PWS-RSC_technical-support2024_Final Edited vs_20240715.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

TECHNICAL SERVICES SUPPORT

READINESS SUPPORT CENTER

HQ DIRECTORATE of CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS

1.0. INTRODUCTION.

1.1. Organization. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has responsibility for developing and maintaining the Directorate of Contingency Operations training and exercise program for managers and responders. National cadres of teams are maintained through the curriculum of instruction that prepares teams and individuals to perform mission essential duties in the federal, disaster response environment. The Readiness Support Center (RSC) is the

Headquarters USACE aligned organization that is tasked to implement this training architecture for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Stafford Act missions, Flood Control &

Coast Emergencies Public Law 84-99, Dam Safety and Silver Jackets/Flood Risk Management programs under the Directorate of Contingency Operations.

1.2. Contractor Qualifications. The chosen contractor must have knowledge and expertise in creative writing, copy editing, visual and text-based storytelling, product placement, graphic design, videography, photography, web-design, and social campaign development and monitoring. The contractor must have experience developing materials that are compliant with

Section 508 and that can be translated or adjusted to meet a broad audience (including producing materials in multiple languages and that employ best practices in audience segmentation to tailor resources to the intended end-user). Experience working with federal, state, tribal, or local partners on flood risk communication would be beneficial but is not required.

1.3. Direction. The Contractor shall perform services in accordance required Task Orders..

Requests or desires of the Users or Using Agency made directly to the Contractor will be immediately brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Any changes to this performance-based work statement must be authorized in writing by the

Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer will appoint the COR to this task order at time of award.

1.4. Coordination and Payment. In performance of the work and request for payment, the

Contractor shall provide to COR, the following:

- Progress Report: The Contractor shall prepare and submit, for approval, a progress report of the various items included in the work with a percentage of time for each associated activity. This report shall capture the activities covered during the period included in the payment request.

- An updated progress report shall be submitted with each payment request.

Request for payment and Progress Report relating thereto shall be delivered electronically to the

COR.

1.5. Project Management.

The contractor will provide necessary project management to ensure timely completion of projects and deliverables as described below. Estimated hours for Tasks 1 and 2 should only include those activities necessary for delivery of the contract tasks.

Contractor will manage the work and ensure quality throughout the project. Project management will be outlined in a project management plan (PMP) which includes a quality management plan.

Project management work includes tracking the schedule and budget, tracking progress of deliverables, scheduling meetings, invoicing, and documenting key decisions. These items will be summarized by the contractor in monthly progress reports to USACE-RSC and the

Contracting Officer’s Representative.

Quality control includes documenting internal and USACE review of all deliverables including but not limited to reports, presentations, videos, and memorandums. Contractor’s internal reviews must be formally documented in a manner that can be audited by USACE personnel;

reviews by USACE of contractor products will track each comment and corresponding resolution.

2.0. Task 1. Visual Exercise Support Media.

The contractor will use videography, photography, and graphic design expertise to help visually depict scenario-based exercise vignettes. As part of this task, the contractor will identify potential scenarios to present by examining specific hazards including emergencies for dams and levees. The contract team will research and develop a scenario to tell and summarize the proposal for the government to review. The proposed vignette may be summarized in a deliverable format of the contractor’s choice (i.e., storyboard, written proposal, presentation, etc.). Once agreed to by the government, the contractor will coordinate with local teams for on-site video and photograph capture to be integrated into video and text-based resources.

This task will include development of up to 25 vignettes that include a proposed story, recommended framing, and media to use. Depending on the contractor’s proposed mode of visual storytelling, each vignette may include photography, live footage, animated/motion graphic elements, or graphics. Videos comprised of photographs, live footage, or animated/motion graphic elements may vary in length and should be optimized for the desired delivery platform (i.e., video content used on YouTube may be longer than content to be used on

Instagram or other identified platforms for communication).

The following table summarizes the maximum number of vignettes and related media that may be requested under this task and the breakdown of emphasis for the products.

