Performance_Work_Statement_-_DIC_Program_Evaluation_Assistance_-_2024-2026_-_Revised_1.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

International Affairs, Division of International Conservation (DIC)

Performance Work Statement

Program Evaluation Assistance – International Conservation

1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (hereafter, the Service) is dedicated to the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife, and plants, and their habitats. It is the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the management of these important natural resources. The Service’s International Affairs (hereafter, IA) program coordinates domestic and international efforts to protect, restore, and enhance the world’s diverse wildlife and their habitats with a focus on species of international concern, and have international responsibilities under some 40 treaties and U.S. laws and regulations.

In order to improve the Service’s international partnerships and program delivery, IA seeks to strengthen its capacity to assess, build and use evidence and communicate its impact. Increasing program technical capacity will support the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Service’s responsibilities created by Congressional legislation and associated OMB guidance by building and using different types of evidence to understand and improve agency results.

2. BACKGROUND

The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 (FATAA) was enacted by

Congress to evaluate the performance and improve the effectiveness and monitoring and evaluation of U.S. Government foreign assistance. The Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) published guidelines in January 2018 (OMB Memorandum M-18-04), reiterating the objectives of FATAA and setting forth key principles to provide specific direction for agencies to include in their own policies on monitoring and evaluation of foreign assistance. Building on

FATAA, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (abbreviated as the

“Evidence Act”) was enacted by Congress to advance data and evidence-building functions in the Federal Government. Similarly, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has distilled a list of key practices that “can help federal leaders and employees develop and use evidence to effectively manage and assess the results of federal efforts. The key practices are distilled from hundreds of actions identified in GAO’s past work as effective for implementing federal evidence-building and performance-management activities” (GAO-23-105460).

To support the development of practices and principles defined in the Evidence Act, FATAA and associated OMB and GAO guidance, the Service’s IA program has undertaken a series of efforts to:

http://www.fws.gov/ http://www.fws.gov/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3766/text https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/M-18-04-Final.pdf https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4174/text https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105460

(1) Assess the existing evidence base, including case studies in the scientific and grey literature, to answer priority learning questions that improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the agency’s international conservation efforts.

(2) Pilot methods to estimate the conservation impact of the agency’s Multinational Species

Conservation Funds (MSCFs) and international Regional Programs on species status, by adapting an international standard to measure species recovery using counterfactuals.

(3) Plan for results, including program planning and design as required by financial assistance regulation 2 CFR § 200.202, by establishing measurable goals for grantmaking programs and creating logic models that connect program inputs to outcomes.

(4) Develop and track a new performance measure on the proportion of IA competitive funding awarded to international species conservation projects with moderate to strong levels of evidence, by linking to proposed activities for Service funding to an open-source repository of conservation evidence and intervention effectiveness.

(5) Incrementally improve IA’s data management by establishing an authoritative dataset of conservation areas and wildlife strongholds supported by financial assistance, linking data on conservation impact and past funding history, and contributing to a comprehensive dataset of proposals and awards processed by IA since 1990.

In order to support these existing efforts and developing partnerships, IA’s Division of

International Conservation (hereafter, DIC) seeks to add capacity by contracting a technical specialist to assist in program evaluation activities. In coordination with the Technical Liaison and Head of Division, the contractor may be asked to contribute to a wide range of evaluation and evidence-building activities in support of strengthening the scientific integrity, use and communication of data and other types of conservation evidence, and management of contracts and interagency agreements for DIC financial assistance.

3. WORK TO BE PERFORMED BY CONTRACTOR

3.1 Work Responsibilities

Activity A: Support DIC capacity for data management. Serve as a technical expert in DIC to manage and maintain program data, including a project dataset of conservation areas and wildlife strongholds that have received IA financial assistance since 1990. [As defined by the CFO

Performance Management Playbook for federal financial assistance, projects are the level between a program (i.e., CFDA assistance listing) and individual awards.] In coordination with

DIC Evaluation Officer, other staff and partners, define and collate information on conservation areas of programmatic importance. Manage and organize data related to DIC projects, including compilation and quality control of existing datasets on DIC past funding history. Duties will include providing technical expertise on (1) conservation geography, including knowledge of landscapes and place names in Asia, Africa and Latin America; (2) developing areas of programmatic importance as an authoritative DIC project layer, based on Service funding since

1990, input from DIC program staff, and other conservation information (e.g., conservation protection status, biodiversity status); (3) maintaining an authoritative and comprehensive funding history for areas of programmatic importance, including review and quality control of previously categorized awards; (4) establishing dataset linkage between projects, past funding history, and surveys of conservation impact; (5) development of a data structure and data management plan, including quality assurance and quality control practices for DIC project data, in accordance with the Service data management policy.

Activity B: Support DIC scientific integrity to assess, build and use evidence. Promote accountability, goal setting and documentation of Service progress against outcomes, and a return-on-investment approach with Service resources. Contribute to agency monitoring procedures to inform program strategy and decision-making, by advancing the Service’s responsibilities under and aligning program practices with the Foreign Aid Transparency and

Accountability Act of 2016, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, and associated OMB guidelines. Build on existing program practices in the Multinational Species

Conservation Funds and other International Affairs financial assistance programs by promoting use of project data referenced in Activity A such that Service resources are directed to critical needs, conservation areas and grant activities with the strongest evidence of effectiveness and potential impact. Contribute to any required reporting or data calls as relevant and needed. Lead on social science contributions where appropriate.

