PWS_PLA_2018.docx

PWS

Performance Work Statement US Army War College – Strategic Studies Institute 2018 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Conference Support

1. General.

a. Objective. The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the United Stated Army War College (USAWC) uses its Academic Engagement (AE) Program to seek collaborative and mutually beneficial conceptual research partnerships with distinguished academic and other center-of-excellence institutions to address key national security issues. SSI has historically sponsored the PLA Conference with the support of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) and the United States Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) in partnership with the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). The vendor shall conduct the 2018 U.S. Army War College (USAWC) People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Conference at Carlisle Barracks, tentatively scheduled for 19-21 October 2018 – the date will be finalized in coordination with SSI & USAWC Press. The topic this year is "The People in the PLA, v. 2.0" with the goal of the colloquium to produce actionable recommendations to senior Army and other DoD leaders on real world military demands and actionable joint force responses to them. Although there are many informal methods for encouraging collaboration, this request for proposal (RFP) solicits specific formal partnership through the conduct of scholarly colloquia on China and its security, defense and military forces (specifically the PLA), designed to produce conceptual research and publishable unclassified works absent copyright restrictions. The normal end products of the academic colloquia envisioned by this RFP are scholarly presentations, research papers, monographs or books published by the SSI. The research products assess and make recommendations on strategic issues and national security policies important to the Army and are used in the professional development of USAWC faculty and students. Additionally, SSI distributes its publications to key leaders in the Army and Department of Defense (DOD), the broader military educational system, Congress, the media, other domestic and international think tanks and defense institutes, and major colleges and universities.

b. Project Goals. The U.S. Army, the USAWC and SSI will obtain value from these colloquia as indicated by the following goals:

(1) Engage noted scholars, leading practitioners, and other strategic thinkers in presentation, dialogue and debate of key national security issues regarding China’s PLA of importance to the U.S. Army.

(2) Publish scholarly and influential papers and reports that address critical challenges and initiatives that affect the U.S. Army’s future in relation to the key issues.

(3) Establish and build upon mutually rewarding relationships with the various organizations represented by colloquia participants, as well as the participants themselves.

(4) Engage the US Army in multi-national dialogue with fellow militaries and leading academic researchers.

(5) Ensure the freshness and relevancy of the USAWC curricula through timely, critical, and independent research and analysis.

(6) Contribute to the strategic thought under-girding U.S. national security policy and strategy and significantly expand the base of knowledge through various publication media including printed products.

2. BACKGROUND. The SSI is the U.S. Army’s research organization for the analysis of national security policy and military strategy. SSI is part of the USAWC at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania and its research provides direct analysis for the professional development and use of USAWC faculty and students as well as Army and DOD leadership, and the Institute serves as a bridge to the wider national security intellectual community. SSI employs the Academic Engagement Program to build and sustain relationships between SSI and outstanding scholars in the global strategic studies community while supplementing SSI’s research and analysis capabilities to produce products useful to those who study, teach, and practice national security and military strategy, within the Army and DOD. This program seeks premier academic institutions to host colloquia on key strategic issues of interest to the Army that allow SSI scholars and other Army personnel to interact with leading scholars and government officials who are most knowledgeable and influential in the field of study. The purpose of the colloquia is not only to produce publications that have inherent credibility but also to expose scholars and military personnel at the USAWC to a diverse group of expert participants, with whom they would not otherwise be able to interact.

3. REFERENCES / APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS.

a. Strategic Studies Institute web site: https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/index.cfm

b. “Publishing with SSI” at: https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/index.cfm/pepssi

c. 2017-2018 KSIL at: https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1363

4. TASK REQUIREMENTS. The selected institution shall collaborate with the SSI to conduct a colloquium addressing one of the topics on the Key Strategic Issues list on the above web site or another formally agreed upon topic that addresses either China’s security strategy and security, defense and military forces or the influences and effects of its policies upon the Asia-Pacific region as well as U.S. national security and U.S. national security interests.

a. The selected institution shall perform the following specific tasks:

(1) develop a mutually agreeable topic, agenda and slate of speakers in collaboration with the Strategic Studies Institute;

(2) arrange for presenters to conduct research, write and present papers and/or speeches;

(3) schedule, confirm, and reimburse speakers for services rendered, as required; Government funding cannot be used to exceed DoD limits on reimbursements.

