ATTACHMENT 1_STATEMENT OF WORK.pdf

Draft

Statement of Work Technical Support for the NCST Hurricane Maria Investigation’s Deaths and Injuries Project

1. BACKGROUND

The National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act (Public Law 107-231, codified at 15 U.S.C. 7301 et seq.) authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish teams to investigate the failure of a building or buildings that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential for substantial loss of life. The purpose of the investigations by the teams is to improve safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United States by: (1) establishing the likely technical cause of building failures; (2) evaluating the technical aspects of procedures used for evacuation and emergency response; (3) recommending, as necessary, specific improvements to building codes, standards, and practices based on the findings; (4) recommending any research and other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings and to improve emergency response and evacuation procedures, based on the findings of the investigation. The NCST Act requires the Team to issue a report including a technical analysis and recommendations within 90 days of completing an investigation.

The Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) established a National Construction Safety Team on February 21, 2018 to perform a technical investigation of the 2017 Hurricane Maria and its impacts on Puerto Rico. The goals of this investigation are to characterize: (1) the wind environment and technical conditions associated with deaths and injuries; (2) the performance of representative critical buildings, and designated safe areas in those buildings, including their dependence on local lifelines; and (3) the performance of emergency communications systems and the public’s response to such communications.

Additional background information on NIST’s planned efforts on Hurricane Maria is available at:

https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria

Anticipated activities related to all NCST projects can be found at:

https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria/hurricane-maria-projects-0

Anticipated activities related to the technical conditions associated with deaths and injuries can be found at:

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018/11/07/proj_4_aug2018_hurricane_maria_m ortality_final.pdf

2. PURPOSE

This statement of work outlines the technical activities required by a Contractor to support the NCST investigation by performing an in-depth analysis of deaths and injuries that are directly and indirectly related to Hurricane Maria’s impacts on Puerto Rico. Direct deaths are defined as those caused by the immediate forces of the hurricane usually leading to injuries (including drowning) that cause death. For https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2018/05/nist-launches-study-hurricane-marias-impact-puerto-rico https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2018/05/nist-launches-study-hurricane-marias-impact-puerto-rico https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria/hurricane-maria-projects-0 https://www.nist.gov/topics/disaster-failure-studies/hurricane-maria/hurricane-maria-projects-0 https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018/11/07/proj_4_aug2018_hurricane_maria_mortality_final.pdf https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018/11/07/proj_4_aug2018_hurricane_maria_mortality_final.pdf https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018/11/07/proj_4_aug2018_hurricane_maria_mortality_final.pdf https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2018/11/07/proj_4_aug2018_hurricane_maria_mortality_final.pdf the purposes of this study, indirect deaths are defined as those resulting from the loss of functionality of a building, or the services delivered from that building, specifically hospitals and schools. The deaths that are of particular interest to the investigation are those directly or indirectly related to building and/or building system failures, which may involve failure of one or more of the following: structural system, fire protection (active or passive) system, air-handling system, and building control system. The information provided by the Contractor will be essential in the development of recommendations to improve mortality surveillance and attribution, and ultimately, the safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United States.

3. SCOPE

The principal goal of this project is for a Contractor to identify deaths in Puerto Rico directly and indirectly related to Hurricane Maria, and more specifically identify deaths attributed to building and/or building system failure(s). The Contractor shall provide services to gather data related to deaths in Puerto Rico, conduct verbal autopsies and/or clinical panels to determine attribution of deaths that occurred immediately after the storm made landfall. NIST will provide data from other projects related to the Hurricane Maria NCST investigation and National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program’s (NWIRP’s) study to identify any additional deaths that should also be studied in-depth.

Collection of documents and information under this contract shall be carried out in accordance with the NCST Act and its implementing regulations (15 C.F.R. Part 270). Documents collected under this contract shall be transmitted to NIST in electronic format as soon as practicable. All information collected by the Contractor for the NIST investigation or furnished to the Contractor under the contract as government furnished information (GFI) must be held in the strictest confidence during the contract and all originals and copies transferred to NIST (or destroyed) at the end of the contract.

