PWS-Sound-Sensible-Cert-Models_draft.docx

United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service - National Organic Program Performance Work Statement “Sound and Sensible Organic Certification Models and Outreach”

Background

The Organic Foods Production Act established the National Organic Program (NOP) and the USDA organic regulations, which are published at 7 CFR Part 205. Central to the organic regulations is organic certification. The NOP accredits certifying agents to review, inspect, and certify the practices of organic farms and processing facilities. Organic farms and processing facilities that meet the USDA organic regulations are certified organic operations, and include crop, livestock, and wild crop producers and handlers/processors. Organic production occurs on both a small and large scale, domestically and internationally. There are certified organic operations in all 50 states, as well as many foreign countries. As of the beginning of 2014, there were more than 18,000 certified operations in the U.S.

Some candidate farmers and businesses have not taken advantage of organic market opportunities because organic certification is perceived as too burdensome. Given these concerns, the NOP initiated a “Sound and Sensible Certification” initiative. The goal of Sound and Sensible Certification is to build consumer confidence that organic products meet defined standards from farm to market, while also making sure that certification is more accessible, attainable, and affordable, particularly for small and beginning farmers. The initiative involves identifying and removing barriers to certification, streamlining the certification process, focusing enforcement, and working with farmers and processors to correct small issues before they become larger ones.

There are 5 guiding principles to Sound and Sensible Certification. First, NOP encourages efficient processes, eliminating bureaucratic processes that don’t contribute to organic integrity. Second, we are working to streamline recordkeeping, so that records support organic integrity and are not a barrier for farms and businesses. Third, we are encouraging certifiers to focus on straightforward Organic System Plans that clearly capture organic practices. Fourth, we want to focus on fair enforcement, to protect farmers and businesses that are working hard to follow the rules. Finally, as always, we put integrity first by focusing on factors that impact organic integrity the most.

In addition to identifying Sound and Sensible approaches and tools to encourage organic certification, USDA is also interested in other projects that result in training modules, technical assistance programs, and/or outreach activities related to organic agriculture and certification. This could include training, outreach, or technical assistance tools and resources in geographic areas or for audiences that have been traditionally underserved or underrepresented in organic agriculture, or to farms and businesses that provide services that are underrepresented in organic agriculture. For example, States in the southeast consistently report a low number of certified organic operations, and there is a reported shortage of certified organic slaughterhouses to meet the needs of the organic livestock industry.

Scope of Work

This Statement of Work invites proposals for projects targeted at implementing sound and sensible certification resources or tools, and/or designing training modules, technical assistance, or outreach programs concerning different aspects of organic agriculture or organic certification. The ultimate objective of the contract is to encourage the initiation and roll-out of new organic certification approaches, training, technical assistance, and outreach programs and materials that will last beyond the life of the contract itself.

All programs, tools, resources, and/or training developed for this project must meet the certification and compliance requirements of the Organic Foods Production Act and USDA organic regulations, while also reflecting incorporating sound and sensible concepts and approaches. For a description of Sound and Sensible, see: http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/04/19/organic-101-sound-and-sensible-approach-to-organic-certification/.

The general target audience for the project being proposed must be described in the respondent’s proposal. USDA is particularly interested in organic certification approaches or tools, outreach programs, training programs, and/or technical assistance programs targeting groups of businesses and/or classes of operations that are traditionally underserved or underrepresented and/or are managing their businesses organically but have dropped out of the USDA organic certification or have not seen the benefit in becoming certified.

Examples of target audiences could include: community supported agriculture organizations (CSA’s), small organic businesses that do direct marketing, operations in Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zones, Veteran’s agriculture groups, Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, farms and businesses in geographic areas that have had traditionally low numbers of certified organic operations, and/or small slaughterhouse operations. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather examples of groups that USDA is particularly interested in reaching out to through this project.

A list of sample projects is included in the bullets below. This list is not designed to be limiting or exhaustive, but rather, to give examples of projects to assist in project scoping:

· Designing sustainable organic certification model(s) for underserved operations (such as urban direct marketers, diversified small farms, community support agriculture organizations) that streamline certification and recordkeeping under sound and sensible principles, while also maintaining organic integrity.

· Developing a model Organic System Plan specifically for direct marketing organizations, or other form of underserved operations

· Developing streamlined organic certification tools or model documents for targeted business types, such as CSAs/direct marketing farms (e.g., sample documents, resource toolkits).

· Establishing a technical assistance mechanism or set of targeted resources for a region of the country that has experienced challenges with organic agriculture given region-specific technical barriers.

· Developing self-guided training programs, handbooks, and/or guides that help organic farmers and businesses achieve compliance in specific areas (e.g., effective ways to avoid GMO contamination, methods of calculating buffer zones under different conditions, livestock treatment strategies, others).

· Developing train-the-trainer materials to support certifiers and inspectors in conducting sound and sensible certification approaches.

· Developing training, resources, or tools that help farmers and businesses use technology to streamline organic certification recordkeeping.

· Educational outreach tools and/or “how to” aids to help describe “on ramps” to organic certification for currently uncertified operations interested in considering the organic option (e.g., a “start-up guide” for slaughterhouses or other facilities that wish to provide services to the organic market and must become certified to do so)

· Establishing job training programs that would help Veterans, beginning farmers and ranchers, and/or other groups learn the core principles of organic agriculture as part of a job or career training programs.

This is a multiple award contract. We encourage organizations with complementary capabilities to partner to achieve project goals. One organization must be identified as the prime contractor; other collaborating/partnering organizations are to be identified as subcontractors. We estimate 10-15 total awards will be made at a value of approximately between $20,000 and $200,000 each.

