Addendum_I_-_SME_051117.doc

ADDENDUM I – Solicitation #AG-6395-S-17-0109 1.

NOTE TO OFFEROR:

In order for an offeror to have a complete quotation package, the following checklist items must be submitted to the Contracting Officer to be considered responsive:

A signed copy of the solicitation SF-1449 form with fixed-price contract line item prices listed. Offerors shall provide a quotation for feral swine and rabies subject matter consulting services, priced per hour for the line items listed on the SF-1449. A signed copy (Block 30 a, b, c) of the SF-1449 with the line item hourly rates offered shall be returned with the quotation package. Also, the contractor name, address, and telephone number should be filled in on the SF-1449 (Block 17 a).

A completed System for Award Management (SAM) registration at http://www.sam.gov. SAM registration is required for all contractors that want to do business with the United States government. An offeror shall submit page one of their SAM information, or the DUNS number used to register in SAM if the registration is not yet fully processed in the SAM system.

A resume and a completed SME questionnaire (page 6 below) explaining the experience of the individual to be performing the consulting services. The questionnaire answers should explain the consultant’s relevant background and specific experience to meet the requirements discussed in the statement of work attached below.

Past Performance References with previous contracts/POs with this agency or similar scope of work with federal/state/local entities. An offeror shall provide up to 3 customer references from the last 12 months including contact information (organization name, contact person, mailing address, email address, telephone) and any previous contract numbers with the USDA.

Solicitation provisions FAR 52.212-3 and AGAR 452.209-70 filled in and returned with the quotation. The two solicitation provisions are found in Attachment 1(pages 3 and 25). The representations and certifications provision can alternatively be completed in SAM, and it will use NAICS code 541690 with a size standard of $15,000,000 in annual sales for the small business determination.

ALL Responses SHALL BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL, and responses are DUE to the contracting OFFICER listed in the solicitation Statement of work by WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017, 3:00pm central time.

2.

STATEMENT OF WORK:

I. BACKGROUND

The USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services (WS) program is a non-regulatory, cooperative Federal wildlife management program that provides leadership in resolving conflicts between people and wildlife. Wildlife Service Wildlife Biologists apply an integrated wildlife damage management approach to provide both technical assistance and operational management programs in response to requests for assistance. The Program's efforts help the public reduce and resolve wildlife damage to a wide variety of resources and threats to human health and safety. The National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) and the National Rabies Management Program (NRMP) are two mission critical nationally coordinated WS programs implemented at the local level.

The WS National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP), 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, is responsible for providing federal leadership to address problems associated with feral swine in the United States, including Puerto Rico and Guam. Program implementation and oversight is the responsibility of the Program Manager and comprises all components of the program including operational, disease monitoring, research, communication and outreach, planning and evaluation, and regulatory approaches.

The goal of the Program is to reduce damage and risk to agriculture, natural resources, property, animal health, and human health and safety in the United States by reducing or eliminating feral swine populations, in cooperation with other federal agencies, states, tribes, private organizations, and other partners.

The WS National Rabies Management Program (NRMP), 59 Chenell Drive, Concord, NH 03301 provides national and international leadership and expertise to prevent the spread and eventually eliminate rabies in terrestrial wildlife to protect human and animal health and reduce the economic impact of living with rabies. The NRMP is one of only three nationally coordinated programs in WS and has been successful in eliminating canine rabies from the U.S. while also preventing significant spread of raccoon rabies in the Eastern U.S. Since 1995, the NRMP has strategically coordinated distribution of >175 million oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits in 19 U.S. states. The NRMP collaborates extensively with local, state, and federal agencies along with academic and scientific communities to conduct enhanced rabies surveillance and to safely and efficiently distribute more than 11 million ORV baits across 188,000 km2 (72,000 mi2) annually to meet wildlife rabies management goals as outlined in the North American Rabies Management Plan and the U.S. National Plan for Wildlife Rabies Management. Vaccine-bait distribution is accomplished primarily by fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Each year under the direction and on-site oversight by the NRMP, contract aircraft fly >353,000 km (about 9 times around the earth) to distribute vaccine baits. These rabies surveillance and management operations require extensive planning, training and real-time logistical support.

There are considerable requirements to maintain appropriate levels of coordination and communication with other federal, tribal, state, local, county, university and non-profit organizations to identify needs and solutions associated with these complex programs. Extensive wildlife damage management and disease training, education, and expertise/experience is required to address these initiatives to protect agriculture, natural resources, property, and human health and safety.

The NFSDMP is relatively new, and opportunities for cooperation and expansion continue to arise, particularly in the Southeast United States. Similarly, while the NRMP has been around longer as a coordinated program cooperation particularly in the Southeastern U.S. and Puerto Rico remain essential to meet short and long term goals of rabies elimination. Cooperation has been good for both programs and is expected to remain a major component. These mission critical WS programs need to be continually apprised of cooperators long-term interest and where they are willing to commit resources, in particular where there are opportunities to develop science-based regional approaches involving multiple states. When committing fiscal resources to national projects, such as research, disease monitoring, and helicopter support it is necessary to fully understand and appreciate State Agency and University perspectives, along with those of non-government organizations, such as Farm Bureau or Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

NFSDMP and the NRMP would benefit from contracting a subject matter expert (SME) with appropriate credibility to gather and synthesize relevant information from State Agencies, Universities, and non-government organizations. The SME also would need to coordinate and provide logistical support to conduct meetings, workshops and targeted field activities. There would be further benefit if the contractor provided advice, opinions, recommendations, or ideas to how best use collected information to form cooperative projects including feral swine and rabies research and ensure future partnerships. However, it would remain the Program Managers responsibility to determine whether recommendations were accepted and to implement a course of action for feral swine and wildlife rabies management.

