HSI_PWS_2026.03.02 (2).pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOR

Homeland Security Institute (HSI) Seminar Services

1.0 General:

1.1 Scope: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and quality control necessary, except as specified in Paragraph 3.0 as Government Furnished, to perform Seminar Services, as defined in this PWS.

1.2 Background: The National Guard Bureau Homeland Security Institute (HSI) was created by the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) to provide senior National Guard leaders with timely and practical professional education to competently respond to the evolving challenges of modern-day emergencies. Located at Joint Forces Headquarters-Massachusetts (JFHQ-MA), HSI works in tandem with brick-and-mortar educational institutions to deliver Case Study driven academic courses containing National Guard-centric frameworks, supplemented by relevant historical academic research, field lessons learned, and extended analysis of command and coordination resources. Typical HSI cohorts include the strategic leadership (senior executive) and operational leadership (executive) of the Army and Air National Guard, intergovernmental partners in federal, state, and municipal emergency management (EM) organizations, civilian first responder agencies (i.e. EMS, fire services, and law enforcement), NGOs, and private sector institutions that also operate in the emergency management, homeland security and crisis management domains.

The HSI mission is to foster a depth and breadth of discussion and analysis to the degree found within an educational institution. As such, HSI seeks to procure established Executive Education academic courses that combine the cores of established research presented in case study format, group discussion and analysis of the case studies, and relevance to the National Guard. Course content should stem from pre-existing academic content in the emergency management, homeland security and crisis management domains, equipping participants with appropriate perspectives and responses to future challenges. Each iteration of academic course content and instruction shall undergo subsequent reviews, adding revisions and refinement that continue to meet core HSI academic requirements.

To support the accomplishment of its mission HSI procures the case studies used in conjunction with the seminars it conducts. The case studies research and analyze senior executive and executive leadership concepts, theories and decisions that can apply to the National Guard specifically in the domains of disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership.

An academic approach is a requirement of this effort to foster a non-traditional thought process and problem-solving approach outside traditional military operational thinking.

Additionally, an academic setting fosters the depth of discussion, critical thinking, and networking required for the General Officer/Senior Executive Level and Field Grade/Executive Level required to meet the mission goals and intent of the HSI.

1.3 Period of Performance (PoP): The Period of Performance shall be a three (3) year ordering period.

1.4 General Information:

1.4.1 Place and Performance of Services: The contractor shall provide seminars in accordance with their accepted proposal. The contractor shall at all times maintain the level of expertise to adequately conduct the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS.

1.4.2 Recognized Holidays: The following are recognized United States (US) holidays.

The contractor shall not perform services on these days:

1.4.3.1 New Year’s Day: January 1st

1.4.3.2 Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday

1.4.3.3 President’s Day

1.4.3.4 Memorial Day

1.4.3.5 Juneteenth: June 19th

1.4.3.6 Independence Day: July 4th

1.4.3.7 Labor Day

1.4.3.8 Columbus Day

1.4.3.9 Veteran’s Day: November 11th

1.4.3.10 Thanksgiving Day

1.4.3.11 Christmas Day: December 25th

1.4.3 Quality Control (QC): The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective QC Plan (QCP) to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s QCP is how it assures itself that its work complies with the requirements of the contract. As a minimum, the contractor shall develop QC procedures that address the areas identified in Technical Exhibit 1, Performance Requirements Summary (PRS).

1.4.4 Quality Assurance (QA): The Government will evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). This plan is primarily focused on what the Government will do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and acceptable quality level(s) or defect rate(s).

1.4.5 Security Requirements. The contractor shall protect all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) encountered in the performance of services in accordance with DFARS

224.103 and DoDD 5400.11, Department of Defense Privacy Program, and DoD 5400.11-R. If a PII breach results from the contractor’s violation of these policies, the contractor shall bear all notification costs, call-center support costs, and credit monitoring service costs for all individuals who’s PII has been compromised.

