Southeast Alaska Economic Development Asset Mapping

The Forest Service anticipates releasing a solicitation on or about August 13, 2010, at this FedBizOpps website, for Economic Development Asset Mapping services. All interested sources should visit this FedBizOpps website from time to time to obtain the solicitation and to stay up-to-date with the acquisition. A full and open competition acquisition under FAR Subpart 6.1 is anticipated, with all responsible sources permitted to compete. The Tongass National Forest is seeking (1) an asset mapping solution using, modeled after, or delivering similar outcomes as the Council on Competitiveness's Asset Mapping approach (see http://www.compete.org/images/uploads/File/PDF%20Files/CoC_Illuminate_2008.pdf); and (2) a long-term economic development plan to identify the human, financial, institutional, and natural assets of Southeast Alaska, tangible and intangible, so that the U. S. Department of Agriculture can have a foundation for actions it might take in realistic hopes of improving the economic conditions of Southeast Alaska. We desire an inventory of key resources that could be used in a development effort, we want to identify gaps that require further investment, and we want a basis to serve as a baseline by which to judge future progress towards prosperity. We are using the term "asset mapping" as the term is used in the U. S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration's Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative. We use the words "...using, modeled after, or delivering similar outcomes as..." above to show that we are not insistent on Council on Competitiveness's approach, but that we are familiar with it and it looks promising to us. We intend to make an award to the source that provides the best value to the Government. Interested sources are most sincerely invited to identify themselves to the contracting officer by the submission of brief white paper. The white paper may be submitted at any time; however, for maximum utility, an interested source should submit its white paper sooner rather than later, and in any case before Wednesday, August 11, 2010, so that the contracting officer can review the white paper and perhaps adopt some of its recommendations in our acquisition approach. A white paper should be one or two pages and may be fax'ed to +1 (555) 000-0000 or 6254. It should be titled Economic Development Asset Mapping Services, A White Paper for John Inman, Contracting Officer, Submitted by (Name). The white paper should (1) identify the source by name, address, point of contact, preference program eligibilities, and so forth; (2) describe its familiarity with the documents at http://www.compete.org/images/uploads/File/PDF%20Files/CoC_Illuminate_2008.pdf and http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/ro/projects-plans/transition_frame/econ_analysis_se_alaska_final.pdf; (3) express its interest in providing the needed services and share its participation in similar efforts for other customers; and (4) provide recommendations for the Forest Service's benefit in planning and conducting this acquisition and finalizing the solicitation. For (4), recommendations could include the timeframe and deliverables/outcomes we ought to expect, evaluation criteria we might use, and so forth. The Forest Service retains the right to hold exchanges before receipt of proposals with interested sources, including one-on-one meetings with those who submit white papers. See FAR 15.201. At this time, the white papers are the only item we are seeking. Proposals will be invited with the release of the solicitation on or about August 13, 2010, and will be due perhaps on or about September 13, 2010.