10.0Training (L.38.2.1.9) (C.3.10)
L.38.2.1.9Training
The offeror shall describe how it intends to deliver the training required as described in Section C.3.10. The offeror shall describe the methods, procedures, and types of materials and media it currently uses to support training within its own organization and with other clients. The offeror shall describe the methods, procedures, and types of materials and media it uses to support training provided to large users of global integrated services at no cost to the user.
C.3.10Training
The contractor shall develop and implement a training program for the following four segments of the Government population:
(a)Executive (approximately 500 individuals)
(b)General user trainers (approximately 1000 individuals)
(c)DAR (approximately 2000 individuals)
(d)Administration and operations (approximately 300 individuals)
All training shall be provided using the English language.
As requested by the PMO the contractor shall update the draft training plan and submit it to the CO. Refer to Section C.3.2.7 for the media of delivery and Section F for other deliverable requirements.
The Government reserves the right to monitor training classes to ensure appropriateness of material and presentation. . The Government will provide the vendor prior written notice that a course is being monitored, and will identify the individuals (not to exceed two) performing the monitoring. The contractor shall not account attendance of the monitor(s) against the class size or the student attendance. The contractor will be notified by the Contracting Officer in writing of any training that is deemed unacceptable. This notification will identify the portion(s) of the training that are unacceptable. Training presented subsequent to this notification that continues to be unacceptable may result in non-payment and/or rejection of the new or initial service.
Whenever possible, the contractor shall provide training at user sites or, at the Government’s discretion, within daily commuting distance of user sites. However, for non-domestic sites the Government will address each training requirement on an individual basis to develop the most cost effective solution for the Government and the contractor.
The contractor shall provide the Government the ability to request any training and training materials through the contractor’s standard service ordering process with any subsequent charges processed through the standard monthly billing system. The contractor shall also provide for customers to directly order and be invoiced for training and training materials.
At the inception of service and at no cost to the Government, the contractor shall provide initial training for provisioned services. Within the first six months after a new service type or feature is ordered at a location, the contractor shall provide initial training at no cost to the Government.
Instructions to offerors relating to Section C.3.10 are provided in Sections L.38.2.1.9 and L.38.2.1.10.11.
Sprint will comply with all training requirements specified in RFP Sections L.38.2.1.9 and C.3.10.
The FTS2001 program is the largest telecommunications program in the world. It will require training that ranges from simple instruction for end users to complex training for network oversight managers. Only Sprint has the experience, knowledge, and commitment to produce the quality training results a program of this size and diversity requires. Our professional, customer-focused staff will bring a fresh, standards-setting instructional approach to FTS2001 by building on our FTS2000 successes and leveraging our significant corporate training resources.
Since 1989 Sprint has shown it delivers high-quality results to the Federal Government. In 1989 X full-time training program managers supervised more than X Sprint employees and more than X training subcontractors in support of FTS2000 training. This mobilization helped Sprint transition 35 agencies to Network B in just 18 months. During that year Sprint trained more than 1,500 individuals. Over the following three years, Sprint trained 1,000 more agency and SOC B participants as new service types and features were ordered and support systems were upgraded. Throughout the life of the program, Sprint has continued to provide FTS2000 training across the country, with classes in 50 different cities during one two-month period.
In 1994 Sprint worked with the GSA to modify FTS2000 to allow Network B agencies to order training directly from Sprint, and to permit Sprint to direct-bill the agencies. As part of this effort, the FTS2000 training curriculum was expanded to include classes in basic telecommunications, data technologies, CPE, and emerging technologies, among others. Many of these new courses were also provided to the Government for the first time in self-study, video, and computer-based training formats. Since 1994, Sprint has continued to aggressively market FTS2000 training at users conferences, using direct-mail announcements, through the Interagency Management Council, and by updating the FTS2000 training brochure. During 1995 and 1996, Sprint and the GSA joined quality improvement initiatives to respond to the call for increased FTS2000 training on Network B. This joint GSA/Sprint team enlisted the help of Sprint’s professional market research staff to administer a formal training survey. The survey’s results revealed a growing need for FTS2000 training driven largely by new DARs as FTS2000 matured. Sprint responded with updated FTS2000 services, process, and systems training, and more than 1,000 Network B users have attended Sprint classes from 1994 to 1997.
For FTS2001, Sprint will continue to deliver effective training results by:
• Relying on a large staff of experienced instructors who possess formal training education and certification
• Using proven adult-learning concepts
• Applying professional methods of instruction design, development, delivery
• Utilizing technology advances to create high-impact training materials and media
• Enlisting our corporate training organization to assist in class set-up and registration, materials production and management, and data collection and reporting.
