49100419R1001_20190214_FBO_Posting.pdf

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER RATING PAGE OF PAGES

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER 4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 5. DATE ISSUED 6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

9. Sealed offers in original and _____________________________ copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if hand carried, in the depository located in until local time _______________________ (Hour) (Date)

CAUTION - LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All Offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

A. NAME B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS) C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

AREA CODE NUMBER EXTENSION

(X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM I CONTRACT CLAUSES

B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

C DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

D PACKAGING AND MARKING PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within ________ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT 10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) CALENDAR DAYS (%)

(See Section I, Clause No. 52-232-8)

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT NO. DATE AMENDMENT NO. DATE

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the

SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated):

DUNS: DUNS+4: CODE FACILITY 16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER 15A. NAME AND

ADDRESS OF

OFFEROR

(Type or print)

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER 17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AREA CODE NUMBER EXTENSION

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS IS DIFFERENT FROM

ABOVE - ENTER SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED 20. AMOUNT 21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION: 23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN ITEM

(4 copies unless otherwise specified) 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) 41 U.S.C. 3304(a) ( )

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7) 25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

PHONE: FAX:

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print) 27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 28. AWARD DATE

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

(REV. 6/2014)

10. FOR INFORMATION CALL:

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION STANDARD FORM 33

Previous edition is unusable Prescribed by GSA-FAR (48 CFR) 53.214(c)

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

SOLICITATION

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

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49100419R1001

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TBD

National Science Foundation

Div. of Acq. & Cooperative Support

2415 Eisenhower Avenue

7th Floor, E 7345

Alexandria VA 22314

See Section L.11

See Section L.12 2:00PM April 4, 2019

Joe Cloft 703-292-8094 joscloft@nsf.gov

See Attached Table of Contents

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Div. of Acq. & Cooperative Support

2415 Eisenhower Avenue

7th Floor, E 7345

DFM, Phone: (703) 292-8280

Commercial Cash Management

2415 Eisenhower Avenue

49100419R1001 Section B

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SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 SCHEDULE

Pursuant to Section C below, the Contractor (independently and not as an agent of the Government) shall furnish all necessary labor, supplies, materials and equipment (except as otherwise authorized by the

Contracting Officer) as required to support the NSF’s Office of Polar Programs, Division of Arctic

Sciences. The Contractor shall provide all deliverables as described under Section F. Performance shall be in accordance with all terms, conditions and specifications as stipulated herein. With the exception of the

Phase-In, Phase-Out and option to extend services (see FAR 52.217-8) periods, the actual services provided shall be determined yearly in accordance with the Annual Program Plan (APP) as approved by the Contracting Officer Representative (refer to Section F).

B.2 CONSIDERATION (ESTIMATED COST PLUS FIXED FEE)

CLIN PERIOD

OBLIGATED

AMOUNT

ESTIMATED

COST FIXED FEE* TOTAL CPFF

Phase-In

Performance Period: 10/1/19 – 1/31/20

APP Year 1, Base Period

Performance Period: 2/1/20 – 1/31/21

APP Year 2, Base Period

Performance Period: 2/1/21 – 1/31/22

APP Year 3, Base Period

Performance Period: 2/1/22 – 1/31/23

APP Year 4, Base Period

Performance Period: 2/1/23 – 1/31/24

APP Year 5, Option Period 1

Performance Period: 2/1/24 – 1/31/25

APP Year 6, Option Period 1

Performance Period: 2/1/25 – 1/31/26

APP Year 7, Option Period 2

Performance Period: 2/1/26 – 1/31/27

APP Year 8, Option Period 2

Performance Period: 2/1/27 – 1/31/28

APP Year 9, Option Period 3

Performance Period: 2/1/28 – 1/31/29

APP Year 10, Option Period 3

Performance Period: 2/1/29 – 1/31/30

Phase-Out, Option Period

Performance Period: Four months**

TOTAL ESTIMATED CONTRACT

APP = Annual Program Plan Year

CLIN = Contract Line Item

CPFF = Cost Plus Fixed Fee

* Any fee payable to the prime Contractor under this cost-reimbursement contract shall not exceed the fee limitations in FAR 15.404-4(c)(4)(i)(C). See FAR clause 52.244-2 regarding subcontractor fee.

**If the Government exercises the Phase-Out Option, the respective Phase-Out performance period will consecutively follow the current performance period in which the Government provided the notice.of intent to exercise the respective option. Costs as provided for under each APP Year, Phase-In Period and Phase-Out

Period, pursuant to the contract clause 52.216-7, entitled "Allowable Cost and Payment," shall not exceed the respective amount set forth as "Estimated Cost" in the table above.

The National Science Foundation may have a need for increased services during performance of this contract. The level of services is based, in part, on the amount of appropriations available each year for

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Arctic Sciences research and support. As a result, the Contractor may be required to provide a substantial amount of increased effort pursuant to the terms and conditions of the contract.