This work requires the Contractor to have some physical presence in Puerto Rico and, ideally, established relationships with Puerto Rico’s institutional structure. The work also requires that the Contractor has experience in completion of death certificates in Puerto Rico. This also requires the Contractor to have Spanish language fluency and translation capabilities for in-person meetings and for documents that may need translation for NIST personnel.

4. REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES BY TASK

(CLIN) Contract Line Item 0001: The Contractor shall provide a firm fixed price lump sum to execute all of the following tasks, with exception to Task 12: Travel and Other Direct Costs and Option CLIN, Task 12 is associated with Contract Line Item 0002:

4.1 Project Management and Planning

4.1.1 Project Management

The Contractor shall appoint a Project Manager (PM) who shall have overall responsibility for project management and execution of the required tasks (work) provided herein. The PM shall be responsible for progress of the project, its deliverables, and the overall technical quality of the project. In addition, the PM shall be responsible for reviewing project deliverables prior to submittal, providing advice and consultation throughout the project, and serve as a liaison to outside organizations or persons.

4.1.2 Kick off meeting

Within ten calendar days of award, the Contractor shall convene a project kickoff meeting with all key project personnel. The meeting can be either in-person or by video conference. Required NIST team members (to be assigned at award) may travel to the Contractor’s office for the meeting. The goal of this meeting is to review the study approach, data needs, and coordinate activities as needed to develop a final work plan and a timeline for the project. This meeting/call shall include the NIST Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC), along with key contract personnel.

4.1.3 Project Work Plan

Within thirty calendar days of contract award, the Contractor shall develop and submit to NIST for approval a draft Project Work Plan (PWP) based on discussions at the kickoff meeting and any subsequent meeting(s) regarding the execution of the contract. The PWP shall include proposed dates, deliverables, information requirements from NIST, and the potential risks for implementation. In addition, the PWP shall outline protocols and training for all staff required to collect data in the field and conduct verbal autopsies and/or clinical panels. NIST will approve the PWP or provide review comments for revision within ten calendar days of receipt. The Contractor shall have five calendar days to incorporate review comments provided by NIST and submit a final PWP. The PWP shall be revised as needed throughout the life of the contract. Updates to the plan shall be scheduled as mutually agreed between NIST and the Contractor. The NIST COR shall approve the draft revised PWP or provide comments for revision within ten calendar days of receipt. The Contractor shall have five calendar days to incorporate review comments provided by NIST and submit a final revised project work plan. The act of exercising options may require the revision of this Project Work Plan to accommodate project updates.

4.1.4 Monthly update calls and reports

The PM shall be responsible for the communication of the status of the contract through monthly status update reports which shall provide information on the cost, schedule, and risks associated with the project and each deliverable that is in development. NIST will provide a template for the monthly status update report. The status report is to be completed and submitted to the COR and the TPOC of the contract by the final day of each month during the contract period of performance. The COR and TPOC will discuss the status of the contract and any necessary mitigation strategies with the contract PM as needed.

Monthly update video conference calls are also required and shall include all major project reporting, as well as review of any issues that arise during the course of the work. However, if significant issues should arise between monthly updates, the Contractor shall contact the COR and TPOC as soon as possible.

Prior to the monthly call (at least 2 business days), an agenda shall be provided along with a brief summary of progress via email to the COR and TPOC. Following the meeting (within 5 business days), the contractor shall provide a summary of the meeting in the form of a monthly report with key discussion points and decisions from the meeting and general updates.

4.2 Database Integration and Analysis, Literature Review and Verbal Autopsy Development

4.2.1 Develop an Integrated Database of Deaths in Puerto Rico

The Contractor shall collect and merge data on the deaths occurring up to six months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico. Data sources include the Puerto Rico Vital Registration System with available datasets from the Bureau of Forensic Sciences (including DMORT E-Cases records, pathology registry records, case identification, case review, and cremation and institutional death databases).

Additional data to consider merging into this database, conditional on their availability and to be provided by the Government, are 911 emergency calls obtained from the Bureau of Police, and funeral and burial assistance data from FEMA and the American Red Cross, using an individual level primary key to eliminate redundancies and duplication. The Contractor shall geocode the deaths and submit a text searchable database alongside a report documenting the process for merging data sources, as well as the data coverage and quality from each source, highlighting the potential added value of integration of data from specific sources.

