Understanding of Requirements
Understanding of Requirements
SIN 874-1: Consulting Services
1. Services Offered: Bob Lawrence & Associates, Inc. (BL&A), through its work with a number of Cabinet-level agencies including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Interior, Labor, and Transportation, and other Federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission, has extensive experience in providing expert advice, guidance, and formal recommendations to enhance the productivity of governmental entities and their customers in addition to the process by which they interact. Further, BL&A has been very active in strategic planning to assist clients develop and implement sound business and management plans.
BL&A proposes several actions designed to improve the productivity of agencies and their capacity to enhance effective strategic planning and the development of business plans and concepts of operation. Moreover, the steps recommended herein will further agencies’ review of their programs and their success in reaching out to their customers. The development of inter-organizational strategies will also focus on enhancing the leadership role of the customer in its business environment.
Specifically, BL&A proposes to promote and improve the ability of Federal agencies to interact with stakeholders while significantly facilitating both technology transfer and access to timely, reliable information. Additionally, BL&A will facilitate market development support aimed at identifying and pursuing selected targets for new or expanded workload. This will be achieved in part by designing and creating workbooks, CD-ROMs, and other appropriate support devices, including interactive endeavors. As a result, BL&A’s efforts will advance the strategic planning capability of interested agencies as well as their capacity for educating both decisionmakers and the general public of the benefits of the services and resources offered by the agencies. This in turn will foster greater productivity, economic growth, efficiency, effectiveness, feedback and interaction, and competitiveness, while ensuring that agencies and customers alike remain attuned to the needs and concerns of the other stakeholders.
BL&A’s consulting services efforts of evaluating data and assessing evolving policy, budget, and management conditions -- and its capacity to provide critical information in a timely fashion -- can be substantially enhanced through the proper interactive support techniques.
The process and productivity improvements suggested by BL&A can take many forms. Two of the most prominent will build on BL&A’s proven success in partnering with the Department of Energy (DOE) and its Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT), wherein BL&A demonstrated expertise in establishing a network of Federal, State, local, and regional resources that specialize in helping small businesses and independent innovators to bring technology from concept and prototype development to commercial application. These are applicable to assist other Federal agencies under this proposal.
First, BL&A recommends the development of roadmaps produced through discussions and meetings with the relevant agency or agencies. These will not only guide potential customers through the maze of regulatory and administrative requirements and resources, they will also help focus the service provider on the needs of the customers and possible shortcomings in how the agency portrays itself. By definition, this will be an ongoing, evolving process.
Second, BL&A recommends the development of a “stakeholder network” designed to facilitate timely interaction among key players. This will involve the compilation of comprehensive lists of contacts, programs, and the means to access stakeholders in the public and private sectors in addition to critical interest groups and the media, thereby promoting coalition-building, distribution of critical information and materials, and resource assessment. This, too, must be a continually fluid process.
As a consequence of this network, BL&A further recommends the creation of a newsletter and utilization of other electronic devices to promote improved productivity and performance, which in turn will advance strategic, business, and action planning through greater information transfer.
Third, BL&A suggests regular interviews, discussions, or written communications with program managers and other critical supervisors as a means of obtaining input on agencies’ management, organizational, and business improvement efforts; this feedback will help identify successes and potential problems while significantly enhancing the implementation of appropriate programmatic improvements. BL&A can also help write memoranda of agreement.
The firm’s ongoing relationship with the Department of Defense (DOD) complements both its work with DOE and its attached responses to other SINs under this proposal. In particular, BL&A’s experience in supporting the collection of data, assessing policy, budget, and management changes within agencies, particularly DOD, and analyzing Congressional and DOD planning and trends affecting resource allocation, will supplement its recommendations promoting greater interaction among government and private sector entities.
2. How the Proposed Services Offered Support MOBIS: BL&A’s recommendations under SIN 874-1 target several critical areas affecting the productivity and competitiveness of federal agencies, the customers they serve, and parties interested in the programs offered. The stakeholder interaction and feedback activities outlined will help government at all levels to save tax dollars by focusing their message in a sharper, more targeted and effective manner. Implementation of these recommendations, in whole or in part, will substantially improve the process for collecting and conveying information, thereby advancing appropriate planning and, where necessary, appropriate programmatic corrections. Moreover, the firm’s strategic planning capabilities and policy development services will continue to help Federal policymakers and regulators obtain and evaluate information essential to the development of legislation and rules that will help facilitate the advancement of U.S. scientific and technological breakthroughs, while the market assessments will guide program managers in focusing their funds.
3. Conclusion: The consulting services described herein will facilitate programmatic improvements and enhanced productivity as a result of greater participation by and interaction among key stakeholders within governmental agencies and interest groups. The timely provision of critical information and education materials will enhance stakeholder knowledge of programs while promoting commitment to those programs.
SIN 874–3: Survey Services
1. Services Offered: Based on its extensive corporate capability and past experience in conducting extensive surveys for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Wind and Geothermal Technologies, Bob Lawrence & Associates, Inc. (BL&A) will provide expert consultation, assistance, and deliverables associated with all aspects of resource and/or technology surveying within the context of MOBIS.
Specifically, BL&A will implement, for requesting Federal, State, or local governmental agencies, all aspects of conducting surveys as outlined in the schedule of items, e.g., planning, defining and refining the agenda, sampling, determining proper survey data, survey database administration, administering surveys using various types of data collection methods, analyses of quantitative and qualitative survey data, and production of reports. These reports, which BL&A will produce and distribute, will, as necessary, be converted to PDF format, transferred to CD-ROM produced in-house, and distributed as appropriate via electronic transmittal or hard copy.
Other appropriate support products will be created and distributed in the course of conducting surveys, collecting information, and providing timely, accurate, and comprehensive information, results, and analyses to participants. This, too, will facilitate interaction, development of recommendations, and implementation of programmatic improvements.
BL&A will further develop, refine, and maintain a database of stakeholders and decision makers participating in the survey process for whatever Federal, State, or local agency or agencies enter into a contract with the firm. The database(s) will identify a contact point, and will include names, addresses, and telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses as well as a listing of relevant web sites.
BL&A, which will coordinate the implementation of this initiative, will subsequently provide timely information and results to participants.
2. How the Proposed Services Offered Support MOBIS: The proposed surveying and related tasks support MOBIS by facilitating the collection, analysis, and dissemination of requisite information requested by Federal, State, or local agencies. This process will also involve the development of recommendations resulting from the data collection and analysis, which will be incorporated into a report or reports to be distributed as described herein. BL&A will undertake follow-up actions as appropriate.
3. Conclusion: The survey services described are designed to enhance agency and stakeholder effectiveness, efficiency, interaction, feedback, and information transfer while addressing the needs and interests of agencies and their customers. This endeavor is consistent with and complementary to the consulting services proposal described elsewhere in this document.