B.3 COMPENSATION

The costs of performance of this contract are defined as the necessary direct costs incurred during the period of performance of this contract and amounts for appropriate indirect expenses applied in accordance with the organization’s approved accounting system. Allowability, allocability and reasonableness of costs under this contract shall be determined in accordance with FAR Part 31 and the terms of this contract.

B.4 CONTRACT FUNDING

For purposes of payment of cost and pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.232-22

“Limitation of Funds,” incorporated by reference in Section I, the total amount allotted by the

Government to this contract is $_____________. This allotment covers the following estimated period of performance: _____________________.

Of the amount obligated above, $_____________ is allotted to cover cost and $____________ is allotted to cover fixed fee, for a total incremental funding obligation of $_______________.

[To be inserted at contract award.]

B.5 FIXED FEE PAYMENT

Pursuant to FAR 16.306(d)(2), FAR 52.216-8 entitled “Fixed Fee” and subsection B.6 entitled “Level-of-

Effort,” payment of the fixed fee shall be made at the expiration of each period, if the performance is considered satisfactory by the Government. For the purpose of Section B.5 and B.6, each APP, the Phase-

In Period and Phase-Out Period are all separate periods. Fixed fee shall not be made for any period under an unexercised option. Upon expiration of each period, the Contractor shall provide the CO a statement certifying the level-of-effort expended under the respective period. For each period, a maximum of 15% of the fee or $100,000, whichever is less, will be set aside as a reserve for each performance period. The reserve for each period may be retained until the Government’s audit of incurred costs, including indirect costs, is completed and all costs are settled in accordance with FAR 52.216-7 entitled “Allowable Cost and Payment”.

B.6 LEVEL-OF-EFFORT (Cost-plus-fixed-fee, Term Contract)

(a) In performance of the effort directed in this contract, the contractor shall provide the total Direct Labor

Hours (DLH) as stated under Attachment H-3, and the DLH provided shall be expended during each period’s term as specified under Section B.1. DLH is defined as actual work hours exclusive of vacation, holidays, sick leave, uncompensated overtime and other absences.

(b) Only the DLH categories indicated under Attachment H-3 shall be charged directly to the contract. It is estimated that the DLH will be expended approximately as stated under Attachment H-3.

(c) The DLH specified under Attachment H-3 are provided as estimates only. If the actual amount of DLH incurred falls within 90% to 110% of this estimate, the fee shall not be adjusted.

(d) In the event that the contractor shall be required to provide less than 90% of the estimated DLH, under a period the fixed fee of the contract shall be equitably adjusted by a bilateral modification to the contract, prior to the end of the respective period. The downward adjustment will reduce the fixed fee by the percentage by which the total expended level of effort is less than 100% of that specified in paragraph (a).

(For instance, if a hypothetical base-period LOE of 100,000 hours is being reduced to 70,000, the fixed fee shall also be reduced by the same 30%. Using a corresponding hypothetical base-period fixed fee pool of $300,000, the reduced fixed-fee amount is calculated as: $300,000 x (70,000 hours/100,000 hours) =

$210,000.)

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If a bilateral agreement to adjust the fee is not reached, as described under this section above, prior to the end of the respective period, the fixed fee for the respective period may be unilaterally adjusted by the

CO.

(e) The Government may require the Contractor to provide additional effort up to 110 percent of the level of effort for any period until the estimated cost for that period has been reached. However, this additional effort shall not result in any increase in the fixed fee, if any.

(f) These terms and conditions do not supersede the requirements of either FAR clause 52.232-20

“Limitation of Cost” or FAR clause 52.232-22 “Limitation of Funds.”

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49100419R1001 Section C

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SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF

WORK

C.1 BACKGROUND

For more than half a century, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has sponsored research in the Arctic because of the region’s influence on weather and climate in the northern hemisphere, as a natural laboratory, and to understand how the Arctic functions as a system. The U.S. is an Arctic nation and has responsibilities to understand and manage the U.S. Arctic based on scientific research. Understanding the changes occurring in the Arctic, the downstream effects of those changes on the rest of the planet, and the planet’s influence on the Arctic all represent complex questions for researchers. Developing answers to these types of questions often requires measurements across vast areas that are difficult to access and taken over many years and working with other nations to accomplish research goals.

NSF supports research throughout the Arctic region, including Alaska, Greenland, Canada, Russia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas from the sea floor geology to the sea ice, land and cryosphere, the lower and upper atmosphere, near space and deep space. The Arctic region is among the most sensitive to environmental change, has exceptionally long natural climate records, has thousands of years of human settlement, and has other characteristics that make the Arctic a natural laboratory for studying natural, physical, and social sciences. The Arctic thus provides a unique basis for integrated research on global systems and human adaptation. Arctic research activities at NSF are primarily funded through the Office of Polar Programs (OPP), Arctic Sciences Section (ARC) with research support and logistics managed through the Arctic Research Support and Logistics (RSL) program.

