The United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has a requirement for an Information Technology (IT) Service Desk solution.

The OIG is an independent federal agency within the U.S. Postal Service. Its mission is to detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse in the postal system and to protect the Postal Service’s bottom line through independent audits and investigations.

The Office of Chief Information Office (OCIO) in the OIG is responsible for all aspects of Information System solutions: applications, data and voice networks, telecommunications systems, security, and the computer architecture environment. The OCIO is broken up into the following functional areas and the managed Service Desk would operate within the Enterprise Services Directorate:

• Enterprise Business Solutions
  • Directorate Enterprise Business Solutions supports the agency through the following services it provides:
    • Design and develop solutions and systems to meet the mission of the OIG by utilizing Microsoft Power Platform and SharePoint Online
    • Utilize Microsoft Power BI and dashboards to collect, integrate, analyze, and present our organization’s data.
    •  Deployment of an Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) solution by providing the OIG the ability to deliver, support, track, and manage:
      • Customer Management
      • Knowledge Management
      • Incident Management
      • Change Management
      • Problem Management and
      • Asset/Configuration Management
    •  Supporting website development, administration, and maintenance by utilizing the Drupal platform
    • Create innovative technical solutions to integrate, enhance, and improve OIG business processes by utilizing Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
    •  Exploring the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for business use.
• IT Operations Directorate
  • The IT Operations Directorate is comprised of engineers and infrastructure experts who are responsible for managing and operating the OIG IT infrastructure to support voice and data services to over 95 current OIG sites across the country. IT Operations supports remote connectivity from almost anywhere. The OIG’s mobile workforce is provided with laptop computers, tools, and wireless computing devices to allow them to connect to the OIG network from wherever they are working. The IT infrastructure elements include:
    • Data and voice wired and wireless networks
    • Enterprise servers and storage
    • Remote access and computing
    • Mobile Device Management
    • Enterprise Application Management
    • Client support services
    • Managing the lifecycles of over 1,100 laptops
  • The OCIO’s IT Operations directorate assumes responsibility for all OIG servers, systems, and applications as well as the OIG enterprise voice and video calling. This directorate is also responsible for delivering and managing Microsoft Office 365 and Azure infrastructure services.
• Information Security Directorate
  • The IT Security Office is responsible for OIG information security policies, procedures, and services to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our Information Systems. The OIG’s information resources are sensitive assets and are critical in the performance of its mission. The IT Security Office provides services to help safeguard the information resources that are entrusted to the OIG to protect.
  • The OIG has a mobile workforce of over 1,000 personnel at more than 90 locations and, as such, presents additional information security challenges within the OIG’s hybrid IT infrastructure. Defense-in-depth security strategies are deployed to protect information at the network perimeter, 3 during processing and transmission, and while stored. Information security and protection is provided across the OIG’s breadth of IT services through a myriad of security technologies, policies, and training which include:
    • Risk assessment and management
    • Design cloud security architecture and develop detailed security designs
    • Personal Identity Verification (PIV)
    • Multi-factor and modern authentication
    • Network Denial of Service protection
    • Software security reviews
    • Endpoint detection and response
    • Threat hunting
    • Security Operations Center (SOC) management and monitoring
    • Security incident Detection and Response
    • Vulnerability management
    • Personnel security awareness training
    •  System certification and accreditation
    • Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM)
    • Develop and Standardize Operating Procedures and Policies
    • Secure code reviews
  • Realizing the importance of effective information security, OCIO security initiatives are sanctioned at the OIG executive-level and supported by all OIG personnel.
• Enterprise Services Directorate
  • The Enterprise Services Directorate consists of two teams: the Business and Finance Team and the Service Desk. The Business and Finance Team serves as Mission Support for the CIO, comprising a diverse group of individuals united in the common objective of ensuring the seamless operation of the CIO’s functions. This team is tasked with overseeing the agency’s largest operational budget and managing 60+ contracts. They prepare comprehensive reports and documentation on accounting transactions for review by CIO leadership, ensuring the accuracy and maintenance of records. Additionally, they collaborate with other CIO directorates to forecast spending over the next five years.
