Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Secondary Cities Initiative - American Association of Geographers (AAG)
NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE TO AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS (AAG) FOR SECONDARY CITIES INITIATIVE - FAR 6.302-3 IAW 41 U.S.C 3304(a)(3)
The Department of State Office of Acquisitions Management (A/LM/AQM), on behalf of the Bureau of Intelligence & Research Humanitarian Information Unit (INR/HIU), issues this notice of its intent to negotiate a sole source contract with The American Association of Geographers (AAG), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, to provide mapping services, as well as administrative oversight and project management support services. It has been determined that the AAG has both significant existing experience with this initiative and has at its disposal a vast network of professional geographers and partner organizations focused on sustainability and a holistic approach to urban development.
Mapping Secondary Cities for Resiliency and Emergency Preparedness addresses critical capacity and data needs in rapidly growing urban areas in developing countries - secondary cities. Secondary cities are regional hubs of commerce, governance and services undergoing rapid transformation due to development pressures. This work shall provide a strategy to build local capacity in using open source geospatial technologies, strengthen international partnerships, and create new data in secondary cities that are frequently data-poor, under-resourced, and lagging behind in the provision of infrastructure and essential services. Mapping these cities is an essential activity in building resiliency and devising robust emergency management plans.
Secondary City (2C) projects will be implemented in select cities throughout the world based on proposals solicited from US Embassies and their partners that may include international non-governmental organizations and universities. These proposals will be reviewed and approved by DOS staff and submitted to the contractor to establish agreements (for example, subcontracts or letters of agreement) for each city. It is expected that up to eight cities may be approved for projects in FY18 to include some existing FY17 project cities that may receive FY18 funding.
At the city level, the projects will create foundation human geography geospatial data. In-country training to local project personnel will facilitate on-going data collection and mapping, using a train the trainer model. The HIU will provide technical oversight to all city projects to include directing work, research protocol guidance, as well as scoping visits and initial training. The projects will be enhanced by cooperation with contractor's extensive network of professional geographers and partner organizations.
The core project elements that we tested in year one and two of the initiative that were determined to be fundamental to project success include:
1. Commit to an open data protocol and technology agnostic approach.
2. Establish a partnership with a local university or NGO to conduct training and education on geospatial technologies and applications (generally, a university will have the requisite facilities for training activities.)
3. Utilize participatory mapping to collect human geography data of most interest to decision makers.
4. Quality-check the data through protocols developed in the training sessions and implemented after project management review.
5. Post newly created and/or acquired data on the Department of State maintained Geonode, an open data portal for the sharing of geospatial data.
This notice of the Department's intent is not a request for competitive proposal(s); however, all responsible sources may submit a bid, proposal or quotation which shall be considered by the Department, assuming it is received by the closing date of this notice. A determination by the Department whether a competitive procurement is feasible may be based upon responses to this notice and is solely at the discretion of the Government.
Terence G. Lord, Email lordtg@state.gov - Amanda M. Rajah, Contract Specialist, Email RajahAM@state.gov
