Statement of Work.docx

Statement of Work (SOW) Template Orders for Services

GENERAL INFORMATION

Title of Project:

AmeriCorps Seniors Convening 2022

Statement of Need, Purpose, and/or Objective:

The purpose of this convening is to provide a training opportunity for AmeriCorps Seniors grantees. The vendor will be required to secure a facilities appropriate to the event, providing a timely and easy registration process, supporting the creation of an agenda that meets training needs and uses in-person training’s unique suitability for interactive content and standard messaging setting.

The convening will serve the recipients of AmeriCorps Seniors approximately 1,100 grants across the country, providing them opportunities for training, technical assistance, and peer learning opportunities. Specific attendees will include AmeriCorps Seniors grantee project directors, executive directors and other management staff, and support staff. Additional attendees will include limited numbers of AmeriCorps staff and individuals from other organizations, in attendance primarily to present information to other attendees. Maximum attendance is 1,300 individuals.

Event Outline: The convening will consist of one half-day training to take place on its first day (beginning at approximately 1:00pm ET), one full day of content on the second day (beginning at approximately 8:30am ET and concluding at approximately 5:30pm ET) and one half-day of content on the third and final day (ending approximately at 12:00pm ET). Though subject to change to accommodate the venue and other context factors, the intended schedule is as follows:

· Day 1: Tuesday

· Opening Plenary: 1:00 to 2:30pm EST

· Workshop Session Block 1: 3:00 – 4:30pm EST

· Day 2: Wednesday

· Workshop Session Block 2: 8:30 to 10:00am ET

· Workshop Session Block 3: 10:30am to 12:00pm ET

· Lunch Plenary: 12:30 to 1:30pm ET

· Workshop Session Block 4: 2:00 to 3:30pm ET

· Workshop Session Block 5: 4:00 to 5:30pm ET

· Day 3: Thursday

· Workshop Session Block 6: 8:30 to 10:00am ET

· Closing Plenary: 10:30 to 12:00pm ET

Background Information:

The Corporation for National and Community Service (dba AmeriCorps) is seeking a vendor to provide conference and meeting support services for a national AmeriCorps Seniors Grantee Convening to occur in April or May 2022.

About AmeriCorps Seniors AmeriCorps Senior connects today’s Americans who are 55 and older with the people and organizations that need them most. We help them become mentors, coaches or companions to people in need, or contribute their job skills and expertise to community projects and organizations. We do this by providing funds to local and national organizations and agencies committed to using national service to address critical community needs. AmeriCorps Seniors taps the skills, talents and experience of more than 200,000 Americans age 55 and over to meet a wide range of community challenges through three programs: RSVP, the Foster Grandparent Program, and the Senior Companion Program.

AmeriCorps Seniors provides a variety of training and technical assistance support to its grantees and potential applicants to its programs. Given the size of this potential audience and its distribution throughout the country, much of this training is provided via distance learning, including both synchronous activities, such as live webinars, and asynchronous activities, such as eCourses and the publication of various tools and job aids. This State of Work seeks to supplement those ongoing distance learning activities with a national, in-person convening of AmeriCorps Seniors grantees. This will allow AmeriCorps Seniors to provide a type of training that is much more difficult to implement online, namely one that uses substantial interactivity to facilitate creative problem-solving and the application of new ideas, ensures that nearly all grantees hear important key messages from AmeriCorps in the same way, at the same time, and facilitates peer-to-peer learning among grantees.

There is no incumbent for this activity. In 2019, AmeriCorps Seniors hosted a series of smaller events, collectively titled the “Senior Corps Seminars,” with each event focusing on a specific geographic area. In 2020, AmeriCorps Seniors cancelled the national conveying because of the COVID pandemic. AmeriCorps Seniors last hosted a large, nationwide event in 2018.

Period of Performance:

The convening is a three-day event occurring in April or May 2022, with the specific dates to be determined based on venue availability and market research. The period of performance for this requirement begins on date of award and continues through August 15, 2022. Planning activities begin immediately upon the beginning of the period of performance and continue through the convening itself, followed by on-site management during the meeting, with follow-up activities and a final report due five days prior to the contract’s conclusion.

The vendor will submit a proposed project plan and timeline for completing all the tasks in this requirement to AmeriCorps for review and approval no more than five (5) business days from the beginning of the period of performance. The vendor will detail all access requested to AmeriCorps systems, information, or information technology for coordination with AmeriCorps Offices of Personnel Security and Information Technology in this project plan. AmeriCorps will provide feedback to the contractor on the proposed project plan and timeline at a face-to-face kick off meeting or on a conference call to occur no more than ten (10) business days after submission to AmeriCorps. Any revisions to the plan and/or timeline, if necessary, should be submitted to AmeriCorps within five (5) business days from receiving feedback.

