Applied History SOW 03 August 2012.pdf

August 3, 2012

STATEMENT OF WORK

This contract is for a base year and one option year during which time the contractor shall develop a variety of historical products for the Applied History and Policy Support Program within the Historical Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The historical products of the Applied History and Policy Support Program include oral histories, special projects on topics outside the scope of the official Secretaries of Defense Historical Series, historical information papers and reference responses for DoD leadership, organizational histories of OSD offices, historical content for office web site, and updating the electronic publications, DoD Key Officials and Public Statements of the Secretary of Defense. In addition, the contractor shall serve as the office’s primary liaison on commemorative activities and manage the DoD History Speaker Series.

Scope of work: During the Base Year, the contractor shall serve as the OSD Historical Office’s primary liaison with service history programs, the National Park Service, and other external groups on activities commemorating the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, and the Vietnam War. Under the guidance of the Deputy Chief Historian, the contractor will also manage the DoD History Speaker Series by recommending topics and speakers, scheduling speakers and venues, arranging advertising, and coordinating the events.

The contractor shall canvas OSD offices to determine their requirements for papers and interviews in support of their work. Based on guidance from the Chief Historian and/or Deputy Chief Historian, the contractor shall then conduct research, analyze the material gathered, and write information papers based thereon to provide useful historical or analytical insight to officials within the Department of Defense. Additionally, the contractor may prepare organizational histories of various OSD elements. Each organizational history shall describe the laws or other sources of authority establishing the office, significant changes in the organizational structure of the office or its place within the OSD organization, and why these changes took place. Appendices shall include excerpts from oral history interviews and annotated chronologies.

The contractor shall collect and organize supporting documents, dating from July 2011 through the end of the contract period, for the Department of Defense Key Officials digital publication.

Material for the Key Officials publication shall be acquired from all available sources. The contractor shall use these documents as the basis for updating the publication on the office web site, noting the departure of current officials, adding the name and start date of new officials, and revising the narrative history of official positions as they change. The contractor shall also collect the Congressional testimony of the Secretary of Defense and other documents and adds these to the Chronicle of Tenure to create the Public Statements of the Secretary of Defense.

The contractor shall provide the following support to the oral history program: plan interviews with present and past senior Department of Defense and other national security officials by assisting the OSD Deputy Chief Historian in determining which officials need to be interviewed and in contacting them to schedule interview sessions; prepare for interviews by researching primary and secondary sources to develop appropriate questions; conduct interviews alone or in conjunction with others, both in the Historical Office and off-site within the National Capital Region; format, edit, and revise transcripts; and ensure transcripts and audio recordings are properly accessioned into the oral history archive. These oral history interviews serve as source material for future publications and for responses to historical inquiries by DoD officials.

At the direction of the Deputy Chief Historian, the contractor shall research and write responses to historical queries from official and unofficial sources.

In all written products, the contractor shall conform to the OSD Historical Office style guide, The Chicago Manual of Style, and the writing, footnote style and format used in OSD history publications.

The contractor shall assist the OSD Chief and Deputy Historians with special short-term projects and other historical tasks, as needed.

During Option Year One the contractor shall continue to update the OSD Historical Office Key Officials digital publication; conduct oral history interviews of former and sitting key DoD officials; research and write historical papers requested by OSD offices, manage the DoD History Speaker Series, and perform other related tasks as assigned. A portion of the research and writing may be dedicated to preliminary work on a project of larger scope, such as a monograph or book.

Except for off-site interviews and archival research, the contractor shall perform all work at the OSD Historical Office and in the Pentagon.

Security Clearance: The contractor must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret clearance. The contractor may conduct classified interviews up to Top Secret. The contractor shall perform all work with classified documents at the OSD Historical Office, which provides the contractor safe storage for classified documents. The contractor will work on manuscript material while it is still classified prior to submission for declassification review by the Department of Defense and other government agencies. The contractor shall have access to classified material, including the SIPRNET and JWICS, in the OSD Historical Office.

Requirements: To meet contract requirements the contractor must meet the following conditions:

1. Possess a doctoral degree in history, political science or a related field from an accredited university.

2. Have extensive background and experience in the history of the nation’s national security policy and conflicts. This must include extensive experience conducting research in defense and/or military records in official national archives or private repositories.

3. Have experience writing focused research papers and short articles, for publication in professional and popular historical journals that demonstrates an understanding of national security policy and/or military strategy and operations.

4. Possess experience in planning and preparing for oral history interviews; developing questions; coordinating directly with, or through the staff of, senior and former government officials; and using oral history transcripts in historical analysis.

5. Possess skill and experience in using the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, and be able to quickly learn and apply the OSD Historical Office Style Guide.

6. Possess effective communications skills. Be able to write with correct grammar, effective organization, and readable style. Be able to interact with OSD personnel at all levels and effectively coordinate with other OSD offices in order to acquire necessary information and provide concise and useful responses to their historical inquiries.

Work Hours: During the Base Year the contractor shall work 1840 hours or the equivalent of 40 hours per week for 46 weeks. For each option year the contractor shall work 1840 hours or the equivalent of 40 hours per week for 46 weeks.

Reporting: The contractor shall submit bi-weekly time sheets accounting for the number of hours worked during that period. The contractor shall submit in writing quarterly progress reports to the OSD Chief Historian and OSD Deputy Chief Historian. The contractor shall provide verbal updates as requested by OSD Chief Historian or Deputy Chief Historian.

Any travel for research to archives or to attend conferences is the responsibility of the contractor.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP):

a. All work to be performed under contract is subject to Government surveillance at any time either on-site or virtual. That surveillance may be performed as in-process inspection, preliminary inspection, and/or final inspection. The method of inspection may include visual inspection of the work products and/or impromptu status discussions. The COR(s) shall:

• Conduct surveillance of the activities/deliverables under their purview.

• Provide in-process clarification of the tasks previously identified.

• Report any performance problems (e.g. non-compliance with contract requirements), that they observe or discover to the Contracting Officer immediately.

• Accept conforming work products

b. The COR shall not:

• Supervise contractor employees.

• Accept non-conforming work products without the express written approval of the

Contracting Officer.

Information Assurance Training Requirements:

a. Contractor personnel assigned to perform IA functions and responsibilities shall comply with DoD Directive 8570.1 "Information Assurance Training, Certification, and Workforce Management" and its implementing Manual, DoD 8570.1-M. Contractor personnel shall complete applicable certification requirements not later than six months of being assigned to the IA function. The Contracting Officer, in conjunction with the COR will ensure that Contractor is appropriately certified and provide verification to the Defense Eligibility Enrollment System (DEERs).

b. The Government will provide the appropriate security form(s) (DD Form 254) and/or other documents required for the contractor to provide support on the contract.