4.2.2 Spatial and Temporal Clustering of Deaths

Analyze the integrated database to calculate cause-specific mortality rates adjusted for age and gender and compare these to the prior years. Examine each broad cause of death (i.e. ICD-10 chapters) and specific causes of death typically attributed to hurricanes (e.g., drowning, death from a fallen object, etc.) and compare them to previous years. Subsequently, calculate age and gender-adjusted cause specific mortality rates for other specific causes of death that are identified as being significantly greater following Hurricane Maria (compared to the previous year). Identify any significant increases in death rates from particular causes between the period after the storm and years prior and flag all deaths from those causes in the first two weeks after the storm. Additionally, identify spatial and temporal clusters of deaths occurring up to six months after the storm in four study areas (study area size is equivalent to an emergency zone in Puerto Rico and includes multiple municipalities) identified by NIST staff.

4.2.3 Literature Review and Interview Instrument Development

The contractor shall complete a literature review to develop a codebook of key words and phrases associated with causes of mortality in windstorms. The contractor shall develop verbal autopsy (VA) instrument and script (instructions to the respondent and interviewer) to be used to determine if a death was the direct result of a building and/or building system failure(s), secondary to the forces of the hurricane including wind, storm surge, flooding or landslides.

The purpose of the VA instrument is to determine if a death was the direct or indirect result of the building and/or building system failure(s). This means that the person died from injury related to the structural failure, damage to the building, or loss function of building systems. NIST shall provide input on the VA instrument drafted by the contractor. The Contractor shall draft the script for VA instrument in the appropriate language(s) for Puerto Rico. The script must consist of instructions to the respondent and interviewer (in the appropriate language(s)), as well as transition language between survey/interview sections, and any supporting training materials.

The Contractor shall develop, in consultation with the Government, the items required to deliver the VA survey to the potential respondents in the selected mode, where face-to-face is preferred over phone interviewing. The NCST Act authorizes such efforts, which includes assessing building performance and emergency response and evacuation procedures an event causing building failures that have resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential of substantial loss of life. As such, this effort does not meet the definition of research under the Common Rule for the Protection of Human Subjects, 15 CFR 27, and will not need further review by the NIST Human Subjects Protection Office.

4.3 Data Collection: Conducting Verbal Autopsies with Next of Kin and Key Informants

Based on the literature review of 4.2.3, the Contractor shall develop an inclusion and exclusion criteria for identifying deaths that occurred within 14 days of the storm’s landfall, for in-depth study. The Contractor shall use these criteria to identify the deaths from the integrated database of 4.2.2 that may have been caused by a building and/or building system failure(s). The Contractor shall complete verbal autopsies for this census of deaths with next of kin of decedents or key informants capable of identifying direct and indirect deaths associated with the disaster, and specifically those potentially related to building failures. The VA survey shall take no more than 30 minutes on average and shall be completed by face-to-face, or by phone if needed. The suggested method is face-to-face.

4.3.1 Conducting and Analyzing the Structured Surveys

Once the final VA survey is developed, the Contractor shall administer the structured survey to interview next of kin of decedents or key informants capable of identifying direct and indirect deaths associated with the disaster. The Contractor shall then identify those deaths as likely caused directly or indirectly by building and/or building system failure(s), as defined in Section 2.

4.4 Draft Report and Presentation

All feedback on draft versions of the data collected through surveys and interviews by NIST shall be addressed in the final deliverable. Any relevant coding or decision rules for entry of data shall be maintained alongside the spreadsheet files. The datasets shall be delivered in a format that allows for additions and revisions by NIST.

The Contractor shall compile and clean the survey and interview data, and ensure quality of the data via a quality assurance/quality control process. The Contractor shall also analyze the survey data using basic descriptive analyses. Draft reports and presentations shall be created by the Contractor and provided to NIST for feedback. Revisions to the draft report, based on NIST input, shall be incorporated into the final report submitted to NIST.