Place of Performance:

The convening will be held in the Washington, DC, metro area. DMV

The work to be performed under this contract will be performed at contractor’s business office expect during the period of the actual conveying in which the contractor must be onsite.

Hours of Operation:

The contractor is responsible for conducting business, between the hours of 9am – 5pm EST leading up to the convening Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings.

During the convening the contractor must be available during the entire conveying schedule.

Federal Holidays:

Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a non-workday –Saturday or Sunday – the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Contractors shall follow these same guidelines.

Direct billing/invoicing shall not be allowed for any Federal Government Holidays (e.g. New Year’s Day; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Birthday of George Washington; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Day)

SCOPE OF WORK

General Requirements:

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the Statement of Work below.

Specific Requirements:

Statement of Work Task 1: Project Plan and Timeline The vendor will submit a proposed project plan and timeline for completing all the tasks in this requirement to AmeriCorps for review and approval no more than five (5) business days from the beginning of the period of performance. The vendor will detail all access requested to AmeriCorps systems, information or information technology for coordination with AmeriCorps Offices of Personnel Security and Information Technology in this project plan. AmeriCorps will provide feedback to the Contractor on the proposed project plan and timeline at a face-to-face kick off meeting or on a conference call to occur no more than ten (10) business days after submission to AmeriCorps. Any revisions to the plan and/or timeline, if necessary, should be submitted to AmeriCorps within five (5) business days from receiving feedback.

Task 2: Project Management The vendor will:

· Create and implement systems for tracking and detailing activities related to each of the tasks below, within five business days of approval of the project plan by AmeriCorps.

· Facilitate and contribute to weekly convening planning meetings (one-hour each). AmeriCorps may opt to waive this meeting if it deems the meeting not necessary in a given week.

· Attend up to four hours of additional meetings per month coordinated by AmeriCorps with key stakeholders, such as partner offices and agencies

· Keep minutes for all meetings and disseminate to meeting participants no later than three (3) business days after each meeting

· Store convening materials and collaborate with the convening team on AmeriCorps Seniors SharePoint extranet site.

Task 3: Secure Facility The vendor will support AmeriCorps in facility identification and conclude any necessary contracts with the identified facility for each convening. Facilities will be identified as follows:

· If possible, the convenings will be held at a Federal or government owned facility.

· At each stage of research for a venue, AmeriCorps will share any research findings with the vendor. The vendor will then engage suitable venues found through this research, as determined by AmeriCorps and utilizing the recommendations of the vendor, for further discussions, including clarifying requirements, checking availability and requesting formal proposals.

· After all information has been received, AmeriCorps will make a final selection of the most advantageous venue, utilizing the recommendations of the vendor.

· The vendor will then conclude any necessary contracts with the facility and serve as the primary point of contact with the facility throughout convening planning and execution.

Suitable facilities will meet the following criteria:

· Ability to hold all expected attendees in one room in round or ovals for plenary sessions.

· Ability to hold concurrent breakout sessions that include at least:

· Session breakout rooms that hold up to 150 participants in each room

· At least 10 breakout room available for each workshop time identified above

· Supply flipchart stand, paper and markers for each room

· Ability to accommodate an exhibit space as described below.

· Ability to accommodate audio-visual services (A/V) as described, either by providing such services themselves or in allowing a third-party subcontractor to provide them on-site

· Ability to accommodate food and beverage services (F&B) as described below, either by providing such services themselves or in allowing a third-party subcontractor to provide them on-site.

· Ability to provide a block of rooms for attendees at the General Services Administration (GSA) per diem rate for the month of the convening in the amounts below. If the venue selected does not have sleeping rooms on premises, these rooms can be reserved at a separate facility that is within 5 miles of the convening location. Attendees will make and pay for their own registrations. The vendor will not be responsible for making reservations. The minimum room amounts are as follows:

· No less than 300 rooms the night prior to the convening

· No less than 400 rooms for each of the two nights during the course of the convening

· No less than 100 rooms the night after the convening If the secured rooms are all reserved 60 days or more before the event, the vendor will request that the venue make more rooms available. If the venue is not able to provide additional rooms at this time, the vendor is not obligated to identify additional rooms beyond the minimums established above.

Cancellation Clause: AmeriCorps may agree to a cancellation clause if the clause is within AmeriCorps’ delegated authority. If a cancellation cause is included, the vendor may use the following model language:

“The Hotel may suffer Damages attributable to lost revenue from canceled services should AmeriCorps cancel this Agreement. AmeriCorps agrees that the Hotel may assess Damages against AmeriCorps as Damages and not as a Penalty calculated per the table below, provided such Damages shall be reasonable and shall not exceed actual Damages.

