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>> C. HUMPHREY: GOOD MORNING IN THE WEST COAST
AND GOOD AFTERNOON IN THE WEST COAST.
WE KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT ON YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW
BUT FOR THE NEXT 90 MINUTES WE HOPE YOU CAN SET ASIDE
YOUR CONCERNS AND JOIN US FOR OUR LATEST PLANNING/NEPA FORUM.
THIS IS THE SECOND IN A SERIES OF THREE BROADCASTS
ON HOW TO IMPROVE CONTRACTING FOR BLM
PLANNING AND NEPA DOCUMENTS.
WHILE WE'RE FOCUSED ON CONTRACTING, ALL PARTS OF
HE OR ASPECTS OF THE PLANNING AND NEPA PROCESS
LIKE SCOPING MEETINGS OR SETTING UP THE ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD,
THE PRINCIPLES WE'LL DISCUSS TODAY CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER
CONTRACTS TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR PROGRAM WORK.
FOR EXAMPLE, HABITAT ASSESSMENTS, SPECIES SURVEYS OR GIA
AND MODELING CONTRACTS. MOST OF THE PRINCIPLES THAT
WE'LL TALK ABOUT CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO ASSISTANCE AGREEMENTS.
SO WE'LL COVER BOTH DIRECT AND THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTING AND
CONTRACTS FOR EA AND EIS-LEVEL ANALYSIS.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO SENT IN COMMENTS BY METRICS
THAT MATTER FOR THE FIRST CONTRACTING BROADCAST.
WE MADE SOME CHANGES BASED ON YOUR INPUT AND
ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE GOT SAID
THAT THE CLOSED CAPTIONING COVERED UP THE TEXT
ON THE LOWER THIRD OF THE SCREEN. FOR EXAMPLE,
WE PUT PHONE NUMBERS AND THAT KIND OF THING
ON THERE. THE ONLY SOLUTION THAT I CAN OFFER
FOR TODAY'S SHOW IS YOU COULD EITHER TURN OFF
THE CLOSED CAPTIONING IF IT'S NOT NEEDED BY SOMEBODY
IN THE ROOM. THE SECOND OPTION WOULD BE THAT YOU
COULD ASK US WHAT'S COVERED UP WHEN YOU
-- BY TEXT, E-MAIL OR FAX. OR IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN WAIT
UNTIL IT'S POSTED TO THE INTERNET TO SEE WHAT'S ON THE
BOTTOM THIRD THERE. NOT THE BEST OPTION, BUT THOSE
ARE THE THREE OPTIONS I CAN THINK OF FOR YOU.
THEN WE GOT A COMMENT FROM ONE OR TWO OF YOU WHO SAID
THAT A LOT OF WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME WAS ALREADY
TAUGHT IN CLASSES FOR CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVES
OR CORS, BUT HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS A NEW INFORMATION
FOR OTHERS. SO EVEN IF YOU'VE BEEN A COR FOR A VERY LONG TIME
AND BEEN TO A LOT OF TRAINING, YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY PICK UP SOMETHING
NEW TODAY. SO IN BROADCAST ONE, WE TALKED ABOUT CONTRACT
INITIATION WHERE WE WENT OVER THE INCEPTION OF A PROJECT
UNTIL THE CONTRACTOR SELECTS-- IS SELECTED.
THE TOPIC OF TODAY'S BROADCAST IS CONTACT MANAGEMENT,
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW TO MANAGE THE COMMUNICATION,
THE MECHANICS AND THE SCOPE, OR THE STATEMENT OF WORK
OF A CONTRACT. BROADCAST THREE IN THE SERIES WILL FOCUS ON
CONTRACT CLOSE-OUT, AND THAT WILL INCLUDE
CONTRACT MODIFICATIONS, ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND
WHAT THE CONTRACTOR'S ROLE IS IN THE RESPONDING TO LITIGATION.
NOW, THIS THIRD BROADCAST WAS FOR MARCH 28TH, BUT
IT MIGHT BE POSTPONED DUE TO THE TRAVELED AND OTHER
RESTRICTIONS WE'RE ALL UNDERGOING BUT WE'LL E-MAIL EVERY ONE
OF YOU REGISTERED FOR THIS BROADCAST.
WE'LL LET YOU KNOW ANY UPDATES AS WE KNOW THEM.
