Modification to a Previous Presolicitation Notice – Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge
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Notice Type: Modification to a Previous Presolicitation Notice
Posted Date:
Office Address:
Subject: Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge
Classification Code: R - Professional, administrative, and management support services
Solicitation Number: SOL-OAA-14-00051
Contact:
Description:
USAID/
COVER SHEET Issuance Date:
Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. AID-SOL-OAA-14-000051
Dear Prospective Offerors,
The
Please ensure registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) is current and up to date. SAM can be accessed at www.sam.gov.
All questions concerning this RFP shall be submitted via e-mail to
Submission of Proposals: Hand delivery of proposals will not be accepted. Proposals shall be submitted by
1. Technical Approach/Capability 2. Management Capacity/Key Personnel 3. Past Performance 4. Proposed Cost
This RFP in no way obligates the
Sincerely, /s/
Stephanie Fugate Contracting Officer SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COST B.1 TITLE 4 B.2 CONTRACT TYPE 4 B.3 PURPOSE 4 B.4 AWARDED PRICES 4 B.5 CEILING PRICE 5 B.6 TRAVEL 6 SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK C.1 BACKGROUND 7 C.2 STATEMENT OF WORK 10 C.2.1 Task 1: Design, launch and manage an international program of innovation competitions for wildlife trafficking to generate solutions to challenges provided by USAID. 11 C.2.1.A Competition Design 11 C.2.1.B Competition Launch 12 C.2.1.C Outreach to Potential Solution Holders 12 C.2.1.
Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge
B.2 CONTRACT TYPE
The Government anticipates awarding a Time and Materials/Labor Hours Hybrid contract.
B.3 PURPOSE
USAID seeks a vendor to provide innovative science and technology solutions to combat wildlife trafficking, - the poaching of protected species and the illegal trade in aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and their derivative parts and products - sourced via a series of incentive competitions, challenges and other open/collaborative innovation mechanisms. During this two year program called the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge, we expect the vendor to launch a variety of technology challenges based on input from USAID designed to stimulate the creation of scientific and technological solutions for eventual development and deployment in combatting wildlife trafficking across four broad areas: (1) movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts, (2) forensics and intelligence gathering, (3) consumer demand reduction and (4) corruption. Following the competition, the vendor will be expected to provide limited support to accelerate the scale-up of promising ideas and solutions through targeted activities that bring innovators in contact with potential donors, investors and users of the technology. The expected impact of the program is the development of a range of affordable and accessible technologies and other solutions that will improve the ability of key personnel in range, transit and demand countries to fight wildlife crime. USAID, its implementing partners and others will leverage these solutions to improve counter-trafficking in wildlife programming around the world.
B.4 ESTIMATED COST
Below is an illustrative table that includes USAID anticipated position per tasks listed in Section C. Offerors shall propose the required key personnel (CLIN 001), then propose additional personnel based on the statement of work. USAID envisions that each offeror will determine for itself what is required to best perform the tasks set forth in the Statement of Work.
Total Labor Costs CLIN Labor Category Days Fixed Daily Rate Total Burdened Labor Cost (Total Days x Daily Rate) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 001 Senior Prize Manager 002 Prize Manager 003 Prize Manager 004 Scale Manager 005 Scale Manager 006 Communications Specialist 007 Communications Specialist Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Labor Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year)
Other Direct Costs CLIN Other Direct Cost Description Qty. Fixed Fee Total Estimated Cost (Qty. x Fixed Fee) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 008 Subcontract for Wildlife Expertise 009 Communications/Outreach/Events/Travel 010 Flat Fee Per Challenge 011 Prize/Award Money for Winners 012 Other Direct Costs Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Other Direct Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year)
Base Year 1 Total Cost (Year 1) Total Labor Costs Base Year 1 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 1 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 1 $
Base Year 2 Total Cost (Year 2) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 2 $
Option Year 1 Total Cost (Year 3) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 3 $
Total Estimated Cost (Total Estimated Cost = Base Year 1+ Base Year 2 + Option Year 1) $
B.5 MAXIMUM CONTRACT CEILING PRICE
The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of one (1) 12 month option, shall not exceed 36 months. The total combined value of this contract is not-to-exceed
Ceiling Price: TBD
B.6 TRAVEL
Travel shall be reimbursed at cost and shall be conducted in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and Cost Principle outlined in FAR Part 31.205-46. All travel must be approved by the designated Contracting Officers Representative (COR).
SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK C.1 BACKGROUND
The poaching of wildlife is reaching epic proportions - measuring billions of dollars a year and threatening the survival of iconic species such as elephants, rhinos, tigers, sharks and sea turtles. Demand for wildlife and wildlife products has rapidly increased, driven in part by rising Gross Domestic Products in Asian countries, attracting transnational criminal networks who have helped make the illicit wildlife economy the fourth largest in the world. Wildlife trafficking threatens the security of nations and regions, undermines their economic development and impacts environmental health. In
The trafficking of illegal wildlife has become more organized, more lucrative and more technologically advanced than ever before. Park rangers and resource managers must patrol vast areas and are often out-manned and outgunned by poachers, who employ war-like hunting techniques that include helicopters and night-vision goggles. Custom officials are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of increasing and illegal trade, and wildlife products move with ease across porous borders and over oceans, transported in hidden compartments or mislabeled to escape detection. Urgent action is needed to address the new drivers of wildlife trafficking, which can no longer be addressed sufficiently through traditional conservation approaches. In order to fight the traffickers, the conservation and enforcement communities need to be just as organized and tech-savvy.
In response to this growing crisis, technology is being leveraged to combat wildlife crime and shows great potential to solve key problems along the trafficking supply chain. For example, DNA analysis can determine whether a seized wildlife product is derived from an illegal species and mobile technologies can help identify illicit wildlife sold in markets and be used to coordinate ranger patrols. These technologies and others help address critical gaps in the fight against wildlife crime, but often are not scaled up to address multiple species or multiple regions, and barriers - technological or otherwise - exist to their widespread implementation. A wealth of opportunities exist to apply new or redeploy existing technology to scale up or complement existing solutions to wildlife trafficking, as well as find innovative solutions to outstanding problems.
USAID prioritized the topics that will be addressed by the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge based on extensive research and consultation with wildlife crime experts. An initial list of 25 potential challenge topics was identified based on desk research, several high-profile wildlife trafficking fora, interviews and seminars. This list was ranked by US government wildlife trade experts, both in
USAID is currently working to develop high-profile partners on this program, including from the private sector, NGOs and USAID field missions to be determined at a later date. These partners will support the implementation of the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge through contributions that could include: subject matter expertise, technical input, outreach capacity, name recognition/credibility, human or financial resources and links to potential users of the technology. These partnerships will be managed by USAID who will work with the Offeror to ensure that resources they can provide for the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge will enhance and complement resources procured by USAID through this contract. It is envisioned that an advisory committee chaired by USAID and composed of partners, USAID, and the Offeror will meet regularly to guide the direction of the program. The Offeror may also propose additional strategic partnerships to USAID in support of this program. Based on the research and expert consultation undertaken by USAID, and possibly further honed with input from potential partners, USAID will stimulate the innovation of solutions in the counter wildlife trafficking sector via procurement of new open-sourced/crowd-sourced ideas and tools in the following areas referred to below as challenges and sub-challenges:
Challenge # 1 - Movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts * Sub-challenge # 1a - Detection and monitoring of existing transit routes. Wildlife traffickers use several strategies to conceal illicit wildlife material in transit to evade law enforcement. They take advantage of understaffed park rangers and resource managers who often patrol large areas with few resources, use complex shipping routes that frequently change, conceal illicit cargo on transport vessels and falsify documents so that illegal wildlife enters legitimate supply chains. USAID seeks technology solutions that will improve the ability to detect illicit wildlife in transit to facilitate seizures by law enforcement and to help elucidate the transit routes through which illegal wildlife is trafficked. Solutions may include, for example, tracking devices, surveillance technology and software development for cargo shipment analyses.
* Sub-challenge # 1b - Prediction of future transit routes. Wildlife traffickers often use complex shipping routes that involve transporting illicit material through several ports before reaching the final destination. A recent ivory shipment destined for
* Sub-challenge # 1c - Movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts across the internet. The online sale of illegal wildlife represents a large, mostly unregulated and poorly enforced market. Common workarounds such as adding the word "faux" to illegal product names, "pre-ban" to illegal ivory and euphemisms complicate regulation and enforcement; chat rooms and "deep web" sales continue to flourish at unknown rates and values. USAID seeks technology solutions that will improve the ability to detect and deter wildlife trafficking via the internet in a manner that is potentially useful for Internet companies (e.g.
Challenge #2 - Forensics and intelligence gathering * Sub-challenge # 2a - Identify illegal wildlife products. Lack of capacity to distinguish legal from illegal wildlife products represents a major bottleneck in the enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crime. The adoption of quick and accurate methods to identify illicit material would greatly facilitate customs and border enforcement, market control and the collection of reliable forensic evidence for prosecution. USAID seeks technology solutions that improve the ability to quickly and accurately identify illegal wildlife products using, for example, technologies that aid species identification and determine harvest origin (geographic and/or time of origin).
* Sub-challenge # 2b - Improve intelligence gathering and management. The effective gathering and management of field intelligence is essential to build cases against wildlife traffickers. However, data collection and management are often constrained by a lack of infrastructure, security issues and - given the transboundary natures of wildlife trafficking - the disparate approaches of different governments. USAID seeks technology solutions that will improve the ability of law enforcement to gather, manage and share intelligence data.
