V2_NCTC_Native_Relations_Training_TORP_March_2024_(1)_1.docx

BSS IDIQ COMBINED STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) / TASK ORDER Request

PURPOSE

The purpose of this RFQ is for the Department of the Interior (DOI), US Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire (see bulleted list below) in accordance with the Indian Affairs (IA) Business Support Services (BSS) IDIQ. Task orders will be issued in accordance with FAR 16.505.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Division of Training (DoT) is seeking a contractor experienced in working with federally (and non-federally) recognized tribes to:

· Manage travel logistics and payment for travel expenses, instruction, and participation fees for Native Elders and guest instructors for a Native American Immersive Experience pilot training course to be held August 26 -30, 2024 in the Mountain Prairie Region. This Region includes the states of Utah, Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

· Assist in the selection of, and payment to, a meeting facility, lodging facility, and coordination of food and beverage services for participants. Coordination may also include acquiring audio/visual needs and payments, as well as other necessary equipment for the training.

· Provide instructional design consultation and facilitation assistance pertaining to Indigenous and Tribal cultural competencies, including cross-cultural communications, Tribal Laws, and Government to Government consultation.

· Provide trusted advisement in building unity behind mutually beneficial initiatives, including training and coursework.

ANTICIPATED Period of performance Base Period/Year: April 2024 – December 2024.

Background

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), Division of Training located in Shepherdstown, WV is diligently working to identify and address comprehensive education and training experiences needed to enhance understanding and awareness of Native American cultures and Service Tribal Trust responsibilities. Our goal is to create educational assets and opportunities that reinforce an environment of culturally respectful engagement, mindfulness, and increased knowledge among Service staff.

On September 8, 2022, the FWS Director signed Director’s Order 227 (DO 227) - Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Tribes and the Native Hawaiian Community, and Other Obligations to Alaska Native Corporations and Alaska Native Organizations, in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters, which set the stage for prioritization of relationship building and knowledge-sharing with federally recognized Tribes (Tribes), Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), Alaska Native Organizations (ANOs) and the Native Hawaiian Community (NHC) in the co-stewardship and conservation of natural resources.

Objective 4.3 of the FWS Co-Stewardship Implementation Plan is to develop and administer regional learning opportunities on cultural competency and implementation of co-stewardship by the end of FY24.

Currently, FWS Regional Native American Liaisons (NALs) have access to, and utilize, educational assets that are based on the Service’s Native American Policy (NAP) to train their region’s FWS staff. Training provided by the NALs is inconsistent across the agency due to the varying workloads of the NALs. While training on NAP is needed, there is a lack of comfort with and understanding of Indigenous knowledge and culture and, therefore, an immersive training on building relations and cross-cultural communications is crucial. This type of immersive educational experience for FWS employees aligns with the objectives outlined in the Co-Stewardship Implementation Plan and supports the FWS obligation to uphold the interests of Indigenous People and Tribal Nations.

The vision for the pilot Native American Immersive Experience is to provide FWS employees with an immersive training experience to develop the cultural competency needed to better communicate and collaborate with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples. Using the current Alaska Native Relations Training as an experiential model, the Native American Immersive Cultural Experience course will explore ways to honor our nation-to-nation relationship and engage directly with Elders, Tribal Leaders, and Tribal Representatives to build trust and respect through culture and knowledge sharing. This experience opens the opportunity for FWS leaders to commit themselves to a process that takes indigenous knowledge and culture to heart when addressing the challenges we face: health, economic, racial justice, and climate crises — all of which disproportionately impact Native Americans, Alaska Native peoples, and Hawaiian Communities. By engaging all our employees, the FWS builds the foundation for our commitment to Co-stewardship of our shared natural resources.

ANTICIPATED Task ORDER TYPE The US Fish and Wildlife Service anticipates awarding a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Task Order against the BSS IDIQ Contract.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions regarding this requirement, please submit your inquiries immediately via email, no later than 5pm ET, Thursday, April 4, 2024 to Jennifer Lapis, Jennifer_Lapis@fws.gov.

