Attachment_D_-_Task_Order_3_19AQMM19R0271_Oman_Attachment_1_PWS_A002_Track_Changes.docx

Attachment D – Task Order Request for Proposal, Oman

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, police coast guard, and national security, at the service and Ministry of Defense (MoD), and national security council 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 provide advisory support to the Omani government in developing strategic and operational guidance and policy documents to improve interagency decision-making processes at both the strategic and operational levels between the Ministry of Defense, law enforcement, the national security apparatus, and civilian agencies with regard to interagency aviation security oversight, crisis response, and the operations of national command centers within the first year of program implementation. An institutionalized process of interagency coordination can eventually be implemented across a variety of security-related sectors.

Identified Gap: While Oman continues to improve coordination and planning in a variety of sectors at the individual agency level, significant coordination gaps remain within the broader interagency. These gaps exist in a range of national security-related fields, including crisis response, interagency aviation security oversight, and the overall operations of national command centers, including with regard to coordination both within the Omani interagency and on a bilateral basis with international partners. Interlocutors at Oman’s National Security Council have emphasized Oman’s need to improve interagency decision-making processes at both the strategic and operational levels, and have pointed to significant gaps in the Omani government’s ability to develop an effective strategic communications system. These gaps have been assessed by current USG trainers, as well as by U.S. Embassy personnel based on observation of and discussion with Omani counterparts within law enforcement, military and national security agencies.

3. Task Order Purpose The Contractor shall provide advisory services to a national level interagency authority such as the National Security Council and National Committee for Civil Defense (NCD) or the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the area of interagency decision-making processes at both the strategic and operational levels between the Ministry of Defense, law enforcement, the national security apparatus, and civilian agencies with regard to interagency aviation security oversight, crisis response, and the operations of national command centers within the first year of program implementation. The embedded advisor will continuously assess progress and provide input on additional training needs. The embedded advisor will collaborate with U.S. Embassy Muscat, U.S. Coast Guard, and other U.S. interagency subject matter experts, who will deliver three to four focused workshops in support of the overall program objectives.

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 a national level interagency authority such as the Committee for Civil Defense (NCD) or the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The work week in Oman is Sunday- Thursday.

5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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

· Achieved an initial understanding of national level interagency authority planning and decision-making processes with regards to interagency aviation security oversight, crisis response, and the operations of national command centers including at a minimum: review of current decision-making processes and identification of key stakeholders who influence the interagency decision making process.

· Identified associated gaps in the interagency process.

· Framed the problem set sufficiently such that the Senior Advisor can make relevant recommendations for future actions by the partner country and the Senior 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 national level interagency authority.

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 national level interagency authority 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 national level interagency authority 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 the interagency authority 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 the interagency authority 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 Senior 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, D.C. and shall be completed and updated by the Senior Advisor. The Work Plan shall connect the activities of the Senior 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 Oman’s national level interagency authority. In this role, the Senior Advisor shall provide technical assistance and expert guidance and advise the interagency authority to execute the Country Action Plan and ensure a foundation is set for improved interagency coordination in two or more areas (e.g. crisis response, national command center operations, aviation security oversight) to achieve national objectives. Where other barriers to institutional change with regards to interagency coordination 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 national level interagency authority staff meetings and planning sessions, as well as ODC contractor meetings. Additionally, the Senior Advisor should collaborate with U.S. Embassy Muscat, U.S. Coast Guard, and other U.S. interagency subject matter experts to plan three to four workshops annually with the Oman interagency focused on overall whole-of-government coordination and communication in the context of building and operating national command centers.

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 interagency coordination Advisor, Senior Advisor (Oman)

a. Six (6) years of experience with interagency coordination.

b. Four (4) years of experience at or above the level of GS-13, O-4, or private sector equivalent.

c. Prior demonstrated experience working in national security either as a uniformed service member, government employee, or contractor.

d. U.S. citizen.

e. SECRET personnel security clearance issued by the Defense Security Service (DSS)

PREFERED Qualifications for one interagency coordination Advisor, Senior Advisor (Oman)

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

b. Prior demonstrated experience with exercises and simulations.

c. Prior demonstrated experience in interagency crisis response.

d. Prior demonstrated experience working with a national command center.

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

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

g. Competency in spoken Arabic (Modern Standard or Levantine).

7. LIFE SUPPORT

The Contractor shall arrange for housing, security, food, transport, office supplies, office space, communications (any type – 24/7 connectivity) and all other basic requirements for its employees conducting the tasks under this positionsection.

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 the revised PMP the Government shall 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 Senior Advisor is selected in accordance with the process described above, the Senior Advisor shall attend an orientation training in Washington, D.C. for up to three five-day work weeks provided by the GDRP Program Office prior to deployment. The orientation will be scheduled as soon as possible once the PMP has been accepted. The Contractor is required to provide lodging and transportation for the 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 of the current national interagency authority’s planning and decision-making processes with regards to interagency coordination in aviation security oversight, crisis response, and the operations of national command centers and identify associated gaps in achieving an interagency decision-making process.

ii. identification of key stakeholders who influence the interagency decision-making process.

iii. the Gap Analysis must explain the limitations national interagency authority faces to institutionalizing effective interagency decision-making processes.

iv. the assessment may include developmental activities and initiatives at the interagency level.

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 national interagency authority

ii. outline the process in developing strategic and operational guidance and policy documents to improve interagency decision-making processes at both the strategic and operational levels

iii. break down the steps required to achieve those objectives

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

v. include milestones and timelines for strategic and operational guidance and policy documents detailing the interagency process.

2. The Country Action Plan must be approved by the national level interagency authority, ODC, and Political Section.

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. The 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

1. The 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.

2. The 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. The 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

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

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

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

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

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

3. 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 Military Cooperation U.S. Embassy Muscat, Oman And Political-Military Officer U.S. Embassy Muscat, Oman

11. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

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

· The Senior Advisor shall be primarily based in Muscat, Oman.

· 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.

· The 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.