Performance _Work Statement_OM classes.pdf

O&M Training Performance Work Statement (PWS)

1. General Information

1.1 Background

The IHS is responsible to provide water, sewer and solid waste facilities for Native American housing at, adjacent to, or near Indian Reservations as authorized by Public Law 86-121. Community sizes range from 15 to 10,000 people. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is authorized to design, construct and improve facilities, acquire lands and right-of-way for sanitation facilities, projects, and transfer complete facilities to Native American Tribal organizations or other public authorities for operation and maintenance.

The Environmental Health Support Center (EHSC) serves as the national coordinator of IHS based training for the Office of Environmental Health and Engineering (OEHE). In addition, this office also serves as the national liaison for training activities with all twelve Indian Health Service Areas and other governmental, public and private institutions. Authority for this justification is mandated under 41.USC.253(c)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.100.

The purpose of the proposed requirement is to provide hands-on water, wastewater, and solid waste operations training for tribal utility and IHS staff in the lower 48 States and Alaska. The successful vendor(s) will be able to provide off-the-shelf and customized trainings that support the operation of one or more of the typical tribally owned utility systems listed below.

Typical wastewater systems owned and operated by tribes include the following:

• Collection o Gravity sewer (traditional and variable grade) o Low pressure sewer o Vacuum sewer o Lift stations (submersible, vacuum, etc) and force mains

• Treatment o Sand Filters o Lagoons (anaerobic, facultative, aerated, advanced integrated wastewater ponds) o Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR) o Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) o Oxidation Ditches o Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) o Traditional Treatment Plants

• Controls: single phase, three phase, PLC, VFD, soft starters

Typical water systems owned and operated by tribes include the following:

• Source o Groundwater wells (including ground water under the direct influence of surface water

(GUDI) systems) o Surface water – lakes and rivers

• Treatment o Disinfection (liquid and gas) o Fluoridation o Filtration o Aeration o Coagulation/Flocculation/Settlement o Reverse Osmosis

• Storage o Elevated, standpipe, and below ground gravity tanks o Pressure tanks

• Distribution (in addition to standard piping and valves) o Booster stations o Valve trees: pressure reducing, altitude, flow control o Meters

• Controls: single phase, three phase, PLC, VFD, soft starters

Typical solid waste systems owned and operated by tribes include the following:

• Transfer stations

• Curbside pickup programs

*tribes also have to deal with scattered open dumping

1.2 Instructor Qualifications

Instructor experience shall be integral to the Vendor’s selection. Instructor qualifications, as demonstrated through the proposal CV/resumes, shall include:

• a minimum of five years’ experience in water, wastewater, and/or solid waste operations communities ranging from 15 to 2500 connections. While not required, instructors with operator certification levels 2 or higher in water distribution, water treatment, wastewater collections, wastewater treatment, and/or utility management is a plus.

• a minimum of 5 years’ experience in providing water, wastewater, and/or solid waste related training and support to tribal utility departments or small rural communities. Tribal experience is a preferable.

• Evidence of adult education competencies (e.g., adult education training courses attended, experience teaching adults, demonstration of understanding of learning styles, knowledge transfer approaches)

1.3 BPA Calls: Proposal Requirements

Training service proposals will be requested when the IHS has identified a training need. The IHS will provide information on dates, location, and requested course title. The Vendor proposals shall include the following at a minimum:

• Course name, dates, and locations per the proposal

• Training delivery approach

• Training course objectives

• Training course preliminary agenda (include proposed times and module topics)

• Instructor names, and if not already provided in the contract documents, copies of instructor resumes

• Training course cost breakdown o Course preparation time (hours and cost/hour) o Instruction time (hours and cost/hour) o Travel (salaries, per diem, transportation, and lodging) o Training manual publication and shipping (lump sum) o Venue costs (if requested by COR) o Materials or other Misc Expenses (if applicable)

• If applicable, training course development cost breakdown o Course preparation time, including review and revisions (hours and cost/hour) o Equipment and shipping container costs

Proposal costs for salaries and travel may not exceed those identified in the GSA contract. If the proposal is accepted, work will be ordered via BPA Call as a single unit price to execute the training course.