Challenge #3 - Consumer Demand Reduction * Sub-challenge #3a - Change cultural and societal norms. The demand for wildlife products comes from a number of different consumer groups and is, in some cases, heavily influenced by culture. In
* Sub-challenge #3b - Raise awareness of illegal products. High consumer demand is also driven by a general lack of consumer education. Many consumers may not realize they are purchasing illegal products or that their choices contribute to species decline and criminal activity. USAID seeks technology solutions that will reduce consumer demand by raising awareness about which wildlife products are illegal and the negative impacts of purchasing them.
Challenge #4 - Corruption * Corruption has been identified as one of the major impediments to stopping wildlife crime. Corruption occurs at multiple levels along illegal supply chains and may include customs and transportation officials, law enforcement personnel and government officials. USAID seeks innovative technologies that will improve transparency in illicit wildlife supply chains so that corruption is exposed and becomes more difficult.
USAID approach to wildlife trafficking
USAID has a long history of success with wildlife protection and currently is programming
The recent dramatic increase in poaching requires additional focus and new approaches. Through its new Wildlife TRAPS program, the Agency is working with partner countries and the global community to better understand and target specific points along the supply chain that sustains the illegal trafficking of ivory, rhino horn and other wildlife products. This includes demand reduction, breaking transit routes and improving legal and judicial treatment of wildlife crime in key countries.
The Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge represents an important contribution of USAID to the whole-of-government approach to wildlife trafficking mandated by the Executive Order signed by
Although USAID considers the terms "technology" and "technology solutions" broadly, we are primarily interested in tools and systems of tools that make use of the latest in technological innovation and can be used by those engaged in anti-trafficking efforts. Technology can include both "high-end" and electricity-driven technology (such as Information and Communication Technology), as well as simple machines, tools and models. USAID is potentially interested in innovations from all parts of the innovation cycle, including ideation, pilots, implementation and scale.
For the purposes of this program, wildlife trafficking refers to the poaching of protected species and illegal trade in aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and their derivative parts and products. Non protected species that are illegally harvested and/or illegally traded could be part of this program.
C.2 STATEMENT OF WORK
The overall goal of the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge program is to generate innovative science and technology solutions to combat wildlife trafficking and support the acceleration and scaling up of promising solutions. This will be accomplished through two major tasks which are described below. The Offeror will be expected to run a core set of competitions managed out of USAID/
Task 1 Design, launch and manage an international program of innovation competitions for wildlife trafficking to generate solutions to challenges provided by USAID, for use by USAID and its partners.
Task 2 Support the acceleration to scale and scaling up of promising ideas and technologies. "Acceleration to scale" refers to expediting the transition of a concept or prototype to a viable product for the marketplace, while "scaling up" means expanding the number of users of a viable product (
Task 3 (Option to be exercised): Subawards and Grants under Contracts to scale promising technologies identified through Tasks 1 and 2.
Detailed Description of Tasks:
C.2.1 Task 1: Design, launch and manage an international program of innovation competitions for wildlife trafficking to generate solutions to challenges provided by USAID.
In consultation with USAID and partner institutions, the Offeror will design, launch and manage a program of international innovation competitions to generate technological solutions to combat wildlife trafficking. Raising public awareness about wildlife trafficking is an important component of the program; therefore, public outreach should be integrated into several steps of the design (see below). The following is an illustrative list of the types of activities that could be undertaken as part of Task 1.
C.2.1.A Competition Design i. Design the award: create the right incentives to attract the best talent * Awards may be monetary, publicity/recognition, assistance (e.g. incubator services like USAID LAUNCH program), or new opportunities (e.g. potential USAID or other partner awards or referral). Incentives offered must be in line with appropriate USAID legal/procurement guidance. The total size of financial incentives (prizes and awards) for use in the program will be included as a plug figure in the contract and determined during competition design. Determine the number of awards to give (e.g. ranked or winner takes all) * Determine the competition platform (e.g. open vs. closed, collaborative vs. competitive, narrow vs. broad audience; see below) ii. Design the submission process * Decide if applicants should pre-register for the competition and how long the system will be open for pre-registration * Determine submission format (e.g. page limit, appendices, multimedia, prototypes, etc.) and timeline for applications * Intellectual Property (IP): Include an IP agreement in the submission process to obtain consent from the participants. Specific IP requirements will be determined for each challenge during design, but it is likely that USAID will request that winners of the Technology Challenge be ready to grant non-exclusive rights for use by the
C.2.1.B Competition Launch * Publicize the competition to the general public and potential solution holders, including outreach (described in detail below) through existing networks and media outlets * Identify the most competent and diverse applicants and use targeted approaches to reach a high-probability applicant pool (as further described below) * If possible, take advantage of concurrent anti-wildlife trafficking or conservation events for a launch event
C.2.1.C Outreach to Potential Solution Holders
A critical element of the design process will be to animate potential solution holders by creating a supportive structure and process for their engagement. The challenge topics selected for the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge are all important for fighting wildlife crime; however, they may differ in their appeal or relevance to potential solution holders. As each challenge is designed, the Offeror will need to identify the most relevant set of solution holders to target for participation. Because wildlife trafficking is a global crisis, solution holders may come from anywhere in world, and the Offeror should include potential solution holders in developing countries in their outreach. Potential solution holders may be identified from the networks of the Offeror, USAID or its partners on this program.
