Attachment_2_-_PWS.pdf

August 2013

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

HISTORICAL OFFICE RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROGRAM

Base Year and Two Option Years

1.0 BACKGROUND

This research assistant program provides staff support to the Historical Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It also supports a requirement for the Historical Office to develop a pool of individuals who possess doctoral degrees in relevant historical fields, have experience working in a government history office, and have expertise in the field of OSD/DoD history. This will enhance the ability of the Historical Office to select from a pool of well-qualified individuals when filling future civil service or contract billets. It will also foster interest in the subject of OSD/DoD history and increase the quality and quantity of external scholarship devoted to this subject.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

This contract is for a base year and two option years. For the Base Year, August 1, 2013, through July 31, 2014, the contractor shall provide one research assistant for the Historical Office. Research assistants will perform a variety of tasks that support the Historical Office’s Publications Program (responsible for major volumes) and the Applied History and Policy Support Program (which encompasses 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historical information papers and reference responses for DoD leadership, organizational histories of OSD offices, historical content for office web site, and commemorative activities).

3.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

3.1 Period of Performance: The period of performance shall be for a 12-month Base Period of and two 12-month Option Periods. The Period of Performance reads as follows:

Base Period: September 13, 2013 through September 12, 2014 Option Period I: September 13, 2014 through September 12, 2015 Option Period II: September 13, 2015 through September 12, 2016

3.2 Recognized Holidays: The Contractor is not required to perform service 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 Independence Day Christmas Day

3.3 Hours of Operation: The Contractor is responsible for conducting business starting not earlier than 6:30 A.M. and ending not later than 6:00 P.M, Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings. A work week will be no more than 40 hours. For other than firm fixed price contracts, the Contractor will not be reimbursed when the government facility is closed for the above reasons. The Contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce are essential.

3.4 Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed in a government provided office space in the OSD Historical Office in Arlington, VA and in the Pentagon, with the exception of off-site interviews and archival research, which will be performed within the National Capital Region. Contractor personnel may be requested to work at the Governments alternate locations during emergencies and emergency exercises. Individual Contractor personnel may be designated as essential personnel to support contingency operations at alternate Government locations during actual emergencies and emergency exercises.

3.5 Type of Contract: The government will award a firm fixed price contract.

3.6 Physical Security: The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government equipment, information and property provided for contractor use. At the close of each work period, government facilities, equipment, and materials shall be secured.

3.7 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.

3.8 Identification of Contractor Employees: All contract personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. Contractor personnel will be required to obtain, use, and display a Common Access Card in the performance of this service.

4.0 STAFFING REQUIREMENTS

The contractor must meet the criteria below:

4.1 Selection Process: For each period of performace, the contractor must provide the curriculum vitae/resume of at least two interested individuals for evaluation by the Historical Office, which will make the final selection.

4.2 Education: The candidates for research assistant at a minimum must have passed comprehensive or general exams in a PhD history program at a university that is a member of the Association of American Universities. Their field of emphasis must be or have been in military, diplomatic, or American history.

4.4 Knowledge: The candidates for research assistant must have significant background and experience in the history of our nation’s national security policy, conflicts, or military forces/the Department of Defense. This is evidenced by the number of courses taken or research projects or papers completed related to those subjects, for minimum combination of four courses research projects or research papers. The candidates also must have significant experience in conducting research in major archives, such as the National Archives, the Library of Congress, or the Presidential Libraries. This is evidenced by the quantity of such sources used in their previous research and writing projects. Such sources will constitute half of the material used in the projects.

4.3 Communication Skills: The candidates for research assistant must possess effective communication skills. They must be able to write with correct grammar, effective organization, and readable style. This must be evidenced by significant writing projects such as a masters thesis or major research papers at the graduate level. They must 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. They must have experience in public speaking and scholarly engagement, as evidenced by a minimum of two presentations at scholarly conferences.

5.0 SPECIFIC TASKS: The research assistant shall perform some or all of the following duties:

5.1 Conduct historical research and provide supporting materials for assigned writing projects within the Historical Office.

