# [Service Level Agreement]{.underline}

**BETWEEN**

**NATIONAL BUSINESS CENTER**

**DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR**

**AND**

**NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION**

# STATEMENT OF LEGAL AUTHORITY

> *The statement of legal authority describes the existing legal codes
> and laws that allow agencies to provide the services.*
>
> **The Department of the Interior's National Business Center (NBC)
> agrees to provide services and/or product support as outlined below to
> the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), pursuant to
> authority 43 U.S.C. § 1467 and 1468, which established the Department
> of the Interior Working Capital Fund.**

# PURPOSE

> *This section describes reason(s) for executing this Service Level
> Agreement.*
>
> **The purpose of this Service Level Agreement (SLA) is to identify the
> base level and optional services provided by the NBC with regard to
> the processing of payroll and personnel actions and their companion
> activities for the NASA. Services are provided through the NBC's
> Federal Personnel Payroll System (FPPS) and its Payroll Operations
> Division. This SLA establishes mutually agreed upon service levels,
> monitoring methods, and organizational responsibilities, where
> appropriate.**

## PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

> *This section outlines the period during, and the terms under, which
> this Agreement will be active.*
>
> **This Agreement is effective upon signature. The Agreement supersedes
> all previous service level agreements between the parties and will
> remain in effect until amended, replaced, or terminated by signed,
> mutual agreement of both organizations.**

## LIST OF SERVICES

> *This section provides a general outline of the services to be
> provided by this Agreement*.

**The NBC provides an array of payroll and personnel processing
applications and services in compliance with the Joint Financial
Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) SR-99-5, OPM's Guide to the
Central Personnel Data File (CPDF), and Human Resources & Payroll
Systems Requirements for payroll management activities. These include:**

-   **Personnel Processing**

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-   **Time and Attendance**

-   **Leave Processing**

-   **Pay Processing**

-   **DataMart**

-   **Labor Cost and Distribution**

-   **Reporting, Reconciliation, and Records Retention**

-   **Customer Support**

    **The services are a mix of base level services and optional
    services. Base level services are those provided to all clients and
    are priced based upon the number of employees paid. Optional
    services are those provided specifically at the request of the
    client and are separately costed. Agency-unique workload volumes or
    special requirements drive the majority of the separate costs. This
    document cites the major examples within the categories of service.
    The NBC intends the document to be used in conjunction with the
    annual Interagency Agreement (IA) to explain services being provided
    to the NASA.**

    **A. Base level Services**

> **For the purposes of this document, base level services provided by
> the NBC will be categorized below as two separate functions. The
> functions will identify base level services provided by the FPPS and
> base level services provided by the Payroll Operations Division.**
>
> **1. FPPS system base level services include:**

-   **Supporting the System such that it accommodates regulatory
    requirements, meets Federal reporting requirements, and provides for
    payroll and personnel processing in accordance with procedures
    described in the system documentation.**

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-   **Functional and technical support regarding proper use of the
    System to designated NASA staff and/or contractors.**

-   **Payroll and personnel reports as described in the system
    documentation. Reports will generally be provided for on-line
    viewing and client printing. NASA can request that data files be
    made available for their access and subsequent downloading.**

-   **The NASA will provide for the input and/or collection of all input
    data and will provide for receipt of the data in machine-readable
    form at the NBC computer facility according to the daily processing
    schedule, which is separately documented.**

-   **Payroll processing will be on Tuesday evening following the end of
    the pay period. In the event that processing is delayed, it will be
    rescheduled as soon as practical consistent with NASA's official
    payday of the second Tuesday following the end of the pay period.
    Electronic fund payments will be scheduled for the first Friday
    following the end of the pay period, but in the event of
    contingencies or end-of-year taxable income situations are not
    required to be deposited until the NASA's official payday.**

**2. Payroll Operations base level services include:**

-   **Assistance in submission of T&A's**

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-   **T&A processing and adjustments**

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-   **Pay certification and disbursement**

-   **Payroll reconciliation**

-   **Reissued and supplemental checks**

-   **Maintenance and certification of leave, health, Thrift Savings
    Plan, and retirement records**

-   **Payment and reconciliation of Federal, state, and local taxes;
    issuance of W-2\'s**