4.4.1 Draft Report

The Contractor shall compile a draft report for comment and review which shall then be followed by a final report. The draft report shall contain the following:

● a specific and detailed methods section for the VA surveys and/or any required social autopsies, clinical panels, or other interviews

● summary statistics for the survey data, which are likely to include spatial clustering of deaths, descriptive statistics, cross tabulations of selected questions, uncertainties, and other such analyses of data determined with input from NIST TPOC.

● an appendix which shall include the final VA survey, other relevant supplementary materials, and code books

● integrated database of deaths

● a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the report shall be provided to NIST for future project outreach (See 4.4.2)

4.4.2 Draft PowerPoint Presentation

Highlights from the draft report (Section 4.4.1) shall be included as part of a PowerPoint presentation that the contractor shall prepare. The presentation shall include, but is not limited to the following:

● a summary overview of the VA survey sample;

● a map showing spatial clustering of deaths by type;

● descriptive statistics for survey questions;

● highlights from cross-tabulation results.

4.4.3 Final Report and PowerPoint Presentation

The final report shall include all contents listed in Subtask 4.4.1, any additional contents requested by NIST during review of the draft report and shall incorporate feedback from the NIST TPOC during review of the draft report.

Additionally, a final PowerPoint presentation (with contents specified in 4.4.2), that incorporates feedback from the NIST TPOC during review of the draft, shall be delivered to the NIST TPOC. This PowerPoint shall be delivered as a webinar, or in-person, to the NIST TPOC and associated NIST staff.

4.5 Electronic Data Delivery

The Contractor shall compile, organize and store all data collected under Task 4.2.1, as well as NIST provided data received from partner organizations such as FEMA, HHS, and the American Red Cross. All data shall be recorded with adequate metadata for future retrieval. The Contractor shall also compile, clean and deliver all survey data (collected under Subtask 4.3). The Contractor shall also prepare the final electronic data set in SPSS-compatible (.sav) format (e.g., .csv, .txt, .xls) consisting of the data file and code book. The raw data shall be provided in Spanish, prior to translation. The final, cleaned data file shall be translated into English; the quality of this translation should be that of a certified true translation.

The Contractor shall also compile and deliver all raw interview data (collected under Subtask 4.3).

Interview data shall be transcribed and delivered to NIST in English. If translation is necessary, the quality of this translation should be that of a certified true translation. Raw interview data will be provided by NIST as text-based transcripts (provided in WORD).

5. DELIVERABLES (DLs) AND SCHEDULE

In addition to the Deliverables that are outlined in the Specific Tasks in Section 4, the Contractor shall submit the following deliverables under this task order. All deliverables shall be submitted to the NIST COR. Unless a due date is already identified below, the Contractor shall propose due dates for submission of the following deliverables to the NIST COR within the required due dates indicated below:

DL Associated Subtask

Description Format Projected Completion Date

1 4.1.2 Kick-off meeting In-person or video conference

Within 10 calendar days of award date

2 4.1.3 Project Work Plan MS Word No more than 30 calendar days after award date

3 4.1.4 Monthly meeting agendas and monthly reports

MS Word/Email

Monthly for project duration

4 4.2.1 Integrated Database Development

Database format chosen by contractor, approved by NIST;

Report in MS Word.

No more than 70 calendar days after award date

5 4.2.2 Spatial and temporal analysis of deaths

MS Word or MS Excel Not more than 100 calendar days after award date.

6 4.2.3 Literature review and sample verbal autopsy

MS Word Not more than 100 calendar days after award.

7 4.2.3 Input on surveys MS Word, tracked changes

Not more than 20 calendar days after draft instruments are initially provided.

8 4.2.3 Surveys scripts, training materials and translation

MS Word, MS Excel Not more than 40 calendar days provided.

9 4.3 Identify inclusion and exclusion criteria of deaths for in-depth study.

MS Word, MS Excel Not more than 140 calendar days after award date.

10 4.3.1 Complete VA interviews

MS Word, MS Excel Not more than 180 calendar days provided.

11 4.4.1 Draft Report MS Word Not more than 300 calendar days after draft instruments are initially provided.

12 4.4.2 Draft PowerPoint presentation

MS PowerPoint Not more than 300 calendar days after draft instruments are initially provided.

