Utility Data Enterprise System

Active

Contract Opportunity

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local PTAC (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities.

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has a requirement for a contract for Capitol Power Plant, with a period of performance of a one-year base a four one-year option periods. This requirement will also include an option to extend services up to six months, if necessary, in accordance with FAR 52.217-8

1. PROJECT TITLE

Utility Data Enterprise System

1. Background

Established as a permanent office in 1876, the Architect is provided permanent authority for the care and maintenance of the United States Capitol based on Section 1811 of Title 2 of the United States Code. The Architect is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of 17.4 million square feet of buildings and more than 570 acres of land throughout Capitol Hill. This includes the U.S. Capitol, House and Senate office buildings, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Capitol Power Plant, and other facilities. The Architect also provides professional expertise with regard to the preservation of architectural and artistic elements entrusted to his care and provides recommendations concerning design, construction and maintenance of the facilities and grounds.

Background

In 2016, the Architect of the Capitol signed a policy, AOC Energy Reduction Goal for Fiscal Years FY16-2025. Absent new legislative mandates, the AOC remains committed to sustainability and will continue reducing its energy consumption by two percent annually, or an aggregate of 20 percent by the end of FY 2025, using the AOC’s FY 2003 energy baseline. To support this effort, it is crucial that AOC maintains the capability to access, analyze and report the utility metering and billing data currently available, as well as augment our current capabilities.

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) awarded two contracts in 2011 and 2012 for these services: (1) Utility Meter Enterprise System (UMES) and (2) Utility Bill Verification System (BVS).. This initial contract with AOC ran as a 5-year contract from 2012 – 2017.

In 2017, AOC required the same continued services and sole-sourced a follow-on contract. The SOW combined the two separate systems into one cohesive Utility Data Enterprise System (UDES). This effort included combining both of the existing software platforms into a single platform with additional capabilities currently provided by the offeror’s standard system.

The original contracts built upon the unique capabilities that were provided to integrate several AOC operating systems into an integrated UDES. These systems are for the management of real-time utility metering information, utility bill validation, accounting, and forecasting.

1. Scope of Work

The contractor The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) Utility Data Enterprise System (UDES) is a subscription-based software service that brings together AOC’s (near) real-time facility utility data (e.g., utility meters, sub-meters, utility & tenant invoices, agency utility plant & distribution system instrumentation, building sensors, weather, etc.) into a single uniform file system. Data, reports and analytics are accessible to AOC personnel through a web-based dashboard that is customized and permissioned for their job-specific needs. The system provides value-added services to AOC facility operators, energy managers, and accountants who are tasked with day-to-day facility management and energy performance. The (near) real-time nature of the system facilitates proactive decision making and streamlines enterprise-wide energy operations.

The UDES supports the AOC’s need for a unique, campus utility data management system that supports compliance with Federal energy and water management regulations. The UDES continuously collects data from the 500+ 15-minute interval meters located on the AOC campus (125 facilities) as well as invoices from the 240+ paid utility accounts. Approximately 3,000 utility invoices and 11-million-meter readings are processed, validated, and stored per year. Data can be accessed in the dashboard from 2003 - to present day (as defined and available for each source).

The robust, streamlined software collects and stores this data in a cloud-based database and provides 24x7x365 continuous operations, reports, and analytic services to more than 60 AOC users. AOC is provided a web-based interface, that can be accessed from anywhere, which organizes the data sources into a streamlined hierarchy and includes analytic services such as Utility Bill Processing, Budget Forecasts, Contract Allocation Tracking, Tenant Billing, Usage Tracking, Performance Benchmarking, and Meter Status, among others.

This UDES service is provided to AOC under the subscription model, where they pay a fixed service fee every month during the contract term. Any and all software maintenance, backup, upkeep, and updates are provided by the contractor as part of the service. In addition, the service includes support from the contractor program manager and analysts who assist with user setup and support, charts/reports/dashboard configuration, invoice processing via Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) to include ad-hoc invoices, tenant bill processing, budget forecasts, data analysis requests, dispute resolution with utility providers; ad-hoc bill audits; and add & remove accounts at AOC direction., among others.

