Attachment J-01 Statement of Work.pdf

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Technical Workforce Education and Expertise Development Services (TWEEDS)

Attachment J-01 Statement of Work

February 10, 2022

Background and Objectives

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Office of the Chief Engineer

(OCE), provides policy direction, oversight, and assessment for the NASA engineering and program management communities and serves as principal advisor to the NASA Administrator and other senior officials on matters pertaining to the technical readiness and execution of NASA programs and projects. The OCE ensures that NASA's development efforts and mission operations are planned and conducted on a sound engineering basis with proper controls and management of technical risks.

The purpose of this Technical Workforce Education and Expertise Development Services

(TWEEDS) acquisition is to support OCE’s Academy of Program/Project & Engineering

Leadership Knowledge Services (APPEL KS) activities. Through its world-class training curriculum, knowledge-sharing initiatives, development resources, and strategic communications, APPEL KS (http://appel.nasa.gov) helps ensure NASA’s technical workforce has the skills and knowledge needed to advance mission success. APPEL KS is NASA’s internal resource for program and project management and systems engineering training and development of the NASA technical workforce. Through a wide range of courses, resources, and development initiatives, APPEL KS enhances and refines critical job skills, offers hands-on learning experiences, and supplements formal educational programs. In addition, APPEL KS creates opportunities for project management collaboration through research and exchange with universities, government agencies, professional associations, and industry partners.

APPEL has roots in the development of the program and project management workforce since the early 1990s. From the start, the foundation of our professional development has been based on

NASA standards, competencies, and learning from real experiences. Today, the Academy has expanded its focus to include the entire programmatic and engineering workforce, the Chief

Knowledge Office, and its federated model in support of the agency’s knowledge community.

Sharing knowledge, lessons learned and capturing knowledge are critical to the job we do and impacts our ability to incorporate this knowledge into courses, case studies, formal lessons learned with the agency Lessons Learned system, and using this knowledge to further mission success. The majority of APPEL professional development resources, including those activities associated with and connected to the Chief Knowledge office, of which is under the APPEL KS umbrella of services, go directly to a vast array of courses, workshops, forums for individual and group learning. Through this approach, APPEL KS strives to provide the leadership, advice, direction, and support for the development and learning of the NASA program/project management and engineering community, plus the overall knowledge captured through program/project work and teams across the agency.

The Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) role was established in 2011. The Chief Knowledge

Officer promotes agency-wide knowledge management and services, engaging the NASA knowledge community in dialogue and sharing resources that 1) advocate the development of a network of practitioners who reflect, capture, and share knowledge, and 2) ensure that critical knowledge is available throughout the agency and beyond. Made up of centers, mission directorates, and supporting organizations, the NASA knowledge community leverages best and leading practices as well as lessons learned from expert knowledge practitioners within NASA, other government agencies, industry, academia, research and professional organizations, and international space agencies.

APPEL KS is located within NASA’s Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE) and is responsible for developing NASA’s technical workforce and providing a development path for Program

Management professionals. APPEL KS services include curriculum development, structured development program (Systems and Engineering Leadership Program), individual and team learning and development, agency knowledge management and lessons learned, and strategic communications.

APPEL KS seeks to set the standard for training and development for engineering, systems engineering (SE) and program/project management (PM), providing NASA with PM and SE training that is world-class and capable of achieving the highest possible level of mission success. The Academy will:

• Promote communication and transfer of wisdom through knowledge sharing events and publications.

• Create opportunities for project management collaboration through research and exchange with universities, government agencies, professional associations and industry partners.

• Serve as a clearinghouse of world-class expertise for project teams through knowledge sharing tools, events, subject matter expert interviews and case studies.

• Develop project leadership maturity through career development processes and programs

Our products and services are designed to address the competencies required for project management, systems engineering, and discipline engineering across four levels of career development, from team member to program manager or chief engineer.

Over the years the Academy has been very successful. In 2015 it earned the designation, “Best

Program Management Academy in the World” by the Project Management Institute and also was awarded the “Exemplar Training Organization” by the International Association for Continuing

Education.

SCOPE

The Academy requires support services and analysis across a wide range of activities to support

NASA mission success. Some of these include: executive management, web-based tool and data collection, APPEL KS course development and delivery and logistics support for all course attendees, knowledge events and panels, strategic communications support including website, social media, and podcast development and management, webinars, event software management, support for specific financial management tasks, and configuration management services to meet the needs of the agency’s practitioners and the overall mission of NASA.

The nature of the tasks requires the following:

• Curriculum design, development, and implementation over several platforms, including classroom, virtual, webinar and online.

• Training and Support logistical management, survey and statistical measurement

• Knowledge sharing activities, events (virtual and in-person), and forums in support of agency federated knowledge management model, including facilitation, production and support for quarterly meetings and other agency activities to support Federal Government knowledge initiatives

• Podcast, Episode development, scheduling and recording, episode moderator . Podcasts are created remotely only and are every other week.

