Program and Management Support

On July 1, 2011, the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) IT Transformation Strategic Plan was delivered to Secretary Salazar from the Department's Chief Information Officer, Bernard "Bernie" Mazer. The Plan was developed in collaboration with bureau and office employees at every level. Since that date, this successful government initiative has been collecting compliments from other federal agencies and media outlets. As a shared-service provider within the DOI Office of the Secretary, AQD is the acquisition partner of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) in the department-wide effort of modernizing DOI's IT services, and saving up to $500 million by 2020. Using the IT Transformation Strategic Plan as a guide, AQD has been actively working with the OCIO to provide acquisition support to many of the upcoming activities.

Enterprise Architecture

In 2003, the Department of the Interior issued a strategic plan reflecting a unified DOI plan rather than a bundle of assorted office and bureau plans. The implementation of the Financial and Business Management System, as a comprehensive approach to improving current business functions, will help to enable DOI to ensure efficient and careful use of limited resources leading to mission excellence and delivery of the best possible performance for the American people.

This integrated system will eliminate over 80 DOI and bureau-specific systems and enable the alignment of a business management system with the Department of Interior’s strategy of modernization, integration, accountability, and customer value. FBMS will bring fundamental and constructive change to DOI in terms of how it conducts and manages its business.

AQD, as the Contracting Office for this initiative, has a strong team focused on enterprise architecture.

Document Preservation and Storage Control

In 1996, Elouise Cobell, a Native American leader and a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and thousands of other Native Americans. This lawsuit challenged the Federal Government’s management of billions of dollars in oil, timber, and other royalties held in trust for some half-million Indians. It also demanded reform, plus an accounting, of individual trust funds. Review of pertinent documents – some more than a century old – was hindered by their fragility, so the Department of the Interior’s Office of Historical Trust Accounting called upon the Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD) for help. AQD arranged for contracts to sort, scan, and preserve original, historical documents in the depths of a salt mine, where temperature and humidity are ideal for handling these delicate pieces of evidence. Electronic copies will then be used to support OHTA’s efforts in reconciling individual, Indian trust accounts.

Support Services

When the Department of the Interior Museum temporarily vacated its current premises in the Main Interior Building for renovations, the Acquisition Services Directorate and the National Business Center’s Facilities & Administration Services teamed up. Both organizations worked hand-in-hand to obtain support services and an occupancy agreement from the Smithsonian Institution. These arrangements will enable the museum to utilize the Smithsonian’s specialized curator services in order to catalog its collection and plan future restoration projects. When the collection returns to its home at Interior, it can proudly continue its preservation of America’s heritage in a newly enhanced environment.

Delegation of Lease Authority

In June 2009, the lease expired on the Anchorage office spaces occupied by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Alaska Affairs. GSA, leasing agent of the Federal government, had been unable to deliver a lease agreement as a heavy workload precluded their negotiating, or executing, a succeeding lease for approximately one year. Interior then called upon the Acquisition Services Directorate for help. AQD used a Delegation of Lease Authority to acquire a one-year “bridge lease.” The agreement provides work space for Alaska Affairs’ staff until execution of a GSA Occupancy Agreement.

Real Estate Appraisals

Established by the American Indian Trust fund Management Reform Act of 1994, the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians was created to improve the accountability and management of Indian funds held in trust by the Federal Government. As trustee, the Department of the Interior has the primary fiduciary responsibility to manage Tribal trust funds - as well as the resources that generate the income for those accounts. OST came to the Acquisition Services Directorate when a large number of Indian Trust real estate appraisals were needed on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. By competitively awarding two IDIQ contracts that helped OST conduct these appraisals, AQD enabled the Federal Government to meet its fiduciary trust responsibilities to the Blackfeet Nation.

Indirect Cost Services

A client agency supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering by issuing competitive, limited-term grants in response to specific proposals from the research community. The agency receives about 40,000 such proposals each year, and funds about 10,000 of them, with research into areas as diverse as Biological Sciences, Cyber Infrastructure, Geosciences, Mathematical & Physical Sciences, and Polar Programs.