1. Applicable Policies and Standards

The following AOC documents are available upon request.

• AOC Order 600-1;


• Technology Standards;


• Architecture Test and Evaluation Plan;


• Security specifications;


• AOC Cyber Security Standard (CSS); and


• AOC Web Standards and Guidelines.

The contractor shall not deviate from any of the above documents without express approval granted by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

1. TASKS

The Contractor shall maintain the current level of services being provided as described herein.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Task 1 - Data Collection and Storage
   
   
   
   

This section provides a summary of the data collected by the contractor in order to support the UDES analytic and reporting services provided across all Tasks. The contractor maintains all network connections and processes to ensure continuous 24x7x635 collection and aggregation of data from all sources. Validity checks are performed on the data streams to ensure data integrity before entering the database. All data is currently stored in a cloud historian maintained by the contractor. Data can be accessed from 2003 - to present day (as defined and available for each source).

5.1.1 Utility Accounts - Data is currently collected for 240+ utility accounts (most billed monthly). This includes all utility types (e.g., electricity, natural gas, water, fuel oil, steam, etc.) and both commodity & local distribution company vendors (e.g., Pepco (DC & MD), BGE (MD), Dominion, Washington Gas, Columbia Gas of Virginia, DC Water & Sewer Authority, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, etc.). All elements of the bill (summary, meter details, cost details, etc.) are collected in the UDES for archival, extraction, and analysis. In addition, copies of the bills are collected, stored, and made available. See Attachment 1 for a comprehensive list of data points to be displayed for each utility type. For each utility account the contractor system must provide individual downloadable Adobe Acrobat PDF files for each utility bill received for the duration of the contract for each Architect of the Capitol utility account. Summary of data collection methods are as follows:

a.) Pepco Electricity - All Pepco electricity bills are collected from Pepco via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This connection was established with Pepco and is maintained the contractor to ensure continuous uptime.

b.) Other Vendors - All other utility bills are collected by the contractor personnel. The contractor maintains the credentials and letters of authorization with AOC to access vendor websites to access the bills. The contractor personnel are responsible for all utility bill entries as well as establishing and discontinuing utility service accounts.

5.1.2 Building Meters - The contractor maintains a secure, continuous connection to the AOC ITD server to collect 15-minute consumption data from approximately (215) building consumption meters. The data is originally extracted from the Building Management System (BMS). These AOC meters are located around the campus and include, but are not limited to, electricity, water, steam, chilled water, and condensate meters. The processes, security requirements, and scripts were developed in collaboration with AOC ITD and the BMS team and maintained by the contractor to support secure 24/7/365 operation.

5.1.3 CPP Sensors - The contractor maintains a secure, continuous connection to AOC ITD server to collect 15-minute interval data from approximately (250) CPP Distributed Control System (DCS) sensors. This data is originally extracted from the CPP DCS. These CPP sensors include, but are not limited to, boilers, chillers, cooling towers, steam lines, and chilled water lines. The processes, security requirements, and scripts were developed in collaboration with AOC ITD and DCS team and maintained by the contractor to support secure 24/7/365 operation.

5.1.4 Pepco CEO Meters - The contractor maintains a secure, continuous connection to Pepco CEO to collect 15-minute consumption and demand data from approximately (50) Pepco utility account meters. The processes, security requirements, and scripts were developed and maintained by the contractor to support secure 24/7/365 operation.

5.1.5 Weather - The contractor maintains a secure, continuous connection to collect weather data from the National Weather Service (NWS). The processes, security requirements, and scripts were developed and maintained by the contractor to support secure 24/7/365 operation. In addition, weather data from the AOC weather station is collected through the building meter data files.

5.1.6 Manual Meter Data - The UDES dashboard includes a manual meter data entry portal for collecting data that is not collected via the automated feeds. This includes meters such as fuel oil levels. This page is maintained in the dashboard and available to the contractor personnel and AOC admins for data entry.

