02 Attach 1-SOW Community Engagement (14Dec).pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work

December 14, 2023

Contents Project 3 General Information 3

1.0 Scope of Work 3

2.0 Background 3

Contractor Requirements 3

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks 3

4.0 Government Furnished 3

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule 3

6.0 Travel 4

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel 4

8.0 Security Requirements 4

9.0 Data Rights 4

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards 4 Attachment 4

● Project

Community Engagement and Planning Specialist

● General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

The IITF's International Urban Field Station (IUFS) is seeking a Community Engagement and Planning Specialist to design and implement an outreach, education, and capacity-building program for underserved and disadvantaged communities in San Juan Puerto Rico and surrounding urban areas.

2.0 Background

The IITF's International Urban Field Station (IUFS) requires designing and implement an outreach, education, and capacity-building program for underserved and disadvantaged communities in San Juan and surrounding urban areas on the benefits of urban forests and green infrastructure in climate resilience and adaptation planning. The Specialist will serve as a key member of the IUFS community engagement team that includes members of the San Juan Urban Long- Term Research Area (ULTRA) and the Alianza por la Cuenca del Rio Piedras, a multi-sector coalition of organizations collaborating towards sustainable and integrated management of the Rio Piedras watershed and its communities.

The position involves working on-site to develop and implement community engagement and outreach activities in the Rio Piedras watershed. We seek a specialist with an interdisciplinary background and field experience in environmental planning and community-based outreach to lead participatory planning, awareness, and outreach activities products for the enduring engagement of multiple communities and community-based groups in the area. These communities represent urban communities that are highly vulnerable to flood risk and lack access to green infrastructure in the city of San Juan, including disadvantaged and under-served communities. Thus, the focal geographic area is San Juan and requires conducting frequent field visits with communities to hold meetings and activities in their safe spaces.

The position will require unique experience and skill sets spanning the environmental planning and social sciences with first-hand experience in community engagement and participatory processes, and at least a master’s degree in environmental or natural resource management, urban or environmental planning, social work, public administration, or relevant field. This work requires the ability to understand and communicate complex issues related to the resilience and sustainability of urban communities and forests, and to turn this knowledge into an education and outreach program that is accessible to multiple communities.

● Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

Overall responsibilities for the Community Engagement and Planning Specialist position:

● Design a community engagement program for urban community and forest resilience that is centered on justice, including recognitional, procedural, and distributional justice.

● Develop education and outreach activities and events to increase awareness of the benefits of urban forests and green infrastructure, and their role in solutions to build community resilience to climate change.

● Support communities in the development of forest stewardship and green infrastructure plans as part of their community resilience efforts.

● Support the development of a network that links communities that share similar climate resilience issues (e.g., flooding, storms, heat) to support knowledge sharing and social learning with the goal of nurturing a culture of urban forest stewardship.

● Prepare a variety of education and outreach materials and media formats, including bulletins, newsletters, factsheets, and story maps, to support communication with communities and disseminate with the wider public and social media platforms.

● Support activities and events organized by the community groups including attending and/or coordinating meetings; planning and scheduling workshops with communities and stakeholders; taking notes and documentation; preparing science communication and educational materials that communities request; helping with tasks to set up meeting/events, and documentation of activities.

● Building relationships and developing communication channels and dialogue with local government officials, private sector, and other outside organizations key to implementing the community-based forest stewardship and green infrastructure plans.

● Developing and managing an updated community and stakeholder database with contact information, documentation of touchpoints and engagement, action items, and any other relevant details

● Ensuring feedback from communities and stakeholders and any requests are responded to within agreed upon time periods.

● Manage team meetings and documentation responsibilities of the project, such as meeting and field notes, program evaluation, and report writing.

4.0 Government Furnished

The Government will not provide supplies or equipment.

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule

● Tasks and Associated Deliverables: Timely submission of deliverables is essential to successfully completing this requirement. Schedules for deliverables are specified in Exhibit A. All deliverables shall be prepared and submitted according to format, content, and schedule described in the SOW. All “hard copy” deliverables will be submitted on recycled content paper and printed double-sided.

● Reporting Requirements: The contractor is required to provide yearly progress reports that covers completed tasks and deliverables for the period performed. The report shall cover all work completed during the specified period and identify any problems that have arisen but have not been completely resolved and provide an explanation.

● Invoicing: Contract invoicing will be on a monthly basis. Final invoice paid upon contract requirements being met and services accepted.

Exhibit A

Key Deliverables

Item No. Milestone Due Date % of Project cost

1 Develop Community Engagement Program Defining the responsibilities, timeline, risks and milestones of contract objectives.

90 days after project starts 20%

2 Design engagement, planning, and network building activities

30 days after project stars 15%

3 Implementation of engagement, planning, and network building activities

180 days after project starts 30%

4 Delivery of education and outreach materials 270 days after project starts 20% 5 Final Project Report

Including project documentation, and assessment and evaluation

Report Year 1 - 12 months after project starts Report Year 2 - 24 months after project starts

15%

6 Submit monthly invoice with supporting documents;

plan, design, photos, or event activities’ reports for payment

No later than 30 days after delivery of month Project Report

20%

7 Submit final invoice for payment No later than 30 days after delivery of Final Project Report

20%

6.0 Travel

NA

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

Requirements/Credentials:

Job Specifications and Requirements

● Master’s degree field related to environmental science, ecology, fishery and wildlife, environmental administration/planning, natural resource management, conservation, Urban and Regional Planners or related academic areas.

● Leadership and program management experience in environmental, natural resource, watershed management and related program areas

● At least 5 years’ experience in community engagement and capacity-building environmental, sustainability, or climate adaptation related projects through various participatory and education methods and tools, ideally with urbanized communities in Puerto Rico,

● Excellent communication, interpersonal, facilitation, and mediation skills to gain the trust of communities and partner organizations.

● Bilingual- proficiency in English and Spanish (conversational and written proficiency)

● Excellent communication, interpersonal, facilitation, and mediation skills to gain the trust of communities and partner organizations.

● Certifications in environmental education, interpretation, and/or communication is highly desired.

● Demonstrated work experience with communities in the Río Piedras watershed or the San Juan Bay

Estuary region.

● Able to work on weekends or outside regular business hours to accommodate availability of communities.

● Cover own business and travel expenses and tools, including transportation, computer, computer software and licenses, materials, etc.

● Must have an active account registered in SAM.gov.

8.0 Security Requirements

NA

9.0 Data Rights

NA

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards

NA

Attachment

None.