PWS.docx

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOR

MANAGING CONTRACTS WITH FORMER SOVIET UNION (FSU) SCIENTISTS

1. GENERAL

This is a non-personal services contract to provide Research Facilitation in the Former Soviet Union (RFFSU) to be overseen by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) in states from the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over any sub-award service providers performing services herein. Such service providers shall be accountable solely to the Prime Contractor, who, in turn, is responsible to the Government IAW the terms and conditions of this contract.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the functions defined in this Performance Work Statement.

1.2 Objectives: The AFOSR has a requirement to obtain high quality fundamental research wherever it is performed, including countries other than the United States. The purpose of this effort is to seek qualified applicants for fundamental research and development (R&D) from the FSU, administer the evaluation of the applicants, award and administration of grants to selected awardees. These grants can be with both non-weapons scientists and weapons scientists, in the FSU.

1.3 Scope: This SOW delineates the tasks/projects to be performed by the contractor in providing a mechanism to award research assistance to institutions, scientists, engineers, and associated support staff in the FSU. Key elements include the ability of the contractor to facilitate assistance awards and travel support with the researchers, to obtain counterpart government agency concurrence in the respective FSU state, to aid in purchase of equipment, to disburse funding, to provide assistance to researchers meeting AFOSR reporting requirements and to facilitate local equipment procurement processes. The contractor will also be required to provide financial information and verification of payment as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) audit function and related support necessary to further the goals of the European Office of Aerospace Research & Development (EOARD) mission. Also, the contractor will need to ensure that projects comply with the various export control regulations, and must ensure that awardees are not debarred parties prior to the initiation of assistance as well as monitoring such lists before new awards or equipment assistance is given to these grantees. AFOSR plans to award approximately $600,000 in awards each fiscal year (subject to the availability of funds) to well qualified candidates.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 History: This contract will supplement EOARD’s ongoing actions with the Former Soviet Union. Congressionally mandated programs with the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) and the Science and Technology Center Ukraine (STCU) in Kiev have historically been the preferred contracting method for research projects between EOARD and the FSU; however these programs face an uncertain future. ISTC and STCU are intergovernmental organizations that provide weapons scientists from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) countries with opportunities for redirecting their scientific talents to peaceful science. In the past, AFOSR has used ISTC and STCU to give assistance to researchers in the FSU. However, ISTC and STCU services can only be used when the research effort is staffed by weapons scientists and AFOSR also prefers the flexibility to perform research with non-weapons scientists as well.

2.2 Current Situation: AFOSR’s mission is to pursue the best fundamental research worldwide. Due to the nature of many FSU laws governing foreign investment, corporate interests are taxed at a much higher rate than educational assistance. Because the United States Air Force does not have any direct ties to FSU educational institutions AFOSR is not generally recognized as a provider of educational assistance in FSU states. This could lead to AFOSR funding being taxed as a corporate interest when AFOSR’s goal is to provide educational research assistance. Also, the Department of Defense has no field offices in the FSU to monitor either the technical performance or the accounting practices of institutions under grants or contracts and does not have the capability to make the necessary funds transfers to ensure that each researcher receives payment for his or her work. Therefore; we require a contractor that can supply the managerial support, administrative oversight, assistance with purchase of equipment outside the FSU, and export control compliance in support of research projects with FSU scientists. .

3.0 CONTRACT TASKS AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS:

To perform these tasks, the contractor will be required to (1) have ongoing and documented linkages to educational institutions within the cited countries and to the scientists, engineers, and support staff employed in these institutes, (2) have experience in processing payments to such institutes and their employees without having such disbursements taxed on federal, state, or local levels in the countries cited, (3) be able to verify payments, without taxation where applicable, to such institutes and to individual scientists, engineers, and staff bank accounts and performing other directly-related administrative matters in support of EOARD, (4) have firmly established banking relationships and equipment delivery services to transfer and monitor project funds and equipment into the countries of the FSU, (5) have extensive experience in fundamental research project execution evidenced by substantial administrative and financial infrastructure – including in-country offices, an extensive network of banking relationships, and enabling agreements with FSU government agencies, (6) have a secure, fast, efficient, legal, and reliable means of funds transfer in place, (7) have highly effective financial controls and a rigorous financial reporting process that will stand up to both FSU and US Government audits, (8) have agreements and a substantial working relationship with the US State Department, (9) waive any right to inventions or intellectual property (IP) generated under the sub-awards while insuring that the Government receives all rights to which it is entitled in accordance with FAR part 17, and (10) have flexibility to anticipate and respond to project needs and program participant requirements with experienced and knowledgeable professional staff.