1.4.6 Physical Security. Not Applicable. Services will not be conducted on a DoD Installation or Network.

1.4.7 Special Qualifications:

1.4.7.1. Contractor Credentials: Contractor shall be an accredited educational institute of higher learning located that awards degrees at the bachelor, master, and Ph.D. level with access to brick-and-mortar facilities to conduct the seminars. The Contractor shall also have established Executive Education courses and/or certificate programs in topics relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership taught at the senior executive level. Contractor shall ensure that the courses of study are well-developed and emphasize the role of the National Guard (NG) in supporting civil authorities during large-scale crisis-emergency events. Courses of study shall be case study driven that investigate actual events (i.e. man-made or natural disasters), and are of a scale, relevancy and complexity that accurately reflect the magnitude of responsibility associated with senior executive levels of leadership.

1.4.7.2. Disposition of the Facilities: The Contractor shall have access to facilities that house potential sites of instruction capable of comfortably seating up to sixty-five participants and up to five HSI support staff. Facilities shall have state-of-the-art technology, audio visual systems, comfortable seating, desks with electric power for each seat, and WIFI access. Facilities shall be designed to allow participants to easily see each other and the instructor creating an intimate learning environment. The small group discussions shall be hosted in separate meeting spaces for each individual group.

1.4.7.3. Quality of the Contractor: The Contractor shall have an instructor pool that draws from both academic and professional work experience as outlined in the statement of work, complementing the general composition of seminar participants. The contractor shall have faculty with academic research specialties relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership. The contractor shall possess the capability to attain access to primary source information of national or global newsworthy events. The contractor shall possess the capability of gaining access to persons of interest for case study interviews and presentations, potentially also serving as keynote instructors for the courses.

1.4.7.4. Quality of Faculty: The main instructor(s) of the courses shall be Ph.D.-level tenured faculty, of the academic institution, who specialize in topics relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership. They shall also be active researchers and instructors who have published works on topics relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership. They shall have familiarity through research, consulting, and professional school teaching with issues of professional practice at the federal, state, and local levels of the United States government and with international experience relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership.

The main instructor(s) shall have facilitated the established Executive Education academic course multiple times prior. The main instructor(s) for the senior executive seminar and main instructor(s) for the executive seminar may be different people. The main instructor(s) for the contracted senior executive seminar shall have at a minimum ten years (10) of demonstrated experience instructing at the senior executive level in topics relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership. The main instructor(s) for the contracted executive seminar shall have at a minimum ten years (10) of demonstrated experience instructing at the senior executive level in topics relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership.

1.4.8 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: A Post-Award Conference (PAC), commonly referred to as a “Kick-Off Meeting,” will be held at the award of the base contract at the discretion of the Contracting Officer (KO). Each Task Order (TO) will address PAC requirements within the Task Order Request (TOR.) The KO chairs the PAC but may delegate this to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or another designated government personnel. The PAC will cover the terms and conditions of the contract, provide an overview of the TOR process, address any questions or concerns of both parties, and establish relationships in order to position all parties to successful performance.

1.4.9 Contract Manager (CM): The contactor shall designate a CM who shall ensure performance under this contract. The name of this person, and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the CM is absent, shall be designated in writing to the KO.

The CM or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The CM shall work through the COR to resolve issues, receive technical instructions, and ensure adequate performance of services. The CM shall ensure that contractor employees do not perform any services outside the scope of the contract without an official modification issued by the KO. The CM shall ensure contractor employees understand that services performed outside the scope of the contract are performed wholly at the expense of the contractor.

1.4.10 Identification of Contractor Employees: All contractor personnel attending meetings, instructing courses, are to identify themselves as non-governmental personnel.

1.4.11. Combating Trafficking in Persons: The United States Government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy regarding trafficking in persons. Contractors and contractor employees shall not engage in severe forms of trafficking in persons during the period of performance of the contract; procure commercial sex acts during the period of performance of the contract; or use forced labor in the performance of the contract. The Contractor shall notify its employees of the United States Government’s zero tolerance policy, the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of this policy. The contractor shall take appropriate action, up to and including termination, against employees or subcontractors that violate the US Government policy as described at FAR 22.17.

1.4.12 Contractor Travel. Not Applicable.

1.4.13 Data Rights. The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the KO. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

1.4.14 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI): If under the performance of this contract, the contractor and subcontractor personnel performing services under this contract receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent OCIs, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The contractor shall notify the KO immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the KO to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the KO. In the event the KO unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the KO may impose other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

1.4.15 Phase In / Phase Out Periods: Not Applicable.

2.0 Definitions and Acronyms:

2.1 Definitions:

2.1.1 Contractor: A supplier or contractor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

2.1.2 Contracting Officer (KO): A person with authority to enter into, administer, and or terminate contracts, and make relevant determinations and findings on behalf of the government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the government.

