Draft_PWS_PE_305.pdf

This document is a draft PWS intended use as part of a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought( SS) notice.

It has been developed by the Government for market research purposes only. Nothing in this document can be construed to bind the Government in any way. A formal solicitation for this requirement may/ may not follow.

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) Tradecraft (PE 305)

Facilitator

The U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Foreign Service Institute (FSI) provides training and professional development to civilian personnel of the DOS and the foreign affairs community.

The School of Economic and Commercial Studies (ECON) Division of the School of Professional Studies (SPAS) at FSI provides members of the foreign affairs community with the knowledge, skills, and tools they require to analyze overseas economic and commercial developments and assist U.S. firms seeking advice, market access, trade and investment opportunities, defending investment and trade rights, and participating in overseas projects to promote the growth of U.S. jobs.

Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) Tradecraft helps participants develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and tools required for ESTH officers abroad and in the United States to advance U.S. policy goals. The course presents an overview of major initiatives in multilateral and bilateral ESTH relationships and provides an opportunity for in-depth discussions with members of the Bureau of Oceans, and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), the Science Advisor to the Secretary and representatives from science, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry groups, Congress, and other relevant parties.

The participants are mid-level Foreign Service Officers with three to ten years of work experience in the economic and commercial career path, Foreign Service National employees (residents of the host country working in U.S. embassies abroad) and U.S. Government Civil Servants who work in or preparing to work in, an ESTH officer position overseas or in Washington, D.C area with significant responsibilities for monitoring and advocating U.S.

Government’s ESTH policies in bilateral and multilateral settings.

Background The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) provides training and professional development to personnel of the Department of State and is the federal government’s primary training institution for Department personnel and other U.S. Government foreign affairs professionals. FSI’s mission is to develop the men and women needed to advance and defend U.S. interests. FSI offers more than 700 classroom courses, including some 70 foreign languages, about 270 custom-developed distance learning products, and about 2,700 commercial distance learning courses available via Internet. Annual enrollment exceeds 100,000 students.

Contract Task FSI requires a course facilitator to provide services required by DOS and the FSI to facilitate delivery of the Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) Tradecraft course.

This will include support for course design, materials and presentations for the course following an FSI approved course design; to handle administrative details for the course to include (but not

This document is a draft PWS intended use as part of a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought( SS) notice.

It has been developed by the Government for market research purposes only. Nothing in this document can be construed to bind the Government in any way. A formal solicitation for this requirement may/ may not follow.

limited to) scheduling presenters; to deliver the course; to review the design of the course and recommend improvements based in part on student evaluation; and to deliver lectures in the course. The course will be offered up to two times during the period of one year.

FSI will supply administrative support services as required for classroom set up. It will also supply a classroom for delivery of the Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) Tradecraft course, equipped with tables and chairs for the students, an overhead projector, and a computer for the display of class materials, flip charts, and office supplies.

5.1 The period of performance will be five (5), one-year base periods.

5.2 The primary location will be SA-42. The Government will not provide local transportation costs, per diem or parking costs.

Primary location: U.S. Department of State, Building Annex SA-42 George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center 4000 Arlington Boulevard Arlington, VA 22204

5.3 The Course Facilitator, in consultation with ECON, will:

Organize and conduct the Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) Tradecraft course.

Provide weekly schedules for each class offering, detailing topics and presenters.

Invite and coordinate presentations by guest lecturers, ensuring they are informed as to the necessary scope and objectives for their presentations to fulfill the requirements of the course design.

Introduce guest lecturers, lead class discussions, and present study materials.

Make substantive lecture presentations as part of the course in areas of his/her own expertise and be prepared to substitute for any scheduled speaker or other activity in the event unforeseen circumstances prevent that speaker/activity from being presented as scheduled.

Be present at FSI for the ten day duration of the course. In the event that a Course Facilitator cannot be present, he or she must provide the COR with a minimum of three weeks advance notice in the form of a written request for permission to be absent. The written request must state a reason for the absence.

If a substitute for the Course Facilitator is suggested, that person must receive prior approval by the Economic and Commercial Studies Deputy Director or Director, and all substitutes must have equivalent verifiable experience. Successful past performance in training for the U.S.

Government is highly desirable.

This document is a draft PWS intended use as part of a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought( SS) notice.

It has been developed by the Government for market research purposes only. Nothing in this document can be construed to bind the Government in any way. A formal solicitation for this requirement may/ may not follow.

If the request is approved, the Course Facilitator may invoice for the given session and must compensate the substitute from the funds he/she receives from the Blanket Purchase Agreement.

5.4 Classroom Instruction

The contractor shall deliver the ten-day classroom based course, eight hours per day during normal FSI class hours for a class size of between 10-30 students.

5.5 Course Structure and Design

Course Structure: The contractor will deliver the course in a manner consistent with FSI’s Policies and Standards for Curriculum and Evaluation as well as the SPAS standard curriculum procedures (attached), working collaboratively with FSI’s subject matter experts, including co-facilitation of certain sessions with diplomats or policymakers of FSI’s choosing.

1. The course design should reflect the basic principles of adult learning theory, presenting material in highly interactive ways that build on the experience and knowledge that participants bring to the course, enabling them to generalize from class material and apply their learning to their individual work assignment.

2. Learning objectives for each course segment should be clear, and training methodologies should be tailored so that they reinforce comprehension and absorption of the course content for each segment. For example, depending on the learning objective, student exercises, panel discussions, student interviews with experts, case studies, simulations or role-plays may be appropriate.

