The US Army Corps of Engineers intends to award a Sole-Source, Firm-Fixed-Price Type Professional Services contract to The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), University of Hawaii, to provide applied information research, analysis and support for the development of more effective, policies, institutions, programs and information products for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance to the country of Nepal. The project is a Joint effort with USACE. USACE will perform 35% of the work and PDC (through the contract) performing 65% of the work. This requirement in not expected to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. USACE has been tasked with executing the Nepal GIS Integration project on behalf of the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), Office of Defense Cooperation (U.S. Embassy - Kathmandu), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). A broad set of international organizations and donors have been and are currently identifying and funding disaster preparedness programs in Nepal with a minimum of coordination. A quote mark common denominator quote mark to the value of these programs and the effectiveness of disaster preparedness and resilience efforts in general, is the development and use of geospatial information to support project activities and outcomes. Through the development and application of a unified and accessible geospatial and geographic information system (GIS) capability such an approach will enhance planning and decision making by the Government of Nepal. The PDC is a unique research organization with many federal, international and non-profit partnerships. PDC has been working with USACE on the Nepal GIS Integration project since 2011. Through this partnership, the Nepal Government has requested USACE and PDC implement a DisasterAWARE solution for the country, entitled quote mark NepalAWARE. quote mark The objective of this initiative is to improve disaster planning, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery in Nepal. USACE will be working collaboratively through an existing partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MoHA) National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) in Nepal and the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC). The University of Hawaii is the Managing Partner of the PDC, through a Cooperative Agreement (#HQ 0034-07-2-0012) awarded by the Washington Headquarters Services. The contractor will work with governmental and non-governmental agencies/organizations for in-country support. The contractor will support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the completion of the 4 Tasks listed below: Task 1- Coordination Support: Current activities have focused on engaging the Nepalese Army (NA), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the intention of establishing an operational collaborative network to collect and sharing key geospatial information. Proposed FY15 activities will include coordination support that will continue these efforts and expand the development of operational concepts that will include government and non-governmental organizations. Activities will include: Coordination meetings - Supporting USACE/NA/MoHA Coordination meetings with collaborating agencies, Meetings to address outreach, requirements development/understanding data access/use. Concept of Operations (CONOPs) development - Formulate initial Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for the use of the Pacific Disaster Center's (PDC) DisasterAWARE (All-hazard Warning, Analysis and Risk Evaluation) platform within the existing Nepalese disaster management context. CONOPS will factor in continuation of (1) populating in-country data server with GIS data identified to-date, (2) incorporation of PDC-hosted DisasterAWARE Emergency Operations (EMOPS) system, and (3) usage by collaborating agencies and institutions. CONOPS will address (1) disaster monitoring, and (2) planning use cases. The CONOPS forms a basis for deployment of national DisasterAWARE capability - NepalAWARE -in the future. Strategic Engagement Support - support USACE/NA/MoHA in development and execution of strategic engagement activities addressing data sharing, agency collaboration/participation, and operational planning. Deliverables: Coordination Meetings/Summaries Concept of Operations (CONOPS) Document Travel: A total of two (2) trips, comprised of eight (8) in-country days, are budgeted to accommodate the above outcomes. Task 2 - Data Sharing and Collaboration: A key element of regional collaboration is the collection, conditioning and sharing of relevant and high value data. The project team is implementing an information sharing methodology that will enable access to geospatial and attribute data using a robust decision support technology that may be used by a cross-section of Nepalese and international organizations. Proposed FY15 activities will include continued collaboration with in-country organizations that play leading roles in the collection, management and sharing of data related to earthquake hazards, baseline regional infrastructure and population and risk factors impacting the severity of a major earthquake event in the Kathmandu Valley. Activities will include: Coordination with in-country data providers - Supporting USACE/NA/MoHA in the development of data sharing agreements/technical implementation (Government of Nepal (GoN) agencies, National Emergency Operations Center, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and other International and Non- Governmental Organizations, etc.) Data Provider Technical Exchange - Conduct a Data Provider Technical Exchange Workshop to facilitate additional information content development. Data layer selection/access/ingest - Incorporate prioritized set of resulting data into EMOPS via combination of in-country data server(s) and PDC-hosted data servers. Deliverables: Coordination Meetings/Summaries Data Provider Workshop/Summary Travel: A total of one (1) trip, comprised of four (4) in-country days, is budgeted to accommodate the above outcomes. Task 3 - Decision Support System ('NepalAWARE') Planning/Preparation: The PDC has deployed versions of its web-based software, DisasterAWARE, in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre). Developed under DoD funding, this uniquely valuable capability is an event-based decision support system, which provides access to a variety of data/information resources from local, regional and global sources. In planning for the implementation of a similar national capability, proposed FY15 activities will determine the most effective means of providing operational access to a regional DisasterAWARE capability. This will include assessing the best means to leverage current regional capabilities consistent with current institutional/system/data sharing environments. Activities will include: Requirements vs. Existing Capabilities - Inventory existing IT and staffing capacity (data addressed above). Approach - Compare against DisasterAWARE requirements and produce 'gap assessment' as needed. Submission requirements - milestones, review process, coordinating with potential donor organizations and resources (USAID, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid Appropriation (OHDACA), other donors). Deliverables: NepalAWARE Development Roadmap Travel: Travel, if any, to support IT activities is factored into the tasks discussed above. Task 4 - Training/Workshop Support: DisasterAWARE training and associated workshops have been used in other settings to promote the effective use of geospatial based tools and methodologies addressing disaster management. These events also ensure ongoing collaboration and engagement with local and regional organizations. The contractor's 'train the trainer' approach to DisasterAWARE instruction will be used to promote in-country continuing education in the use of DisasterAWARE and associated assessment/analysis methodologies. Proposed FY15 activities will include training and workshop sessions. Activities will include: Training for in-country organizations a) DisasterAWARE functionality b) Use case based exercises c) Best practices training sessions (user driven). Workshop/Exercise Support - addressing use cases/scenarios identified in (b) above Deliverables: Training Session and Materials Training Session Summary/Lessons Learned Travel: A total of one (1) trip, comprised of four (4) in-country days, is budgeted to accommodate the above outcomes. This is a special notice prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1(a) (2)(iii)(A), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. However, any firm that believes it can meet this requirement may give written notification to the Contracting Officer within 15 days from the date of publication of this announcement. Supporting evidence must be in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to comply with the requirement. Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determination by the Government to compete the proposed procurement based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. If no responses are received, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will proceed with awarding a Firm-Fixed-Price type contract to PDC for Development of NEPAL GIS Integration Project. These services will be provided to the Institute for Water Resources, Alexandria, VA. Point of Contact for this requirement is Mr. Richard J. Pecoraro at
contact@example.gov, Telephone:
+1 (555) 000-0000. Address: US Army Corps of Engineers, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, 7701 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315.