TODAY, LIKE LAST MONTH, WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE HOW TO IMPROVE
THE PROCESS AND THE PRODUCTS. WE DON'T REALLY WANT TO
DWELL ON WHAT'S NOT WORKING. WE WANT TO MAKE IT A
POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. SO ALTHOUGH THAT WE'VE DONE THE
BEST WE COULD TO INCORPORATE YOUR QUESTIONS AND YOUR
FEEDBACK FROM THE METRICS THAT MATTER, I'M SURE THAT
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WILL POP UP.
SO AS YOU THINK OF, BE SURE TO JUST JOT THEM DOWN,
AND THEN THAT WAY YOU'LL BE READY TO JUMP RIGHT IN
WHEN WE OPEN IT UP FOR YOU TO INTERACT WITH THE PANEL.
YOU CAN CALL US, FAX US, E-MAIL US OR TEXT US.
SO GET READY TO WRITE DOWN OUR CONTACT NUMBERS
BECAUSE THEY ARE COMING UP ON YOUR SCREEN NOW.
ONE MORE THING, IF YOU CONTACT US, ESPECIALLY BY TEXT,
INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND LOCATION.
AS YOU CAN SEE THE PHONE NUMBER
IS 1-877-862-5346. FAX IS 602-906-5701
AND THE E-MAIL OR TEXT ADDRESS IS BLMTCTELECAST@BLM.GOV.
IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO MUTE THE SOUND OF THE BROADCAST
IN THE ROOM WHEN YOU CALL US, THEN IT'S PROBABLY BETTER
IF YOU E-MAIL, TEXT OR FAX YOUR QUESTIONS.
NOW I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE THE PANEL, AND THEN I WILL
SUMMARIZE WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT ON THE CONTRACT INITIATION BROADCAST.
MOLLY WILL TALK ABOUT MANAGING COMMUNICATION.
CHRIS AND CINDY WILL TALK ABOUT MANAGING THE MECHANICS.
THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION ABOUT MANAGING
THE SCOPE OR THE STATEMENT OF WORK.
AFTER THAT, IT WILL BE TIME FOR YOU TO INTERACT WITH THE PANEL.
IT WILL BE IN ABOUT AN HOUR. FINALLY, WE'LL END UP WITH SOME
HELPFUL TIPS. SO BE SURE TO STICK AROUND FOR
THE ENTIRE 90 MINUTES. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THAT.
SO HERE IS OUR PANEL. IF YOU SAW THE FIRST BROADCAST,
IT WILL BE LIKE I'M INTRODUCING YOU TO SOME OLD FRIENDS
BECAUSE WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE THE SAME PANEL.
I'D LIKE TO START WITH OUR NORTHERN/MOST GUEST, MOLLY COBBS
IS THE PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR FOR
THE ANCHORAGE DISTRICT OFFICE IN ALASKA.
SHE HAS BEEN WITH THE BLM SINCE 2010. BEFORE THAT
SHE WAS A NEPA CONTRACTOR FOR SEVEN YEARS AND
MUCH OF THAT SHE WORKED ON BLM PROJECTS.
OVER THE YEARS, SHE HAS BEEN THE NEPA LEAD FOR
SIX BLM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS. HI MOLLY.
>> M. COBBS: IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK
>> C. HUMPHREY: NEXT, FURTHER SOUTH TO THE
WYOMING STATE OFFICE IN
CHEYENNE IS CHRIS CARLTON. HE IS A NEPA LEAD AND
CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE, A COR,
FOR FIVE RMP CONTRACTS. HE STARTED WITH THE BLM IN 2008
AND HE, TOO, STARTED HIS CAREER AS A NEPA CONTRACTOR.
HE HAS MORE THAN 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE
FEDERAL CONTRACTING PROCESS. HI CHRIS, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> C. CARLTON: THANKS, KATHY. IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK.
>> C. HUMPHREY: WORKING OUR SOUTH FROM THE NATIONAL
OPERATIONS CENTER IN DENVER, COLORADO, CINDY KLEINHOLZ.
SHE IS A CONTRACTING OFFICER WHO DEALS MOSTLY WITH
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRACTS AND CINDY HAS WORKED FOR THE
BLM SINCE 2010. BEFORE THAT SHE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH
FEDERAL CONTRACTING FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HI CINDY, NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> C. KLEINHOLZ: CATHY, IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE HERE.