Traditional actors who work in the field of wildlife crime, such as local and international NGOs and governmental entities on the front lines of wildlife trafficking, are natural allies for this program and may wish to submit their own ideas and solutions. An additional role for these actors, rather than as solution holders, may be as key informants/educators about a given challenge to non-traditional solution holders (See Table 1).
Non-traditional actors can be an important source of new ideas and solutions. Non-traditional actors may come from the general public, universities and research institutions, organizations or companies that have a stake/interest in not contributing to wildlife crime or they may come from narrowly focused, expert-led communities. Below are some illustrative examples of non-traditional solution holders that could be targeted for participation in this program:
Table 1-1. Illustrative Example of Non-Traditional Solution Holders
Wildlife Trafficking Topic Type of
An important part of working with non-traditional partners is ensuring that they understand enough about the issue to propose appropriate solutions. As part of the competition design, it may be necessary to build in some targeted low-cost awareness-raising/education for the potential solution holders. There are many ways to achieve this, such as designing the launch platform (i.e. website) to include links to relevant background/educational material and by organizing virtual fora that bring together potential solution holders with potential users of the technologies or with institutions that have a history of working on issues of wildlife crime. Below is an illustrative list of activities that could be used to reach out to potential solution holders:
* Identify the most competent and diverse solution holders through, for example, an analysis of the relevant technological skills required for each challenge, groups with subject matter expertise, non-traditional actors that belong to relevant but seemingly unrelated fields (see Table 1 above), the solution holders likely to be drawn to particular competition platforms deemed appropriate for each challenge (e.g. general public vs. highly technical experts, students, tech companies), etc. * Publicize the competition to the general public and potential solution holders through, for example, media outlets, social media, existing USAID, partner, and Offeror networks, trade publications, scientific societies, University department bulletins, etc. * If potential solution holders need additional training on wildlife trafficking issues to be competitive, an educational component should be built into the outreach effort as described above * In keeping with USAID core values, the vendor will encourage the participation of women and disadvantaged groups in the competition
C.2.1.
C.2.2 Task 2: Support the acceleration to scale and scaling up of promising ideas and technologies.
Stimulating the creation of innovative solutions to wildlife crime has little meaning if those solutions are not deployed where needed and scaled as appropriate. The Offeror will provide limited support to the acceleration and scaling up of promising solutions generated through the competition, which may include the following illustrative activities: * Ensure that the competition design and implementation use all opportunities within its means to position technologies for acceleration or scale-up, including, e.g. well-honed challenge statements with opportunities for solution holders to engage with potential users of the technology, relevant judging criteria, selection of judges and more. * In consultation with relevant stakeholders, identify the most appropriate "pathway to scale," i.e. though public means, private means or mixed, and provide some initial recommendations for a pathway to scale. * Provide/create opportunities for technologies to be introduced to potential target users, investors and donors. * Build winner/participant/user communities o Can be accomplished using different processes (e.g. as part of the awarding event, additional workshops that bring winners and investors together, online fora, etc.) o Create a web-based wildlife crime technology clearinghouse where developers/users/funders can connect and follow up on their own with each other. The contractor would not be responsible for management of the website after the life of the award.
C.2.3 Task 3: (Option to be exercised): Subawards and Grants under contracts to scale promising technologies identified through Tasks 1 and 2. This task will focus on scaling up the most promising solutions identified in Tasks 1 and supported in Task 2, through sub-grants or sub-contracts. A full scope of work and deliverables for this task will be provided should this option be exercised.
C.2.4 Additional Deliverables:
1. A Performance Monitoring Plan for the program 2. Quarterly performance reports 3. A final report, (format to be determined by USAID) which includes discussion of results of the program and "lessons learned" in competition program design and implementation
C.3 REPORTS & DELIVERABLES BY TASK
C.3.1 Task 1 Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected:
1. An approved strategy for each of the four challenge areas identified in the Background section of this solicitation that includes details on: a. Competition Design b. Competition Launch c. Outreach to potential solution holders d.