3.1 Contractor Support

The contractor shall fully comply with the requirements of the contract both in the United States and in the FSU. In addition, the contractor shall provide all necessary facilities, equipment, and shall be able to furnish or obtain domestic and foreign banking services and all means of communication services to perform the effort required. The contractor shall also provide the means necessary to facilitate travel and per diem including assistance with purchasing and distributing airline tickets, disbursing per diem payments, and providing guidance for emergency travel if last minute changes are required.

3.2 Order Initiation

The contractor shall be responsible for successfully establishing sub-awards with FSU researchers and institutions selected by EOARD. A new delivery order will be initiated for each new project funded by EOARD. All work shall be accomplished in accordance with the delivery order. The contractor shall accept delivery order submitted electronically in a contractor provided format.

3.3 FSU Government Concurrence

The contractor shall obtain official concurrence for all projects from any and all FSU government agencies as required by law or regulation in the FSU country in which the research project will be performed. Single research projects may sometimes be performed in two or more FSU countries.

3.4 Task Order Funds Disbursement and Reporting

The contractor shall disburse and verify payments to FSU institutes, individual scientists, individual engineers, and support staff via wire-funds-transfer. The contractor must have the means to make advance payment for up to three months of the FSU researchers’ and/or institutions’ estimated budgets. Also, upon request of the researcher, the contractor will use funds to directly purchase equipment. The contractor will generate monthly financial reports detailing payments made, adjustments, equipment purchases and fees charged during the reporting period. Financial reports shall also include funds disbursed to all individual bank accounts in the FSU salary supplements for FSU personnel as well as administrative and equipment or infrastructural maintenance expenses incurred at FSU institutes as a result of EOARD projects.

3.5 Technical Reports

The contractor is responsible for ensuring annual technical reports and comprehensive final reports for each research project are provided to EOARD. The contractor will also be responsible to aid researchers in understanding the formatting of such reports to ensure that interim and final reports meet AFOSR approved guidelines. Submission of such reports may be subject to FSU legal requirements including export controls laws. The contractor will not be responsible for the technical content of such reports.

3.6 Intellectual Property (IP) and Technical Data Rights

The awardee is responsible for ensuring that all Intellectual Property and Technical Data resulting from any sub-award is fully open to the general public through presentation through educational journals, presentations at conferences, or non-proprietary reports submitted to the US government for publication.

4.0 PERFORMANCE BASED MEASUREMENT CRITERIA

The following, mutually agreed to performance based measurement criteria will be used to evaluate performance:

4.1 Within 7 days of receiving the delivery order, the contractor shall assign a project manager and review all project documents for accuracy and completeness and will inform EOARD of any deficiencies.

4.2 Within 15 days of receiving all required and accurate project package documents, the contractor shall complete any necessary internal review including checking the export control debarred parties lists and submit the project for FSU legal review.

4.3 Within 15 days of notification of a satisfactory FSU legal review, the contractor shall submit the project for concurrence with the appropriate counterpart Ministry subject to availability of required documentation to be submitted by the Recipient Institution(s) to the contractor

4.4 In the event of a negative FSU legal review, the contractor shall notify EOARD within five days of receipt of such review(s) with recommendations for remediation actions.

4.5 Within 15 days of receipt of request for equipment from researcher, contractor will seek quote from preferred vendor and assist with finding/purchase of equipment if there is no specified vendor.

4.6 Within 30 days of verification of equipment meeting the researcher’s requirement the contractor will forward the purchase request and funds to the vendor.

4.7 In the event that equipment cannot be found to meet the researcher’s requirement, the contractor will notify the EOARD GPM and the researcher that the item cannot be purchased within 15 days of receipt of request for purchase.

4.8 Within 30 days of purchase of equipment, the contractor will verify with the vendor that the equipment was shipped and verify with the researcher that the equipment was received.

4.9 In the event that equipment was shipped but not received, the contractor will notify the EOARD GPM that equipment was lost. The contractor will make efforts to get replacement equipment for the researcher or ensure that funds are transferred back in the event of equipment not being shipped or not received.

4.10 Within 90 days of transfer of funds acceptable financial reports shall be provided to the EOARD Contracting Officer and LO, on a monthly basis.

4.11 FSU researchers and institutions must be paid within 30 days of a request for payment.

4.12 For delivery orders spanning more than one year, the contractor will notify the sub-award performer of the need for an annual progress statement at least 30 days (but not more than 60 days) before the anniversary of the delivery order due on the anniversary of the delivery.

4.13 On the anniversary of a delivery order, the contractor will ensure that the sub-award performer submits the annual progress statement, or will seek information and submit the annual progress statement to the government.

4.13 Within 30 days (but not more than 60 days) prior to the end of a delivery order, the contractor will notify the sub-award performer of the need for a final report.

4.14 Within 30 days after the end of the delivery order, the contractor will ensure that the sub-award performer submits the final report, or will seek information and submit the final report itself.