• Technical writers for case study and strategic communication documents

• APPEL KS Web Support, Technical Writing and Strategic Communications support

• Social Media platform activities including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Apple Itunes, Soundcloud, YouTube and others in alignment with NASA’s Office of Communications

• Curriculum and implementation management of the Systems and Engineering Leadership

Development program, oversight of activities within APPEL KS processes at the contractor level

• Program Management Office Support, Release Management Process, support for specific financial management tasks

• Facility classroom support and logistics

• Course Registration, logistics and technical support for virtual platforms

• Program and logistics support for Leadership Programs

• Knowledge forum and panel moderation and logistical support

• Other events and activities as defined within the OCE and APPEL KS community as assigned

Objectives and Functional Descriptions

APPEL KS requires support for the following areas:

Curriculum Development and Logistics

The Academy’s training curriculum enables NASA’s technical workforce to develop NASA-specific expertise and capability in program/project management, engineering, and systems engineering competencies and is further enhanced by events, activities, communications and other knowledge panels, specific topic webinars, and podcast episodes. It is intended to supplement an individual’s academic and professional work experience. The curriculum draws extensively on best practices and the knowledge of NASA subject-matter experts to ensure that it addresses the needs of NASA’s practitioners. The courses are developed following established instructional design processes and include rigorous annual audits and revisions and incorporation of participant feedback, and updated appropriately as requirements and policies change. The

Academy’s project management and systems engineering competency model provide the basis for all course objectives. Courses are highly interactive, featuring case study analyses, group discussions, individual exercises and simulations. Increasingly, the Academy is making its course content available online through virtual platforms, video modules and interactive publications. The contractor shall perform the following tasks:

• Academy Center for Excellence (Kennedy Space Center, FL location) facility classroom management and logistics.

• Provide management and oversight of all life-cycle activities for the APPEL KS curriculum which include online (available 24/7), virtual (live) and in-person offerings.

• Develop new curriculum, including design, pilot offerings, and execution as directed by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

• Work with Subject Matter Experts, instructors, key stakeholders, academia and customers to continuously review existing courses to ensure they are current, accurate, relevant, and are consistent with the relevant NASA Procedural Requirements, 7120 and 7123 available at https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/functions/prog_proj_mgmt.html .

• Periodically attend courses to receive first-hand knowledge of the content and the instructor’s performance to determine their effectiveness as directed by the COR.

• Submit data for the APPEL KS Weekly Status meeting in APPEL’s online collaboration tool (e.g., projects, activities taking place during the week and for the next week including, metrics, which include but not limited to number of courses, participants, status, problems) and monthly OCE Program Reviews, and activities as directed by the

COR.

• Attend and participate in stakeholder and curriculum development meetings.

• Conduct annual market surveys regarding existing and new courses to ensure curriculum is up to date with the latest technologies and consistent with best practices and the

Agency mission at a reasonable and competitive cost.

• Provide total course cost information (i.e., inclusive of all course cost and estimated travel, (if applicable) to APPEL Management and Center points of contact and customers as requested by APPEL Management.

• Assist APPEL KS Management in reconciliation of procurement purchases by certifying attendance and completion of training and validating costs and services provided using monthly reports.

• Competitively contract with hotels and/or other sites to provide accommodations for participants, parking, classrooms, and breakout rooms.

• Assists APPEL KS Management with tracking all training funds expenditures associated with the Academy Center for Excellence (ACE)

• Assist with maintaining ACE facilities which includes: 4 classrooms, 3 offices, 6 cubicles, storeroom, and all equipment and furniture associated with and managed by

OCE/APPEL KS.

• System Administrator o Serve as Level 1 Training System Administrator for the System for

Administration, Training and Educational Resources for NASA (SATERN) o System Administrator for APPEL KS Event Management System (CVENT).

• The contractor shall maintain a course scheduling process that is monitored, reported on, and continuously improved to meet the needs of an evolving technical workforce.

Customer service surveys shall be implemented on a recurring basis with three key stakeholder groups (e.g., APPEL Practitioners, APPEL Center Points of Contact, and

APPEL Instructors). The APPEL Management will approve all content sent to the key stakeholders in advance of all surveys.

• Provide the APPEL Management with a monthly Operations Metrics report to include the number of registrations and final participants, number of core and in-depth courses, percentage of courses audited, course survey response rate, and other metrics as defined by the APPEL Management.