2. An approved web platform for Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge program management and outreach.
3. At least one solution identified per sub-challenge to combat wildlife trafficking that meets USAID's criteria for success for each challenge. The criteria of success for each challenge will be identified as part of the challenge strategy development process.
C.3.2 Task 2 Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected:
1. A report identifying initial recommendations for a pathway to scale for each of the winning solutions and potentially other promising technologies identified through this program.
2. A Web-based wildlife crime technology clearinghouse, e.g. as part of the Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge website.
3. For each challenge, at least one opportunity - e.g. online fora, workshop, other events - for winning solutions and other promising technologies to be introduced to potential target users, investors or donors.
C.3.3 Task 3 Deliverables
A full scope of work and deliverables for this task will be provided should this option be exercised. C.3.4 Additional Reports:
1. A Performance Monitoring Plan for the program 2. Quarterly performance reports 3. A final report, (format to be determined by USAID) which includes discussion of results of the program and "lessons learned" in prize program design and implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation USAID expects the following results from the Wildlife Trafficking Tech Challenge: 1. At least one solution is identified per sub-challenge. 2. The technologies identified are promoted with potential private and public investors with a goal of at least 50% being further developed. 3. Awareness of the identified technologies is raised within the wildlife trafficking community and potential users of the technology. 4. Awareness is raised about wildlife trafficking issues outside of the conservation community. USAID will monitor the adequacy of deliverables and the contractor's effectiveness in achieving expected results through USAID's Program Management Plan (PMP) process. The PMP will be developed collaboratively with the contractor and USAID within 90 days after award.
Performance evaluation may include indicators that measure the quantity and diversity of submissions and participants, public awareness (e.g. press attention, website traffic) and adoption rate of solutions. We will focus initial monitoring and impact assessment efforts on understanding and documenting the impact the competition has on the overall level of technological innovation in the field of anti- wildlife trafficking. The Offeror is expected to report on metrics and indicators developed collaboratively with USAID throughout the life of the program to help ensure program efficacy.
SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING This Section Intentionally Left Blank.
SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.252-2 "CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See FAR 52.252-2 for an Internet address (if specified) for electronic access to the full text of a clause.
NUMBER TITLE DATE FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48
E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE
USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs shall be subject to the performance standards set forth in Sections C and F. Inspection and acceptance shall take place at
Inspection of all deliverables required hereunder shall be made by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), designated in Section G, who has been delegated authority to inspect and accept all services, reports and other required deliverables. Acceptance of services, reports and other deliverables by the COR shall form the basis for payments to the Contractor. SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
The estimated period of performance of this contract is two (2) Base years with a one (1) year option period from the date of contract execution.
F.2 KEY PERSONNEL
The following labor category is designated as Key Personnel for this contract:
Senior Program Manager Senior-level Program Manager shall be responsible for the management of this program and has demonstrated experience leading the design, implementation and management of competitions, preferably in the international development sector. Experience in some aspects of taking innovation to scale is required and knowledge of wildlife conservation is an asset, but not necessary. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide variety of actors (e.g. private sector, government, NGOs, science and technology experts) and excellent written and oral communication skills.
Any change in Key Personnel requires advanced written approval of the COR and CO.
F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
This work will be performed in the
F.4 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE
The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under this contract is 937.
F.5 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA
To be provided at time of award SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA G.1 INVOICES
One (1) original of each invoice shall be submitted on an SF-1034 Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal to:
Electronic submission of invoices is required; paper copies will not be accepted. The SF-1034 must be signed, and it must be submitted along with the invoice and any other documentation in Adobe. E-mail to [email protected]
G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in the requirements of this contract and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment shall be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.
G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTION
As noted elsewhere in this document, the Contractor is expected to closely consult with USAID on the implementation of this program. SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS H.1 ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
These activities comply with the Agency's environmental regulations, found at 22 CFR, Part 216. Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and was approved as a Negative Determination.
H.2 PRIVACY ACT
Data handled under this contract contain Privacy Act data and must be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.
H.3 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
All deliverables shall be produced in English. Ability to hire local language expertise is required when necessary for the completion of field support tasks.
H.4 BRANDING
The Contractor shall comply with the requirements of the USAID "Graphic Standards Manual" in accordance with ADS 320, available at www.usaid.gov/branding, or any successor branding policy.
H.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED FACILITIES OR PROPERTY
The Contractor and any employee or consultant of the Contractor is prohibited from using
H.6 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
All reports generated and data collected during this project shall be considered the property of USAID and shall not be reproduced, disseminated or discussed in open forum, other than for the purposes of completing the tasks described in this document, without the express written approval of a duly-authorized representative of USAID. All findings, conclusions and recommendations shall be considered confidential and proprietary.