It is anticipated that the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will be an employee of the EHSC. If not, the COR will provide an EHSC point of contact for the Vendor. The Vendor shall closely coordinate all work with the COR, EHSC staff, appropriate IHS Area Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction (DSFC) staff, and Tribal or Division of Acquisitions staff on all project and contractual matters as and when appropriate.

2. Requirements Overview: Training Course Development

2.1 General

The successful vendor(s) shall have an existing catalog of one or more water, wastewater, and/or solid waste related training courses available that can be used “off-the-shelf” or minimally modified upon request to meet the needs of the IHS. Preferred courses include web-facilitated and/or in-person training delivery. The successful vendor(s) shall also have the capacity to execute existing government owned trainings and/or develop new training courses upon request.

In person training courses shall be highly interactive and include a minimum 33% time allocation for kinesthetic (aka hands-on) exercises for attendees to begin applying content learned while still in the class environment in addition to standard lecture formats. Lecture should be balanced throughout each module with operator discussions, exercises, and demonstrations such that attendees have an opportunity to be actively engaged in the training event.

2.2 Training Delivery Approach

The preferred method of course delivery will be in person followed by Instructor led live Virtual sessions. There will be limited need, if any, for on demand trainings.

In person training courses shall be highly interactive. Lecture should be balanced throughout each module with discussions, exercises, and scenarios such that attendees have an opportunity to be actively engaged in the training event. Coordinate with IHS to obtain real world examples and scenarios for use during trainings.

For Instructor Led Live Virtual Trainings, the vendor shall provide one industry standard electronic training platform each for virtual trainings. Examples of industry standard platforms include, but are not limited to: Zoom, Adobe Connect, and GoToTraining. Electronic platform cost to be incidental to all course development and execution line items.

Platforms for virtual trainings shall, at a minimum, include the capability to:

• Allow access for up to 100 simultaneous participants with the ability to increase to 250 simultaneous participants (includes 250 participants, instructors, and one or two government observers) if requested.

• Screen share

• View live-stream video of instructor and students

• Poll

• Chat

• Utilize breakout rooms

• Phone option for attendees without microphone

• Record and download training sessions

• Report attendee logins/logout

• Report results of poll questions

For on-demand trainings, the vendor shall have the capability to provide access to a LMS that hosts the trainings. The platform shall have capacity to support:

• An administrator account for up to five IHS staff to add people and monitor participation and completion rates

• User accounts for up to 100 simultaneous users Ability to add/delete users throughout the contract period of performance

• Reporting capabilities that include, at a minimum, user names, course registrations, completion percentage, date course started, date course completed.

Access to on-demand trainings as agreed upon in the BPA Call.

2.3 Workload Estimates

Training needs vary year to year based on requests received from the 12 IHS Areas located in the lower Continental United States and Alaska. For each of the past two fiscal years, the EHSC has provided approximately 15-20 face-to-face trainings throughout the IHS service areas.

There is no guarantee of work in any given contract year. The ideal Vendor shall be able to provide at least three trainings per year per off-the-shelf course. If requested, the ideal vendor shall also be able to execute a least three trainings per year of one or more IHS owned courses. For example, if a Vendor has two approved courses, they shall be able to provide at least three of each for a total of six trainings if requested. The EHSC has ordered as few as zero and as many as 14 trainings (varied topics) in FY25 from a single Vendor. The IHS is willing to work with the Vendor, within reason, to find dates that are acceptable to both parties. The locations are selected by the IHS and are generally non-negotiable.

For reference, some operation and maintenance classes requested in FY25 include:

Course Number Requested

Locations

Basic Electrical Controls 1 Albuquerque, NM Pumps for Operators 3 Albuquerque, NM; Suquamish, WA; Dillingham, AK Cross Connection Controls 1 Virtual Disinfection and SDWA Workshop Cross Connection Controls

1 Hayward, WI

OSHA (various topics) *OSHA authorized vendors only

5 Albuquerque, NM x2; Crandon, WI; St. Michael, ND;

Gallup, NM

Wastewater Collections Pumping and Lagoons

4 Nome, AK; Sioux City, SD; Fort Defiance, AZ;

Hayward, WI

Sanitary Survey Methods 1 Albuquerque, NM Wastewater Inspection and Compliance

2 Fort Defiance, AZ; Virtual

Advanced Electrical Controls 2 Anchorage, AK; Fairbanks, AK Miscellaneous Solid Waste Safety Trainings

1 Virtual

2.4 Training Services – Off the Shelf

Off the shelf trainings include trainings developed solely under the auspices of the Vendor without funding from the federal government.