All communications regarding this requirement shall be between the quoter and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only. Please be advised that the Government reserves the right to transmit those questions and answers of a common interest to all prospective quoters against the BSS IDIQ Contract.

QUOTE DUE DATE

The due date for responses to this RFQ shall be sent by email, no later than 5pm ET, Monday April 8, 2024 to Jennifer Lapis, Jennifer_Lapis@fws.gov. Any submissions received after the date and time specified herein will NOT be considered for award. Please allow time for any delays that may impact submitting your quote.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR QUOTE PREPARATION

US Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing this RFQ to solicit against BSS IDIQ Contract Holders for the purpose of entering into a Task Order. The price quote shall be submitted separately from the technical quote.

The following information must be submitted in order to be considered for award:

a) Technical Quote

1) Determination of selected labor category(ies), and

2) At least one (1) resume of individual proposed to fill each position.

b) Price Quote Provide pricing information for each required position listing rates and total amount per year (if needed). Use Attachment 2 Price.

Failure to submit any of the information requested in this RFQ may lead to the rejection of your quote without further consideration.

EVALUATION

To be considered for award of this contract, the Contractor must possess the following qualifications:

· A minimum of 5 years experience with technical procedures on organizing logistics and processing payment for non-federal participants.

· A minimum of 5 years documented experience in cross-cultural communication, including working with Tribal nations to build mutually trusting relationships.

· Familiarity with Federal Tribal Laws and Trust Responsibility and how it relates to co-management and co-stewardship practices on Federal and Tribal lands.

· Experience working with federally (and non-federally) recognized Tribes, will provide trusted advisement on collaborative facilitation and planning of training, and has experience in building unity behind mutually beneficial initiatives, including training and coursework.

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

· Factor 1 – Technical Approach

· Factor 2 – Management Approach

· Factor 3 - Price

Factors are in descending order of importance. Technical (Factors 1) is significantly more important than price (Factor 3).

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of provision)

Evaluation of Quotes Factor 1:

The contractor will assist with logistics, design and facilitation of a customized knowledge, skills, and cultural competency course in Indigenous and Tribal Relations in the Mountain Prairie Region. This Region includes the states of Utah, Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The ideal contractor has experience working with federally (and non-federally) recognized tribes, will provide trusted advisement on collaborative facilitation and planning of training, and has experience in building unity behind mutually beneficial initiatives, including training and coursework. The contactor will provide all logistical and administrative work for travel arrangements, travel expenses, and instructional pay for all non-Service guests. This includes Tribal Elders, Tribal members, and invited guest speakers. The Contractor will work directly with non-FWS guests in coordinating their travel and payments, with weekly updates being provided to FWS staff. In addition, working with NCTC training staff, the contractor will coordinate all aspects of securing a meeting facility, and arrange and pay for, beverage, snack, lunch services, and equipment required throughout the training.

Major Tasks:

· Work with NCTC staff and training design team to:

· Select meeting and lodging facilities, and any food and beverage services for course participants.

· Coordinate logistics for confirmation, contracts and payments with meeting and lodging facilities, including securing audio/visual needs and other necessary equipment for the course

· Arrange travel for Native Elders and invited guest presenters (non-federal).

· Air transportation to/from home to agreed upon area airport.

· Upon arrival, ground transportation from airport to hotel.

· Lodging accommodations at hotel.

· Upon departure, ground transportation from hotel to airport.

· Provide travel expenses for Native Elders and guest presenters (non-federal). Travel expenses will include:

· Ground transportation to home airport

· Air transportation to/from home to training location airport.

· Ground transportation from airport to hotel.

· Lodging accommodations and per diem food allowance.

· Ground transportation from hotel to training area airport upon departure.

· Ground transportation from major airport to home.

· If guest is driving from home to hotel, payment to cover cost of ground transportation

· Provide the instruction fees to the Native Elders, Native guests and guest presenters (non-federal).

· Arrange and provide the fees for services to local Native singer, drumming, dancing troupe and local Native storytellers.

· Arrange and provide supplemental materials needed for cultural experiences, such as craft supplies, and culturally significant food and beverages.

