ARTIST IN RESIDENCE- CREATIVE WRITING
STATEMENT OF WORK
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE SERVICES
1. INTRODUCTION
The Federal Bureau of Prisons intends to make a single award to a responsible entity for the provision of an artist-in-residence program grounded in literacy as prescribed in the description of duties listed below to the inmate population of Federal Prison Camp, Bryan located in Bryan, TX. Faith-Based and Community-Based Organizations have the right to submit offers/bids equally with other organizations for contracts for which they are eligible.
2. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
Services will be performed at the Federal Prison Camp, Bryan, 1100 Ursuline, Bryan, TX 77805.
3. SUPPLIES
All basic student books, workbooks, or writing supplies will be provided by FPC Bryan. Selection of materials will be subject to approval by the Supervisor of Education. The contractor will control, supervise and be accountable for all government supplies and equipment to ensure that it is used only for the legitimate program purpose. All supplies, furniture and equipment must be comply with institution security requirements and be approved prior to placing in use by the contractor. All records maintained by the contractor will remain the property of the Government.
4. DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
The contractor shall provide, on a nondiscriminatory basis an Artist-in-Residency Program that is grounded in literacy. The contractor will develop lesson objectives, plans, and prepare a viable 6 week course curriculum. The contractor will prepare and present creative writing workshops for the inmate population focused on critical thinking skills, language usage and promote creative writing. The contractor will organize inmate talents found in the general inmate population with a goal of publishing a book featuring select works. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the contractor's work time is awarded for personal development to work on his/her own work. The contractor will be responsible for implementing and maintaining the total program.
Open enrollment and individual instruction will be the mode. The program will be facilitated by the contractor that possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities to instruct inmates in writing skills.
Services will be unsupervised, but will be monitored by an assigned Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) in accordance with Bureau of Prisons policy.
5. SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
The contractor must have knowledge or background in creative writing gained through education or experience or a combination of both. Knowledge or background in editing and book publishing is desirable.
The course provider must be a performing artist and may be required to hold a teaching certificate recognized by a State Department of Education. The contractor is also required to be registered in the Central Contractor Registrations data base to be eligible for award. Instructions for registration in the CCR can be found at www.ccr.gov or by calling (888)227-2423.
The Government will make award to the responsible offeror whose quote conforms to this solicitation and is most advantageous to the government, considering pricing factors only.
6. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
The contractor is required to have extensive knowledge in writing. Instructional methods are required to be equivalent to those found in a college. The contractor will provide lecture style instruction with opportunities for hands on practical skill development in creative writing.
7. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
There will be approximately 15 inmate students per session, ten (10) sessions per week for approximately 48 weeks per year. One session is equal to one hour. The classes will be held up to five days a week Monday thru Friday excluding Federal Holidays. A schedule that is mutually acceptable to the Government and the contractor can be determined after award of the contract. Government obligations will be limited to services received from the contractor.
In the event of a cancelled class due to the absence of a scheduled instructor, the contractor shall provide a make-up session. The time and days will be mutually acceptable to the Government and the contractor and must be provided before the end of the current session.
The contractor shall maintain and furnish upon request, information and or data that is needed to comply with the Education Data System. Such information or data would include a course curriculum, classroom log, classroom enrollments and classroom completions.
The contractor will provide a time and attendance log of sessions provided to the COTR or Supervisor of Education bi-weekly.
8. WORK MANAGEMENT
The contractor will be required to follow any and all applicable guidelines for the services to be provided. He or she will also maintain accountability of all Government-furnished materials, supplies, and equipment. The contractor will provide a weekly report of student attendance, reports, equipment/supplies inventory to the COTR and/or Supervisor of Education.
The contractor will provide a weekly time and attendance log to the COTR and/or Supervisor of Education.