• Contractor shall lead NASA’s FY and Mid-FY APPEL Master Agency-wide Schedule project assessment. The purpose of this effort is to make certain each NASA center and

Mission Directorate receives the APPEL courses to meet the training requirements for their NASA Technical Workforce. This is a coordinated effort between the APPEL prime contractor’s curriculum team, center training points of contact, stakeholders, course presenters and providers, and the APPEL logistics team. The goals are to make sure each center gets the courses they need, work logistics between course providers and each

NASA center and publish the on-line course schedule. Tools used during this effort include the APPEL Event Management System (currently CVENT) as well as the internal training Learning Management System, SATERN, used by NASA.

• Provide logistics and communications to populate the Agency-wide APPEL KS Master

Training Schedules. Coordinate availability of subcontractors with logistics and registration function and Center representatives for delivery of courses. The Master

Agency-wide Training Schedule is available at http://appel.nasa.gov/courses. The contractor shall also provide coordination of instructor availability for proposed classes, collection of evaluation forms and a summary report of the evaluations.

• The contractor shall maintain and keep current internal and external certifications and validations of the APPEL KS courses for Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM), Program Management Institute (PMI), International

Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET), and any changes to these accreditation bodies. Learn more about APPEL accreditations at http://appel.nasa.gov/curriculum/accreditations-and-affiliations/. The contractor is required to be knowledgeable of affiliations with the Program Management Institute

(PMI) and International Accreditors of Continuing Education and Training (IACET) processes for APPEL KS course accreditations.

• The contractor shall continuously ensure that the curriculum supports the current

Technical Workforce Project Management & Systems Engineering Competency model and Development Framework. Further detail is available at http://appel.nasa.gov/competency-model/ and http://appel.nasa.gov/career-resources/development-framework/. The competency model and development framework align with the Office of Personnel Management Project/Program Management competency model and support the development of Project/Program path professionals guided by the Project Management Information Accountability Act (PMIAA) executive order. Contractors should be familiar with PMIAA and its requirements. More information is available at the following link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-19.pdf?utm medium=email&utm source=govdelivery.

• APPEL KS produces an interactive online course catalog which includes all APPEL KS offerings. The contractor shall take full responsibility to update, edit, and produce an on-line interactive digital APPEL KS Catalog. A copy of the APPEL Catalog is available for viewing at http://appel.nasa.gov/courses/.

• APPEL KS continues to evaluate coursework delivery platforms, and other eLearning capabilities and technologies that align with NASA and practitioner needs. The contractor shall continually review, refine and provide statistical data that supports return on investment, practitioner expectations, professional development outcomes, value added data and supported mission outcomes through metric and statistical measurements and information. The contract shall also provide different platforms to continue the training and knowledge sharing missions such as webinar series, publications, communications, panels, case studies and others that support an integrated approach to learning and sharing knowledge. Platforms should be able to transition from classroom to virtual and be up to date with current training and knowledge sharing trends, learner needs, NASA capabilities and security requirements.

• Recommend a list of candidate courses and curriculum in order of suitability for eLearning and demand for the class and provide implementation approaches.

• Conduct a market survey of other eLearning Government, academia, and other capabilities that could be leveraged for the APPEL KS program. Implementation of eLearning into the APPEL KS program will be directed by the COR.

• Manage virtual learning events such webinars, panels and knowledge sharing activities utilizing Adobe connect, Microsoft teams and other approved NASA platforms. The contractor should be well versed in software programs and have production responsibility for Adobe connect and Microsoft teams (currently). The contractor should also be capable of supporting the full range of NASA Civil Service special needs employee groups, as necessary to fulfill requirements of training deliveries.

• In addition to courses, and other event activities, the contractor shall respond to ad hoc data requests from APPEL KS management and COR on contract activities.

• Design, develop, and implement all APPEL KS assessments and ensure their validity and reliability (e.g., individual knowledge and proficiency assessments, training needs assessments, Kirkpatrick (Level 1-4) survey course assessments and root cause analyses, and program assessments). Contractor is required to have and maintain Kirkpatrick certifications (Gold Level).

• Provides program baseline and trend data on:

o The type, amount and nature of services provided to various populations

(individuals, teams, supervisors, centers, mission directorates, etc.)

o Improvements in individual and project team capabilities (linked to competency attainment and increases in proficiency, and measures impact on mission success)

• Create evaluation plans and reports for Curriculum Development and specialized APPEL

KS training programs as directed by the COR.

• Design and customize evaluation approaches and instruments for all courses and activities (e.g., end-of-session, follow-up questionnaires and online surveys).