13 4.4.3 Final Report and PowerPoint presentation

MS Word; MS PowerPoint

Not more than 360 calendar days after draft instruments are initially provided.

14 4.5 Electronic Data Delivery

Chosen by contractor, approved by NIST

Not more than 360 calendar days provided.

All deliverables shall be provided to the COR and to the NIST task lead. All materials shall be submitted to NIST via electronic submission.

6. DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The Contractor may invoice the Government upon receipt from the COR that a given deliverable is of acceptable quality and that all other assigned tasks are up to date. Payment shall be made in accordance with the agreed upon payment schedule.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

All work and deliverables supporting this project shall be completed and submitted to the NIST COR within 18 months of award.

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

All work shall be accomplished at the Contractor’s facility or within the affected study area.

9. CONTRACT TYPE

Firm-fixed price.

10. KEY PERSONNEL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

At minimum, the contractor shall assign the following three (3) positions as key personnel. The following is a description of the minimum qualifications that must be met by the individual in the key personnel positions.

Project Manager:

• The PM shall be a highly qualified (verified with a portfolio of their professional achievements) epidemiologist and/or biostatistician who has expertise in clinical medicine, merging large institutional databases, survey design and implementation in areas affected by natural disasters, as well as qualitative interviewing. This position requires a minimum of 10 years of general project management experience.

In addition to the Project Manager, the contractor shall assign key personnel that possess the following qualifications, equipment, prior experience, and skills to contribute to the project:

Technical Level III Epidemiologist and/or Biostatistician:

● Minimum education: Master’s degree in the field of Public Health from an accredited college or university. A PhD and/or MPH degree in Epidemiology is preferred.

● Minimum experience: At least 5 years of relevant experience working performing epidemiologic work or work in a closely related field.

● Applies technical knowledge and judgment in a scientific or other technical field in relevant epidemiological principles as required for technically complex assignments. Develops solutions to difficult problems. Duties may include computer programming and ability to conduct and interpret appropriate statistical analyses, observing epidemiological standards of practice.

Contributes to the technical planning process.

● Experience in survey design and implementation, as well as qualitative interviewing is preferred.

● Experience in the design of sampling strategies and sampling weights, assessment of representativeness of samples, etc. is preferred.

● Knowledge of verbal autopsies, social autopsies, and/or clinical panels methods.

Technical Level II Epidemiologist and/or Biostatistician:

● Minimum education: Master’s degree in the field of Public Health from an accredited college or university. An MPH degree in Epidemiology is preferred.

● Minimum experience: At least 2 years of performing epidemiologic work or work in a closely related field.

● Knowledge and ability to use assessment protocols/methods, gathers data for assessing the risk of injury and fatalities in humans due to potential risk factors posed by natural hazards and damaged buildings and infrastructure, has leadership responsibilities. Duties may include computer programming and ability to conduct and interpret appropriate statistical analyses, observing epidemiological standards of practice. Contributes to the technical planning process.

● Knowledge of extracting and translating medical records to code/classify mortality data.

● Ability to conduct survey and interviews in languages appropriate to Puerto Rico;

● Ability to provide data and reports in the languages appropriate to Puerto Rico and translated to English in the certified true translation form, as appropriate.

11. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, DATA, AND/OR INFORMATION

If required, NIST may provide data and/or information received from other partnering organizations. In this event, the Contractor shall categorize, organize and store the data in accordance with this contract.

All data and deliverables generated under this contract remain the property of the Government.

No Government-furnished property or equipment will be provided.

(CLIN):Contract Line Item 0002: Task 12: Travel and Other Direct Costs: The Contractor shall quote a Not To Exceed ceiling of $90,000.00.

12. TRAVEL AND OTHER DIRECT COSTS

The Government estimates a travel ceiling amount of $90,000.00 for Contractor travel costs for the total period of performance of this contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for making all travel arrangements including but not limited to airline tickets, hotel, car rental reservations, etc. The Contractor shall be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. All reimbursed travel costs shall be provided to the NIST COR for written approval prior to incurring costs. When requesting reimbursement for travel costs, the Contractor shall submit an invoice with a detailed breakout of the reimbursable travel costs. The Contractor shall make every effort to keep travel costs to a minimum.

