FILE | R | JA Report Writing - SOW | 29-Jun-08

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 29, 2008 FBO #2407
DOCUMENT

R -- JA Report Writing - SOW

Notice Date: 6/27/2008
Notice Type: SOW
NAICS: 611430 — Professional and Management Development Training
Contracting Office: General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General, Information Technology Division (JPM), 1800 F Street, NW, Room 5040, Washington, District of Columbia, 20405-0000
ZIP Code: 20405-0000
Solicitation Number: GSJ0008PM0015
Archive Date: 7/22/2008
Point of Contact: Ming Chang,, Phone: 202-501-8927
E-Mail Address: ming.chang@gsa.gov
Small Business Set-Aside: N/A
Description: The Office of Inspector General (GSA) wants to locate qualified, competent trainers via this combined Sources-sought/Synopsis. OIG intends to contractually procure a curriculum- developer/instructor with prior experience working with Federal Government (Office of Inspectors General experience preferred), an understanding of the OIG mission, a working knowledge of auditing principles, concepts, terminology, requirements and standards, plus “story conferencing” techniques, and is skilled/trained in dealing with diverse audiences (see attached SOW for more info). OIG encourages qualified/certified (SB) Small Business (under NACIS 611430, with a size standard of $6.5M), including 8(a), HUBZone, women-owned & service-disabled veteran-owned companies to respond by answering our capability-oriented questions (see SOW). If at least two responsible SB are determined by the Gov. to exist, then this requirement will be solicited as a 100% SB Set-Aside; if fewer than two responsible SB located, or if Gov. determines that no SB is capable of performing the required tasks, then this requirement will be solicited under Full/Open procedures. No other Synopsis will be posted for this requirement. To assist Gov. in successfully locating qualified/ capable sources, please provide your company’s name, POC (& their contact info), together with your response to our questions via email to-- Ming Chang Sr Contracting Officer OIG, GSA 2025018927 Ming.chang@gsa.gov The deadline for your submission is 12 Noon, EST on July 7, 2008. Questions regarding this Synopsis will be accepted via email on/before 12 Noon, EST July 2, 2008. Gov. will make an effort to publish its answers via an Amendment on Fedbiz the following day. A Firm-fixed Price type contract is anticipated. POP will be one Base Year (6 classes scheduled) plus four 1-year Options (0-1 classes), depending on need and funding availability. Performance locations in Washington DC &/or OIG Regional offices at PA, TX, KS. STATEMENT OF WORK U. S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General (GSA OIG), Office of Audits (JA) BACKGROUND The OIG (GSA) works to improve the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of GSA programs and to ensure the integrity of its operations. The Office of Audits’ mission is to add value and provide timely, cost effective, professional, and useful products and services to its clients and stakeholders. Its ultimate goal is to help improve GSA while simultaneously protecting the integrity of its operations. The Office of Audits works with GSA management and staff, the Congress and its committees, Office of Management and Budget, President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency, and others on issues pertinent to GSA and Government-wide to carry out its legislative mandates. JA auditors perform reviews of GSA programs and operations to identify and address the challenges that face GSA. Teams, normally consisting of three to five members, perform its major audits. During these team reviews & performance meetings, “story conferencing” is used to establish the team’s expectations for the forthcoming audit phase and ensure that team members clearly understand individual assignments, milestones, and performance requirements. These meetings usually involve all team members, are facilitated by a trained facilitator, and are conducted in an open forum environment. Each review normally includes two story conferences that last for approximately three days each. The survey assessment phase of the story conferencing establishes the audit objectives and scope, and develops the field-testing methodology. The subsequent conferencing is a fact-finding process used to quickly gather readily available information without detailed scope verification of supporting information. The end-of-fieldwork/report writing phase confirms that accomplished fieldwork is sufficient to respond to the audit objectives and, then, formulates the strategy for preparing the audit report which contains descriptions of the work performed, presents any audit findings, and includes recommendations for corrective actions. JA is continuously exploring ways to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations. Audit report development and writing continues to be a challenge for the JA staff. The Office of Audits aims to improve the overall quality of OIG’s audit reports and staff report-writing skills, and reduce the frustration frequently associated with audit report writing by providing JA staff with training that includes a user-friendly, how-to approach to expedite the report-writing process. MAJOR TASKS The Office of Audits has a need to provide a report development course to its auditors. This course needs to include discussion of auditing by objective, obtaining necessary audit evidence, holding story conferences to discuss audit findings and structuring the report, and developing a report outline/initial draft in a team environment. This course is intended to be provided to auditors at all grade levels. OIG is interested in the possibility of incorporating in-house report writing experts to teach some of the detailed parts of the course. The purpose of this course is to help our auditors draft reports of high quality within a short timeframe. The report development course should provide a practical overview of effective and streamlined findings and report development, and report writing skills and strategies, including story conferencing. This course should be interactive, involve teams of both contract and internal auditors with various skill levels (e.g. from beginners to very experienced). At the conclusion of the course, the participants should understand and easily implement techniques to facilitate development of effective audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations in audit reports as well as construct reports in a convincing, well organized, and easy-to-understand manner utilizing a team approach. Hence, the major tasks are as follows: Task I.Design and develop a report development curriculum, including story conferencing techniques, to effectively and efficiently develop audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations in audit reports. Task II. Design and develop a course manual and associated learning aids to instruct auditors in the above curriculum. Task III. Conduct and present the training course and materials. Special Skill Required: desired curriculum- developer/instructor should have prior experience working with Federal Government (Office of Inspectors General experience preferred), understand the OIG mission and have a working knowledge of auditing principles, concepts, terminology, and requirements and standards, including Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards, and be skilled and trained in dealing with diverse audiences (e.g. race, gender; various age groups & personalities, etc.). DELIVERABLES 1.An approved report development curriculum to incorporate the skills, techniques, and strategies for development of audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations in audit reports that communicate the above in a convincing, well-organized, and easy-to-understand manner. 