U -- Crisis Management (SOS)

The purpose of this amendment is to (1) extend the proposal due date from October 07, 2005 through November 23, 2005 (no later than 2:00 PM) and (2) amend the Statement of Work (SOW) to clarify work requirements for this effort (see Section C of the amendment document). Please submit proposal material in accordance with the updated SOW. The Government will allow updated proposals/revisions from all previous offerors for this effort. Please submit updated proposal material in accordance with Section - L of the Solicitation Document (Standard Form 33). The updated Statement of Work is as follows: SECURITY OVERSEAS SEMINAR Crisis Management (MQ911) I. INTRODUCTION The Department of State's National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Service Institute (FSI) provides training and professional development to personnel of the Department of State and the Foreign Service community. The Transition Center (TC) division of FSI offers security awareness training to foreign affairs agency personnel and their eligible family members in the form of the Security Overseas Seminar (SOS) program. The SOS program currently requires the services of a qualified and experienced contractor(s) to conduct twenty-six, fifty-minute presentations on crisis management in an overseas environment at each of the seminars. II. BACKGROUND The overall aim of the SOS training is to motivate individuals to identify the likely security risks overseas and to develop a plan for dealing with them. The presentations addressing personal security will be provided in direct support of the SOS program. Over two thousand participants per year attend these trainings. Classes range from 30 to 200 participants with average class sizes being around 100. Participants come from many U. S. Government agencies. Their level of experience in the Foreign Service varies from newcomers in the overseas environment to veterans with twenty years or more of service and their family members. This variance has proved to be both a benefit and a challenge. Newcomers appreciate the firsthand experiences related by veterans. However, it has been important that presenters be mindful to avoid elementary approaches that could bore those with more experience. It has always been important to acknowledge individual experiences the audience members bring to the seminar and to provide some measure of audience participation. The two-day SOS program is offered twenty-six (26) times a year, and presents a variety of presentation formats in order to maximize the efficiency of the program. III. WORK REQUIREMENTS The fifty minute presentation entitled, - Managing in a Crisis, is an introduction to how to cope with disasters ranging from natural ones such as floods to terrorist ones like the recent bombing in London. The presentation itself has been developed by TC/T. The awardee(s) will be responsible for the refinement, update, and delivery of the existing model. The guidelines provided by the existing model are often general. For the refinement and update of the existing presentation model, the contractor is to incorporate specific, concrete, and updated examples as well as supplementary discussion that are relevant to what is being addressed in the existing model. The objective of - Managing in a Crisis is to enable participants to anticipate and prepare for the psychological impact of crisis situations. Crises that confront Embassy personnel and their families can include natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as man-made disasters, such as terrorist bombings and violent civil conflicts. The perspective of the presentation should be from the viewpoint of a psychologist, social worker, or grief counselor. The presentation itself has been developed by TC/T. The awardee(s) will be responsible for the refinement, update, and delivery of the existing model. The guidelines provided by the existing model are often general. For the refinement and update of the existing presentation model, the contractor is to incorporate specific, concrete, and updated examples as well as supplementary discussion that are relevant to what is being addressed in the existing model. The presentation will include, but will not be limited to the following topics: - The stages of individual and community reactions to a crisis (impact, unfolding, aftermath, and integration) - The physical, psychological, and cognitive effects each stage might have on an individual and a community - The symptoms of Acute Stress versus Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome - Individual and community coping strategies for dealing with these kinds of stress and methods for remaining calm The presentation should include recent, real-life examples of the psychological impact of crises in which participants and their families might find themselves. The selected contractor(s) must perform the services listed in this section under the general guidelines established by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). During the agreement periods the contractor(s) shall be responsible for the following: - Preparation and use of top-quality visual aids compatible with the Foreign Service Institute's audio-visual technology. Handouts may be provided by awardee if desired, subject to the approval of the course coordinator. - Subject matter input toward course materials for the personal security portion of Security Overseas Seminar Guidebook. - Awardee(s) will be required to attend an orientation meeting with the Contracting Office Representative (COR) and other staff members. - Awardee(s) will be required to submit an electronic copy of the PowerPoint file (if used) and presentation notes to course coordinator for the files. - The awardee(s) must arrive 10 minutes prior to the start of each class and respond to follow-up questions at the end of the sessions. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged. Please submit all questions and inquiries to Bernard Salter Jr. in writing at salterb@state.gov by November 17, 2005.