A02.12 PWS Risk Communication Practitioner Trainings dated 2024.08.02.docx

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI)

(BEFORE AWARD/OR MOD)

2 Aug 2024

RISK COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER TRAININGS

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

1. BACKGROUND

Institute for Water Resources (IWR) is a United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Field Operating Activity located within the Washington, DC National Capital Region in Alexandria, VA. IWR analyzes and anticipates changing water resources management conditions, and to develop planning methods and analytical tools to address economic, social, institutional, and environmental needs in water resources planning and policy. IWR provides technical assistance to Corps divisions, districts, laboratories, Federal agencies, international organizations, financial institutions and other countries, in encompassing a broad range of topic areas related to levee and dam safety, risk assessment, dredging requirements, port/waterway transport, aquatic ecosystem restoration, environmental stewardship, flood and drought risk management, emergency preparedness, watershed planning, regulatory, multipurpose water resources including hydroelectric power, water supply and reallocation, recreation, and other water and related land resources issues.

IWR seeks services and support in the development and drafting of in-person training sessions with the University of Colorado, Boulder (UCB) National Hazard Center (NHC) in support of the USACE National Flood Risk Management Program (NFRMP) as well as other related USACE technical assistance programs, in addition to research, training and coaching opportunities.

2. SCOPE

IWR is requesting assistance from the NHC to align social science research with the practice of managing flood and other related natural hazards risks (e.g., hurricane, tsunami, post-wildfire flooding, etc.). The work will be accomplished by Dr. Lori Peek, PhD, Director of NHC and her team co-located at UCB. Dr. Peek is an internationally recognized expert in social vulnerability to disasters.

The purpose of this work is to provide research, coaching and in-person training sessions in support of the NFRMP as well as other related USACE technical assistance programs, as well as supporting the overall vision, mission, goals, and principles of the NFRMP, including the USACE Silver Jackets Program. Under a prior interagency agreement, the NHC worked with the USACE to develop multiple information products and in-person as well as online trainings that identify best practices for risk communication with socially vulnerable populations. Because this work will build on the strengths of this multi-year academic-federal agency partnership and integrates many of the lessons learned from the teaching and evaluation of the in-person training sessions (Task 2), this relationship would continue for the entire award period. The goal of this partnership in the longer-term is to expand access to training information more broadly within USACE, resulting in increased responsiveness to USACE needs and opportunities.

The required services would encompass monthly meetings to discuss and finalize scope details and verify a timeline that is within the agreement period of performance, associated research, in-person training session(s) to be facilitated by the NHC, coaching calls, the evaluation and refining of the trainings based upon feedback gathered by the NHC, review of Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) interagency proposals, the dissemination of materials to stakeholder audiences and facilitating a 2-day partner meeting with Silver Jackets interagency partners.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The following sub-sections provide details of various general requirements for this effort.

3.1. Non-Personal Services

The contractor shall provide strictly non-personal services and contractor employees are not subject to direct supervision and control by the Government. The contractor shall advise and support the Government but shall not make final decisions or certifications on behalf of the Government nor perform any inherently governmental functions. The contractor and its employees shall not represent the government nor appear to represent the government in performance of these contract services. Contractor personnel shall clearly identify themselves as contractor employees in all interactions during contract performance.

3.3 Place of Performance

All remote work will be performed at the contractor’s site. In-person training classes will be held at the USACE Risk Management Center (RMC) office located in Lakewood, Colorado.

3.4 Period of Performance

The period of performance would be a minimum of 2 years, with an option to continue for an additional 3 years, determined annually at the end of each option period for a potential total of 5 years for contract duration. The base period will be 2 years, with one option for the remaining period of 3 years.

3.5 Materials

All materials, minus expendable supplies, purchased by the contractor with funds from this task order and used for this task order, become and remain the property of the Government.

3.6 Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

The contractor shall provide services necessary to plan and schedule travel and travel shall be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-46. The contractor shall be reimbursed for actual allowable costs and not to exceed the amount allowed in the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). Travel shall be pre-approved by the Contracting Officer. No fee is allowable on travel costs. NHC will travel to Washington D.C. for a 2-day partner meeting (outlined in Task 8). The 2-day partner meeting will occur once during the base POP and once during the option POP. The number of NHC personnel to travel for each partner meeting is not to exceed 3 people, and travel time is not to exceed 4 days total per trip, which includes the 2 days for the meeting and travel time.

4. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS (TASK AREAS)

Eight tasks are included.

4.1. Task 1: Kick-Off Meeting – IWR and NHC will host a kick-off web meeting before initiating tasks described here to discuss and finalize scope details and verify a timeline that is within the period of performance.

4.2. Task 2: In-Person Training Session(s) – The NHC will create an in-person training course to be held in Lakewood, Colorado. This training course will be facilitated by NHC for USACE personnel. NHC will work with IWR staff to align training to reflect USACE culture, language, process, and expectations associated with the course. NHC may bring outside experts including guest speakers and prerecorded materials, as appropriate in coordination with IWR, into the course in order to augment readings, lectures, and discussions. NHC will outline and encourage opportunities for class participant peer-to-peer learning. NHC will work with the USACE NFRMP team to identify and involve other USACE managers, where appropriate, to better disseminate and connect the principles of risk communication materials to USACE programs and initiatives.

