WSB Team Assessment

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION OPM0408Q0041 Contracting Office Address: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street, N.W. Rm. 2469H Washington, D.C. 20415 Attn: Vernon Cooper Ph: +1 (555) 000-0000 contact@example.gov REQUIREMENT: This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The requirement is Total Small Business Set-Aside. This solicitation is issued as a Request For Quotations (RFQ) number OPM0408Q0041, and incorporates FAR provisions and clauses as amended in Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-26, effective on June 12, 2008. This procurement is set aside for small business. The applicable North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code is 541612. Offerors are invited to submit their quotations to OPM-Contracting Group in response to this notice by 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST), August 22, 2008. Due to time constraints, only e-mailed requests for additional information will be accepted at contact@example.gov through 3:00 PM, August 19, 2008. Quotations submitted in response to this notice shall include the solicitation number in the subject line and be signed, dated and submitted via email to contact@example.gov. Vendors not registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database at the time the requirement is to be awarded will not be considered. Vendors may register with CCR by calling +1 (555) 000-0000 or +1 (555) 000-0000, or by accessing www.ccr.gov. Contract Documents, Exhibits and Attachments STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES Team Assessment - Washington Services Branch (1) PURPOSE: Improve team communication, cooperation, and self-awareness among the staff of the Washington Services Branch (including the manager), and find ways to reduce or eliminate the divisiveness of the situation. (2) SCOPE OR MISSION: Conduct an assessment of the overall climate and areas of team conflict and/or dysfunction in the Washington Services Branch by conducting one-on-one interviews with all staff members as well as with the branch manager. Help the manager find more effective ways of resolving the conflicts within the organization. Once an initial evaluation is conducted, possible interventions which may be considered include: (1) Conduct some type of teambuilding or team conflict intervention to get the issues out on the table for resolution, and facilitate group discussions of the problems to get at viable solutions; (2) Conduct some type of independent competency assessment to provide developmental feedback to staff members and to measure progress toward developing more advanced skills; (3) Provide coaching to the branch's manager on more effective was to approach the skills gap problem; (4) Recommend other interventions which become apparent during the assessment phase of this project. (3) PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Initial evaluation to be conducted August - September, 2008 at OPM's Washington, DC headquarters, located at 1900 E St. NW. Intervention must begin prior to September 3, 2008. Subsequent interventions to address the issues discovered may extend into quarter 1 of FY 2009. Separate pricing for each phase is requested. (4) BACKGROUND: Some degree of dysfunction and conflict has developed within the Washington Services Branch, and there is dissatisfaction among some staff members with the current manager. This is perceived by the manager as being based on the fact that employees tend to be categorized and given work assignments based on skill sets. One group of employees works mostly, if not exclusively, on traditional examining tasks which include case examining, accomplishment record ratings, and to a very limited extent, training on the use of the automated USA Staffing system. Most of this work is done in the office and entails the use of USA Staffing. Examining consultants usually interact with clients only by telephone. The second group of employees, who also do the above mentioned examining task, have a broader skill set and are frequently used on large scale consulting projects which include performance management, organization development, workforce and succession planning, recruiting and training, development of assessment methodologies, position classification, work process analysis, etc. These projects may entail travel and frequently require extensive face-to-face interaction with relatively high-level clients. The first group is resentful of the second group, and while many in the first group have had multiple opportunities to work on consulting projects, their success on those projects has not been encouraging. As a consequence, the manager has tended to limit many of their assignments to examining, or to support roles on consulting projects, and the resentment has grown. Because there are some racial differences between the two groups, this too has developed as an issue. (5) PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND OUTCOMES: - Assess the current climate in Washington Services Branch and provide a written report of findings - Identify underlying factors contributing to any issues identified - Recommend interventions designed to improve employee morale and performance - Conduct interventions, as agreed upon by CTS leadership Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal offers the best value to OPM's Washington Services Branch (WSB). Best value is defined as the outcome that provides the optimal combination of elements such as lowest total cost, quality, creativity and professionalism in the proposed plan. In making the comparison, WSB is interested in obtaining a superior technical approach. The factors to be used in determining which proposal is most advantageous to WSB are listed below. These factors taken together are more important than are cost/price considerations. Qualification and selection will be based on a composite of all responses, not any single item, that demonstrate a respondent's capability to conduct the required organizational assessment and implement the appropriate interventions for building a better WSB team. 1.) Technical Approach a.) Provide a brief description of your plan to address the requirements spelled out in this request for proposal. b.) Provide a brief summary of projects with which your company has experience that involved organizational assessment and implementing interventions for improving morale and performance. 