  • The Business and Finance Team also handles various administrative and management service crucial to the CIO’s effective operations. These include managing CIO performance metrics, creating IT training materials such as videos, scheduling and conducting IT-related training sessions and brown bag sessions, developing user guides and instructional materials, drafting policies and procedures, producing weekly “How-To” tips, and crafting CIO-related communications disseminated through various channels to the entire agency.
  • Moreover, the team provides guidance on developing business and IT processes and assists in automating these processes by researching and identifying technological solutions for improved operational efficiency. They play a key role in administering certain agency-wide software licenses and oversee the biennial OIG-issued iPhone replacement initiative, managing all aspects related to cellular networks, usage, plans, and equipment.
  • The Service Desk Team provides essential support services to the organization. They act as the central point of contact for users who need assistance with IT-related issues, such as troubleshooting technical problems, providing software support, and assisting with hardware issues. The Service Desk ensures that all IT incidents and service requests are promptly addressed and resolved to minimize disruptions to the organization’s operations.
• Software & Data Engineering Directorate
  • The Software & Date Engineering (SDE) Directorate is comprised of two teams: Application Services and Enterprise Data. Application Services develops and maintains custom .Net applications for the agency, including the suite of investigative tools and applications used by the Office of Audit and Research and Insights Solution Center (RISC) for tracking project milestones and evaluating quality. Applications are, but not limited to:
    • Investigations Suite
      • Hotline (complaint tracking/routing)
      • CRIMES (case management)
      • PEET (evidence tracking)
      •  Support Services (requesting investigative support such as Tech Ops or Polygraph)
    • Audit Projects Module (APM)
    • PAPERS (RISC tool for tracking White Papers)
    • Prospective Project Repository (PPR)
  • OIG’s Enterprise Data Team manages CIO’s data platform, architecture, and databases, which are used in organizational reporting, applications, and analytics. The team manages these assets by performing database maintenance and administration, and ensures the system is operational and secure. The team also develops ETLs and data integration processes to move and transform data between sources. In addition, the team provides data support services (such as data development, consultation, and warehousing) for all CIO operations. The Data team uses Azure SQL, SQL Server, and Synapse to manage data, and data factory to handle ETLs. There is still a limited Oracle footprint as well. Databases include:
    • Business Intelligence Library Reporting and Analytics Database
    • OIG production applications (Time and Leave, APM, CRIMES)
    • RISC enterprise database
• Offices and End-Users
  • As of the initial contract award date, the contract serves to provide services to the USPS OIG and the Peace Corps OIG.
  • The USPS OIG headquarters building islocated at: 1735 N Lynn Street Arlington, VA 22209-2020
  • In addition to its headquarters in Rosslyn, VA, USPS OIG currently has 94 field offices located throughout the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The USPS OIG presently operates around 1,100 end-users and conference room equipment that run on Windows 11. Staff at USPS OIG use a variety of applications and services within a hybrid environment consisting of on-premises, private-cloud, and commercial-cloud setups to meet their business and IT service needs. As the agency increasingly adopts cloud-hosted solutions, this hybrid environment is expected to evolve over time. Peace Corps OIG has approximately 35 end-user computers that run on Windows 11.
  • Peace Corps OIG will receive the same coverage requirements as stated in the tasks below; however, Peace Corps OIG support will also extend outside of USPS OIG core hours for 24/7 coverage. Coverage for Peace Corps outside of core hours will be on-call support which will require the Supplier to 5 have a Point of Contact (POC) available to provide “best effort” support, anything not able to be resolved will carry over to the next business day for resolution. The Peace Corps OIG headquarters building is located at: 1275 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20526

SCOPE OF WORK

• Staffing Plan
  • The supplier is required to provide a detailed service desk staffing plan, which must include, at a minimum, the following components:
    • Approach to staffing and hiring
    • Approach to retention
    • Approach to knowledge transfer (including leadership knowledge transfer)
    • Training of staff on the OIG environment and processes
    • Designation of backups for key personnel when out of the office.