· Consultation and collaboration with NCTC and FWS design team on developing course framework, course content outline, identifying and communicating with subject matter experts, and facilitation throughout the course.

· Act as liaison and point of contact for all Tribal and non-tribal guests.

· Participate in course debrief and evaluation after course completion (September 2024)

The Contractor will:

· Collaborate with design team on developing course outline and course agenda.

· Participate in planning and coordination meetings leading up to the course, and through the termination of the contract.

· Serve as liaison to Tribal Elders, Tribal guests, and other guest instructors leading up to and including the course delivery.

· Participate in follow up meetings after course deliver for debrief and evaluation reviews.

Following course completion, Contractor will participate in a debrief meeting with NCTC staff to review performance and finalize any uncompleted tasks.

· Factor 2 – Management Approach Deliverables and Delivery Schedule:

March 2024

· Take part in an initial two- hour planning meeting (via video conference) to discuss process, timeline and contract deliverables.

March 2024 – September 2024

· Attend all design team meetings, and any additional meetings needed with staff from NCTC.

March 2024- April 2024

· Make arrangements with meeting and lodging facility. Secure all necessary meeting space, break out rooms, audio/visual needs, and reserve a block of guest rooms. Make arrangements for morning coffee and beverage service, morning and afternoon snack breaks, and a plan for lunch each day. Make any needed payments to facility.

· Work with design team to finalize course framework, learning objectives and course outcomes.

March 2024 – May 2024

· Work with design team and NCTC staff to identify all participants needing travel and payment arrangements.

· Initiate contact with Native Elders, Tribal guests and guest speakers/instructors.

· Provide consultation on course content and delivery, including lesson outlines, delivery methods, desired outcomes.

March 2024- July 2024

· Help identify and begin to compile course related materials, maintaining all materials and resources in an electronic database, providing access to NCTC and design team (make note if any materials cannot be provided digitally, and NCTC will provide hard copy at training).

· Assure that all training materials be available to course participants before, during and after training (as appropriate per resource).

May 2024 – June 2024

· Confirm participation from Native Elders, Tribal guests and guest speakers/instructors.

July 2024

· Provide NCTC and Regional FWS NAL with travel itinerary for Native Elders, Native guests and guest speakers/instructors.

August 2024

· Be available to coordinate and assist with last minute design and travel changes.

· Attend the training, assist with daily coordination and logistics.

· Orient and attend to Tribal Elders, Tribal guests, and other speakers/instructors prior to start of training, and throughout the week as needed.

Primary Qualifications:

To be considered for award of this contract, the Contractor must possess the following qualifications:

A minimum of 5 years experience with technical procedures on organizing logistics and processing payments for non-federal participants.

A minimum of 5 years documented experience in cross-cultural communication, including working with Tribal nations to build mutually trusting relationships.

Familiarity with Federal Tribal Laws and Trust Responsibility and how it relates to co-management and co-stewardship practices on Federal and Tribal Lands.

Experience working with federally (and non-federally) recognized tribes, will provide trusted advisement on collaborative facilitation and planning of training, and has experience in building unity behind mutually beneficial initiatives, including training and coursework.

· Factor 3 - Price Basis of Evaluation: Provided pricing information for each required position listing rates and total amount per year (if needed). Pricing will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness. For fixed price requirements, the level of effort and labor mix will also be evaluated to determine reasonableness.

Task ORDER CLAUSES All clauses from the parent BSS IDIQ Contract flow down to any resultant Task Order.

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) CLAUSES

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): www.acquisition.gov/far

a) FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 6 months.

(End of clause)

b) FAR 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within one year; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 60days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 5 years.

(End of clause) Department of the Interior Acquisition Regulation (DIAR) CLAUSES

a) DIAR 1452.201-70 - Authorities and Delegations (Sep 2011)

1. The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to enter into or terminate this contract, modify any term or condition of this contract, waive any requirement of this contract, or accept nonconforming work.

