RFQ attachment - Statement of Work.pdf

Statement of Work

Workshop Facilitation for the “Additive Construction-The Path to Standardization Continues” Workshop

Background The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory (EL) Materials and Structural Systems Division (MSSD) studies the durability and service life of infrastructure materials (polymer, concrete, engineered composites) for resilience infrastructure applications. One of the key research focuses is the development of Additive Construction methods, materials, and measurement requirements. Additive Construction by Extrusion (ACE) has the potential to revolutionize construction by complimenting the existing workforce, eliminating the need to construct formwork, and enabling architectural or structural designs that cannot be achieved by standard practices. As ACE has progressed over the past few years, the development of standards has not kept pace, and the need has become essential to promote the industry standards and ensure safe structures.

NIST has the unique opportunity to aide in the development of the measurement science tools and scientific knowledge base to support the industry’s needs of performance-based standards for 3-D printed concrete structures. This objective will be aided by supporting the implementation of all aspects of structural design and related testing standards and engineering guidelines. To do so, a stakeholder’s workshop was held September 26th and 27th 2023 in collaboration with The U.S.

Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), where discussions focused on the industry needs relative to the structural aspects of additively constructed structures. The workshop also served as a launch event for a new consortium, the Additive Construction by Extrusion (ACE) Consortium, which provides connections between NIST and other stakeholders to continue needed work in this field.

As progress on the path continues, a second workshop is scheduled to be held on August 20th and 21st 2024 to review industry progress over the previous year and to develop prospective agendas for future ACE development.

The workshop event for the current requirement, entitled “Additive Construction – The Path to Standardization Continues,” will bring together industry stakeholders to discuss gaps in the current standard documents and how the industry can fill these gaps. This requirement will build upon the previous workshop conducted in collaboration with ERDC-CERL, entitled the “Roadmap for Advanced Technologies for the Digitalization of the Construction Industry and Additive Construction – The Path to Standardization,” which was sponsored by NIST and held at ASTM International (formally known as the “American Society for Testing and Materials”) in Philadelphia, PA. The new workshop will include presentations, discussions, and breakout sessions directed towards the current state, and the desired future state, for the additive construction industry, R&D needs, timelines, and action items. Topics will focus on the materials and testing methods related to additive construction and the needs of the industry with respect to engineering design, standards, and guidelines. Participation will be through application for attendance from industry, government, and research organizations to participate in the workshop along with representation from several ASTM and American Concrete Industry (ACI) technical committees. The workshop discussions will contribute to the continuing development of a roadmap for standardization of printing and testing methods.

Purpose The purpose of this requirement is to obtain contractor services to facilitate the workshop, as detailed further in this Statement of Work. NIST requires facilitation support services to conduct the two-day “Additive Construction – The Path to Standardization Continues” event, which is scheduled to occur on August 20-21, 2024, in Rockville, Maryland. The NIST Conference Planning division has completed the infrastructural requirements to conduct the workshop, such as location, hotels, transportation, catering, etc. The event has a registration limit of 100 registrants including all speakers and associated staff.

Scope of Work The contractor shall provide all labor, materials, equipment, project oversight, administration, and technical execution of this contract. The contractor is responsible for maintaining accurate records of project activities. The Contractor shall perform the following task activities in support of facilitating the planning and operation of the workshop.

General Requirements: Description of Required Services The contractor shall:

Prior to the workshop, refine discussion topics and how to utilize the breakout rooms to be most effective and gain the most information (based on outputs from past meetings and input from main registered parties). Pre-workshop engagement with NIST, past attendees, and potential attendees may include interviews, surveys, or other means to help direct the 2nd workshop. The draft report from the first workshop will be available for reference but should not be the sole source for the event planning.

Facilitate the events of the day (i.e., operating as the Master of Ceremonies (MC)). Use of participation software or platforms along with other applications of engagement is encouraged to set the event apart from previous workshop.

During the workshop, participate and manage breakout room discussions and keep topics on point. Additionally, organize and produce the collection of notes and participant responses (i.e., to discussion points during breakout sessions and other ongoing events throughout the workshop, as applicable).

