Draft_PWS_1.pdf

WORKPLACE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SERVICES

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Introduction The Contractor shall perform the services described in this contract in accordance with the regulations, policies, and procedures provided in this contract, and subsequent Task Orders issued against this contract, as well as the following Department of the Interior (Interior) documents.

1. 112 DM 21 Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution https://www.doi.gov/document-library/departmental-manual/112-dm-21-office-collaborative-action-and-dispute-resolution-0

2. CORE PLUS Departmental Manual Chapter http://www.doi.gov/pmb/cadr/programs/workplace/upload/370DM752-2-CONFLICT- RESOLUTION-PLUS-PROGRAM.doc

3. CORE PLUS Implementation Handbook http://www.doi.gov/pmb/cadr/programs/workplace/upload/CORE-PLUS- Implementation-Handbook-V2-0.doc

Background Interior is the nation’s principal conservation agency, with the mission of “protects and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities.” Over 65,000 individuals work for Interior and its nine bureaus and offices in 1,900 locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, U.S. Territories, and Freely Associated States.

The Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution (CADR), was established in October 2001, and is located within the Office of the Secretary under the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget (PMB). The CADR office promotes, coordinates and facilitates greater use of conflict management and consensus-building processes throughout Interiors bureaus and offices to support the mission.

Workplace conflict management at Interior is addressed through the Integrated Conflict Management System -- known as CORE PLUS (COnflict REsolution PLUS). CORE PLUS represents an Interior wide effort to promote a culture where employees are able to recognize and respond to conflict in constructive ways that decrease tensions, increase understanding, improve problem-solving, and produce better results. The objective of CORE PLUS is to manage and resolve informal and formal workplace disputes, grievances, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) matters. The purpose of CORE PLUS is to provide Interior employees with processes, tools, and skills that will allow them to prevent the escalation of differences and collaboratively solve problems as close to the origin of those problems and as cost-effectively as possible. It includes the adoption of practices and structures that assist in preventing and managing conflict.

CORE PLUS creates an environment for raising all kinds of concerns, allowing for concerns to

Draf t be heard, people to be treated respectfully, and problems to be solved effectively in a fair, friendly, flexible, and fast manner.

Purpose To fulfill this mission, the CADR office is seeking to procure the services of high-quality third-party neutral mediators and facilitators, executive and leadership coaches, trainers, curriculum designers, and other individuals involved in the field of conflict management.

Provide Conflict Management Professionals The Contractor shall have the resources to provide Conflict Management Professionals (CMPs) available to work throughout the geographic areas in which Interior operates; oversee their performance; manage and administer Task Orders and deliverables; and provide technical direction. The Contractor shall manage a roster of experienced professional service providers in all the below disciplines.

Services The Contractor shall provide CMP services in the following areas.

1. Facilitation - Facilitate conversations between two or more Interior employees.

2. Mediation - Help two parties in conflict to reach agreement or settlement, can also include neutral conflict coaching.

3. Coaching - Work one-on-one with Interior employees for executive or leadership coaching.

4. Process Design - Assess issues, relationships, and conflicts impartially to design a process for addressing the conflict, to also include neutral conflict coaching.

5. Training - Train Interior employees in the skills and methods of conflict management including, for example, conflict management skills, negotiation skills, and effective communication skills. Also, design curricula for training.

6. Direct Support and Technical Support - Provide administrative assistance, expert technical advice, systems design, communications assistance, and evaluation services with respect to CORE PLUS.

Contractor Offices The Contractor shall maintain an office at no additional cost to the Government. Interior expects this office to be staffed during normal working hours by the Contractor's staff in order to facilitate regular meetings between the Contractor and CADR, with the ability to be in the Washington D.C. area within 1 business day of notice. The Contractor's project management and financial staff shall work hours compatible with normal work hours in the Eastern Time zone to facilitate contact with the CADR and the Interior Contracting Officer (CO).

General Requirements As used in this contract, the term CMP refers to third party neutral mediators and facilitators, executive and leadership coaches, trainers, curriculum designers, and other individuals involved in the field of conflict management. The CADR Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will be charged with overseeing and providing COR Guidance on the day-to-day administration of the contract and individual Task Orders.