The goal of ARC-supported research is to gain a better understanding of the Arctic's physical, biological, geological, chemical, social and cultural processes; the interactions of oceanic, terrestrial, atmospheric, biological, social, cultural, and economic systems; and their interconnection. Arctic research includes field and modeling studies, data analysis, and synthesis about the arctic region. The ARC program and other NSF programs support projects that contribute to the development of the next generation of researchers and scientific literacy for all ages through education, outreach, and broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Program areas are divided into Arctic Natural

Sciences, Arctic Social Sciences, Arctic System Science, the Arctic Observing Network, Cyber

Infrastructure and Sensors, and Arctic Research Support and Logistics. The Arctic Research Mapping

Application (ARMAP) is a searchable visualization tool to learn more about the research locations and project types.

There is tremendous interest in the Arctic from other NSF programs, other federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and foreign governments and research institutions. Program representatives from OPP coordinate with research programs across NSF, including joint review and funding of arctic proposals and coordinated support of special projects with unique logistical requirements. NSF may support logistical requirements of projects funded by other agencies on a reimbursable basis. Arctic research across the federal government is coordinated by the Interagency Arctic Research Policy

Committee (IARPC) and described in a 5-year Arctic Research Plan described in more detail on the

IARPC Collaborations web portal. ARC program managers work with representatives from other nations to coordinate field research for joint programs and to utilize logistical assets available from other nations.

The RSL program was added to the ARC in 1999 to support research projects in the Arctic, in part in response to a 1997 report from the Arctic Research Commission entitled, “Logistics Recommendations for an Improved U.S. Arctic Research Capability” (ARCUS 1997). Two follow-up workshops in 2003 and

2013 brought together the research community, field logistics professionals, and others to gather input on the future directions of the program. Reports from those workshops, “Arctic Research Support and

Logistics: Strategies and Recommendations for System Scale Studies in a Changing Environment” and https://nsf.gov/ https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/arctic/index.jsp https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/arctic/res_log_sup.jsp http://armap.org/ http://armap.org/ http://www.iarpccollaborations.org/index.html https://www.arcus.org/logistics/1997-report https://www.arcus.org/logistics/1997-report http://www.arcus.org/Logistics/03_report.html http://www.arcus.org/Logistics/03_report.html

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“Increasing Arctic Accessibility Over the Next 20 Years” are available from the Arctic Research

Consortium of the U.S. along with more background on the RSL program. With funding made available in NSF’s appropriation, NSF awarded the Arctic Research Support and Logistics Services (ARSLS) contract in 2000, 2005 and 2011 to procure, among other things, safe, efficient, effective research support in the Arctic.

This work statement describes the necessary services and supplies required to successfully support the

ARSLS program. NSF encourages the ARSLS Contractor to continuously improve upon existing approaches and to seek efficiencies and better, more creative ways to accomplish the program goals.

C.2 STATEMENT OF WORK

The scope of work for this contract is to provide logistics, operations, and other support for

Arctic research projects and facilities sponsored by NSF or other agencies, as directed by NSF. Oversight of the ARSLS contract is performed by the RSL program managers, including an appointed Contracting

Officer Representative (COR). As the prime Contractor for research support in the Arctic, the ARSLS

Contractor – hereafter referred to as the Contractor – shall be tasked to provide support for financial assistance proposals submitted to ARC and financial assistance field projects funded by ARC and its collaborators. The level of support will vary as described in Section C.3 below.

Research principal investigators (PIs) from U.S. academic research institutions receive grant funding for proposed projects through NSF’s merit review process. In any fiscal year, ARC may be managing more than 450-500 active awards, approximately 160-200 of which may have fieldwork. Because the Arctic is accessible to anyone, researchers may perform their own logistics using grant funds or may elect to use the services of the Contractor. Approximately 50-60 projects self-perform their logistics per year with the remainder requesting support through the Contractor. Each year 10-15 projects are funded by sources outside of ARC. Outside sources include but are not limited to other NSF program offices and other federal agencies. Support for outside sources is usually on a cost reimbursable basis. The quantities of proposals, awards and projects listed above will vary annually based on the merit review process, budgets and other factors. The Contractor shall continuously adjust to the number and scope of projects and shall work with researchers, NSF, and other sponsoring agencies to remain informed about funded projects.

The Contractor shall track and report the status of all proposals for ARC. Additionally, the Contractor shall track and report the status of other proposals for other NSF program offices and other agencies requesting Contractor support. The Contractor shall also work with NSF to develop budgets for reimbursable projects and track reimbursements to the respective program(s).

