032 RFQ attachment - Performance Work Statement.docx

Performance Work Statement Development of Recovery Categories and Timeframes for Design of Buildings to Meet Functional Recovery Performance Objectives

Requesting Lab: Engineering Laboratory, Earthquake Engineering Group

Background:

“Functional recovery” describes a new performance target to mitigate risk from natural hazards. It is currently being developed specifically for earthquake hazards but will eventually be applied across different types of natural hazards. The functional recovery performance level indicates that an asset, after an earthquake, could be reoccupied or recovered in time to avoid significant losses, disruptions, and downtime for critical societal activities.

A committee of subject matter experts in earthquake design and risk mitigation developed a document outlining options for improving functional recovery of the built environment (FEMA P2090 / NIST SP1254). As part of the development of that report, stakeholder workshops were held in 2020 to gather information from knowledgeable subject matter experts (NIST SP1269). Feedback was gathered at the workshops to identify “need by” timeframes–the point by which some level of recovery is needed before serious or catastrophic impacts to individuals and communities (e.g., population dislocation) are felt by the loss of a function or service. This information is being used to develop a goal matrix for the application of the functional recovery performance objective to building assets. The matrix will set forth recovery categories and target recovery times for buildings that support key social functions and services.

At the 2022 National Conference held by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), NIST personnel presented a proposal matrix for the recovery time frames at a mini-workshop and sought feedback from conference attendees. This information and feedback can also inform revisions to the matrix. Subsequent work is being conducted by the Building Seismic Safety Council’s Provision Update Committee (PUC) on the topic of functional recovery and to further develop a goal matrix. Leveraging these and other efforts, NIST requires contractor support services to host a national workshop to gather data required for refinement of recovery categories and goals. The outcome of the workshop will inform development of design requirements for functional recovery and advance the current state of knowledge and practice for functional recovery performance.

Objectives:

The objective of this effort is to obtain technical assistance from a contractor to formulate performance target goals and compile and disseminate information to assist engineers and others interested in enhancing the structural performance of buildings to better withstand earthquakes. The main emphasis is to gather expert opinion on the draft functional recovery goal matrix being developed by the functional recovery task committee of PUC. The matrix will facilitate the application of target recovery times to building occupancies dependent upon identification of categories highlighting needs for social recovery. Consideration of lifelines will also be included to the extent that they support building recovery. The contractor shall seek to further improve and modify the functional recovery matrix proposed by PUC. The contractor shall examine the impact of different levels of seismic hazard on the proposed matrix (i.e., design-level versus maximum considered earthquake). Each matrix shall include categories for recovery, proposed timeframes for recovery, and may include examples of services, functions, or occupancies that are associated with a particular category.

Scope/General Requirements:

The Contractor shall provide all support for project oversight, administration, and technical execution of this task order. The Contractor is responsible for maintaining accurate records of project activities. The Contractor shall provide services to assist NIST with research and development of guidelines for functional recovery performance objectives. The Contractor shall be available to travel to the D.C. area for the planning and conduct of the workshop associated with this task order.

Project activities shall be developed by the contractor with input from a variety of subject-matter experts including: a Project Committee consisting of one project director and three additional committee members, in addition to two NIST technical knowledge liaisons. Key input will also be provided by additional subject-matter experts invited to participate in a workshop. The effort shall culminate in a final project report which discusses the workshop process and findings, presents improvements and commentary related to the PUC matrix, and provides recommendations for their application and/or further development. This information is intended to be useful for the creation of future codes, standards, and guidance necessary for achieving functional recovery.

Required efforts include a) developing, planning and facilitating a workshop, b) collaborating with subject matter experts, c) executing a workshop, d) preparing presentations and facilitating team meetings, e) and writing professional-grade reports. The key purpose of this effort is to gather input from subject matter experts relevant to the field of functional recovery to further inform the development of the functional recovery target performance matrix. The matrix shall reflect the most up-to-date efforts in this area.

Tasks/ Specific Requirements:

Task 1: Kick-Off Meeting The Contractor shall host a virtual kick-off meeting [Deliverable 1: Kick off Meeting], through an online means such as Zoom or MS Teams, between NIST and the Contractor to facilitate sharing of information and discussion of the project’s technical scope. This meeting is intended to assist the Contractor with acquiring necessary information regarding project requirements.