The SME would need to meet specified criteria to benefit the program. This criteria would include:

1) experience working with universities and non-government organizations, such as the Wildlife Federation, Farm Bureau (Farmers’ Federation);

2) experience working with Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies;

3) credibility and existing contacts within State Departments’ of Agriculture, Health, and Fish and Wildlife along with direct experience working with these agencies to address wildlife issues, in particular feral swine and rabies in the Southeast United States and Puerto Rico;

4) detailed knowledge of national feral swine and rabies issues; and knowledge and experience with strategies and methods associated with wildlife damage management, including oral vaccination of wildlife; in the Southeast United States and Puerto Rico.

II. OBJECTIVES

Contract SME:

1) collect information from state agencies, universities, and non-government organizations that informs the NFSDMP and NRMP on how to best meet their needs and short and long-term approaches to implement cooperative programs;

2) organize and provide logistical support for workshop/meetings identified as tasks below; and

3) organize and provide logistical support for field activities identified as tasks below.

III. SCOPE

Feral swine are regarded as one of the most destructive invasive species in the world, with likely potential to become a much greater concern if actions are not taken. Failure to apply appropriate management and investigative approaches will result in expanded and prolonged presence of feral swine across the nation. Wild animals are the primary source of rabies risk in the U.S.; > 90% of cases occurs in wild animals annually. Rabies has the highest case fatality rate of any known disease and remains a significant threat to human and animal health.

SME is responsible for determining who and frequency in which contacts are made to meet established tasks/requirements. SME is expected to synthesize information and provide recommendations for future actions, including but not limited to cooperative opportunities and future collaborative approaches. The SME is expected to report on State Agencies, along with other cooperators, needs and expectations; and to report on State Agencies and other cooperators perceptions of how well their needs are being met. Final decisions or approval for implementing concepts is the responsibility of the NFSDMP Manager.

A.

Tasks or Requirements

· Coordinate and provide logistical support of a workshop conducted by Alabama Farmer’s Federation and Auburn University

· Meet with State Wildlife Agencies to gather information and provide recommendations on how best to work with these agencies on operational efforts to address feral swine damages

· Meet with the Farm Bureau and other similar non-governmental organizations to generate support for feral swine work

· Determine State Wildlife Agencies and University perspectives on necessary research to understand impacts feral swine are having on game species and endangered or threatened species, and impacts to water quality

· Participate and monitor activities of the Wild Pig Task Force Committees and provide reports to the national program on issues and provide recommendations for moving forward

· Coordinate regional implementation of the enhanced rabies surveillance initiative in southwest AL, southern MS and the Florida Parishes of LA to confirm the leading edge of raccoon rabies

· Participate in continued coalition building activities to lead to an oral rabies vaccination safety and immunogenicity field trial in mongoose B.

Performance/Deliverable Requirements

· Provide a summary on the Alabama Farmer’s Federation and Auburn University workshop goals and outcomes.

· Provide quarterly updates on the State Wildlife Agency meetings with detailed recommendations.

· Provide a summary report on the Farm Bureau and non-governmental organization meetings with recommendations on how to generate support for feral swine work

· Provide a list of State Wildlife Agencies to work with

· Provide feedback and recommendations on Wild Pig Task Force and issues/direction

· Provide feedback on ERS implementation regionally in the three states and assess the value of samples collected and tested by category

· Provide feedback and input on means to build local support through a strengthened rabies management coalition in Puerto Rico including assisting in organizing a symposia on science-based management of mongoose rabies.

C.

Place of Performance

The contractor shall provide appropriate office accommodations, vehicle, and necessary equipment to conduct electronic correspondence. In addition, travel throughout the United States is required.

D.

Period of Performance

Anticipated hours for these services is not to exceed 1200 total hours for one year from the date of award, and 2 option years.

E.

Invoicing

The contractor shall provide invoices detailing hours worked and description of work performed and processed through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

Authorized contractor travel expenses will be covered by the program for SOW-related travel as-needed; invitational travel. All travel shall be in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations per diem rates and approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative that is assigned to the contract.

3.

Subject Matter Expert QuestionNAIRE:

Please provide brief statements addressing the areas listed below.

a) Knowledge, skills and abilities of the concepts, tools and techniques for managing conflicts between people and wildlife in the USA.

b) Knowledge of feral swine and direct experience with their associated damages and approaches implemented to reduce and alleviate damages in the USA.

c) Knowledge of wildlife rabies and wildlife rabies management and direct experience with the tools and techniques to stop the spread and eventually eliminate terrestrial rabies variants in the USA, including oral vaccination of wildlife with an emphasis on the Southeast United States and Puerto Rico.

d) Knowledge of USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services and specific programs currently being implemented by the agency to address feral swine and rabies conflicts in the USA.

e) Experience working with universities (e.g. Auburn University, Mississippi State University, University of Georgia) and non-government organizations (e.g. the Wildlife Federation, Farm Bureau (Farmers’ Federation)) on wildlife damage management.

f) Experience working with Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies on wildlife damage management including feral swine and wildlife rabies management.

g) Experience and current contacts within State Departments’ of Agriculture, Health, and Fish and Wildlife along with direct experience working with these agencies to address wildlife damage, in particular feral swine and rabies in the Southeast United States and Puerto Rico.

Solicitation AG-6395-S-17-0109 for Subject Matter Expert