DRAFT_PWS_CIRCUIT_RIDER_SOURCES_SOUGHT.pdf

ATTACHMENT I

**DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT**

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

FOR

National Drinking Water Circuit Rider Contract

1. General Information and Scope of Work.

Since 1980, the Rural Development (RD), Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and its predecessor agencies, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has contracted for a rural water circuit rider and awarded grants for a wastewater circuit rider technical assistance programs. During that time, the programs have assisted a significant number of operators, bookkeepers, and board members of small rural water systems with management and operational issues. In addition to rural water system personnel, participants have included State Government Environmental Management

Agency officials, State Rural Development staff, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional officials, and many private contractors and engineers. The predominant request from rural water system operators and board members has been for on-site technical assistance services. The programs follow a long tradition of USDA’s response to the needs of rural America.

1.1 Agency: Describe your agency and its mission (Briefly).

It is the mission of Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Water & Environmental Programs (WEP) to ensure that rural communities with population of 10,000 or less have affordable access to clean water. This is achieved through the delivery of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants to construct, upgrade, and maintain rural water and wastewater systems in these communities. Not having access to clean water could have dire and catastrophic consequences to the rural population our WEP utility borrowers are intending to serve. Along with our financial assistance, it is also WEP’s mission to ensure that these rural water and wastewater systems are sustainable and have the ability to maintain services by having sufficient access to various training and technical assistance.

As required by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) Section 6003, the Secretary shall continue a national rural water and wastewater circuit rider program that is “consistent with the activities and results of the program conducted before the date of enactment of this clause,” as determined by the Secretary, and receives funding from the Secretary, acting through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). As statutorily required, it is crucial for RUS to maintain the same services and performance as it has historically achieved prior to the reauthorization of the Farm Bill in February 2014.

1.2 Background:

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Since the 1990s, the Circuit Rider Program has either contracted or secured a cooperative agreement with the National Rural Water Association to support thousands of rural water and wastewater systems across tribal, states, and territories to support the following program objectives and safety requirements:

• Technical and regulatory compliance to ensure access to clean water

• Professional management and finance assistance to ensure effective utility operations

• Hands on operations, repair, and maintenance to ensure minimal disruption to water and wastewater services during emergencies and disasters

With that said, the Circuit Rider Program protects rural American’s access to clean water and the nation’s multi-billion dollar investments in rural and small municipal water and wastewater systems by ensuring that each state has immediate access to capable and experienced water professionals (“Circuit Riders”) that can deliver the objectives listed above that is not otherwise available elsewhere for rural systems. In support of RUS WEP and the USDA’s Rural Development State Offices, these Circuit Riders are required to have in depth technical knowledge of the rural water and wastewater systems in each state, must be certified in accordance with each state’s requirements to provide onsite hands-on operations, repair, and maintenance, maintain situational awareness of day to day operational status of the rural utilities they serve, and equipped and ready to go particularly when emergencies arise for rapid response. The nation’s rural water and wastewater systems are predominantly managed and operated by public bodies, generally support population of 10,000 or less, many are geographically hard to reach, and require “onsite” and substantial assistance especially in areas where telecommunication may still be challenging.

1.3 Scope of work:

In compliance with the Circuit Rider Program’s statutory requirement, the program objectives, and the needs of rural water and wastewater systems and the population they serve, it is critical that RUS maintains the following unique requirements:

• Technical Capability:

1. State by State Presence: Ability for each state and rural water and wastewater systems to have sufficient and immediate access to qualified, well-experienced, and certified water professionals or Circuit Riders for hands-on and onsite assistance

2. Onsite System Assistance: Ability for each Circuit Rider to have the equipment and capability to monitor utility status, maintain communication, and immediately access systems to deliver requirements especially during emergencies and disasters

3. Onsite Training and Technical Assistance: Technical and professional expertise on utility management, system operations, financial sustainability, and WEP Program knowledge.

Capability to deliver and share technical and professional expertise via training to maintain knowledge, management, and leadership capacity at the utility level including support to succession planning and apprenticeship in partnership with Department of Labor, Community Colleges, and other key local agencies.

4. Rapid Response During Emergencies & Disasters: Ability to minimize disruption to water and wastewater services during emergencies and disasters by facilitating assessments and emergency plans, regional partnerships amongst utilities, and development/execution of mutual agreements between systems and/or state rural water associations for continuity of water and wastewater services during emergencies and disasters

5. Strategic Customer Service: Experience working with a diversity of systems and structure including municipality, water districts, county districts, regional water, private non-profit, private for-profit, cooperative, AND tribally owned and operated rural water and wastewater systems.

