B2 - REPRESENTATIVE TASK ORDER 3 Technical Assistance.pdf

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

REPRESENTATIVE TASK ORDER – Technical Assistance

SERVICE: Assist GAO in obtaining perspectives between meetings and facilitate working group efforts for GAO’s Tribal Indigenous Advisory Committee (TIAC).

ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: September 29, 2024 – September 28, 2025

CONTRACT TYPE: Cost Contract-No Fee per FAR 52.216.11

Description of Work:

The contractor shall assist GAO in obtaining TIAC member perspectives on issues between TIAC meetings and provide support to TIAC working group efforts. Assistance includes providing background information on relevant topics to TIAC members, facilitating communication and information-sharing between TIAC members and GAO staff, and providing the necessary information technology to securely store and share documents with TIAC members.

The Contractor shall select staff members that will oversee the performance of task order work under the contract. The contractor staff will work closely with GAO staff to anticipate GAO requests including issues raised during TIAC meetings that require follow-up.

Technical assistance task orders will generally take one of two forms, written technical assistance on a specific topic or technical assistance via a TIAC subcommittee or working group that works on a particular project or deliverable—usually resulting from a topic discussed at a TIAC meeting.

Example of Written Technical Assistance: Contract support costs

1. Develop background document. The contractor shall help GAO develop a brief background document on the topic of contract support costs. Contract support costs are reimbursable administrative costs that federal agencies disburse to Tribes to cover the costs of administering self-determination contracts and self-governance compacts. The purpose of the background document would be to provide initial context surrounding the issue, to summarize current GAO understanding, highlight the areas where GAO is interested in receiving TIAC perspectives, and how GAO intends to use the information (e.g., GAO report, guidance, training).

2. Distribute background document and receive perspectives and feedback. The contractor would distribute the background document to TIAC members. The contractor would create a mechanism for receiving TIAC members’ perspectives and feedback that would accompany the distributed background information—for example, a brief questionnaire--created with input from GAO. It would be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure distribution, ensure that the mechanism for receiving perspectives (for example – a questionnaire) was accessible and then to remind recipients periodically to answer.

3. Receive TIAC members’ perspectives and summarize input. After receiving TIAC members’ perspectives, the contractor would work iteratively with GAO staff to summarize the perspectives and feedback and provide culturally appropriate and other relevant context to help GAO understand TIAC members’ responses. The contractor would work with GAO to prepare a document summarizing the results of the written technical assistance, which would be shared with the TIAC for their review and verification of its accuracy prior to being incorporated into a GAO product or other document.

Most requests for technical assistance should be completed (background document distribution, follow up, receive responses, summarize and share with TIAC) within approximately 60 days (or otherwise agreed upon timeframe) from the beginning of the period of performance on the “technical assistance” type task order to summary document being conveyed to GAO.

Example of Working Group Technical Assistance: Advise on GAO’s Tribal Outreach Practices

1. Support creation of working group and develop background document. The contractor would work with GAO staff and TIAC leadership to create a working group for GAO staff and TIAC members to advise GAO’s development of outreach practices when engaging with Tribes and Indigenous communities. These practices would provide guidelines for how GAO would conduct outreach to Tribes and Indigenous communities, receive tribal perspectives, and share how GAO incorporated tribal perspectives with participating Tribes and Indigenous communities for its ongoing reviews. The contractor would work with GAO staff to prepare a short background document to solicit TIAC working group membership and present context.

2. Provide logistical support for working group activities. The contractor would provide logistical support for TIAC working group activities, including providing a mechanism for working group members to securely share information with each other and virtual meeting administrative support, such as providing videoconferencing tools and notetaking, as appropriate. Any joint GAO - TIAC working group meetings would also include space for TIAC working group members to meet without GAO prior to the joint meeting.

3. Support summary of working group results. The contractor would work with the TIAC working group members and GAO to summarize the results of the working group’s efforts—such as key practices for respecting the government-to-government relationship with Tribes during GAO’s outreach. Summary results could be presented orally at the next TIAC meeting or in an informal written product.

Most requests for working group technical assistance (creation of working group, working group meetings, summarizing results) should be completed within 60 calendar days or an otherwise agreed upon timeframe after the beginning period of performance on the “technical assistance” task order.

Task Order Administration:

The Contractor shall acknowledge receipt of each Task Order by returning a copy of the Task Order, signed by the Contractor, to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) within ten (10) working days following the Contractor’s receipt of the Task Order. Each Task Order shall require a work plan unless otherwise specified in the Task Order. The workplan shall be submitted electronically to the COR with a cover letter supplied to the Contracting Officer within ten (10) working days.

The work plan shall (1) outline the work that the Contractor proposes to perform; (2) identify the staff that are expected to be assigned to the work; (3) indicate the expected number of hours and costs required for each staff member; (4) identify other direct costs anticipated under the task order; and (5) include a schedule for completing the project.

The COR will review the work plan and approve or disapprove within seven (7) calendar days. The Contractor shall start work only after receipt of an approved work plan.

Payment:

Invoicing for work performed under this task order shall be based upon actual expenditures and submitted within 30 days of task order completion. At a minimum, expenses should be broken out into the following categories:

• Travel costs (if applicable): hotel, airfare, per diem, ground transportation.

• Non-travel direct costs: contractor salaries, supplies in support of technical assistance activities (e.g., printing materials, IT applications for sharing information and collecting TIAC member perspectives).

• Administrative indirect costs: contractor operational expenses such as business insurance, communication infrastructure (e.g., Zoom subscription, TIAC website maintenance), accounting and audit fees associated with this Task Order.

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

Deliverables Table:

Deliverable Section Due Dates or Frequency Recipient

1. Develop background document on topic in conjunction with GAO.

2. Distribute background document with accessible mechanism for receiving TIAC perspectives and conduct follow-up.

3. Receive TIAC members’ perspectives and work with

GAO to prepare a document summarizing the results.

4. Share document summarizing results with TIAC for their review and verification.

Written Technical Assistance

1. Within 15 business days of Task Order, unless otherwise specified.

2. Within 3 business days of receiving GAO’s approval of background document.

3. Within 30 business days of distributing the background document, unless otherwise specified.

4. Within 10 business days of completing document summarizing results.

1. GAO COR

2. GAO COR

3. GAO COR

4. GAO COR and

TIAC members

1. Support creation of joint GAO-TIAC working group and develop background document on topic in conjunction with GAO.

2. Provide logistical support for working group activities, including a mechanism for securely sharing information and virtual meeting administrative support.

3. Support summarizing working group results—via a working group presentation at a TIAC meeting or in writing.

Working Group Technical Assistance

1. Within 15 business days of Task Order, unless otherwise specified.

2. Within 3 business days of the joint working group’s identification of its membership from GAO and the TIAC.

3. Within 10 business days of working group’s request for support.

3. GAO COR

1. Contractor acknowledges receipt by returning a signed copy of the Task Order.

2. Contractor submits a workplan according to the specifications listed above, unless otherwise specified in the Task Order.

Task Order Administra-tion

1. Within 10 business days following the Contractor’s receipt of the Task Order.

2. Within 10 business days of acknowledging receipt of the Task Order.

1. Invoices under this task order shall be based upon actual expenditures and broken out by categories outlined above.

Payment 1. Within 30 business days of task order completion.