5.2 Analyze historical material and write information papers based thereon to provide useful historical or analytical insight to officials within the Department of Defense.

5.3 Provide the following support to the oral history program: prepare for interviews with current and former OSD and DoD officials by researching primary and secondary sources to develop appropriate questions; format, edit, and revise transcripts; and ensure transcripts and audio recordings are properly accessioned into the oral history archive.

5.4 Write historical summaries or gather historical images, documents and other materials for inclusion on the office web site.

5.5 Assist in arranging and conducting lectures, conferences, or other public presentations on behalf of the Historical Office.

5.6 Accession materials into the Historical Office archives, ensuring that materials are properly added to finding aids and stored according to office procedures.

5.7 Provide the following support to major volumes in the Publications Program: conduct research in public and private archives, input changes to a manuscript, create a bibliography, review footnotes for proper content and format, gather and caption images and illustrations, and create an index.

5.8 Provide office management and administrative assistance as necessary, in particular using Microsoft Office programs such as Word and Power Point.

6.0 RESEARCH MATERIALS

All research materials, including photocopies and photographs acquired in the performance of this contract shall become the property of the OSD Historical Office.

7.0 REPORTING

The contractor shall submit in writing monthly progress reports to the OSD Chief Historian and the Contracting Officer’s Representative. The contractor shall provide verbal updates as requested by OSD Chief Historian and COR.

8.0 CONTRACTOR-FURNISHED EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

None.

9.0 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND ACCESS

The Historical Office shall furnish basic facilities such as work space and associated operating requirements (i.e. phone, desk, information technology, and general office supplies). The Government shall provide, upon completion of forms by the researcher, appropriate building passes and a Common Access Card for access to information systems.

10.0 INFORMATION ASSURANCE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

10.1 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).

10.2 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.

11.0 OTHER CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

11.1 The contractor shall ensure that the researcher is capable of performing the work effectively, demonstrating professionalism, and a willingness to accept assignments, a positive attitude, punctuality, reliability, dependability, accuracy, and customer service.

11.2 The contractor shall ensure that the attitude and appearance of the researcher is that of a business professional. The researcher will wear appropriate business attire and will follow professional protocols for employees within the Historical Office.

Section 12

ATTACHMENT/TECHNICAL EXHIBIT LISTING

The data provided is an estimate of what it may take to perform the major categories of requirements listed in the Performance Work Statement. The contractor is not required to propose the hours listed below and is encouraged to use sound judgment and business practices when preparing cost proposal.

12. ATTACHMENT/TECHNICAL EXHIBIT LIST:

12.1 Attachment 1/Technical Exhibit 1 – Performance Requirements Summary

12.2 Attachment 2/Technical Exhibit 2 – Deliverables Schedule

12.3 Attachment 3/Technical Exhibit 3 – Estimated Workload Data

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.

Performance Objective

Standard

Performance Threshold

Method of Surveillance

PRS #1

Contractor shall provide monthly progress reports

Provide ad hoc reporting as required by Government to support

100% data accuracy

Validated as required by the government

PRS # 2

Contractor shall conduct oral history interviews

Collaborate with the customer (interviewee) to conduct the necessary number of interviews. Ensure follow-up to finalize the interview

100% on-time interviews

Validated by customer comment card

PRS #3

Contractor shall provide additional data collection, data analysis and data validation.

Provide ad hoc reporting as required by Government to support requirements.

100% Data Accuracy

Validated as required by the government

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 2

DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

Deliverable Frequency # of Copies Medium/Format Submit To

Monthly Status Report Monthly 1 MS Word or Adobe .pdf Delivered to COR via email

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 3

ESTIMATED WORKLOAD DATA

The data provided below is an estimate of what it may take to perform the major categories of requirements listed in the Performance Work Statement. The contractor is not required to propose the hours listed below and is encouraged to use sound judgment and business practices when preparing cost proposal.

Item Name Estimated Quantity

1 Applied Historian 1920 Hours per year