Attachment_B_Task_Order_1_19AQMM19R0265_Lebanon_Attachment_1_PWS_A002_Track_Changes.docx

Attachment B – Task Order Request for Proposal, Lebanon

1. TASK ORDER BACKGROUND

The Global Defense Reform Program (GDRP) is a flexible, multi-year, Department of State (State)-funded program, coordinated with the Department of Defense (DoD), to assist select partner nation armed forces, at both the service and Ministry of Defense (MoD) level, with providing security in an effective, transparent, and accountable manner to civilian authorities, while advancing U.S. national security objectives. GDRP is intended to be a flexible, global program to assist defense reform. Each GDRP activity is tailored to the individual needs and requirements of the recipient nation.

2. OBJECTIVE OF THE TASK ORDER

Through GDRP, the United States seeks to reform the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Staff College by providing advisory services to the LAF Staff College in the area of curriculum development for strategic level planning. The LAF Staff College is a senior officer professional military education institution, equivalent to the War Colleges in the U.S. military.

Identified Gap: The United States and Lebanon share the commitment to support and build the LAF as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon’s sovereignty. There is a doctrinal gap in the LAF’s ability to conduct joint strategic planning across platforms and capabilities. Minimal “strategic” planning and doctrine development occur at the unit level and make mission integration at the tactical level difficult. Appreciation for the necessity of strategic planning as commonly understood in a U.S. military environment is limited in the Lebanese context, so previous efforts to assist the LAF with developing strategic-level documents have faced challenges. In order to fill this gap, the Senior Advisor shall assist with developing a curriculum and training package for senior LAF officers on both the importance of strategic level planning as well as various methodologies for the development of strategic plans. This body of instruction shall be developed and implemented at the LAF Staff College.

3. TASK ORDER PURPOSE

The Contractor shall provide advisory services to the LAF Staff College in the area of curriculum development and training for strategic planning. The Senior Advisor will be embedded at the LAF Staff College and shall develop and implement a curriculum and training package that deals directly with strategic level planning across all LAF equities. The doctrinal gap is at the highest level: the LAF joint strategic planning level. The embedded Senior Advisor shall work closely with DoD’s Defense Governance Management Team (DGMT), which is also working to increase institutional capability and facilitate change at the institutional level within the LAF. In addition, the Senior Advisor may leverage engagements with National Defense University to assist in fostering institutional change consistent with this line of effort.

4. PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Global Programs and Initiatives (PM/GPI) has a requirement for full-time (40-hour work week) support services of one (1) Senior Advisor embedded in the LAF Staff College, located in the Faiyadiyeh area near the MoD (greater Beirut area). The work week in Lebanon is Monday- Friday.

5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

TASK A: Conduct an Initial Landscape Assessment that includes a Gap Analysis Within sixty (60) days after arrival in Lebanon, the Senior Advisor shall have:

· Achieved an initial understanding of LAF planning and decision-making processes including at a minimum: review of current strategic planning approach, current approach to teaching planning and strategy in the Lebanese professional military education cycle, and identification of key stakeholders within the LAF and Staff College who influence the strategic planning and education process

· Identified associated gaps in achieving an integrated joint strategic planning process

· Identified ways to address those gaps within the context of professional military education process, and may include developmental activities and initiatives at the Ministerial and LAF levels, and utilization of U.S. International Military Education and Training.

· Framed the problem set sufficiently such that the Senior Advisor can make relevant recommendations for future actions by the partner country and the Advisor can identify areas in which to focus their expertise and efforts during their period of performance.

· Produced an Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis, as outlined in Section 8, ‘Deliverables’. The Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis shall be completed in direct coordination with the ODC and LAF.

TASK B Facilitate development of a Country Action Plan:

Within thirty (30) days after the Initial Landscape Assessment has been completed, the Senior Advisor shall work with the LAF to develop a Country Action Plan.

To complete the Country Action Plan, the Senior Advisor shall launch a process with identified stakeholders to facilitate development of the Plan that outlines reform objectives, and breaks down the steps required to achieve those objectives. The Country Action Plan will be the first step in generating a shared vision for actions that will be taken by the LAF to address their goals and gaps, including specific types of advisory support services that may be required.