The Contractor shall work with NSF, PIs, other federal agencies, state agencies, tribal organizations, international organizations, and organizations that own or manage logistics resources and facilities in the

Arctic, to develop and execute operational plans to support research projects. As directed by NSF, the

Contractor shall operate and maintain facilities that are owned or leased in support of Arctic research.

Operational plans shall support the scientific goals in a safe, efficient and cost-effective manner. The

Contractor shall be responsible for construction, maintenance, and field camp operation for multiple projects and locations throughout the Arctic. The Contractor shall provide engineering and design of new facilities and changes to existing facilities. The Contractor shall lease or procure facilities such as lab or berthing space, vehicles, vessels, and air support to meet the requirements of research projects. The

Contractor shall provide an annual leased space report. Field operations may require outreach to coordinate with local communities on the scope and timing of operations and where possible the

Contractor shall consider local people in the planning and conduct of the research support. NSF funds some logistics providers directly, outside of the ARSLS Contract. For example, NSF pays separately for airlift in Greenland for passengers and cargo that is provided by the New York Air National Guard

(ANG), 109th Airlift Wing. The Contractor shall track ANG and other third-party provided support utilized by science and operations projects to meet NSF’s requirements.

https://www.arcus.org/logistics/2013-workshop/report https://www.arcus.org/ https://www.arcus.org/

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The Contractor shall provide NSF with an annual program plan (APP) recommending the approach and resources needed for meeting all operational and logistics functions. The scope, estimated cost and schedule presented in the APP shall be based on the scope of the funded NSF proposals, discussions with

PIs, input from NSF and other service providers to NSF, and the expertise and experience of the

Contractor’s staff. The APP data shall be output from an Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) for the life of the contract that is interoperable with NSF’s IMS. For support to research grants, in most cases the

Contractor shall work with the PI during the proposal stage to scope out the work and provide a cost estimate. The Contractor shall work with NSF and its other service providers to develop recommendations for the scope, cost and schedule for aspects of the APP not directly tied to specific grantee requirements such as the operation and maintenance of facilities, the provision of information technology and communications, and risk management. The Contractor shall assist NSF to be compliant with applicable federal environmental laws, as set forth in C.2.8, below. The Contractor shall be responsible for all waste management issues, operational health and safety practices and information security associated with its operation and maintenance of the facilities.

The Contractor shall seek to minimize the environmental impact of its work and shall have the necessary expertise to carry out the work in compliance with applicable environmental laws, including waste management laws and export and import requirements. Permits for installation and use of the sites used by the Contractor shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. For example, the Contractor shall acquire permits required from the Government of Greenland for operations at two Contractor-operated camps on the Greenland Ice Sheet known as Summit Station and Raven. The Contractor shall provide monthly and annual reporting to NSF on its activities as identified under the Award/Contract Section F, Deliveries or

Performance.

C.2.1 RSL PROGRAM PORTFOLIOS

The RSL program uses a work breakdown structure with eight (8) major performing areas called portfolios. Each portfolio is made up of projects; each project is made up of activities. The portfolios are:

Direct Science Support (SC), Sustaining Facilities & Operations (FS), Facility Upgrades (FU), Air

Operations (AO), Vessel Operations (VO), IT and Communications (IC), Health, Safety and Environment

(HE), and Program Management (PM) as shown in Figure 1 (below).

The Contractor shall define and manage projects within each portfolio that meet the goals of the RSL program. Projects shall be coded to the portfolio, geographic region where they are located, and the science program in ARC, or another funding organization where applicable. The activities within each project shall be coded similarly and shall indicate the estimated cost, quantity, unit cost, unit type and schedule information for each activity. The project’s schedule and budget shall be the total of each activity’s schedule and budget.

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Figure 1. Schematic of portfolios in the NSF’s Arctic RSL program.

C.2.1.1 Direct Science Support (SC): The labor, materials, equipment, logistics, fuel, communications, and other services required to support specific science projects, attributable to a specific NSF grant number or specific project sponsored by other federal agencies or organizations. The RSL program may fund proposals for technology development and other research support efforts. Based on detailed project plans and cost-loaded schedules for each project by location and funding source.

C.2.1.2 Sustaining Facilities & Operations (FS): The labor, materials, equipment, logistics, leases, energy costs, and other procurements or services required to operate and maintain existing Arctic infrastructure assets. Based on detailed project plans, long-range facilities plans, and information from the computerized maintenance management system by location and funding source.

C.2.1.3 Facility Upgrades (FU): The labor, materials, equipment, logistics, energy costs, and other services required to upgrade, redevelop or build new Arctic infrastructure assets. Based on detailed project plans and long-range facilities plans by location and funding source.

C.2.1.4 Air Operations (AO): The labor, fuel, aircraft rate, airport fees, and other associated costs of air support for both science and operations. This includes the Air National Guard, required to support science and facilities projects, and small vendors supporting specific science projects. Based on project requirements by portfolio, project, location, and funding source.