In 1997 Sprint’s University of Excellence provided over 350,000 student hours of instruction to Sprint’s more than 48,000 employees, with additional training delivered to Sprint customers nationwide. The University of Excellence catalog lists over 2,500 classes in a variety of technical, management, support, and administrative areas. Additionally, GSD’s training organization offers 60 classes focused primarily on telecommunications and FTS2000 to Government customers. Where unique training requirements cannot be met by standard catalog offerings, Sprint develops and delivers custom courses to meet specific program needs. Sprint’s training professionals also help sales, implementation, and engineering staff informally educate customers on the technologies, products, and services required for end-to-end customer satisfaction.
Highlights of the large training programs to Sprint’s credit include those listed in Table 2.A.10-1.
Table 2.A.10-1 Highlights of Sprint’s Largest Training ProgramsTraining Audience
/Training Provided
/Approximate Audience Size
FTS2001 agencies and SOC B personnel / Initial and follow-on FTS2000-specific courses; telecommunications basics; e-mail use; video conferencing; 800 services and features, etc. / 4,000+Sprint employees / Telecommunications; management; information services; career development; customer care; finance; sales and marketing; quality improvement / 40,000+ per
Sprint International customers worldwide / X.25 technology, systems, systems administration, products, services, e-mail / 1,000+ per year
Corporate Internet and Intranet commercial customers / IP address administration / 1,000+ per year
Sprint uses industry-standard methods and procedures in all of our training programs. Each class we develop and deliver is created using seven basic steps:
• Determining first that instruction is needed
• Describing the job performance objectives the instruction should accomplish
• Defining the objectives the target students do not meet in their current job performance
• Creating instruction to close the gap between desired objectives and current performance
• Implementing the training
• Evaluating the impact of the training
• Improving the instruction based on the evaluation’s findings.
One model often used for this process within the company is Performance Based Training. We believe that instead of adhering rigidly to any one methodology, best results are achieved when standards are carefully adapted to meet the specific learning characteristics of each training event. By allowing professional methodologies to guide the training process rather than dictate it, Sprint delivers effective training that can be quickly developed and modified as training needs evolve. Although flexible, this approach fully supports all elements of every professional training methodology summarized in Table 2.A.10-2 below.
Table 2.A.10-2 Phases of Sprint Training Development and DeliveryAnalysis Phase
/Development Phase
/Delivery Phase
/Improvement Phase
Performance analysis / Checking performance / Course map delivery / Classroom testingTask analysis / Content development / Instruction implementation / Post-delivery instructor and training evaluation
Goal analysis / Selection of delivery system(s) / On-the-job performance assessment
Target audience description / Module development
Course objective definition / Sequencing
Definition of prerequisites / Course piloting
This training philosophy also allows Sprint to select from a wide range of training materials, media, and delivery methods when preparing classes. Training can be provided using methods as traditional as handbooks and classroom lecture, to more technology-intensive methods such as computer-based programs, video distance learning, and training over the Internet. In fact, the growing sophistication of technical tools is helping Sprint’s University of Excellence reach thousands of students with different types of interactive self-study materials. Students can learn on their own time, at their own pace, and without the tedium that many people associate with self-study. Training participation rates also rise as delivery options multiply and improve.
For FTS2001 training, Sprint will combine the best of past performance achievement with the company’s University of Excellence resources to deliver superior training. GSD will lead the FTS2001 training program, with the assistance of the University of Excellence employees and Sprint subcontractors. GSD will work closely with the Government through the PMO, user forums, and quality teams to continually improve the program’s training, as we have to-date. And because effective initial training will play a large role in positively setting FTS2001’s direction, GSD’s trainers will help the new Sprint marketing team make sure agencies are fully equipped to make the most of FTS2001 right from the start.
Sprint’s FTS2001 training plan, located in Appendix C of this Management Proposal of this proposal, provides a more detailed description of the approach and methodology we will use to deliver quality training to the Government. The FTS2001 training audiences this plan covers are:
• FTS2001 executives - approximately 500 people
• FTS2001 general user trainers - approximately 1,000 people
• FTS2001 DARs - approximately 2,000 people
• FTS2001 administration and operations staff - approximately 300 people.
All training will be provided using the English language.
After contract award, Sprint will update this draft training plan. The updated training plan will be submitted to the FTS2001 Contracting Office in the media desired by the PMO, as specified in Section F of the FTS2001 RFP.
Sprint welcomes the Government’s participation in monitoring training implementation. To best manage class interactions and ensure proper training outcomes, Sprint expects the Government will work with us before training begins to jointly plan this monitoring activity. Sprint will not account attendance of the monitor(s) (not to exceed two) against the class size or the student attendance. In the unlikely event a portion of Sprint’s training is unacceptable to the Government, we will clearly identify the cause of the dissatisfaction and remedy the situation quickly.
Whenever possible, Sprint will provide FTS2001 training at user sites or–at the Government’s discretion–within daily commuting distance of user sites. Sprint has a network of real estate, hospitality, and conference professionals at our disposal for off-site facility assistance, and we manage over 200 Sprint training rooms across the country. For non-domestic FTS2001 training, Sprint will address each situation with the Government on an individual basis to find the best location. We expect to call on our Global One partners with their worldwide access to business facilities for assistance in these cases. With international video conferencing, audio conferencing, and Internet services as part of Sprint’s standard training delivery package, we further expect to solve class location challenges through alternative delivery methods.
