Attach 1 Statement of Work Technical Services.pdf

Solicitation 12445024Q0035 IITF Technical Services, Caribbean Climate Hub

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work

19 August 2024

Contents Project

General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

2.0 Background

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

4.0 Government Furnished

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule

6.0 Travel

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

8.0 Security Requirements

9.0 Data Rights

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards

Attachment

Project Technical support for Caribbean Climate Hub Coordination (Hub Coordinator)

General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

This contractor will provide support in the coordination of the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub. The principal activities will be establishing and maintaining communications with stakeholders, preparing and delivering talks, factsheets, web content and other outreach materials describing the Hub goals and activities, gathering information on stakeholder issues and concerns related to climate change, and helping prepare reports for the national office.

2.0 Background

In February 2014 the USDA established a Caribbean Climate Hub (HUB) located with the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. The Hub is one of ten regional hubs nationwide and one international Hub with a mission to develop and deliver applied scientific research that will help farmers, ranchers, and forest managers reduce the risks of climate change and improve rural economies and food security. The network of Climate Hubs works with all USDA agencies to deliver information that will help society adapt to climate change and extreme climate events by coordinating with local and regional partners in federal and state agencies, universities, NGOs, and the public.

The Hub provides information and technical support for land managers to better plan, prepare, and respond to hurricanes, drought, heat stress, floods, pests, fire, and changes in growing season. The Hub provides regional assessments and forecasts for hazard and adaptation planning; The Hub develops and provides outreach and training for agencies and land managers on ways to mitigate risks and thrive despite changing climate. Principle goals for 2021-2025 are:

1. Planning of short and long-term strategy to accomplish the Hub mission.

2. Learning through modeling expected consequences of future climate expectations and lessons learned from past and current conditions.

3. Stakeholder Engagement, including assessments and analyses to better understand the stakeholder network, communication bottlenecks, and to effectively engage stakeholders.

4. Communications, including establishing effective communications about climate adaptation and mitigation that include a web presence, agricultural database, videos and factsheets.

5. Science Delivery, including the dissemination of assessments of climate-related risks and vulnerabilities of forestry and agriculture in the US Caribbean.

6. Actions, to increase the implementation of practices that reduce risks to climate change in tropical agriculture and forestry by identifying and sharing best practices.

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

The primary goals of the contract are to 1) assist in the Hub Director administration of the Hub and the accomplishment of the work plan(s); 2) ensure broad participation in the HUB by conducting outreach through talks, webinars, web page development, and printed material, and by developing contact lists and good communication mechanisms; 3) participate in regular meetings of the national network of Hub Coordinators and other Hub network activities, and 4) assist in the documentation of the regional vulnerabilities of forestry and agricultural sectors to climate change, and in best practices to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. This will help the HUB build a strong foundation on which to base long-term relationships among stakeholder/partner institutions and individuals.

Special Instructions:

Meet weekly with HUB Director to coordinate activities.

Organize weekly HUB team meetings.

Provide quarterly and annual reports on HUB activities to the National Hub leadership.

Develop a quarterly newsletter for the HUB.

Oversee the development of content and graphic aspects of communication of the HUB in English and

Spanish – helping “brand” the Hub with recognizable communications.

Assist in one-on-one communications with current and potential stakeholders, organize and facilitate meetings, keep records.

Oversee content development for the HUB national and regional bilingual web pages.

Assist in science translation through videos, factsheets, blogs, and other mechanisms to communicate to a broad range of regional producers and advisors, best practices in agriculture and forestry to climate adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation.

Assist HUB staff in all stages of scientific research related to USDA response to reducing the risks and promoting climate adaptation and mitigation.

Facilitate the development of post-meeting and workshop reports, newsletter summaries, and blog posts in English and Spanish.

4.0 Government Furnished

NOT furnished considerate by the Government. The contractor will be provided office space, computing facilities, and access to a vehicle for use in accomplishing his/her work.

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule

Primary deliverable is a functioning and growing network of stakeholders conducting and participating in USDA Caribbean Climate Hub activities as well as an efficient flow of bilingual products (research publications, science translation, videos, workshops, factsheets, blogs, podcasts, web content, or other outreach) that address the Climate Hub mission. Additionally, the contractor will:

Item No. Description Unit Estimate Frequency per year

Completion

Meet weekly with HUB Director (COR) to coordinate activities

EA 48

As per Scheduled and

Coordinated with COR

Organize weekly HUB team meetings EA

As per Scheduled and

Coordinated with COR

Provide quarterly and annual reports on HUB activities to the National Hub leadership

EA

As per Scheduled and Coordinated with COR

Develop a quarterly newsletter for the HUB

EA

As per Scheduled and Coordinated with COR

Meet monthly with Regional Coordinators in the Hub network

EA

As per Scheduled and Coordinated with COR

Coordinate the activities of a Caribbean Drought and Soil Health Learning Networks

EA

As per Scheduled and Coordinated with COR

The contractor will provide the Contract Official Representative (COR) with written quarterly progress reports, written or oral updates, and written invoices for payment. The Contractor will work with the staff at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry. The contractor will be provided office space, computing facilities, and access to a vehicle for use in accomplishing her work. The work will be done under the supervision of the Hub Director, Dr. William Gould. All information produced will be for the exclusive use of the USDA Forest Service unless and until authorized for other uses. Publications resulting this work will recognize the contribution of the Forest Service and appropriate Forest Service personnel will be considered for authorship.