Task 2: Development of Project Plan The work plan shall summarize the project scope, outputs, deadlines/timelines, procedures, as well as actions planned to ensure coordination with the related ongoing efforts at the Provision Update Committee (PUC) Functional Recovery Task Committee. [Deliverable 2: Project Plan]. NIST shall provide comments and feedback on the plan. If any alterations to the workplan are later required, they shall be mutually agreed upon between the Contractor and the NIST Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Task 3: Project Process Requirements The COR will organize a phone conference with the Contractor, NIST, and a representative from NIST’s Conference Services Office to ensure that all expectations and requirements for NIST protocols are appropriately communicated [Deliverable 3a Call with Conference Services]. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that these protocols are accommodated, and appropriate actions are taken as directed by the Conference Services Office.

The Contractor shall provide progress reports in a PDF memo format every three months to the COR [Deliverable 3b: Progress reports] covering progress of the previous quarter. The progress reports shall include records of substantive project related activities and achievements which happened over the preceding months and identify any ongoing or anticipated problems or challenges needing attention.

At the conclusion of the project, within two weeks of the submission of the final report to NIST, all appropriate documents and notes shall be delivered to NIST via a secure file transfer mechanism. All documents and notes must be submitted in a readable file format, such as PDF, that is usable by NIST. [Deliverable 3c: Notes Transfer]

Task 4 Project Committee The Contractor shall organize commitments from four individuals to serve on the project committee (one project director and three committee members). Members are required to attend project meetings, provide feedback and recommendations, and assist with preparing and reviewing reports associated with this project. The Contractor shall reimburse the four project committee members for their effort on this project. The Contractor shall collect information regarding committee members that is necessary to contact, recruit, and maintain relationships with members throughout the project’s duration. The Contractor shall host a virtual onboarding meeting for the committee with NIST representatives present [Deliverable 4: Committee Onboarding Meeting] where the contractor shall present the project work plan developed under task 2 to the committee.

Task 5: Workshop Plan Based on conversations with the project committee, the Contractor shall develop a draft workshop plan, including scope, content, agenda, and list of potential invitees [Deliverable 5a: Draft Workshop Plan]. The workshop plan shall identify topical discussion areas and questions relevant to refine and improve the functional recovery matrix. The agenda proposed shall clearly outline the anticipated timing and coverage for the event and recommend key speakers. The workshop shall be held as an in-person (non-virtual) event. The preferred location for the workshop is a NIST facility in the greater Washington, D.C. area, but an alternate location may be considered given the needs of workshop attendees. For example, hosting a workshop in a non-NIST site in a different location or different state may help with convening a greater number of relevant participants.

A potential list of stakeholders suggested for attendance shall be developed by the Contractor. Stakeholders shall be represented from varied backgrounds and be from diverse sectors with perspectives related to earthquake risk mitigation. The stakeholders shall be from organizations and agencies relevant for representation of practitioners knowledgeable about both structural and non-structural systems, particularly earthquake hazard impacts on buildings and nonstructural systems. Expertise shall extend to those engaged in related community resilience work (e.g., social scientists, urban planners, and lifelines engineers). A minimum of sixty (60) stakeholders shall be identified, with targeted attendance of approximately 40 individuals. The approximately 40 individuals will be selected from the preliminary list of 60 individuals proposed by the contractor from a review process conducted by the COR and other NIST officials. Any questions on the review process will be communicated to the contractor for possible clarifications.

The Contractor shall organize a virtual meeting for the project committee to present the draft workshop plan [Deliverable 5b: Planning Meeting]. Discussion and suggestions needed to refine the plan shall be adjudicated by the Contractor, which shall present a workshop plan to the project team for NIST’s review [Deliverable 5c: Final Workshop Plan]

Task 6: Workshop Execution The Contractor shall be responsible for all workshop logistics, including venue selection and rental, on-site event management, workshop support activities including audio/visual support, and other necessary materials provision. All aspects of executing the workshop shall be performed by the Contractor and approved in advance by NIST.

· The workshop [Deliverable 6: Workshop] shall take place on the date/location agreed upon with NIST in the greater Washington, D.C. area (or approved alternative site).

· The Contractor shall work with NIST’s conference services to establish registration procedures for participants. The Contractor shall keep a record of all attendees to provide to NIST.

· The Contractor shall provide travel support for up to 40 NIST-approved domestic participants. Travel reimbursement shall be provided to approved participants within 3 weeks after completed reimbursement requests are received by the Contractor.

· The Contractor shall be responsible for facilitating, recording information, and primary compilation of workshop content and outputs. The Contractor shall lead, or provide suitable leaders for, all workshop activities and sessions.

· Depending on the size of the activities (number of attendees), breakout sessions may be necessary. The Contractor shall be prepared to provide support to lead and facilitate breakout sessions when needed.

