National Association of State Foresters Forestry Performance Measures for the United States REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Transcription

1 National Association of State Foresters Forestry Performance Measures for the United States REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) Request for Proposals Date: January 19, 2015 Proposal Submission Deadline: 5:00 pm EST, February 27, 2015 Submit proposals or questions to: National Association of State Foresters Attn: Performance Measures Proposal 444 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 540 Washington DC or with Performance Measures proposal in subject line A. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is requesting proposals from qualified firms/consultants to develop a series of performance measures that each state can compile and report nationally to demonstrate the benefits of trees and forests to society. B. INTRODUCTION 1. Organizational Overview Established in 1920, the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is a non-profit organization that represents the directors of all 50 state forestry agencies, territories and associated states, and the District of Columbia all collectively referred to as states in this RFP. A State Forester is the state government employee who oversees and manages the forestry agency, department, or division in their state. Two-thirds of nation s forests are state and privately owned across the rural to urban spectrum. State forestry agencies lead efforts to manage and protect these forests working with private landowners and partners. Responsibilities include timber harvesting, wildland fire prevention and suppression, landowner assistance, insects and disease management, conservation education, urban and community forestry programs, tree planting, best management practices for water quality, and regulatory activities related to natural resource management. Each state has a Forest Action Plan that identifies priorities and strategies for forest management and protection. The mission of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is to represent State and Territorial Forester interests in supporting policies and leading efforts to promote healthy and sustainable trees and forests. Representing public officials, NASF represents its members interest in maximizing public benefits provided by forests clean air, clean water, forest products (paper, wood), outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat, jobs, etc. State Foresters serve as volunteer members on NASF committees, which provide subject matter expertise in wildland fire, forest markets, forest management, forest science and health, and urban and community forestry. In 2013, NASF committees attempted to identify a set of credible and workable performance measures each state could collect and report that could be rolled up through a common national reporting system. 1

2 This effort had its origins in a process called Redesign, where NASF and the states have been working with the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry (S&PF) area since 2007 to redesign how resources are prioritized, focused, and delivered through the suite of S&PF programs in a manner that demonstrates clear outcomes. Performance measures have been developed and tested through this process and progress has been made. However, it remains a difficult and complex challenge to identify the most compelling set of performance measures all states can collect and report in a similar apples to apples manner. State capacities, data availability, and reporting systems vary greatly. For more information: and 2. Forestry Performance Measures Statement of Need Non-profit conservation, environmental, forestry, and wildlife organizations as well as state and federal natural resource agencies share a common need to measure the impact of their work and demonstrate that it makes a positive difference. Much work has been done by diverse organizations attempting to quantify conservation-related outcomes, often tied to specific programs. All share similar challenges in linking measurable inputs to outputs to ultimate outcomes. Examples of related efforts include but are not limited to: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) performance measures for state Wildlife Action Plans; Auditable/measurable standards for forestry sustainability developed by the American Tree Farm System, Forest Stewardship Council, and Sustainable Forestry Initiative; Conservation Measures Partnership; Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management developed through international processes (the Montreal Process, FAO, etc.); National Association of State Foresters Statistics Survey The Nature Conservancy s (TNC s) Conservation by Design ; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) performance measures for the National Coastal Zone Management Program; State Forest Action Plans USDA Forest Service annual President s budget justification and program reporting systems; USDA Forest Service Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and Inventory, Monitoring, & Assessment program USDA Forest Service State & Private Forestry Redesign Core Performance Measures; USDA Office of Ecosystem Services. State forestry agencies use Forest Action Plans to identify priorities, define strategies, and target resources where they are needed most. Each Forest Action Plan is different, reflecting the diversity of state natural resources and agency resource capacities/constraints. However, all Forest Action Plans reflect three common fundamental themes as national priorities: Conserve working forests; Protect forests from threats; Enhance public benefits from trees and forests. These three national priority themes provide the framework for performance measures and performance measures need to be developed and reported under each theme. This should build on existing work and consider the best of the best work conducted by others. Collectively, Forest Action Plans represent a strategic plan for the nation s forests and the three national priority themes provide a performance measures framework each state can use to demonstrate outcomes. A common set of state-based performance measures would benefit all forestry interests in the United States and help measure success in implementing Forest Action Plans. The availability of apples to apples data in all states, a multitude of reporting systems, capacity constraints for collecting and reporting data, credibly linking inputs to outputs to outcomes in an easily understood way, and identifying a handful of simple measures that tell the most compelling story are all key challenges that must be addressed. 2