    • If a key personnel is out of the office more than five days, there must be a designated backup acting in a capacity equal to the position being filled.
    • One cannot hold a key personnel position while backfilling another key personnel position
    • Under one week, it is the supplier’s business decision on how to cover workload during a short term absence
  • A kick-off meeting must be scheduled within 5 business days after the contract is awarded.
• Structure
  • The service desk is divided into three tiers categorizing the type of service provided:
    • Tier I is the front-line first level support team. They are the first level customer-facing support. Tier I should resolve most common incidents and requests. Tier I will triage all incidents and requests and assign or escalate all tickets, accordingly. Tier I analysts will perform Total Contact Ownership (TCO) of all incidents and requests either within the Service Desk tier 1 and tier II queues. Tier I will provide daily follow-up and status updates for all open incidents and requests assigned to the Service Desk, ensuring that all issues are tracked and managed efficiently. Tier I will have strong troubleshooting skills and will maintain excellent collaboration and working relationships with all tiered teams and customers.
    • Tier II is the second level support team. Tier II will intercept and handle all escalations from Tier I and will be senior helpdesk support analysts. Tier II will maintain excellent collaboration and working relationships with all tier teams and end-users/customers. Tier II will have a stronger troubleshooting skillset that extends beyond the basic troubleshooting abilities of Tier I technicians, enabling them to resolve more intricate system configurations and diagnose issues that require a deeper understanding of software, hardware, and network functionalities.
    • Tier III support is provided outside the scope of this contract via USPS OIG employees and other support contract suppliers. However, for purposes of incident/ticket escalation, good collaboration with Tier III technical and application support specialists is required. These tiers also provide the structure for escalating tickets in accordance with Appendix B.
• Key Supplier
  • Personnel The Supplier must provide key personnel positions that include:
    •  Program Manager: The Program Manager must have at least five (5) years of IT program management experience.
      •  The Program Manager is not a full-time position but must commit enough time to adequately manage the contract for the supplier. The Program Manager must be the Supplier’s representative responsible for management of all the Supplier’s contractors. The Program Manager will be the Supplier’s liaison for the COR or designee(s).
      •  The Supplier’s Program Manager will be responsible for the recruitment, screening, interviewing, and hiring of qualified personnel for various positions within the Service Desk. Other tasks will include items such as: Oversight of Service Desk Assigned Assets, Accuracy of consumable stock inventory, the accuracy of weekly and monthly reports, The Program Manager must analyze the work of subordinates and take appropriate steps for retention or other personnel actions.
      • The Program Manager will conduct onsite weekly/monthly meetings with the COR to review weekly/monthly reports, issues, and continuous service improvement plans for the USPS OIG and Peace Corps OIG.
      • The Program Manager position is critical to the success of the OIG and Supplier. The Program Manager must create an effective working relationship with the COR, COTRs and CIO management team. The OIG retains the right to have the Program Manager replaced without cause.
    • Operations Manager:
      • The Operations Manager (OM) must have at least five (5) years of IT service desk/help desk experience, with at least 2 years in a management/leadership role. The OM should have excellent leadership, as well as strong communication and interpersonal skills. The OM must have the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously and experience managing a team in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
        • The Supplier must provide an Operations Manager. This is a full-time on-site position. The Operations Manager will also serve as the Supplier’s on-site liaison for the COR or designee(s). If telecommuting is occasionally necessary, the COR and/or COR Designee must approve the request, and a designated point of contact (POC) must be present onsite. The COR and/or designee will be kept informed daily as to who the on-site POC will be that day.
        • The Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring that all opened Service Desk tickets are reviewed on a daily basis. This involves:
          • Checking each ticket for updates and progress
          •  Monitoring all tickets in the Service Desk queues to ensure they are addressed promptly, and none remain unresolved for an extended period.