Discipline Leadership Program Development and Support

• The contractor shall support the development of high potential NASA Engineers, Systems Engineers and Program Managers in mid-level to executive, leadership and technical skills training necessary to support program, project and mission success across the agency.

o Support the recruitment, interview, and selection process for Leadership Program candidates, as well as provide support to facilitate developmental assignments for participants o Design and facilitate Class Graduation, Orientation, and Re-entry Workshops.

o Provide planning, research, program consultation, conference calls with participants and Program Director, and feedback for participants at the request of

APPEL KS Management.

o Provide training courses and workshops for each cohort including, but not limited to:

• Executive Skills Training

• 360 Assessments

• Coaching and mentoring

• Systems Thinking

• Crucial Communication skills.

o Identify and leverage opportunities to advance awareness of the Program with appropriate audiences o Support the Program alumni network as appropriate to ensure continued engagement with the program as needed

• For Example: One program currently is the Systems and Engineering Leadership

Program which is a comprehensive program that provides leadership development, technical hands-on experience, leadership and technical training, benchmarking, mentoring, and coaching in a 18-month cycle for cohorts of mid-level NASA engineering leaders. SELP has been designed to provide advanced systems engineering and leadership skills as well as a NASA-wide perspective. A core requirement of SELP is hands-on developmental assignments at other Centers. These assignments allow participants to gain this broader understanding of NASA and expand their application of systems engineering.

• Educational Resources for NASA

Collect lessons learned on the events and conduct lessons learned meetings with the

Government. The contractor shall maintain lessons learned records and shall implement lessons learned on subsequent events.

APPEL Courses/webinars – The Academy provides Courses and webinars to the NASA

Technical Workforce, a current catalog of which can be found at http://appel.nasa.gov/courses/.

These courses and/or webinars are intended to provide supplemental development for achieving current and future job requirements and augment the knowledge and skills needed for continued mission success. Courses and webinars are developed to support and align to the competencies of Program/Project Management and Systems Engineering. The contractor shall perform the following task:

• Provide consultants, specialized subcontractors, and curriculum specialists/instructors

(virtual and in-person, travel if applicable) in conjunction with the agency-wide FY and mid-FY master schedule competency and gap assessments.

• Provide consultants, specialized subcontractors, to deliver virtual webinars on topics that align with agency processes, policy or missions for “just in time” agency determined learning and knowledge topics.

• Arrange transportation for tours and special events as directed by the COR.

• Pay appropriate membership fees and dues for external certifications for APPEL KS courses for graduate credit, such as Project Management Institute (PMI) and International

Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET). Learn more about APPEL accreditations at http://appel.nasa.gov/curriculum/accreditations-and-affiliations/.

• Provide audio-visual equipment, booklets, other materials, and group event photos as directed by the COR.

NASA Knowledge Management and Chief Knowledge Office Support – The NASA CKO is responsible for policy and integration of knowledge services across programs and projects in the

Centers and Mission Directorates. APPEL KS coordinates agency-wide initiatives to advance capabilities in identifying, capturing, and transferring knowledge, as well as promotes the role of knowledge and knowledge management priorities both internal to NASA and externally to the

Federal community. APPEL KS collects and analyzes measurement data to monitor the effectiveness of NASA's knowledge management capabilities, and conducts and promotes knowledge-sharing activities such as forums, events, publications, and events sponsored by

NASA, Centers, or Mission Directorates, in addition to other responsibilities. The contractor shall:

• Assist the APPEL Director and Agency Chief Knowledge Officer in the development of relevant NASA Policy Directives, including 7120.6—Knowledge Policy on Programs and Projects, and assist with the organization and implementation of an effective Agency

Knowledge Community, with designated center and mission directorate Chief

Knowledge Officers appointed to serve in these capacities, and help facilitate organizational meetings, workshops and reporting activities to effectively coordinate a cohesive Agency Knowledge Management process. (For more information on NPD

7120.6 go to http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPD&c=7120&s=6).

• Work across the NASA center and mission directorate organizations, and within the

APPEL business lines, to harmonize, leverage and integrate appropriate agency-level knowledge management activities, as directed by the NASA CKO.

• Create and maintain database of knowledge learning contacts within NASA, and with relevant external organizations. Coordinate the development of an inventory of existing knowledge sharing databases and leads the categorization of data for communication to

NASA practitioners and stakeholders.

• Develop effective mechanisms to communicate knowledge sharing and best practices throughout the Agency on a periodic basis. Develop relevant Knowledge Management measures and metrics to assess value and validate effective NASA knowledge management processes. Support NASA Chief Knowledge Officer’s outreach activities, communications and presentations. Identify and implement appropriate knowledge sharing technology-based tools and capabilities.

• Develop case studies and white papers to support CKO knowledge forms, management presentations, and outreach activities as directed by the CKO. Submit content through the

APPEL Content Management Database (CMD) process managed by the Communications team to be posted to the CKO Website as appropriate.

• Maintain relationships and collaborate with international partners to support meetings, forms and events. The contractor shall comply with all NASA Government regulations, policies and procedures for dealing with foreign nationals, governments and companies.

