PII (1) Contract employees shall not remove PII from their individual assigned duty station without prior approval of their supervisor. (2) All contract employees are personally responsible for the proper handling of PII, regardless of location. All contract employees must be: ? responsible for the proper control and handling of PII residing on their computer, on removable media, and on paper documents. ? responsible for ensuring portable data storage and communication devices are properly controlled and secured at all times. ? responsible for the proper marking, control and storage of printouts and other paper documents containing PII in their possession. ? Email cannot be encrypted. Since PII must be encrypted before being sent, send it only as an encrypted attachment. Do not send PII in the content of an email. (d) Encryption of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) (1) OPM has a policy protecting, and when appropriate, restricting sending, copying or moving PII from the OPM network. Therefore, if the contract employees must send PII, send it only as an encrypted attachment. OPM employees and contractors are required to encrypt PII data using WinZip. Instructions on how to use WinZip to encrypt and protect files containing PII are available on Theo at: http://theo.opm.gov/helpdesk/selfhelp/WinZipv90EncryptionProcedures.pdf. WinZip can be used to protect data on workstations, laptops and email attachments. It is available on all OPM workstations attached to the agency's network. (2) A password protected file is not secure. Never send any unencrypted PII data in e-mail. (e) Procedures for Reporting a Breach of PII (1) A breach of PII includes loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or unauthorized access of personally identifiable information whether physical or electronic. As an agency, OPM is required to immediately report all potential PII data breaches -- whether they involve paper documents or electronic information. In order to meet this responsibility, OPM has established a new internal procedure for reporting the loss or possible compromise of any PII, and this clause conforms to that procedure. (2) OPM contractors must report any breach or potential breach to the OPM Situation Room and the Contracting Officer within 30 minutes of becoming aware of the risk - regardless of the time or day of the week. Breaches should be reported, even if it is believed the breach is limited, small, or insignificant. OPM's IT security experts, who will determine when a breach needs additional focus and attention. The OPM Situation Room is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Report the breach to the OPM ...