Attachment 1 - Statement of Work (SOW) Higher Education Research Reports 08142023.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)

HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORTS

08/14/2023

1.0 GENERAL

1.1 INTRODUCTION

FEMA Region 8 has a requirement to obtain Research Reports from Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) to better understand and identify areas for improvement of Preparedness activities in Region 8.

1.2 SCOPE

FEMA Region 8 requires support from the academic community to better understand the successes and shortcoming of preparedness for disasters across the six (6) FEMA Region 8 states and twenty-nine (29) tribal nations. This information will inform future Regional operations and processes to better-prepare individuals and communities within Region 8.

The Operating Constraints section below outlines prioritization criteria. Research areas of focus areas are:

Identification of ways in which socially vulnerable populations are or are not disproportionately impacted by incidents.

Culturally competent means of communicating emergency management best practices to communities that have recently experience an incident.

Interrelations – if any – between preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery capabilities in communities in the American West.

How best to adapt FEMA messaging and field operations to the realities of climate change in the American West.

The effectiveness of Resilience activities within affected areas and how they did or did not reduce the impacts of an incident.

The value of overall Preparedness activities in a specific community (broad spectrum) versus hazard-specific Preparedness versus Preparedness for a specific portion of the disaster lifecycle (Prepare, Respond, Recover, Mitigate).

Concrete recommendations for actions to be taken by state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to increase individual preparedness based on an analysis following incidents in Region 8.

Any topic covered in the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan, Appendix 2 “Learning Agenda” which can be accessed at: https://www.fema.gov/about/strategic-plan/appendices/learning-agenda.

1.3 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

The University shall meet all performance objectives listed below, through their own research program:

Coordinate research proposals into incidents as they occur through its pre-existing researcher networks and virtual forums.

Evaluate research proposals from Researchers based on explanatory value for the purposes of evaluating successful Preparedness actions and identifying means in which FEMA Region 8 may be more effective at building a more resilient, more ready Region.

Work to enable and encourage research from the next generation of natural hazards researchers and ensure funding is distributed equitably to researchers representing historically underserved communities and segments of the American population.

Ensure that research conducted by Researchers is presented with concrete, actionable recommendations for emergency management practitioners on the local, state, tribal, and federal level(s) while maintaining rigor in study and evaluation.

Strive to ensure that all researchers conduct research in such a manner that it is in accordance with the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan, and other guiding documents, as necessary.

Ensure that all research is conducted in a manner that would secure Institutional Research Board approval and is in line with standard moral and ethical guidance within the academic profession.

In coordination with FEMA Region 8, work to compile all findings and successes from research projects funded through this contract to deliver options for improved program delivery by Preparedness and Region 8.

1.4 OPERATING CONSTRAINTS

Research Reports shall focus on issues that impact Region 8 identified states and/or Tribal nations in affected areas before, during, and after incidents to identify successes, shortcomings, potential improvements, or other unique findings that stand to substantially impact the capability of federal, state, local, and tribal governments to facilitate a more prepared nation.

All research must include concrete, actionable recommendations and findings for emergency management practitioners on the local, state, tribal, and federal level(s). This will enable practical application of research findings.

Research will focus on incidents that have occurred on or after February 1, 2021. Incidents are not limited to those receiving a presidential emergency, major disaster declaration, or Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration from FEMA.

The University’s staff members serving to evaluate proposals from Researchers cannot submit their own research proposals to the University or submit a research report to FEMA under this contract; However, research proposals and research reports are allowable from the University, as long as the University’s evaluation panel members were not involved in the research proposal or report.

2.0 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS/TASKS

2.1 FINAL DELIVERABLE(S)

The University is responsible for providing FEMA with the following four (4) independent research reports:

One (1) research report completed by a promising graduate or doctoral student, to actively facilitate an opportunity for the next generation of emergency management thought leadership.

Three (3) research reports completed a Professor or Professional Researcher (visiting, associate, tenure-tracked, tenured, fellow).

The form of the deliverables is further defined under “Final Deliverable(s) Formatting.”

2.2 FINAL DELIVERABLE(S) FORMATTING

Reports shall be submitted as a double-spaced, 20 page Word document.

Sections included in the paper should include:

Authors Abstract Introduction Literature Review Research Questions Research Design o Study Site and Access o Data Collection Methodology o Ethical Considerations o Other sections as applicable, possibly including Sampling Strategy, Survey Measures, Survey Distribution, Participant Consent, Survey Sample, Data Analysis Procedures Results/Findings Conclusions o Implications for Practice or Policy o Limitations o Future Research Directions

References

Additional formatting and all citations are to follow Publication Manual of American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition. Deliverables in the form of papers shall utilize human-centered language that adheres to APA guideline for inclusive and bias-free language that emphasizes people and their experiences over the incidents and conditions they may be living through.

Appendix 1 provides a checklist for deliverable formatting to be used by the University and Researcher.