5.1 General Information

1- The contractor will need to coordinate with COR the date and time for the events.

2- The government will not provide any government-furnished property necessary for the fulfillment of this requirement. The contractor will provide all materials, equipment, and supplies necessary to satisfy the requirement. The contractor is responsible for transportation to the worksite each day and attendance.

3- The Contractor is responsible for adhering to all safety requirements of the Forest Service.

4- The contractor shall take proper safety and health precautions to protect the workers, the public, and the property.

The Contractor may be held financially responsible for any damage to persons or property that occur because of his/her fault or negligence.

5- The Contractor will access the work areas in his/her own vehicle. The Contractor must ensure that the vehicle used can reach all the work areas within the scope of this contract. The Government will not provide vehicles to the contractor.

6- The Contractor is responsible for the safety of his personnel. The contractor must comply with federal and state safety regulations and COR will stop work immediately when personnel safety is compromised.

HOURS OF OPERATION.

Hours of work are from 800hrs to 1630hrs. each day, with regular workdays of Monday through Friday, unless otherwise agreed upon by authorized U.S. Forest Service representatives. Work must be done during the regular work week based on a regular schedule approved of by the (COR) of the contract.

Work at the Government site is permissible on Federal holidays or weekends, but subject to approval by Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and/or the Contracting Officer (CO).

Recognized Federal Holidays:

New Year’s Day, January 1 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Third Monday in January Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19 Washington’s Birthday (President’s Day), Third Monday in February Memorial Day, Fourth Monday in May Independence Day, July 4 Labor Day, First Monday in September Columbus Day, October 12 Veterans Day, November 11 Thanksgiving, Fourth Thursday in November Christmas, December 25

6.0 Travel

The contractor will also be expected to be available for reasonable travel for HUB purposes when mutually agreed between the COR and the Contractor. Contractor will be responsible for two trips of up to three days each from Puerto Rico to the US Virgin Islands twice per year. Additional lodging, conference, or travel costs to National Hub meetings or stakeholder meetings, if needed and mutually agreed on, will be provided by the HUB. The contractor will have need to drive a federal vehicle when all other authorization is approved.

Travel Description

001 1 team member travel to the US Virgin Islands for stakeholder engagement – twice per year.

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

Key Personnel are one individual to serve full time (40 hr/wk) as the Coordinator of the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub. Requirements include:

Fluency in English and Spanish.

A Ph.D. and postdoctoral experience in agricultural research related to tropical crops.

Documented written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish.

A minimum of three years of experience working with multiple Caribbean programs in their efforts to address climate change.

Proficiency in public speaking (3 to 5 years of experience).

Proficiency in working with a broad range of stakeholders - from high-ranking US government officials and international visitors to farmers and agronomists (3 to 5 years of experience).

Proficiency in scientific writing and publication (3 to 5 years of experience).

Five years of expertise in working on agriculture and climate change relevant to the US Caribbean.

Skills required:

The contractor will have specialized skills in program management and scientific writing. The contractor must have a minimum of three years of experience in participation, coordination, and administration of scientific research and communicating scientific findings. The contractor will have experience working successfully in a team environment and will possess excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and Spanish. The contractor will have advanced education (PhD) in Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, or Biology. The contractor will demonstrate proficiency in public speaking (3 to 5 years of experience), proficiency in working with a broad range of stakeholders - from high-ranking US government officials and international visitors to farmers and agronomists (3 to 5 years of experience), and proficiency in scientific writing (3 to 5 years of experience).

8.0 Security Requirements

LincPass will be required for access to buildings and computing. Contractor must comply with all mandatory trainings for use of computers, access to facilities, and the use of a government vehicle.

9.0 Data Rights

All information produced will be for the exclusive use of the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry unless and until authorized for other uses. Publications resulting this work will recognize the contribution of the Forest Service and appropriate Forest Service personnel will be considered for authorship.

10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards Contractor will be involved in creating 508 compliant web content, PDF and WORD documents, graphics, and videos in Spanish and English.

Attachment If applicable, include an Attachment stating Evaluation Factors and significant Subfactors representing the key areas of importance and emphasis to be considered in the source selection decision.