Questions_and_Answers_0001.docx

140FS323R0001- USFWS Strategic Capital Program Support Questions and Answers Amendment 1, Attachment 1

· When was the most recent strategic update completed including desired future state(s)? Similarly, how frequently are these updates conducted?

A strategic update articulating desired future states was completed in early December, 2022 for USFWS DIC. Historically, these programmatic wide strategic updates had not taken place to current leadership’s awareness. Ideally, USFWS DIC would operate under a 5-year strategic plan with annual workplans being developed that are responsive to changing conditions. These detailed plans have not yet been developed for USFWS DIC and would be expected engagement with the contractor.

· How large is USFWS DIC in terms of the number of people and departments?

USFWS DIC has 43 positions on its organizational chart. Within this chart, the USFWS DIC Chief leads the division. Under this role there are five branches which each have a branch chief who report to the DIC Chief (Africa Branch, Eurasia Branch, Combating Wildlife Trafficking Branch, Financial Assistance Branch, Western Hemisphere Branch). Several roles within DIC also report directly to the DIC chief in advisory capacities.

· Does USFWS DIC have current standard operating procedures or other documentation to support understanding of the “AS-IS” state of the organization’s processes or is modeling the “AS-IS” part of the scope?

Yes. Recently DIC organized a retreat to better understand the “as-is” state of the division. This analysis created goals and specified outcomes the division must achieve to be resilient in an uncertain future, and explored where weaknesses in our current processes may exist. The division does have SOPs, but many of these SOPs need updating based evolving relationships with partners and other internal processes.

· Has USFWS DIC already identified internal personnel able to participate and assist the contractor with understanding the current and desired future state(s) organizational environment? If so, where are these individuals located, and at what level in the organization do they serve?

Yes. These individuals are located mostly within the Falls Church office of FWS, but some also work remotely across the U.S. These individuals serve at various ranks within USFWS DIC, and will likely include staff, branch chiefs, and senior advisors.

· Can USFWS DIC provide further clarity on its expected output from “program prototyping”?

Yes. DIC is specifically seeking models to increase evidence-based modeling for our grants programs. While DIC is developing metrics to index our conservation activities, additional work is necessary to understand and communicate whether a) certain sized grants are more successful b) how can we be even more transparent with congress and the general public on population recovery (e.g. how many dollars does it take to save a pangolin?) and c) Are there systems which could be developed to leverage data/financial resources with other partners (federal and non-federal)?

Answering these questions requires a combination of forensic research, changes in our internal practices, and potentially tech solutions via AI or other tools to process and present data in ways that are optimized for public engagement. However, some of these solutions, particularly tech solutions, likely require large investments. Therefore, we’re seeking a contractor to demonstrate via prototype models the efficacy of proposed solutions which can be compared against one another before making additional investments.

· How does USFWS DIC use technology modeling and ML/AI in its daily business practices?

Presently AI is not a part of USFWS DIC’s processes. AI is a part of other DOI processes, and DIC has access to these resources from other offices.

· Ideally, how would USFWS DIC envision deploying machine learning AI in its business practices?

In a perfect world, DIC envisions a system in which members of the public and congress can query DIC systems to understand the impact DIC is having on conservation, and articulate what could be done with additional resources. Additionally, AI would model the extent to which different grants in different regions are successful against established metrics. And, where appropriate, the AI could automate responses to certain inquiries to free up human resources for other duties. This list is merely a few of the outcomes DIC has currently contemplated, but models may demonstrate additional opportunities in coordination with staff.

· What personnel does USFWS DIC have in place to manage the models and prototypes after the completion of this engagement?

Presently USFWS DIC does not have staff to manage models for data drift etc. As mentioned in the earlier question, before making these commitments USFWS DIC would want proof of concept prototypes to use in the recruitment of these resources.

· What current platform(s) does USFWS DIC use or have staff familiarity with to support prototyping data sets?

USFWS DIC does not currently use systems which support machine learning datasets, although USFWS and DOI do have staff that specialize in these areas. Other DOI offices have explored AWS and Google Cloud as the service environment which gets connected to Drupal as our user interface.

· Does USFWS DIC anticipate any of the supplied data will be Controlled Unclassified Information or otherwise requiring contractors to be vetted or have security clearances?

It’s unclear at this time whether any of the supplied data could trigger a need for additional security clearances. Most of the data is public data, but there may be instances where some information used in the modeling could be sensitive or PII related. This would need to be explored as the models were developed, but generally I would expect most of the data to be publicly accessible.

· Will USFWS DIC consider the submission of detailed bios on the same evaluation level as resumes in factor 1: key personnel to allow the contractor to meet the requested page limit for that section?

USFWS DIC would accept detailed bios provided these bios clearly articulate the experience of key personnel for the project. Examples of past success can also be provided in other sections of the submission.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Cover Page, the RFP indicates that the solicitation is unrestricted, but also states a NAICS code and size standard. Can USFWS DIC clarify whether the size standard and NAICS code apply to this solicitation?

There are no restrictions on business size for this project.

· Due to the recent holidays, would USFWS DIC consider extending the deadline for the Strategic Capital Support Program proposal by one week?

Due to the questions, the RFP is being amended to add one more week for vendors to complete their proposals more accurately.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Solicitation, Part II – Technical and/or Past Performance Information, Page 15, the RFP states that Factor Item 1 includes Key Personnel with resumes and subcontracts and/or consultants. Can USFWS DIC clarify if offerors should provide capacities statements for any subcontractors as part of their response to Factor 1 or is this section limited to the resumes of the two identified key personnel in the Statement of Objectives?

