Attachment 1 Draft Statement of Work.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA FS R&D, Caribbean Hub Support Empowering state/local partners to reduce extreme weather risks: video and graphics

Statement of Work 11 August 2025

Project Energy vulnerability to hurricanes in agriculture, forestry, and rural communities

General Information Scope of Work This contract will develop video and graphics to convey essential and timely information to state and local partners to reduce the risks of extreme drought, flooding, fire, hurricanes, and other disasters in rural agriculture and forestry sectors. Vendor will provide video and editing services, respond to direction on key messages and branding, respond to request for revisions, have available necessary software, and produce complete communication products as well as graphical and video elements of communication products and reports.

Background Agricultural economies, forest ecosystem services, and the well-being of rural communities in Puerto Rico and the USVI are vulnerable to extreme weather events due to their location in the Atlantic Hurricane Belt, distance from continental-based resources, limited economic scale, and dependence on imported goods. The Caribbean is exposed to an average of six hurricanes per year and is ranked as one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions due to the high incidence of hurricanes. Furthermore, experts predict increases in hurricane intensity with rising global temperatures. Significant increases in the severity of hurricanes and associated rainfall are projected for the Caribbean basin. An important mechanism to reduce vulnerability is to learn from past experiences and incorporate those lessons into planning, preparation, and communication of mitigation actions at different scales.

Hurricane and other disaster planning, preparation, and recovery are costly activities that vary in the extent to which they effectively reduce risk and cost of extreme events. The activities occur at a variety of scales, from the individual to the federal level, and communication across scales with shared information is a key ingredient to successful actions. As such, a variety of mechanisms and media are required to ensure timely information reaches stakeholders so that they are empowered at the state and local level to take action to reduce vulnerabilities and costs of disaster in rural agriculture and forestry sectors.

Contractor Requirements Technical Requirements / Tasks The contractor will need key personnel with the technical expertise to accomplish the requested tasks and complete the deliverables. The contractor will be expected to communicate regularly, weekly at a minimum, with the team at the USDA Caribbean Hub, sharing progress, seeking input and feedback, and providing access to products as they are developed. The result of tasks and deliverables will be effective video and graphics products which empower state and local partners to make informed decisions to improve their preparation for and recovery from weather hazards and disasters, reduce the cost of and vulnerability to such events, and maintain productivity and services from the agricultural and forestry sectors in the region.

The contractor will require key personnel with expertise in developing video/audio products of (typically) 3 to 45 minutes, with audio and subtitles in English and Spanish, and with appropriate branding and elements of 508 compliance. The contractor will require expertise in creating, reviewing and editing, in English and Spanish, graphical elements of factsheets, meeting announcements, videos, technical reports, and scientific publications. The contractor will require expertise in archiving and making accessible all products. The contractor will require expertise in photography and be expected to document the activities of the team and partners at workshops and training exercises, in order to develop photograph archives that can be integrated with reports, videos, and other communication products.

Contractor’s Key Personnel Key personnel to include technical expertise to provide deliverables as described. This includes a communications person with more than 10 years expertise in video and graphics production and fluency in English and Spanish. Key personnel must include a resume with links to portfolio of work in graphics, photography, and video products. Key personnel should be an audiovisual producer with experience in the documentary film industry and advertising, experience documenting and developing communications for both the arts and the sciences – particularly using background in communicating in the arts to communicating key science messages. Key personnel should have as a minimum a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. Key personnel should have experience developing factsheets and fliers associated with scientific meetings and key scientific messages. The person must be able to develop solutions to complex technical issues and problems that impact multiple areas or disciplines. Requires expert knowledge of and ability to apply advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts.

Government Furnished The Contractor will work directly with the USDA Caribbean Hub staff at the US Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry. The Hub will provide review and comment on the tasks and deliverables, provide ancillary material as is available, and provide regular (weekly) guidance on progress.

Deliverables / Schedule Deliverable Description 0001 100% 2000 hours dedicated to developing and delivering bilingual video products, including concepts, drafts, revisions, and completed products, as prioritized by the FS COR.

Suggested Period of Performance

Contract Period Dates Base (Note: Core deliverables to be completed during base period. Optional deliverables to be completed during option years.)

10/1/25 – 9/30/26

Option 1 10/1/26 – 9/30/27

Optional and Unfunded Deliverables

Option year 1 Deliverables

Description

0010 100% 2000 hours dedicated to developing and delivering bilingual video products, including concepts, drafts, revisions, and completed products, as prioritized by the FS COR.

Travel Travel to the Caribbean region will be to engage stakeholders, conference presentation, or other collaboration purposes.

Travel Description 001 Local travel within Puerto Rico to attend and document workshops and other activities. Travel to approximately 15 activities per year.

Security Requirements There are no security requirements.

Data Rights Products and information generated will be products of the USDA FS Research and Development and recognize the support of the University of Puerto Rico and all partners that contribute to the tasks. Products will be developed by the contractor working in collaboration with Dr. William Gould (USDA Forest Service) and the research team in the USDA Caribbean Hub in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards No information technology will be acquired or developed.