Post workshop, provide a report or summary with all notes, discussion results or conclusions, and other relevant information, for use in writing a detailed “State of the Art” roadmap, in accordance with this Statement of Work.

Provide a draft roadmap report combining both workshop events. The report may be further augmented by NIST and ERDC-CERL and is anticipated to be published through NIST (all authors will be cited).

Specific Tasks:

The contractor shall plan and design, facilitate and document the Additive Construction – The Path to Standardization Workshop by performing the following tasks:

Task 1: Plan and Design Workshop

a. Clearly define desired workshop outputs (specific deliverables to be created during the workshop) and outcomes (intended results of individual and collective actions from stakeholders) in consultation with NIST.

b. Reverse engineer workshop facilitation methods and session exercises to deliver outputs and create interactions that can help build toward outcomes.

c. Advise on the content of the breakout session topics and participant composition, including outputs and outcomes, to optimize effective workshop potential.

d. Prepare a detailed workshop facilitation process agenda. This agenda is not intended for distribution to participants. Rather, it shall script timing, transitions, and exercises to be used in each agenda block, helping to ensure the workshop runs smoothly, delivers the needed outputs, and parallel breakout sessions result in parallel outputs.

Task 2: Facilitate Workshop

a. The contractor shall provide one (1) senior facilitator and two (2) or more

Breakout Session facilitators to attend the two-day workshop, scheduled for August 20-21, 2024, at the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) in Rockville MD.

b. The Senior facilitator shall facilitate and act as the MC for all workshop sessions, managing transitions and maintaining overall schedule.

c. The Senior facilitator and Breakout Session facilitators shall lead breakout sessions, with each breakout consisting of an anticipated 12-20 participants.

d. Confer with NIST project leads, through the NIST Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and NIST Subject Matter Expert (SME), on a frequent basis during breaks and immediately after Day 1, to discuss possible adjustments to the facilitation plan based on the results of Day 1 of the workshop. The COR may or may not implement any possible adjustments or contingency plans as discussed with the Contractor.

Task 3: Document Workshop Results

a. Prepare draft workshop summary report. The report shall contain two main components:

i. A two-page summary of key findings, with emphasis on the findings that suggest early actions for developing standards, design guidance, and the ACE Consortium.

ii. Raw data and workshop outputs from digital and physical capture methods (e.g., flipchart pages, storyboarding results, notes, photographs, and digital tool content) in the form of a summary report, organized by agenda item and breakout session topic. The raw data and workshop outputs shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Workshop notes shall capture detailed results of brainstorming and analysis sessions in bulleted and tabular format. “Transcript-style” notes are not acceptable.

2. NIST will use the documented notes provided by the Contractor as reference material for NIST staff to prepare a detailed report of workshop findings.

b. Provide draft summary of key findings and workshop notes, ensuring results are clear and complete, to the COR for review and comment.

c. Review and address feedback from the COR; produce final workshop summary report.

d. Provide draft State of the Art Roadmap report to be augmented by NIST and ERDC-CERL and published through NIST (all authors will be cited).

a. The State-of-the-Art Roadmap report shall combine all previous events and tasks described in this SOW and the results from the previous workshop, “Roadmap for Advanced Technologies for the Digitalization of the Construction Industry and Additive Construction – The Path to Standardization.”

b. The final State-of-the-Art Roadmap shall be produced in publication-quality form in the following format:

i. Cover page

ii. Documentation page (Standard Form 298)

iii. Abstract

iv. Acknowledgments

v. Executive Summary

vi. Contents

vii. Introduction

viii. Body

ix. Key Findings

x. Conclusions

xi. References

xii. Appendix (if needed)

Delivery Requirements

Task(s) Description Format Quantity Due Date Task 1 Final facilitation process agenda MS Word 1 August 12, 2024

Task 2 Facilitate and document in-person workshop (one lead facilitator, two or more breakout facilitators)

Attendance and participation at Workshop, Verbal communication and Written report

1 August 20-21, Task 3 Draft workshop summary report

Two-page summary of key findings and detailed raw notes in MS Word

1 August 30, 2024

Final workshop summary report

Inclusive report including: Two-page summary of key findings, detailed pre-engagement

1 September 6, activities and results, how these and previous report directed 2nd workshop, Recommendations for future bodies of work and activities, and detailed raw notes in MS Word.

