RFI-CBP-CIRT2026

STATEMENT OF WORK

CRITICAL INCIDENT RESPONSE

PSYCHOLOGIST

JUNE 2026

United States Customs and Border Protection

Air and Marine Operations

1. BACKGROUND

The mission of U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is to serve and protect the American people. They conduct their mission in the air and maritime environments at and beyond the border, and within the nation’s interior. AMO interdicts unlawful people and cargo approaching U.S. borders, investigates criminal networks and provides domain awareness in the air and maritime environments, and responds to contingencies and national taskings.

Occasionally in the line of duty, pilots and federal law enforcement officers (LEOs) encounter events that are not considered within the normal scope of day-to-day duties. Sometimes these events touch their lives in ways that are unexpected, and federal officers are left with the lasting impact (both negative and positive), shaping their professional and sometimes personal lives. To address these concerns, AMO developed the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) to offer confidential assistance and support to all AMO employees post traumatic incidents, and to refer employees to necessary resources for follow-up care. AMO employees and support staff that have been trained and certified as

CIRT members provide immediate support following a critical incident. A certified CIRT member is not a licensed counselor or therapist, but acts as a peer support provider, rapidly deploying to a critical incident offering information and an opportunity to obtain information and direction to resolve emotionally charged matters in a confidential setting. For CIRT to remain effective, there is a need for

AMO to procure an annual contract for a dedicated Psychologist, specializing in trauma psychology, who would be tasked with providing training to new and active CIRT members, as well as providing on-site critical incident management services during the aftermath of extreme traumatic events. CIRT

Psychologist typically deploy ~3 times per year.

2. SCOPE

AMO requires contractor support in the form of a dedicated Psychologist who can train and equip active and new CIRT members with the necessary skills to administer psychological first aid during the aftermath of high-stress or critical incidents in the field. Additionally, the contractor should be available to respond both remote and on-site during CIRT activations to provide guidance to CIRT, and consultations during and after critical incidents as they arise and guide employees to local - services.

The contractor shall provide all the necessary services, qualified personnel and material, not otherwise provided by the Government to perform these duties. The contractor shall be responsible for selecting personnel who are well qualified to fulfil the requirements of this task, for supervising techniques used in their work, and for keeping them informed of all changes and methods of operation. 5 U.S.C.

7901(c)(4) only authorizes the Agency to provide preventive programs relating to health, not general medical treatment.

3. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Contractor will provide resumé, licensing, and accreditation documentation as set forth in the Key

Personnel requirements.

4. TASKS

The following is a list of general tasks required from a psychologist, specializing in trauma:

1. Professional oversight, planning, and coordination of the CIRT to include initial and recurrent annual training

a. Training should include extreme stress and traumatic events; pre-incident inoculation;

emergency response and policies; crisis response and follow up; Critical Incident Stress

Management (CISM);); peer support; trauma and resiliency workshops; skills in active listening, providing support, referral to professionals, debriefing and defusing

b. Contractor will provide all training materials for all training sessions

c. A training session will be based on four 8-hour days (initial) and three 8-hour days

(recurrent)

2. Upon activation of CIRT, provides consults during and after critical incidents as they arise, and guide employees to local clinical support, as needed. Must have the ability to deploy within 24 to

48 hours of the event, if requested.

3. When not deployed, conducts phone consultations with CIRT personnel, as well as affected employees who have been impacted by a work-related traumatic event.

a. If there is an identifiable need for the Psychologist, the employee will be referred by the

CIRT PM via TEAMS

i. Services provided under this paragraph are intended solely for short term, preventative care,(e.g., stabilization, consultation, and referral to follow on care) and shall not constitute long-term, ongoing treatment under this contract.

ii. The employee may access on-site and/or TEAMS consultations on a strictly limited, interim basis until adequate and appropriate local mental health resources are identified- and a reasonable transition to such care is effectuated.

1. These interim services are not intended to constitute ongoing treatment and should not be construed as a replacement or diminish the requirement to obtain local, continuous mental health treatment.

iii. The contractor shall assist the employee in identifying suitable local mental health providers and, when clinically appropriate, shall transition the employees’ care to those providers as soon as practicable.

b. If directly contacted by an AMO employee for assistance, the Psychologist may bill the contract for services rendered if:

i. The contract and requested services fall within the scope of this SOW and involve an AMO employee (or covered family member) as defined by the CIRT program

ii. The services are appropriate to the Psychologist’s role under this contract and are not intended to establish long-term, ongoing treatment under this contract. Any such services shall be limited to short-term, episodic intervention (e.g., initial consultation, triage, and referral).

iii. The contractor notifies the CIRT Program Manager of the direct contact and the general nature of services provided no later than the next business day, consistent with applicable confidentiality, privacy, and ethical requirements.

iv. The contractor shall not advertise or distribute the Psychologist’s direct contact information for unrestricted individual therapy or long-term treatment outside channels approved by the CIRT Program Manager and COR.

