Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attn: CGS, Arlington Square Building, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203

R -- EVALUATION OF PILOT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM ON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES SOL 982100Q011 DUE 042800 POC Brenda Burke, (703) 358-1771 WEB: Fish and Wildlife Service homepage, www.fws.gov. E-MAIL: To contact contracting officer -- do not request solicitation, brenda_J_Burke@fws.gov. Request for quotation (RFQ) for evaluation of a pilot volunteer program at National Wildlife Refugees. The National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (H.R. 1856, Section 2) authorized maximum of 20 positions as part of the Volunteer Coordinator Pilot Program. There are currently 16 sites slated to have volunteer coordinators with twelve in place and the remaining four to be filled by the end of th Fiscal Year 2000. The Act requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to provide a report evaluating the program no later than October 5, 2001. This contract will provide the Service with that report. Goals of the Program:(a) Under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) our goals for the Volunteer and Friends groups are to increase the number of volunteers by 50% and to add 91 new Friends Groups by 2003. These results will be dramatically effected by the success of the Pilot Program. (b) To build and manage effective, quality volunteer programsthat are meaningful to both the volunteer and the Service; (c) To improve recruitment and retention of volunteers; (d) To improve the ability of volunteer managers to administer programs that may involve volunteers from more than one partner group. To learn more about the Fish and Wildlife Service Volunteer Program and see examples of actual volunteer opportunities, please visit www.fws.gov and choose "Volunteer Information." Contractor services involve a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot volunteer program and a report with recommendations that will provide the following (a) Evaluate the beginning status (baseline) of volunteer programs at each pilot site prior to the Volunteer Coordinator position being filled; (b) Evaluate the progress of the volunteer program at the sites due to the dedicated position; (c) Needs of the sites may vary, evaluate each with the intention of improving the program and goals of the specific site; (d) Evaluation may be done through a number of methods, creativity is encouraged and 100% visitation of sites is not mandatory; (f) Evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program at the end of 12 months and provide a comprehensive report with recommendations regarding continued improvements to the volunteer program; (g) Make recommendations on providing an effective program at each site. To properly evaluate the Volunteer Pilot Program expertise is necessary in the following areas:(a) Starting volunteer programs (planning and organizing,); (b) Managing volunteer programs (recruitment, interviewing, screening, supervision, record keeping, training and orienting volunteers); (c) Experience working with different types of volunteer groups such as Friends groups as well as traditional volunteer programs; (d) Ability to tailor recommendations to meet the specific, unique needs of each site in the program; (e) Experience in facilitation of groups that may have different points of view; (f) Understanding of the importance of both tangible and intangible contributions made by volunteers; (g) Experience working with staff members to aid staff in appreciating the value of volunteers. Milestones: (a) Confer with the National Volunteer Coordinator about evaluating the program within two weeks of award of the contract; (b) Provide a preliminary plan of action within six weeks of award of the contract; (c) Maintain a minimum of one communication per month regarding the status of the evaluation; (d) Six Months after contract is awarded provide a summary of the initial state of the volunteer programs at each site; (e) Twelve months after the award a final report summarize the progress of each of the pilot sites and make recommendations for future improvement/enhancement of each site, as well as items that can be used globally to improve the overall volunteer program. All responsible sources may submit an offer. Requests for this RFQ must be in writing, telephone requests will not be honored. Funding for this acquisition is limited and will be well below the simplified acquisition threshold of $100,000. This is a 100% small business set-aside. Numbered Note 1 Posted 03/15/00 (W-SN434818). (0075)

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