Table 1. Summary of Maximum Number of Deliverables Associated with Task 1 – Visual

Exercise Support Media

Deliverable All Hazard

Scenarios

Levees/Flood Dam Safety

Vignette Proposal Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to five (5)

Still Photographs

Photographs capturing up to 10

All Hazard

Photographs capturing up to 10

USACE Levee/Flood events

Photographs capturing up to five

(5) dam safety topics

Video Footage

Video footage capturing up to 10

All Hazard

Video footage capturing up to 10

Levee/Flood events

Video footage capturing up to five

(5) dam safety topics

Animations/ Motion

Graphics Videos

Animation/motion graphics capturing concepts for up to 10 topics related to All

Hazard

Animation/motion graphics capturing concepts for up to 10 topics related to

Levee/Flood events

Animation/motion graphics for up to five (5) dam safety topics

Graphics

Graphics explaining concepts for up to 10

USACE dams

Graphics or up to 10

USACE levees projects

Graphics or up to five (5) dam safety topics

Products will be provided digitally in a version that can be edited and or altered by USACE and in a version that cannot be altered for public consumption. The versions for public consumption shall be formatted to be shared in a variety of digital platforms. For each product, the contractor shall assume up to five (5) rounds of edits prior to finalizing it.

2.0.1. Task 2. Graphic Design and Support

The contractor will craft text to illustrate the Contingency Responder curriculum, training, and exercise products (Situation Pamphlets, newsletters, and DL products). This may include creating copy, scripts, or text-based content that will be used in a variety of possible products including fact sheets, infographics, animations/motion graphic videos and visual aids, brochures, booklets, or multi-page reports. The contract team will work with the government to identify specific product needs as they arise. For each product, the contractor will draft and revise text-based copy that is compelling, clear, written to be accessible to a variety of audiences, and grammatically correct.

The following table summarizes the maximum number of communication products that may be requested under this task and the breakdown of emphasis for the products (i.e., related to dams, levees, or dam and levee related topics).

Table 2. Summary of Maximum Number of Deliverables Associated with Task 2 – Text-based instructional media.

Deliverable All Hazard Levees/Flood Dam Safety

Activities

DL products Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10

Scripts for

Audiovisual Products

Scripts for up to 10 audio-visual products all hazards

Scripts for up to 20 audio-visual products levees/flood

Scripts for up to 10 audio-visual products about dam safety related topics

Explanatory Text for

Graphics, Photographs, or

Infographics

Explanatory text for up to 30 visual products

Explanatory text for up to 30 visual products

Explanatory text for up to 30 visual products

Products will be provided digitally in a version that can be edited and or altered by USACE and in a version that cannot be altered for public consumption.

Emergency Management and Flood Risk Management.

● Anticipated to virtually support numerous Emergency Management (EM) and Flood Risk

Management (FRM) annual training and exercise events by developing/creating as many as

30-40 viewers/applications per year.

2.1. Contractor Personnel. Contractor personnel shall always identify themselves as contractors, such as, when attending meetings, answering Government telephones, or working in situations where their actions could be construed as official government acts. The contractor must display his or her name and the name of the company while in the working area, wear and display a building pass, if required by security procedures and include the company’s name in his or her email display.

2.2. Additional Qualifications of Contractor Assigned Personnel.

The chosen contractor must have knowledge and expertise in the overall understanding of map overlays and an understanding of the relationships with different customer platforms. Shall be proficient with Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) software. Shall be required to provide to support training team members and federal, state, and local partners with exercise

Geographic Information System (GIS) products. Selected individual shall have a minimum of five (5) years of experience as a GIS manager. The contractor must have experience developing materials that are complaint with Section 508 and that can be translated or adjusted to meet a broad audience (including producing materials in multiple languages and that employ best practices in audience segmentation to tailor resources to the intended end-user). Experience working with federal, state, tribal, or local partners on flood risk communication would be beneficial but is not required.

For any work approved to be performed at a remote and/or non-government site, the

Contractor shall provide software updates and licenses/subscriptions for:

1- Environmental System Research Institute ArcGIS Desktop.

2- Environmental System Research Institute ArcGIS Spatial Analyst.

3- Environmental System Research Institute ArcGIS Primary Maintenance.

4- Microsoft 365.

5- McAfee antivirus.

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL). Install required software updates and obtain licenses without causing delay to the performance of the requirements.

2.2.1. General. All contractor personnel shall be able to read, write, speak, and understand

English. All contractor personnel shall possess good written and verbal communications skills.

All contractor personnel shall have functional knowledge of proper English grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation rules to identify errors and make corrections as errors are encountered.

2.2.2. Employee Training. It is expected that the Contractor shall provide a trained workforce.

The Government may offer training in specific procedures related to USACE functions, to include participation in Department of Defense (DOD) sponsored training. However, it is expected that the contractor shall provide necessary upgrade training for its employees in areas of new information technology on an annual basis at no cost to the Government. Future training and conference attendance to upgrade skills that the Government may need contractor employees to receive may be provided by the Government. Requests for such training or conference attendance will be approved by COR prior to arrangements being made by either government or contractor personnel.