1. The CO will designate a POC at time of award. The POC will be responsible for technical monitoring of the Vendor's performance and deliveries. The POC will be appointed in writing, and a copy of the appointment will be furnished to the Contractor. Changes to this delegation will be made by written changes to the existing appointment or by issuance of a new appointment. The POC for this contract will be:

(Name and contact information will be provided at time of award)

1. The POC is not authorized to perform, formally or informally, any of the following actions:

i. Promise, award, agree to award, or execute any contract, contract modification, or notice of intent that changes or may change this contract;

ii. Waive or agree to modification of the Task schedule;

iii. Make any final decision on any contract matter subject to the Disputes Clause;

iv. Terminate, for any reason, the Contractor's right to proceed;

v. Obligate in any way, the payment of money by the Government.

1. The Contractor shall comply with the written or oral direction of the Contracting Officer or authorized representative(s) acting within the scope and authority of the appointment memorandum. The Contractor need not proceed with direction that it considers to have been issued without proper authority. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, with as much detail as possible, when the POC has taken an action or has issued direction (written or oral) that the Contractor considers to exceed the POC's appointment, within 3 days of the occurrence. Unless otherwise provided in this contract, the Contractor assumes all costs, risks, liabilities, and consequences of performing any work it is directed to perform that falls within any of the categories defined in paragraph (c) prior to receipt of the Contracting Officer's response issued under paragraph (e) of this clause.

1. The Contracting Officer shall respond in writing within 30 days to any notice made under paragraph (d) of this clause. A failure of the parties to agree upon the nature of a direction, or upon the contract action to be taken with respect thereto, shall be subject to the provisions of the Disputes clause of this contract.

1. The Contractor shall provide copies of all correspondence to the Contracting Officer and the POC.

1. Any action(s) taken by the Contractor, in response to any direction given by any person acting on behalf of the Government or any Government official other than the Contracting Officer or the POC acting within his or her appointment, shall be at the Contractor's risk.

(End of Clause)

b) Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements - Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) (February 2021) Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U. S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP).

"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 the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items included in commercial item contracts. 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 invoice:

This is a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Task Order – the vendor shall provide a deliverable schedule in accordance with the SOW/RFQ.

Invoice Contents: The invoice shall be in accordance with the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure of the Task Order. All billing issues shall be handled and resolved between the Offeror, the COR, and the CO, if necessary.

Invoices must be submitted electronically; hard copies of invoices will not be processed.

The invoice shall include the following information:

1) Name and address of Offeror

2) Invoice number and date

3) Task Order number

4) At a minimum, the following information for each CLIN

i. Line Item number

ii. Description of Labor Category

iii. Price of deliverable

5) Cumulative total of all invoices and total remaining balance

Final Invoice: Within sixty calendar days of the end of the Task Order:

1) The Offeror shall submit a final invoice, designated as such by a clear statement of “FINAL INVOICE” on the face of the invoice document.

2) The Offeror shall provide a certificate of completion which certifies all goods and services have been provided as required by this Task Order.

3) The Offeror shall provide a release of claims for this Task Order.

The sixty-calendar day submission timeframe shall not be extended without written authorization from the CO. In the event items a, b, or c above are not submitted within the authorized timeframe, the CO may make final price determinations in order to make final payment and close out the contract unilaterally.

The Contractor shall use the IPP website to register, access and use IPP for submitting requests for payment. The Contractor Government Business Point of Contact (as listed in CCR) will receive enrollment instructions via email from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (FRBB) within 3 – 5 business days of the contract award date. Contractor assistance with enrollment can be obtained by contacting the IPP Production Helpdesk via email ippgroup@bos.frb.org 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 with its proposal or quotation.