3. The course design should also make use of highly qualified and well-placed technical experts who are capable of presenting their knowledge in an interactive style.

4. The course design should also reflect the reality of serving at U.S. diplomatic missions overseas and the dynamics of the interagency process in Washington, D.C.

5.6 Personnel Qualifications

Subject matter expertise (SME): Instructors must have the following qualifications:

• A post-graduate degree in law, economics or other academic field directly related to

ESTH issues or at least ten years of working in this field.

• Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering adult education programs – particularly those dealing with complex ESTH issues and Government policies.

• Evidence of collaboration with diverse stakeholders in the foreign affairs and/or

Government foreign policy environment.

• Experience in delivering adult learning courses which actively engage students, or willingness to work with ECON and FSI’s instructional designers as needed to create appropriate experiential elements given the technical content.

This document is a draft PWS intended use as part of a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought( SS) notice.

It has been developed by the Government for market research purposes only. Nothing in this document can be construed to bind the Government in any way. A formal solicitation for this requirement may/ may not follow.

The contractor shall use the key person or persons identified as the course instructors in its proposal to the U.S. Government. Substitutions shall not be made without prior notification and approval of the Contracting Officer. Request for substitutions shall meet or exceed the qualifications of the person to be replaced. The Contracting Officer shall be notified in writing of any requests no later than forty-five days prior to the start date. Requests to substitute shall include:

An explanation of the circumstances necessitating the substitution;

A complete resume of the proposed substitute Any pertinent information requested by the Contracting Officer to determine if the contractor is maintaining the standard.

5.7 Security Clearance Requirements

None

Period of performance FSI has scheduled two course offerings per year to be held from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM daily, Monday through Friday. For fiscal year 2018, the course offerings are scheduled to be held September 10 to 21 2018. FSI will notify contractor of scheduled course dates in subsequent years of the contract at the beginning of each respective calendar year. FSI may change these dates at its discretion, with advance 30-day notice to the contractor.

Tentative course dates are:

September 10-21, 2018 September 9-20, 2019 September 14-25, 2020 September 13-24, 2021 September 12-23, 2022

Actual course dates will be verified by the COR.

Performance Metrics

All BPA Calls issued will be monitored by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and will be reported at the conclusion of each agreement year.

Listed below are the performance metrics by which the contractor will be evaluated in addition to the contractor’s adherence to SOW requirements.

The contractor must be considered successful in fulfilling the requirements in order to continue to be considered for future opportunities. To be considered successful the contractor shall score a minimum of four (4) in all categories listed below. The contractor will be evaluated using a scale (Poor 1- Superior 5).

This document is a draft PWS intended use as part of a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought( SS) notice.

It has been developed by the Government for market research purposes only. Nothing in this document can be construed to bind the Government in any way. A formal solicitation for this requirement may/ may not follow.

5 - Superior:

Contractor routinely demonstrates outstanding understanding of SOW requirements for the awarded course segments and significantly exceeds performance standards. Contractor has exceptional strengths that significantly benefit the Government.

4 - Excellent:

Contractor demonstrates excellent understanding of SOW requirements for the awarded course segments and exceeds performance standards. Contractor has one or more strengths that significantly benefit the Government.

3 - Acceptable:

Contractor demonstrates acceptable understanding of SOW requirements for the awarded course segments and has an approach that meets performance standards. Contractor is an acceptable solution and has few or no strengths that provide significant or exceptional benefit to the Government.

2 - Fair:

Contractor routinely demonstrates shallow understanding of SOW requirements for the awarded course segments and approach.

1 - Poor:

Contractor routinely fails to demonstrate understanding of SOW requirements and approach.

Quality

The contractor must adhere to the requirements outlined in the SOW and facilitate a high-quality, coherent, appropriate adult educational program, specific to the course design the contractor is awarded to deliver. Multiple measurements will be used to formulate a rating between 1-5 including student feedback, student course evaluations, review of teaching materials and delivery by course chair(s), and observations by both the Economic Training Division leadership and the

COR.

Timeliness of Performance

The contractor must adhere to the deadlines specified by the COR with regard to providing training materials, delivering training, and/or participating in debriefs with the course chair as outlined in the Task Order. The rating from 1 to 5 will be formulated by the COR based on his/her observation and input from the Economic Training Division leadership.

Business Relations/Customer Satisfaction

The contractor must provide effective customer service to the internal FSI clients of this BPA Setup – COR, and Economic Training Division staff and students – per contractor duties in the SOW. The COR will use individual expertise and general observance of interactions and customer service with FSI staff, and students. A rating from 1 to 5 will be tabulated for this evaluation based on student feedback, FSI staff feedback, and COR observations. The COR

This document is a draft PWS intended use as part of a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought( SS) notice.

It has been developed by the Government for market research purposes only. Nothing in this document can be construed to bind the Government in any way. A formal solicitation for this requirement may/ may not follow.

observations will include timeliness of responses to inquiries and requests within the scope of the contract and delivery of training.

Government Provided Property

∗ Classroom facilities at 4000 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia or other area sites to be specified;

∗ Audio-visual equipment available at FSI;

∗ All necessary course materials within the budget and funding availability.

The U.S. Government will not provide

∗ Sick or annual leave;

∗ Parking facilities – presenter has to pay parking fee;

∗ Secretarial support in the Transition Center suite;

∗ Cost reimbursable expenses beyond the direct labor cost of this purchase order;

∗ Retirement plan, health benefits, or life insurance benefits;

∗ Responsibility for the loss of any personal property belonging to the contractor which he/she may have brought to the work place.