2.An approved course manual and learning aids that incorporate the curriculum and highlights the skills, techniques, and strategies being taught. 3.Printing and delivery of the course manual and learning aids for each participant for each course. 4.Present and deliver the approved course(s) and materials. 5.The first class presented will be a pilot-demo to solicit OIG’s feedback & approval. Gov, will provide prompt response on the overall curriculum & associated course material. If Gov determines it necessary, this curriculum and relevant materials may be modified. DATA RIGHT Gov reserves the ownership for all instrument, data, text-material and AV-aids (learning-aids) generated in the performance of this contract. The vendor shall not assert, distribute, establish or authorize others to assert or establish any claim to copyright subsisting in any data produced in the performance of this contract without prior written permission of the OIG’s Contracting Officer. VENDOR SELECTIONS Interested vendors must reply to the following questions (answers are limited to 15 pages in maximum, in Times New Roman, Font 11): Past Performance 1.What experience does your firm have training Federal internal and contract auditors in report development and writing? Please provide a supporting list delineating relevant Federal past experience on same/similar work dating back no more than three years. (This list should include whether or not work was performed as a Prime or Subcontractor—with contact info of POC for OIG to check references) Organizational Expertise 2.How would your firm design a specialized training curriculum to incorporate examples of excellence and lessons learned with audit reports? How is your training approach flexible enough to include perspectives from senior IG managers? 3.How does your firm’s training approach practically communicate and emphasize to participants the requirements and benefits of employing a structured audit process, with established audit milestones, to facilitate major decision points (e.g. setting audit objectives, developing an audit plan, verifying fieldwork, agreeing on the report message)? 4.Please explain how your firm’s course would combine concepts of report development and writing from audit objectives, use of “story conferencing”, and developing/presenting audit findings that could each be their own multi-day course, into one 3-day course? Tech Approach 5.How would your firm’s curriculum teach not just best practices but moreover a methodology for the organization to implement and auditors to follow, and be able to refer to as they go through the report development and writing process? 6.What source material would your firm rely on for examples for the course, approximately how many examples/exercises do you propose, and what would these exercises/examples be used for? 7.How does your firm’s report development and writing approach support teamwork goals while promoting full participation from individual auditors on the team? 8.How does your firm’s report development and writing approach build confidence in new auditors while providing assurance to supervisors that audit reports meet all expectations for quality? 9.How does your firm propose to possibly use key OIG managers as instructors to provide additional guidance, and what parts of the course would you have them teach and why? 10.Please explain how your firm’s report development and writing curriculum is superior to others and instills knowledge and best practices that will remain with the students long after the course is completed to improve their report writing? The following factors will be considered in evaluating vendors’ responses: -Quality characteristics for the proposed curriculum (such as effectiveness, clarity, user-friendliness, etc. which will enable OIG to implement and its auditors to follow). -Quality characteristics for source material (such as examples of excellence, success stories or lessons learned, and how relevant these are to the formulated learning goals) -Proposed approach used to successfully combine the concepts of report development and writing from audit objectives, use of story conferencing, and developing audit findings and drafting the report outline/draft in a team environment within one 3-day course. -Vendor’s overall report development approach. -Vendor’s experience in report development training and former OIG clients (past performance). -Vendor’s overall approach for teaching participants. -The potential of the course to build confidence in new auditors and provide assurance to supervisors that audit reports meet expectations. -How the vendor and course is superior to that of its competitors. The OIG plans to select the most qualified 3-4 vendors and request them to submit further Technical & Price proposals. The final Award determination will be based on an overall best value to the Government, technical evaluation factors, and price considered. OIG's objective is to obtain the highest technical quality considered necessary to achieve the program objectives at a realistic and reasonable price. Technical evaluation factors are more important than price; however, between proposals that are evaluated as technically equal in quality, price will become a major consideration in selecting the successful Offeror.
Web Link: FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=d5d7325a32cdc5af90ec781c8874a6cf&tab=core&_cview=1)
Document(s): SOW; File Name: SOW (JARptWritSOW.doc); Link: https://www.fbo.gov//utils/view?id=f9a3753996bf0b558c6be68c21523bf4; Bytes: 46.50 Kb; File Name: Synoposis (FedbizsynopJArpt.doc); Link: https://www.fbo.gov//utils/view?id=154343c833b5ac617f374b228bb6ba76; Bytes: 24.00 Kb; Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
Record: SN01603323-W 20080629/080627221422-d5d7325a32cdc5af90ec781c8874a6cf (fbodaily.com)
Source: FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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R -- JA Report Writing - SOW