(End of Local Clause)

ATTACHMENT(S)

a) Attachment 1: SOW or PWS

b) Attachment 2: Price

c) Other attachments

ATTACHMENT 1: STATEMENT OF WORK

FOR

NON-PERSONAL BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES (BSS)

Native Relations Immersive Experience

Background

The Indian Affairs offers an extensive scope of programs that covers the entire range of Federal, State and local government services. Programs administered by either Tribes or Indian Affairs through the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) include an education system consisting of 183 schools and dormitories educating approximately 42,000 elementary and secondary students and 28 tribal colleges, universities, and post-secondary schools. Programs administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) include social services, natural resources management on trust lands representing 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface minerals estates, economic development programs in some of the most isolated and economically depressed areas of the United States, law enforcement and detention services, administration of tribal courts, implementation of land and water claim settlements, housing improvement, disaster relief, replacement and repair of schools, repair and maintenance of roads and bridges, and the repair of structural deficiencies on high hazard dams, the BIE operates a series irrigation systems and provides electricity to rural parts of Arizona.

Purpose

Contractor personnel are required to provide administrative, professional, and other support services in several different areas of work. Since Indian Affairs supports 567 federally recognized tribes with a service population of about 1.9 million American Indian and Alaska Natives, the workload fluctuates at any given time depending on its needs. As a result, the BIA needs to be able to quickly adjust to increases and decreases in administrative, professional, and other support services.

Scope

The purpose of this acquisition is to award multiple Non-Personal Administrative and Professional Support Services Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contracts to provide administrative, professional, and other support services as needed.

The Government’s individual requirements at the Task Order level may be described in Statements of Objectives (SOO), Performance Work Statements (PWS), or Statements of Work (SOW).

Individual Task Orders should not exceed $10 million dollars or one year. Individual Task Orders will be awarded on a Labor Hour (LH) or Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) basis.

Tasks/Description of Services

The contractor is responsible for providing qualified personnel to perform the work specified in this SOW. The contractor shall maintain the personnel, organizational and administrative controls necessary to ensure that the work delivered meets contract specifications and requirements. The work history of each contractor employee must contain experience directly related to the tasks and functions he/she is intended to perform under this contract. Personnel assigned to, or utilized by, the contractor in performance of work, shall be fully capable of performing the contemplated functions of the respective labor categories in an efficient, reliable, and professional manner. Personnel assigned to, or utilized by, the contractor in the performance of this contract shall, as a minimum, be a United States Citizen, meet the experience, or other background requirements set forth in the job description. Resumes are required in order to confirm the acceptability and availability of all proposed personnel.

The Government reserves the right, during the life of the resulting contract, to request work histories on any contractor employee for the purpose of verifying compliance with the contract requirements. If the Contracting Officer questions the qualification or competencies of any personnel performing under this SOW, the burden of proof to sustain that the candidate is qualified, as prescribed herein, shall rest with the contractor.

Labor categories and descriptions are stated in Attachment 2. Positions may have multiple levels associated with one position to cover different job duties, responsibilities and salary requirements.

The Government reserves the right to modify the contract and add new labor categories that are within the general scope of the contract. The hourly rates for new labor categories will be negotiated with each multiple award contractor.

Service Contract Wage Determination(s) will be provided at the Individual Task Order level.

Orientation Briefing

Within (5) five working days of award, the Contractor shall conduct an orientation briefing for the Government. The intent of the briefing is to initiate the communication process between the Government and Contractor by introducing key personnel and explaining their roles, reviewing communication ground rules, and assuring a common understanding of subtask requirements and objectives.

The Orientation Briefing will be held virtually using MS Teams. Work leading up to the week-long event can be done remotely. Personnel supporting this contract will need to be on site during the delivery of the course. Dates and times of meetings will be mutually agreed upon by both parties.

The completion of this briefing will result in the following:

a) Introduction of both Contractor and Government personnel performing work under this IDIQ.

b) The Contractor will demonstrate confirmation of their understanding of the work to be accomplished under this SOW.

Government-Furnished Property

Government Furnished Property (Material, Equipment, and/or Information), is to be provided at the Individual Task Order level.

Travel

Travel shall be in accordance with the IDIQ and will be in the not-to-exceed amount of $5,000 per year.

Security Requirements

All Contractor personnel shall comply with Federal laws, regulations, standards, regarding information and information system security. All security requirements and clauses included in the IDIQs will also be applicable and flow down to any Task Orders awarded under the IDIQs and subcontracts.

The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government property provided for contractor use. At the end of normal duty hours and/or after normal duty hours, all government facilities, equipment and materials must be secured.

