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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JANUARY 11, 2009 FBO #2603
DOCUMENT

B -- Developing protocols for assessing social capital in National Forest-associated communities. - PIFSC-9-007

Notice Date

1/9/2009
 

Notice Type

PIFSC-9-007
 

NAICS

541690 — Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, James J. Howard Marine Sciences Lab, 74 Magruder Road, Highlands, New Jersey, 07732
 

ZIP Code

07732
 

Solicitation Number

PIFSC-9-007
 

Response Due

1/23/2009
 

Archive Date

2/7/2009
 

Point of Contact

Bonnie Oshiro,, Phone: 8089835356
 

E-Mail Address

bonnie.oshiro@noaa.gov
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

NOAA is seeking a contractor to assist NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Forest Service in developing protocols for assessing social capital in National Forest-associated communities. It is expected that 2-4 awards will be made under this RFQ. Successful bidders will attend a three-day workshop in Honolulu in 2009. The workshop is scheduled for either Feb. 24-26 or Mar. 3-5, 2009. There will be only one workshop; flexible dates are provided for planning purposes and the final dates will be negotiated with successful bidders. The workshop objective will be to develop a social capital framework and associated draft rapid assessment procedure for assessing: a) community social capital; and b) Forest Service social capital within a community. The procedures are expected to consist of a checklist of community and agency characteristics (indicators of the level and type of social capital present); protocols for convening and facilitating a focus group composed of community leaders and Forest Service personnel; and documentation/scoring of the results for use by the Forest Service and the community. Other workshop participants will include the PI and 1-2 Forest Service employees. Following the workshop, the contractors will pilot-test the procedures developed in a forest-associated community back in their home area (i.e. complete the checklist and convene a focus group) and deliver a brief written report describing the results and providing recommendations for modifying the procedures. This fieldwork component of the project is expected to take 5-10 days; it is assumed that contractors already possess a great deal of knowledge about the community and Forest Service setting in which they will conduct the pilot test. For additional information: Dr. Stewart Allen, Principal Investigator Leader, Human Dimensions Research Program NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center 2570 Dole St., Honolulu HI 96822 Phone 808-983-5341 Fax 808-983-2902 Email stewart.allen@noaa.gov Background A complete literature review is being developed and distributed to project participants before the workshop. This section describes the project rationale. Social capital has been defined many different ways, but definitions commonly include a number of similar characteristics: it is an asset like human capital or financial capital that is available for use by people who possess it; it is developed through relationships and social networks that are often characterized by social norms and levels of trust and; it facilitates collective action for mutual benefit. In a community context, it is often used synonymously with terms such as social cohesion or community connectedness and defined as the extent to which a geographical place constitutes a community in terms of residents’ shared values, cooperation, and interaction--the extent to which people respond collectively to identify and reach valued outcomes and address community issues. Land management actions undertaken by the USDA Forest Service can and do affect the social and economic environments of communities adjacent National Forests and Grasslands. The extent to which such intended or unintended effects significantly affect communities has commonly been associated with (1) resource availability and outputs; and (2) direct and indirect environmental consequences associated with the agency and its land management actions. Interest in social capital as applied to resource management is largely based on recognition that the social, economic, cultural and/or political characteristics of a social group—such as a community—can influence its cohesiveness and ability to satisfactorily institute or react to change (or resilience). Accordingly, the success with which a land management policy or decision is fashioned and implemented may be heavily influenced by the social capital present in a community. However, no formal protocols currently exist within the federal land management agencies, including the Forest Service, for conducting community-level social capital assessment in a manner that will yield consistent results. It would be advantageous for the Forest Service to develop minimal protocols for assessing community-level social capital in order to (1) better assess cause and effect relationships between national forest management activities and the resultant state of communities