C.2.1.5 Vessel Operations (VO): The labor, fuel, vessel rate, and other associated costs for vessel charters based on project requirements by portfolio, project, location and funding source.

C.2.1.6 IT & Communications (IC): The labor, materials, equipment, logistics, data costs, and other services required to provide the Information Technology (IC) required for communications, including research station network infrastructure, satellite phones, and mechanisms that support data transmission from field locations by portfolio, project, location and funding source.

C.2.1.7 Health, Safety and Environment (HE): The labor, materials, equipment, logistics, and other services required to ensure a robust HSE program in support of science and operations. Based on project plans or program service needs by portfolio, project, location, and funding source.

C.2.1.8 Program Management (PM): The labor, materials, equipment, logistics, and other services required to operate the program. Based on program needs and not attributable to another portfolio by project, location, and funding source.

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C.2.2 REGIONS OF OPERATION IN THE ARCTIC

NSF research focuses on understanding the Arctic as a region, which requires system level studies, process-focused studies, experimental manipulations, long-term observations, community participatory research, and a variety of other techniques, spatial scales, and study lengths. See Appendix A: Total

Number of Contractor Supported Science Projects and Appendix B: Geographic Distribution of

Contractor Supported Science Projects. This distribution will vary by year, but it is important for the

Contractor to recognize the different operating environments across the Arctic.

The Arctic can be defined in many ways. Geopolitical, geologic, ecosystem, geographic and other boundaries vary. The Arctic Circle delineates those areas above which experience at least one day of total darkness in winter. The Congressional definition and map of the arctic is available from the U.S. Arctic

Research Commission. To NSF, Arctic research may occur anywhere the proposed research will help inform an understanding of the Arctic or its relationship with the rest of the planet. See Appendix C:

Projects & Locations, 2016 and 2017; Appendix C1: Contractor Supported Science Projects, 2016; and

Appendix C2: Contractor Supported Science Projects, 2017.

C.2.2.1 ALASKA

The Contractor shall support NSF-funded researchers working throughout the state of Alaska and the surrounding seas. Research cruises to the high Arctic may also mobilize or demobilize in Alaska. The

Contractor should be familiar with the variety of land owners and research permit requirements and other regulations across Alaska in addition to understanding how best to support projects across the state.

Several locations in Alaska have supported scientific research for many decades and are expected to remain important for research in years to come.

Utqiaġvik, the village formerly known as Barrow, has hosted research for more than 100 years and is an access point for the Arctic Ocean, sea ice, tundra, and lagoons. The land and facilities are owned by

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC). A UIC subsidiary, UIC-Science, is subcontracted by the current

ARSLS Contractor to access research support in the Utqiaġvik area. UIC-S is gradually replacing aging research infrastructure and acquiring new capabilities. ARC supported 17 projects in the Utqiaġvik region in the 2016/17 season and leased laboratory, lodging, and warehouse space. The Contractor shall support projects working out of Utqiaġvik, on near-shore ice, and working at Atqasuk, approximately 60 miles south of Utqiaġvik. Support in Utqiaġvik shall include but not be limited to accommodations, local transportation, translators, bear guards, communications, and permitting. The Contractor shall provide air logistics throughout the North Slope, including Utqiaġvik, because these services often can be consolidated throughout the North Slope region. Utqiaġvik is sometimes a transfer point for research cruises on U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers and other research vessels. When required, the Contractor shall support crew exchanges with the icebreakers or research vessels and subcontract with local Contractors to comply with environmental regulations and to provide local support for personnel. When required, the

Contractor shall arrange outreach meetings and interviews on local radio and other media as part of the effort to communicate with and involve the communities on the North Slope in research projects.

Since the 1970s, ecologists and other researchers have performed focused studies near Toolik Field

Station (TFS), in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range just off the Dalton Highway. NSF supports the basic operation of TFS through a cooperative agreement between NSF and the Institute of Arctic

Biology (IAB) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). TFS supports research year-round, with a concentration of support from April through October and the heaviest concentration from May through

August. TFS operations are funded through a cooperative agreement, between NSF and UAF, and user day fees. A user day fee is charged to each TFS user for daily use of TFS. User day fees are paid through the Contractor rather than the grantee which enables NSF to manage the user day fees more closely. At

TFS, the Contractor shall maintain boardwalks that protect the tundra and enable researchers to access their project sites and shall subcontract for helicopter support to ferry researchers to sites farther afield from TFS. The Contractor shall provide support for TFS projects including but not limited to user days, vehicle needs, helicopter time, and boardwalk or other science-specific construction needs. The https://www.arctic.gov/maps.html http://www.barrowbulletin.com/ http://toolik.alaska.edu/ http://toolik.alaska.edu/

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Contractor shall budget for user days in support of NSF-funded research projects, construction and maintenance projects, and the helicopter coordinator, mechanic, and pilot for the helicopter subcontract.