-   **Completion of reports for bonds and OWCP**

-   **Unemployment reporting using contract services**

-   **Garnishments processing**

-   **Payroll debt collection**

-   **Pay and leave adjustments and payments**

-   **Separations Processing**

-   **Customer Support**

    **B. Optional Services**

    **Optional services provided by the NBC in support of personnel and
    payroll processing and reporting are:**

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-   **OPM\'s Employee Express**

-   **Client specific ad-hoc reporting or other unique requests**

-   **Training, after initial implementation**

-   **Client-specific interface development/implementation**

-   **Labor Cost System processing and support**

-   **Client-specific telecommunications**

-   **Client-specific software modifications**

-   **Quicktime employee-based T&A system**

-   **Conversion and maintenance of historical data**

-   **Licensing of DataMart retrieval software**

# 

# 

# V. RESPONSIBILITIES:

> *This section contains detailed responsibilities for the provision of
> services under this SLA.*

#  A. NASA Responsibilities:

-   **Ownership and control of NASA data.**

-   **Designate a representative(s) to participate in FPPS Users Group
    meetings.**

-   **Designate principal contacts in the finance, human resources, and
    information technology areas.**

-   **Designate a single security coordinator.**

-   **Acquire remote (peripheral) hardware and communications.**

-   **Provide for the transmission of input data to the NBC computer
    facility**

> **according to the Personnel/Payroll System Biweekly Processing
> Schedule. Both parties must agree to any changes to this schedule.**

-   **Prepare and maintain a Business Recovery Plan that identifies how
    the customer will resume operations of its business functions should
    a disaster at the customer facility occur. The Plan should
    specifically address where the customer will be relocated and
    replacement of customer-provisioned network circuits to NBC and the
    NBC hot site.**

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-   **Participate, as mutually agreed upon, in annual testing of the
    Business Recovery Plan at the NBC hot site.**

> **NBC Responsibilities:**

-   **Whenever NBC needs a decisions or agreement from NASA under the
    terms of this agreement, NBC will look to the designated principal
    contacts in the finance, human resources, and information technology
    areas. There principal contacts are the only NASA employees who have
    the authority to make decisions as may be required under this
    agreement.**

-   **Protect the NASA data in accordance with the NBC's and the NASA's
    security requirements, as well as other laws, regulations and
    guidelines. The NBC will only disclose the NASA data to authorized
    personnel.**

-   **Payroll and personnel processing will be accomplished following
    the end of the pay period in sufficient time to meet the NASA
    established payday. In the event processing is delayed, it will be
    rescheduled as soon as practical, consistent with the NASA's payday
    and the appropriate NASA personnel will be notified.**

-   **Provide support to NASA staff in their use of the NBC services and
    systems.**

-   **In the event that network/telecommunications is or becomes a
    service provided by the NBC, the NBC responsibilities are:**

    -   **Plan, analyze, and implement network connectivity and Windows
        server environment solutions for the NASA.**

    -   **Provide direct computer services to the customer in support of
        specific applications, if requested.**

    -   **Install, configure, and administer telecommunications
        hardware/software in support of the NASA.**

    -   **Monitor and manage the security of NBC's network resources.**

    -   **Administer network servers supporting application, database,
        E-mail and Web services.**

    -   **Provide user support, problem determination and problem
        resolution through the NBC's Network Operations Center.**

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-   **Provide for business recovery and continuity of operations of NBC
    business units in the event of a disaster or long-term service
    interruption to customers. Specifically the NBC will.**

    -   **Prepare and maintain the following three plans:**

        -   **Business Recovery Plan that identifies how NBC business
            units will resume operations of critical business functions
            in the event of a disaster.**

        -   **Data Center Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) that
            specifically addresses how the Data Center environment, i.e.
            General Support Systems, will resume operations.**

        -   **Application Continuity of Operations (COO) that
            specifically addresses how each critical business
            application will recover.**

    -   **Furnish copies of the Business Recovery Plan, Data Center COOP
        and Application COO to the NASA, upon request. NBC-sensitive
        information will be excluded from these copies. Requests made by
        contractors or auditors representing the customer will not be
        honored.**

    -   **Perform periodic testing of these plans. Customers shall be
        afforded the opportunity to test their application(s) on an
        annual basis.**

    -   **Provide for a business recovery work site facility for NBC
        personnel to conduct business resumption operations and provide
        for one or more Data Center hot site facilities for NBC to
        restore its General Support Systems. These facilities shall be
        available within 24 hours following a disaster or long-term
        service interruption.**

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-   **Provide support to NASA in response to audit findings related to
    NBC provided services**.