1. When acting as a third-party neutral in performing any service under this contract, the

Contractor shall not take a position on the merits of a case or issue nor decide the appropriate resolution of the conflict for the parties. Neutral third parties, such as facilitators and mediators performing any service under this contract shall function as impartial and unbiased practitioners, and do not advocate on behalf of any individual or group. Additionally, the Contractor shall not take a position on Federal policy or regulations.

2. If at any time the impartiality, credibility, practices, or effectiveness of a CMP becomes unacceptable to Interior or any of the parties involved in a service provided under this contract, upon notification from the CO, the Contractor shall cease all work, and if deemed appropriate by the COR or CO, reassign the service to another CMP.

3. The Contractor shall ensure that CMPs serving as neutral third parties under this contract receive information about, and perform in accordance with, the procedural and confidentiality requirements of applicable federal, state, and court provisions and rules applicable to their service. Relevant examples of potentially applicable provisions and rules include the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996 (ADR Act), 5 USC 57 et seq., rules for the conduct of ADR promulgated by the Federal District Courts, and U.S.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Regulations, 29 CFR Part 1614.

4. The Contractor shall work collaboratively with CADR, when specified, to identify appropriate CMPs to provide mentorship, co-mediations and/ or co-facilitations to improve the skills and abilities of either CADR staff or others as deemed appropriate.

5. The Contractor and all CMPs shall abide by the standards of ethical conduct relevant to the field in which it is providing service. These include the standards of the Association for Conflict Resolution, the American Arbitration Association, the Dispute Resolution Section of the American Bar Association, and the International Coaching Federation, or the equivalent professional associations in other fields. The Contractor shall remove CMPs from projects conducted under this contract if they do not conduct their practice in adherence with the statutory provisions or court rules and ethical codes appropriate to the services they are providing.

6. Selection of a CMP will require the advance knowledge and consent of the agency acquiring the service. The Contractor shall take this into account in developing procedures to solicit input and negotiate the approval of a CMP.

7. CMPs eligible to work under this contract shall adhere to all relevant Interior policies and guidance.

8. The Contractor must have the capability of receiving payment for micro-purchase engagements (total value of engagement is $10,000 or less) by Government Purchase Card. All micro-purchase orders are subject to the prior approval of the COR.

9. The Contractor must demonstrate itself to be a healthy, ongoing financial concern, with the financial wherewithal to withstand slowdowns in business, including the potential for Government furloughs and shutdowns due, for example, a lapse in appropriations and/or end of year blackout periods.

10. The Contractor must demonstrate it has the organizational resources and management to ensure there is no drop off in service if the primary point of contact for the Contractor is unable to perform.

Considerations Applicable to Entire Contract Requirements for services will be developed by the CADR COR in collaboration with the CADR Technical Liaison and the requesting Interior bureau or office.

a. JOINT SCOPING. As requirements are needed, for performance under the terms of this contract, CADR COR and/or CADR Technical Liaison, will notify the Contractor verbally and/or in writing, of the requirement and request the Contractor to engage in a joint scoping process with the Government. During this process, the Contractor will review the Government provided draft SOW. The Contractor and Government will work together in refining the draft SOW for the individual project and include projects costs associated with the performance of the requirement. The Contractor and the CADR COR and/or CADR Technical Liaison will jointly define the labor hours, other direct costs (ODC), and/or travel to be accomplished along with the required SOW. These scoping details shall be refined and agreed to prior to the issuance of any task order. Costs associated with working through the joint scope shall be incorporated into the subsequent task order within the fully burdened rate of the price proposal. While it is anticipated, it is not guaranteed that a joint scope of a project will result in a task order. The Contractor shall take this possibility into consideration when developing overall costs for the contract.

b. The Contractor shall then prepare a cost proposal for accomplishment of the work which shall consist of an itemized listing of all proposed costs. The cost proposal should be presented on the Contractor’s letterhead or proprietary format for review and acceptance by the CADR COR and/ or CADR Technical Liaison. Upon the Government’s request, the Contractor must be prepared to provide a detailed breakdown of its proposal to include all pricing documentation to demonstrate that it is fair and reasonable.