5.1.7 Contracts and Purchase Orders - The UDES dashboard includes a manual contract and PO data entry portal. Data is collected for all contracts, purchase orders, purchase order modifications, and allocations are available to the contractor personnel and AOC admins for data entry.

5.1.8 Missing Values / Database Integrity - There are instances where (1) or more 15-minute interval set is missing and never gets adjusted or interpolated. As these missing items are usually small interval sets - they do not appear in normal reports (monthly / yearly reports) and most of the time do not appear visible as a problem. However, they are missing data and there should be a process and rules to interpolate / manually fill-in missing values. The contractor shall recommend normalizing rules be setup in conjunction with a process (and screens) for authorized users to manually adjust meter reads.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. 
      
      
      
      1. 
         
         
         
         1. The contractor will identify sample missing values over the past 3 years in order to gauge the scope and magnitude of the missing values as compared to total consumption. This will serve as a pilot example and problem identification.
         
         
         2. Based on the results and proposed agreement, the contractor will complete a system-wide programmatic identification of every missing value for the years (TODAY back ’N’ years). The contractor shall assume N=3. This will allow the contractor to mathematically derive a database integrity value and determine how good or bad it is.
         
         
         3. With AOC input, the contractor shall define the rules for interpolating values, define the process and required screens for manually adjusting data values, and define the ID visualization of these interpolated values in the UDES charts (which values are raw vs which are interpolated). Ensure process is in place to audit/log all changes made along with an indication of the type of change made, who made the change. and when it was made.
         
         
         4. Define how to apply the rules - from now forward (no changes to past data sets) or (2) from now forward AND reprocess past data sets to ensure changes are consistent for all historical data
         
         
         
         
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. Task 2 - Analytic Services
   
   
   
   

This section provides more information about the UDES dashboard, analytic and reporting service requirements.

5.2.1 Dashboard Access - All analytic and reporting services are provided to AOC users via a web-based dashboard. Each user is provided with an authenticated login that is permissioned to the data, hierarchy, reports, and tools required by the user. Users can be added or removed with authorization from AOC.

5.2.2 Hierarchy Structure - A common hierarchy structure is maintained to support permissions, grouping, filtering, searching, and configuration of the data and dashboard tools. Hierarchy tables are maintained for facility groups (i.e., jurisdictions), facilities, utility types, vendors, utility accounts, meters, tenants, tenant accounts, and user groups, among others. The UDES permits creating, updating, and reading of the information from these tables and all information is accessible via the reporting capabilities. information required to set up the hierarchy and classification structure was achieved thru extensive collaboration with AOC personnel. The structure supports the addition of new data elements or changes to existing.

5.2.3 Data Export and Archive - All data (and subsequent manipulations/calculations) are accessible via the charting and reporting capabilities of the UDES. In addition, all data can be downloaded to an external file (e.g., excel) by UDES export functions. All saved files (bills, approvals documents, reports, tenant bills, contracts, etc.) are saved in the UDES archive and are exportable.

5.2.4 Bill Processing - The UDES provides all aspects of the utility bill processing needs of AOC. This includes timely bill gathering (automated or manual), automated approval scoring, analyst review and approvals, vendor issue resolution, ad-hoc bill audits, bill uploads to IPP, and status tracking. The contractor is responsible for all these functions and ensuring the successful and timely processing of all bills. These functions are performed in the UDES, are fully auditable, and all data, documents, and information are exportable to the UDES charts, reports, and dashboards. In addition, batch emails are sent twice per week to AOC personnel indicating the bills that have been approved and uploaded to IPP.

5.2.4.1 Bi-weekly batch processing email shall include: (1) PDF file consisting of each Bill Verification & Payment Approval Sheet preceding each invoice contained in the batch; and (1) PDF file titled Bill Resolution & Final Disposition Summary Report.