H.7 CONTRACTOR'S STAFF SUPPORT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICS ARRANGEMENTS
The Contractor shall be responsible for all administrative support and logistics required to fulfill the requirements of this contract. These shall include all travel arrangements, appointment scheduling, secretarial services, report preparations services, printing, and duplicating.
H.8 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (
(a) The contractor shall prepare and submit progress reports as specified in the Schedule of this contract. These reports are separate from the interim and final performance evaluation reports prepared by USAID in accordance with (48 CFR) FAR 42.15 and internal Agency procedures, but they may be used by USAID personnel or their authorized representatives when evaluating the contractor's performance. (b) During any delay in furnishing a progress report required under this contract, the contracting officer may withhold from payment an amount not to exceed
H.9 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS (
(a) Contract Reports and Information/Intellectual Products.
(1) The Contractor shall submit to USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) copies of reports and information products which describe, communicate or organize program/project development assistance activities, methods, technologies, management, research, results and experience as outlined in the Agency's
(2) Upon contract completion, the Contractor shall submit to DEC an index of all reports and information/intellectual products referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause.
(b) Submission requirements.
(1) Distribution.
(i) At the same time submission is made to the COR, the Contractor shall submit, one copy each, of contract reports and information/intellectual products (referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause) in either electronic(preferred) or paper form to one of the following:
(A) Via E-mail: [email protected];
(B)
(C) Via Fax: (301) 588-7787; or
(D) Online: http://www.dec.org/index.cfm fuseaction=docSubmit.home
(ii) The Contractor shall submit the reports index referenced in paragraph (a)(2) of this clause and any reports referenced in paragraph (a)(1) of this clause that have not been previously submitted to DEC, within 30 days after completion of the contract to one of the address cited in paragraph (b)(1)(i)of this clause.
(2) Format.
(i) Descriptive information is required for all Contractor products submitted. The title page of all reports and information products shall include the contract number(s), Contractor name(s), name of the USAID cognizant technical office, the publication or issuance date of the document, document title, author name(s), and strategic objective or activity title and associated number. In addition, all materials submitted in accordance with this clause shall have attached on a separate coversheet the name, organization, address, telephone number, fax number, and Internet address of the submitting party.
(ii) The report in paper form shall be prepared using non-glossy paper (preferably recycled and white or off-white using black ink. Elaborate art work, multicolor printing and expensive bindings are not to be used. Whenever possible, pages shall be printed on both sides.
(iii) The electronic document submitted shall consist of only one electronic file which comprises the complete and final equivalent of the paper copy.
(iv) Acceptable software formats for electronic documents include WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, and Portable Document Format (PDF). Submission in PDF is encouraged.
(v) The electronic document submission shall include the following descriptive information:
(A) Name and version of the application software used to create the file, e.g., MSWord6.0 or Acrobat Version 5.0.
(B) The format for any graphic and/or image file submitted, e.g., TIFF-compatible.
(C) Any other necessary information, e.g. special backup or data compression routines, software used for storing/retrieving submitted data or program installation instructions.
H.10 REPORTING ON TAXATION OF U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE (a) Reporting of Foreign Taxes. The contractor must annually submit a final report by
(v) Only foreign taxes assessed by the foreign government in the country receiving U.S. assistance is to be reported. Foreign taxes by a third party foreign government are not to be reported. For example, if an assistance program for
(e) Subagreements. The contractor must include this reporting requirement in all applicable subcontracts, subgrants and other subagreements. (f) For further information see http://www.state.gov/m/rm/c10443.htm. SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES I.1 GSA CONTRACT CLAUSES
All contract clauses as applicable in the offeror's GSA Multiple Award Schedule will apply to this Contract.
I.2 ADDITIONAL FAR & AIDAR CLAUSES
In addition to the fully incorporated clauses, the following clauses are applicable to this procurement. Full text of FAR Clauses can be found at www.acquistion.gov and AIDAR Clauses can be found at http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf
52.203-11 Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions. (
FAR CLAUSES:
52.204-3 Taxpayer Identification. (
52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications. (
52.209-5 Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters. (
52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters. (
52.215-6 Place of Performance. (
52.216-1 Type of Contract. (
52.216-30 Time-and-Materials/Labor-Hour Proposal Requirements-Non-Commercial Item Acquisition Without Adequate Price Competition. (
52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports. (
52.222-25 Affirmative Action Compliance. (
52.233-2 Service of Protest. (
52.234-2 Notice of Earned Value Management System - Pre-Award IBR. (
52.234-3 Notice of Earned Value Management System - Post Award IBR. (
52.252-1
(End of provision)
52.252-3 Alterations in Solicitation. As prescribed in 52.107(c), insert the following provision in solicitations in order to revise or supplement, as necessary, other parts of the solicitation that apply to the solicitation phase only, except for any provision authorized for use with a deviation. Include clear identification of what is being altered. Alterations in Solicitation (
I.3 AIDAR CLAUSES
752.202-1 USAID DEFINITIONS CLAUSE -- GENERAL SUPPLEMENT FOR USE IN ALL USAID CONTRACTS (
SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS
This Section Intentionally Left Blank. SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS L.1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS
Offerors shall prepare an offer consisting of a Technical Proposal and Price Proposal as described below:
General Instructions:
1. Submit the technical and price proposals via e-mail to [email protected] in two separate attachments with the subject line of the e-mail labeled as AID-SOL-OAA-14-000051 Wildlife Trafficking Technology Challenge Technical/Price Proposal. 2. Ensure registration in SAM.gov is current (including POC information). 3. Do not send any *.zip(c) files.
