Alaska Regional Administrator’s Office Equity & Environmental Justice Tribal Meeting Support Services

This is a Sources Sought Notice to assist in the determination of market interest and capability to fulfill this requirement. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE.

The United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Acquisition and Grants is requesting information from qualified sources; the results of this announcement will be evaluated to determine if there are small businesses capable of fulfilling this requirement.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA FISHERIES, Alaska Regional Administrator’s Office has a requirement for a contractor to provide Regional logistical meeting support to facilitate government requested Tribal engagement at NOAA Fisheries hub Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) meetings for discussions on EJJ. The contractor will provide logistics, processing, and travel support for tribal members from remote areas to government-led hub meetings.

The required work will specifically assist in advancing NOAA’s tribal engagement to develop the draft Implementation Plan for the Alaska Region. It is aimed at supporting the inclusion of Alaska Native voices in the development of a draft NOAA Fisheries Implementation Plan for the Alaska Region.

This requirement includes equity and environmental justice tribal meeting support services for the following five meetings in rural Alaska, to occur during the period of performance: Kotzebue Fairbanks/Tanana Kodiak Utqiagvik Sitka Should the contract be extended, additional meetings may occur at one or more of the following locations: Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, Nome, Eyak.Cordova and Juneau. The following are tasks that have been identified as needed in support of this requirement:

Task 1: Within two weeks of the task order, a “project team” will be established and a team meeting will be held. The “project team” will contain members from NOAA Fisheries EEJ Implementation Plan Team, the lead contractor and any subcontractor(s). The contractor will facilitate weekly or bi-weekly meetings, as appropriate, with the project team to report on progress, coordinate information sharing, and address outreach needs.

The lead contractor will provide a draft agenda within two (2) days prior to each meeting and shall provide meeting notes after the meetings, including information on next steps. Based upon current airline airfares to/from communities in the respective service areas, hotel room rates, as well as federal per diem rates for identified locations, the lead and subcontractor(s) will work with the project team to identify the number of invitational travel participants per location.

Task 2: Within a week of the project team meeting, the contractor will conduct outreach to the appropriate Alaska Native Tribes/Corporations and tribal serving organizations to share information on NOAA Fisheries EEJ process and invite them to the public meeting as well as any associated NOAA Fisheries tribal meetings, per tribal request.

Task 3: Once the Tribes who wish to engage with NOAA Fisheries on the EEJ effort are identified, the contractor will: Send formal notices/invitations of the upcoming NOAA NMFS meetings (i.e., meeting notices, flyers, weblinks, etc. provided by NMFS staff) to tribal offices in the appropriate service area, with a request to tribal entities to submit nomination(s) of interested tribal member(s) to attend the meetings.

The contractor will provide a list of the recommended tribal members and/or staff in need of tribal invitational travel assistance to the project team for reference. The selection of tribal members will be based on a first come first serve basis until the respective travel expenses reaches (but does not surpass) the maximum award, per service area.

Task 4: The contractor will secure travel arrangements for the list of attendees for NOAA Fisheries EEJ meetings. Using the tribal travel list, secure airfare, hotel, and per diem (using federal per diem rates as applicable) for selected tribal members to travel from their home community to the appropriate NOAA Fisheries meeting location within their service area.

The selected tribal members will be provided a copy (via email and or text service) of their respective flight itineraries, hotel reservations, and notice of per diem checks prior to arrival for the appropriate NOAA NMFS meeting location by the contractor. A list of confirmed meeting attendees will be shared with the project team prior to meeting date(s), via electronic means.

The Contractor will be allocated approximately $25,000 per region to cover all travel-related costs, to include travel for contractor staff and all Alaska Native/tribal participants.

Task 5: The contractor will facilitate Regional meeting venue selection and support services for each individual meeting. Identify potential locations for public meetings at each regional location. Final venue approval determined by the project team for each regional location. Prepare meeting materials based on project team outline for each individual meeting Secure and provide light refreshments for each meeting venue and location, number of attendees will be determined closer to meeting date. Coordinate with the meeting venue to provide IT/AV support for meeting presentation materials.

Task 6: The contract will provide on-site meeting support for each regional meeting. Provide dedicated minutes/note taker for each regional meeting. Draft minutes must be submitted within 1 week after regional meeting end date for review by the Project Team. Project team reviews draft meeting minutes and final meeting notes/minutes are due within 2 weeks after receiving back from Project Team review.

Required Knowledge and Experience: The vendor must have knowledge and experience working for or with Alaska Native Tribes, Corporations and/or tribal serving organizations. Knowledge and experience includes:

coordinating communications among tribal entities; organizing and managing travel arrangements for travelers and vendors, such as air travel and hotel accommodations; coordinating with travel service providers to ensure that all travel needs are met; coordinating with traveler to receive receipts and provide reimbursement, as appropriate; tracking and maintaining travel issues, policy compliance, and expenditures; generating reports related to travel; and escalating any traveler requests or concerns to the appropriate staff.

Interested parties may submit a brief capability statement, no more than three (3) single-sided pages, demonstrating how they are capable of meeting this requirement. Capability statements should include the following:

(1) Name of business.

(2) Contact information (address, telephone, e-mail, website address) (3) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) , Business size and classification e.g., Small business, 8(a), HUBZone, Small Disadvantaged business, Small Disadvantaged Veteran Owned business, and Women Owned small business; or Large Business. (4) Technical description of ability to meet the requirement. Companies shall submit electronic copies of their respective capability statements to : Sandra Caswell at sandra.caswell@noaa.gov no later than the response date indicated on this notice.