Place of Performance

The primary place of performance for this task order is the state of Montana (Mountain Prairie Region), Contractor Interfaces

The Contractor and/or his subcontractors may be required as part of the performance of this effort to work with other Contractors working for the Government. Such other Contractors shall not direct this Contractor and/or their subcontractors in any manner. Also, this Contractor and/or their subcontractors shall not direct the work of other Contractors in any manner.

The Government shall establish an initial contact between the Contractor and other Contractors and shall participate in an initial meeting at which the conventions for the scheduling and conduct of future meetings/contacts will be established. Any Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR) of other efforts shall be included in any establishment of conventions.

Disclosure of Information

Information made available to the contractor by the Government for the performance or administration of this effort shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the written agreement of the Contracting Officer.

The contractor agrees to assume responsibility for protecting the confidentiality of Government records, which are not public information. Each contractor or employee of the contractor to whom information may be made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the contractor that such information may be disclosed only for a purpose and to the extent authorized herein.

Limited Use of Data

Performance of this effort may require the contractor to access and use data and information proprietary to a government agency or Government contractor which is of such a nature that its dissemination or use, other than in performance of this effort, would be adverse to the interests of the Government and/or others.

Contractor and/or contractor personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained in performance of this effort, until made public by the Government, except authorized by Government personnel or upon written approval of the Contracting Officer (CO). The contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data that bears a restrictive legend, other than as required in the performance of this effort. Nothing herein shall preclude the use of any data independently acquired by the contractor without such limitations or prohibit an agreement at no cost to the Government between the contractor and the data owner which provides for greater rights to the contractor.

Hours of Work

Contractor personnel are expected to perform during the normal duty hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, with the exception of Federal Government holidays, with an allowance for a one-hour lunch period each day. This time frame may be adjusted according to US time zones and needing to meet deadlines and responsibilities within any of these time zones.

Productive Direct Labor Hours

The Contractor can only charge the Government for “Productive Direct Labor Hours”. “Productive Direct Labor Hours” are defined as those hours expended by Contractor personnel in performing work under this effort. This does not include sick leave, vacation, Government or contractor holidays, jury duty, military leave, or any other kind of administrative leave such as acts of God (i.e., hurricanes, snowstorms, tornadoes, etc.), Presidential funerals or any other unexpected government closures.

Government Holidays

Unless otherwise notified in writing by the CO or COR, no services will be required on the following list of observed federal holidays. An up-to-date list of all federal holidays for each calendar year is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays.

The Contractor shall observe Inauguration Day as a holiday for Washington, D.C. based Contractor employees. Federal Agencies in the Washington, D.C. metro area are closed on Inauguration Day. However, Inauguration Day is not observed outside of the Washington, D.C. area and Contractor employees in those areas should report to their established duty station. NOTE: If a Public Holiday (observed on a specific calendar date) occurs on a Saturday, the holiday is observed on the preceding Friday; if the holiday occurs on Sunday, the holiday is observed by the Federal Government on Monday.

If Government facilities are closed nationwide or in specific locations for other than listed holidays by direction of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Order of the President or other Official Government entity, Contractor staff shall not report to Government facilities (except for positions designated as 24/7). If Government offices close early and federal employees are dismissed, the COR in consultation with the Program Managers and/or the Contracting Officer will make a determination on a case-by-case basis regarding dismissal of Contractor employees.

Emergency or Special Event Services

Occasionally, the Contractor may be required to perform and/or provide services outside the normal hours of duty. These occasions will be infrequent and require services be performed after normal working hours in the evening and/or weekends (Saturday and Sunday). The COR and the contractor will mutually agree upon any/all deviations to the schedule based on each Individual Task Order.

Payment for Unauthorized Work Payment term will be available based on each Task Order. No payments will be made for any unauthorized supplies and/or services, or for any unauthorized changes to the work specified herein. This includes any services performed by the Contractor of their own volition or at the request of an individual other than a duly appointed Contracting Officer. Only a duly appointed Contracting Officer is authorized to change the specifications, terms, and conditions under this effort.