2.1.3 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): An employee of the U.S.

Government designated by the KO to monitor contractor performance. Such appointment will be in writing and will state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4 Defective Service: A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the PWS.

2.1.5 Deliverable: Anything that can be physically delivered and includes non-manufactured things such as case studies, meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.6 Key Personnel: Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

2.1.7 Physical Security: Actions that prevent the loss or damage of Government property.

2.1.8 Quality Assurance: The government procedures to verify that services being performed by the Contractor are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.1.9 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

2.1.10 Quality Control: All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to ensure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

2.1.11 Subcontractor: One that enters into a contract with a prime contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

2.2 Acronyms:

AR Army Regulation AT/OPSEC Antiterrorism/Operational Security CM Contract Manager CMRA Contractor Manpower Reporting Application CNGB Chief of the National Guard Bureau COR Contracting Officer Representative DA Department of the Army DFARS Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement DoD Department of Defense EM Emergency Management FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation GFOS General and Flag Officers Homeland Security Executive Seminar GFP/M/E/S Government Furnished Property/Material/Equipment/Services HQDA Headquarters, Department of the Army HSI Homeland Security Institute JFHQ-MA Joint Force Headquarters - Massachusetts KO Contracting Officer LHS Leadership in Homeland Security NGB National Guard Bureau OCI Organizational Conflict of Interest PAC Post Award Conference PII Personally Identifiable Information POC Point of Contact PRS Performance Requirements Summary PWS Performance Work Statement QA Quality Assurance QASP Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan QC Quality Control QCP Quality Control Program SSN Social Security Number TE Technical Exhibit TO Task Order TOR Task Order Request

3.0 Government Furnished Property, Material, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S): The Government will provide the property, material, equipment, and/or services listed below solely for the purpose of performance under this contract:

3.1 Property: None.

3.2 Materials: Case Study Material may be provided at the Task Order (TO) level.

3.3 Equipment: None.

3.4 Services: None.

3.5 Utilities: None.

4.0 Contractor Furnished Property, Materials, and Equipment (CFP/M/E):

4.1 General: Except for those items specifically stated to be Government-Furnished in Paragraph 3.0, the contractor shall furnish everything required to perform these services as indicated in Paragraph 1.

5.0 Requirements: The contractor shall provide services for a minimum of one of the seminars described in Sections 5.1 or 5.2 of this paragraph, the General and Flag Officer Seminar (GFOS) and one of the seminars described in Section 5.3 of this paragraph, the Leadership in Homeland Security (LHS) Seminar. A Task Orders will be issued for each required occurrence of GFOS and LHS.

5.1 General and Flag Officers Homeland Security Executive Seminar (GFOS) with Case Study Development: HSI is charged by the CNGB to secure case study driven academic courses for National Guard General and Flag Officers. The General and Flag Officers Homeland Security Executive Seminar (GFOS) explores and navigates the challenges intrinsic to emergency management, homeland security, crisis management, disaster planning and leadership during routine and novel crises. The course focuses on the collective comprehensive coordination and response expected of strategic commands. GFOS is comparable to a senior executive level academic course

GFOS is intended to be an academic course that possesses an established academic framework of stated themes and learning objectives that participants are intended to have experienced by the end of the course. GFOS framework of stated themes and learning objectives will be continuously reinforced throughout. GFOS combines course instruction in the strategic concepts of disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership with discussions facilitated by instructors or past practitioners who have researched or lead the responses to major emergency management or disaster response events.

As an academic course that facilitates group discussion and participant interaction with both instructors and other participants, GFOS is instructed using “participant centered learning/participant-based instruction” or variations of the Socratic Method. The main instructor(s) and guest instructors continuously engage with the participants; probing and extracting thoughts and ideas from the participants that the instructors then incorporate into their blocks of instruction.

GFOS is not intended to be a collection of briefings and/or PowerPoint presentations on interesting topics in emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management. Nor is it intended as a forum for persons who hold or previously held positions of senior leadership in the military, emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management incidents an opportunity to recount tales of their experiences. The established Executive Education academic course used as a foundation for GFOS may be different than the established Executive Education academic course used as a foundation for LHS.

