USMMA_Strategic_Planning-SOW_.pdf

Attachment A

United States Merchant Marine Academy

Strategic Planning

Using an Appreciative Inquiry Framework

Statement of Work

1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION: This is a non-personal services requirement to provide training and consulting to guide the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) through a strategic planning process using Appreciative Inquiry (AI)—a strengths-based approach. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein.

2. SCOPE: The Contractor shall provide, 1) all personnel, equipment, supplies, transportation, tools, materials, supervision and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the strategic planning process. The contractor shall possess the knowledge and subject matter expertise to facilitate an effective USMMA strategic planning process from project design through operational planning and plan implementation, to include:

Innovative, collaborative, and capacity-building strategic planning services;

Training and consultation on Appreciative Inquiry related specifically to implementing and operationalizing a strengths-based strategic plan in a complex higher education environment;

Facilitation of data collection and analysis of input from internal and external constituencies with conflicting viewpoints in the context of USMMA’s organizational context and climate;

The goal is to use a highly collaborative process to create a five-year strategic plan representing widespread buy-in. The plan will provide a framework for effective operationalization and implementation with specific strategies and methods for assessing the plan’s effectiveness. Using the Appreciative Inquiry framework in developing the strategic plan must also help the USMMA develop organizational capacity and lay the foundation for an appreciative culture.

An interview of the Offeror’s team may be required.

3. OBJECTIVES: In support of the USMMA strategic planning services, the

Contractor will:

1. Create a project plan for a strengths-based strategic planning process from design through implementation including deliverables, timelines and costs.

2. Facilitate all processes associated with the project plan.

3. Provide on-site training for participants who will lead various stages of project.

4. Guide the core project team through the planning process.

5. Orient senior leadership team to the Appreciative Inquiry process.

6. Train the core project team on Appreciative Inquiry on-site.

7. Train project leaders on Appreciative Inquiry on-site.

8. Guide project leaders through the data collection process.

9. Train and assist project leaders with data analysis.

10. Assist the core project team and project leaders in identifying themes.

11. Design summit for inclusive participation for diverse institutional constituencies.

12. Assist core project team in planning the summit.

13. Facilitate summit on or near Academy campus.

14. Assist the core project team and project leaders in developing strategic priorities.

15. Assist the core project team and project leaders in identifying institution-wide strategies.

16. Assist the core project team and project leaders in creating action plans and timelines.

17. Assist the core project team and project leaders in developing the strategic plan.

18. Facilitate and assist with any additional components of this process up through the delivery of the full strategic plan, not otherwise covered in the

Statement of Work.

4. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance shall be for one (1)

Base Period of 8 months.

Base Period- Approximately May 23, 2017 – January 22, 2018 (To be finalized at contract award)

5. GENERAL

5.1 QUALITY CONTROL: The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control mechanism that will ensure services are performed in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW), proceeds in accordance with the proposed Project

Plan, and does not hinder the facilitation of the tasks required to meet the proposed deliverable schedule.

5.2 RECOGNIZED HOLIDAYS: The contractor is not required to perform services on the following holidays.

New Year’s Day Labor Day

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day

President’s Day Veteran’s Day

Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day

Independence Day Christmas Day

5.3 HOURS OF OPERATION: The contractor is responsible for conducting business, between the hours of 9am and 5pm EST (or as mutually agreed upon in writing at the contract’s inception), Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays listed in Section 5.2 or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings.

The Contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined in this SOW when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. Continuity and stability of the workforce are essential.

5.4 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Work may be performed either on- or off-site as agreed upon by the contracting officer’s representative (COR) and the offeror’s

Project Manager.

All training with the planning team and a summit for the collection of data shall be conducted on-site at:

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

300 Steamboat Road

Kings Point, NY 11024

5.5 TYPE OF CONTRACT: The government will award a Firm-Fixed-Price contract.

5.6 QUALIFICATIONS: The Project Manager/Lead Facilitator (PM/LF) should possess at minimum a master’s degree in higher education in the field of organizational development, leadership development, or a related area. The

PM/LF must have demonstrated experience in Appreciative Inquiry and strategic planning, in institutions of higher education, government agencies, military or complex business environments. Must have demonstrated experience in projects involving organizational transformation, culture change, and conflicting viewpoints and priorities. Significant experience with strategic planning (10 years or more) is strongly preferred.

5.7 POST AWARD CONFERENCE/PERIODIC PROGRESS MEETINGS: The

Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal

Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The contracting officer, Contracting

Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance.

At these meetings, the contracting officer will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the

Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

5.8 KEY PERSONNEL: The following personnel are considered key personnel by the government:

Project Manager/Lead Facilitator

Alternate Project Manager/Lead Facilitator

The PM/LF shall be actively involved in the daily operation of this project. The contractor shall provide a project manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the PM/LF is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The project manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The contract manager or alternate shall be available between 9am and

5pm EST (or as mutually agreed in writing at the inception of the contract), Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed for administrative reasons.

Qualifications for all key personnel are listed below:

The Project Manager/Lead Facilitator will have at least a master’s degree in higher education, organizational development, leadership development, or a related area. The PM/LF must demonstrate expertise in Appreciative Inquiry and

Strategic Planning with an Appreciative Inquiry framework, in institutions of higher education, government agencies, military, or complex business environments. Must have demonstrated experience in projects involving organizational transformation, culture change, and conflicting viewpoints and priorities. Significant experience with strategic planning (10 years or more) is strongly preferred.

6. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY/INFORMATION (GFP/GFI):

The USMMA will provide the Contractor with a hardcopy or electronic copy of any documents requiring review and analysis as a part of the scope of work detailed above.

The USMMA will also provide an electronic repository for all work associated with this project.

7. DELIVERABLE SCHEDULE

Proposals should include a list of deliverables associated with development of a strategic plan using Appreciative Inquiry. Proposals should also include a list of appropriate milestones within a proposed Project Plan, to include the final Strategic Plan. The project plan will be developed and agreed upon during the planning phase of the process. The final deliverable will be a full strategic plan with strategic priorities, objectives, key performance indicators and departmental plans with actionable goals and performance measures. Offeror’s shall use the Deliverable Schedule format on the following page to provide a proposed final Deliverable Schedule, which should include all proposed deliverables in accordance with the proposed project/milestone plan.

Deliverable Frequency # of Copies Medium/Format Submit To

Detailed project plan with milestones and timelines and all associated deliverables as required to develop the strategic plan using AI.

At the end of the planning phase of the project.

Electronic file Electronic, in a format that can be manipulated by the

Academy-not PDF.

Director of

Institutional

Assessment, Lori

Townsend, townsendl@usmma.

edu

Each deliverable as indicated in the project plan. This should be spelled out in the proposal.

At the end of each phase of the project.

Electronic file Electronic, in a format that can be manipulated by the

Academy-not PDF.

Director of

Institutional

Assessment, Lori

Townsend, townsendl@usmma.

edu mailto:townsendl@usmma.edu