The Contractor shall submit all draft significant deliverables to the Interior CADR COR and the Interior CADR Technical Liaison with sufficient time to review prior to submitting as a final deliverable to the requesting Interior bureau or office point(s) of contact. Significant deliverables are defined as the written product that is the focus of a task order or project and will be identified in the SOW. All deliverables must be 508 compliant.

CMP travel time may be compensated at 50% of the normal hourly rate for CMP’s who are driving more than 50 miles each way from their primary work location or the nearest airport to a destination to perform labor. This would be awarded at the discretion of the Interior CO and/ or Interior CADR COR on a task order by task order basis.

Contractor’s Management Systems The Contractor shall administer and maintain the following:

1. A comprehensive status, deliverable, and cost tracking mechanism(s) or process(es) capable of tracking each Task Order and each project and subproject assigned to a Task Order, as part of the normal record keeping, cost tracking and invoicing process. The tracking system(s) shall be made available to the CO upon request and shared via a secure platform with the COR.

2. A comprehensive methodology that is consistent with CORE PLUS for expeditiously identifying, matching, selecting, and managing CMPs to cost effectively meet the needs of the request. The process shall be responsive to the needs of the requestor in identifying a recommended individual(s) with appropriate skills, knowledge and experience in the processes and substantive issues described in a particular statement of work, and for responding to such needs as geographic location and cultural sensitivities.

Interior reserves the right to reject any CMP offered by the Contractor for a Task Order.

3. A methodology for contract administration/program administration, task order evaluation, oversight, and quality assurance for services performed under each task to ensure Interior always receives the highest quality of service, consistent with the CORE PLUS program.

4. In administering the contract, the Contractor’s primary responsibilities shall include:

contact with the COR, the CO, the CADR office, and individual points of contact throughout Interior’s bureau and offices; selection and oversight of CMP(s) for individual Task Orders; and oversight of tracking, invoicing, and quality control evaluative aspects of this contract. The Contractor shall have: 1) sufficient knowledge of conflict management and Integrated Conflict Management Systems (ICMS), to be able to identify, select, manage, and evaluate service providers; and 2) sufficient knowledge of Federal contracting regulations and practices to efficiently manage the contracting relationship.

Direct Support and Technical Support The Contractor shall perform the following as ancillary to a service provided under this contract.

1. Administrative Assistance Ancillary to a service provided under this contract, and with approval of the COR or designee, the Contractor shall provide the following administrative assistance.

Obtain meeting room facilities and the use of appropriate equipment for a meeting.

Arrange the Travel of CMPs, as appropriate, and when necessary, and in accordance with

FAR 31.205-46.

2. Expert Technical Assistance Ancillary to a neutral third-party service provided under this contract, the Contractor shall provide assistance in locating, retaining, and managing subject matter experts (SMEs) from other fields, when necessitated by a specific need. Such support shall require the advance approval of the COR. The Contractor may need to consult with parties involved in the matter in identifying the experience, education and skills required of the expert and to further define the scope of the expert’s work. The Contractor will be responsible for reimbursing travel and other related direct expenses of such consultants and experts when necessary and appropriate.

3. Evaluation Services The contractor shall create and administer an evaluation instrument approved by CADR for all conflict management services provided. This information will be provided to CADR on a semi-annual and annual basis. The cost of the evaluation services shall be included in the fully burdened labor rate.

Labor Category Requirements & Tasks The Contractor shall maintain a pool of diverse, qualified, professional CMPs that can meet the diverse subject matter and geographic requirements of Interior and have in place a rate schedule for the following labor categories and specified tasks. All service providers shall have a minimum of 40 hours of training in the discipline in which they are to provide service and have an understanding and knowledge of the theories, concepts, and practices in the discipline.

Facilitation & Process Design Expert neutral third-party conflict management services to include facilitation, process design or other conflict management services as appropriate for Interior as part of CORE PLUS. Facilitates confidential processes as an impartial practitioner to improve the flow of information between parties. Helps parties or group move through a problem-solving process to reach group decisions, achieve stated goals, or resolve or improve a situation, to also include conflict coaching of one or all participants.