4.3. Task 3: Coaching Calls - Coaching calls with District POCs and/or Silver Jackets teams to continue to help Silver Jackets teams apply learned concepts. This task includes offering a series of virtual sessions to apply these concepts in practice. These sessions may include 1-on-1 or group follow ups. This task will be accomplished throughout the period of performance, following the training session(s), and will not exceed 100 calls. NHC Staff will maintain a spreadsheet or other means to document the number of calls, participants and topics.

4.4. Task 4: Evaluate and Refine the Trainings - NHC and IWR will collaborate to evaluate and refine the trainings. NHC will gather feedback from the Task 2 and 3 participants to ensure that trainings are increasingly refined and tailored to meet the needs of the practitioner audience. This feedback will occur through formal deployment of evaluation surveys at the beginning and end of the course to assess pre- and post-learning outcomes. Informal feedback will also be collected and recorded during the sessions. NHC will provide a log of issues and feedback, with recommendations for how to address the issues for future trainings. Feedback will then be analyzed and reviewed by NHC and IWR during monthly check-in meetings, and then integrated into subsequent training sessions to ensure that they are meeting the participants’ needs.

4.5. Task 5: Review of Proposals - NHC will help to review FPMS proposals; specifically, this task involves review of FPMS interagency nonstructural proposals with special attention to risk communication with socially vulnerable groups. In April of every year, the USACE FPMS program receives upwards of 100 project proposals focused on nonstructural activities that often include community engagement and risk

4.6. communication. NHC will provide feedback on 60 proposals, including recommendations for applicants to improve its communication strategies and tactics. Activities under this task will involve time for review and meetings.

4.7. Task 6: Disseminate Materials to Stakeholder Audiences - NHC will assist with dissemination of deliverables and information developed under contract to USACE staff and Silver Jackets teams and partners. Specific methods and forums to distribute the information will be identified jointly by NHC and IWR within the scope of resources available under the contract. Examples of potential outlets include USACE webinars or in- person presentations. Deliverables would be virtual or digital throughout the period of performance; any paper distributions would be only once per period of performance.

4.8. Task 7: Coordination Meetings with USACE and NHC– Monthly or as-needed virtual meetings between USACE and NHC team members for the purposes of planning and coordination, and for providing updates on tasks, deliverables, timeline, and any other relevant project information.

4.9. Task 8: Silver Jackets Partner Meeting - NHC will facilitate a 2-day meeting with Silver Jackets partners to evaluate the current state of Silver Jackets, discuss key challenges and priorities of partners, and draft a vision and program priorities for the next phase of Silver Jackets. NHC will facilitate monthly virtual planning meetings, develop the agenda, provide meeting materials, take notes, and develop meeting summary. All planning and execution will be done in close coordination with NFRMP Team. NFRMP Team will host the meeting in Washington, D.C. NHC will support partner meeting in person in D.C. IWR will manage the logistics of meeting venue and participant access.

5. DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The Contractor shall provide reports and other print deliverables in publication quality format and provide web publishable versions of such deliverables. All deliverables must be Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act compliant, https://www.section508.gov. The table below identifies a set of deliverables that are required under this task order.

Deliverable Type Frequency and Quantity of Deliverables (including drafts)

in option POP – initiate planning within three months of each contract award date

during monthly meetings

distributions would be once per POP

or as needed

every 6 months during POP

award; Execute meeting within 18 months of each contract award date; One partner meeting in base POP and one partner meeting in option POP

The Government has unlimited rights to all documents and materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the Contracting Officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

6. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS): Performance Standards

Operational/Effective (All statements)

Recommendations are Implementable

7. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY (GFE)

Not applicable.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

8.0 SECURITY & SAFETY

Security 8.1

1. General security requirements and guidance: The security requirements described below apply to all contract personnel (including employees of the prime Contractor (“Contractor”) and all subcontractor employees) supporting the performance requirements of this contract. The Contractor is responsible for compliance with these security requirements. Questions regarding security matters shall be addressed to the designated Government representative (e.g., Contracting Officer Representative (COR), Requiring Activity (RA) representative, or Contracting Officer (if a COR or other RA representative is not appointed)). Contract personnel are critical to the overall security and safety of US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) installations, facilities and activities, and security awareness training contributes to those efforts. Contractor personnel and vehicles are subject to search when entering federal installations. Additionally, all contract personnel shall comply with Force Protection Condition (FPCON) measures, Random Antiterrorism Measures (commonly referred to as “RAMs”), and Health Protection Condition (HPCON) measures. The Contractor is responsible for meeting performance requirements during elevated FPCON and/or HPCON levels in accordance with applicable RA plans and procedures. In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the FPCON or HPCON levels at any individual facility or installation change, the Government may implement security changes that affect contract personnel. The Contractor shall ensure all contract personnel are aware of their security responsibilities, including any site-specific requirements identified in local policies or procedures.