The case study development supports the HSI mission by providing up to date and timely material for the academic seminars. These case studies will also be used to support other HSI initiatives as directed by the CNGB. The case studies research and analyze senior executive and executive leadership concepts, theories and decisions that can apply to the National Guard specifically in the domains of disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership. The case study development can also be utilized to update and revise previous HSI case studies with any new information such as further lessons learned, comparisons to similar more recent events, combinations of previous HSI case studies or produce a study guide for a previous case study that allows for a military professional development session to be conducted.

The case study and materials are used to analyze the role of the National Guard and investigate the intergovernmental partners that the National Guard worked with and the intergovernmental cooperation during the large-scale responses. The case study addresses issues applicable to strategic-level/senior executive leaders and addresses issues applicable to operational-level/executive leaders. The case studies are used to highlight leadership and management issues from the perspective of key leaders of response organizations. Case studies will be incorporated into future GFOS and LHS courses.

5.1.1. Course Content and Structure: GFOS course content shall engage the participants in intensive case study-based discussion of recent real-world disaster events. The course material shall contain National Guard centric concepts and frameworks for the design and execution of informed responses to complex, multi-jurisdictional management environments.

GFOS course content shall place emphasis on the utilization and employment of National Guard assets, systems, and personnel at the strategic level, by senior executive leaders in support of civil authorities in response to strategic scale and novel crises. Courses of study shall be case study driven that investigate actual events (i.e.

man-made or natural disasters), and are of a scale, relevancy, and complexity that accurately reflect the magnitude of responsibility associated with senior executive levels of leadership. Course content shall engage the participants in intensive case study-based discussion of recent real-world disaster events. The course material shall contain National Guard centric concepts and frameworks for the design and execution of informed responses to complex, multi-jurisdictional management environments.

GFOS is for up to 65 strategic/senior executive leader participants per iteration. All participants are designated by HSI. In general, there should be 40 (40 out of 65) prepaid/contracted seats, that include all course and materials costs, for National Guard personnel that is paid through this contract. In general, there should be 25 (25 out of

65) seats, that include all course and materials cost, for non-National Guard personnel participants to pay a course fee directly to the contractor. These non-NG seats shall be detailed within each Task Order PWS.

The course shall be comprised of four to five days of instruction, from approximately 0800-1700 hours daily, with breaks and mealtimes included. Each course shall also include an opening day registration, a networking icebreaker, daily small group study sessions, working lunches and a commemoration ceremony presenting academic certificates and guest keynote remarks. Daily small group study sessions shall be held in small meeting spaces separate from the main classroom.

The course shall include working lunches that allow for the maximization of the time in the learning environment. The course shall also contain at a minimum one networking icebreaker beyond instruction, with the primary purpose to facilitate the establishment of networks and relationships between participants for future collaboration and coordination in real-world event responses. The course shall have a formal concluding ceremony where academic certificates are presented to each participant.

The GFOS course should be based upon a target of ten but shall be based upon a minimum of eight case studies. Course content shall contain blocks of instruction relevant to the topics of emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management. Each day shall include a section of small group discussion guided by course objectives to promote critical thinking amongst participants.

The course should have a target of five but shall have a minimum of three blocks of instruction/discussion that are facilitated by guest instructors who possess professional work experience as a strategic leader that has helped lead a response to a major event that has occurred at the national level. The Baltimore Riot (2015), Boston Marathon Bombing (2013) and Superstorm Sandy (2012) are examples where previous guest instructors have wielded substantial direct influence and expertise during the responses.

The blocks of instruction/discussion that are facilitated by the guest instructors connect to the stated themes and learning objectives of GFOS and cover topics that are relevant to the emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management fields.

The Contractor shall plan the discussion topics and case studies for each GFOS. The government reserves the right to provide specific case studies or recommend specific topics that are relevant to current events. The government will provide the case studies or recommended topics no later than 30 days prior to the course. Government directed course material will be included at the task order level through the Task Order Request (TOR) process.

The Contractor shall possess and demonstrate a history of providing administrative course support including but not limited to event planning and coordination; participant welcome, online registration and enrollment; participant surveys and critiques of seminar quality; pricing and invoicing of seminars; general correspondence with United States government personnel and organizations; participant status updates to HSI.

