Attachment 1 - Statement of Work.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

A. BACKGROUND

The Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), South East Area (SEA), Tropical Agricultural Research Station (TARS) is seeking a technical assistance for collecting, processing and analyzing Phaseolus bean plant, seed, and genetic data.

B. OBJECTIVES

The objective of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to enhance leadership capabilities through the creation of a thorough developmental framework. The requirement includes maintaining common and tepary bean trials from planting to harvest, as well as collecting, processing and analyzing Phaseolus bean plant, seed, and genetic data. The SOW outlines specific tasks, deliverables, and performance expectations designed to meet these goals.

C. SCOPE

The contractor shall conduct the services according to the tasks listed below related to the cultivation, maintenance, data collection and analysis of trials involving common and tepary beans.

D. TASKS

TASK 1: TRIAL MANAGEMENT

The contractor shall provide the management of field, greenhouse and screenhouse trials involving the following deliverables:

• Organization of field trials with appropriate randomization and experimental designs.

• Mounting and planting of field trials with two or four-row planters or in the greenhouse/screenhouse environment.

• Maintenance of trials including applications, irrigation, cultivation.

• Hybridization of selected parental lines for population development.

• Data collection including disease and insect response and agronomic and phenological traits.

• Harvest, threshing, and seed cleaning of trials.

TASK 2: SEED MANAGEMENT AND DATA COLLECTION

The contractor shall organize, collect data, and process data from field, greenhouse and screenhouse and provide the following deliverables:

• Organize and manage seed from trials in cold storage rooms so that they are easily identified, organized by year and experiment.

• Collect seed data from common bean, tepary bean, and interspecific lines including but not limited to seed weight, seed color, imbibition, response to accelerated darkening due to UV light, photos, dimensions. Some of these will require use of imaging and software.

• Identify species-specific seed data on each of these Phaseolus species requiring knowledge of morphological characteristics.

TASK 3: DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS:

After collecting data on agronomic, seed, disease resistance, and insect response, the contractor will enter the data and analyze it and provide the following deliverables:

• Enter data into spreadsheet format.

• Analyze the data using statistical software.

• Conduct QTL analysis in segregating recombinant inbred line populations.

E. DELIVERABLES

The contractor shall deliver, but is not limited to the following:

• Provide weekly updates of progress with research.

• Review and discuss results during weekly laboratory meetings.

• Provide datasets once curated and reviewed.

• Provide results of statistical analyses of datasets.

F. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT AND GOVERNMENT FURNISHED

INFORMATION

None.

G. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall provide weekly updates.

H. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

No travel involved.

I. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance is the “duty station” at USDA-ARS-TARS in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

J. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

• Protection: The Contractor shall be responsible for properly protecting all information used, gathered, or developed under this task. The Contractor shall also protect all unclassified Government data, equipment, etc., by treating information as sensitive business, confidential information, controlling and limiting access to the information, and securing the data and equipment within their facility.

• Non-Disclosure: The Contractor or other external organization will not publish or disclose in any manner, without the REE Contracting Officer's written consent, the details of any programs, documentation, data, or safeguards either designed or developed by the Contractor or other external organization under this Contract or otherwise provided by the Government.

• Documentation Ownership: The U.S. Government owns all draft and final deliverables, working papers, and other relevant materials generated by the Contractor during the contract’s performance. These materials must be submitted to the specific location point of contact upon the conclusion of the tasks.

• Document Reproduction: Documents produced for this project are the property of the U.S.

Government and cannot be reproduced or retained by the Contractor.

K. POST AWARD ADMINISTRATION

Contractor’s performance will be monitored in accordance with this statement of work by review of monthly status reports. The contractor shall meet with the location point of contact during a regularly scheduled meeting to review the most recent status report and discuss any issues or concerns.

Because the nature of this contract is service oriented, the contractor shall ensure completion of tasks as requested by the location point of contact within the specified deadlines.