All materials developed to support this contract will be delivered to the NOP, and may be posted as public information on a government website at the discretion of the NOP. Deliverables prepared for this contract are not proprietary to the contractor (although they may be used by the contractor as a public work); all draft and final deliverables become government property upon delivery.

Deliverables

The following table lists the general core tasks and deliverables anticipated to complete the scope above. The contractor should propose additional or alternative tasks and/or deliverables in its proposal if it believes that a different approach is more appropriate or effective to meet the objective and desired scope above.

Phase

Possible Deliverables

Task 1 - Project Plan

Draft and Final Project Plans – This deliverable will expand upon the contractor’s project proposal to further describe its project scope, approach/activities, projected outcomes and deliverables, and project timeline. Contractor will deliver initial draft to NOP; NOP will review and provide comments and feedback; contractor will subsequently provide a final project plan to guide the rest of the project.

Task 2 – Deliverable Concept Paper, Outline, and/or Presentation

Draft and Final Concept Deliverable – This deliverable will provide a high level description of the final deliverables proposed for the project, to test the concept and get feedback from the NOP. Examples could include an annotated outline for job aid(s) or resource guide(s); a design plan and module descriptions for a training program; high-level requirements document for a technology solution; or concept paper describing a proposed set of final deliverables. Note: Deliverables described in this concept phase may include event-based deliverables (e.g., delivery of a pilot or final training program) and/or paper-based or technology-based solutions.

Monthly progress conference calls will be held throughout the project to set and clarify project goals and policies, project constraints, submission schedule, and other relevant project information. More frequent calls during specific phases of the project may be mutually agreed upon by NOP and contractor to support project development. The contractor’s pricing is to build this time into the pricing for the deliverables above. Deliverables shall be delivered in electronic format either via e-mail or other method in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, or compatible formats. (NOP is open to discussing other electronic formats based on the project’s goals and needs, but reserves the right to reject formats that it is not able to work with or modify after delivery.)

Place and Period of Performance

Each contractor receiving an award shall perform most task-related activity at the contractor’s place of business. Project begin upon contract award, and will have a duration of one year.

Contract Type

The NOP anticipates awarding multiple firm fixed price awards for this project, each ranging from approximately $20,000 to $120,000. The contractor’s proposal is to include a proposed billing schedule that lists the deliverables proposed for this contract, and the associated cost and anticipated delivery date. Travel expenses are to be incorporated into the deliverable pricing.

Evaluation Criteria and Other Requirements

Evaluation Criteria: This is a best value multiple award contract. The contractor’s proposal must address and will be evaluated based on the following factors:

· Project Approach and Viability – Contractor’s description of its proposed project *(in other words submit and its target audiences; its approach to designing and implementing the project; its proposed approach to the tasks, deliverables, and schedule; the extent to which project is likely to lead to increased certification success and compliance for the target audience(s) identified; and the projected viability of the project in terms of potential for sustained long-term use and applicability after the contract period is over.

· Originality, Innovation, and Creativity – Contractor’s proposal will be evaluated for its originality in identifying and addressing a need or problem that has not been previously addressed, and/or developing innovative or creative approaches for known needs or problems.

· Project Team – Partners and Key Staff – Contractors are encouraged to identify and partner with subcontractors that can help further identified project and goals. Proposals are to include resumes of key staff proposed for the project. Resumes must identify educational and technical qualifications and past experience of personnel assigned to the project.

· Pricing – Contractor’s proposed pricing, including how it allocates labor hours and materials to conduct the project; degree to which the pricing proposal is reasonable for the deliverables proposed.

Communication: The contractor shall not issue a news release, public announcement, advertisement or any other form of publicity concerning its relationship with the NOP or its efforts in connection with this contract without obtaining the prior written approval of the NOP lead contact.

Proposal Instructions

Proposals for this solicitation are not to exceed 30 pages in length, including the proposal cover letter and completed and signed SF 1449. The page limit does not include personnel resumes. Margins should be set at a minimum of 1-inch all sides, and text font should be 11-point or more for readability. We reserve the right to consider proposals that exceed the maximum page length, but are not required to evaluate items that exceed page limitations.

Proposals shall include a cover page with company name, DUNS number, and Tax ID number. Also, please include a completed and signed SF 1449. Consider the deliverables and evaluation factors listed above when creating your proposal to receive the highest possible rating.

Proposals are due via email or mail no later than 3:00 PM CDT on ___, 2014. It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure proposals are received on time. Email submittals with the proposal as a single complete PDF attachment are preferred. If submitting via email, please note that file size limitations, formatting, or other problems may hamper receipt, so please verify that the contracting officer has received your proposal. Please note that the first address listed below (USDA APHIS MRPBS) is the official location for receipt of proposals. If sent by mail, please send one (1) copy of your proposal to each of the following addresses.

USDA APHIS MRPBS

Attn: ________________ 100 North 6th Street Suite 510 – C Butler Square Minneapolis, MN 55403 Email Direct: 612-336-3625

National Organic Program Attn: Jennifer Tucker 1400 Independence Ave SW – Room 2648S; Stop 0268 Washington D.C. 20250 Jennifer.Tucker@ams.usda.gov

All questions must be submitted via email no later than, 2014 to ____.

Administration

Government Officials

Technical Point of Contact:

Jennifer Tucker NOP Associate Deputy Administrator Jennifer.Tucker@ams.usda.gov 202-260-8077

Contracting Officer:

Nathan Johnson Nathan.d.johnson@aphis.usda.gov 612-336-3404

Payment

Funds obligated by this contract will be managed through the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service Budget Office. Invoices for work performed shall be submitted online at www.ipp.gov and will be processed for payment once the work products have been reviewed and approved by NOP. Invoices must align with the deliverables listed in the contractor’s proposal and incorporated into the award.

Statement of Work | 4/28/2014 | Page 1