One of their divisions was looking for ways to improve their staff utilization and turned to the Acquisition Services Directorate to negotiate indirect cost services on their behalf.

Online 24/7 Information and Referral Service

Military members and their families – many of whom live or are stationed away from installations with family services – now have continued access to confidential 24/7 information and referrals, thanks to the combined efforts of the DoD and the Acquisitions Services Directorate. Since its inception in 2003, the DoD’s Military Community and Family Policy Office has worked closely with AQD on the Military OneSource program, which is designed to augment existing family services by providing assistance to service members and their families via the Internet or a toll-free telephone number. With the new contract awarded by AQD, service members can count on up to five more years of OneSource benefits.

Indirect Cost Agreements

One of our Civilian agency clients helps to support homeownership opportunities for rural Americans by promoting and expanding programs that offer guaranteed and direct home loans. Much of this support is offered through grants to local, non-profit organizations and community managed lending pools. When our client needed indirect cost agreements for grants supporting its Single Family Direct Loan Division, it relied upon the Acquisition Services Directorate to negotiate them.

Audits, Investigations, Forensic Analyses

Federal agencies have an independent Office of Inspectors General (OIG) authorized by law to recommend policies and practices that promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. One of our clients, a Civilian OIG, conducts case-specific forensic analyses, audits, and investigations to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse.

Over the past two years, the Acquisition Services Directorate – in partnership with our client – has supported the OIG in their efforts to effectively and efficiently investigate violations of Federal law related to the administration of their programs and awards.

Catastrophic Earthquake Planning

A few years ago, a Civilian agency client with Federal funds designated for a western state needed an acquisition office that could coordinate and award a contract focused on disaster planning and recovery. Our assistance in their Catastrophic Earthquake Planning became a multi-year effort that requires a newly tailored contract every year. This state now not only incorporates updated Congressional changes with a disaster template known as the Integrated Planning System, it adds it’s own requirements that include workshops for emergency and technical personnel, exercises to test the plan, and distribution of the approved plan to emergency organizations.

Substance Abuse Counseling

With one of our military program office clients, we partnered to deliver a critical Substance Abuse Contract which provides medical consultation to all service members and their families overseas. With assistance from the Acquisition Services Directorate, this Substance Abuse Contract provides approximately 80 licensed medical personnel who counsel service members and their dependents living in housing overseas. The contract contains both preventative and counseling components.

Management Services

Beginning in 2004, an administrative contract awarded by AQD focused on the delivery of management services for some sub-bureaus under and international development agency. This agency is responsible for implementing foreign economic and humanitarian advancement activities in less developed countries globally. Health programs served through this contract include Family Planning, Infectious Diseases, Reproductive Health and HIVAIDS.

IT Network Optimization & Hardware Support

Cisco is the world’s leading supplier of networking and network management equipment. Among the Cisco client base is a military service, which wanted to upgrade and standardize some of its CISCO hardware. The Acquisition Services Directorate was chosen by the military client to assist in their mission of standardizing and upgrading equipment via contracts that would provide streamlined acquisitions of networking equipment. The result of AQD’s efforts was cost savings, network optimization and standardized CISCO hardware support throughout the organization.

IT System for International Aid

Several Federal organizations collaboratively have the responsibility of managing food aid programs that provide agricultural commodities to countries and populations experiencing food shortages. The Acquisition Services Directorate was approached with a requirement to develop a unique web-based software program that was compatible with their existing systems and would eliminate errors and duplicate data entry. An Information System was developed to centralize and manage the complex food aid activities and interact with all strategic partners.

Feasibility and Research Studies

Following a directive from the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, one of our Federal clients asked the Acquisition Services Directorate to assist them with a contract for a feasibility and research report for insuring honeybees as livestock. Following simplified acquisition procedures, a small business set-aside was awarded. An insurance program in the honeybee industry will help beekeepers protect their investment in bees and honey crops.