Travel expenses for Government employees to attend project-related meetings or building inspections will not be the responsibility of the Contractor.

13. RISK ASSESSMENT

The HSPD-12 Security Risk Level assigned to this Contract is Non-IT Low Risk.

14. GENERAL INFORMATION

Confidential or Proprietary Data: This work does not involve confidential or proprietary data. The certification and accreditation requirements of Clause 1352.239-73 do not apply and a security accreditation package is not required.

Media Inquiries: The Contractor or his employees shall not respond to any media inquiries. Any inquiries from the media shall be immediately relayed to the COR and/or CO. There shall be no interviews, comments, or any other response without the knowledge and approval of the NIST Public Affairs Office.

15. PROJECT MEETINGS

The Contractor shall host and conduct meetings as described in this section and in accordance with task of this contract. All meetings shall be conducted during regular business hours for Eastern Time.

(1) The Contractor shall host and conduct a kickoff meeting prior to the draft Project Work Plan is submitted to the NIST COR. This meeting may be in-person at the Contractor’s facility or NIST. Alternatively, it may be a web-supported teleconference.

(2) The Contractor shall host and conduct monthly web-supported teleconference meetings, or conducted as in person meetings at the discretion of the COR.

16. EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS

There are no attachments or exhibits.

17. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

Required Services (Tasks)

Performance Standards

Acceptable Quality Levels

Methods of Surveillance

Task 4.1.3 – PWP • Minimum qualifications met for Project Team

• Progress briefings timely and complete

• PWP timely and complete

• Monthly status reports timely and complete

100% • NIST TPOC will review all resumes

• NIST TPOC will review progress briefings

• NIST TPOC will review the draft PWP

• NIST COR will review monthly status reports

Task 4.2 – Database Integration and Analysis

• Deliverables timely and complete all deliverables

Task 4.3 – Data Collection

Task 4.4 – Project Report and Presentation

Submitted timely, with extensions requested by Contractor; final version is free of errors

100% NIST TPOC will review the draft and final versions of the report and presentation

Tasks 4.5 – Electronic Data Delivery

Electronic delivery shall be complete and submitted timely, with extensions requested by Contractor. Final version is free of errors.

100% NIST TPOC will review the final electronic delivery of data.

Optional Task 1.1

– Convene Panel of Experts

Optional Task 1.2

– Retrieve Additional Data

Optional Task 1.3

– Panel Methods Report

Submitted timely, with extensions requested by Contractor; final version is free of errors

100% NIST TPOC will review the draft and final versions of the report and presentation

18. OPTIONAL LINE ITEMS:

(CLIN):Contract Line Item 1001: The Contractor shall provide a firm fixed price lump sum to execute all of the following optional tasks:

THE FOLLOWING SERVICES ARE OPTION LINE ITEMS. PRICES QUOTED SHALL BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. AWARD OF OPTION LINE ITEMS IS AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF

THE GOVERNMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 52.217-7.

The period of performance for the optional task shall be 7 months from date of exercising. The Government may exercise option line items, at its discretion, at time of award, or any time prior to the expiration date of the period of performance of the base period. Options shall be exercised by the issuance of a modification (Standard Form 30).

Task 1.1- The Contractor shall convene a panel of experts to review cases of deaths identified as potentially due to building failures. The expert panel shall include medical personnel from Puerto Rico and from the mainland, and other types of experts as identified by the Contractor in collaboration with

NIST.

Task 1.2- The Contractor shall retrieve additional data (e.g., medical records) of indeterminate cases and/or interview next of kin or key informants with specific questions generated by the panel. This data shall be reviewed by the panel again for final determination.

Task 1.3- The Contractor shall complete a report of the methods for administering the expert panel, acquiring additional data for review, and the identified direct and indirect deaths resulting from a building and/or building system failure(s).

DL Associated Subtask

Description Format Projected Completion Date

1 1.1 Convene Panel In-person or video conference

90 calendar days after exercise of option

2 1.2 Additional Data for Panel

PDF 180 calendar days after exercise of option

3 1.3 Methods Report MS Word 180 calendar days after exercise of option