Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1. CYBERSECURITY If awarded contractor’s network or information system is connected to EPA (“Agency”) networks to transfer data to the Agency using systems other than the Environmental Information Exchange Network or EPA’s Central Data Exchange, contractor must comply with the following requirement: EPA must ensure that any connections between the recipient’s network or information system and EPA networks used by the recipient to transfer data under this agreement are secure. For purposes of this section, a connection is defined as a dedicated persistent interface between an Agency IT system and an external IT system for the purpose of transferring information. Transitory, user‐controlled connections such as website browsing are excluded from this definition. If the contractor’s connections as defined above do not go through the Environmental Information Exchange Network or EPA’s Central Data Exchange, the contractor agrees to contact the EPA Project Officer no later than 90 days after date of award and work with the designated Regional/Headquarters Information Security Officer to ensure that the connections meet EPA security requirements, including entering into Interconnection Service Agreements as appropriate. This condition does not apply to manual entry of data by the recipient into systems operated and used by EPA’s regulatory programs for the submission of reporting and/or compliance data. 2. TRAFFICKING Contractor, its employees, its subcontractors and their employees, may not – a. Engage in severe forms of trafficking in persons during the period of time that the award is in effect; b. Procure a commercial sex act during the period of time that the award is in effect; or c. Use forced labor in the performance of the awarded project. The Federal awarding agency may unilaterally terminate the award, without penalty, if the contractor – a. Is determined to have violated a prohibition of paragraph 2; or b. Has an employee who is determined by the agency official authorized to terminate the award to have violated a prohibition in paragraph 2 through conduct that is either – (1) Associated with performance under this award; or (2) Imputed to the City or contractor using the standards and due process for imputing the conduct of an individual to an organization that are provided in 2 CFR part 180, “OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (nonprocurement)” as implemented by the Agency at 2 CFR 1532.