3.0 Security and Privacy. All contractor and all associated sub‐contractors’ employees shall comply with applicable installation, facility, and area commander installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures (provided by government representative). The contractor shall also provide all information required for background checks to meet installation access requirements to be accomplished by installation Provost Marshal Office, Director of Emergency

Services or Security Office. Contractor workforce must comply with all personal identity verification requirements as directed by DOD, Headquarters Dept of Army and/or local policy.

In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the Force Protection

Condition (FPCON) at any individual facility or installation change, the Government may require changes in contractor security matters or processes.

3.1. Clearances. Contractor and employees of the contractor are required to be citizens of the

United States and must maintain such status during the duration of this contract. Positions are categorized as “IT-I and IT-II access” depending on the assigned task and are required to have the appropriate background investigations. In accordance with DOD 5200-2.R, all persons (DOD military, civilian, and contractor personnel) using unclassified automated information systems must have at a minimum a favorable National Agency Check with Inquiry and Credit Checks

(NACI). The contractor shall submit verification of this check to the Mobile District Security

Office (CESAM-SC) for each contract employee on the task prior to the employee beginning work on the task. If no Facility Clearance (FCL), the supporting Government Contracting

Activity will sponsor the prime contract company in obtaining the FCL "All contractor employees shall ensure the following AT/OPSEC requirements are met prior to deploying personnel authorized to accompany U.S. Armed Forces outside the United States; to include compliance with laws, regulations, pre-deployment requirements, and required training in accordance with combatant command guidance."

3.2. Common Access Card. Each contract employee will be issued a Common Access Card

(CAC) by the Government. The CAC shall be returned by the contract employee to the issuing

DEERS/RAPIDS Work center and the DEERS/RAPIDS Work center shall be notified to revoke the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Certificates when a contract employee's employment is terminated, re-assigned outside this statement of work (SOW), or if the contract expires. Each contractor shall wear the CAC such that it is always readily visible during contract performance.

All contractor and all associated sub‐contractor employees shall comply with applicable installation, facility and area commander installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures (provided by government representative).

3.3. Privacy Act. It is anticipated that this task may require the handling of information that is covered by the Privacy Act of 1974, such as Social Security Numbers, birthdates, and home telephone numbers. The contractor shall adhere to the requirements of this law to its fullest extent.

3.4. Pre-Screening. The Contractor must pre‐screen Candidates using the E‐verify Program

(http://www.dhs.gov/E‐Verify) website to meet the established employment eligibility requirements. The Vendor must ensure that the Candidate has two (2) valid forms of

Government issued identification prior to ensure the correct information is entered into the E‐ verify system. An initial list of verified/eligible Candidates must be provided to the COR no later than three (3) business days after the initial contract award.

4.0. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE.

While most of the work is to be performed at the site listed below, the services of this contract are available throughout the USACE South Atlantic Division (SAD).

TBD

5.0. HOURS OF WORK. Normal working hours for the Mobile District Headquarters Office

Building are from 0630 - 1715 Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Deliveries and/or duties required by this performance-based work statement may require work outside of these hours to meet the applicable deadlines required under this task order; however, no additional overtime compensation above and beyond the Contractor’s proposal is contemplated.

6.0. CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTANCE. The COR will review the contractor’s deliverables to ensure compliance with all specifications. The COR has the authority to inspect and accept/reject deliverables. The acceptance of deliverables and satisfactory work performance required shall be based on the timeliness and accuracy of the products requested by the agency. Contractor is responsible for the completeness and accuracy of all required work performed and compliance with all parts of the contract. Contractor is responsible for identifying the requirements of all laws and regulations.

7.0. REIMBURSABLE COSTS. All reimbursable costs must be authorized in advance and in writing by the Contracting Officer. All requests for reimbursable costs shall be in conformance with contract requirements. Travel will be reimbursed in accordance with joint travel regulations

(JTR). The contractor shall ensure that the requested travel cost will not exceed what has been authorized by the Contracting Officer. The contractor invoices for travel shall be submitted for payment no later than the 15th day of the month after the travel. Travel costs shall be itemized by individual contractor employee and detailed to allow for thorough analysis.