Junior CMP: Requires bachelor’s degree with 1-7 years of related work experience (minimum of 2 years of work specialized in facilitation/ conflict resolution/ process design)

Mid-Level CMP: Requires bachelor’s degree with 8-14 years of related work experience (minimum of 4 years of work specialized in facilitation/ conflict resolution/ process design)

Senior CMP: Requires bachelor’s degree with 15 or more years of related work experience (minimum of 6 years of work specialized in facilitation/ conflict resolution/ process design)

The Contractor shall perform the following, as needed:

Contacts all participating parties to arrange a mutually acceptable time, place, and design for the process, and if the parties are willing, to discuss with them the background of the case.

Arranges logistics of meetings, conference calls or electronic communications for participants upon request; this includes scheduling, arranging facilities and equipment, and notifying participants if necessary.

Provides the conflict management services agreed to by the parties, which may include mediation, facilitation, or conflict coaching. The services may entail individual phone calls, conference calls, joint session meetings, individual meetings or caucuses, group processes, such as team building or training sessions, or any other process acceptable to the parties and as outlined in the statement of work.

Assists with drafting any agreement document and ensuring that any written agreement is consistent with Interior policy and CORE PLUS requirements and is appropriately reviewed pursuant to Interior policy and CORE PLUS requirements.

Provides a report on the process within 30 days of the completion of any conflict management or dispute resolution process. The CMP shall assist in the evaluation of processes per Interior policy and CORE PLUS requirements.

Mediation Mediates confidential processes as an impartial practitioner. Assists parties in attempting to reach mutually acceptable resolution of the issues and when appropriate provides conflict coaching to one or all parties. Provides mentoring to Interior collateral duty mediators through co-mediation opportunities when requested by CADR and agreed by the parties. Has knowledge of ICMS and administrative processes and time frames applicable to resolving conflict in matters involving issues relating to EEO, administrative grievance, whistleblowing, prohibited personnel practices, and other related issues.

CMPs engaging in Interior EEO ADR as a mediator under this contract must meet the qualification requirements in and otherwise comply with EEOC MD-110, especially Chapter 3, Section V, Neutrals. They will have mediated an average of five EEO ADR cases per year in the past three years as the lead EEO ADR mediator in Federal EEO ADR mediations and have two references from qualified EEO ADR mediators.

Junior CMP – Requires bachelor’s degree with 1-7 years of related work experience (minimum of 2 years of work specialized in mediation)

Mid-Level CMP – Requires bachelor’s degree with 8-14 years of related work experience (minimum of 4 years of work specialized in mediation)

Senior CMP - Requires bachelor’s degree with 15 or more years of related work experience (minimum of 6 years of work specialized in mediation)

Leadership & Executive Coaching Provides executive and leadership coaching sessions to help Interior employees define and clarify their individual professional development goals; facilitate a one-on-one relationship with the individual being coached based on trust and evoking cognitive and behavioral change; and create space for individuals to practice creative problem solving.

Junior Coach: Requires bachelor’s degree, accreditation from the International Coach Federation (ICF) at the ACC level with 1-7 years of related work experience (minimum of two years of work specialized in leadership and executive coaching).

Mid-Level Coach: Requires bachelor’s degree, accreditation from the International Coach Federation (ICF) at the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Level or ACC level with 8-14 years of related work experience (minimum of four years of work specialized in leadership and executive coaching).

Senior Level Coach: Requires bachelor’s degree, accreditation from the International Coach Federation (ICF) at the Master Certified Coach (MCC) Level or ACC level with 15 or more years of related work experience (minimum of eight years of work specialized in leadership and executive coaching).

Contact the participating individual employee to arrange a mutually acceptable time and design for the process.

Conduct one-on-one coaching sessions on a agreed upon schedule.

Administer, review, and provide feedback on leadership assessments and other self-assessment tools.