Training agendas, manuals, and other resources shall be provided to the EHSC in a pdf format for review and approval upon request and prior to IHS utilizing trainings from the Vendor’s catalog.

Training content will remain solely owned by the Vendor unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by both contract parties. Vendor shall provide and maintain all materials/equipment required to execute off the shelf trainings.

2.5 Training Services – Government Owned Trainings

Government owned trainings include trainings whose development was sponsored by the federal government unless the government released ownership/use rights in writing.

The IHS owns content and training materials/equipment for several O&M trainings. If indicated in the proposal request, the Vendor shall work with the EHSC to review, update, and execute government owned trainings. The intent is not to recreate the training course; however minor modifications may be acceptable with the approval of the COR.

Courses that the IHS owns include (but are not limited to):

- Pumps for operators (3 day course)

- Lift station operations (3 day course)

- Basic electrical controls (3 day course)

- Advanced electrical controls (3 day course)

- Construction inspection (1-4 day course)

- Water distribution (3 day course)

- Disinfection and SDWA workshop (3-4 day course)

- Wastewater inspection and compliance (3 day course)

- Wastewater collections pumping and lagoons (3 day course)

- Managing your utility asset plan and water audits (3 day course)

The IHS maintains all ownership rights to reproduce or use the training material provided with this contract (including materials updated by the Vendor) without restriction and the right to authorize others to use the materials for any purpose. The Vendor shall only provide these training courses to the government during the contract performance periods. Upon completion of the contract, the Vendor shall turn over all training course materials (content, equipment, and other resources) and may not offer these trainings without the express written permission of the government through the IHS EHSC office.

2.6 Training Services – New Course Development

If indicated in the proposal request, the Vendor shall work with the EHSC to develop new training courses to meet emerging tribal utility operational needs. Course design requests may be for on-demand, web-facilitated, and/or face-to-face offerings.

Work under this section includes developing training courses including course objectives, agenda, instruction methods, teaching and learning strategies, knowledge transfer assessment (e.g., how learning strategies will be assessed), learning materials, learning environment (e.g., instructor to student environment, student to student environment, and student to material environment), instructor’s biography, presentations and handouts.

Unless otherwise indicated in the BPA call,

• the Vendor shall submit draft training course documentation and materials to the COR within 90 days of BPA call execution.

• the COR shall review and provide comments on the draft materials within 10-20 business days of receipt

• the Vendor shall review and revise the materials within 10 business days of comment receipt until accepted by the COR.

Draft materials shall be provided in PowerPoint format, pdf, or other mutually acceptable format for review.

Final and revised training materials shall be provided as follows:

• Presentation Modules – PowerPoint (editable)

• Handouts/Manuals – Original editable document file format (e.g., Word, Excel) and PDF

• Reference Books – electronic or hard copy

The Vendor shall develop the course for Indian Health Service ownership. The IHS will maintain all ownership rights to reproduce or use the training material provided with this contract without restriction and the right to authorize others to use the materials for any purpose. The Vendor shall only provide these training courses to the government during the contract performance periods. Upon completion of the contract, the Vendor shall turn over all training course materials (content, equipment, and other resources) and may not offer these trainings without the express written permission of the government thru the IHS EHSC office.

3.0 Requirements Overview

2.7 Training/Reference Manuals

The Vendor shall provide spiral bound training manuals for each attendee that include durable front and back covers. At a minimum, the manuals shall include copies of the agenda, instructor bios, instructor contact information, presentation slides (maximum of 2 per page with each slide size maximized to fit approximately 1/2 the usable page), exercises to be completed during the course, and reference material for future use. The manual shall be provided to attendees at the start of each session. If reference manuals are more than 2-inches thick or otherwise untenable for a student to pack home, the Vendor shall provide shipping of manuals to each attendee’s work location at the end of each training course for delivery within 7 business days.