## VI. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT {#vi.-performance-measurement .unnumbered}

> *This section outlines the basic level of performance for which the
> provider will assume responsibility. It outlines the measures that
> will be used and describes the metrics that will be used to track
> performance.*
>
> **Measurement of the NBC activities is critical to improving services
> and is the basis for cost recovery for services provided. The NBC and
> the NASA have identified activities critical to meeting NASA's
> business requirements and have agreed upon how these activities will
> be measured. These measures and metrics will be applied during the
> normal course of business.**

+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| **Measurement**                    | **Metrics**                     |
+====================================+=================================+
| ***[Implementing New Federal Pay,  | -   100% implementation of all  |
| Personnel Regulatory Requirements, |     changes within timeframe    |
| and any State or Local tax         |     mandated or work-around     |
| withholding                        |     solutions mutually agreed   |
| requirements.]{.underline}***      |     to as an interim            |
|                                    |                                 |
| -   Requirements received with     | -   100% implementation of all  |
|     sufficient lead time           |     changes scheduled for an    |
|                                    |     upcoming FPPS Release with  |
| -   Requirements with a            |     work-around solutions       |
|     retroactive effective date or  |     mutually agreed to as an    |
|     when sufficient lead time not  |     interim                     |
|     provided                       |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[Disbursements]{.underline}***  | -   99.9% timely payroll        |
|                                    |     disbursements               |
| -   Disbursements are made on or   |                                 |
|     before the scheduled process   | -   99.9% accuracy based on     |
|     date                           |     information provided        |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[Reports]{.underline}***        | -   99% timely                  |
|                                    |     reports/interfaces          |
| -   External reports/interfaces    |                                 |
|     completed by scheduled due     | -   99% accuracy based on       |
|     dates                          |     information provided        |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[Hours of                       | -   99% available               |
| Operation]{.underline}***          |                                 |
|                                    | -   99% available               |
| -   Payroll staff available to     |                                 |
|     NASA Monday through Friday,    |                                 |
|     6:00am -- 4:00pm Mountain Time |                                 |
|     (MT); excluding Federal        |                                 |
|     holidays.                      |                                 |
|                                    |                                 |
| -   Employee and end-user help     |                                 |
|     desks available to the NASA    |                                 |
|     Monday through Friday, 6:00am  |                                 |
|     -- 5:30pm MT; excluding        |                                 |
|     Federal holidays. Interactive  |                                 |
|     Voice Response available 24x7. |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[Help Desks]{.underline}***     | -   95% returned within 2 hours |
|                                    |     or less                     |
| -   Employee calls returned within |                                 |
|     2 hours.                       | -   95% issues resolved within  |
|                                    |     24 hours or less            |
| -   Employee issues resolved       |                                 |
|     within 24 hours                | -   90% returned within 4 hours |
|                                    |     or less                     |
| -   End-user calls returned within |                                 |
|     4 hours                        | -   90% issues resolved within  |
|                                    |     48 hours or less            |
| -   End-user issues resolved       |                                 |
|     within 48 hours                |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[System                         | -   97% available               |
| Availability]{.underline}***       |                                 |
|                                    |                                 |
| -   Production system available to |                                 |
|     the NASA Monday through        |                                 |
|     Friday, 5:00am -- 6:00pm MT,   |                                 |
|     Saturday 5:00am -- 3:00pm MT;  |                                 |
|     excluding Federal holidays,    |                                 |
|     and during payroll processing  |                                 |
|     or other regularly scheduled   |                                 |
|     outages. Additional hours      |                                 |
|     available upon request for     |                                 |
|     special circumstances          |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[System                         | -   95% available               |
| Performance]{.underline}***        |                                 |
|                                    |                                 |
| -   Internal system response time  |                                 |
|     within established parameters. |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
| ***[System                         | -   98% access granted within   |
| Operations]{.underline}***         |     72 hours or less            |
|                                    |                                 |
| -   User access granted within 72  |                                 |
|     hours of request.              |                                 |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------+

VII. **SECURITY**

> *This section addresses security requirements related to services
> included in this Agreement.*