Section 1 - Technical Proposal
The written Technical Proposal shall be in word format, is limited to twenty (20) pages, shall be written in English, and shall address the information requested below. Submitted resume, past performance information, and subcontracting plan (if applicable) do not count against the twenty (20) page limit and should each be included at the end of the proposal as an Annex (see below). Offerors shall use letter size (8.5 inch by 11 inch) only paper size, single-spaced pages and each page consecutively numbered. Offerors must use Times New Roman font 11 or a similar size typeset.
Annex 1 - Resume Annex 2 - Past Performance Information Annex 3 - Subcontracting Plan (if applicable)
The technical proposal is composed of the following three factors:
Factor 1 - Technical Approach/Capability
Technical Capability is the primary determining factor of an offeror's ability to perform by producing deliverables and expected results in support of program tasks. At a minimum the Offerors shall provide the following: 1. A description of the Offeror's overall approach for producing deliverables and expected results in support of program tasks, including how activities will be phased to accomplish tasks within the timeframe provided (3 pages). 2. A draft implementation strategy for Challenge 1 (movement of trafficked wildlife and wildlife parts; 10 pages) which shall include descriptions of: a. Competition design b. Competition launch c. Competition post-launch d. Outreach to solution holders 3. An illustrative plan of the Offeror's approach for a pathway to scale for potential technologies that may emerge from a sub-challenge of the Offeror's choosing from Challenge 1 (2 pages). Factor 2 - Management Capacity and Key Personnel
The Offeror shall describe their management plan and key personnel approach in narrative format (5 pages; resume should be referenced and put in an annex). At a minimum, the offerors shall address the following points:
1. Overall management structure for achieving the tasks within the program timeframe. The Offeror should present a comprehensive management and staffing plan to achieve results. The Offeror should describe: organizational expertise in various competition platforms, efficient and effective use of resources, demonstrated ability to engage stakeholders and solvers from different but relevant fields, ability to plan for transitioning technologies to scale, organizational expertise in managing sub-grants and/or awards, appropriate staffing and, if appropriate, sub-contracting plans to accomplish program tasks, etc.
2. Identify the key personnel to be provided for this contract and supply a resume to include technical expertise, background, experience, and current job functions. Key personnel proposed should have the following experience:
A senior-level Program Manager shall be responsible for the management of this program and has demonstrated experience leading the design, implementation and management of competitions, preferably in the international development sector. Experience in some aspects of taking innovation to scale is required and knowledge of wildlife conservation is an asset, but not necessary. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide variety of actors (e.g. private sector, government, NGOs, science and technology experts) and excellent written and oral communication skills.
Factor 3 - Past Performance
1. A minimum of three most recent and/or relevant contracts for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal. References provided should be relevant and demonstrate quality services provided for development-related innovation challenges that offeror's have run in the past which generated productive solutions. 2. For each reference provided, list contact names, job titles, mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and a brief description of the work performed to include: a. Description of Program and Work performed b. Primary locations of work c. Term of performance; and d. Dollar value
Section 2 - Price Proposal: The Government anticipates awarding a time and materials labor hour hybrid contract. Offeror's shall propose labor hour prices and other direct costs for each CLIN using the tables or a similar alternative as shown below:
Total Labor Costs CLIN Labor Category Days Fixed Daily Rate Total Burdened Labor Cost (Total Days x Daily Rate) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 001 Senior Prize Manager 002 Prize Manager 003 Prize Manager 004 Scale Manager 005 Scale Manager 006 Communications Specialist 007 Communications Specialist Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Labor Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year)
Other Direct Costs CLIN Other Direct Cost Description Qty. Fixed Fee Total Estimated Cost (Qty. x Fixed Fee) Base Year 1 Base Year 2 Option Year 1 008 Subcontract for Wildlife Expertise 009 Communications/Outreach/Events/Travel 010 Flat Fee Per Challenge 011 Prize/Award Money for Winners 012 Other Direct Costs Base Year 1 Total Base Year 2 Total Option Year Total $ $ $ Total Other Direct Cost (2 Base Years + Option Year)
Base Year 1 Total Cost (Year 1) Total Labor Costs Base Year 1 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 1 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 1 $
Base Year 2 Total Cost (Year 2) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 2 $
Option Year 1 Total Cost (Year 3) Total Labor Costs Base Year 2 $ Total Other Direct Cost Year 2 $ Total Estimated Cost Base Year 3 $
Total Estimated Cost (Total Estimated Cost = Base Year 1+ Base Year 2 + Option Year 1) $
1. Proposals should clearly lay out the proposed cost per challenge and any plug figure fees for winners or other additional costs. Cost will be a supporting factor and will become the determining factor if a selection cannot be made based on the technical proposals, management capacity and past performance. 2. Evaluation CLINS shall be proposed on a firm-fixed price basis. The total firm fixed price shall include all labor and any necessary other direct costs to complete the work described in the statement of work. 3. For each firm fixed price proposed, the offeror shall clearly show how they arrived at the firm fixed price. 4. The offeror shall clearly identify any discounts offered to the US government.