>> C. HUMPHREY: AND THAT IS OUR PANEL.
NEXT I'M GOING TO RECAP WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT ON BROADCAST ONE.
IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO WATCH IT OR IF YOU FORGOT WHAT YOU SAW
BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT WAS A MONTH AGO, WE STARTED BY
REVIEWING TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS, INCLUDING
WHAT IS A CONTRACT. A CONTRACT IS A LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE
AGREEMENT BETWEEN TWO OR MORE PARTIES.
A CONTRACTOR IS THE PERSON, GROUP OR ENTITY THAT'S HIRED TO
PERFORM THE WORK. EXTERNALLY-GENERATED ACTIONS,
WHICH YOU PROBABLY ALL KNOW ARE INITIATED FROM A NON-BLM
OR GROUP, FOR EXAMPLE A PROPONENT OR APPLICANT WHO REQUESTS
AN AUTHORIZATION OR A PERMIT FROM THE BLM.
A THIRD-PARTY CONTRACT, THAT'S WHEN A PROPONENT HIRES A FIRM
TO DO THE NEPA ANALYSIS FOR A PROPOSED PROJECT.
TYPICALLY, THIS IS DONE WHEN THE PROPONENT WANTS THE NEPA TO
BE COMPLETED FASTER. HOWEVER, EVEN THROUGH THE
PROPONENT HIRES THE CONTRACTOR, WE THE BLM ARE STILL
RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING, ANALYZING AND APPROVING THE
NEPA ANALYSIS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MOLLY
WILL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS HOW TO MANAGE THE COMMUNICATION
TO MINIMIZE OR ELIMINATE BIAS IN NEPA DOCUMENTS THAT ARE
PREPARED THROUGH THESE THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTS.
INTERNALLY-GENERATED ACTIONS ARE THOSE CREATED BY US, THE BLM,
AND SOME OF THESE EXAMPLES ARE PROPOSAL TO RESTORE A
RIPARIAN AREA, OR ONE TO BUILD A WILDLIFE GUZZLER.
DIRECT CONTRACTS, THOSE ARE WHEN THE BLM HIRES A FIRM
OR COMPANY TO PERFORM A SERVICE, FOR EXAMPLE, TO COMPLETE A NEPA
ANALYSIS AND DOCUMENTATION FOR A PROPOSED RESOURCE/MANAGEMENT PLAN
OR OTHER PROJECT. NEXT, WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT, WHY
AND WHEN THE BLM WOULD PURSUE A CONTRACT.
BASICALLY WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO IS CONTRACTORS
ARE TYPICALLY USED TO SUPPLEMENT THE LEAD
AGENCY'S EXPERTISE, RESOURCES OR TIME THAT IT TAKES
TO CONDUCT THE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
OR COMPLETE THE STEPS NECESSARY OR COMPLETE
WITH NEPA IN A TIMELY MANNER.
AFTER THE TERMINOLOGY, CINDY WENT OVER SOME
KEY PIECES OF THE FEDERAL/ACQUISITION REGULATIONS, OR
THE FAR, WHICH I'M SURE WE ALL KNOW ARE THE
FEDERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS AS TO HOW THE GOVERNMENT
WILL ACQUIRE GOODS AND SERVICES FROM SELLERS.
CINDY DESCRIBED WHAT AN ACQUISITION PACKAGE
TYPICALLY INCLUDES, AND SHE ALSO TALKED ABOUT
THE TIME FRAMES REQUIRED TO PUT ONE TOGETHER.
THEN SHE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE METHODS TO SOLICIT CONTRACTS.
THE NEXT TOPIC THAT WE TACKLED ON BROADCAST ONE WAS HOW TO
WRITE BETTER STATEMENTS OF WORK.
MOLLY TALKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DESCRIBING BOTH
THE SIDEBOARDS AND THE SPECIFIC WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
BY THE CONTRACTOR, AND FOR COMPLEX PROJECTS,
SHE HAD A RECOMMENDATION TO BREAK DOWN
THE WORK INTO PHASE, TASK AND SUBTASK, WHICH MAY BE OBVIOUS
TO SOME PEOPLE BUT STILL WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO
ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU'RE WRITING A STATEMENT OF WORK.