Contracted Personnel

The Contractor shall facilitate Government-Contractor communications for the IDIQ contract and each Individual Task Order. The name of this key personnel position, and an alternate or alternates, who shall act for the contractor when the cc Contractor is absent, shall be designated in writing to the CO.

The Contractor must be available during normal duty hours, as specified herein, and to meet with Government personnel within 24 hours of a request.

The Contractor shall meet with the CO/COR as necessary to maintain satisfactory performance and to resolve other issues pertaining to Government/Contractor procedures. At these meetings, a mutual effort will be made to resolve any and all problems identified. Written minutes of these meetings shall be prepared by the Contractor, signed by the Contractor's designated representative, and furnished to the Government within two (2) workdays of the subject meeting.

Contractor personnel shall present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contractor employees by wearing a security identification badge at all times while at the Government site. When Contractor personnel attend meetings, answer phones, and work in other situations where their status is not obvious to third parties, they must identify themselves as a contractor as such to avoid creating the impression that they are Government employees.

Correspondence To promote timely and effective administration, correspondence shall be subject to the following procedures:

a) Technical correspondence (where technical issues relating to compliance with the requirements herein) shall be addressed to the COR with an information copy to the Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contract Specialist (CS).

b) All other correspondence, including but not limited to waivers, deviations or modifications to the requirements, terms or conditions of this SOW, shall be addressed to the CO with an information copy to the COR.

Permits and Licenses

In performance of work under each task order, the Contractor must, without additional expense to the Government, be responsible for obtaining any necessary licenses and permits, and for complying with any Federal, State, and municipal laws, codes, and regulations applicable to the performance of the work.

Confidentiality

All information regarding the procedures developed under each task order must be regarded as sensitive information by the Contractor and not to be disclosed to anyone outside the Contractor’s organization without the written permission of the Contracting Officer.

Government Points of Contact Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): Name, Phone, and Email – will be provided at contract award.

The COR is the individual within the Program Management function who has overall technical responsibility for this effort. The COR supports the CO and CS during administration of this effort by:

· Making final decisions regarding any recommended rejection of deliverables;

· Providing technical clarification relative to overall workload matters;

· Providing advice and guidance to the Contractor in the preparation of deliverables and services;

· Providing acceptance of deliverable products to assure compliance with requirements.

The COR also provide technical direction to the Contractor, i.e., shifting work emphasis between areas of work; fills in details, or otherwise serves to accomplish the purposes of this effort. Technical direction shall be within the general statement of work for this effort. The COR does NOT have the authority to and may NOT issue any technical direction which:

· Constitutes an assignment of work outside the general scope of this effort;

· Constitutes a change as defined in the “Changes” clause;

· In any way causes an increase or decrease in cost or the time required for performance;

· Changes any of the terms, conditions, or other requirements of this effort; and

· Suspends or terminates any portion of this effort.

All technical direction shall be issued in writing by the COR or will be confirmed by the COR in writing within 10 calendar days after verbal issuance. A copy of the written direction shall be furnished to the CO and the CS.

In addition to providing technical direction, the COR will:

· Monitor the Contractor’s technical progress, including surveillance and assessment of performance, and recommend to the CO and CS, any changes in the requirement;

· Assist the Contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance; and

· Perform inspection and acceptance or recommendation for rejection of Contractor deliverables and identify deficiencies in delivered items. This does not replace any other quality assurance inspection requirements that are specified elsewhere within this SOW.

If in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction issued by the COR is outside of their specific authority, the Contractor shall not proceed but shall notify the CO in writing within 5 working days after receipt of any instruction or direction, with an informational copy to the CS.

Contracting Officer (CO) - Name, Phone, and Email – will be provided at contract award.

All contract questions and concerns will be directed to the Government Contracting Officer. The CO is the only individual with the authority to financially obligate the government and to make changes to original terms and conditions of this contract.

The contractor is responsible for notifying the CO of any potential issues or concerns – technical, scope or financial, concerning this contract.

Contract Specialist (CS) - Name, Phone, and Email – will be provided at contract award.