5.2.4.2 BV and Payment Approval Sheet shall be assigned a unique Bill Verification System identifier by utility type, contain the unique batch number and reference the following data fields for each invoice: Vendor, Funding Document (PO#), Account number, bill date, due date, service dates, bill status (actual/estimated), applicable charges, and usage. Bill Verification shall include (14) evaluation criteria each with at corresponding score which total and correspond to a color-coded rubric for approval recommendation. Approval notes shall be provided to allow analyst comments such as: amount recommended for approval, rate and/or use comparison to reference meter, applicable fee waivers, dates of lost meter data, etc. The analysist shall indicate conditional/unconditional approval given the aforementioned factors.

5.2.4.3 Bill Resolution & Final Disposition Summary Report shall include the following data fields organized in a table: Batch # and time stamp, unique Bill Verification System identifier, account number, facility name, bill date, due date, total bill amount recommended for payment, account balance, links to the bill PDF and certification (BV and Payment Approval Sheet) PDF.

5.2.4.4 IPP attachments shall include at minimum the actual invoice and Bill Verification & Payment Approval Sheet.

5.2.4.5 Once approved for payment the consultant will enter utility bill invoice data into the Internet Payment Platform (IPP) for payment by the AOC.

5.2.4.5.1 All utility bill invoices will be entered into the system at least ten (10) working days prior to the payment due date of each bill unless the AOC is disputing the entire invoice.

5.2.4.5.2 Where only a portion of an invoice is being disputed and the remainder of the invoice is recommended for payment, the consultant will enter in the approved invoice amount into the IPP for payment by the AOC.

5.2.5 Budget Forecasting - The UDES provides forecasting of budgets for AOC utility operations. The contractor shall develop the current fiscal year and following fiscal year budgets for all utility types (e.g., electricity, gas, etc.), vendors (e.g., Pepco, BGE, GSA HOTD steam, etc.) and utility accounts (both local distribution and supply) that are issued to AOC every month. This budget forecast includes year-to-date actual totals, forecasts through the end of the fiscal year, and projected surplus/deficits in the allocations. In addition, the contractor shall develop 5-year budget projections for all utility types (e.g., electricity, gas, etc.), vendors (e.g., Pepco, BGE, etc.) and utility accounts. The 5-year budget projections incorporate input from AOC on facility operations, changes, and other factors.

5.2.6 Contract and PO Management - The UDES provides the entry and upload of all utility contract and purchase order information. This includes copies of the documents, contract information, PO information, modification information, and allocation information. This data, documents, and information is exportable to the UDES reports and downloadable from the archive.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. 
      
      
      
      1. 
         
         
         
         1. As required, when contract lines are underfunded preventing invoice upload to IPP, the contractor shall prepare and distribute to AOC, a table identifying the fiscal year, vendor, purchase order, funding line, amount due, and amount available.
         
         
         
         
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

5.2.7 Tenant Billing Development - The UDES provides the development and issuance of tenant bills for (12) reimbursable steam and CHW accounts and (6) HHS tenant accounts. The contractor develops, approves and tracks the tenant bills in UDES. In addition, the UDES permits tenant bill review, approval, and signature by permissioned AOC personnel. The tenant bill format and details were customized to meet AOC specifications. This data, documents, and information is exportable to the UDES reports and downloadable from the archive. In addition, UDES access can be provided to AOC tenants to access their bills and view reports.

5.2.7.1 There are currently (6) HHS tenant accounts. The contractor shall supply accompanying summary tables: 1) illustrating the billing basis – constants for the billing period, and 2) Building use and cost across the (6) accounts ultimately displaying tenant use and cost for each utility. Percentage of tenant space occupancy varies according to tenant occupancy terms and is communicated to the contractor by AOC in advance of the bill month. O&M rates vary annually and are communicated to the contractor by AOC in advance of the bill month. Utility forecasts may be requested of the contractor on an ad-hoc basis.

5.2.7.2 There are (12) reimbursable steam and chilled water accounts. The contractor shall at the direction of AOC revise billed use and cost as may be necessary due to estimating rather than actual meter use. A notes field may be added to the invoice to explain AOC adoption of estimated meter readings. The DCS meters are used to bill these tenants and rates ($/klb) and ($/ton-hr) are set annually by AOC.

