The U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Boqueron, PR plans to modify contract WC133F-12-SE- 2075with the Island Green Building Association (IGBA) Virgin Islands for the continuation of a media campaign for the Green Construction project in USVI. Services under the original scope of work for this purchase order are on-going and will be completed September 16, 2013. NMFS anticipated receiving FY13 funds from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) in order to continue work on the green construction project, including the media campaign, through the end of the CRCP project, scheduled for September 16, 2014. The media campaign purchase order was awarded to the Island Green Building Association (IGBA) because IGBA already had a green certification program and a website with green design and construction information. IGBA updated their web site and assisted in promoting working sessions through their media contacts in USVI to spread the word about the green construction project. IGBA developed the media campaign specific to the green construction project and provided access to membership lists and contacts such as realtors to reach a broader audience. IGBA maintains the webpage for the green construction project on their web site, which also contains press releases and newsletters aimed at promoting green building practices to protect the coastal and marine environment of the Virgin Islands. IGBA has a dedicated part-time public relations person who volunteers her time to run media campaigns and maintain the web site, newsletter, and other publications up-to-date. IGBA also has media contacts to ensure that announcements are prominently located and are published at times with the most circulation, in the case of newspapers, and exposure in the case of other media. NOAA Fisheries does not have the necessary resources to create and administer a web page specific to the project, or a media campaign to include newspaper announcements, television and radio spots, and other media venues. The resources IGBA already has are aligned with the objectives of NOAA Fisheries for this project. In addition, because IGBA already has created the webpage for the project, as well as the incentives program for participants in the green construction training events, the modification of the existing FY12 contract, would ensure continuity in messaging continuation of the media campaign and ensure that the incentives program to attract the development community to the training programs and further ensure that green building practices are adopted in USVI will continue. Because IGBA already has the media campaign in place, as well as an established presence in the Virgin Islands and the media of the Virgin Islands, the Government can invest directly in promoting the green construction project rather than in the establishment of a web site, newsletter, and other media to publicize the CRCP project, which will result in considerable savings to the Government. In addition, IGBA is the only green building association operating in the Virgin Islands and the only alternative for offering memberships as an incentive for those in the local construction industry to participate in the Green Building Program as required by the CRCP project. Accordingly, the use of IGBA as an intermediary is the known only mechanism available to NOAA Fisheries to satisfy the CRCP deliverable requirements in a timely manner and at best value to the Government. If the Government were to issue a new call for proposals, the cost to the Government would have to include the development and management of a new webpage and the creation of a new incentives program, which would result in a loss of continuity and would increase the cost of the project to the point that the budget may not be able to support the continuation of the media campaign and incentives program. This would negatively affect the outcome of the project and the Government because the green construction messaging would be lost, the Government would not be able to promote upcoming training activities, and the Government would not be able to ensure that participants are motivated to attend the trainings and begin implementing green design and building practices, thus affecting the condition of environmental resources in USVI that it is NOAA Fisheries Services' mission to conserve.

Period of Performance
The continuation of the media campaign and incentives program shall be completed by the September 16, 2014.

Technical Tasks

Task I. Continuation of Media Campaign

The revisions to Task I of the original scope of work are as follows:

The media campaign will be continued to allow for maintenance of the IGBA website with green construction project information, including posting of training events and other relevant information and announcements, until the end of the project in September 2014. The use of IGBA e-mail lists and other means of announcing activities and other project news will also continue. IGBA will also continue providing administrative support for the management of the media campaign, as well as the management of the incentives program.

The deliverable for this revised task is the continuation of the media campaign, including the maintenance of the green construction information on the webpage IGBA created through their web site until the completion of the overall green construction project in September 2014. Evidence of the continuation of the media campaign in the form of monthly progress reports and copies of all e-mails (at least 2 - one for each training event with the development community in St. Thomas and St. Croix) and other announcements (at least 2 - one for each training event in St. Thomas and St. Croix) (to be provided to the work assignment manager in electronic form) are also required deliverables for this revised task.

Task II. Continuation of IGBA Membership or Project Assistance

The revisions to Task II of the original scope of work are as follows:

IGBA will continue the incentives program developed in FY12 under the original scope of work in St. Thomas and St. Croix. IGBA has developed the details of the green construction incentives for training participants and is responsible for managing responses, numbers of different incentives used, success of the incentives program, and providing data on the effectiveness to the work assignment manager. To date, this task has been implemented in St. John in association with the green construction training that was held there. The management, reporting, and implementation of the incentives program begun under the original FY12 contract scope of work will continue in FY13 through this modification.

The deliverable for this revised task is the continuation of the incentives program for participants in green construction training workshops in St. Croix and St. Thomas. Evidence of this deliverable is to be provided to the work assignment manager in the form of monthly progress reports detailing the implementation of the incentives program to date and the results of e-mail or other inquiries of incentive recipients regarding the usefulness and application of the incentives (inquiries conducted at least twice over the course of the year to obtain data on the use of the incentives by recipients) in order for NOAA Fisheries to gauge the effectiveness of the incentives program.

Deliverables

The deliverables for this work assignment are:
The continuation of the media campaign, including maintenance of the webpage and e-mailing (at least 2) and other announcements (at least 2), continued administration and implementation of the incentives program, and at least 2 inquiries of incentive recipients and the inclusion of this information in progress reports due by September 30, 2014. All reports and evidence of the completion of deliverables should be submitted to the work assignment manager in electronic format.

Special considerations

The contractor shall carry out the work described in each technical task. The project shall be completed by September 16, 2014.

Payment will be based on the demonstration of work completed through the submission of progress reports and other deliverables as noted above.

Firms, who believe they can provide this service, must furnish detailed information, that demonstrates their experience and capability to provide the services, and satisfy the Government's needs. In addition shall include name, telephone number and address of concerns for which you have furnished this type of services previously. Interested parties must respond within (3) three calendar days after publication of this notice. If no affirmative responses are received, the Government intends to issue a modification to WC-133F-12-SE-2075 to Executive Office of the Government of the Virgin Islands. The Eastern Region Administrative Division (ERAD), requires that all contractors doing business with the Acquisition Office must be registered with the Systems for Awards Management (SAM). No award can be made unless the vendor is registered in SAM. For additional information and to register in SAM please access the following website: http://www.sam.gov/. In order to register with the SAM offerors must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number. A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at https://www.dnb.com/product/eupdate/requestOptions.html or by phone at (800) 333-0505. The Government encourages all contractors submit their Certification and Representation thru the on-line SAM. The SAM is the single source for vendor data for the federal Government. Contractors should go on-line at www.sam.gov. Faxed responses can be sent to 757-664-3845, Attn: Sharon Walker or emailed to [email protected].

 

 

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