SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- Strategic Workforce Planning Initiative
- Notice Date
- 11/9/2009
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541612
— Human Resources Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Disaster Operations & IT Section, 500 C Street SW, Patriots Plaza -- 5th Floor, Washington, District of Columbia, 20472
- ZIP Code
- 20472
- Solicitation Number
- HSFEHQ-10-R-0015
- Archive Date
- 12/1/2009
- Point of Contact
- Hoa Crews, Phone: 5405422226
- E-Mail Address
-
hoa.crews@associates.dhs.gov
(hoa.crews@associates.dhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE HUMAN CAPITAL DIVISION STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING INTIATIVE 1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION DHS/FEMA Strategic Workforce Planning Initiative: The Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Management Directorate (MD), Human Capital Division (HC) is tasked by the Agency to develop a capabilities-driven workforce planning effort designed to create the FEMA of the 21 st Century and beyond. This initiative will align FEMA's human capital strategy with the Agency's mission, goals, and organizational objectives. The goal of the effort is to identify human capital requirements to achieve required operational capabilities, identify gaps in our current workforce based upon identified requirements, and to develop workforce plans, strategies, and tools to transform the current posture into the workforce of the future. 2. HISTORY FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that, as a nation, we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. This critical mission requires an efficient, competent, diverse, and strategically managed workforce. FEMA has approximately 17,000 employees, of which only about 17% are permanent. Approximately 14,000 of these employees represent a mix of numerous categories of employees spread among various appointment types: intermittent, temporary, or limited term. The current workforce is a complex combination of permanent and temporary employee categories such as Permanent Full Time (PFT), two-year CORE (Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees), disaster reservists, temporary employees, and excepted service employees, each with disparate grade structures, occupational specialties, retirement eligibilities, and varying benefit ranges. FEMA has two primary hiring authorities: (1) Title V, Code of Federal Regulations; and (2) the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. In addition, approximately 75% of FEMA's employees are classified under the Miscellaneous Administration and Program Occupational Series GS-0301. Most of FEMA's mission-critical occupations (MCOs) are clustered under this series including emergency preparedness, response, and emergency management program specialists. Also, all of FEMA's Disaster Reservist personnel are in this series. The concentration of employees in the GS-0301 series creates issues with trying to manage a diverse and dynamic workforce. Due to changes in national policy, statute, and mission over the past several years, FEMA's workforce has experienced several tremendous transformations, including growth in size, workload and composition. At the same time, the workforce has had to adapt to increasing demands, changing processes, and advancing technologies. These rapid changes have created significant challenges in HC's ability to determine the changing mission responsibilities of FEMA. To ensure FEMA has the workforce it needs to support citizens and first responders, the Agency has decided to undertake a comprehensive workforce planning initiative. This initiative will provide an analysis of the existing size, locations, functions, structure and composition of FEMA's workforce and identify future capability requirements. The goal of this initiative is to determine the optimum organizational structure and human capital needed to support future focused operational capabilities. A detailed gap analysis will serve as the basis for developing and executing a variety of workforce strategies designed to re-shape the Agency's workforce to meet mission demands and requirements. FEMA is currently in its first phase of this strategic workforce planning initiative, working with the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI), to conduct a baseline assessment of its current Federal workforce, including all disaster reservists. The result of this process will be an "as is" analysis of FEMA's workforce that will document the human capital resources on hand, what they do, and their operational capabilities. 3. OBJECTIVE This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to gain input and seek methodologies for moving forward and completing the workforce planning process, building on the results of the first phase of the Workforce Planning Initiative. Due to the complexities associated with FEMA's workforce and organizational structure, the Agency is seeking industry input and guidance on how best to continue the workforce planning process, This process should include facilitating a comprehensive review and refinement of the agency's strategic direction based upon legislation, directives, and an analysis of the conditions, threats, and emergencies that agency must be able to address. Based upon this review and conclusions, the initiative should identify necessary future capabilities, conduct a gap analyses (from the initial assessment), and develop proposed workforce solutions. This RFI is intended to provide industry input so that the agency may determine the best approach for soliciting contract support for the remaining phases of the project. We are requesting industry's best thinking on methodologies/approaches and subsequent implementation. Responses may include learnings based upon previous experiences, phasing and timing, recommendations, contracting approaches, optional timeline project plan (realistic duration), pitfalls, keys to success. This RFI is for planning and informational purposes only and shall NOT be considered as a request for proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this RFI or the Government's use of such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor's input resulting from this RFI. 4. OVERVIEW As previously mentioned, the Agency has solicited the services and support of the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI) to conduct the first phase of its workforce planning initiative. HSSAI is documenting the number of human capital resources on hand; what they do; and their operational capabilities. FEMA is seeking information from the workforce planning, organizational development, and emergency management communities to gain insight on possible approaches (and pitfalls) to effectively and efficiently conduct the remaining three phases of this workforce planning initiative, which include: setting both future strategic direction and identifying capabilities required; manpower and organizational analyses; and development and execution of a workforce plan. Specifically, the Agency is seeking information on best practices and recommended methodologies for: Understand both future strategic direction to identify required capabilities. A facilitated exercise involving FEMA operational experts to determine hazards and environmental factors the agency must be able to address, and the operational capabilities required to achieve the desired outcomes. Manpower and organizational analysis. The optimum organizational structure and human capital requirements needed to support idealized operational capabilities. This includes a workforce gap analysis, considering the "as is" and producing analyses such as: - The composition (number and types) of human capital resources needed in a steady state, surge and response mode to support and effectively manage FEMA's mission in the 21 st Century, and associated, required competencies; - Critical skills and associated competencies needed in an event-driven environment; - Projected trends in that workforce, based on expected losses due to retirement and other attrition factors, and the impact on steady state, surge and critical skills and competencies; and - Staffing levels of each category of employee to ensure that the Agency has continued access to necessary critical skills and competencies. Development and execution of a strategic workforce plan. Designed to transform the "as is" FEMA into the future FEMA. Deliverables may include: - A plan of action for developing and reshaping the workforce to address the identified gaps in critical skills and competencies, including: -- Specific strategies for recruiting, developing, training, deploying, compensating, motivating and retaining a high performing workforce; -- A description of any additional authorities or resources necessary to address any deficiencies in capacity; and -- Identification of appropriate career paths for personnel, including the education, training, experience, and assignments necessary for career progression within the Agency. In addition, the Agency is seeking input in determining if one contractor should be utilized for all three phases or a separate contractor for each phase. 5. Organizational Background and Vendor Information Required A written response to your RFI including: Your suggestions on the best methodology to meet FEMA's workforce planning objectives; Information on your organization - business sector, clients, location(s), number of employees, and other relevant information; and Your organization's/company's qualifications statement including workforce planning experience in the Federal sector. Review of requested information will be performed by FEMA Acquisition and Program Management personnel. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15.201(e), the Government dose not presently intend to award a contract and the provided information will not be consider proposal submission. Requested Information is due no later than 12:00PM Eastern Standard Time, November 30, 2009 via email to Hoa Crews at hoa.crews@associates.dhs.gov.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/FEMA/ORPD/HSFEHQ-10-R-0015/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: TBD, United States
- Record
- SN02000939-W 20091111/091109235211-dc5034a9d84833c24918b4d9edb0f532 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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