The number of user days can vary widely from year to year based on approved project plans. Research is conducted on the Seward Peninsula and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, throughout interior and Southeast

Alaska, in the Aleutians, and elsewhere in Alaska.

C.2.2.2 GREENLAND

One of the most prominent features of the Arctic is the Greenland Ice Sheet. Research in Greenland includes studies of the ice sheet, use of deep ice cores to understand past climate, studies of atmospheric chemistry and physics, astronomy and astrophysics, research about past settlements in Greenland, and a variety of projects in the fjords and surrounding seas. NSF owns and operates a research station near the

Summit of the Greenland Ice Sheet to enable many of these studies. Researchers make use of villages, research stations and camps, and the U.S. Air Force installation at Thule Air Base (TAB), all with the permission of the Government of Greenland, which is responsible for permitting all research activities.

The Contractor will have a significant role in supporting researchers working throughout Greenland, operating and maintaining NSF’s facilities, and stewarding and growing partnerships that enable research in Greenland. The Contractor shall provide an informational website and guides about the NSF-owned and operated facilities in Greenland.

NSF contracts with the Air National Guard (ANG) to provide cargo airlift to Greenland. From Stratton

Air Base in Scotia, NY, the 109th Airlift Wing flies ski-equipped (LC) and wheeled C-130 cargo planes to

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, one of two large runways in the country. The 105th Airlift Wing also flies

C17s to Kangerlussuaq and TAB. Military airlift for personnel and cargo, through Air Mobility

Command, is available between Baltimore and TAB. Access to TAB is controlled by U.S. Air Force

(USAF) Space Command. The Contractor shall coordinate closely with NYANG and USAF Space

Command to obtain approval for access and activities. Seasonal ports at Sondestromfjord near

Kangerlussuaq, and TAB provide additional means of supporting cargo transport via commercial and government-contracted vessels.

Nearly all supported projects in Greenland are managed from a logistics base at Kangerlussuaq (Kanger) with a few working out of TAB. For operations in Kanger the Contractor shall lease office, berthing, garage and warehouse space, maintain a field equipment inventory, coordinate air operations with the

Greenland Airport Authority (Mittarfeqarfiit), procure air support contracts for helicopter and fixed-wing activities, contract for lodging and food services and provide other support as needed. Most warehouse space in Kanger is owned/managed by Mittarfeqarfiit. The Kangerlussuaq International Science Support

(KISS) center in Kanger offers lodging, laboratory, and office space. For projects working out of TAB, NSF leases facilities from the USAF for housing, office, field project staging, lab space, and storage and operations. The Contractor shall operate, maintain and manage NSF-owned vehicles in Kanger and TAB.

Summit Station (Summit) is a research station owned by NSF. The Contractor shall operate and maintain

Summit. Summit is a high-altitude station at approximately 10,600 feet elevation, near the highest point of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and is the site of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) borehole.

Scientific activities began at Summit Station in 1989, with year-round operations commencing in the early 2000’s. The NSF vision for Research Support & Logistics at Summit Station is provided under

Appendix D. The site has the desirable characteristics of typically having dry snow unaffected by seasonal melt, a long record of atmospheric measurements and ice cores, and access to the lower free troposphere as well as air that is well mixed and representative of a hemispheric signal undisturbed by local conditions. Summit is the site of a clean air sector supporting sensitive measurements of the atmosphere and snow. In addition, the astrophysics and astronomy research communities have initiated projects at Summit and the user community is discussing establishing a dark sector at Summit. Summit receives, on average, 70cm of snow accumulation each year and experiences significant drifting, which impacts operations and infrastructure. The Contractor shall work closely with the research community and

PIs at Summit to support research, including providing technician support, maintaining instrumentation, and meeting research requirements.

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The Contractor shall support additional projects located elsewhere on the Greenland ice sheet, on the coastal tundra and surrounding seas. Projects may be supported from villages in Greenland, including

Ilulissat on the west coast and Tasiilaq on the east coast. The Contractor shall provide remote travel, snowmobile traverses, fuel caching, subcontracts for air support and other support as needed.

C.2.2.3 CANADA

NSF does not have a research presence in Canada. Rather, researchers make use of facilities and services available through the Canadian government or other service providers. The Canadian government’s Polar

Continental Shelf Program (PCSP) provides considerable logistics services in the far north, including air charter support. The Contractor shall work directly with PIs and PCSP or other operators as necessary to develop support plans. In most cases, PIs purchase support directly from PCSP and other providers in

Canada using their grant funds. As required, the Contractor shall provide logistics support services in

Canada, such as providing boats and other logistics services.