• Schedule quarterly meetings with the Center and Mission Directorate Chief Knowledge

Officers to build and expand the Knowledge community and their outreach throughout the agency. Support initiatives within this group to expand and share knowledge, lessons learned, experiences, best practices and efficiencies. Recommend and provide topics, speakers (NASA and external), forum agenda and location for Knowledge Sharing events.

• Plan and execute events and forums. The contractor shall develop cost proposals for all events. This shall include, but is not limited to:

o Find Speakers and Subject Matter experts when needed for Keynote addresses, speeches and engagement.

o Competitive quotes from qualified vendors;

o Sole source justifications;

o Market surveys;

o Presenter’s labor and travel costs;

o Spreadsheets to include quotes from all vendors and the rationale for selection o The contractor shall provide this information to APPEL Management no later than 45 days prior to the event.

• Competitively contract with hotels to provide accommodations for participants, parking, classrooms, and breakout rooms.

• Arrange for audiovisual equipment for events.

• Provide a group photo and other photos as requested by APPEL Management.

• Prepare all event material, including agendas, handouts, and theme-related books.

• Collect feedback on the event from all course participants using a Government approved evaluation form and deliver the feedback to the APPEL Management. Within 5 business days after the event, provide participant data to NASA ACE for data entry into the

System for Administration, Training and Educational Resources for NASA (SATERN).

• Provide support for NASA Management participation in the committees and working groups that relate to knowledge management functions at the local, national, and international level.

• Collect lessons learned on the Knowledge Sharing events and conduct lessons learned meetings with the Government. The contractor shall maintain lessons learned records and shall implement lessons learned on subsequent events.

• Work closely with training registration and support group to ensure attendees are registered in SATERN (NASA’s electronic training portal) and APPEL’s event management software for each CKO event.

Strategic Communications – A critical aspect of NASA's long-term success is knowledge sharing. Mission success depends on the free flow of ideas across the agency as well as with partners in industry, academia, and other space agencies around the world. To address this, APPEL KS has invested in strategic communications strategies that emphasize the power of storytelling through publications in order to help create a community of practitioners who are reflective and geared toward sharing.

This is a list of the current communication paths and tools utilized by APPEL KS to further distribute knowledge, information and learning opportunities:

• APPEL Insight (http://appel.nasa.gov/category/appel-news/ )

• APPEL website articles

• APPEL News Digest Archives (http://appel.nasa.gov/archives-appel-news-digest/ )

• APPEL Announcement and communications

• “Small Steps, Giant Leaps” Podcast (http://appel.nasa.gov/podcast) episodes serves as a means of regular communication with the Agency's technical workforce about best practices, lessons learned, and new developments at NASA and throughout the world.

• Quick Hot Items and Topics (HITS) Webinars

• Knowledge Perspectives Speaker/ panel discussions

• Virtual PM Challenge – Virtual Panel Engineering/PM/SE discussions

• PM Exchange – Multi-day virtual track topics discussions around Aeronautical and Space

Flight Program/Project Topics, including but not limited to Strategy, Risk, Leadership, Innovation, Diversity and Influence.

The contractor shall:

• The contractor shall provide content for APPEL KS INSIGHT, APPEL Knowledge

Perspectives, APPEL KS “Small Steps, Giant Leaps” Podcast, interviews for publication, articles, outreach activities, presentations, case studies, and white papers to industry, professional, and other government organizations.

• Provide all editing and technical writing, proofreading, artwork, and work with APPEL

KS management in the selection of article topics.

• Submit content through the APPEL Content Management Database (CMD) process managed by the Communications team to be posted to the APPEL Website as appropriate.

• Provide processes for content development; oversee day-to-day operations; and interface with the NASA technical workforce, academia, industry, and government representatives to obtain the required content.

• Align all topics, articles, special content and interviews to Agency developmental goals and objectives; import new ideas and best practices to ensure APPEL KS its leadership in the Knowledge Sharing discipline.

• Develop and edit correspondences including, but not limited to speeches, memos, and presentations in support of the APPEL Management.

• Develop interactive case studies for successes and failures from each of the NASA

Centers, NASA Mission Directorates, Human Space Flight, and/or technical program/projects.

• Attend APPEL KS Knowledge Sharing events in support of content creation.

• Develop all content to include conducting interviews if necessary.

• Manage and archive (as directed) all documentation in accordance with NASA policy

(http://appel.nasa.gov/category/appel-news/ask-academy/).

• Develop and edit an annual Academy publication that highlights the Academy’s efforts to serve the NASA workforce's needs in adapting to the challenges of today and the future.

• Conduct participant surveys, pre and post participant tests and interviews, focus group discussions, stakeholder and supervisor surveys and interviews and analyze results to make recommendations on content, features, and communications processes.

• Ensure that all APPEL KS products comply with requirements imposed by other

Government and Industry organizations (e.g., OMB, GAO, FAI, PMI) and import best practices and standards related to competencies, capabilities, and certifications.