NOW, A COUPLE OF TIPS THAT I REMEMBER FROM BROADCAST ONE
ARE TO THINK LIKE A CONTRACTOR AND DON'T BE AFRAID
TO IT RATE WHEN YOU'RE WRITING YOUR STATEMENT
OF WORK WITH YOUR RESOURCE SPECIALIST.
COMPLEX PROJECTS OFTEN TAKE SEVERAL PASSES TO GET ALL THE
PIECES RIGHT. MOLLY PROVIDES SOME QUESTIONS OR PROMPTS
TO CONSIDER WHEN FINALIZING STATEMENT OF WORK.
IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE PROMPTS, I THINK THEY'LL HELP
YOU BE MORE THOROUGH WHEN YOU'RE WRITING YOUR OWN
STATEMENT OF WORK. OF COURSE, IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD
IDEA TO REACH OUT TO OTHER OFFICES AND SEE IF THEY HAVE
SOMETHING YOU CAN START WITH, BUT I THINK THAT HER PROMPTS
WILL HELP YOU STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR PROJECT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU RELY TOO HEAVILY ON SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK
YOU MAY HAVE FOR-- YOU MAY FORGET SOMETHING THAT PERTAINS
TO YOUR PROJECT BUT NOT THEIRS. THEN, THE NEXT THING WE DID, IS
WE MOVED ON TO EVALUATING THE PROPOSALS AFTER YOU RECEIVED THEM.
CINDY TALKED ABOUT THE FOUR PRIMARY EVALUATION CRITERIA
THAT THEY TYPICALLY USE, AND THOSE ARE: THE TECHNICAL APPROACH
ORGANIZATION AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OR EXPERTISE,
PAST PERFORMANCE, AND THEN FOR DIRECT CONTRACTS, FEE.
CINDY AND MOLLY TALKED ABOUT THE MAKE-UP OF
THE EVALUATION TEAM AND THE PROCESS.
AND MOLLY PROVIDED SOME SPECIFIC TIPS WHEN EVALUATING
EACH CRITERION, AND THEN CINDY GAVE US THE CONTRACTING
OFFICER'S PERSPECTIVE, WHICH I DON'T THINK WE TYPICALLY CONSIDER.
THE NEXT TOPIC WE TALKED ABOUT WAS MOU'S, OR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.
CHRIS DESCRIBED THE PURPOSE AND THE VALUE OF A WELL-WRITTEN MOU,
AND HE TALKED ABOUT THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MOUS AND CONTRACTS.
MOU'S ARE BEING USED A LOT MORE OFTEN AND EFFECTIVELY WHEN
ENTERING INTO THIRD PARTY CONTRACTING SITUATIONS, ESPECIALLY
IN CERTAIN LOCATIONS, CERTAIN STATES.
MOUS ARE ALSO USED A LOT TO CLARIFY THE ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF COOPERATING AGENCIES WHEN THEY'RE
INVOLVED WITH US IN A PROJECT.
CHRIS LISTED THE CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF MOU,
AND THESE ARE A PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS,
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PARTNERS, THE PURPOSE AND AUTHORIZE FOR
THE MOU, AND MY FAVORITE SECTION, THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL PARTIES.
THAT'S BASICALLY THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF THE MOU.
ALSO, ANOTHER CRITICAL COMPONENT IS HOW TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS.
THEN THERE'S A SECTION DESIGNATING THE REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH
COOPERATING AGENCY. WE GOT A FEW COMMENTS IN THE METRICS THAT
MATTER THAT SOME OF YOU WANTED MORE INFORMATION ON MOUS,
AND THEN OTHERS OF YOU WERE ANNOYED WE DIDN'T POST
THE POWERPOINTS PRIOR TO THE BROADCAST.
SO, IN RESPONSE, WE SENT YOU AN E-MAIL THIS MORNING WITH THE
POWERPOINTS FOR TODAY, WHICH THERE AREN'T AS MANY AS THERE WERE LAST TIME
AND WE UPLOADED A COUPLE OF EXAMPLE MOUS FOR YOU TO LOOK AT,
AS WELL AS OTHER REFERENCES AND EXAMPLES.
WE'VE GOT THE POWERPOINTS FOR BOTH BROADCASTS AND BROADCAST TWO ON OUR KRC
OR KNOWLEDGE RESOURCE CENTER.