C.2.2.4 RUSSIA

Roughly half of the Arctic is in Russia and there are many science drivers for projects in Russia. While

NSF does not maintain any facilities in Russia, NSF contributed to the construction of research facilities in Tiksi, Beliy Island and Heiss Island, now operated in collaboration with the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NSF provided shared-use laboratory equipment for projects based at the Northeast Science Station (NSS) in Cherskiy and has worked with Chukotka Science Support

Group (CSSG) as examples of organizations in Russia positioned to support Arctic fieldwork. NSF maintains an agreement with the Civilian Research Defense Fund (CRDF) for assistance with visas and other documentation for researchers. When required, the Contractor shall subcontract with support providers that have worked with NSF-funded researchers for many years in Chukotka and Yakutia

(Sakha) regions of Russia and future projects may require the Contractor to identify support providers in specific towns or regions. When necessary, the Contractor shall subcontract and/or coordinate with local entities to perform the work, including collecting and transporting samples back to the U.S., shipping scientific equipment, and gaining visas and other permissions for people and cargo. Often, researchers develop links to academic counterparts in Russia and these links often provide access to critical logistics services and local experience.

C.2.2.5 ARCTIC OCEAN

Understanding the sea ice, the atmosphere over the sea ice, and the ocean and seafloor below the sea ice is critical to understanding the Arctic. When required, the Contractor shall support projects on the sea ice, requiring air charters based out of northern Canada, Greenland, or Svalbard and requiring sea ice camp support. Operations on the sea ice are challenging and limited by daylight and the presence of acceptable ice conditions. Projects can be supported from Alert, a Canadian Forces Station (CFS) facility on the north coast of Ellesmere Island with permission from CFS for limited access. The Contractor shall coordinate with CFS to replace aviation fuel used by the NSF projects using C-130 support. Projects can be supported from commercially-operated camps constructed on the sea ice such as Camp Barneo near the North Pole. NSF may have opportunities to make use of ice camps such as one constructed in the

Beaufort Sea in alternating years by the Navy or the German-led effort to freeze an icebreaker into the ice to act as a floating platform 2019-2020 for the MOSAiC Observatory. When required, the Contractor shall provide support for projects using icebreaker assets in the Arctic Ocean, from chartering to handling mobilization, demobilization, or resupply.

C.2.2.6 NORWAY, SWEDEN, FINLAND – FENNOSCANDIA

Logistics support to projects in Fennoscandia varies considerably and may only consist of providing satellite communications equipment. NSF does not have a research facility on Svalbard. Instead, the

Contractor shall assist U.S. researchers wishing to work on Svalbard in arranging to use the research station at Kings Bay or other nationally sponsored research stations or available facilities. Research support throughout Norway, Sweden and Finland is often at established research stations or near communities where logistics support is available.

https://www.chukotkascience.org/about-us https://www.chukotkascience.org/about-us https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barneo http://www.mosaicobservatory.org/

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C.2.2.7 SITE VISITS

Each year NSF will support site visits to various locations for NSF staff, Contractors, collaborators from other agencies, distinguished visitors, and media or outreach personnel. The Contractor shall prepare materials for site visits including developing and maintaining a deployment guide for NSF staff and developing briefing book materials for distinguished visitors. Briefing books shall include an itinerary, relevant maps, biosketches of involved personnel, facility descriptions, and information on science projects in the area.

C.2.3 DIRECT SCIENCE SUPPORT

C.2.3.1 SCIENCE PROJECT SUPPORT – PLANNING, EXECUTION, CLOSEOUT

The core activity of this contract is to assist researchers with developing, implementing, and adapting research project support plans. NSF provides research support services to researchers through the ARSLS contract for efficiency, cost effectiveness, and to leverage the expertise in field support that is concentrated at the ARSLS Contractor. NSF is interested in attracting new researchers to Arctic fieldwork in addition to many researchers who may be experts at fieldwork, but who will benefit from access to facilities, pooled equipment, environmental compliance, risk assessment, and other services. PIs choose whether to arrange for their own logistics support using grant funds, or use the Contractor or another third-party support organization, or a combination. Increasingly, PIs have chosen to use NSF’s ARSLS

Contractor to reduce the time scientists spend on logistics planning and execution of ever more complex projects and to make use of the expertise and established practices of the Contractor.

Approximately 350 research proposals are submitted to programs in ARC each year to study the Arctic.

Of these, approximately 50 to 100 each year require a logistics estimate from the Contractor and many have fieldwork in more than one location. Proposals are for 3-5 years of funding with no more than 5 years of fieldwork associated with a single proposal. Approximately 15-20% of the proposals to the Arctic

Sciences Section are awarded, thus only a small subset of the prepared support estimates will be implemented each year. Each year the Contractor shall support approximately 130-150 projects requiring field support and logistical services. This includes new awards and those already awarded. The Contractor shall also perform environmental compliance reviews on all new ARC awards, approximately 100 per year, including those without fieldwork. Most of the fieldwork takes place in Alaska and Greenland. In

2016, 46% of the projects were in Alaska and 41% were in Greenland, with the remaining 13% of projects spread among the other Arctic nations and the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas. This includes work performed for other NSF programs, other federal agencies, and organizations reimbursing NSF for logistics support. See Appendix E: Contractor Supported Science Project Funding Sources 2016.