The Country Action Plan shall be developed in partnership with LAF and in close coordination with the Political Section of the U.S. Embassy, ODC, and GDRP Program Office. The Country Action Plan shall be approved by LAF senior leadership. The Senior Advisor shall advise the U.S. Embassy of any steps needed to build the necessary political support for the changes and process identified.

The Contractor may be required to provide reach-back support to the Senior Advisor, should the Senior Advisor identify short-term training requirements or other advisory support services to address gaps.

TASK C: Develop and regularly update a Work Plan Within fifteen (15) days after the Initial Landscape AssessmentCountry Action Plan has been completed, the Senior Advisor shall develop a Work Plan that outlines Country Action Plan objectives, milestones, and corresponding activities that the Advisor shall undertake until the end of the performance period. The Work Plan shall also list the required tasks over the thirty (30) days.

The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) and GDRP Program Office shall agree on the overall goals and objectives in the work plan. The Senior Advisor is required to update the work plan every thirty (30) days throughout the period of performance.

A template for the Work Plan will be provided by the GDRP Program Office during the Senior Advisor’s orientation in Washington DC shall be completed and updated by the Senior Advisor. The Work Plan shall connect the activities of the Advisor to the overall Country Action Plan. While the Country Action Plan may require a multi-year effort that extends beyond the Senior Advisor’s period of performance, the Work Plan shall focus specifically on the Senior Advisor’s own deliverables and tasks during their period of performance.

The Senior Advisor is required to brief the U.S. Embassy team on a monthly basis, which shall include at minimum the Political Section and ODC. The Senior Advisor is required to brief on what steps or engagements have been made over the last thirty (30) days, what steps or engagements are planned for the next thirty (30) days, and highlight any issues or areas where the Senior Advisor could use support from the U.S. Embassy team to build required political support or momentum. The Senior Advisor shall provide a summary of the monthly meeting and email updated work plans monthly to ODC, the Contracting Officer (CO), Contracting Officer Representative (COR), and the GDRP Program Office.

TASK D: Provide advisory services to implement the Country Action Plan The Senior Advisor shall act as the trusted advisor for LAF. In this role, the Senior Advisor shall provide technical assistance and expert guidance and advise the LAF to execute the Country Action Plan and ensure a foundation is set for improved Lebanese joint strategic planning to achieve national objectives. At the operational level, the main area of focus will be developing appropriate curricula and training for use at the Staff College in support of this effort. Where other barriers to institutional change with regards to strategic planning exist, the Senior Advisor shall work to identify those barriers, make recommendations to overcome them, and, where possible, work to address them.

As part of their advisory services, the Senior Advisor shall attend LAF staff meetings and planning sessions, as well as ODC contractor meetings.

As appropriate, the Senior Advisor shall interface with other international military advisors to stay current on needs, and de-conflict assistance requirements.

TASK E: Maintain Performance Monitoring Framework and support data collection activities.

The Contractor and Senior Advisor shall closely track progress against the aforementioned Work Plan and Country Action Plan, both of which are to be captured in the monthly progress reports. The GDRP Program Office (specifically the M&E Advisor) is responsible for providing guidance on the development and maintenance of the Performance Monitoring Framework; however, the Senior Advisor shall be required to work with the GDRP Program Office to determine the specific objectives, as well as the frequency of data collection and definition for each indicator in the corresponding framework. The Senior Advisor shall begin data collection for all M&E indicators, as provided by GDRP Program Office, following award of the contract. Data collection shall be conducted on a regular and continuing basis from the time that each Performance Monitoring Framework is approved until the task order is completed.

6. PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED Qualifications for one Senior Advisor (Lebanon)

a. Six (6) years experience as a strategic planner with the U.S. military, either as an active-duty uniformed service member or DoD civilian or contractor.

b. Prior demonstrated professional experience developing training material or developing curricula for consumption by senior military officials

c. Prior demonstrated experience in a joint operating environment.

d. U.S. citizen

e. Moderate Risk Public Trust (MRPT) certification issued by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS/SI/PSS)

PREFERED Qualifications for one Senior Advisor (Lebanon)

a. Two (2) years experience teaching at a U.S. military education institution (e.g. War College, National Defense University, Command and General Staff College

b. Prior demonstrated experience advising foreign military or government at the operational or strategic level.

c. Two years prior experience working or living abroad, preferably in the region.

d. If a former military service member, rank of O5 or above.

e. Competency in spoken Arabic (Modern Standard or Levantine) or French, with a preference for Arabic.