• This contract will require virtual and in-person meetings and close collaboration and communication with the APPEL KS management and civil service government personnel across the agency.

Web-based Tools and Data Collection:

• Design and develop web portals in conformance with all NASA and U.S. Government regulations and procedures.

• Provide Web-based training modules compatible with all NASA and U.S. Government

Internet regulations.

• Provide mechanisms in-place that can track usage and metrics of all web-based modules.

• Support the publication, both web-based and hard copy, of program/project management materials.

• Develop and administer data collection processes for NASA educational training activities.

• Ensure accessibility standards for electronic and information technology covered by

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, and the Executive Order on

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility are adhered to and met.

The APPEL KS Web Portal – The contractor shall provide content development and management services to The Academy in support of the website (http://appel.nasa.gov) to ensure timely updates to content and respond to questions and alerts of newly published content. The contractor shall be responsible for the following activities:

• Manage the APPEL KS and proactively drive traffic to the site, integrating with existing systems at NASA.

• Document, prioritize, and publish new content and modifications to the website through the existing APPEL KS Content Management Process, which shall be managed by the contractor with the approval by APPEL Management on a weekly basis.

• The contractor shall ensure that all content to be published to the APPEL KS Website will be tracked, reported, and archived for easy reference in a web database.

• Integrate APPEL KS content into NASA Portal custom search services to ensure APPEL

KS content shall be fully searchable within the APPEL KS site, as well as tied to other sites within NASA.

• Provide metrics on a monthly basis to show the level of interest in APPEL KS topics, with the ability to drill down to the number of visits to any page or specific case study, course, forum, etc.

• Provide support for development of multimedia content to be deployed through the

APPEL KS Website and through designated APPEL and CKO events.

• Incorporate content from APPEL KS lines of business (e.g., Curriculum, Strategic

Communications, Team Development, and Training & Support), including, but not limited to:

o Creating links to other sites, manage emails and feedback, reports on metrics, update content, update business line content, add case studies, articles and papers, add forums and workshop presentations and papers, create new navigation as required based on usability, maintain and update the APPEL KS Calendars, create

APPEL KS Spotlights for the homepage, remove outdated content and expired links throughout the APPEL KS Website, and perform content mining;

o APPEL Insights, This Month in NASA History, APPEL communications, APPEL

KS articles, Knowledge Perspectives, “Small Steps, Giant Leaps” Podcast and

Critical Knowledge Insight publications (http://appel.nasa.gov/category/appel-news/) shall be processed through the APPEL KS Content Management

Processes;

o Maintain and enhance the APPEL KS presence with social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, iTunes, YouTube, and RSS).

o Collaborate with other NASA entities to support content-sharing from and to the

APPEL KS website at the direction of the COR.

• Deliver Weekly Content Management Release task proposals and updates in alignment with the existing APPEL KS process for review and approval by the APPEL KS

Management. Package submissions are to be sent via email to APPEL KS Management and the approved packages shall be uploaded to the APPEL KS Content Management

Database (CMD) process for weekly releases.

APPEL KS Program Management Office – The contractor shall utilize the existing APPEL

KS on-line database software to identify, track, and report on APPEL and CKO tasks, provide performance monitoring and measurement in collaboration with key stakeholders, and highlight performance and risk mitigation aspects for APPEL KS management with weekly reports.

• The contractor shall work with the APPEL KS Management and logistics support personnel to forecast, track, and manage the Systems Engineering Leadership Program

(SELP) travel budget, including travel order support for each SELP participant using the current NASA travel software. The contractor shall provide monthly status reports to include funding, travel orders, and key metrics (e.g., commitments, obligations, and costing).

• The contractor shall be responsible for facilitating and participating in weekly APPEL KS

BUSOPS meetings that drive stakeholder participation, performance monitoring and measurement.

Executive Management

• Provide subject matter experts in the field of program/project management and systems engineering, as necessary.

• Create and present program/project management reports for NASA management, studies, or other activities.

• Manage and archive all program documentation as well as financial documentation as related to overall business operations of APPEL KS.

• Provide expert support of organizational and business improvement efforts.

• APPEL KS require professional support services for business improvement efforts, including, but not limited to the ongoing management of the APPEL KS Program

Management Office (PMO), APPEL KS Release Management Process (RMP), development and implementation of process and procedures for all lines of business, acquisition/procurement strategy support, input for various statements of work, expert assistance in supporting proposal evaluations, and cost/price estimates.

• APPEL KS Release Management Process (RMP) – The contractor shall provide

APPEL KS with project management support to manage the APPEL KS Release

Management Process. This process includes the documentation of priorities, project goals and objectives, critical path, initial requirements, measurable benefits and project reporting for each APPEL KS task in place.

