Scope_of_Work_for_Citizens_Forum_ContractFY16_FINAL.docx

Scope of Work for Citizens Forum Contractor

International Boundary and Water Commission Background The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (IBWC), is responsible for applying the boundary and water treaties between the two countries and settling differences that arise in their application. The United States Section of the Commission (USIBWC) is a federal agency of the U.S. Government with its Headquarters in El Paso, Texas. The Commission engages in various public outreach activities to inform the public about Commission activities on such matters as flood control, national ownership of waters, environmental restoration, maintenance of the boundary rivers, and water quality, among others. The IBWC was established as a permanent Commission in 1889 and marked its 125th anniversary in 2014.

The USIBWC Headquarters is located at:

USIBWC

4171 N. Mesa St., Building C-100 El Paso, TX 79902

Citizens Forum Program Background The Citizens Forum program was started by the USIBWC in 1999 to facilitate the exchange of information between the USIBWC and the public concerning Commission projects and related activities. The USIBWC has five Citizens Forum boards, each with 7-12 members of the public. Each Citizens Forum board has two co-chairs – a USIBWC manager and a member of the public. Each Citizens Forum Board conducts 4 public meetings per year. The Citizens Forum Boards are as follows:

· USIBWC Citizens Forum, San Diego, CA

· Colorado River Citizens Forum, Imperial County, CA and Yuma County, AZ

· Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Cochise Counties, AZ

· Rio Grande Citizens Forum, greater El Paso, TX-Las Cruces, NM region

· Lower Rio Grande Citizens Forum, Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas

Contract Performance Period/Duration The initial contract period will start on January 25, 2016 and will cover activities associated with Citizens Forum meetings #1-7 as enumerated below. The Contractor shall have fifty-eight (58) calendar days after the last scheduled Citizens Forum Meeting to complete all requirements under this Contract. The Contract shall have two (2) optional extensions, the first optional extension covering meetings #8-10, the second optional extension covering meetings #11-13. The optional extensions shall be at the unilateral right of the Government.

Contract Requirements The USIBWC seeks a contractor to coordinate Citizens Forum activities in Fiscal Year 2016. Responsibilities of the contractor relate to the following events:

· Citizens Forum Meetings

The contract requirements for the Citizens Forum Meetings are:

· Except when attending Citizens Forum meetings, the contractor shall work off-site at a location of the Contractor’s choosing and shall be available for communication with the USIBWC during normal U.S. business hours. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing for Contractor’s use the normal equipment and supplies needed to perform office functions such as telephone, computer, software, printer, paper, ink, photocopies, stapler, etc.

· The Contractor shall coordinate with the USIBWC field office to secure Citizens Forum meeting locations with proper setup (tables and chairs) and audio-visual requirements. The Contractor shall present proposed meeting locations to USIBWC Secretary Sally Spener and advise of any costs associated with the meeting location, setup, and audio-visual requirements which must be approved in advance by the Secretary.

· The Contractor shall contact the Citizens Forum co-chairs to obtain their feedback on priorities for suggested future agenda items based on suggested agenda items noted in the previous meeting minutes and other feedback from board members and USIBWC staff. Once this feedback is obtained, the Contractor shall contact potential meeting presenters to secure their participation in the meeting. 2-4 presenters shall be scheduled for each meeting. Meetings are two (2) hours long, generally held in the late afternoon or early evening, so Contractor must coordinate with and advise presenters to ensure agenda items can be handled within allotted meeting time. The USIBWC does not pay presenters for their participation. On rare occasion, the USIBWC may be able to pay for invitational travel for a presenter. Contractor must obtain approval from the USIBWC Secretary before making any representations to any presenter about potential travel reimbursement.

· The Contractor shall verify the names and titles of the presenters, titles of the presentations, and obtain a written summary of the presentations.

· The Contractor shall draft meeting agendas (including directions to meeting site), public service announcements, news releases, and calendar notices and submit them along with any backup documentation to USIBWC Secretary Sally Spener for review twenty-one (21) calendar days prior to each meeting. The Secretary will review the documents and may provide comments within four (4) days; if revisions are required, the Contractor must submit them to the Secretary within sixteen (16) calendar days prior to the meeting.

· All of the above tasks must be completed by the Contractor with sufficient advance planning so that all meeting arrangements, agendas, and notices are finalized no later than two (2) weeks prior to each meeting.

· The Contractor shall within one (1) week prior to each Citizens Forum meeting, place reminder telephone calls to the presenters and make sure they have all the information, equipment, materials, and directions they need to participate.

· The Contractor shall independently make all travel arrangements for Contractor to attend each Citizens Forum meeting. All travel costs shall be taken into consideration and incorporated into the Contractor's quote.