Yes, if sub-contractors and/or consultants will be used by the contractor for key functions in accomplishing this contract, DIC would like to receive resumes and other information, as appropriate, to determine the skillsets of all key personnel working on this project.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Solicitation, Part II – Technical and/or Past Performance Information, Page 15, the RFP states that “Attachment 5, the Technical Past and Present Performance Survey must be completed.” Would USFWS DIC consider extending the submission date by one week to allow offers to receive the completed surveys from past clients? Alternatively, would USFWS DIC consider receiving completed CPARs for present and past work in lieu of the Technical Past and Present Performance Survey?

No, as mentioned in the response above, due to commitments made to staff and leadership it is of the utmost importance that review of proposals proceed as soon as possible and a week extension is not likely at this time. While we appreciate the information provided by CPARs, in order to best compare applicants against one another Technical Past and Present Performance Surveys must be provided.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Statement of Objectives, Milestones, Page 2, the RFP states that the “Contractor shall deliver a clear theory of change strategy and an operational maturity matrix for DIC.” Can USFWS DIC please clarify if the Division has an operating theory of change or if the contractor is tasked with supporting the Division to establish a theory of change that enhances the divisions activities?

While initial work has been done by DIC to evaluate goals, values, mission etc. a full theory of change model has not yet been developed. The contractor would work be tasked with developing a theory of change to enhance the Divisions activities, working with DIC staff as appropriate.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Statement of Objectives, Scope and Criteria, Page 3, the RFP states that “The Contractors applying must be able to provide DIC with any number of models that are identified and requested by DIC for prioritization and testing. This includes any number of draft AI models. DIC requires complete transparency into each model, with full access to the data being used. All data and models must be open source and nonproprietary. For each AI model, a 1-page summary explaining the AI in plain language must be provided.”

a. Can USFWS DIC clarify if the Division has a preference for any particular open source languages and packages? If so, can USFWS DIC share these preferred source languages and packages?

DIC has no preference for any open languages and packages.

b. Can USFWS DIC clarify what existing types or sources of data, if any, the Division has in place for building AI models?

The division has been working on a spreadsheet for metrics of performance for past grants. This spreadsheet reviews multiple data factors to determine the historical performance of DIC’s grants and values associated with said grants, such as size, location, partners etc. This data collection is still a work in progress.

c. Can USFSWS DIC intend to use text-based data sources as part of its AI modeling?

Yes. At this time DIC is not restricting the types of data sources as a part of potential AI model solutions. Exceptions to this would include data sources for which there are copyrights in place and other forms of protection. All data used must be wholly owned by the federal government or acquired through approvals.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Statement of Objectives, Scope and Criteria, Page 3, the RFP states that “The Contractor shall provide access to experts on a part-time basis; including a senior financial policy strategy advisor and a data strategy analyst.”

a. Can USFWS DIC please provide additional information to clarify the role of the senior financial policy strategy advisor?

Yes, by financial policy, DIC means an advisor who will assist DIC in deciding best strategies for how grants are issued (e.g. size, scope, leveraging resources etc.) that utilize data and models in making these determinations. The advisor may also be responsible for advising on future development of AI outside of the prototyping phase, and advise on costs for options and strategies for phased development, if appropriate.

b. Alternatively, would USFWS DIC consider replacing the senior financial policy strategy advisor with a senior monitoring, evaluation, and learning advisor with expertise in designing and developing frameworks to enhance evidence-based programming and the dissemination of results?

Yes, while the title is different, we believe the advisor described here is consistent with how we envision the financial policy advisor functioning. However, it would also be important that this advisor advise on future expenses for AI models or other strategies, as appropriate.

· Under RFP 140FS323R0001 Strategic Capital Support Program, Statement of Objectives, Scope and Criteria, Page 3, the RFP states that “The contractor shall provide access to a managed platform with sufficient data capacity to prototype data sets…”

a. Can USFWS DIC please share the expected size of these data sets?

At present, DIC has collected an excel sheet of data on our previously awarded grants that the model would need to digest. This includes:

# of proposals on record = 10,692 # of awards on record = 4,794

Additionally, DIC has been collecting preliminary data on conservation impact at around 100 conservation projects, and classifying awards by international locations where DIC support has gone (an ongoing list but currently around 1000 conservation places since 1990). We’re also working to classify around a 10-year dataset of proposals and awards based on several conservation variables, including threats, actions, links to conservation evidence, stakeholder engagement etc. but this is still a work in progress. As such, the number of variables linked with these datasets are evolving.

b. Where is this data stored, in what format, and what is the number of data sources?

This data is stored internally primarily in Excel spreadsheet format.

c. Will the managed platform access the data by push or pull? What is the required frequency for refreshing data?

Pull most likely, although this needs to be explored further based on modeled solutions. It may not be sustainable for this data set to be updated manually indefinitely, and a Push system that gets regularly audits from staff could be useful. Frequency in data refreshing would need to be discussed to evaluate pros and cons for cost.

d. For the prototype, how many dashboards, reports, models, and visualizations are required? Does the government have a preference for any particular open-source languages and packages that it can share?

As mentioned, we have no preference on languages or packages. For each prototype we would expect at least one model. Importantly however, we do not anticipate there being only one prototype that gets evaluated. Rather, DIC seeks to evaluate multiple prototypes with multiple models to determine best outcomes for our grant awarding.

e. In addition, does USFWS DIC have a sense to the total number of users that the platform is intended to have?

DIC expects to have a user interface paired with the AI that’s public facing which can be queried by any number of users. Internally however, we expect there do be a handful of users that interact with the platform, including IT staff and our own biologists who provide data. Internally this may be between 5 – 15 individuals as a best guess but could be more.

Questions for the Cost Proposal Response

· The RFP did not provide a total ceiling cost or expected range for the Strategic Capital Support Program. Could USFWS DIC provide an expected range for this program?

This is not information DIC can provide at this time.