Course support will be to ensure the proper execution of the GFOS courses and answer any participant administrative questions that are intrinsic to the contractor. However, the core competency of the Contractor shall always be in academic education and instruction. The primary service provided by the Contractor shall not be administrative and should not replicate the efforts of HSI.

The proposed main instructor(s) for GFOS may be different than the proposed main instructor(s) for LHS.

Official course dates shall be determined by HSI in conjunction with the Contractor upon review of confirmations, availabilities and other administrative considerations.

5.1.2. Summary of Work Requirements for the General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar (GFOS) and Case Study Development:

5.1.2.1. Academic Course Requirement Summary:

The academic course shall:

a. be hosted by the Contractor and within the educational institution;

b. be based upon an established course and/or certificate program in emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management taught at the senior executive level;

c. be 4 to 5 days in length;

d. have seats for up to 65 participants with a minimum 40 participants; anything above 65 participants will require agreement between vendor and Contract Officer

e. generally have prepaid/contracted seats including all course material for forty (40 out of 65) NG personnel paid for through this contract

f. generally have seats including all course material for twenty five (25 out of 65) available for non-NG participants to pay a course fee directly to the contractor. Contractor is allowed to fill seats if the government is unable with approval from government, preferred is U.S. government personnel

g. Course fill numbers listed under 5.1.2.1. d, e, and f are subject to change and shall be specifically outlined in each Task Order PWS.

5.1.2.2. Course Curriculum Requirements Summary:

The course curriculum shall:

a. be current and relevant to today’s emergency management landscape, with emphasis on the use of the National Guard in support of Civil Authorities;

b. be case study driven, using expert instructors with firsthand experience of the disaster or topic at hand. Learning objectives will be derived from real world examples of successes or challenges from recent disasters and/or terror attacks that have impacted the United States in some manner;

c. consist primarily of facilitated discussion and some lecture on topics pertinent to emergency management, crisis leadership, and best practices from the emergency management community (The preponderance should be placed on discussion between participants); and

d. focus on the strategic-senior executive level and requisite policy, long-range planning, and large-scale novel disaster leadership.

5.1.2.3. Course Administrative and Logistics Requirements Summary:

Contractor shall provide:

a. adequate staff to support course logistics both prior to and during the course:

i. Pre-course support requirements include but are not limited to welcome correspondence, registration, financial guidance to participants, etc.

ii. Course week requirements include but are not limited to administrative support, finance personnel to facilitate course payments, and other requirements as determined by the contractor and HSI;

b. experienced instructors with a demonstrated history of expertise in both teaching at the senior executive education level and teaching topics relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership;

c. appropriate class space for senior executive level instruction, with amphitheater/lecture hall classroom spaces required and separate meeting rooms for small group discussions;

d. adequate facilities to support classroom operation for the participants, HSI staff and the contractor, complete with power outlets for each participant, internet access, printing, etc;

e. meals through the duration of the course. This can include working breakfasts, working lunches, networking icebreaker and a final graduation/certificate ceremony;

f. appropriate space to host a keynote speaker or forum style event with high profile guest speaker(s) to address participants on a subject relevant to the course material;

5.1.2.4 Case Study Content and Structure Requirement Summary:

The case study shall:

a. be researched and developed investigating a topic that is mutually agreed upon between the contractor and HSI.

b. cover an event that has occurred in the past five (5) years and in which the National Guard has played a multi-day role in responding to that event

c. be well-developed, emphasizing the role of the National Guard (NG) in supporting civil authorities during large-scale crisis-emergency events

d. cover actual events (i.e. man-made or natural disasters), and are of a scale, relevancy, and complexity that accurately reflect the responsibility associated with executive and senior executive levels of leadership

e. be based upon original research drawing on documentary sources and personal interviews with individuals involved in the subject

f. have emphasis on the utilization and employment of National Guard assets, systems, and personnel at the strategic level by senior executive leaders and operational level by executive leaders in support of civil authorities in response to large scale and novel crises

5.1.2.5 Case Study Administrative and Logistics Requirements Summary:

The Contractor shall:

a. participate in at least one teleconference, which may last up to two hours, with the Homeland Security Institute to review and agree upon the selected research topic

b. conduct all necessary research, interviews, and writing to produce a case study or updated case study that covers the researched topic enough to support a two