5.2.7.3 Invoice (bill) approval by AOC for both tenant and reimbursable steam & chilled water is provided in the UDES for digital review and approval. Bill and approval PDF files are each available for the user to access by selection. Bill Resolution & Final Disposition bears similar content as the Bill Resolution & Final Disposition Summary Report. Bill Resolution & Final Disposition (aka Approval Certification or Tenant Bill Verification) shall include the following data fields: Tenant name, account name, unique Bill identifier, account number, utility type with units, bill date, due date, service period, total bill amount recommended for payment, bill status (estimated/actual), balance forward, current charges, credits, other charges, late fees. Bill Verification shall include (12) evaluation criteria, each with a corresponding score which total and correspond to a color-coded rubric for approval recommendation. Approval notes shall be provided to allow analyst comments. The analysist shall indicate conditional/unconditional approval given the aforementioned factors.

5.2.8 Usage Tracking - The UDES provides tracking of all data source (e.g. bill, meter, and sensor) values and usage. In addition, the UDES provides value unit conversions (i.e., ccf to gallons, kWh to Btu, etc.). The data and all conversions are displayable in charts and reports that are configurable and savable by AOC users.

5.2.9 Performance Metrics - The UDES provides the development of customized key performance indicators (KPIs) required by AOC energy management needs and SOW requirements. KPIs developed include, but are not limited to, total btu, EUI - kbtu/gsf, $/gsf, WUI - gal/gsf, % change from prior years/months, load factor, and delta T. Other KPIs can be created in the UDES. All KPIs can be added to the charts / reports / dashboards for analysis. KPIs are reportable for all levels of the AOC hierarchy (e.g., facility group, facility, account, meter). See Attachment 1 for performance metrics and reporting requirements not limited by the aforementioned scope.

5.2.10 Meter Status - The UDES provides reports on the status of meters and network connections. Meter up/down status reports are emailed daily to the contractor and AOC personnel. The contractor personnel closely monitor all network connections and collaborates with other teams (e.g., AOC ITD, IPP IT etc.) to resolve any issues.

5.2.11 Custom Report Generator - Custom reports, charts, and dashboards can be configured and created by AOC users. All custom displays can be saved for future access and linked for bookmarking and shortcuts.

5.2.12 Special Reporting - The UDES maintains special metrics, formats, and functions required to produce reports required by the SOW. These reports are listed below and are accessible via the UDES dashboard.

a.) Master Energy Dashboard Report (Added Potable Water to Report)

b.) CPP Plant Efficiency Reports

c.) Weekly Thermal Performance Reports

d.) Potable Water Summary Report

5.2.13 Other Deliverables

a.) Utility Data Transfer - Per the SOW, the data in either MS Excel of MS Access is provided on three (3) compact discs to the AOC by December 1st each year of the contract and contains all billing data from FY 2003 through September 30 of the current year

b.) Progress Report - A progress report is submitted monthly to the COTR outlining the progress from the past month, plans for the next month, and problems.

c.) User Training - At the start of the contract, the contractor shall provide onsite training of UDES operation to AOC users. Other user training is available on an as needed basis.

d.) Meetings - At the start of the contract, a kick-off meeting shall be held. In addition, client meetings are held at the request of either AOC COTR or the contractor. The contractor project manager and analyst are assigned to the AOC contract and respond to all inquiries and questions.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Task 3 - External Connection to IPP
   
   
   
   

The UDES has an automated connection established with the Federal Reserve’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). This automated connection facilitates the transfer of approved utility invoices from the UDES into IPP for payment processing. The processes, security requirements, and scripts were developed in collaboration with IPP and the AOC team and are maintained by the contractor to support secure 24/7/365 operation.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Task 4 - Support
   
   
   
   

On-site refresher training sessions will be provided annually and ad-hoc orientation training of up to 1-hour will be available by virtual format to new users.

Owner data requests will be supported by the contractor billed at an hourly rate. An example of this is when system limitations prohibit the Owner from obtaining this same interval data or the gross amount of data is more economically obtained by contractor direct interface with database.