9. INMATE MANAGEMENT
Provisions of services under this contract will require frequent, unsupervised contact with inmates. The contractor will not be responsible for the management of inmates other than to ensure that those inmates involved in activities within the contractor's scope of services shall abide by all rules in effect to ensure their safety and well being. He or she is to be constantly aware of security and maintain a professional relationship with inmates at all times. Any violations of the rules and regulations on the part of an inmate are to be brought immediately to the attention of any Bureau of Prisons employee and also to the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for proper action.
10. INSTITUTION SECURITY
The contractor agrees to adhere to all regulations prescribed by the institution for safety, custody, and conduct of the inmates. The contractor shall attend a four-hour orientation training program before assuming his/her duties. Reimbursement to the contractor for the time spent in institution security orientation or other periodic security related training will be at the contract rate, prorated hourly. The following investigative procedures will be applied and appropriate forms completed before the contract is awarded:
(a) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Check;
(b) DOJ-99 Name Check;
(c) FD-258 Fingerprint Check;
(d) Law Enforcement Agency Checks;
(e) Vouchering of employers over the past five years;
(f) SF-171 (Application for Federal Employment) or Resume/Personal Qualifications;
(g) BP-S660.012 Authority for Release of Information;
(h) Release of Information;
(I) National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI)- if applicable; and
(j) Urinalysis.
A urinalysis test is required for detection of marijuana and other drug usage before the contract is awarded. If the proposed contract is with a company and the individual(s) assigned to perform the work test(s) positive, the individual(s) shall be excluded from performing the contract and the contractor shall provide acceptable replacement personnel subject to the same security requirements. If the proposed contract is with an individual, the contract award may not be made until a negative test is received.
The contractor must be in compliance with Department of Justice regulation at 8 CFR 274a regarding the employment of aliens. A copy of this directive is available upon the contractor's request.
11. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
This is a contractual arrangement and not a personnel appointment. As specified in FAR 37.101 "Nonpersonal Service Contracts" means a contract under which the personnel rendering the services are not subject, either by the contract's terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees. All duties outlined in this Statement of Work shall be performed in accordance with standards and methods generally accepted within the contractor's own field of expertise. Payment shall be based on the accomplishment of specific results, and the results to be obtained shall be entirely within the contractor's own unsupervised determination. The COTR will periodically evaluate the contractor's performance of the contract.
12. PAYMENT TERMS
Payment will be made electronically to the contractor's bank routing and account number as provided by the contractor by registering in the Central Contractor Registration database at www.ccr.gov. Payment terms as specified in FAR 52.212-4(g) indicate that the due date for making an invoice payment by the designated payment office shall be the 30th day after the designated payment office has received a proper invoice, or the Government accepts the services performed by the contractor. The contractor can however offer discount payment terms for prompt payments as specified in block 12 on the SF-1449 form of this solicitation. Half sessions will not be authorized for payment.
The contractor shall provide a monthly billing statement to the Federal Prison Camp, Bryan Accounting Department which accurately reflects days worked, number of sessions and the total amount due for the previous month's services.
If the resulting contract is awarded to an individual(s) or sole proprietorship, the provision of these services has been determined to meet certain criteria of the Internal Revenue Service for creating a common law employee tax liability relationship. In such a situation, the BOP is responsible for the payment of FICA taxes (7.65%) and the withholding of the individual's taxes. These responsibilities apply only when award of the contract is made to an individual or sole proprietorship. It does not apply when the contract is awarded to a company, regardless of the size of the company. For evaluation purposes, an additional 7.65% will be added to the price submitted by individuals or sole proprietorships.
In order to ensure proper preparation of their bi-weekly payment voucher, all hours worked must be documented by the contractor, showing the hours worked during each visit. Documentation will be provided on a "Log of Consultants Visit" form with each entry being signed by the Contractor.
Heather Buck, Contract Specialist, Phone 9798231879, Email hbuck@bop.gov - Clayton E Yorek, Procurement Specialist, Phone 9798231879 3443, Fax 979-821-3306, Email cyorek@bop.gov
