Software Assurance in Acquisition and Contract Language

Sample Language-US Government
RFPs/Contracts
Although, the following sample language is tailored for
government contracts (and task orders), other acquirers may
tailor parts or all the language for their use, as well.
1.0 GENERAL
All work under this contract shall comply with the latest
version of all applicable standards. Individual task orders
will reference applicable versions of standards or exceptions
as necessary. These may include, but are not limited to,
{AGENCY} Manual(s), Acquisition Bulletins [AB], American
National Standards Institute [ANSI] standards, and National
Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST] standards,
including Federal Information Processing Standards [FIPS]
publications. Software Development Standards Life Cycle
(SDLC) Guidelines contains a list of software development
standards for {AGENCY} tasks. The {AGENCY} has
developed its own Enterprise Life Cycle. While complying
with the latest version of all applicable standards is
not a new initiative, it does provide an emphasis of the
{AGENCY}’s expectation that the Contractor will comply
with, and provide verification that these standards are
adhered to.
2.0 CORRECTION OF SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION
The contractor shall, over the term of the contract,
under any task order issued, correct errors in Contractor
developed software and applicable documentation that
are not commercial off the shelf which are discovered
by the Government, and any other user of the software,
or the Contractor. If the system is in production, such
corrections shall be completed within one working day of
the date the Contractor discovers or is notified of the error
(or a date mutually agreed upon between the CO and the
Contractor not to exceed 30 working days). If the system
is not in production, such corrections shall be made within
five working days of the date the Contractor discovers or
is notified of the error (or a date mutually agreed upon
between the CO and the Contractor, not to exceed 30
days). Latent defects will be handled in the same manner,
as soon as they are discovered. Inability of the parties to
determine the cause of software errors shall be resolved
in accordance with the Disputes clause in Section I, FAR
52.233-1, incorporated by reference in the contract, but in
no event constitutes grounds for delay of error correction
beyond the periods specified.
3.0 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURES
3.1 CAPABILITY MATURITY MODEL
INTEGRATION (CMMI)
3.1.1 All Contractors awarded task orders for any
activity related to software development for the
{AGENCY} shall comply with the {AGENCY} policy
for CMMI® compliance. All tasks that fall within the
software development life cycle shall at minimum
comply with Level {2, 3, 4, or 5 as required} of the
staged representation of the CMMI® for Software
Engineering (CMMI-SW). There are no exceptions
to this {AGENCY}’s policy. Contractors developing
software for the {AGENCY} shall maintain Level
{2, 3, 4, or 5 as required} or higher in the staged
representation of the CMMI-SW in order to continue
to receive software tasking.
3.1.2 The Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
Review Team will monitor the Contractor’s process
maturity (1) using standard {AGENCY} Process
Appraisal Review Methodology (PARM) processes,
including execution of Standard CMMI Appraisal
Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPISM), as
needed, (2) performing annual cycles of review for
CMMI-SW, and (3) considering all types of appraisal
data and process improvement infrastructure data
as standardized by the {AGENCY} PARM process
to verify alignment and mapping of the Contractor’s
CMMI processes to the {AGENCY} Enterprise
Life Cycle (ELC). The responsible organization
is indicated as Contractor (to be delivered under
this Task Order), Government (Government will
prepare), or Joint (a joint effort with the {AGENCY}
in the lead). The Government may waive (indicated
as Not Applicable) the requirements for certain
deliverables or work products based on the
approved Program Tailoring Plan.
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Software Assurance Pocket Guide Series:
Software Assurance in Acquisition and Contract Language
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Acquisition & Outsourcing, Volume I – Version 1.1, July 31, 2009