3 The National Association of State Foresters seeks an easily used and understood enterprise system for the United States where common forestry performance measures can be collected by or through state forestry agencies and compiled/reported nationally. These measures should transcend individual organizations and programs and be based on the most practical and credible information available. C. SCOPE OF WORK Proposals should address this scope of work and be creative in proposing alternative approaches that will be most effective in producing the desired deliverables outlined below. 1) Kick off meeting with Steering Committee. 2) Literature Review assess existing recommendations from NASF committees, feedback from NASF members, performance measures developed through Redesign/S&PF Board, and state agency reporting required by Forest Service programs. 3) Best Practices Review research applicable performance measure processes and data sources used by other agencies or non-profits (AFWA, TNC, etc.), focused on, but not limited to, conservation-related measures. Provide an expert opinion on what could be adapted for NASF/USFS use. 4) Inventory of metrics and reporting systems required of States by the Forest Service, identifying what is legally required and what could be eliminated/replaced. 5) Identify gaps in information/data needed to develop compelling, outcome-focused measures 6) Develop logic models for connecting reportable inputs/data to create outcome-focused measures. 7) Survey state forestry agencies and ask each to rank the top 3-6 metrics for trees and forests that are most compelling. 8) Regular updates to and guidance from the Steering Committee & monthly webinars/calls with Subject Matter Expert Team to obtain ongoing feedback and ground truth recommendations as they are developed. This should be an iterative process. 9) Present concepts and solicit feedback at three State Forester regional meetings (May in San Francisco, CA; June in San Antonio, TX; July in Lincoln, NH). 10) Research data collection and reporting systems currently used by States (USFS, state, NASF statistics survey, GIS platforms, online reporting platforms, etc.) as well as other options that could make reporting easier for States. Identify options that would work for all States. 11) Present preliminary recommendations for 3-6 performance measures at the 2015 NASF Annual Meeting (Sept , Lake Tahoe, CA). 12) Work with Steering Committee and Subject Matter Expert Team to test performance measures and reporting systems. 13) Present final recommendations for performance measures and a reporting system(s) that all States can use no later than the 2016 NASF Annual Meeting (Sept. 2016). D. DELIVERABLES The following deliverables are required outcomes for this project: 1) Performance Measures Deliver a limited set (ideally less than ten) of performance measures that will resonate strongly with State Foresters, the forestry community, and policymakers. The exact number of performance measures is not specified but the total set should be small, simple, and focused on the most compelling benefits of trees and forests. Examples might include water (BMPs, stream buffers, etc.), clean air (urban tree canopy, forest cover), wildlife habitat (age-class or tree species diversity, endangered species habitat), sustainability (reforestation, landowner assistance), economic impact (products, jobs), etc. Criteria are: Easy to understand and tell the most compelling story; Can be collected and reported in a uniform way in all States; Demonstrate the value of federal, state, and private investments in forests; Workable for all State Forestry agencies using data that is readily available and can be collected in a uniform manner, leveraging existing reporting systems and existing data sources as much as possible; 3

4 Not specifically linked to individual State, Forest Service, or other programs, but rather broadly demonstrate the value of trees and working forests; Credible apples to apples measures that all states can collect and report the same that roll up nationally into a dashboard-style report; Link inputs to outputs to outcomes in a scientifically defensible manner through logic chain models or similar approaches must be easily explained and understood; Consider which existing performance measures used by States can be eliminated or replaced by new performance measures. 2) Reporting System(s) Recommend the most efficient and effective system or systems for collecting and reporting the performance measures data. Criteria are: An overall enterprise system for the United States that captures performance measures from each state so it can be rolled up and reported nationally; Reporting systems should be currently used or easily adopted by all States; Recommendations for other reporting system(s) not currently used by all or most States can also be included as options; User friendly, efficient, and effective; Consider which reporting systems States currently use can be consolidated or eliminated. E. PROPOSAL CONTENT Please use the following outline to organize your response to this RFP: 1. Organizational Overview Provide a company profile, statement of qualifications and explanation of core competencies. Provide an overview of successful PR programs that your firm has developed that best reflect your work and have relevancy to our objectives. Summarize your experience working with: a. the nonprofit industry b. forestry and/or natural resource organizations c. data collection, reporting, and performance measurement 2. Client Relationship a. Provide at least two references from your current clients. Please include company name, address, phone number and contact name. b. Describe in detail the team that will be involved with the account on a day-to-day basis. c. List any contractors or third party companies that will be involved with our account. 3. Work Plan Provide a detailed timeline, budget, and plan for addressing the Scope of Work described in Section C and providing the Deliverables listed in Section D. 4. Cost and Timeline The proposal should provide a multi-phase timeline with prioritized milestones, tasks, and deadlines. The timeline must also provide a cost breakdown for all elements of the Work Plan. This should include an itemization of services included during each phase of the project and a list of services and fees that are excluded from the proposal. 5. Bidder's Suggestions Please give your suggestions for better and/or additional ways to address the performance measures and reporting needs set forth for this project which are not otherwise described. Describe advantages and disadvantages of the approaches you recommend, and specify the cost implications, if any. 6. Format Proposals may be received in hard copy or electronic format. If hard copy, please submit three (3) copies of your proposal. 7. Where to submit: National Association of State Foresters Attn: Performance Measures Proposal 444 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 540 4

5 Washington DC or with Performance Measures proposal in subject line F. EVALUATION & SELECTION 1. Evaluation Proposals will be judged on the basis of approach/methodology, experience and qualifications, completeness/quality, chances for successful implementation, and cost. The assessment will take into account such factors as understanding of the needs and tasks to be performed; technical merit, including clarity and comprehensiveness of the workplan; creativity and added value of the bidder's suggestions about additional or alternative ways to develop and report performance measures; and familiarity with relevant forestry issues. 2. Inquiries Bidders may submit questions relating to the proposal to NASF in writing until proposals are due at 5:00 pm EST, February 27, Please submit questions electronically to with Performance Measures proposal in subject line. 3. Interviews Presentations of proposals or clarification questions may be requested anytime throughout the evaluation period. You will be notified if this is requested. G. ASSUMPTIONS AND AGREEMENTS 1. Contract Period The anticipated contract period is eighteen (18) months, beginning approximately April 1, 2015 and ending October 1, The final timeline, budget, and scope of work will be negotiated between NASF and the successful bidder. 2. Budget Include your proposed budget and fees. List specific fees in detail. Indicate your willingness to consider flexible fee arrangements. 3. Staff Contact The NASF Executive Director will serve as project coordinator/manager. 4. Deadline Proposals must be received by the National Association of State Foresters at the address listed above no later than 5:00 pm EST, February 27, Notification NASF will award contract by April 1, 2015 with project to begin immediately upon award of contract. NASF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, or any other non-merit factor. 5