1. Deliverables and Delivery SChedule
   
   
   
   
   1. Kick-Off Meeting
   
   
   
   

The contractor shall present a kick-off meeting within seven (7) days after contract award. The presentation shall include an overview of the project team, scope of work, deliverables, transition activities, communication approach, initial risks, and next steps.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Transition-In Plan
   
   
   
   

The contractor shall be responsible for the transition of all technical activities identified in this requirement. The contractor shall submit a final Transition-in Plan within 14 days after contract award reflecting all necessary activities to facilitate the transition of services to the contractor and expected completion dates of those activities. All activities must be completed within 30 days after the kickoff meeting. The following technical activities must be included as part of the Transition-in Plan:

• Transfer of current project activities;


• Workplace logistics and staffing plan;


• Coordination of knowledge transfer sessions with the incumbent contractor; and


• Anticipated Entry of Duty (EOD) dates for all contractor staff.

The Transition-in Plan shall be approved by the COR and describe the contractor’s process for transitioning from the incumbent with no disruption in operational services.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Project Management Plan
   
   
   
   

The contractor shall submit a Project Management Plan 30 days after award that outlines the project execution and project control approach, roles, responsibilities, cost, schedule, and scope. The plan shall be used to facilitate key decision points, milestones, and communication among key stakeholders.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Weekly Status Report (N/A)
   
   
   2. Monthly Status Report
   
   
   
   

The contractor shall prepare a monthly status report. The intended audience includes Government and contractor project managers. During the period of performance, the contractor shall attend ad-hoc progress meetings to be held in-person or via teleconference.

Monthly status reports are due with the invoice. The monthly status report shall include:

• Accomplishments - Description of work accomplished;


• Planned Activities - Work planned for the following week;


• Milestone Schedule - Work planned out to six months;


• Quality Assurance - Compliance to Quality Assurance tasks;


• Scope Change - Deviations from planned tasks; and


• Open Issues - Outstanding issues and risks to including remediation plan.
  
  
  
  1. Government Furnished Equipment / Property (GFE/GFP) Inventory Report (N/A)
  
  
  2. Transition-Out Plan
  
  
  
  

The contractor shall be responsible for the transition-out of all technical activities identified in this requirement during the final, awarded period of performance. The contractor shall submit the Transition-Out Plan three (3) months prior to the completion of the period of performance. The contractor’s Transition-Out Plan shall be approved by the COR. The contractor shall complete the transition by the end of the period of performance. The following technical activities shall be included as part of the Transition-Out Plan:

Submit all contract deliverables to date, including designs, documents, briefings, reports, spreadsheets, and source code.

The contractor shall fully support the transition of all contract requirements to the successor to ensure no disruption in operational services.

Table X - Deliverables and Delivery Schedule

Deliverable/Description

Type

Delivery Method(s)

Delivery Date/Frequency

Reimbursable Customer Invoices

Report

PDF

Monthly, by 10th day (for previous month)

Reimbursable Tenant Invoices

Report

PDF

Monthly, by 10th day (for previous month)

MDCC Automated Report System

Report

PDF

Daily

ENERGY MONITORING QUALITY REPORT

Report

PDF

Daily

BVS Approvals

Report

PDF

Bi-weekly (Monday & Thursday, except where coincident with Federal holidays will follow on the next business day)

Monthly Status Report

Report

PDF

Monthly, by 5th day (for previous month)

Annual Budget Forecast

Report

PDF, MS EXCEL or MS ACCESS

The third Thursday of March of each year

Monthly Budget Forecast

Report

PDF, MS EXCEL or MS ACCESS

The end of the 3rd week each month

Utility Data Transfer

either MS Excel of MS Access

DVD

Annually by December 1st each year or the end of

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Delivery Instructions
   
   
   
   

The contractor shall provide electronic and hard copies of the post award documentation for review, approval, and appropriate action. Electronic copies shall be delivered via email attachment to the CO and COR as appropriate. The electronic copies shall be compatible with Microsoft Office 2010 or other applications as appropriate and mutually agreed to by the parties.