2.3 DELIVERY INFORMATION

The University is responsible for providing monthly status reports, on the 1st day of each month, to the COR via email. The status report shall include:

- Researcher Name (that was chosen and will be providing the report),

- Date that the Researcher was notified to begin their report,

- Status of any completed reports, submitted to the University for pre-approval,

- Status of any reports that do not have a selected Researcher, and how the University intends to locate a Researcher to complete the report, and

- Notification of any significant issues or concerns that is currently affecting or could affect the performance of this contract.

The University shall submit all final deliverables (ie. completed Research Reports) via email to the following individuals, no later than August 1, 2024:

- Contracting Officer Representative (COR),

- Program Office personnel,

- Contracting Officer (CO),

- Resilience Analyst,

- and Technical Hazards & Analysis Branch Chief

Individual names and email addresses will be outlined in the contract award.

3.0 GOVERNMENT ACCEPTANCE PERIOD

Upon receipt of a completed Research Report, the COR will have ten (10) business days to complete the review and final inspection of each report. The University will be notified via email, that the report(s) have been reviewed and inspected, and either rejected or accepted.

If a Research Report is rejected, the COR will provide a list of areas within the report that are deficient and require correction. Upon notification of the rejection, the University will have ten (10) business days to notify the Researcher that completed the report, inform them of the deficiencies and areas requiring correction, obtain a revised Research Report, and submit the revised report to the COR for review and inspection.

If a Research Report is rejected a second time, the COR will provide a list of areas within the report that are deficient and require correction. Upon notification of the rejection, the University will have five (5) business days to notify the Researcher that completed the report, inform them of the deficiencies and areas requiring correction, obtain a revised Research Report, and submit the revised report to the COR for review and inspection.

Research Reports can be submitted on or before August 1, 2024. The reports can be submitted to FEMA in a single email, or they can be submitted as they are completed by the Researcher, but no later than August 1, 2024.

Any Research Report that does not meet inspection and acceptance by the COR, cannot be invoiced for until it has been deemed acceptable by the COR. Once a report has been deemed as acceptable, the University may submit an invoice for the report. A single invoice can be submitted by the University once all Research Reports have been completed and accepted by the COR, or the University can invoice as each report is completed and accepted by the COR.

4.0 PAYMENT INFORMATION

FEMA will process payment to the University for the firm fixed price, outlined in the completed Pricing Worksheet and in the resulting award, for each research report. Invoicing information will be outlined in the contract award. The University is allowed to submit invoices to FEMA as each end deliverable, research paper, is accepted by FEMA. However, invoicing and payment shall not occur more frequently than on a bi-weekly (every two weeks) basis.

5.0 EQUIPMENT, HARDWARE, AND RESOURCES

The University and Researchers will not be provided with any FEMA-issued accountable property.

6.0PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

September 5, 2023 – August 1, 2024 (Dates subject to change, dependent upon signature by both parties)

7.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The primary place of performance will be at the University’s or Researcher’s physical location.

8.0 TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

FEMA will not provide reimbursement for travel costs. The University’s proposed firm fixed, price for each unit/Research Report within the Pricing Worksheet, shall be fully burdened.

9.0 ACCESIBILITY REQUIREMENTS (SECTION 508)

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-

220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology (EIT), they must ensure that it is accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have equal access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that enjoyed by non-disabled Federal employees and members of the public. All EIT deliverables within this work statement shall comply with the applicable technical and functional performance criteria of Section 508 unless exempt. Specifically, the following applicable EIT accessibility standards have been identified:

Section 508 Applicable EIT Accessibility Standards

36 CFR 1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems, applies to all EIT software applications and operating systems procured or developed under this work statement including but not limited to GOTS and COTS software. In addition, this standard is to be applied to Web-based applications when needed to fulfill the functional performance criteria. This standard also applies to some Web based applications as described within 36 CFR 1194.22.

36 CFR 1194.22 Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications, applies to all Web- based deliverables, including documentation and reports procured or developed under this work statement. When any Web application uses a dynamic (non-static) interface, embeds custom user control(s), embeds video or multimedia, uses proprietary or technical approaches such as, but not limited to, Flash or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) then 1194.21 Software standards also apply to fulfill functional performance criteria.

36 CFR 1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria, applies to all EIT deliverables regardless of delivery method. All EIT deliverable shall use technical standards, regardless of technology, to fulfill the functional performance criteria.

36 CFR 1194.41 Information Documentation and Support, applies to all documents, reports, as well as help and support services. To ensure that documents and reports fulfill the required

1194.31 Functional Performance Criteria, they shall comply with the technical standard associated with Web- based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications at a minimum. In addition, any help or support provided in this work statement that offer telephone support, such as, but not limited to, a help desk shall have the ability to transmit and receive messages using

TTY.

Section 508 Applicable Exceptions Exceptions for this work statement have been determined by DHS and only the exceptions described herein may be applied. Any request for additional exceptions shall be sent to the COTR and determination will be made in accordance with DHS MD 4010.2. DHS has identified the following exceptions that may apply: 36 CFR 1194.3(b) Incidental to Contract, all EIT that is exclusively owned and used by the contractor to fulfill this work statement does not require compliance with Section 508. This exception does not apply to any EIT deliverable, service or item that will be used by any Federal employee(s) or member(s) of the public. This exception only applies to those contractors assigned to fulfill the obligations of this work statement and for the purposes of this requirement, are not considered members of the public.