(2) hour block of facilitated academic instruction/discussion

c. allow the Homeland Security Institute to review the case study at the 50% complete point

d. allow the Homeland Security Institute to review the case study at the 75% complete point

e. be available for two additional teleconferences, which may last up to one hour each, at the discretion of the Homeland Security Institute

f. have 10 months from award to deliver the final product; not to exceed 12 months

g. produce the case study in a digital format that is easily accessed by the

Homeland Security Institute, no physical copies of the case study are required

5.2 Leadership in Homeland Security Seminar (LHS): HSI is charged by the CNGB to secure case study driven academic courses for National Guard Field Grade and operational level leaders. The Leadership in Homeland Security Seminar (LHS) explores and navigates the challenges intrinsic to emergency management, homeland security, crisis management, disaster planning and leadership during routine and novel crises. The course focuses on the collective comprehensive coordination and response expected of strategic commands. LHS is comparable to an executive level academic course

LHS is intended to be an academic course that possesses an established academic framework of stated themes and learning objectives that participants are intended to have experienced by the end of the course. LHS framework of stated themes and learning objectives will be continuously reinforced throughout. LHS combines course instruction in the operational concepts relevant to disaster planning, homeland security, emergency management and/or crisis leadership with discussions facilitated by instructors or past practitioners who have researched or lead the responses to major emergency management or disaster response events.

As an academic course that facilitates group discussion and participant interaction with both instructors and other participants, LHS is instructed using “participant centered learning/participant-based instruction” or variations of the Socratic Method. The main instructor(s) and guest instructors continuously engage with the participants; probing and extracting thoughts and ideas from the participants that the instructors then incorporate into their blocks of instruction.

LHS is not intended to be a collection of briefings and/or PowerPoint presentations on interesting topics in emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management. Nor is it intended as a forum for persons who hold or previously held positions of senior leadership in the military, emergency management, homeland security and/or crisis management incidents an opportunity to recount tales of their experiences. The established Executive Education academic course used as a foundation for LHS may be different than the established Executive Education academic course used as a foundation for GFOS.

5.2.1. Course Content and Structure (LHS): LHS course content shall engage the participants in intensive case study-based discussion of recent real-world events. The course material shall contain National Guard centric concepts and frameworks for the design and execution of informed responses to complex, multi-jurisdictional management environments.

LHS course content shall place emphasis on the utilization and employment of National Guard assets, systems, and personnel at the strategic level, by senior executive leaders in support of civil authorities in response to strategic scale and novel crises. Courses of study shall be case study driven that investigate actual events (i.e. man-made or natural disasters), and are of a scale, relevancy, and complexity that accurately reflect the magnitude of responsibility associated with executive levels of leadership. Course content shall engage the participants in intensive case study-based discussion of recent real-world events. The course material shall contain National Guard centric concepts and frameworks for the design and execution of informed responses to complex, multi-jurisdictional management environments.

LHS is for up to 65 operational/executive leader participants per iteration. All participants are designated by HSI. In general, there should be 40 (40 out of 65) prepaid/contracted seats, that include all course and materials costs, for National Guard personnel that is paid through this contract. In general, there should be 25 (25 out of

65) seats, that include all course and materials cost, for non-National Guard personnel participants to pay a course fee directly to the contractor. These non-NG seats shall be detailed within each Task Order PWS.

The course shall be comprised of five to six days of instruction, from approximately 0800-1700 hours daily, with breaks and mealtimes included. Each course shall also include an opening day registration, a networking icebreaker, daily small group study sessions, working lunches and a commemoration ceremony presenting academic certificates and guest keynote remarks. Daily small group study sessions shall be held in small meeting spaces separate from the main classroom.

The course shall include working lunches that allow for the maximization of the time in the learning environment. The course shall also contain at a minimum one networking icebreaker beyond instruction, with the primary purpose to facilitate the establishment of networks and relationships between participants for future collaboration and coordination in real-world event responses. The course shall have a formal concluding ceremony where academic certificates are presented to each participant.

The LHS course should be based upon a target of ten but shall be based upon a minimum of eight case studies. Course content shall contain blocks of instruction relevant to the topics of emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management. Each day shall include a section of small group discussion guided by course objectives to promote critical thinking amongst participants.