Sprint will permit training requests to be submitted by either the GSA PMO or by FTS2001 agency orders sent directly to Sprint through the standard order process. Charges for training will be billed through the standard monthly billing system to the PMO, or directly to FTS2001 agencies. In fact, the Network B training modification signed in 1994 laid the foundation for just such simplified ordering and billing arrangements between Sprint and our FTS2000 customers, and we intend to continue this process.
Sprint will provide the initial FTS2001 training outlined above at no cost to the Government at the inception of FTS2001 service. We will also provide appropriate initial FTS2001 training at no cost to the Government within six (6) months when new service types or features are ordered at an FTS2001 location. A draft training plan is provided in Appendix C and will be updated as requested by the PMO. All training will be provided in English.
10.1Executive Training (C.3.10.1)
The contractor shall provide executive training through seminar-type programs designed to inform senior-level Government managers of the capabilities and applications of the contractor’s services.
Sprint will provide executive training through seminar-type programs to senior-level Government managers on the features, benefits, and applications of the FTS2001 network and its services. A detailed description of this class is provided in the draft training plan.
10.2General User Trainer Training (C.3.10.2)
Upon the initial turn-up of CSS, SDS and VTS at a location, the contractor shall train Government trainers, who in turn will train other Government personnel. The contractor shall assume that the Government trainers are knowledgeable about the telecommunications services for which they will provide training. Each training class shall not exceed 32 individuals per class. The minimum class size shall be 12 students.
Following this training, the contractor shall provide the Government trainers, at no additional cost to the Government, with reasonable quantities ofsupplementary materials for them to use in training others. This supplemental material shall include brochures, audio/visual aids, desk top guides, or other materials as deemed appropriate. These supplemental materials shall contain descriptions of services and features with explanations of how to use services and how to report user troubles and complaints. The contractor shall also develop and distribute supplemental documentation about handling credit adjustments, service assistance, conference calls, and other appropriate subjects suitable for inclusion in agency-published directories. The contractor shall distribute the training and supplemental materials to Government trainers in sufficient quantities to supply all trainees. The Government reserves the right to copy or duplicate any training material provided under the FTS2001 contract. Refer to Section F for deliverable requirements.
During the transition, migration, or implementation of new services at locations, the contractor shall complete the training of the trainers 30 calendar days prior to cutover of services at the locations.
In addition to usage of the specific CSS, SDS and VTS, the contractor shall provide training for Government trainers in additional areas, such as the following covering each area’s potential applicability to all service categories:
(a)Coordinating with the CSO
(b)Trouble reporting procedures
(c)Accessing the status of trouble reports/complaints
(d)Escalation procedures for trouble resolution
(e)Procedures for obtaining credit adjustments for incorrectly dialed numbers
(f)Fraud prevention, including customer premises safeguards
Sprint will provide all training specified in RFP Section C.3.10.2.
Sprint will deliver train-the-trainer courses for Government trainers who in turn will train other Government personnel. This instructor-led session will describe FTS2001 products and services, as well as instruct Government trainers in the use of FTS2001 services and features, conference calling functions, complaint and trouble reporting, status checking, and escalation procedures, credit adjustment processes, proper service assistance methods, fraud prevention safeguards (including CPE safeguards), and other subjects appropriate to productive utilization of FTS2001. This class will also describe the roles and responsibilities of all FTS2001 participants, with special emphasis on the CSO.
Reasonable quantities of appropriate supplemental materials will be provided to the Government’s trainers for their use in training others. These materials will include brochures, audio/visual aids, etc., as deemed appropriate, and will cover the information provided in Sprint’s class. Sprint’s training materials will document the information covered in class and will be suitable for inclusion in agency-published FTS2001 materials. Sprint will distribute class materials in sufficient quantities for distribution to FTS2001 end-user trainees. The Government may copy or duplicate any training material provided under the FTS2001 contract. Deliverables will be provided in accordance with RFP Section F.
Each training session will not exceed 32 individuals per class. However, due to the tutorial nature of train-the-trainer classes, Sprint strongly recommends a maximum class size of 20 students. The minimum class size will be 12 students.
During the transition, migration, or implementation of new services at FTS2001 locations, Sprint’s train-the-trainers classes will be completed 30 calendar days prior to cutover of service. Sprint will also work with the Government to provide train-the-trainer instruction earlier or later than 30 days prior to cutover if necessary, after consideration has been given to the particular resources, location, time, class size, number of classes, and other factors related to new service training. Sprint assumes Government trainers are knowledgeable about the telecommunications services for which they will provide training. A more detailed description of the train-the-trainer class is provided in the draft training plan.