(4) select and organize an appropriate professional venue. Reserve facilities, provide schedule, and reimburse for services rendered, as required

(5) provide all the required sound, recording and audiovisual equipment for the colloquium speakers. (overhead projector, computer and projector for Power Point presentations, microphones, and tape recording equipment);

(6) record (either audio or video) the presentations and discussions that occur during the colloquium;

(7) provide the tapes of the presentation to SSI no later than 30 days after the colloquium;

(8) collect and edit the biographies on all the colloquium speakers/panelist/ presenters;

(9) print programs and participant name tags for the colloquium;

(10) develop an invitation list for the colloquium that will insure an appropriate number of knowledgeable and influential participants and incorporates additional names provided by the SSI;

(11) prepare and mail invitations to prospective attendees including those names contained on a list supplied by the SSI;

(12) collect and track all the RSVP’s for the colloquium and provide this information to SSI upon request;

(13) organize and run a registration table at the colloquium. This includes keeping track of who is present and who did not show and providing packets for all participants. The packets will include nametags for the individual, colloquium program, and any additional handouts approved by SSI;

(14) send a list of all participants and their addresses to the USAWC within 30 days of the completion of the colloquium;

(15) provide to the SSI a copy of all material presented at this colloquium and all computer diskettes within 30 days of the completion of the colloquium;

(16) collect, write, collate and/or edit colloquium publications in accordance with IAW the SSI formats on referenced web site, deliver draft conference report to SSI within six months after the completion of the colloquium;

(17) distribute publications IAW a mutually agreed list and venue;

(18) determine rules for disclosure or non-disclosure of panel discussions in collaboration with SSI;

(19) all conference websites, publications and advertisements will include the SSI logo, and/or name “Strategic Studies Institute” as a sponsor of the conference; and

b. The government specific tasks include:

(1) subject matter expert consultation on selection of subtopics, specific presenters and audience invitees;

(2) subject matter expert consultation concerning content editing of the publications;

(3) providing final format edit approval for publication;

(4) publishing selected materials on the SSI web site; and

(5) publishing and distributing selected material in one of the SSI publications series.

(6) Review expenditures to ensure no DoD limits are exceeded.

5. QUALITY. The selected institution shall ensure the colloquium and publications reflect the high standards of research, scholarship and analysis that characterize SSI. They shall comprehensively address the topic selected and offer insights and recommendations for U.S. national security and military strategies and activities that the U.S. Army should undertake in support of the strategies. The selected institution shall recruit expert participants who are acceptable to the Director, SSI, as communicated through the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), and are recognized experts in their field, have published significant works on the subject or are military/government officials who influence strategic policy.

6. PUBLICATIONS. The SSI and the partner institutions will produce joint publications after the colloquia. The publications shall include, at a minimum, a colloquium brief and a colloquium report; it may also include selected monographs or a collection of articles authored by colloquium presenters. The colloquium brief normally is the responsibility of SSI, but the comprehensive colloquium report shall be written by the partner institution. Examples of acceptable colloquium reports can be found at https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1062. With SSI approval, a monograph or collection of articles may be substituted for the colloquium report. The SSI will have the right to publish all products produced for and from the colloquium. The SSI reserves the right to reproduce and distribute selected papers, colloquium reports, or manuscripts resulting from the colloquia. This information may be placed on the SSI‘s home page on the Internet. The partner institution assumes sole responsibility for obtaining appropriate copyright releases for material from presenters. This copyright release does not require the author to relinquish copyright to SSI or the partner institution, nor does it prohibit the author from providing a copyright or license to others, but is does give SSI the unrestricted right to publish and distribute the publication.

7. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS/REQUIREMENTS.

a. Place of Performance. The colloquium shall occur at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania or at another location agreed upon by SSI and the partner institution.

b. Period of Performance. The period of performance shall be from 1 Aug 18 – 9 Nov 18.

c. Institution Qualifications. It is preferred that the selected institution be a leading academic institution with which SSI may work directly and not a third party intermediary or for profit firm. The government derives a large part of the value of the colloquium from the direct interaction between the scholars at SSI and the scholars at the partner institution. SSI requires that the selected institution be an internationally recognized center of excellence for the particular topic and, thus, capable of assembling a unique body of leading experts in the field of international security studies who have particular expertise to bring to bear. The selected institution must work cooperatively with SSI faculty to develop an appropriately comprehensive agenda. To do so the institution must be a center of excellence for the topic to be examined, have sufficient prestige within the national security intellectual community to be able to identify 20-40 leading scholars, policy-makers, and military experts in the specific field of analysis, and secure their participation in the colloquium. Additionally, the institution’s academic prestige must be sufficient to draw an appropriately sized audience composed of those able to influence national security policy and military strategy. The expert participants must make scholarly presentations and follow-up with scholarly papers that set forth their views and findings. The experts must be willing to release their work to the public domain. Additionally, the experts must be willing to accept minimal compensation for this service to their nation. They will do so only if the institution is able to provide a sufficiently prestigious forum to enable the experts to advance their standing within the academic community in the specific field through participation. The contractor must have international prestige within the academic community, in order to recruit the level of talent needed to expertly analyze the issues and provide a product with sufficient credibility to influence the policy-making community. Multi-party participation by other institutional partners with equal academic center of excellence status may be permitted, if specifically agreed to in writing by the Contracting Officer (KO). Defense industry corporate formal sponsorships shall not be permitted. The colloquium must not be held in conjunction with or part of an industry sponsored trade show.

