B08_Solicitation_Attachment_1_-_Performance_Work_Statement_5_8_24_4_pgs.pdf

Performance Work Statement US Fish & Wildlife Service

Economic analysis for sagebrush habitat restora on Date: 5/8/2024

1. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION:

The Department of the Interior (DOI), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) requires a contractor to conduct an economic analysis for three on‐the‐ground sagebrush habitat restora on projects funded under the Bipar san Infrastructure Law. Final project loca ons are to be determined (TBD) but will be iden fied based on availability of informa on required to meet project needs. One sagebrush restora on project will be iden fied in Nevada and one in Idaho. The third project will be in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, or Montana. This ac vity includes comple on of an economic analysis that shall be made using the Impact

Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) model. The USFWS will work with the selected contractor to provide informa on on project expenditures by expenditure category from the USFWS’s HABITS database and other sources, as needed.

O en it is easy for the conserva on community to communicate the ecological and recrea onal benefits of their work. However, these benefits are only one of many other benefits derived from conserva on, including healthcare savings and clean water. Awareness and effec ve communica on of all the benefits allows communi es to present a more compelling narra ve and be er advocate for habitat conserva on.

Increasing the awareness of these benefits, the resources available to assess these benefits, and communica ng these benefits effec vely can benefit the USFWS in many ways. People may gain a stronger apprecia on for our conserva on, including those on USFWS‐managed lands. Private landowners, organiza ons, and businesses can be er advocate for and deliver conserva on that may complement the USFWS’s mission.

Project Goals:

Promote the awareness and communica on of all the benefits associated with conserva on.

Provide communi es with the knowledge and resources to make informed conserva on and land management decisions.

Highlight stellar conserva on projects implemented by USFWS programs.

Key Messages:

Conserva on can have many benefits beyond the ecological and it is important to properly understand and evaluate these benefits.

Understanding these benefits allows communi es to make informed conserva on and land management decisions.

There are resources available to help communi es evaluate these benefits.

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES/CAPABILITIES:

A) This Performance Work Statement is intended to outline the tasks and expecta ons for the economic case studies, analysis, and deliverables. Listed below are work and products that are representa ve of the capabili es needed by the Contractor.

1) Protec on of Informa on. Due to the poten al and sensi ve nature of some informa on shared by the USFWS to the Contractor, the Contractor shall exercise due diligence in preven ng the unauthorized disclosure of informa on by their company and affiliates, to include reviewers. Failure to do so may result in the Contractor being held liable for all harm caused by the unauthorized release or discussion of informa on. Informa on includes, but is not limited to, Government provided informa on, and Contractor’s resultant finding, determina on and assessment prior to release by the Government.

B) REQUIRED SERVICE (WORK) ITEMS (listed by TLIN – Task Line Item Number)

TLIN 001: Comple on of Economic Case Studies.

a) Comple on of Three (3) Economic Case Studies

1. Working with FWS staff who will provide data on project ac vi es and expenditures (e.g., expenditure purpose, expenditure year, vendor, and vendor loca on) to develop a single project‐level expenditure profile for each of the three (3) case studies.

2. Determina on of IMPLAN industry sector corresponding to expenditure ac vi es associated with the project. Use most current or most applicable North American Industry Classifica on

System (NAICS) for the IMPLAN modeling.

3. Determina on of geographic scale for the IMPLAN analysis (e.g., state and county).

4. Summary of expenditures by year and IMPLAN industry sector to determine total annual expenditures by industry sector.

5. Discount the flow of costs that accrue over different years, if appropriate.

6. Run IMPLAN on total annual expenditures by industry sector by year.

7. Summarize annual IMPLAN results: Output, Value Added, Jobs supported, and Labor Income in a narra ve and table format within the summary report for each case study.

8. Provide sugges ons and limita ons for interpre ng economic results to help with the outreach and communica on.

9. Produc on of three 508 summary reports, one for each case study, that are compliant with sec on 508 of the Rehabilita on Act (29 U.S.C. 794d). See sample a ached to solicita on.