2.8 Pre-Course Review Forms

The Vendor shall provide a completed pre-course review form to the COR a minimum of two weeks prior to each training class to be delivered. The pre-course review form template is provided as an exhibit to this

PWS.

2.9 Venues/Locations

Trainings may be located anywhere in the continental United States and Alaska. The training venue and projector screens will be secured by the government at no cost to the Vendor unless otherwise indicated in the proposal request. Training venues typically include federal/state/local government meeting spaces, tribal meeting spaces, and/or hotel meeting spaces.

The Vendor shall provide a laptop, projector, flip charts, and all other materials required to execute the training class.

2.10 Government Furnished Activities and Materials

2.9.1 Course Posting and Closeout: The IHS will be responsible for all scheduling, advertising, registrations, training certificates (exception: Vendor is accredited to issue continuing education units (CEUs)), and transcript maintenance. The EHSC will provide the Vendor with a local point of contact (POC) for each training to address questions related to individual classes. In most cases, the local POC will also be available to assist with course paperwork facilitation and transmittal.

2.9.2 Course Paperwork: The EHSC will provide electronic versions of course evaluations, sign-in sheets, rosters, agenda deviation form, and venue evaluation form to the Vendor. Forms may be removed or added depending on the funding agency requirements. Unless otherwise notified, the Vendor shall provide copies of all course paperwork for students and/or instructors to complete.

2.9.3 Training Equipment: The EHSC owns training equipment for all of the government owned classes specifically identified in this PWS. Equipment includes, but is not limited to, pumps, control panels (basic, PLC, VFD, and soft starter), portable mini lift stations, chlorine pumps, tapping machines, miscellaneous pipes, valves, and saddles. Upon request, prior to finalizing a BPA call for a government owned training, the COR or EHSC representative will provide the Vendor access (including escort services) to the EHSC equipment warehouse to ensure that the Vendor is familiar with all available training equipment.

2.11 Training Course Closeout Documentation

Vendor shall provide training closeout documentation including the filled out sign-in sheet, individual evaluation responses, corrected rosters, venue review form, and agenda deviations form to the COR either via email or mail services. If using government furnished equipment, notify the COR of any equipment that needs rehab or replacement. Closeout documentation shall be submitted within two weeks of the completion date of the training or with the invoice, whichever is sooner.

2.12 Performance Standards

Performance Objective

Performance Standard & Acceptable Quality Level

(AQL)

Monitoring Method Incentive positive/negative

Off-the-Shelf Training Approval

Course manual and content for each class to be submitted for review prior to IHS including this as a training option in the EHSC offerings

Course content review(s)

Positive: Course to be included in potential EHSC offerings

Negative: Course not accepted by the EHSC and will not be requested

Course Development o Submit draft course materials as accepted in the proposal.

o Submit revised documents within 10 days of receipt of comments o Submit final documents after completion of all revisions

Course content review(s)

Positive: Document past performance report card, paying particular attention to performance that exceeded the standard

Negative: Document past performance report card, paying particular attention to performance that is below the standard.

Provide training for up to 35 attendees per training course

Course documentation to be submitted (at a minimum) o Draft Agenda – with proposal o Final Agenda – 2 weeks before the start date of the training o Pre-Course review form

– 2 weeks before the start date of the training o Reference material - at the class o Class evaluations, certificates, and other closeout

Course evaluations Random inspection

(non-student observers, telephone calls with attendees)

Positive: Document past performance report card, paying particular attention to performance that exceeded the standard

Negative: Document past performance report card, paying particular attention to performance that is below the standard.

documentation– within 2 weeks after the end of the training or with the invoice, whichever comes first.

Miscellaneous

Software Application Files and Accessibility

Software Application files, if delivered to the Government, shall conform to the requirements relating to accessibility as detailed to the 1998 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, particularly, but not limited to, § 1194.21 Software applications and operating systems and § 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications. See: http://www.section508.gov/

Preferred text format: MS Word (Office 2013 or higher) Preferred graphics format: Each graphic is an individual JPG file Preferred portable format: Adobe Acrobat, version 6.0 Preferred Excel Format: Office 2013 or higher

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