4. Provides in-person support during National Police Week in Washington, D.C., held in May annually, for initial and returning family members that have been affected by a traumatic event.

5. Provides in-person instruction (1 day) during each AMO Academy class in Brunswick, GA at designated AMO training facilities. There are typically 6-8 classes per year

a. At a minimum, this shall include delivery of the classroom portion of the curriculum and remaining on-site after the scheduled class, as needed,

i. to provide one-on-one visits, consultations, and preliminary assessments for students and staff who request assistance or are identified as needing additional support.

b. When providing instruction or services at AMO Academy or AMO Headquarters, contractor personnel shall dress in a professional manner appropriate to a federal law enforcement training and headquarters environment.

5. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The contractor is required to provide support to the following Air and Marine regions: Southeast;

Southwest; Northern Border; as well as the Air and Marine Operations Center in Riverside, CA and the training facilities in Oklahoma City, OK, Brunswick, GA, and St. Augustine, FL. Other locations will be determined as needed and will be specific Air and/or Marine branches and units where AMO employees work within the United States and Puerto Rico.

6. SECURITY

The Contractor shall be responsible to ensure that all contractor personnel comply with all security requirements and applicable U.S. laws. Performance under this Statement of Work (SOW) is considered sensitive, but unclassified and a security clearance is not required.

A background investigation is required for this contract.

The Contractor shall comply with the CBP administrative, physical and technical security controls to ensure that the Government’s security requirements are met. The Contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce data, which bears a restrictive legend, other than is required in the performance of this SOW.

7. HSAR CLASS DEVIATION 15-01, SAFEGUARDING OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION

In regards to Safeguarding of Controlled Unclassified Information (HSAR Case 2015-001),”

“Information Technology Security Awareness Training (HSAR Case 2015-002),” and “Privacy Training

(HSAR Case 2015-003)” (82 FR 6429, 82 FR 6446, and 82 FR 6425 respectively). The contractor shall understand the HSAR in the following ways:

1. Their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding controlled unclassified information (CUI);

2. The contractor and/or subcontractor employees complete information technology (IT) security awareness training before DHS provides them with access to DHS information systems and information resources or contractor-owned and/or operated information systems and information resources where CUI is collected, processed, stored or transmitted on behalf of the agency;

3. The contractor and/or subcontractor employees sign the DHS Rules of Behavior before DHS provides them with access to DHS information systems, information resources, or contractor-owned and/or operated information systems and information resources where CUI is collected, processed, stored or transmitted on behalf of the agency; and

4. The contractor and/or subcontractor employees complete privacy training before accessing a

Government system of records; handling personally identifiable information (PII) and/or sensitive PII information; or designing, developing, maintaining, or operating a system of records on behalf of the Government.

https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/82-FR-6429 https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/82-FR-6446 https://www.federalregister.gov/citation/82-FR-6425

A copy of the Federal Register Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR); Safeguarding of

Controlled Unclassified Information (HSAR Case 2015–001); Information Technology Security

Awareness Training (HSAR Case 2015–002); Privacy Training (HSAR Case 2015– 003) from

March 2017 is readily available for review.

8. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

8.1 Key Personnel

The Contractor shall provide qualified personnel to perform the work required by this SOW.

Specifically, there is a need for a dedicated Psychologist, specializing in trauma, who possesses the following qualities:

• Degree: Must possess a Doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the

Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be in the area of Trauma.

• Licensure: Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

• Minimum of five years working with both the military and federal law enforcement agencies

• The ability to deliver the necessary information to train CIRT in the following areas: the biological and cognitive reactions to stress; the symptoms of such reactions; ways in which to recognize these reactions in self and others; the ability to provide psychological first aid to AMO employees as needed

• Background/experience in responding to extremely high stress, chaotic situations with significant physical and emotional trauma

• Minimum of five years’ experience working with PTSD

• Knowledge and understanding of the Critical Incident Stress Management model when responding to traumatic events.

8.1.1 Additional Personnel

• Two or more clinicians may travel to a location under the following conditions:

o Bona fide need under the approval of the AMO Director of Resilience

Engagement Division (RED) or designee in their absence.

o Extreme emergency conditions as approved by the AMO Director of RED or designee in their absence.

o Follow-up travel to an emergency location will be approved by the AMO Director of RED or designee in their absence.