• The contractor shall communicate with key stakeholders within APPEL KS business b business lines, and provide metrics and reporting of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through concept documents, reporting on a weekly basis and utilizing the existing tools and databases.

• The contractor shall produce a project scorecard for each concept document, a release management summary report highlighting all APPEL KS concept documents their work status, and maintain the document in a database resident in APPEL KS’s database.

• The contractor shall be responsible for project management, development, implementation, training APPEL KS team members, and the ongoing management of the release process, including weekly status updates during the APPEL KS Weekly

Leads and the APPEL KS Business Management and Operations (BUSOPS) meetings.

• Data Analysis – Provide monthly, trending and statistical data to APPEL KS

Management about stakeholder engagement, knowledge trends and needs, Website engagement, overall organizational health, and value/impact to practitioner development and mission success.

• Financial Support – APPEL KS and OCE requires business and financial support, and analysis of financial transactions for the divisions’ budget control. Support includes, but is not limited to:

o Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of financial, and administration tracking and control programs and systems.

o Develop and manage monthly financial reports, track and control program budget transactions in APPEL KS database, including, but not limited to obligations, costing, purchase requests, and cost reimbursable travel.

o Conduct monthly financial analysis, including comparison of monthly obligated, costed, unobligated and un-costed balances.

o Review analysis and identify anomalies through the development of action plans for investigation and execution upon APPEL KS Management approval.

o Support the development and ongoing management of APPEL KS’s OCE

Purchase Request (PR) Forms, Funding Guidance for CAS Funds Form

(Severable versus Non-severable), 100% Budget Request Forms, OCE Funds

Release Request Forms, APPEL KS Center Phasing Plan Forms, OCE Monthly

Program Review PowerPoint and OCE Monthly Budget Review PowerPoint presentations per the direction of APPEL management and other OCE program support as required.

• All support activities shall be managed through the APPEL KS Program Management

Office (PMO), directed by the APPEL Management. OCE Monthly Program Reviews.

The OCE Monthly Program Review presentations shall consist of the following components in Microsoft PowerPoint:

o Forecast to actual for FY APPEL KS Budget o Forecast to actual for FY APPEL KS Obligations and Costing

• Contractor Responsibility o Monthly Financial Narrative o Monthly Accomplishments o Monthly planned Activities o Supporting Slides

Government Provided Items:

The Government will provide access to civil servants, documents, and processes in the support of the resultant contract. As necessary, the government will also provide equipment to include computers and access IDs (not all contractor personnel will need this to perform their duties).

CLIN STRUCTURE

CLIN 0001: FFP 60-DAY PHASE-IN

The 60-day phase-in period will be to process the necessary authorities for contractor to have access and understand the resource structure and mechanisms required to access and retrieve any related data to processes, courses, webinars, social media, and podcasts. In addition, to develop any necessary articles or periodicals needed to meet the minimum requirements of the deliverables. Lastly, to provide continuity to existing initiatives, courses, and webinars scheduled within the transition period and after.

CLINs 0002, 0006, 0010, 0014, 0018: CPFF - Learning Delivery (Development, Maintenance, and Implementation), Training Materials & Books, Professional

Development Programming, Knowledge Sharing Events

The Academy provides courses, webinars, developmental and knowledge sharing opportunities and events to the NASA Technical Workforce (http://appel.nasa.gov/courses/). These courses, webinars, and events are intended to provide supplemental development for achieving current and future job requirements and augment the knowledge and skills needed for continued mission success. Courses are developed to support and align to the competencies of Program/Project

Management and Systems Engineering, and governmental requirements necessary for discipline development.

Examples of current offerings of each format are described below:

Learning Delivery - For in-person classroom courses travel costs would be included in the statement for the monthly billing and associated with an offering. These costs will vary depending on the length of course and locale in which the course is presented. These costs are within the government per diem guidelines. Virtual courses when applicable for the vendor should include any technical support costs for the virtual course delivery platform. If one is not provided, an additional amount will be added to support technical support of the virtual platform not provided by the vendor. Any books or materials necessary for the course would be included in this CLIN as well.

In addition to curriculum (virtual or in-person), webinar type knowledge and learning activities are utilized to share focused information, processes or topics associated with mission support and success. Benefits can provide large numbers of attendees an opportunity to gain immediate insight, better understanding, and introduce updated or new processes to the workforce. These webinars activities vary in length from 1-6 hours and are specific to a technical topic, process, culture, or environmental factor. NASA Microsoft teams or other approved virtual NASA platforms are required for these deliveries.

Professional Development Programming - The primary current professional development opportunity provided by APPEL KS is the Systems and Engineering Leadership Program

(SELP). SELP is an18-month development program which consists of training courses and workshops for each class including, but not limited to:

• Reassignments of participating attendees to alternate Center work details ranging from 6-

9 months within the SELP program.

