Attachment 1 PWS.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

High-Reliability Organization (HRO) Program Development & Training Services

USDA National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Manhattan, KS

A. PURPOSE

To assist USDA NBAF leadership in continuing to develop and ensure staff at the National Bio and Agro- Defense Facility (NBAF) operate as a High-Reliability Organization (HRO). The contractor will clearly lay out a practical framework for how NBAF can continuously and reliably improve safety and quality outcomes using HRO principles. The main deliverables of this contract will be the development of a framework for safe, reliable, and effective safety and quality practices delivered in both a clear strategic plan and an implementation plan to achieve HRO status. In future option years (if exercised), the deliverables will include continued training and evaluation of the implementation of the plans created.

B. BACKGROUND

High-containment laboratories have an absolute responsibility to deliver safe, reliable, and effective science and operations. Yet, consistently meeting this obligation can be daunting, and organizations are often challenged to design a balanced portfolio of improvement projects that will enable them to meet system-level quality and safety goals.

Organizations may have stand-alone safety improvement projects underway, or regularly conducted staff surveys to better understand the organization’s current safety culture, but it remains unclear how these various efforts interweave and interact to provide safer, more reliable science and high containment operations.

A number of major hazard organizations have been attempting to influence the organizational and safety culture at their sites to transform them into an HRO (i.e., organizations that are able to manage and sustain almost error-free performance despite operating in hazardous conditions where the consequences of errors could be catastrophic) with a positive safety culture. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the literature talking about the control of major hazard risks, in particular the philosophies of high-reliability organizations, resilience management and safety culture. These works identify key features and characteristics that need to be adopted by organizations to achieve ongoing high reliability and safety objectives.

HROs have several characteristics in common that distinguish them from other kinds of organizations including:

• Hyper complexity and tight coupling: the organization is characterized by a variety of components and systems, which are interdependent, and its processes are unpredictable (due to their complexity) and difficult to interrupt.

• Existence of extremely hierarchical structures with clear roles and responsibilities.

• Redundancy whereby several individuals make decisions and oversee important operations.

• High levels of accountability with expectations regarding strict adherence to procedures and

‘getting it right the first time’ and substandard performance is not tolerated.

• Compressed time factors whereby major activities need to take place in seconds.

C. SCOPE

The contractor shall develop a comprehensive HRO framework for safe, reliable, and effective science and operations in a high-containment environment by developing overall HRO strategic and implementation plans. These documents will be designed to guide NBAF leadership on the journey to becoming an HRO.

In addition, the contractor will identify key components of the framework; reinforcing the idea that all parts of the framework are interconnected and interdependent, and success in one area is predicated on success in another.

Although we expect this framework will continue to evolve, the strategic and implementation plans should be considered a robust starting point. It is our expectation that NBAF and other high-containment laboratories will use the framework to guide their efforts to improve the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of science and operations.

C.1. TASK 1: DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC PLAN – AN HRO FRAMEWORK FOR HIGH-CONTAINMENT

LABORATORIES

The contractor will assist NBAF leadership with drafting and finalizing a strategic plan aligned to the facility’s vision, mission, values, goals, and action plans. Through monthly meetings and preparation in between meetings, the contractor will:

• Help leadership understand the purpose and objectives of a strategic plan.

• Provide a draft outline of how a strategic plan for NBAF might look and examples from other organizations.

• Facilitate monthly meetings with leadership to finalize the outline and develop content.

• Elicit, collect and integrate feedback from unit leads on plan development.

Note: In future option years, if exercised, this task would be replaced by maintenance and evaluation of the strategic plan, as well as recommendations of adjustments that may be required.

C.2. TASK 2: DEVELOP & DELIVER AN HRO IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The contractor will work with NBAF leadership to develop a document that defines how the HRO strategic plan will be executed. The implementation plan shall explain the strategic goals and steps involved in the project, define the project completion timeline, and list the resources (including team members) necessary for a successful project.

Note: In future option years, if exercised, this task would be replaced by adherence to, maintenance and evaluation of the implementation plan, as well as recommendations of adjustments that may be required.

C.3. TASK 3: CONSULT WITH ONSITE SPECIALIST AND NBAF STAFF

The contractor shall plan and facilitate in-person, small group activities, training and facilitated discussions for unit leads, supervisors and other NBAF leadership each quarter for up to 25 participants.

Specific tasks include, but are not limited to, opportunities for:

• Supporting and developing leadership to facilitate HRO implementation.

• Ensuring NBAF leadership develop the right behaviors that will set the foundation for the HRO at

NBAF.

• Training and tools to strengthen psychological safety and accountability at NBAF.