“In the event of Cancellation by AmeriCorps without cause, the Hotel shall be required to make good faith efforts to mitigate its Damages by attempting to resell any canceled accommodations. The Hotel shall submit, within thirty (30) days after the Event date, an invoice of above Damages. AmeriCorps reserve the right to audit the Hotel records to determine the amount of actual liability resulting from the canceled Agreement. Notice of Cancellation must be received by the Hotel in writing.”

If used, the hotel must insert a table underneath the model language above that indicates specific damages for cancellations within specific periods of time, subject to approval by AmeriCorps.

Attrition Clause: AmeriCorps may agree to an attrition clause if the clause is within the AmeriCorps’ delegated authority. If an attrition cause is included, the vendor may use the following model language:

The Hotel shall be required to make good faith efforts to mitigate its Damages by attempting to resell any accommodations subject to attrition charges, thereby reducing Hotel’s Damages. On any Event day overall hotel occupancy is equal to or greater than 70% AmeriCorps will receive credit for full achievement of the contracted accommodations for that day. AmeriCorps reserves the right to audit the Hotel records to determine the amount of actual Damages resulting from attrition.

Facilities must be secured no less than 180 days before the convening date.

The specific dates of the event will be determined in the following order of preference:

· First preference: May 3-5, 2022

· Second preference: May 10-12, 2022

· Third preference: April12-14, 2022

Task 4: Content Support Breakout session content will be provided by AmeriCorps Seniors grantees and outside experts identified through a vendor-supported process for soliciting and reviewing session proposals.

The vendor will:

· Create a system for receiving 500-word proposals for breakout sessions from outside parties, open for submissions no less than 180 days before the convening

· Facilitate a selection process for specific sessions to be presented from those proposals, with AmeriCorps selecting the final proposals

· Provide AmeriCorps with tools and templates to populate final event agendas prior to their printing

· When finalized, publish preliminary and final agendas to the convening registration site.

· Provide all presenters with instructions on how to present, including providing all logistical information and holding one recorded call for presenters no less than 30 days before the convening that provides updates and allows them to ask questions

· Secure appropriate space, materials and audio/visual capabilities to support presenters, within the specifications provided for within this SOW.

Task 5: Registration For each convening, the vendor will:

· Establish a Section 508-compliant convening registration website for participant registration for each event, including a direct link to hotel lodging reservation site and event agenda, no less than ninety (90) calendar days before the convening, subject to approval by the AmeriCorps COR.

· Manage the registration process, including responding to email correspondence and telephone calls during normal business hours

· Charge no registration fee of participants

· Monitor attendee registrations, and provide weekly reports to AmeriCorps, convening coordinators, and others (as requested), following establishment of registration website. The reports must contain:

· Participant name, title, organization and contact information

· AmeriCorps Seniors program or other organizational type

· Facilitate the registration process so that no more than three individuals employed by one organization may attend the convening without specific approval by AmeriCorps.

· Following the publication of the event agenda, allow participants to register for individual workshops during sessions with concurrent content (online registration tool). The results of these registrations must be provided to the registeree in the form of a digital personal event agenda. This personal event agenda need not be printed and included in printed materials.

Task 6: Printing and Materials The vendor will design and print the following meeting materials, including:

· Name badges for all attendees, including the ability to create a name badge for “walk-in” attendees

· A hard copy participant packet of materials for all attendees, including an agenda, session descriptions, agenda-at-a-glance and speaker bios, not to exceed 20 double-sided pages (40 printed pages in all), in color

· No more than 15 directional signs

· A session evaluation form that is no longer than two sides of one page, printed in black and white, and made available within each session in an amount no less than the maximum capacity for the room in which the session is being held. Explore option of setting up online session evaluation tool.

· The vendor will also design, but not print, a multi-color pocketed folder to be used to hold printed materials no less than 90 days before the date of the event. This folder will be printed separately by AmeriCorps through the Government Printing Office. Bidders should not include costs for printing these folders in their proposal.

· The vendor will also design, but not print, a template PowerPoint slide deck available for the optional use of event presenters, subject to the approval of AmeriCorps, no less than 120 days before the date of event.

The vendor will assemble and distribute complete participant meeting materials using the folders provided by AmeriCorps and including the name tag and participant packet described above, as well as up to three additional materials identified, printed and provided by AmeriCorps, not to cumulatively exceed 20 double-sided pages (40 printed pages in all).