All travel will be reimbursed directly to the contractor in accordance with applicable travel regulations. SECTION M - EVALUATION FACORS FOR AWARD M.1 EVALUATION FACTORS
(a) The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors. (b) The Government intends to evaluate contract proposals in accordance with the below evaluation criteria and award to the responsible contractor(s) whose contract proposal(s) represents the best value to the
(c) The submitted technical information will be scored by a technical evaluation committee using the technical criteria shown below. The evaluation committee may include industry experts who are not employees of the Federal Government. When evaluating the competing Offerors, the Government will consider the written qualifications and capability information provided by the Offerors, and any other information obtained by the Government through its own research. For overall evaluation purposes, technical factors are considered significantly more important than cost/price factors.
FACTOR 1 - Technical Approach/Capability - 50% The offeror has a realistic plan to complete the process facilitation and deliverables outlined above, as evidenced by: 1. A robust approach for producing deliverables and expected results within the timeframe provided. 2. A draft implementation strategy for Challenge 1 that demonstrates competency in competition design, launch, post-launch, and outreach to solution holders. 3. An illustrative plan for a pathway to scale for potential technologies that may emerge from a sub-challenge of Challenge 1 that demonstrates the vendor's competency in transitioning technologies to scale.
FACTOR 2 - Management Plan & Key Personnel - 30% 1. A management plan that presents a comprehensive approach to management and staffing to achieve results. 2. Appropriately-skilled personnel to successfully complete the work, and has a realistic plan for the organization and management of work by the project team(s), as evidenced by: 3. Detailed resume of key personnel, demonstrating their appropriate skills and experience, including: a. Demonstrated experience leading the design, implementation and management of competitions, preferably in the international development sector. b. Experience in some aspects of taking innovation to scale is required and knowledge of wildlife conservation is an asset, but not necessary. c. Demonstrated ability to work with a wide variety of actors (e.g. private sector, government, NGOs, science and technology experts). d. Excellent written and oral communication skills.
FACTOR 3 - Past Performance - 20% The Government will use past performance data gathered and evaluate the following: * Quality of product or service. * Timeliness of performance, including adherence to contract schedules and other time-sensitive project conditions, and effectiveness of home office management. * Customer satisfaction, including satisfactory business relationship to clients, initiation and management of several complex activities simultaneously, prompt and satisfactory correction of problems, and cooperative attitude in fixing problems. * Effectiveness of key personnel including effectiveness and appropriateness of personnel for the job, and prompt and satisfactory changes in personnel when problems with clients are identified. Other sources of past performance information may be considered in the evaluation. USAID will evaluate proposals in accordance with the technically acceptable criteria/factors (Technical Approach, Key Personnel, and Past Performance) in each area in order to be eligible for award. The factors are of weighted importance and will be evaluated against the following ratings as defined: Technical Ratings and Descriptions
Adjectival Rating Adjectival Rating Description Excellent Proposal demonstrates excellent understanding of requirements and approach that significantly exceeds performance or capability standards. Has exceptional strengths that will significantly benefit the Government. Very Good Proposal demonstrates a very good understanding of requirements and approach that exceeds performance or capability standards. Has one or more strengths that will benefit the Government. Good Proposal demonstrates acceptable understanding of requirements and approach that meets performance or capability standards. Acceptable solution. Few or no strengths. Poor Proposal demonstrates shallow understanding of requirements and approach that only marginally meets performance or capability standards necessary for minimal but acceptable contract performance. Inadequate Proposal fails to meet performance or capability standards. Requirements can only be met with major changes to the proposal.
Link/URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/AID/OP/WashingtonDC/SOL-OAA-14-00051/listing.html
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