The course should have a target of five but shall have a minimum of three blocks of instruction/discussion that are facilitated by guest instructors who possess professional work experience as a strategic leader that has helped lead a response to a major event that has occurred at the national level. Hurricane Maria (2017), and the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware (2021) are examples where previous guest instructors have wielded substantial direct influence and expertise during the responses. The blocks of instruction/discussion that are facilitated by the guest instructors connect to the stated themes and learning objectives of LHS and cover topics that are relevant to the emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management fields.

The Contractor shall plan the discussion topics and case studies for each LHS. The government reserves the right to provide specific case studies or recommend specific topics that are relevant to current events. The government will provide the case studies or recommended topics no later than 30 days prior to the course. Government directed course material will be included at the task order level through the Task Order Request (TOR) process.

The Contractor shall possess and demonstrate a history of providing administrative course support including but not limited to event planning and coordination; participant welcome, online registration and enrollment; participant surveys and critiques of seminar quality; pricing and invoicing of seminars; general correspondence with United States government personnel and organizations; participant status updates to HSI.

Course support will be to ensure the proper execution of the LHS courses and answer any participant administrative questions that are intrinsic to the contractor. However, the core competency of the Contractor shall always be in academic education and instruction. The primary service provided by the Contractor shall not be administrative and should not replicate the efforts of HSI.

The proposed main instructor(s) for LHS may be different than the proposed main instructor(s) for GFOS.

Official course dates shall be determined by HSI in conjunction with the Contractor upon review of confirmations, availabilities and other administrative considerations.

5.2.2 Summary of Work Requirements for the Leadership in Homeland Security Seminar (LHS):

5.2.2.1. Academic Course Requirement Summary:

The academic course shall:

a. be hosted by the Contractor and within the educational institution;

b. be based upon an established course and/or certificate program in emergency management, homeland security, and/or crisis management taught at the senior executive level;

c. be 4 to 5 days in length;

d. have seats for up to 65 participants with a minimum 40 participants; anything above 65 participants will require agreement between vendor and Contract Officer

e. generally have prepaid/contracted seats including all course material for forty (40 out of 65) NG personnel paid for through this contract

f. generally have seats including all course material for twenty five (25 out of 65) available for non-NG participants to pay a course fee directly to the contractor.

Contractor is allowed to fill seats if the government is unable with approval from government, preferred is U.S. government personnel

5.2.2.2. Course Curriculum Requirements Summary:

The course curriculum shall:

a. be current and relevant to today’s emergency management landscape, with emphasis on the use of the National Guard in support of Civil Authorities;

b. be case study driven, using expert instructors with firsthand experience of the disaster or topic at hand. Learning objectives will be derived from real world examples of successes or challenges from recent disasters and/or terror attacks that have impacted the United States;

c. consist primarily of facilitated discussion and some lecture on topics pertinent to emergency management, crisis leadership, and best practices from the emergency management community (The preponderance should be placed on discussion between participants); and

d. focus on the operational-executive level and requisite policy, long-range planning, and large-scale novel disaster leadership.

5.2.2.3. Administrative and Logistics Requirements Summary:

Contractor shall provide:

a. adequate staff to support course logistics both prior to and during the course:

i. Pre-course support requirements include but are not limited to welcome correspondence, registration, financial guidance to participants, etc.

ii. Course week requirements include but are not limited to administrative support, finance personnel to facilitate course payments, and other requirements as determined by the contractor and HSI;

b. experienced instructors with a demonstrated history of expertise in both teaching at the executive education level and teaching the topics of emergency management, homeland security, crisis management, crisis leadership;

c. appropriate class space for senior executive level instruction, with amphitheater/lecture hall classroom spaces required and separate meeting rooms for small group discussions;

d. adequate facilities to support classroom operation for the participants, HSI staff and the contractor, complete with power outlets for each participant, internet access, printing, etc;

e. meals through the duration of the course. This can include working breakfasts, working lunches, networking icebreaker and a final graduation/certificate ceremony;

f. appropriate space to host a keynote speaker or forum style event with high profile guest speaker(s) to address participants on a subject relevant to the course material;

5.3. Required Reports

5.3.1. Service Contract Reporting (SCP):

5.3.1.1 The contractor shall report ALL contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for the Homeland Security Institute via a secure data collection site.