No more than five (5) business days after the convening, the vendor will post 508-compliant versions of all session slides to the event website.

AmeriCorps will provide the vendor with detailed information on the branding of the event, including its title, color scheme, and an event logo to be used in production of all materials. The vendor’s project plan (discussed in Task 1) must indicate when this information is required from AmeriCorps for the vendor to meet all deliverable due dates in this Statement of Work.

Excess or unused materials will be returned to AmeriCorps or discarded, at the direction of the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

Task 7: Secure Audio-Visual Services The contractor must secure the following audio-visual capabilities for the event, no less than 60 days prior to the event:

· In plenary rooms:

· An LCD package projector, screens and laptop, configured for presentation for the maximum audience for that room

· A confidence monitor and slide advancer for speakers

· A stage lighting package to allow for the session to be recorded successfully

· A stage and pipe-and-drape

· At least four wireless microphones, speakers and audio connection

· Flipchart and markers

· Wireless Internet access (capable of a 3Mb/s stream to 50% of audience simultaneously)

· Video cameras and cameramen, switcher, and other required components to live stream and record plenary sessions. Live streaming and recording are expected for the Opening Plenary on Day 1, the Lunch Plenary on Day 2 and the Closing Plenary on Day 3. The contractor or the vendor secured by the contractor will conduct the live streaming and recording.

· Recording materials which shall be made in a MP4 format.

· Ability to close-caption live streamed and recorded plenary sessions. As plenary sessions may include panel discussions and other activities that do not follow a pre-set script, ability to provide live closed captioning is required.

· Ability to provide a written transcript of all recorded sessions.

· In each workshop room:

· An LCD package projector, screens and laptop, configured for presentation for the maximum audience for that room

· At least two wireless microphones, speakers and audio connection

· Flipchart and markers

· Wireless Internet access (capable of a 3Mb/s stream to 50% of audience simultaneously)

· On-site assistance by A/V technicians, including at least two individuals on-site from one hour before the beginning of convening programming through one hour after convening programming

· Laptop and printer for the registration table with an ability to print name tags.

Task 8: Secure Food & Beverage No less than 90 days before the event, the vendor will secure one lunch at a cost of not greater than $19/attendee, inclusive of all taxes and fees. This lunch will be provided during the plenary session on the conference’s second day.

Task 9: Exhibition Space The vendor will support an exhibition hall on premises for up to 30 exhibitors throughout the convening, including:

· Reserving space at the convening venue

· Communicating the opportunity on the event webpage and providing a system for exhibitors to request space, AmeriCorps to approve requests, and exhibitors to be notified no less than 90 days before each convening

· Arranging for tables for exhibitors

· Assigning exhibitors specific spaces in the exhibition hall

· Providing exhibitors access to a power supply and wireless Internet access, if requested

· Printing a black-and-white list of exhibitors for distribution not to exceed 4 pgs. total, printed on both sides of two sheets of paper.

Task 10: Outreach and Marketing The vendor will follow AmeriCorps’ Branding Guidelines and instructions in preparation of all convening materials and messaging, including digital assets/materials, described in this SOW to ensure clearly identifiable and consistent branding. In addition, the vendor will send no more than five bulk communications via email to convening attendees, not including individual emails sent to provide assistance to individual potential attendees:

· A logistical bulletin the week before the event, drafted by the vendor and approved by AmeriCorps

· A closing email the week after the event, drafted by the vendor and approved by AmeriCorps, containing a final satisfaction survey

· Up to three other communications to be determined by AmeriCorps

Task 11: On-Site Event Management The vendor will:

· Under the direction of AmeriCorps staff, staff registration/information/customer service areas and have staff available throughout the convening to adequately respond to ad hoc requests by presenters and attendees.

· Working with the responsible AmeriCorps staff coordinator, manage all on-site logistics and provide the appropriate level of staffing that is commensurate with the total number of participants.

· Coordinate the receipt of any donated or sponsored items, such as t-shirts, pens, or other small items, and distribute them to convening attendees in an orderly manner.

· Attend a walk-through at the event venue the day prior to the event

Task 12: Evaluation, Data Collection and Reporting The vendor will:

· Collect the evaluation forms distributed at the event

· Submit data collected in both the session evaluation forms and the event evaluation survey in a final report to AmeriCorps in Microsoft Excel, no more than ten (10) business days after the end of the event

· Following AmeriCorps approval and no more than ten (10) business days after the event, provide individual workshop presenters with the evaluation results of their specific workshop, including a comparison to the results of all workshops taken collectively

· In addition, submit a concise monthly narrative report throughout the period of performance due five (5) business days after the conclusion of each month covering the following:

· Status of project plan schedule and timing

· Key tasks and activities during the month

· Summary of meetings and correspondence

· Anticipated tasks and activities in the upcoming months

· Challenges and how they have been/will be addressed

· The final report, due five days before the end of the period of performance, should detail all activity over the life of the contract. It should also include an analysis of budgeted costs to actual costs for all activities over the life of the contract.