d. Government funds shall not be used to provide food or beverages. There is no requirement to provide food or beverages. If the contractor chooses to provide food, beverages from some other funding source, they shall be required to delineate the exact quantity and cost of those items to COR in order to comply with Secretary of the Army Guidance on conferences, and Joint Ethics Regulations. If items of value in excess of $20 are provided to USG employees who are invited panelists, presenters or discussants, the vendor shall provide a mechanism for USG personnel to pay for or reimburse the vendor for those items.

e. The use of conference fees for attendees is strongly discouraged. Unless stated in the proposal, the USG assumes that there will be no conference fee charged by the contractor to conference attendees. The USG expects that the contractors will include all conference costs in their quoted firm fixed price proposal. If the contractor chooses to charge a conference fee, they shall state in their proposal; the exact amount of the fee and list all expenses covered by the fee. The contractor shall show that the use of a conference fee will not generate a profit, they shall articulate why the fee is necessary. If the purpose of the conference fee is to pay for food, beverages or social events, the contractor shall provide a method for U.S. DOD employees to pay for food and beverages separately from the conference fee. Conference or registration fees and their collection must comply with applicable laws, regulations and policies. In addition, vendor will provide target number of total Army participants they expect to attend, including panel members and standard conference attendees.

f. Co-Sponsorship: The government envisions this to be a cost sharing event co-sponsored by the US Government and the vendor. The vendor agrees to enter into a co-sponsor agreement with the government. In the event the vendor desires to include other co-sponsors, the additional co-sponsors will agree to enter into a co-sponsor agreement with the government. The proposing co-sponsor (vendor) shall ensure additional co-sponsor will enter in to the co-sponsorship agreement with the US Government. The US Government is approving authority for all additional co-sponsors. A prerequisite to contract award is an approved co-sponsor agreement as required by the Department of Defense (DoD) 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), para. 3-206. The vendor will provide a co-sponsorship agreement with their conference proposal by filling in the bold, bracketed sections found in the co-sponsorship agreement example that is provided as enclosure 1 of this document. As per Joint Ethics Regulation 5500.7-R, para. 3-206, the agreement will include:

(1) the nature and purpose of the event;

(2) the undertakings and liabilities of all parties involved;

(3) funding responsibilities and costs (NOTE: to include all conference fees);

(4) a disclaimer of Government liability in the DoD Component Command or organization reduces the level of participation or completely withdraws;

(5) a statement that the non-Federal entity will not use the fact of co-sponsorship of the event to imply DoD endorsement of the organization or its other events.

g. Security Requirements.

(1) Access and general protection/security policy and procedures. This standard language is for contractor employees with an area of performance within Army controlled installation, facility, or area. Contractor and all associated sub-contractors employees shall provide all information required for background checks to meet installation access requirements to be accomplished by installation Provost Marshal Office, Director of Emergency Services or Security Office. Contractor workforce must comply with all personal identity verification requirements (FAR clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel) as directed by DOD, HQDA and/or local policy. In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) at any individual facility or installation change, the Government may require changes in contractor security matters or processes.

(2) For contractors that do not require CAC, but require access to a DoD facility or installation. Contractor and all associated sub-contractors employees shall comply with adjudication standards and procedures using the National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification Index (NCIC-III) and Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) (Army Directive 2014-05/AR 190-13), applicable installation, facility and area commander installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures (provided by government representative), or, at OCONUS locations, in accordance with status of forces agreements and other theater regulations.

(3) iWATCH Training. The contractor and all associated subcontractors working within any Carlisle Barracks, facility, or area, will ensure all employees read the statement below on the local iWatch program. This locally developed statement will be used to inform employees of the types of behavior to watch for and instruct employees to report suspicious activity to the COR. This training will be completed within 30 calendar days of contract award and within 30 calendar days of new employees' commencing performance, with the results reported to the COR no later than 35 days after contract award. iWatch Training: (Guard Info About Yourself and Your Job. Limit discussion and accessibility of any information (written or verbal) that may provide terrorists insights for targeting. Always use secure means when passing sensitive information, destroy identifiable information. Be aware of your surroundings. Write down license numbers of suspicious vehicles; note description of occupants. Recognize and Report Unusual or Suspicious Behavior to your COR or the Carlisle Barracks police at 717-245-4115. YOU are the first line of defense against terrorism.)

h. Contractor Manpower Reporting Application (CMRA): The contractor shall report ALL contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for the US Army War College via a secure data collection site. The contractor is required to completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address: http://www.ecmra.mil/, and then click on "Department of the Army CMRA" or the icon of the DoD organization that is receiving or benefitting from the contracted services.

Reporting inputs will be for the labor executed during the period of performance during each Government fiscal year (FY), which runs October 1 through September 30. While inputs may be reported any time during the FY, all data shall be reported no later than October 31 of each calendar year, beginning with 2013. Contractors may direct questions to the help desk by clicking on "Send an email" which is located under the Help Resources ribbon on the right side of the login page of the applicable Service/Component's CMR website.