7. LIFE SUPPORT

a. The Contractor shall arrange for housing, security, food, transport, office supplies, communications (any type – 24/7 connectivity) and all other basic requirements for its employees conducting the tasks under this section. Office space has been designated at the LAF Staff College for this position.

8. DELIVERABLES

The below deliverables and coordination requirements are mandatory by the Task Order.

a. Candidate Selection and Deployment

1) The Offeror shall submit a Project Management Plan (PMP) with their proposal, as outlined in Section L of the RFP.

2) Within five (5) business days after award, the Government shall provide written comments to the Contractor regarding their PMP.

3) The Contractor shall incorporate all comments into a revised PMP and submit to State within fifteen (15) business days after receiving the initial written feedback.

4) Within five (5) business days after receiving revised PMP the Government will schedule a meeting with all relevant stakeholders to review the revised PMP. The Government shall provide written feedback regarding the technical acceptability of the PMP within ten (10) business days after that meeting. If the PMP is not deemed technically acceptable, the Government and the Contractor may repeat the process outlined in steps 2 through 4 until the Government and the Contractor agree to final revisions of the PMP.

5) Once the PMP is approved by the Government and the Contractor, the PMP can only be changed via modification or change order.

6) Once the selected Senior Advisor is selected in accordance with the process above, the Senior Advisor shall attend an orientation training in Washington D.C., provided by the GDRP Program Office, for three five day work-weeks prior to deployment. The Contractor is required to provide lodging and transportation for the Senior Advisor to support the training. The Government shall provide all training materials and the orientation schedule to the Contractor.

7) The Contractor shall notify the CO/COR and GDRP Program Office if revisions to the PMP may be required.

8) The Contractor shall submit any potential change or factor that may contribute to a modification of the PMP, as part of the required monthly progress report.

9) The Contractor shall provide mitigation strategies that account for all relevant performance standards.

b. Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis (Task A)

1. Due no later than sixty (60) days following arrival in country, submit the Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis. US Embassy personnel will work closely with the Senior Advisor upon arrival in country to provide historical context for the Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis. A template for the Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis shall be provided by the GDRP Program Office, but at a minimum must include:

i. an outline the current LAF planning and decision-making processes and identify associated gaps in achieving an integrated joint strategic planning and decision-making process.

ii. an assessment and review of applicable strategic planning activities in the Lebanese professional military education cycle in general and at the Staff College in particular

iii. identification of key stakeholders within the LAF and Staff College who influence the strategic planning and education process

iv. a clear map out the LAF decision-making process, to include relevant delivery and timelines, so that all stakeholders clearly understand the current structure

v. the Gap Analysis must explain the limitations LAF faces to achieving effective joint strategic planning as well as how those gaps can be addressed within the professional military education system

vi. the assessment may include developmental activities and initiatives at the ministerial and LAF levels.

2. Progress toward the Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis must be captured in the monthly progress reports.

Once completed, the Senior Advisor shall deliver the Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap to the GDRP Program Office, CO, COR, ODC through email

c. Comprehensive Country Action Plan (Task B)

1. Due no later than thirty (30) days after delivery of the Initial Landscape Assessment and Gap Analysis, the Senior Advisor shall outline a Country Action Plan. A template for the Country Action Plan shall be provided by the GDRP Program Office, but at a minimum the Country Action Plan must:

i. be developed in collaboration with the LAF

ii. outline LAF joint planning curriculum objectives

iii. break down the steps required to achieve those objectives

iv. address how the LAF Staff College curriculum be developed or modified to reflect

1. best practices in strategic and joint planning, to include both general concepts and specific methodologies.

2. how Lebanese strategic and operational planning might align with U.S. planning concepts

v. identify specific types of advisory support services required to achieve objectives

vi. include milestones and timelines for the development and implementation of a strategic-level planning curriculum at the LAF Staff College.