Task 13: 508 Compliance Requirements and Reasonable Accommodations The vendor will:

· Ensure that the facility chosen via the process described above is accessible to individuals with disabilities as determined by AmeriCorps.

· Ensure all session materials are Section 508 compliant for posting on event website. Remediation of session materials may be completed up to five business days after the event. Up to 1,200 pages of moderate design complexity of session materials will require remediation.

· Solicit requests for special needs or accommodations from registrants and fulfill these accommodations as appropriate. Include all requests made and any accommodations provided in monthly status reports and per the final event report to AmeriCorps. The contractor must include expected accommodation costs based on reasonable assumptions for events of similar size within its proposal.

· Reference the following link for detailed information: http://section508.gov/.

Successful remediation and accommodation are subject to approval by the COR. He or she may request the assistance of other AmeriCorps staff as necessary in making these determinations.

Task 14: Post-Event The vendor will:

· If necessary, make payment to all subcontracted vendors and reconcile charges, as required by contracts with those subcontracted vendors and prior to the conclusion of the contract.

LEVEL OF EFFORT:

Past experience with all function of logistics needed to successfully manage a conveying of this size. Past government conveying contracts experience recommended.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

No government property will be made available to the contractors through contract.

DELIVERY OR DELIVERABLES

Identified above in the Specific Requirements.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Identified above in the Specific Requirements.

PAYMENT PROVISIONS:

Instructions: <Specify all payment provisions related to invoicing frequency (e.g. Net 7, NET 15, NET 30, quarterly in arrears, by deliverables, or period of performance end date).>

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Travel:

The contractor will not arrange or pay for the travel of conference attendees. Contractor staff will be expected to be on site at the identified venue during the conveying.

Key Personnel:

The follow personnel are considered key personnel by the government: Project Manager. The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The contract manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The contract manager or alternate shall be available between 9:00am – 5:00pm EST, Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed for administrative reasons. Qualifications for all key personnel are as follows: past experience with all function of logistics needed to successfully manage a conveying of this size. Past government conveying contracts experience recommended.

Non-Compliance Penalties:

As noted in Task 3 above

Information System Security Requirements:

As noted in Task 1 above, the vendor in the proposed project plan will include details the include a request to AmeriCorps systems, information or information technology for coordination with AmeriCorps Offices of Personnel Security and Information Technology in this project plan if needed.

Data Rights:

All data gathered and generated through the entire convening planning and implementation of the convening is property of AmeriCorps.

Section 508—Electronic and Information Technology Standards:

From Task 13 above, the vendor will:

· Ensure that the facility chosen via the process described above is accessible to individuals with disabilities as determined by AmeriCorps.

· Ensure all session materials are Section 508 compliant for posting on event website. Remediation of session materials may be completed up to five business days after the event. Up to 1,500 pages of moderate design complexity of session materials will require remediation.

· Solicit requests for special needs or accommodations from registrants and fulfill these accommodations as appropriate. Include all requests made and any accommodations provided in monthly status reports and per the final event report to AmeriCorps. The contractor must include expected accommodation costs based on reasonable assumptions for events of similar size within its proposal.

· Reference the following link for detailed information: http://section508.gov/.

Successful remediation and accommodation are subject to approval by the COR. He or she may request the assistance of other AmeriCorps staff as necessary in making these determinations.

Publications and Publicity:

As noted above in Task 10 Outreach and Marketing the vendor will follow AmeriCorps’ Branding Guidelines and instructions in preparation of all convening materials and messaging, including digital assets/materials, described in this SOW to ensure clearly identifiable and consistent branding. In addition, the vendor will send no more than five bulk communications via email to convening attendees, not including individual emails sent to provide assistance to individual potential attendees:

· A logistical bulletin the week before the event, drafted by the vendor and approved by AmeriCorps

· A closing email the week after the event, drafted by the vendor and approved by AmeriCorps, containing a final satisfaction survey

· Up to three other communications to be determined by AmeriCorps

Confidentiality of Information:

Instructions: <Specify Confidentiality of Information requirements. (e.g. if the government will provide the contractor any information or data of a personal nature about individual(s) or proprietary information or data pertaining to an institution or organization which is confidential). Make sure to include how the contractor is expected to generate information, date and handle confidential information.>