• Executive Skills Training

• 360 Assessments

• Coaching and mentoring

• Systems Thinking

• Crucial Communication skills.

Knowledge Sharing Events – APPEL KS recently hosted the Program Knowledge Expo, a three-day virtual event that brought together NASA’s technical workforce to share insights and compare notes. The program incorporated thought-provoking keynotes, presentations, panel discussions, and virtual networking opportunities, and it provided a mix of live and pre-recorded presentations with Q&A sessions focusing on knowledge management and history, strategic thinking, and the science of high performance. Events like this are offered less frequently than standard learning delivery and are open to a broader audience. This CLIN may be used for guest speakers or instructors and training materials for these events. Note: Event development, support, and facilitation for these events is charged to CLIN 0002 (Knowledge Group or

Curriculum Group).

CLINs 0003, 0007, 0011, 0015, 0019: FFP WYE Labor (Salaries covering individuals providing APPEL KS support/management services)

Knowledge Group: Contractor shall support Knowledge Services activities to include a Lead

Knowledge Services representative, technical writer, podcast moderator and producer, and event and technical platform user support with expertise in Adobe connect, Microsoft Teams, WebEx and other online collaboration tools.

Curriculum Group: Contractor shall manage courses (in-person and virtual) to include a

Curriculum Manager, and subsequent personnel to address specific needs of the Program

Management, Soft Skills and Systems Engineering curriculum. The individuals should be certified in Kirkpatrick model assessment of course and development activities and understand concepts critical to adult learning and professional development specific to the NASA Technical workforce. Additionally, experience with and understanding of Project Management and/or

PMP certification for Project Management curriculum and an understanding of Systems

Engineering and Model Based systems engineering is preferred for Systems Engineering discipline courses. Ability to provide course initiation, design, development, implementation, and evaluation is also required. Lastly, contractor shall work with NASA Technical workforce subject matter experts and build professional associations for continued excellence in content of deliveries and courses.

Leadership Development: Contractor shall manage the APPEL KS Leadership Development program(s) currently the 18-month Systems and Engineering Leadership Program (SELP). The

Leadership Development Program Lead will ensure all applying candidates meet the program criteria, before any interview selections. The Program Lead will ensure learning components, workshops and program requirements are executed within the program agenda and schedule.

Additional requirements are as follows:

1. Ensure all cohort selected meet program criteria.

2. Work with Leadership Development advocates to arrange, select and assign extended temporary work assignments (varied in length, approximately 6-9 months) necessary to provide opportunities to develop competencies and leadership skills of enrolled participants.

3. Collaborate with the APPEL KS Management and the Center Leadership Development advocates in effectively implementing the program.

4. Design and facilitate Class Orientation, Graduation, and Re-entry Workshops at the request of the Technical Monitor.

5. Collect lessons learned on the events and conduct lessons learned meetings with the

Government.

6. Maintain lessons learned records and implement lessons learned on subsequent events.

7. Provide planning, research, program consultation, conference calls with Leadership

Program participants and Program Director, and feedback for participants at the request of APPEL KS Management.

8. Manage subcontractors to provide required training and development aligned with program curriculum.

Training and Support Group: Contractor shall manage course and event registrations, provide statistical data on attendees, administer surveys, build curriculum, agenda and event pages in our event management system, prepare course and event information aligned with course and event requirements to maintain seamless registration and confirmation processes. Additionally, communicate with each registrant on status of registration, work with the APPEL Center points of contact to finalize course logistics and provide any special support required to conduct course or event. Also, this group is responsible for conducting the annual and mid-year course assessment to determine courses necessary to support mission success. This group will have a lead and supporting individuals to assist with these efforts.

Program Management office: This group supports the many business operations necessary for the organization including concept document and project management, resource tracking, and financial support needed to align with budgetary requirements. In addition, this office organizes and standardizes operational processes, identifies efficiencies and recommends improvements to gain efficiencies to align with digital transformation efforts throughout the government, and has administrative capabilities for the NASA SATERN agency training system, as well as the

APPEL KS CVENT event management system. This group also supports the Director and

Deputy Director in senior level initiatives and agency level events within or outside the APPEL

KS environment. This office would have a Program Manager with knowledge of NASA finance requirements, ability to work with other Senior level agency leaders in support of events both internal and external to the OCE and APPEL KS.

Strategic Communications and Web Management: This group works closely with NASA OCIO to maintain security requirements and compliance for the NASA Web practice and environment.

Responsibilities are as follows:

1. Develops a working knowledge of the WordPress platform, currently used by APPEL

KS and conducts systematic reviews to ensure efficient use of web space and design and provide updates for a continued enhanced web experience for practitioners.

2. Works with APPEL KS business lines to stage communications, from design to distribution.

3. Provides web maintenance and review,…