          • Ensuring that every ticket has an updated journal note that accurately reflects the current status and any actions taken.
        • To facilitate quick and effective resolution, the Operations Manager must ensure that all Service Desk tickets are triaged and correctly classified within fifteen minutes of their creation. This includes:
          • Assessing the priority and urgency of each ticket.
          • Assigning the appropriate category and sub-category to each ticket.
          • Ensuring tickets are directed to the relevant department or personnel for resolution
        • The Supplier’s Operations Manager will be responsible for the management of the dayto-day operation and direct supervision of all Service Desk personnel. The Operations Manager must analyze the work of subordinates and take appropriate steps for retention or other personnel actions. The Operations Manager is responsible for reviewing all technical writing documents prior to submission to OIG as well as ensuring all requirements of the contract are fulfilled and all deliverables submitted on time.
        • The Operations Manager will ensure all assets assigned to the Service Desk personnel is accounted for and accurate.
        • The Operations Manager will ensure the consumable asset stock count is accurate and reviewed on a weekly basis. The Operations Manager position is critical to the success of the mission and must create an effective working relationship with the COR, COTRs, and CIO management team. The OIG retains the right to have the Operation Manager replaced without cause.
    • Technical Writer:
      • The Technical Writer must have at least three (3) years of IT technical writing experience. They should have excellent writing and editing skills, with a strong attention to detail. They must have the ability to quickly grasp complex technical concepts and make them easily understandable in text and visuals. They should be proficient with documentation tools such as Microsoft Word, VISIO, and Adobe Acrobat. The Technical Writer should be experienced in version control management and managing/maintaining the technical writing repository. They should have strong communication and collaboration skills and knowledge of industry standards and best practices for technical documentation.
      • The Supplier must provide a Technical Writer. The Technical Writer role is a full-time position, responsible for documenting all knowledge-based information, processes, and procedures. Telecommuting is permitted with approval from the Operations Manager and the COR or COR Designee. • The Technical Writer will serve as a Technical Writer in the Service Desk and in other OIG areas for the documentation of OCIO support and services.
      • The Technical Writer will only fulfill the duties of a technical writer and will not fill in for additional IT support tasks such as conference room checks and equipment deployment, etc.
      • The Technical Writer will be responsible for designing/creating/maintaining technical and knowledge-based documentation including (but not limited to):
        • Knowledge Repository
        • OIGNEWSLINK Articles
        • Process/Procedure Documents
        • Online Help
        • User guides
        • White papers
        • Requirements documents
        • Use cases
        • Documentation of items escalated to OIG Tier III and Engineering personnel
      • The Technical Writer position is critical to the success of both the USPS OIG and the Supplier. The Technical Writer must create an effective working relationship with the COR, COTRs, Engineers, and CIO management team. The OIG retains the right to have the Technical Writer replaced without cause.
• Tasks
  • The requirements for this contract include but are not limited to:
    •  Provide and fully staff a managed IT Service Desk supporting all USPS OIG and Peace Corps OIG including VIP personnel
    • Receive and manage incidents and service requests from approximately 1,100 staff (full time employees, contract staff, student co-ops, etc.) to include approximately 30 VIP staff. The current Service Desk processes approximately 21,000 tickets per year; 20,000 for USPS OIG and 1000 for Peace Corps OIG
    • Serve as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for all IT-related service requests and incidents.
    • Perform daily status checks on Service Desk Tier 1 and Tier 2 Tickets to ensure all opened tickets are actively being worked and addressed
    • Classify Service Tickets within 10 minutes of ticket creation.
    • Support customer requirements across all locations [From USPS OIG Headquarters and field offices(remotely)]. Client Support services must be provided:
      • USPS OIG-Telephone support during the agency’s business hours of Monday – Friday: 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST
      • USPS OIG- Deskside Support during the agency’s business hours of Monday – Thursday: 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST and Friday: 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST.
      • Peace Corps OIG- Daily through telephone support during the business hours of 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST plus on-call telephone support outside of business hours including federal holidays and weekends [for Peace Corps OIG staff only].