State-of-the art roadmap report

State-of-the art roadmap report. Combining all previous events and tasks to provide a draft roadmap to be augmented and prepared for publication.

1 September 20th.

Standards for Acceptance of Deliverables:

The COR and SME will provide comments on each deliverable within 7 calendar days from receipt of a given deliverable. The Contractor shall make any needed changes to the reports within 7 calendar days from receipt of electronic or written comments from the COR and SME.

The COR will provide written notification when a deliverable is accepted.

Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be effective from July 29, 2024, through October 11, 2024.

Place of Performance

The primary place of performance shall be the Contractor’s site. The contractor will be required to work onsite at the workshop location while the workshop is taking place, to be located at the NCCoE in Rockville, MD, located at 9700 Great Seneca Highway, Rockville, MD 20850.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED INFORMATION/PROPERTY

The government will furnish to the Contractor a copy of the results from the prior “Roadmap for Advanced Technologies for the Digitalization of the Construction Industry and Additive Construction – The Path to Standardization” to be used in performance of this requirement. All property, data and information provided by the Government in the performance of this task remains the property of the Government and shall be surrendered to the government upon completion or termination of this requirement. Likewise, all deliverables generated under this requirement remain the property of the Government.

Key Personnel Minimum Qualifications

It is anticipated that this Statement of Work will require the Contractor to assign at least three individuals as Key Personnel. Note that the labor categories identified are not mandatory and are simply sample labor category titles that cover the minimum required qualifications. The Key personnel minimum qualification requirements are detailed below.

1. One (1) Senior Facilitator

- Minimum Qualifications:

o A bachelor’s degree or higher in science, communications, policy, or technology field, or the equivalent.

o At least 5 years of professional experience in providing written communication as a Facilitator or Note-taker or scribe. The Key personnel shall possess a documented ability to obtain technical information from numerous sources and synthesize and formulate it into a clear integrated document for others to review.

2. Two (2) or more Breakout Facilitators

- Minimum Qualifications o At least 2 years of experience in the design facilitation process for workshops, working group meetings, breakout discussions, or other types of technical meetings.

o At least 2 years of experience in facilitating small to large group discussions, and in recording results in real time.

o No educational requirement is needed for the Breakout Facilitators.

Travel:

The contractor shall propose a ceiling amount for travel cost in their quotation, which will be evaluated in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and for determining price reasonableness. The contractor shall be required to travel to the NCCoE to attend the workshop.

All travel cost shall be reviewed and approved in advance by the COR. Approved travel will be reimbursed in accordance with the GSA Federal Travel Regulation (FTR). Travel will be included as a separate line item in the contract for the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) amount to be evaluated and determined acceptable.

The Contractor shall be responsible for making all travel arrangements to attend the Workshop including, but not limited to, airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rental reservations, etc. All travel cost must be pre-authorized by the COR. The Contractor shall make every effort to keep travel costs to a minimum and shall not exceed the travel budget assigned for this requirement.

Contract Type:

The contract type of this Purchase Order will be Firm-Fixed-Price in accordance with the following CLIN structure:

CLIN 0001: Fixed-Price – All Deliverables associated with the tasks identified in this Statement of Work, including cost for travel.

CLIN 0002: Travel Cost, Not-to-Exceed (NTE) amount, “TBD” (see Travel section)

General Information:

Section 508 Accessibility

All deliverables provided on this contract shall be submitted in accordance with the applicable accessibility standards and be Section 508 compliant.

Risk Levels

The Contractor shall not have access to any Department of Commerce or NIST information technology network and no risk level is associated with this requirement.

General Information

Confidential or Proprietary Data: This work does not involve confidential or proprietary data.

Media Inquiries: The Contractor or their employees shall not respond to any media inquiries.

Any inquiries from the media shall be immediately relayed to the COR and/or CO. There shall be no interviews, comments, or any other response without the knowledge and approval of the NIST Public Affairs Office.