• Performance: According to surveys, customers served by Circuit Riders are highly satisfied with the quality of assistance provided. Consistent with prior level activities and results prior to February

2014 as required by the Agricultural Act of 2014, RUS WEP must maintain continuity of the following performance objectives:

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1. 20% Support to sustainability & effective implementation and access to WEP assistance

2. 20% Professional Management and financial support through training and technical assistance

3. 60% Hands-on operational support, repair, and maintenance in accordance with each state requirements including system regulatory compliance with

EPA and USDA requirements

• Best Cost: Consideration of all costs including lowest indirect and travel costs and minimal developmental costs for establishing tools, procedures, and systems to oversee execution of requirements (i.e. GPS tagging of Circuit Riders visiting utility systems) and monitor/report performance.

2. Requirement (Objectives).

• Objective 1 (20%): Support to sustainability and effective implementation & access to WEP assistance o Loan Application and Reporting

▪ Pre-application Assistance

▪ DUNS Number

▪ System for Award Management (SAM) for Central Contractor Registration

(CCR)

▪ Application Assistance

▪ Follow up Assistance

▪ Liaison with Agency

▪ Recipient Reporting o Sustainability Training

▪ Management/Finance

▪ Loans and Applications

▪ Long Range Planning

▪ Board Development including support to succession planning via

Apprenticeship Program when needed

▪ Capital Improvement Planning

▪ Policies and Procedures

• Objective 2 (20%): Professional management and finance assistance to ensure effective utility operations o Policies & Procedures o Rate Structure/Budgets o Financial, Operational, and Regulatory Sustainability o Loans & Grants o Public Relations o Public Education

• Objective 3 (60%): Hands on operations, repair, and maintenance to ensure minimal disruption to water and wastewater services during emergencies and disasters including coordination with relevant partners and ensuring regulatory compliance with EPA and USDA standards o Operation/ Maintenance:

▪ Pumps & Motors

▪ Distribution

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▪ Supply (wells, surface water, etc.)

▪ Pigging (Cleaning) Water Mains

▪ Hydrants

▪ Tanks

▪ Leak Detection

▪ Meters

▪ Water Audits

▪ Conservation

▪ Education/Operator Certification Training o Water Treatment:

▪ Filters/Filtration

▪ Pretreatment

▪ Disinfection

▪ Coagulation/Flocculation

▪ Corrosion Control

▪ Detention Time

▪ Laboratory Analysis o Regulatory Compliance:

▪ MCL Violation

▪ Bacterial sampling

▪ MCL Sampling/Monitoring

▪ Sanitary Survey

▪ Public Notice

▪ Cross Connections

▪ Source Protection

▪ Treatment Process (Other than Regulatory Req.)

▪ Chlorination o Security:

• Vulnerability Assessment

• Emergency Response Planning

• Security Liaison

• Incident Response o Personnel Requirements: Must provide organizationally capacity, well-trained Circuit

Riders, and operational support consistent with the activities and results of the program conducted before the date of enactment of the 2014 Farm Bill as required by law including required training to keep the Circuit Riders current with program, regulatory requirements, and other standards to effectively deliver objectives listed above.

2 Constraints.

2.2 Security requirements: None

2.3 Safety:

2.4 Work hours: Work hours will be established by the Contractor to meet a minimum 40-hour week for each Circuit Rider.

2.5 Site condition: NA

3 Government-furnished Resources. None. The Contractor shall provide all facilities, equipment, materials, and services to perform the requirements of this contract.

4 Contract Deliverables.

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TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

MILESTONE/DELIVERABLE FORMAT

Number

Copies

PWS

Reference

PLANNED

Frequency

Monthly Contact Log PDF

2 copy of report 2.1.6

10 days after the end of each month

Significant Contact Report Word

1 copy of report

2.1.7 10 days after the end of each month

Quality Assurance Report Word

1 copy of

2.1.8 10 days after the end of each month

QUARTERLY TECHNICAL REPORT

PDF 2 copy of

2.1.9 AS REQ

5 Acronyms and Definitions. Alphabetical list of definitions of key words used or acronyms.

6 Performance Requirement Summary (PRS).

EXAMPLE ONLY: Tabular format summarizes all the objectives of the requirement along with the performance standards and Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL).

7.1 Performance Requirement Summary (PRS).

Performance

Objective

Performance

Standard

AQL Inspection

Method

Circuit Riders

Contacts

PWS 2.1.1

All tasks completed within the required timeline

No more than 5% of task shall be submitted later than the required completion date

Periodic

Surveillance through observation