7.1. Non-Personal Services. The contractor shall provide strictly non-personal services and contractor employees are not subject to direct supervision and control by the Government. The contractor shall advise and support the Government but shall not make final decisions or certifications on behalf of the Government nor perform any inherently governmental functions.

The contractor and its employees shall not represent the Government nor appear to represent the

Government in performance of these contract services. Contractor personnel shall clearly identify themselves as contractor employees in all interactions during contract performance.

8.0. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS. All Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) procured through this task must meet the applicable accessibility standards at 36 CFR 1194, unless an agency exception to this requirement exists. 36 CFR 1194 implements Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and is viewable at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm - Part 1194.

9.0. Deliverables and Submittal Schedule. The contractor shall provide a comprehensive report by the 15th day of the following month, identifying the tasks required, performed, and completed for the applicable invoice period.

10.0. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. This task order includes base year tasks and four (4) option years to be awarded at the government’s discretion. The period of performance for the base year is 12 months (365 days), and, if awarded, each option year would add another 12 months (365 days) for a total period of performance (with options) of 48 months (1460 days) after award.

http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS)

This PWS not only discusses work to be performed, but also contains performance standards and acceptable performance levels (APL). Performance standards are "tools" the Government uses to measure level of performance. A standard is an optimum performance level against which actual performance can be measured or evaluated. For example, in the statement "complete a service call in 24 hours" the standard is 24 hours. The number of days actually taken to finish this task is the performance indicator, which determines if the work performed was below, met, or exceeded the standard. Developing accurate performance standards is crucial to ensuring that the actual performance received, regardless of the service provider, meets the requirements of the PWS.

This PWS includes performance standards for each of the Functional Areas of the PWS. The performance standards provided with this PWS seek to state the characteristics of properly completed outputs. Each performance standard contains standards for both quality and timeliness.

Quality Assurance. The COR will inspect for compliance with Contract terms throughout the

Contract period. Evaluation will be based on the Contractor’s compliance with the requirements set forth in the PRS. The Government will monitor the Contractor's performance under this

Contract by performing surveillance using the PRS. The PRS is used primarily to determine if the Contractor is performing all required outputs. The PRS also indicates for contractors the importance of each required service.

DFARS 222.17 mandates including surveillance for ensuring compliance with Combatting

Trafficking in Persons (CTIP). The COR will monitor the contractor’s performance regarding trafficking in persons through the checklist for auditing compliance with CTIP policy found at

DFARS PGI 222.17. Such non-compliance with FAR clause 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons, will be brought to the immediate attention of the Contracting Officer (KO). See the

DoD CTIP website (https://ctip.defense.gov) for further information.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

Objective AQL

Primary Method of

Surveillance and

Evaluation (Inspection, Type and Frequency)

Incentive/Disincentive

Comprehensive technical and multi-media support, to include all deliverables as described in the performance work statement

In accordance with the performance work statement

In accordance with current state, local and federal regulations in effect at the time of task order award

Accurate

Complete

Responsive

Timely

Documented in

Monthly Reports and all specified deliverables

Random sampling

Review monthly reports.

As necessary, feedback on the monthly reports.

Quarterly reviews

Continuous review, dialogue, and observation.

Confirmation that review, comments addressed and incorporated, project updated monthly as part of monthly progress report.

98% of tasks completed satisfactorily

Incentive:

- Acceptance of work performed satisfactorily.

- Maximum monthly contract payment will be paid in full.

Disincentive:

- Re- performance within

2 business days of notification at contractor’s expense

- Negotiated consideration for deficiency or delay.

- Corrective Action Plan request by KO

- Termination for Default

Task Order

Management

Cost Control

Efficient use of resources

Adherence to schedule

Continuous services throughout task order performance without interruption including, but not limited to personnel turnover.

Review accuracy of budget estimates to be reflective of work performed.

Verify process to maintain accountability if have GFE.

Verification that all personnel working onboard installation have a favorable

NACi on file, in accordance with all

DoD requirements.

Verify contractor use of government computers meet all security requirements.

98% of tasks completed satisfactorily

Incentive:

- Acceptance of work performed satisfactorily.

- Maximum monthly

- Negotiated consideration for deficiency or delay.

- Corrective Action Plan

CTIP and other

Required Training for individual

Employees

In accordance with the performance work statement and other contractual requirements

In accordance with current state, local and federal regulations in effect at the time of task order award

100% compliance Incentive:

- Acceptance of work performed satisfactorily.

- Maximum monthly

- Negotiated consideration for deficiency.

- Corrective Action Plan