SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Conduct a Program Assessment
- Notice Date
- 9/15/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- International Boundary and Water Commission, Information Management Division, Acquisition Division, 4171 North Mesa, Suite C-100, El Paso, Texas, 79902
- ZIP Code
- 79902
- Solicitation Number
- 93091021074
- Archive Date
- 10/10/2009
- Point of Contact
- Patricia R. Singer, Phone: (915) 832-4709
- E-Mail Address
-
pssinger@ibwc.gov
(pssinger@ibwc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- 1. Purpose. A. The purpose for the Statement of Work is to establish a description of the necessary contractual services for the conduct of an independent comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) in executing its programs, based on the agency's legislative authorities provided under 22 USC 277 and treaty mandates. The assessment is to evaluate the agency's effectiveness in achieving its overall mission and strategic goals, as well as develop recommendations for operational improvements. A component of the assessment will be an evaluation of the USIBWC organizational structure and right-sizing. B. The assessment shall provide the United States Commissioner (Commissioner"), as the agency head, the following: (1) An in-depth, unbiased, independent evaluation of the agency's performance in order to improve operational effectiveness and long-range strategic planning. (2) A clear understanding of the agency's management and organization structure, functions, programs, and activities, along with identification of specific areas for improvement and/or restructuring. (3) Identify areas for program and organizational improvements based on research of treaty and regulatory requirements, generally accepted management and professional practices and standards, and best practices in the federal government. (4) Recommend the most efficient and effective organizational structure and staffing and oversight mechanisms, focusing on accountability and performance-based outcomes. 2. Background A. The assessment is an FY 2006 program improvement plan pending action in response to The Government Reorganization and Program Performance Improvement Act of 2005, the President's Management Agenda (PMS), and the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) which requires federal agencies to assess their programs and demonstrate program performance or improved performance, and report to the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on a quarterly basis. B. An assessment also is needed due to the following developments: numerous reorganizations of the USIBWC headquarters have taken place in the past ten years by a succession of permanent and acting agency heads and without the benefit of consistently methodical approaches; the agency is experiencing new mission requirements; and the agency is declining significantly in overall indicators of human capital performance. 3. General Requirements A. The contractor shall carry out program analysis services as part of the comprehensive assessment, which will culminate in a final report providing recommendations that are documented by supporting evidence. B. The contractor shall provide a staff possessing advanced training and experience in conducting and reporting on in-depth organizational assessments of small federal agencies, taking into account that the United States Section is the U.S. component of a bilateral organization charged with applying U.S.-Mexico boundary and water treaties. C. The contractor shall carry out the following specific tasks: (1) Task Order Management. The contractor will track progress toward completion of the comprehensive assessment through bi-weekly progress reports detailing the status of current activities and detailed descriptions of projected activities. The contractor will submit the progress reports via e-mail to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) not later than 3:00 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month. (2) Study Planning. The purpose for this task is to develop a detailed and comprehensive plan for conducting the assessment. The plan is to define the scope of the assessment and the key milestones that must be achieved for project success. The contractor will work closely with management officials designated by the Commissioner to define required outcomes of the assessment that will clearly delineate its successful completion, ensuring that key stakeholder questions and answers are addressed during the planning effort and that deliverables provide the desired information. The contractor shall provide a kickoff briefing in order to walk the Commissioner, executive staff, and other invited management officials through the assessment process. At a minimum, the briefing will address the scope and projected results of the assessment, highlight responsibilities for conducting and completing the assessment, list the key events and deliverables, and provide required organizational interfaces. Subsequently, within two calendar weeks of the kickoff briefing, the contractor will develop and submit to the CO and COTR for approval a plan of action and milestones (POAM) for the assessment. (3) Briefings. In addition to the kickoff briefing, the contractor will conduct other briefings throughout the assessment as needed or as requested by the CO or COTR. (4) Assessment Execution. (a) The contractor shall carry out the assessment based on the work plan drafted by the contractor and approved by the Commissioner. Although the contractor shall perform all necessary assessment activities, execution of the assessment is to include, at a minimum, the following activities: (i) studying the mission, functions, and effectiveness of the agency and each work unit separately, in relation to other work units, and within the organization's overall context; (ii) analyzing the current organization structure and management practices in conjunction with studying the management practices and organization structure and staffing of other small federal agencies to determine best practices that can be applied to the USIBWC; (iii) studying federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, standards, and other formal guidelines requiring or recommending the establishment of programs and activities of small federal agencies; (iv) conducting one-on-one interviews and focus groups with members of the USIBWC management team and employees representing a variety of levels, functional areas, and offices in the organization in order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing the USIBWC both as a small federal agency and as the U.S. component of a binational organization and to provide the Commissioner a written summary of the information obtained, customized recommendations, a proposed implementation plan; (v) assessing potential partnerships with other federal agencies to obtain support and services in functional areas where doing so will be more efficient and effective than carrying them out internally; (b) The assessment, at a minimum, is to answer the following questions: (i) Does the USIBWC respond effectively to its legislative responsibilities as specified under 22 USC 277 and its treaty mandates? (ii) Does the USIBWC achieve performance goals, demonstrate results, and identify outcomes that respond to clear, quantifiable, long term and annual performance measures to monitor its success; and is a mechanism in place to collect data to determine if it is achieving intended and mandated results? (iii) Do the USIBWC organization structure and staffing reflect the standard structure and staffing of other small federal agencies? If not, what problems are associated with the current structure and what is the recommended structure? (iv) Do the USIBWC organization structure and staffing support accomplishment of the agency's mission, strategic goals, emerging agency commitments, and interactions with external organizations in the most efficient and effective manner possible? If not, what problems are associated with the current structure and what is the recommended structure? (v) Does the USIBWC have adequate internal controls in place, including clear roles, lines of authority and responsibility, and management accountability to prevent conflicts of interest and to ensure accountability and oversight? (vi) Does the USIBWC have a system in place that objectively measures organizational and programmatic outcomes and provides accountability? (vii) Does the USIBWC measure the contributions of individuals in the agency toward the achievement of the mission and its strategic goals and objectives? 4. Deliverables A. The Contractor shall deliver a comprehensive assessment report not later than 45 days from assessment execution. The report will include a detailed action plan with tangible and realistic recommendations for improving the USIBWC's effectiveness based on the agency's legislative authorities provided under 22 USC 277 and its treaty mandates. Also, the report will provide tangible and realistic recommendations for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the USIBWC organizational structure and right-sizing. B. The report shall be delivered as a bound hard copy (one original and three copies and one soft copy on disk in Microsoft Office format. The contractor will submit the draft report in electronic format to the Contracting Officer for final review not later than three weeks before the final delivery date. The Government will identify deficiencies within 14 working days to allow the contractor to correct and finalize the report. 5. Submission. Interested sources submit your experience of providing work described above. Also provide a minimim of three references of same or similar work done preferrably for the Federal government.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/IBWC/IMD/ElPasoTX/93091021074/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: International Boundary and Water Commission, US Section, 4171 N Mesa, Suite C100, El Paso, Texas, 79902, United States
- Zip Code: 79902
- Zip Code: 79902
- Record
- SN01954752-W 20090917/090916000342-9257b26711a4ac958e67903f6e7e9915 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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