· The Contractor shall organize meeting room set-up, prepare and set up tent cards and name tags for Citizens Forum board members, make sure tables, chairs, and A/V equipment are obtained and set up properly.

· The Contractor shall take notes during the meeting and prepare draft meeting minutes. The minutes shall summarize in sentence and paragraph format each presentation, questions and responses, discussion, suggested agenda items for future Citizens Forum meetings, and any other major points, discussion, or conclusions from the meeting. The draft minutes shall be submitted to the Secretary for review within fourteen (14) calendar days after the meeting. Within thirty (30) calendar days after that, the Secretary will provide written comments to the Contractor. The Contractor shall respond to and incorporate the comments and prepare and submit a final draft to the Secretary fourteen (14) calendar days thereafter.

· Following the meeting, the Contractor shall obtain electronic copies of all presentations and e-mail them to the USIBWC Secretary so they can be posted on the agency web page within fourteen (14) calendar days after the meeting.

The USIBWC will provide the following for the Citizens Forum activities:

· USIBWC field office contact information

· Contact information for the co-chairs

· Contact information for the USIBWC Secretary

· Contact information for potential presenters when available. In some cases, the Contractor shall be required to independently obtain presenters’ contact information.

· Payment for meeting site, if needed and approved in advance by the Secretary.

· Payment for invitational travel for presenter, if needed and approved in advance by the Secretary.

· Depending on the meeting location, USIBWC may be able to provide a laptop and projector for use by presenters during the meeting. If there are charges associated with rental of audio-visual equipment at the meeting site then USIBWC will provide payment for audio-visual equipment, if needed and approved in advance by the Secretary.

· Electronic versions of templates and past samples for agendas, calendar notices, public service announcements, and news releases.

· Printing, mailing, and/or electronic distribution of meeting invitations, news releases, calendar announcements, and public service announcements.

Citizens Forum Tentative Schedule of Events for FY 2016 (exact meeting dates and locations to be determined in calendar year 2016):

1. March 9, 2016. Colorado River Citizens Forum Meeting, Imperial County, CA or Yuma County, AZ.

2. March 17, 2016. USIBWC Citizens Forum Meeting. San Diego County, CA.

3. March 24 – April 8, 2016 (date to be determined), Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum Meeting. Cochise, Pima, or Santa Cruz County, AZ.

4. April 2016. Rio Grande Citizens Forum Meeting. Las Cruces, NM.

5. May 2016. Lower Rio Grande Citizens Forum Meeting, Mercedes, TX.

6. June 2016, Colorado River Citizens Forum Meeting, Imperial County, CA or Yuma County, AZ

7. June 2016, USIBWC Citizens Forum Meeting, San Diego County, CA

8. July 2016. Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum Meeting. Cochise, Pima, or Santa Cruz County, AZ.

9. July 2016. Rio Grande Citizens Forum Meeting. El Paso, TX.

10. August 2016. Lower Rio Grande Citizens Forum Meeting. Mercedes, TX.

11. September 2016. Colorado River Citizens Forum Meeting. Yuma County, AZ.

12. September 2016. USIBWC Citizens Forum Meeting. San Diego, CA.

13. October 2016. Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum Meeting. Cochise, Pima, or Santa Cruz County, AZ.

The anticipated effective date of this contract is January 25, 2016.

Payment and Invoices

All invoices shall be sent to the USIBWC Finance & Accounting Division (FAD) on a monthly basis by email to invoices@ibwc.gov. A copy shall be furnished to the CO and the Point of Contact.

Payment shall be made in accordance with contract clause 52.212-4.

Inspection and Acceptance

Inspection and Acceptance will occur at USIBWC Headquarters in El Paso, TX.

Non-Disclosure

All aspects of this work are considered property of the Government. No release of any information or opinion related to this work is permitted without written authorization of the USIBWC or as otherwise prescribed in accordance with this Scope of Work.

Point of Contact

The technical point of contact for this work is Sally Spener at 915-832-4175 or Sally.Spener@ibwc.gov. The Technical POC will act for the Contracting Officer only in technical matters and will not be authorized to commit the Government on any contract terms, conditions, or changes in unit price, total price, quantity, or delivery schedule. Any changes to the contract in unit price, total contract price, quantity, quality, or delivery schedule will be made only by the Contracting Officer by executed modification to the contract.

The Contracting Officer shall be contacted for any other information related to this Contract. Prior to and during the progress of work, the Contractor shall confer with the Contracting Officer on any problems that may significantly affect the delivery schedule or performance of work, in an effort to assure the satisfactory completion of work.

CLIN Structure

The Contractor shall provide all labor, material, equipment, hardware, software, supervision, management, and travel to perform all work in accordance with this Scope of Work. This is a firm fixed price contract.

TOTAL

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