8.2 Inspection and Assistance

The Government reserves the right to reject any deliverables based on defects with respect to completeness, correctness, clarity, and consistencies. In the event of a rejection of any deliverable, the Contracting Officer will notify the contractor in writing within five (5) business days of the receipt of the deliverable of any deficiencies to be corrected. The contractor shall have five (5) business days to correct the deficiencies.

• Accuracy – all deliverables shall be accurate in presentation, content, and shall adhere to the guidelines set forth in this document. All documentation presented to the

Government shall be complete, correct, clear and consistent.

• Clarity – deliverables shall be clear and concise.

• Timeliness – deliverables shall be submitted on or before the due date specified in the

SOW or submitted in accordance with a later scheduled date mutually agreed upon by the

Government and the contractor. A deliverable is considered timely if submitted on or before the date specified in the SOW and, if the Government provides any written notification of deficiencies, the contractor corrects the deficiencies within five (5) business days.

Monthly, the Director of RED, CIRT Program Manager, and the Contract Officer Representative will meet at the CBP place of performance or via conference call to review work performance.

Overall clarity and accuracy will determine acceptance of services. This is not intended to restrict or limit the Government’s review of contractor performance and the Government, at its option, may perform additional tests and inspections, as it deems necessary.

8.3 Travel

Travel expenses will be reimbursed based on the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and the per diem rates (meals and incidental expenses) in effect at the travel location, with lodging reimbursed at actual cost.

Travel expenses invoiced to the Government will be in accordance with the FTR; expenditures that exceed the FTR will not be reimbursed by the Government.

Regarding travel:

a. Contractors may be provided with access to Concur/CGE, the Government Travel System

b. All travel will be booked through this system and in accordance with the FTR

i. If there is an unavoidable event that Concur/CGE is unavailable:

Regarding airfare:

a. Flights are to be chosen as close to government rate cost as possible.

b. REFUNDABLE tickets are to be chosen.

a. In the event a trip is cancelled, cancelled non-refundable tickets will only be reimbursed at the cost of government ticket to that location.

b. This expense will be required as part of the monthly invoice

c. Receipts for all expenses/travel must be attached

9. DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The contractor shall provide written reports detailing work performed under this contract to the

Contracting Officer Representative within 10 working days after the end of the month. Each report shall summarize activities for the preceding month, to include work accomplished, work planned, and any problems encountered or anticipated, problems resolved, cost/expenditure data and any other pertinent issues the contractor wishes to bring to the Government’s attention.

The contractor shall provide electronic invoicing with supporting documentation on a calendar month basis within 10 working days following the end of the month. When billing, the contractor shall identify the funding breakout, including travel, material or training costs, on invoices ordered by Contract Line

Number.

10. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance of this contract shall be for a period of one (1) base year, followed by three

(3) option years. Dates are as follows:

Base Year: TBD

Option Year 1: TBD

Option Year 2: TBD

Option Year 3: TBD

11. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Beginning April 11, 2016, payment requests for all new awards must be submitted electronically through the U. S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). Payment terms for existing contracts and orders awarded prior to April 11, 2016 remain the same. The Contractor must use IPP for contracts and orders awarded April 11, 2016, or later, and must use the non-IPP invoicing process for those contracts and orders awarded prior to April 11, 2016.

"Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the

Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), "Payment documentation and process" and the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in this contract. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.

Under this contract, the following documents are required to be submitted as an attachment to the IPP:

• Line-item invoice

• Receipts for all expenses/travel

The IPP was designed and developed for Contractors to enroll, access and use IPP for submitting requests for payment. Contractor assistance with enrollment can be obtained by contacting

IPPCustomerSupport@fms.treas.gov or phone (866) 973-3131.

If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to use IPP for submitting invoices for payment, the Contractor must submit a waiver request in writing to the contracting officer.

13. POINTS OF CONTACT

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR):

https://www.ipp.gov/

Desireé E. Limón

845 First Street, Bldg. 50

Corpus Christi, TX78419

(361) 698-6724

Desiree.e.limon@cbp.dhs.gov

DISCLOSED AT TIME OF AWARD

CIRT Program Manager:

Brian M. Paulsen

1355 Customs Way, Bldg. 605

Riverside, CA 92518

(951)842-0758

Brian.m.paulsen@cbp.dhs.gov

Director of Resilience Engagement Division:

Erin C. Reel

1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 6.4A

Washington, DC, 20229

202-325-2706 Office

Erin.c.reel@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Desiree.e.limon@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Brian.m.paulsen@cbp.dhs.gov mailto:Erin.c.reel@cbp.dhs.gov