The Contractor shall maintain an external website describing Arctic Research Support (currently http://cpspolar.com) that is informative to researchers and other interested parties planning fieldwork in the Arctic. On the website, the Contractor shall provide information about Arctic facilities and Arctic support services available, current policies and procedures, a calendar of field safety training available, other publicly available schedules, links to other third-party service providers, information about health and safety, and details on who needs to physically qualify for fieldwork and how that process works. The site shall include information on good practices for field work and field safety risk management and shall be the location to post information on incidents and near misses in the program to improve field safety risk management. The Contractor shall update this website regularly, no less than monthly, to ensure current information is available. As with all information technology resources in this program, commercial off the shelf (COTS) products shall always be used unless a written waiver is obtained by the

CO. Executable code, source code, software documentation and current data shall be delivered to the government when required and prior to the end of the contract.

Most proposals are received in response to the Arctic Research Opportunities (ARO) solicitation (NSF

16-595), which has no proposal submission deadline. Proposals are received on a rolling basis with panel http://cpspolar.com/ https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5521&org=OPP&from=home

C - 9 reviews held periodically. Occasionally there is a special solicitation or other deadline drivers for proposals. Researchers may request estimates and logistics support for proposals submitted to other NSF programs and other agencies to make use of the resources and expertise available to the ARSLS contract.

In some cases, these proposals are co-reviewed with programs in ARC for potential co-funding and in other cases the support from the ARSLS Contractor will be on a cost reimbursable basis. Researchers are expected to prepare a proposal for NSF that is a complete description of the work to be undertaken and the cost to complete it.

The Contractor will be provided with a database of previous research project support. The Contractor shall operate, maintain and continuously update proposal information in the database. The Arctic research project support database shall capture and track information about all proposals funded by ARC – including those without fieldwork – those with support from the ARSLS Contractor, projects that have fieldwork supported by the grantee or other third-party logistics providers, and interagency or other direct bill support provided by NSF. The database shall capture all relevant information in the life-cycle of science projects including but not limited to institution and primary investigator, project objectives and proposals, numbers in field team and estimated days in field, support plans with cost estimates, milestones and timelines, schedule of deployments, in-progress status, support from third-party providers, vessel usage, and the cognizant NSF program manager. The database shall contain information required by NSF, such as numbers of projects by geographic region, project locations, funding agency or NSF directorate, division and section, project descriptions, and numbers of personnel supported in the field.

This database shall also provide information feeds to external sites and tools, Annual Program Plans and

Reports, other periodic reports, and discussion points. The Contractor shall track available logistics resources and costs each year in a database.

The Contractor shall work with PIs throughout the lifecycle of their project, starting at the proposal stage where the Contractor shall develop rough order of magnitude estimates of the scope, cost, and schedule for the life of the project for PIs to include in their proposal. The proposal estimate is an essential tool for

NSF to evaluate the fieldwork necessary to accomplish the science goals of each research proposal and plan for future years’ fieldwork. The Contractor shall review and document field safety risk associated with the proposed work. During the proposal review phase, the Contractor shall provide NSF with summary information about the estimated logistics scope, cost, schedule, use of vessels or other third-party support, and field safety or other perceived risks for each field project. The Contractor shall track the fate of each proposal to ARC or requesting ARSLS support in the database of research project support.

For awarded projects, the Contractor shall resume communications with the PI to update, refine field plans, and prepare project plans for the Annual Program Plan and the life of project budget. The

Contractor shall support the implementation of the project for all years of work. If the PI requests a change to the project plan, the Contractor shall work with the PI to communicate the rationale and justification to NSF for review. The Contractor shall work with NSF and the PI to implement approved changes to the project plan during the life of the project. The Contractor shall close-out all projects at the end of the grant funding. Each year the Contractor shall conduct an outbrief to collect information for continuous improvement of the process and to document days of fieldwork lost due to the Contractor, a reportable metric for the Government Performance Reporting Act (GPRA).

NSF recognizes that at the time of proposal preparation this is a concept estimate of the costs for the life of the project and is subject to change. Should the proposal be funded, the proposal and proposal estimate shall form the basis of the project plan (operational plan). The project plan will be iterated with the research team and NSF to define the support and describe it in more detail. The Contractor shall develop a process for collecting input from the PI and NSF and communicating the final, NSF-approved level of support for the project plan. The project plan shall include all relevant information for successful execution of the project such as a brief description of the research and research goals, outline of the requirements, operational plans, roles and responsibilities, risk assessment, critical success factors, reference to applicable NSF policies, and summarize the environmental compliance and community consultation performed.

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The Contractor shall…