**Security roles, responsibilities, and procedures, and system
interconnectivity requirements related to this SLA will be defined in a
separate Security Services Agreement (SSA) and Interconnect Security
Agreement (ISA). The ISA will be approved/signed by appropriate
officials in both NASA and NBC.**

VIII. **CONVERSION/IMPLEMENTATION**

> *This section addresses conversion/implementation activities. Other
> documents, such as project implementation plans, may serve to satisfy
> this section.*
>
> **This Section is not applicable since NASA is already operational on
> FPPS and serviced by NBC's Payroll Operations.**

IX. **STAFFING**

> *This section outlines any staffing or logistical considerations that
> may occur as a result of this Agreement.*

**No Transfer of FTE (full time equivalent) ceiling is required as a
result of this SLA.**

**X. FUTURE SYSTEMS PLANNING**

*This section outlines the coordination process for future systems
planning.*

> **NBC will work with the OPM, the Shared Service Center Advisory
> Council (SSAC), and FPPS clients to determine the future direction of
> payroll/personnel systems and the Federal Enterprise Architecture
> (FEA) at the NBC. This includes schedule, funding and migration
> planning.**

**XI. FUNDING**

*This section describes the funding provisions related to services
identified in this Agreement.*

##  {#section-2 .unnumbered}

-   **Costs of the above described services are to be recovered by the
    NBC from all users on an equitable basis. Customer budgets are
    established by distributing total NBC costs to all clients on the
    basis of number of W-2s or on the basis of actual cost. Funding will
    be approved yearly by both parties on an Interagency Agreement (IA).
    The NBC will notify the customer of their annual budget within the
    customer's budget cycle. Billing will be done quarterly in advance
    using the client's Agency Location Code (ALC) via the Department of
    Treasury's Inter-Governmental Payment and Collection system (IPAC).
    Any optional services provided to the customer will be billed on an
    actual cost basis.**

**XII. TERMINATION CLAUSE**

> *This section outlines the circumstances under which this agreement
> may be terminated.*
>
> **Both NASA and the NBC reserve the right to terminate this agreement
> at any time, upon written notice to the other party and OPM, at least
> twelve (12) months in advance of the termination date. In the event of
> termination by either party, the NBC agrees to support and cooperate
> as necessary to ensure smooth transition to the successor system.**

# XIII. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

*This section outlines the manner in which disputes will be identified
and resolved.*

> **Issues unable to be resolved informally between the NBC and NASA
> will be handled as follows:**

-   **Either party may submit a formal request to the other party and
    that party will formally respond. In both cases the formal
    request/response will be elevated internally to the appropriate
    management level.**

-   **In the event those officials cannot resolve the dispute, they will
    designate a mutually acceptable, independent third party to review
    the facts and recommend a fair resolution.**

**XIV. APPROVALS:**

> *This section identifies the individual authorized to enter into this
> Agreement for their respective organizations.*
>
> **This SLA accompanies the initial Interagency Agreement and is
> considered binding for both NBC and NASA upon signing. Future
> Interagency Agreements for these services will supersede this SLA.**

+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
| **Terry Bowie**                 | **LC Williams**                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Chief Financial Officer       | **Associate Director, Federal      |
| (Acting)**                      | Personnel Payroll Systems and      |
|                                 | Services**                         |
| **NASA**                        |                                    |
|                                 | **National Business Center**       |
| **Signature:                    |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\             | **Department of the Interior**     |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 | **Signature:                       |
| **Date:                         | \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_           |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\             | \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 | **Date:                            |
| **Candace S. Irwin**            | \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_           |
|                                 | \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |
| **Director, Workforce Systems   |                                    |
| and Accountability Division**   |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **NASA**                        |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Signature:                    |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\             |                                    |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Date:                         |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\             |                                    |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Neil Rodgers**                |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Manager, IEM Competency       |                                    |
| Center**                        |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **NASA**                        |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Concurrence Signature:        |                                    |
| \_\_                            |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\ |                                    |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Date:                         |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\               |                                    |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Cindy H. Epperson**           |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Director, Financial           |                                    |
| Management, NASA Shared         |                                    |
| Services Center (NSSC)**        |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **NASA**                        |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Concurrence Signature:        |                                    |
| \_\_\_                          |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\ |                                    |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
|                                 |                                    |
| **Date:                         |                                    |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\             |                                    |
| _\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** |                                    |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
|                                 |                                    |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+