BioWatch Program

on. In accordance with FAR 15.101(c), RFIs may be used when the Government wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, and capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these RFIs are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government for any purpose, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with their RFI response. Respondents will not receive additional information in response to their submittal to the RFI and will not be notified of the resulting market research. INTRODUCTION: DHS�s mission is to safeguard the American people, the homeland, and American values with honor and integrity. In support of this mission, the FEMA works to prevent CBRN attacks against the United States by providing timely, responsive support to operational partners. The CBRN Support Directorate advances this mission through the BioWatch program, the nation�s only civilian program that monitors for aerosol releases of select bioterrorism agents. Since its establishment in 2003, BioWatch has maintained a bioterrorism air monitoring system that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in large metropolitan areas, known as jurisdictions, and partnered with state and local public health communities to prepare for and respond to bioterrorist events. The BioWatch Program�s strategic objectives are to: Monitor for the highest-priority biological agents that could cause catastrophic outcomes. Protect the nation�s most at-risk locations. Maintain technical oversight of operations in close collaboration with state and local public health partners that execute the program. Conduct advanced development and use federal research and development (R&D) to procure and deploy improved detection capabilities at lower cost. Coordinate federal, state, and local public health preparedness activities to develop operational protocols for initiating response activities following the detection of an agent for which the system tests. Strengthen federal, state, and local stakeholder partnerships and improve operational efficiencies. To accomplish these objectives, each BioWatch jurisdiction maintains a static array of air samplers, the filters of which are collected daily by field operators. These filters are then delivered to a state or local operational laboratory where they are analyzed for select biological agents. Jurisdictions may also elect to surge operations by deploying additional units to monitor special events or increasing the collection cycle (e.g., twice a day collections). In addition, each jurisdiction has an advisory committee that coordinates with the BioWatch program on operations and biological event preparedness activities. At the federal level, the BioWatch program includes field, surge, laboratory, and biodefense preparedness operational components. Figure 1 depicts daily sample operations. Figure 1. BioWatch Sample Operational Process PURPOSE OF RFI Currently field operators and field-related tasks are not staffed by contract. The purpose of this RFI is to evaluate and determine the field staffing and support options for the BioWatch program to meet field operations requirements. The performer must enable the BioWatch program to maintain current field operations and continue to provide high quality, reliable, and timely delivery of field samples to the laboratories. In addition, due to its evolving operational needs, the performer must provide the necessary flexibility and adaptability to ensure BioWatch can address changes in sample collections for both planned events and unforeseen incidents, as well as assist with potential technology assessments, field evaluations, integration, and implementation. DESIRED CAPABILITIES FOR BIOWATCH FIELD STAFFING AND SUPPORT CAPABILITY Competent, proficient, and reliable field staffing is essential to ensure the BioWatch program continues to meet established requirements. In addition, the evolving threats and vulnerabilities that are identified at the state and local level require operational flexibility and adaptability that must be able to be supported with field staff capable of performing field operations and chain of custody in accordance with mission needs. A successful candidate staffing performer will provide field personnel to conduct BioWatch daily operations in select metropolitan cities within the United States. Composition and hierarchy of field staff at each location will be made at the discretion of the performer, with recommendations and concurrence from the BioWatch program. The staffing performer shall: Provide a Program Manager for the contract who will serve as the primary point of contact for the BioWatch Program and DHS Contracting Officer. Provide a primary point of contact, or lead, for each jurisdiction who will provide direct oversight of field staff and be responsible for administrative activities such as: Scheduling field staff and scoping collection routes. Maintaining appropriate documentation (e.g., training documentation, required inventories, etc.) Coordinating delivery times with local BioWatch laboratory. Communicating and coordinating with the BioWatch Field Operations team. Participating in relevant program meetings. Upon request, participating in local advisory committee meetings. Responding to requests for information from the BioWatch program. Supporting program audits and other assessments. Provide local office space to include space for equipment and consumable supplies storage. Implement staff recruitment and retention practices to maintain staffing levels over the life of the contract to: Support routine daily operations 7 days a week, 365 days a year and may require working beyond a standard 8-hour day and/or alternate shifts. Support planned and limited notice special events and surge operations (i.e., equipment deployment/demobilization, increased operations tempo, increased collection cycle, expanded array, etc.). Support changes to the static array (i.e., additions/reductions in number of collection sites) or collection routes. Ensure the staffing level in a given jurisdiction does not fall below 75% for longer than 1 month and that overall staffing levels do not fall below 90% per year. Accommodate appropriate and reasonable time off for personnel (i.e., paid time off, etc.) without compromising operations including special events and surge operations. Provide continuity of operations, which may include: Changes in operational tempo caused by limited notice special events. Travel of field staff from one jurisdiction to another for either surge support or to ensure continued steady-state operations. Perform all required operational tasks in accordance with the Field Operations Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and other program guidance, processes, and protocols, including: Logistics support. Equipment and supplies ordering and inventory maintenance and reporting. Ensure all field staff, including new hires, are appropriately trained in all relevant BioWatch operations procedures, processes, and protocols. Training materials are provided by the BioWatch program but the performer may be required to develop, maintain, and provide additional training to meet and support program objectives. Ensure field