STATEMENT_OF_WORK.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

NON-PERSONAL ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST SERVICES

1. INTRODUCTION/SCOPE

A. Background. The Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton (NHCP) is responsible for providing the spiritual and religious care of patients and staff. BUMED provides chaplain billets to support this requirement. The Chaplain Corps has traditionally provided chaplains to fill the two billets at NHCP.

B. Discussion. The nature of pastoral care to Roman Catholics is sacramental in nature. The celebration and administration of sacraments requires the presence of a Catholic priest. Therefore, it is essential that Catholic priests are available to provide pastoral care and sacraments to Roman Catholic patients and staff at NHCP. Traditionally, the Navy Chaplain Corps has been able to provide an adequate number of Catholic priests to fill billet requirements and care for the Roman Catholic population within the naval sea services. In recent years, a shortage of Catholic priests in the civilian community has developed. This shortage is now reflected in the decreased availability of Catholic chaplains in every branch of the military. We recently lost the priest assigned to NHCP. We will not be detailed another priest. The priests assigned to the Marine Corps Units onboard Camp Pendleton are either with deploying units or are at large base chapels; they have only been able to provide emergency coverage and will not be released, even temporarily, from their units to provide continuous pastoral care to our command. Therefore, we needed to devise and implement new strategies to meet the spiritual and religious needs of Roman Catholics. This requires us to use Roman Catholic assets outside of the military.

C. Scope. As a result of the above issues, a requirement exists to contract for the non-personal services of a Roman Catholic civilian priest to provide for the pastoral and sacramental needs of Roman Catholics at NHCP.

2. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS.

A. Mission. The civilian priest shall be an independent contractor of Pastoral Care Services. The contractor shall celebrate Roman Catholic masses, provide counseling/visiting opportunities as required.

B. Value. All services are valued at $150.00 per visit to the command, not per individual. This will include celebrating Masses, counseling/patient visitation, and sacramental acts.

C. Term of this contract. The contractor (priest) agrees to perform on behalf of the U.S. Government duties of a Roman Catholic priest for spiritual care of active duty military personnel, families, eligible civilian employees, and other beneficiaries per the terms and conditions of the contract.

D. Place of Performance. Work shall be performed onboard Naval Hospital. Meetings between the contractor and the Command Chaplain, or his/her representative, shall be performed on site.

E. Work Hours. The contractor will be responsible for all scheduled Masses during the course of the year. Any other requirements for Masses will be determined by mutual consent between the contractor and the Command Chaplain. It is normally expected that the contract priest will arrive 1/2 hour prior and stay % hour after the end of each Mass. Other services will be performed as needed and at the discretion/ authorization of the Command Chaplain, with no set length of time set for each performance. Flexible hours during the regular work week, Monday - Friday, may be employed at the mutual consent of the contractor and the Command Chaplain.

F. Communication. The contractor is authorized to meet with Directors, Department Heads, supervisors, and other staff personnel as well as patients and their families in the performance of pastoral responsibilities. The contractor will pursue all administrative matters through the Command Chaplain.

G. Personal Qualifications.

1) The contractor shall be a validly ordained Roman Catholic Priest in good standing with his diocese or religious order. Ecclesiastical endorsement in writing by the priest's diocese shall be sent to the Command Chaplain for verification.

2) The Catholic priest shall demonstrate reliability, good relational skills and the ability to serve on an ecumenical ministry team.

3) The contracted priest will comply with government policies and regulations in regard to identification badges, parking, and professional decorum.

4) A physical examination certification which states the date on which the physical examination was conducted, the name of the doctor who performed the exam, and a statement concerning the physical health of the contractor. The certification must contain the following statement: Father Michael Diaz is suffering from no physical disability or medical condition which would restrict or preclude him from providing services as a Roman Catholic Priest. He is suffering from no contagious diseases to include but not limited to AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and venereal disease, and is not positive for HIV antibodies.

H. Guidance. The Command Chaplain will provide direct guidance for the contracted priest.

I. INS verification. No alien shall be allowed to perform under this contract without an Alien Registration Card ("green card") and/ or in violation of the Immigration Laws of the United States.

J. Personal Appearance. The contractor shall be neat, clean, well-groomed, and in appropriate clergy clothing when in patient care and public areas. The contractor shall display the identification badge provided by security any time while at work.

K. Government Regulations. The contractor shall become acquainted with and obey all pertinent Command, Navy, and DOD regulations, shall perform in a manner which precludes any waste of utilities and shall not use government equipment for personal business. All motor vehicles operated on this installation by the contractor shall be registered with base security and operated according to applicable directives. Eating and smoking by the contractor are prohibited in patient care areas and are restricted to designated areas.

L. Absences. The contractor shall advise the Command Chaplain, or his acting substitute, of any planned or unplanned absences. The contractor shall provide a competent priest substitute with equivalent credentials who will provide Catholic coverage during periods of contractor absences.

M. Ethical Conduct. The contractor, although in fact not a Government employee, shall comply with Executive Order 11222 of May 8, 1965, "Prescribing Standards of Ethical Conduct for Government Officers and Employees," and shall also comply with Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Navy (DON) regulations implementing this Executive Order. In addition, the contractor shall adhere to all DOD, Navy, and Command policies and regulations during the performance of their duties.

N. Insurance. As an independent contractor, all medical, dental, and professional liability insurance is the responsibility of the contractor.

3. PROPERTY.

A. Government-Furnished Property. The government will provide office space, office furniture, telephone/fax service, the use of a copier and computer hardware and software necessary for use by the contractor. The government will allow unlimited telephone usage, both local and long distance, in support of the Pastoral Care Services programs. The government will provide utility services for the contractor's use while on site. The government will provide the referenced information specified in Section 2. The Pastoral Care Services staff will coordinate the retrieval of information needed by the contractor and serve as the interface. The government will provide resources for the administration and celebration of sacraments and other professional resources deemed necessary by the Command Chaplain. The government will provide office staff for administrative support.

B. Contractor-Furnished Property. The contractor shall furnish any items which are for personal use/ ownership, or which are resources the government may be restricted in appropriating.

4. GENRAL INFORMATION.

The following documents and data sources shall be provided to the contractor in the performance of duty upon request. This information will be provided by the NHCP Pastoral Care Services staff:

A. Demographic information on the beneficiary population served.

B. Current data on patient preferences as determined by survey, correspondence, and patient relations statistics.

C. Information regarding non-medical issues such as facilities, parking, support services, staffing, watch bills, and other amenities.

D. Results of inspections/ surveys by internal and external agencies.