All contractor employees who require physical access to government-controlled facilities or logical access to government information and or information systems are subject to a fitness determination and appropriate vetting.

The work under this contract will be UNCLASSIFIED and network or facility access is not required except for participation in meetings therefore the contractor(s) will not require a Common Access Card (CAC). Contractor employees may require access to government facilities for meetings, site visits, to gather data, etc. Infrequent contractor access to a government facility shall be coordinated by the government technical point of contact (TPOC) or the contracting officer representative (COR). The COR or TPOC for each contract is the liaison between the security office and the contractor and will coordinate any visits with the security office.

Safety 8.1.2

Contractor Compliance: The contractor and its subcontractors shall comply with Public Law 91-596 (Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)) and the Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health (ESOH) (DODD 4715.1E). These requirements shall be incorporated into the contractor’s safety and health program. The Department of Defense (DoD) participates in the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Contractor personnel performing services on a DoD installation shall participate in the local VPP. Information on the VPP is available at https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/all_about_vpp.html.

Mishap Notification: The contractor and its subcontractors (if applicable) shall promptly report pertinent facts regarding mishaps while performing services under this contract at government facilities. Contractor personnel shall promptly notify the COR or TPOC and cooperate in any resulting safety investigation.

8.2 QUALITY CONTROL/QUALITY ASSURANCE

8.2.1 Quality Control (QC)

The Contractor shall develop a quality control plan (QCP) and implement a quality control program to satisfy the specific requirements of this contract. An optimal QCP shall identify potential problem areas and evolve over the life of the contract. The Contractor shall provide the QCP to the KO and COR for approval no later than 30 calendar days after contract award. The Contractor shall update the QCP as required and provide copies to the KO and COR for approval.

All documents and deliverables produced by the contractor will be reviewed before transmitting to USACE and stakeholders and be free from errors.

8.2.2 Quality Assurance (QA)

The Government will monitor the Contractor's performance under this contract. The Government has the right to conduct inspections and performance evaluation at any time and at any place where contract performance occurs. If any aspect of the performance is not in conformance with the requirements of this contract, the Government has the right to issue to the Contractor a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR). The Contractor shall explain in writing why performance was not in conformance with the requirements of the contract, how performance will be returned to conformance, and how recurrence of the problem will be prevented in the future. The Contractor shall complete and return the CDR to the Contracting Officer and COR within five workdays after receipt of the CDR. The Contractor shall maintain copies of all inspection and evaluation reports.

9. CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE AND/OR TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT (TPOC)

A contracting officer representative (COR) and/or technical point of contact (TPOC) will be appointed on each task order. The COR and TPOC have no authority to direct the contractor in any way to alter the contractual obligation. The contracting officer is the only individual authorized to make changes to the contract.

10. INVOICING

The Government shall pay the Contractor as full compensation for all work required, performed, and accepted under this contract, inclusive of all costs and expenses, the firm-fixed price stated in this contract.

The Contractor shall provide invoices in accordance with FAR 32.905(b) and comply with the requirements specified within this contract. At a minimum, invoices must contain the following elements:

· Name and address of the contractor (Note: Differences between the Contractor name and remittance address on the invoice and the data shown in the System for Award Management (SAM) record can potentially cause delays in payment. Please verify these data agree exactly.)

· Invoice date and number

· Entire IDIQ contract number, the task or delivery order number, contract line-item number (CLIN), and modification number, as applicable.

· Description of the services delivered and accepted during the invoice period including CLIN; and the percent of each task/service completed within the invoice period and cumulatively. The description must match those contained in the task or delivery order/contract description.

· The Contractor shall provide names upon request of all staff working the on contract during the invoice period for the purpose of tracking assigned GFE and CAC.

· Electronic Funds Deposit information

· The final invoice must be clearly marked as “FINAL” to indicate such and include the word “Final” in the electronic document name.

If other direct costs and or travel are being invoiced, the Contractor shall submit receipts for those costs along with the invoice. Contractor shall not assess profit or fee against other direct costs and or travel.

The contractor is authorized to invoice as frequently as monthly in accordance with the work performed, however it is not required.

The Contractor shall submit an electronic invoice via e-mail to the following email address: DLL-CEIWRCONTRACT@usace.army.mil A copy of each invoice shall be furnished to the COR/PM when submitting to the above email address. The subject line shall include the contract number, task or delivery order number (only if applicable to your contract), and invoice number.

COR/PM email: Jennifer.K.Dunn@usace.army.mil, Chloe.A.Cooper@usace.army.mil Questions regarding status of payment should be directed to the USACE DLL-CEIWRCONTRACT@usace.army.mil and a copy of request to the COR/PM.

Contact the Finance Center at CEFC-Payments@usace.army.mil only if more than 30 days have passed since the invoice was submitted to the DLL-CEIWRCONTRACT@usace.army.mil and you have not been able to reach resolution.

Improper/Defective Invoice. Invoices which do not contain the required elements as details above and or are submitted to incorrect Points of Contact are improper/defective invoices and are deemed rejected upon submission. Interest shall not accrue on improper/defective invoices. Ensure date on invoice is current when resubmitting invoices.