Training & Curriculum Development Provides training in all areas that relate to collaboration and conflict management, such as:

effective conflict management, conflict prevention and conflict resolution processes, negotiation skills, consensus building processes, collaborative leadership, communication skills, team building, and other subject matter courses that increase the effectiveness of interactions and negotiations with the goal of building organizational capacity to constructively manage conflicts and resolve disputes in the workplace.

To promote efficiency, where requested, training shall be designed and materials prepared and provided so that it can be replicated by other service providers, including Interior employees for in-person, hybrid, and/or virtual classes. The Contractor may be requested to train Interior personnel so that they may become trainers of the subject matter.

Junior CMP: Requires bachelor’s degree with 1-7 years of related work experience (minimum of 2 years of work specialized in providing training, facilitation/ conflict resolution/ process design)

Mid-Level CMP: Requires bachelor’s degree with 8-14 years of related work experience (minimum of 4 years of work specialized in providing training, facilitation/ conflict resolution/ process design)

Senior CMP: Requires bachelor’s degree with 15 or more years of related work experience (minimum of 6 years of work specialized in providing training, facilitation/ conflict resolution/ process design)

Conduct a needs assessment with Interior staff that identifies training needs, training objectives, and sources of materials to meet those needs. Continue collaboration during the process to ensure the product outcomes meet objectives and standards of the training.

Design and/or conduct in-person, hybrid or virtual training seminars or workshops.

Produce 508 compliant training materials (manuals, videos, computer-assisted text, etc.).

Provide expertise on training delivery and training content for in-person, hybrid, or virtual classes.

Prepare and present educational information such as fact sheets, handouts, exercises, and other materials in support of training.

Handle all logistics of arranging meetings for participants, including scheduling, arranging facilities, notifying participants, and providing advance materials.

Prepare summaries for each training session.

Conduct a debriefing after each event to discuss lessons learned with Interior officials.

Conduct an evaluation of the training or other educational event and makes recommendations for improvement of the training process.

Write report summarizing the training.

Subject Matter Experts Provides expertise on a specific process or skill not commonly found among available CMPs and is related to the substance of the service being provided.

Subject Matter Expert: A minimum of 8 years of current and specialized experience in a field related to the substantive issues that are the subject of a collaboration or conflict management process, or 20 years’ experience in facilitating complex processes, serving as an advisor, mentor and/ or expert. Pre-approval by the CO and COR are required to utilize this labor category.

Quality Quality Assurance Plan and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan The Contractor’s comprehensive technical solution must be supported by the Contractor’s Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). The QAP is considered a part of the IDIQ contract. The QAP is all-encompassing of the overall requirement and will remain at the IDIQ level to support the requirement in its entirety, and not at the specificity required at the Task Order level.

The Contractor shall adhere to the accepted QAP. The purpose of the QAP is to ensure the contract requirements and standards that are considered most critical to performance of the contract are met.

The QASP is used by the Government to evaluate the requirements and standards defined in the QAP. The QASP is all encompassing of the overall requirement and will remain at the IDIQ level to support the requirement in its entirety to monitor overall performance, and not at the specificity required at the Task Order level.

Therefore, the Contractor’s performance under each Task Order will be supported by the QAP and QASP, as the overall services are similar regardless of the specificity of the requirement itself defined at the Task Order level. The Contractor shall provide a draft QASP and QAP which shall be finalized by mutual agreement of the parties, as soon as possible after the award of the IDIQ contract.

Performance Objectives & Standards The following performance objectives and standards will be adhered to after contract award.

1. The Contractor shall start execution of task orders within 5 business days of task order award.

2. The Contractor shall not divert or otherwise replace any Key Personnel without the written consent of the DOI CO 100% of the time.

3. Contractor personnel shall comply with all rules and regulations governing the conduct of personnel in Government facilities 100% of the time.

4. All task order deliverables are submitted to the CADR COR as required and on time.

5. All invoicing shall be submitted within 60 days of the service being provided. Invoices shall be submitted on a regular schedule to be coordinated with the CADR COR and CO and should comply with all FAR regulations regarding the required information and documentation required for government contract invoicing.

6. All invoices shall list labor hour details and the specific tasks they supported. These details and tasks should be formatted in a way that the COR and CO can clearly declinate the status of work completed.

END OF SOW