Section 508 Compliance Requirements 36 CFR 1194.2(b) (COTS/GOTS products), When procuring a product, each agency shall procure products which comply with the provisions in this part when such products are available in the commercial marketplace or when such products are developed in response to a Government solicitation. Agencies cannot claim a product as a whole is not commercially available because no product in the marketplace meets all the standards. If products are commercially available that meet some but not all of the standards, the agency must procure the product that best meets the standards. When applying this standard, all procurements of EIT shall have documentation of market research that identify a list of products or services that first meet the agency business needs, and from that list of products or services, an analysis that the selected product met more of the accessibility requirements than the non-selected products as required by FAR 39.2. Any selection of a product or service that meets less accessibility standards due to a significant difficulty or expense shall only be permitted under an undue burden claim and requires authorization from the DHS Office of Accessible Systems and Technology (OAST) in accordance with DHS MD 4010.2.

10.0 DEFINITIONS

- Any reference to “Awardee”, “Offeror”, or “Contractor” refers to the University.

- Any reference to “Researchers” refers to the individual completing the Research Reports.

APPENDIX 1 - STYLE REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST

Authors

Are all authors listed on the first page with their current affiliations?

Have all authors been listed according to guidance from The Ethics of Manuscript

Authorship: Best Practices for Attribution?

Formatting and Length

Are the sections listed in the order recommended by the SOW?

Is the title 12 words or less, and formatted in Title Case?

Is the report approximately 20 pages and double spaced (~5,000 words)?

Is all text left-aligned?

Is all body text in Calibri font, 12 points?

Titles and Headings Are all headings in Calibri font, 14 points, bold?

Are headings and titles (including table and figure titles) written in title case?

Have all acronyms been removed from titles and headings?

Are headings formatted according to the five levels in APA Style?

Quotes Do all direct quotes from sourced material include a citation with a page number or other identifying information if there is no page number?

Are quotes longer than 40 words in block format?

Tables and Figures Does each table or figure convey essential information about the project? Please do not include nonessential tables or figures. These may be placed in an appendix.

Are tables and figures “called out” in the text—meaning each one is identified by its number and briefly explained?

Are tables and figures placed after the paragraph where they are first mentioned?

Does each table have a number and descriptive title placed in bold above it?

Are tables and figures numbered sequentially in the document?

Are tables created in Word or Excel and editable?

Are figures clear (not blurry) with legible font and legends that explain symbols?

Are figures embedded in the document AND attached as a separate image quality file (e.g., JPG or PNG)? (Tables do not need to be attached separately.)

Do reprinted or adapted tables and figures have copyright attribution notes?

References and In-Text Citations Are your references and in-text citations formatted in APA style?

Does each in-text citation have a matching full reference in the reference list?

Appendices Are all appendices compiled and attached as one separate Word document?

Is each appendix clearly labeled?

Other Style Requirements Are all acronyms spelled out upon first mention?

Are all em dashes formatted as a long dash—with no space between words?

APPENDIX 2 – 2022-2026 FEMA STRATEGIC PLAN LEARNING AGENDA

Goal 1: Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management Research Questions

How do we measure the culture of FEMA’s workforce (i.e., presence of FEMA’s core values of compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect)? Is the measurement of FEMA’s core values related to the diversity of the workforce?

Is there a relationship between the amount of investment and assistance a community receives from FEMA prior to a disaster and the likelihood that the community will access FEMA programs post-disaster?

Is there a relationship between the number of challenges faced by individuals eligible for FEMA assistance and race, ethnicity, sex, or disability status of those applicants?

Are there disparities in outcomes for communities across FEMA programs, and what is the best way to measure this?

Is FEMA’s Individual Assistance for Housing Assistance funding distributed differentially by race, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, and disability status for major disaster declarations? Are there differences in who is deemed eligible? Are there differences in the amount received? Are there differences in who applies for assistance? Are some groups not applying for assistance even when they are eligible? Are there differences for renters versus owners? Are there differences in results for Tribes?

Goal 2: Lead Whole of Community in Climate Resilience

To what extent is the newly developed Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant achieving its desired outcomes?

Has Public Assistance achieved its intended outcome of increasing mitigation funding (is there a difference in the percentage of projects with mitigation dollars awarded)? If so, did it increase community resilience to future disasters?

Beyond financial costs, what is the best way to measure loss avoidance and the efficacy of risk reductions? What indicator(s) would best quantify the reduction of risk and lives and resources saved?

Is there a relationship between communities’ use of future conditions data and loss avoidance?

Goal 3: Promote and Sustain a Ready FEMA and Prepared Nation

What is the best method (or set of methods) to index or normalize major disaster declarations to be able to compare FEMA’s disaster response and recovery programs across disasters?