affected by the activities; (2) potentially reduce the implementation costs to itself and to communities; (3) improve their ability to engage in meaningful collaborative learning dialogue with communities; and (4) improve planning through the systematic analysis and integration of human dimensions into ecosystem management. In addition to measuring the social capital within a community, the Forest Service also is interested in measuring its own level of social capital within the community and the implications for agency activities. One way the agency has engaged communities has been through collaborative planning efforts, which has potential for increasing social capital. Another important way for agencies to build social capital is by building relationships with the community. Social capital has been measured at a variety of scales, including the individual, group or organizational, community, and national scale. A number of measurement techniques and associated theories or frameworks exist which can be drawn upon to develop a strategy for measuring forest and agency-associated social capital. In addition to being valid and reliable, such a strategy would have to be easily implemented and efficient or it would not be feasible in most situations. The combination of a checklist of community characteristics, along with convening of a community focus group to ground-truth, interpret, and elaborate on the checklist results, has been identified as a likely approach—but one that could be modified at the workshop. Scope of Work, Products and Timeline Awardees would be expected to: 1.Attend the project workshop in Honolulu; 2.Pilot test the procedures developed at the workshop in a forest-associated community; 3.Within two months following the workshop, provide a brief written report on the results of the pilot-test and any recommendations for changes in the measurement procedures. Proposal Requirements Responses to the RFQ are due by Jan. 23, 2009, and should include the following: 1.A description of background and experience working with forest-associated communities relevant to assessment of social capital, including samples of work products (or links to where they could be found electronically) and contact information for at least two references who can describe relevant work; 2.The name of the community and associated Forest(s) in which the bidder would test the draft procedures following the workshop; 3.A brief statement describing any comments on the planned activities and social capital assessment procedures as described in this RFP; 4.A description of availability (and preferences for dates) for attending the three-day workshop in Honolulu either Feb. 24-26 or Mar. 3-5, 2009). Adjustments to these dates could be made based on discussion with the selected contractors; 5.A cost estimate, broken down by salary, travel, and expenses. Selection Criteria The awards will be based on several criteria including cost and technical expertise: 1.Experience working with forest-associated communities relevant to the project; 2.Experience with research on social capital or related concepts such as social cohesion, social organization, and community resilience; 3.The goal of pilot-testing the methods developed during the workshop in a range of communities and associated geographic, agency, and social settings; and 4.Cost estimate and funds available for the project. THE ENTIRE SOLICITATION IS ATTACHED. NO FURTHER SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS WILL BE ISSUED. THIS IS A SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF LESS THAN $100,000. THE WESTERN REGIONAL ACQUISITION DIVISION REQUIRES THAT ALL CONTRACTORS DOING BUSINESS WITH THIS ACQUISITION OFFICE BE REGISTERED WITH THE CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION (CCR) AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2003. AFTER THIS DATE, NO AWARD CAN BE MADE UNLESS THE VENDER IS REGISTERED IN CCR. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER IN CCR PLEASE ACCESS THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE: HTTP://WWW.CCR.GOV. IN ORDER TO REGISTER WITH THE CCR AND TO BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE AN AWARD FROM THIS ACQUISITION OFFICE, ALL OFFERORS MUST HAVE A DUN & BRADSTREET NUMBER. A DUN & BRADSTREET NUMBER MAY BE ACQUIRED FREE OF CHARGE BY CONTACTING DUN & BRADSTREET ON-LINE AT WWW.DNB.COM/EUPDATE OR BY PHONE AT (800) 333-0505. ALL CONTRACTORS ARE ALSO REQUIRED TO COMPLETE ONLINE REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS AT HTTP://ORCA.BPN.GOV.
 

Web Link

FedBizOpps Complete View
(https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=68d04946092a57ebae765b617dd42249&tab=core&_cview=1)
 

Document(s)

PIFSC-9-007
 

File Name: RFQ NMFS-9-007 (PIFSC-9-007.doc)

Link: https://www.fbo.gov//utils/view?id=0b26a46bd3b759ec9ec7665cf6eeb79c

Bytes: 141.00 Kb
 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN01730167-W 20090111/090109222405-68d04946092a57ebae765b617dd42249 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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