2. The Country Action Plan must be approved by the LAF, ODC, and Political Section, with DGMT briefed on the plan.

3. Once completed, the Senior Advisor shall email the GDRP Program Office. CO, COR, and ODC a copy of the Country Action Plan through email.

d. Monthly Brief with U.S. Embassy Team

1. The Senior Advisor shall brief the U.S. Embassy team monthly on what steps or engagements have been made over the last 30 days, what steps or engagements are planned for the next 30 days, and highlight any issues or areas where the Senior Advisor could use support from the U.S. Embassy team to build political support.

2. The U.S. Embassy team shall include, at minimum, the ODC and Political Section.

3. Senior Advisor shall provide GDRP Program Office with a written summary of key talking points, U.S. Embassy team response, and attendee list in the Monthly Progress report (outlined below in item ‘e’).

e. Monthly Progress Reports

a. Senior Advisor shall email Monthly Progress Reports in the format provided by the GDRP Program Office, which shall include a Performance Monitoring Framework and the Work Plan for the next 30 days, to the GDRP Program Office, CO, COR and ODC no later than the fifth (5) day of the following month.

b. Senior Advisor shall participate in monthly check-in calls with the GDRP Program Office no later than the tenth (10) day of each month.

f. Performance Monitoring Framework

1. Senior Advisor shall maintain all program monitoring information by recording progress in the Performance Monitoring Framework provided by the GDRP Office that shall be submitted as part of the Monthly Progress Reports.

2. The Senior Advisor shall work collaboratively with the GDRP Program Office to determine applicable indicators to measure progress, which will be captured in the Performance Monitoring Framework.

3. The Senior Advisor shall be responsible for collecting data for all indicators as outlined in the Performance Monitoring Framework.

4. The Senior Advisor shall respond to all other requests for interim quantitative and qualitative data within five (5) business days of the request from the GDRP Program Office

f. Quarterly Group Call with GDRP Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Advisor

1. Every three months the Senior Advisor shall participate in a call with the GDRP Program Office; a readout of those conversation shall be delivered to CO, COR, ODC

g. After Action Reports (AAR) and Exit Report and Interview

2. AAR + five (5) business days from completion from any major milestone (e.g. workshop, report, or other non-regular deliverable)

3. Exit Report and Interview + five (5) business days after departure of the Advisor from the assignment

4. Transition Plan and all preparation of necessary handover documents prepared for the follow-on Advisor + ten (10) business days after departure of the Advisor from the assignment

9. CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE

TBD

Contracting Officers Representative U. S. Department of State

PM/GPI

10. GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL MONITOR

Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation U.S. Embassy Beirut, Lebanon And Joint Training and Engagements Officer, Office of Defense Cooperation U.S. Embassy Beirut, Lebanon

11. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work under this task shall take place in the following location(s):

· Senior Advisor shall be primarily based in Beirut, Lebanon

· Travel within the country, as needed, to complete assessments and successfully collaborate with local stakeholders.

· Travel that has any bearing on cost must be coordinated with the CO.

· Senior Advisor must inform the ODC about the weekly location of performance, sending to the ODC no later than the Friday before the week begins.

· Additional travel must be requested and approved by the CO.

12. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

Approval of final documents and other work products must be in accordance with the task order terms and conditions. Work performed will be reviewed for quality, timeliness, and professionalism, by the PM/GPI Program Office, in coordination with the ODC and CO. If the performance is unacceptable, feedback will be provided within two weeks.

13. TIME OF PERFORMANCE

Performance shall include 1920 hours of services for each position per performance period (average of 40 hours each week X 52 weeks).

14. PERFORMANCE METRICS:

If > 20 documents, 95% to 99% of documents delivered on schedule.

or grammatical errors; the context and analysis add value to the U.S. government knowledge on the subject; critical analysis is provided (not just simple reporting of observations).

95% to 99% of document delivered on scheduled due date And

95% initial acceptance of deliverable by COR

Data Deliverables Quality

within two (2) business days.

consistent coverage of advisor during period of performance.

In the event an advisor substitution is required, the Contractor shall work with GDRP Program Office to revise the Project Management Plan (PMP). Initial revisions of the PMP must be completed within (30) business days, to include a State-led stakeholder meeting. All revisions to the PMP shall take place within forty-five (45) business days after the departure of personnel.