      • Peace Corps OIG – There may occasionally be a need for on-site deskside support during business hours.
    •  Accurately document via ticketing system and report all incidents and service requests received via telephone, e-mail, voicemail, IM/chat, deskside, and walk-in.
    • Operate within a hybrid environment consisting of on-premises, private-cloud, and cloudhosted infrastructure and service components
    • Effectively process all incidents and service requests within the agency’s service level agreement (SLA) definitions (see Appendix B)
      • Triage all incidents and requests
      • Resolve incidents and requests within SLA
      •  Escalate to Tier III when Service Desk Tier I & II are unable to resolve incidents and requests (see Appendix B)
    •  Provide support for all OIG-issued end-user IT equipment (laptops and docking stations, conference room equipment, network and printers, wireless devices, computer monitors, mobile devices and assorted peripheral devices) to support the current organizational IT structure and accommodate all future changes
    • Conference room support: Service Desk IT technician will conduct a walk-through of all USPS OIG HQ Conference Rooms before 7 AM EST daily to confirm equipment availability and functionality. Deficiencies in availability and/or functionality will be addressed by Service Desk staff in collaboration with OCIO Tier III staff (when needed) to remediate and resolve.
    • Ensure there is adequate staffing to answer calls and address email, voicemail, instant messages (IM)/chats, desk-side and walk-in service requests while meeting the incident resolution SLAs. Staffing must also be adequate to support equipment rollout projects (i.e. laptops and cellphone roll outs) as needed.
    • Issuing loaner/new IT Equipment such as
      • Laptops
      • Mobile devices
      • Projectors
      •  Peripherals, etc.
    • Assist in agencywide equipment roll out efforts such as, but not limited to, laptops and cellphones.
    • Shipment/Mailing of hardware or parts required by Field or Remote sites:
      • Loaner equipment, supplies and equipment controlled by the Service Desk.
      • Utilizing the in-house mailroom if shipment is prepared by 11:00 AM or the nearest local public Post Office from 11:00 AM until closing
    • Develop and maintain updated service desk work instructions and documentation, focusing on service conservation, incident resolution and self-help recovery procedures within service desk control. This encompasses documentation for Tier III escalations as well.
    •  Perform daily status checks of the Service Desk phones, email, and ticketing system at the start of each business day and send the status update to the COR.
    • Provide written reports on a scheduled and ad-hoc basis
    •  Manage inventory of the IT stock equipment and advise the COR when there is a low inventory
    • Offer on-site visits by Tier I and Tier II staff to end-users at USPSOIG HQ when remote assistance is not feasible.
    • Provide support for all OIG-managed applications and services (see Appendix A)
    • Utilize the agency’s automated call distribution system to receive and conduct calls from USPS OIG and Peace Corps OIG customers who require assistance
    • Utilize the agency’s ticketing and reporting system to document all incidents, service requests and problem tickets.
    • Provide, support, and manage the delivery (mail delivery for remote locations) and set-up of all OIG-approved end user equipment for USPS OIG headquarters
    • Provide, support, and manage the delivery and set-up of all new personnel equipment prior to the start date (i.e. phone, laptop, peripherals)
    • Provide, support, and manage delivery and setup for all replacement OIG issued equipment.
    • Coordinate the warranty/non-warranty repair of all OIG-approved end user hardware after authorization by the COR
    • Conduct a monthly maintenance check (currently one weekend a month), completed outside of business hours
    • Provide high quality, professional customer service that builds and maintains a positive customer experience
    • Replace printer toner in Headquarters’ printers as needed
    • Maintain a spare back-up laptop for the Inspector General, Front Office, and each component to be readily available to issue as a loaner or replacement. This includes the laptop imaged for the component and plugged into the network to ensure the laptop receive updates.
    • Maintain accountability of all assigned assets.
    • Calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance – The USPS OIG reserves the right to conduct real time silent monitoring of phone conversations and in-process ticket oversight.