The contractor shall provide electronic copies of the monthly report for review, approval, and appropriate action within five calendar days after the end of each calendar month. Electronic copies shall be delivered via email attachment to the CO and COR as appropriate. The electronic copies shall be compatible with Microsoft Office 2010 or other applications as appropriate and mutually agreed to by the parties.

The contractor shall follow the invoicing instructions outlined in the contract to submit their invoices.

Once created, deliverables and work products are considered the property of the Federal Government

The deliverables shall be considered final upon receiving Government approval. The Government shall provide written notification of acceptance or rejection of all deliverables, with the exception of invoicing, within two days of receipt. Approval or rejection of invoicing is within 30 days. All notifications of rejection will be accompanied with an explanation of the specific deficiencies causing the rejection. Items must be approved by the CO and COR to be considered “accepted.”

Deliverables shall be deemed acceptable if the document adequately covers all required topics, meets general quality measures, and is professionally prepared in terms of accuracy, clarity, format, and timeliness. Quality measures, as set forth below, shall be applied to each work product received from the contractor.

• Accuracy: Documents shall be accurate in presentation, content, and style;


• Clarity: Documents shall be clear and concise;


• File Editing: Documents shall be editable by the government;


• Format: Documents shall be transmitted via mutually agreed upon media; and


• Timeliness: Documents shall be submitted on or before scheduled due date.

1. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLaNCE PLAN (QASP) / QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (QCP) (N/A)


2. Government Furnished Equipment / PROPERTY (GFE/GFP) (N/A)


3. CONTRACT TYPE

The anticipated contract type for this requirement is a Firm-Fixed Price.

1. Period of Performance

The period of performance of this requirement is anticipated to be for twelve-months from date of award to include, a 3-month transition-out period. This requirement will also include an (4) option-years to extend services up to twelve months, if necessary, in accordance with FAR 52.217-8.

1. Place of Performance / HOURS OF OPERATIONS

Work under this requirement shall be performed at the contractor facility unless otherwise stated or approved. Daily work hours shall be approved by the contracting officer; however, core working hours for the contractor shall be 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET with a thirty-minute lunch break. Any contractor under this contract shall be required to perform work during these hours unless otherwise authorized. Overtime or compensation time shall not be performed unless specifically authorized by the contracting officer.

1. TELEWORK

Per section Government Furnished Equipment / PROPERTY (GFE/GFP), basic equipment shall not be provided for telework purposes. The contractor is capable and authorized to telework by using their personal or company-issued computer. The contractor shall follow all AOC telework guidance in accordance with AOC Order 600-1.

1. Other Direct Costs (ODC)

Other direct costs such as training, materials, etc. are not authorized under this requirement. Training courses via the Federal Acquisition Institute Training Application System (FAITAS) may be authorized by the contracting officer on a case-by-case basis.

1. Travel

Travel is not authorized under this requirement. No costs for transportation, lodging, meals or incidental expenses incurred by the contractor are authorized nor shall be reimbursed under this requirement.

1. KEY Personnel

The Government has identified the need for key personnel under this requirement. The Government has identified the need for two (2) key personnel under this requirement. The contractor shall propose a Program Manager (PM) and a Utility Analyst (UA) lead who meet the required skills outlined below. . Any changes to personnel must be approved by the designated Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR)/AOC Project Manager (PM).

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Program Manager
   
   
   
   

The Program Manager shall have overall responsibility of the contract activities to include planning, organizing, directing, controlling, staffing and reporting status, deliverables and schedules to the government. The PM shall be a full-time corporate employee of the prime contractor within three (3) months after contract award.

1. 
   
   
   
   1. Utility Analyst
   
   
   
   

The Utility Analyst Lead shall have overall responsibility of the functional requirements, defect resolution, and overall usability of the system.

1. SUBSTITUTION OF PERSONNEL

Key personnel are critical to performance under this requirement. During the period of performance, key personnel shall only be replaced with people of comparable education and experience levels. The contractor shall obtain approval from the Government prior to replacement of any key personnel.