• Empowering staff to report incidents or issues; enhancing communications; improving employee engagement and resiliency; and ensuring core values align to NBAF decisions.

The contractor shall also plan and facilitate large-group activities or trainings each quarter for the entire NBAF staff to keep the HRO concepts in the front of their minds. These may be a combination of both in-person and virtual trainings.

NOTE: IN FUTURE OPTION YEARS, IF EXERCISED, THE SPECIFICS OF THIS TASK MAY BE ADJUSTED TO REFLECT THE AGREED UPON CONSULTING, TRAINING AND COACHING REQUIREMENTS AS DEFINED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.C.4. TASK 4: MONITOR PROGRESS AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

The contractor shall monitor HRO implementation progress and continuous improvement, track measurable objectives (metrics), and provide recommendations/solutions for issues, risks or gaps.

D. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of this contract shall consist of one twelve-month base period plus four 12-month option periods. Continued funding is contingent upon an acceptable level of performance.

E. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Since most employees are physically working at the NBAF site in Manhattan, KS, we would expect the contractor to visit the site quarterly to conduct training, consulting, and strategic plan discussions, but coaching and strategic plan facilitation would also take place virtually via videoconferencing, using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, in between visits. All in-person work shall be performed at one of the following locations:

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility 1980 Denison Ave Manhattan, KS 66502

K-State Foundation Office Park 1800 OR 1880 Kimball Ave Manhattan, KS 66502

F. DELIVERABLES

1. Strategic and implementation plan documents. These plans should be developed in collaboration with NBAF leadership and the NBAF HRO steering committee. These documents should identify the critical elements of the HRO strategy by identifying the critical culture, leadership, and operational system domains in order to have a comprehensive framework for HRO development in a high containment laboratory.

Vetted and completed strategic and implementation plans would be delivered to leadership by the end of the period of performance (within 12 months). This includes:

o Draft outline of NBAF strategic plan delivered to leadership within 3 months of the start date of the contract.

o Draft implementation plan delivered to NBAF leadership within 6 months of the contract.

o Facilitation of monthly meetings (1-1.5 hours) with identified NBAF leadership.

Additionally, there are several other documents for implementation that are requested:

o Training aids or handouts that can be provided to all employees.

o An HRO communications plan which will be written in collaboration with the NBAF communications unit and included in the implementation plan.

As noted in the Scope: In future option years, if exercised, this task would be replaced by maintenance and evaluation of the strategic and implementation plans, as well as recommendations of adjustments that may be required. Deliverables will likely include:

o Facilitation of monthly meetings (1-1.5 hours) with identified NBAF leadership to review and evaluate both plans.

o Continued drafting of trainings and handouts to provide to employees.

o Implementation of the communication plan as written.

2. Four (4) weeklong, in-person visits to NBAF in Manhattan, KS – one each quarter. Each visit will include:

o At least 1 preparation meeting (1.5-2 hours) with working group members.

o Training and/or strategic in-person discussions with the NBAF leadership.

o At least 2 large group sessions (1-1.5 hours in length) available to all NBAF staff focused on topics critical to develop the HRO strategy. Sessions may include anywhere from 50 to 75 participants.

o At least 4 small group sessions (1.5-2 hours in length) for specific units and sections working to build and improve on their team dynamic. Sessions may be focused on different topics and include training depending on specific unit needs in areas related to HRO.

o For all training sessions, the contractor shall provide a written, post-training report including feedback from NBAF employees’ opinions about the effectiveness of the activities and trainings. The report(s) should also include the number of attendees for each event.

As noted in the Scope: In future option years, if exercised, the specifics of these deliverables will be adjusted to reflect the agreed upon consulting, training and coaching requirements as defined in the implementation plan.

3. Additional planning and meetings outside of the in-person visits. In the months when in-person visits do not occur, the following will be expected:

o A minimum of 15 hours of preparing and facilitating work on the NBAF strategic and implementation plan and preparing agendas, trainings, and activities for upcoming in-person events (including participation in meetings as required).

o Participation in a regularly scheduled monthly meeting with working group (1-1.5 hours) to discuss current coaching, development and training needs as well as any notable progress.

o Additional large or small group virtual trainings or coaching sessions as needed to fulfill the strategic plan requirements.

G. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

Final inspection and acceptance of all deliverables will be approved and accepted by Dr. Alfonso Clavijo, NBAF director.

H. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

All conversations and interactions will be held in strict confidence by the contract facilitators, not to be shared with anyone internal or external to USDA unless otherwise mentioned in the agreement, such as unit-specific information back to unit leads and individual information about work styles.

I. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Travel is required for in person visits/trainings and arrangements shall be made with regards to the schedule of events.