Activity C: Strengthen DIC capacity to share and communicate conservation data and evidence. Develop visual design and data communication products to advance program evaluation activities referenced in Activity A and B. Assist DIC Chief and Evaluation Officer to identify communication and visual design needs, based on existing data, intended audience and context. Support adherence to communication practices and standards (e.g., 508 compliance).

Document program planning and design (as required by financial assistance regulation 2 CFR

200.202), project past funding history, the results of Service funding, and other information in coordination with the Technical Liaison. Contribute to internal data sharing practices, which may include development of data visualizations and organization tools (e.g., Sharepoint) or data management tools using R programming language, to ensure information and data is accessible across Service programs and the public where appropriate. Contribute to briefings, presentations, data calls, and Service public communications (e.g., social media, public-facing blogposts) as relevant and needed.

Activity D: Support DIC management of data- and evidence-related contracts and interagency agreements. Assist the coordination of contracts and interagency agreements related to conservation data and evidence. Develop outputs and reporting in consultation with the

Technical Liaison. Participate in coordination calls and meetings where appropriate. Serve as the back-up to the Technical Liaison for coordination and management of data- and evidence-related contracts and interagency agreements.

Contracts awarded under this announcement will be funded, in whole or in part, through a

Participating Agency Program Agreement (PAPA) between the US Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for

Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI). The Activity Title of the Agreement is

Critical Capacity Partnership signed on August 17, 2021. Section 632(b) of the Foreign

Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), 22 U.S.C section 2392 (b). Recipients are subject to the PAPA’s special terms and conditions, attached separately.

3.2 Required Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:

• Mastery knowledge of and skill in data visual design and data organization, including application in a program evaluation and international conservation context.

• Preferred experience working with data in financial assistance programs, including familiarity and experience with documenting and communicating the results and effectiveness categories of environmental financial assistance as administered by state and federal programs.

• Preferred experience in international wildlife conservation, including familiarity and experience in countries or regions (e.g., Southeast Asia) that are not covered by existing program evaluation staff.

• Preferred experience working in R programming language.

• Masters degree in environmental related science or equivalent experience with a focus on animals.

• The ability to work independently while also discerning when to seek assistance.

• Strong organizational skills with a desire to increase and strengthen program evaluation capacity and data communication in international wildlife conservation.

• Attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines in a fast moving environment.

• Desire and willingness to be an integrated member of the Division of International

Conservation, attending Division meetings, and learning about the work of the Division’s programs more generally.

• Experience conducting conservation research in different cultures, and demonstrating exemplary written and oral communication skills.

• Strong project management and critical thinking skills.

• Valid passport and ability to travel internationally and to Washington D.C. (as needed) approximately 1-2 times per year.

4. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED MATERIALS/SERVICES

This work can be performed remotely, with the expectation of at least two hours overlap with the core working hours of the Technical Liaison. If needed, the Service can provide access to office space at the Service’s IA office headquarters (5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA

22041). The Service will provide a U.S. Government computer and associated hardware, access to financial assistance management systems, project databases, and other relevant information needed to accomplish the contract deliverables. IA Division of International Conservation will provide direction and clarification on which PAPA special terms and conditions are applicable to contract activities.

5. SUMMARY OF MILESTONE DUE DATES

Within 5 business days after award, the Contractor shall contact the Division of International

Conservation (technical liaison) to discuss initial steps of contract implementation. Regular progress and status reports, staff/contractor feedback, coordination of contract extension, and any other contract-related activities will be conducted in coordination with the technical liaison.

6. DELIVERABLES

In coordination with the Technical Liaison and Head of Division, the contractor will be asked to deliver on a wide range of evaluation and evidence-building activities in support of strengthening the scientific integrity, use and communication of data and other types of conservation evidence, and management of contracts and interagency agreements for DIC financial assistance.

Timelines and specific deliverables will be identified at the beginning of the contract and planned in the first two weeks for the first 6 months, revisited every 6 months until the end of the contract performance period.

7. PROJECT COMPLETION/DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The deliverables for this contract will be done on an ongoing basis with all deliverables completed by the end of the contract. The Service reserves full ownership rights to the deliverables.

8. TRAVEL EXPENSES

The contractor shall travel as required to support program tasks. All travel arrangement are to be made by the contractor. Payment for transportation, per diem, mileage, parking, and other fair and reasonable travel expenses will be paid in accordance with the effective Federal Travel

Regulations as amended and supplemented by the Department of the Interior travel regulations where applicable. No Federal travel authorizations are to be issued. All travel expenses are to be submitted through the contractor’s invoice for reimbursement. The Government recognizes that the contractor does not have access to the Government rates for airfares. The contractor shall make every effort to keep travel costs to a minimum. No reimbursement will be made for parking at a contractor’s normal place of work. The contractor must comply with regulations under the Fly America Act. Travel arrangements must be approved in advance by the Technical

Liaison.

9. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

• January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026.

10. LOCATION OF WORK

Work will be conducted in the United States.

11. TECHNICAL LIAISONS

Division of International Conservation

US Fish and Wildlife Service

1101 E Tudor Rd STE 200

Anchorage AK 99503

Alternative address (home workstation for program):

Division of International Conservation

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters

5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA

Falls Church, VA 22041-3803

Fax: (703) 358-2115