10. Produc on of summary infographics communica ng key findings from each case study.

TLIN 002: Managing and producing final reports/products.

a) The Contractor shall coordinate all logis cal issues associated with carrying out the ac vity including, but not limited to, travel, equipment, so ware licenses, etc.

b) The Contractor shall be responsible for wri ng and edi ng any ini al, dra , or final reports that are required. The Contractor should include the opportunity for review of each dra case study by relevant USFWS staff with no more than three review rounds. Case studies for review shall be delivered in a word document format unless otherwise agreed upon.

c) The USFWS will provide comments within 10 business days following the receipt of a case study dra . The Contractor must then provide a wri en reconcilia on of the reviewers’ comments within 10 business days of receipt. If further rounds of review are needed to resolve comments, these can be coordinated between the USFWS POC and the contractor.

d) Each case study should provide introductory narra ve informa on about the project (geographic loca on, descrip on of restora on ac vity, project partners, USFWS and partner expenditures), with summary results of economic output provided in a narra ve and table format. Economic impact of the project should also be captured in graphs and/or infographics where appropriate.

e) The USFWS will provide illustra ve photos of each project restora on (before and a er) that the contractor shall include in the final report.

f) The final reports/products shall be delivered to the USFWS personnel iden fied and provided to the contractor, in electronic format as 508‐compliant “.pdf” files (portable document format created with Adobe Acrobat) within 1 year of the project award date, and consistent with the

Contractor’s proposed meline a er award.

g) The Contractor may publish (including Internet pos ngs) results of this work only with the wri en consent of the Contrac ng Officer. All work, findings, determina ons, and products related are inherently proprietary to the USFWS and thus, may be communicated with other par es only with the expressed wri en consent of the Contrac ng Officer. Publica on in peer‐ reviewed scien fic journals may be pursued upon coordina on with USFWS for approval.

However, the Government maintains “Unlimited Rights in Data,” meaning that the rights of the

Government to use, disclose, reproduce, prepare deriva ve works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, in any manner and for any purpose, and to have or permit others to do so, are not restricted in any way.

TLIN 003: Maintaining an official record for peer reviews

a) All records acquired or generated by the Contractor in its performance of each task shall be the property of the Government and these dra or final materials shall be delivered to the

Government.

b) DOI requires that all data collected under this contract be submi ed to DOI as a repor ng requirement before the end of the performance period. Data are important products of the scien fic enterprise, and it shall be usable. Data must be in the form of individual data points used in the study, not just summaries like means; metadata must be included that comprehensively explain all variables, condi ons, etc., such that the results can be understood and replicated by others.

c) The Contractor must safeguard all informa on, including that which is received from, given access to, independently researched/gathered, or produced for the Government.

d) DOI retains all intellectual property rights. Publishing of any product (either interim findings or final product) is solely at the discre on of the Government. Addi onally, the prior, express wri en permission of the Contrac ng Officer is required to assert copyright, if any, in all other data first produced in the performance of this contract.

3. SUMMARY OF DELIVERABLES

For most required services the Contractor shall provide three key deliverables: (1) Proposed Timeline within two weeks of award, (2) Dra and Final 508‐compliant Reports for each case study within one year of award, and (3) copy of project data (prior to project closeout).

4. PLACE AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

a) The Contractor and the USFWS personnel shall coordinate on loca ons where any work products and mee ngs (as necessary) shall take place. Work is an cipated to be performed at the contractor’s loca on and virtually via mee ngs with USFWS staff. If in‐person mee ngs or site visits are later determined to be required, these shall be coordinated with the USFWS at least three (3) weeks in advance. Contractor travel not included within the ini al proposal or award shall not occur without contrac ng officer approval beforehand, and only a er modifica on is issued to fund the travel costs.

b) The Contractor shall arrange one remote kick‐off planning mee ng with USFWS staff within two weeks of award (a list of USFWS staff involved in the project will be provided to the contractor upon award).

c) The contractor shall provide a list of deliverables and melines for comple on of each step and final outcome/product. This shall be delivered to USFWS Project Lead (iden fied and communicated upon contractor selec on) via email within two weeks of award. The Contractor shall ensure that these elements are met on a mely basis and must adhere to established protocols and standards applicable to the specific task. Quarterly Progress Reports containing a brief update of status, changes to melines, and any ques ons/problems encountered shall be delivered by email, every three months, to the USFWS Project Lead.

d) Unless the Government approves an extension by modifica on, if a task (schedule) is overdue, the contractor shall accelerate another task to remain on schedule.

e) The period of performance is 1 year a er award.

5. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY / INFORMATION

The USFWS personnel will provide guidance, summary informa on on each case study, points of contact for each case study, and access to project data pulled from the USFWS’s HABITS database, as required to support the review. No Government property will be furnished to the Contractor. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, facili es, necessary so ware, equipment, materials, supplies, travel, and services.

6. AVAILABILITY PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Normal duty hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. − 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Non‐duty hours include weeknights, weekends, and Government holidays; a complete list of Federal holidays is listed on the US Office of Personnel Management website.

Key personnel from both the Government and the Contractor are expected to be available for communica ons and mee ngs during normal duty hours. The Contractor shall provide emergency contact informa on in case the need for such should arise.