· The Contractor shall provide materials for presenters and discussions, including projectors and screens, audio capabilities, whiteboards and charts for writing and presenting, notepads, pens, and an agenda.

· The Contractor shall ensure stakeholder participants are engaged and prepared to discuss, in conjunction with NIST, the topics and issues necessary to develop content related to functional recovery.

Task 7: Analysis of Workshop Outputs The Contractor shall be responsible for producing summaries and analyses of workshop outputs, and using the notes taken at the workshop to develop outcomes and findings from the activities.

· The Contractor shall document and take notes at each workshop activity and breakout session, to capture details and ideas of relevance to the functional recovery topic. Compile all information collected for submission to NIST [Deliverable 7a: Workshop Raw Findings].

· Summary notes shall be submitted to NIST by the Contractor. Summaries shall include all important aspects of the meeting, be free from grammatical errors and in a consistent format, and have a logical flow of content [Deliverable 7b: Draft Summary of Workshop Findings].

· The Contractor shall analyze the summary notes and present the key results of analysis via oral virtual presentation to the COR and other NIST employees as well as the project committee for discussion and consideration [Deliverable 7c: Oral Presentation of Draft Workshop Outcomes]. Feedback from NIST from this meeting shall be incorporated into the final report phase as outlined below.

Final Report:

Task 8: Final Report With input gathered during the workshop and analysis phases outlined above, the Contractor shall complete a final draft report using the NIST Special Publication template, a Word Document which will be provided after the contract is awarded. The report will detail workshop goals, conduct, and analyses and outcomes from workshop activities, the matrices development process and detailing final proposed outputs. [Deliverable 8a: Draft Report].

The Contractor shall host a virtual meeting with the NIST COR, other NIST attendees, and the committee for a final round of review [Deliverable 8b: Final Findings Presentation and Review Meeting].

Based on meeting feedback and input, the Contractor shall finalize and submit to NIST the final project report [Deliverable 8c: Review-Ready Report]. The Contractor shall review and adjudicate all summary comments received from the COR. The Contractor shall also be responsible for resolving any comments or outstanding concerns which arise within the task order period, provide recommendations for further work, and will include these in the final report. The document shall be submitted to the COR, to initiate the NIST editorial review processes..

[Deliverable 8d: Final Report]. The report shall be finalized after the report has gone through the final NIST editorial review and the contractor addresses any changes requested by the COR resulting from the editorial review. The NIST editorial review processes will take up to 3 months.

Deliverable Schedule:

All deliverables shall be transmitted to NIST electronically via secure file transfer or an alternative secure means if mutually agreed upon with the COR. However, the Contractor shall not have access to any NIST Information Technology Systems.

Inspection/Acceptance:

Inspection and acceptance of deliverables identified above shall be completed by NIST no later than 14 business days after a task deadline. Inspection and acceptance of each task shall be completed by the NIST COR. The table below describes the acceptable quality standards for each task in this Performance Work Statement (PWS).

Performance Requirements Summary

Government-Furnished Property, Material, Equipment, or Information (GFP, GFM, GFE, or GFI):

NIST shall ensure that the Contractors have access to all relevant NIST-published references and information regarding up-to-date conceptualization of potential functional recovery categories and recovery time frames. No other Government-furnished property shall be provided.

The Contractor shall not have access to Department of Commerce or NIST Information Technology systems.

Risk Levels:

The work to be performed under this task order entails No Information Technology Risk and No Non-Information-Technology Risk.

Travel and Other Direct Costs:

Travel is required for the expenses of selected workshop participants, other than Government employees, as approved in advance by the COR. Other direct costs (ODCs) approved in advance by the COR, including the workshop venues and audio/visual support, and any other approved ODCs, are also required. The Contractor is responsible for making all travel and other direct cost arrangements. The Contractor shall make every effort to keep costs to a minimum.

Travel and Other Direct Costs shall be submitted in accordance with the GSA Federal Travel Regulations. Travel and other direct costs shall be included as a “not to exceed” (NTE) travel CLIN in the award, as approved, for this requirement. The NTE CLIN will include $5,000 for the cost of travel for the contractor to attend one conference and an amount for the cost of travel for the 40 participants to attend the conference. The cost of travel for the 40 participants to attend the conference shall be quoted by the contractor and will be reviewed and approved by the Contracting Officer prior to the award of a contract.

Period of Performance:

The period of performance shall be for 18 months from date of award.

Place of Performance:

The primary place of performance shall be the Contractors’ normal place of business. The Contractor may work remotely for contract activity related to site visits and workshop and conference execution, after approval by the COR.