2.) Past Performance / Experience a.) Provide at least two client references, including contact information and a brief statement of the nature of the project provided the client. 3.) Key Personnel a.) Provide a resume for key personnel who are envisioned to be working on this project. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (a) Introduction This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) was developed to evaluate Contractor actions while implementing this Performance-Based Work Statement. It is designed to provide an effective surveillance method of monitoring Contractor performance for each listed objective under this contract/order. This QASP is based on the premise that the Government desires to maintain a quality standard in the provision of all necessary supplies and services to ensure a successful conference. The Contractor, and not the Government, is responsible for all management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. The role of the Government is to monitor quality assurance to ensure all contract standards are achieved. In this contract the quality control program is the driver for product quality. Under the terms of the contract, the Contractor is required to develop a comprehensive program of self inspections and self monitoring of its actions. The first major step to ensuring a "self-correcting" contract is to ensure that the quality control program approved at the beginning of the contract provides the measures needed to lead the Contractor to success. Once the quality control program is approved by OPM, careful application of the process and standards presented in the remainder of this document will ensure a robust assurance program. REQUIRED SERVICE PERFORMANCE STANDARD METHOD OF SURVEILLANCE INCENTIVE/DISINCENTIVE Timeliness All products, services and items shall be delivered within established timeframes Visual Incentive: Performance rating Disincentive: Contract termination Consistency to Requirements All products, services and items shall satisfy the requirements of the contract/order Visual Incentive: Performance rating Disincentive: Contract termination Surveillance and Monitoring; An agency representative will monitor performance by a system of inspection and random sampling, any complaints received from OPM personnel will be passed on to the Contractor for correction. The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this solicitation: 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference. This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make the full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this web address: http://www.arnet.gov/far. FAR Clauses incorporated by reference are as follows: 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items; 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items; 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certification - Commercial Items; Offerors must include a completed copy of Offeror Representations and Certification along with his/her offer); 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items; 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes on Executive Orders Commercial Items and in accordance with FAR 12.603(c)(2)(xii) the following provisions under the clause apply (b) (11)-(b)(15), (b)(19)(i), (b)(21), (b) (25) (b) (26) applies if Government Purchase Card is used, (c) (1), (c) (2), and (c) (4); FAR 52.232-18 Availability of Funds. Quotations shall also include the following information: 1. RFQ number. 2. Name, address, and telephone number of offeror. 3. Delivery timeframe. 4. Cost proposal based on the requirement. 5. A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 Alt 1. 6. 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. 7. 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. All responsible sources may submit a quotation, which, if received prior to the expiration of the deadline, shall be considered by this agency. Offers that fail to furnish the required information and representations detailed above, or those who reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. OPM-Specific Clauses 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. 1752.219-70 Small Business Subcontracting Plan (a) If your company is required to file a Small Business Subcontyracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9, please use the Subcontracting Plan Template attached to this solicitation for that purpose. (b) The on-line Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS) must now be used for input of the reports required by FAR 52.219-9(d)(10)(iii). To comply with this requirement, please do the following: (1) If your company does not yet have an eSRS account, then please sign up for one at www.esrs.gov. A user guide that explains how to use eSRS is available at: http://esrs.gov/documents/esrs_contractor_user_guide_1.7.pdf. If you notice that your company contact information or DUNS number in eSRS are not correct, then please make corrections through the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) website at http://www.ccr.gov/. That data will then flow from the CCR to the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG) and then finally into the eSRS system. Repopulation of your eSRS contact info can take two business days after you make corrections in the CCR. Please include the e-mail addresses of the contracting officer in eSRS for notification in block 13 of the report. (2) Starting with fiscal year 2005, submit your Summary Subcontracting Reports (SSRs - Old SF 295) and your Individual Subcontracting Reports (ISRs - Old SF 294) for contracts into the eSRS. Midyear reports are not required in eSRS for FY 2004 and 2005. (3) For fiscal year 2006 onward also submit your midyear (March) ISRs into eSRS. (4) If you have not yet submitted a final report for any contracts closed during FY 2004 onward, you should do so now using the eSRS. (5) Please continue to submit to the Contracting Officer paper prints of all the reports you input to eSRS, until further notice. (This continues to be a FAR requirement) (6) If you have a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with OPM, please submit your ISRs via paper. FPDS-NG, which provides data into eSRS, does not identify subcontracting plans resulting from BPAs and other types of orders. 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 m...