5.3.1.2 The contractor shall completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address: https://sam.gov. Log in and select Entity Registrations and then select Service Contract Reporting. The Contractor shall report the required information annually by October 31, for services performed under this contract during the preceding Government fiscal year (October 1-September 30).

The DoD Guidebook for Service Contract Reporting in SAM, available on the DoD Procurement Toolbox at https://dodprocurementtoolbox.com/site-pages/service-contract-reporting-scr. The General Services Administration (GSA) has also posted additional guidance such as quick start guides, informational videos, and frequently asked questions, that can be accessed by going to https://sam.gov and searching the “HELP” section. The SAM Federal User Guide is also available in the “HELP” section for comprehensive instructions on navigating SAM. Contractors requiring assistance using SAM should contact the Federal Service Desk at https://www.fsd.gov.

5.3.2. Student Biography Report: The contractor shall submit a consolidated report on all student biographies to the COR at the conclusion of a course. This report shall be submitted via email to the COR.

5.3.3. Course Evaluation Report: Continued improvement of a course is vital to the continued success. The contractor shall submit a consolidated evaluation report to the COR at the conclusion of a course. This report shall be submitted via email to the COR.

5.3.4. Enrollment Status Notifications: Enrollment into the course is vital to the success of a course. The COR will submit a list of attendees to the contractor who will facilitate enrollment and provide a regular status to the COR. The contractor shall notify the COR for student enrollment at intervals of 90, 60, and 30 days prior to the course.

Within 30 days, the contractor shall provide weekly updates. The contractor shall provide an enrollment status upon request of the COR. The COR will assist the contractor in any outstanding enrollment issues as required. Status notifications will be conducted via email.

5.3.5. Course Agenda / Schedule: The contractor shall submit their course agenda and schedule upon completion to the COR via email. The Course Agenda / Schedule should be submitted 30 days prior to the course. If under 30 days, the contractor shall notify the COR the status of the course development and the expected completion / submission of the Course Agenda / Schedule.

5.3.6 Case Study: The contractor shall submit the case study upon completion to the COR via email. Provide draft within 90 days after seminar completion. The contractor shall notify the COR via email of any issues that prevent the submission of the case study.

5.3.7. Report Submission Requirements: The contractor shall submit all reports listed in this section of the PWS as listed above. Format of the reports in 5.3.8 are at the discretion of the contractor. Available examples / templates may be requested by the contractor to the COR.

5.3.8. Report Deliverable Table:

Report Number Report Description Frequency

R01 Service Contract Report Annual R02 Student Biography Report As Required R03 Course Evaluation Report As Required R04 Enrollment Status Notification As Required R05 Course Agenda / Schedule As Required

R06 Case Study As Required

5.4 Meals and Beverages Authorization: Meals and non-alcoholic beverages are authorized when provided as an integral component of Executive Certificate Program seminars, including the General and Flag Officer Seminar (GFOS) and the Leadership in Homeland Security (LHS) Seminar. Meals and beverages shall be furnished as part of the prepaid tuition or fixed seminar fee and are considered necessary to accomplish the academic objectives of the program, including working lunches, working breakfasts, networking events, and graduation or certificate ceremonies. Meals and beverages shall not be separately reimbursed, itemized per attendee, or provided outside the context of official seminar activities.

6.0 Applicable Publications: Publications applicable to this PWS are listed below:

Publication (Chapter/Page)

Date of Publication

Mandatory or Advisory Website

Federal Acquisition Regulation https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/dfar

AR 190-13

The Army Physical Security

Program 02/25/2011 http://www.apd.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubFor m/AR.aspx

DoDD 5400.11 Department of Defense

Privacy Program 10/29/2014 http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/dir.ht ml#

DoD 5400.11-R

Department of Defense Privacy Program

05/14/2007 http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pub1.

html

6.1 Applicable Forms: Forms applicable to the PWS are listed below:

Form Date Website DD 250 Material Inspection and Receiving Report Aug 2000 http://dtic.mil/whs/directives/forms/dd/ddforms0001-0499.htm https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/dfar http://www.apd.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/AR.aspx http://www.apd.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/AR.aspx http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/dir.html http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/dir.html http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pub1.html http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pub1.html http://dtic.mil/whs/directives/forms/dd/ddforms0001-0499.htm

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

Performance Requirements Summary…