No changes in key personnel shall be made unless the contractor can demonstrate that the qualifications of prospective replacement personnel are equal to or better than the qualifications of the key personnel being replaced. The CO shall be notified in writing of any proposed substitution at least 15 calendar days in advance of the proposed substitution. Such notification shall include:

• An explanation of the circumstances necessitating the replacement;


• A resume of the proposed substitute that outlines their education, and basic and specialized experience; and


• As requested by the CO or COR, any other information, which will enable them to judge, whether or not the contractor is maintaining the same level of high quality key personnel.

The Government will evaluate key personnel substitutions. The CO will promptly notify the contractor of their approval or disapproval in writing. All disapprovals will require submission of another substitution to fill key positions within 15 calendar days from the date the contractor was notified.

Additionally, the contractor shall immediately replace any individual under this statement of work who fails to perform their duties adequately, is chronically absent/late, or conducts themselves in a manner that is inconsistent with AOC policies and practices or engages in practices that are disruptive to the working environment.

1. PERSONAL SERVICES

Personal services are not authorized under this requirement.

1. INVOICING

Invoices shall be submitted monthly, by 5th day (for previous month).

The contractor shall follow the invoicing instructions outlined in clause AOC52.232-1 when submitting invoices. The AOC will approve or reject an invoice within 30 days.

1. Security

All contractor employees shall submit an E-Verify form and a United States Capitol Police background check form (CP-491) prior to the performance of work. Contractor employees shall also complete a contractor badging request form. All members of the team working on site will be required to submit to wearing an identification badge at all times. All work to be performed is subject to Government interruptions.

Please be advised, the AOC does not follow certain exceptions as described in the E-Verify federal contractor rule. Contractors are required to use E-Verify to verify that all employees working on AOC contracts are authorized to work in the United States.

1. SAFETY

The contractor shall comply with all AOC safety policies and shall require all employees to wear appropriate clothing apparel for the assigned tasks.

1. ENERGY EFFICIENCY / COMPLIANCE

There are no special energy efficiency requirements. The contractor shall minimize energy use while on Government site.

1. SUSTAINABILITY

This is not applicable to this requirement.

Instructions for Responding to this RFI:

1) Please provide a response to the following questions from the Government:

a) Will your company be interested in submitting a quotation for this contract if a solicitation is issued?

b) Can your company perform this scope of work under its GSA Schedule contract? If so, what is the GSA Schedule contract number? What SIN is this usually done under? Or is this a mix of SINs? Note: It’s acceptable if you don’t have a GSA Schedule contract under which you can perform this work, this question is only to determine if a FAR 8.4 acquisition strategy can be used.

c) What questions do you have for the Government? (You may either list your questions in the RFI response or you may email the questions to Donald Fuqua at donald.fuqua@aoc.gov any time if it helps you to provide a better response with the answers known)

d) What would be your anticipated duration of the time required to complete all tasks described in this scope of work?

e) Please provide examples of past contracts within the past three years that are either completed or ongoing where you have performed service that are the same or similar as described in the scope of work. Please provide the awarded contract dollar amount as well.

f) Please provide examples of past contracts within the past five years awarded contract dollar amount as well.

g) Can your company provide certifications that personnel assigned to perform on this contract are fully trained to the standards within the scope?

h) What is the usual duration of a contract for this work? In other words, what period of performance is typical for this?

i) Any other information you believe will be of interest to the Government.

j) What is the usual duration of a contract for this work? In other words, what period of performance is typical for this?

k) Can your company perform this requirement under its GSA Schedule contract? If so, what is the GSA Schedule contract number? What SIN is this usually done under? Or is this a mix of SINs?

l) What questions do you have for the Government? (You may either list your questions in the RFI response or you may email the questions to YOUR NAME AT EMAIL any time if it helps you to provide a better response with the answers known).

Please email responses to Donald Fuqua at donald.fuqua@aoc.gov by noon on December 29, 2022.

Thank you,

Donald Fuqua

Contracting Officer

Mobile: (202) 329-6763

Architect of the Capitol

Supplies, Services, and Material Management Division (SSMMD)

www.aoc.gov

Attachments/Links