Indirect Cost Rates

The main source of Federal support for libraries and museums within the United States is a grant-making Federal agency supporting museums and libraries of all types. The Acquisition Services Directorate helps negotiate indirect cost rates on behalf of this agency, which allows it to fulfill its primary role of providing leadership and resources for the nation’s museums and libraries.

Medical Research and Grants

An organization within the Armed Services issues grants and cooperative agreements for medical research that will help the war fighter. One such agreement is for the development of a revolutionary, cellular wound-healing technology. The purpose of this technology is to decrease tissue loss, obtain more rapid wound closure, decrease scarring, and prevent combat-related wounds from becoming chronic. The Acquisition Services Directorate was instrumental in issuing grants in support of this research, which has been so successful that there are plans for its continuation and expansion. The results will benefit not only the war fighter, but also the entire public community.

Program and Management Support

Federal programs provide grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping those in the community be successful in school. The Acquisition Services Directorate awarded contracts to establish and maintain Training and Technical Offices throughout the United States. These offices will provide grantees with high quality program and management support which, in turn, will promote school readiness through enhanced social and cognitive development of at-risk children.

Feasibility Analyses for Renewable Energy

One of our clients developed a Strategic Plan for its Northeastern Area, with a key objective being the sustainable use of forest resources to produce renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gases. The Forest Service asked the Acquisition Services Directorate to administer an award for independent, third party feasibility analyses to help local agencies, communities, and businesses evaluate – along with the scale, cost and benefits of current wood energy technologies - how our forest resources can meet their energy needs.

IT Network Management and Storage

One of our Civilian agency clients helps to support homeownership opportunities for rural Americans by promoting and expanding programs that offer guaranteed and direct home loans. Much of this support is offered through grants to local, non-profit organizations and community managed lending pools. When our client needed indirect cost agreements for grants supporting its Single Family Direct Loan Division, it relied upon the Acquisition Services Directorate to negotiate them.

Indirect Cost Agreements

A Civilian agency conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and other allergic diseases. Because they rely heavily on technology to conduct and communicate its scientific research, the program called upon the Acquisition Services Directorate for its expertise. AQD awarded a task order in support of its managed technologies that provide direct support to program staff at their desktops and in the laboratories. Contractor staff operate the networks and servers needed to manage, store and analyze technical information. They develop applications and Web pages that help the agency work more efficiently and facilitate the worldwide dissemination of scientific data.

Audit Services

An independent Federal agency located in the upper northwest manages and distributes Federal grant money for its home state. When faced with an Office of Management and Budget directive that also affected numerous Federal entities to have financial statements audited annually, this commissioned agency, with limited staff, asked the Acquisition Services Directorate for assistance in creating an audit service contract.

Technical Research and Innovative Solutions

Our client Program Office provides oversight of scientific and technological research and engineering for the military. Their mission is to ensure that innovative operational concepts and technical solutions are quickly transitioned to war fighters. Many of the breakthroughs are supported by contracts issued by the Acquisition Services Directorate, including lasers, information processing, electronics, visual imaging, night vision, global positioning, aviation, and other materials. These breakthroughs often leading to public benefits in the areas of information technology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, enhanced learning and training, adaptive manufacturing, health care systems, and environmental preservation.

Research and Development

A civilian agency’s science and technology division faced a dilemma. It needed a new facemask that would protect against chemical and biological agents, but could also be folded, carried in a pocket, and pulled out for rapid deployment. Working with the Acquisition Services Directorate, the client was able to focus on critical design elements, technical functionality, and time constraints of the task, while AQD handled the contract administration issues, at a considerable cost savings to the Federal Government. The mask proved so successful during testing that it is in production for distribution to agencies whose mission is to secure and protect assets.

Technical Assistance and Data Collection Support

An independent agency of the U.S. Government charged with administering Federal elections and establishing standards for State and local governments came to AQD for a timely and efficient solution when faced with managing the 2008 Election Day Survey. The Acquisition Services Directorate initiated competition, issued a contract for data collection, technical assistance, training, and overall management of an election-related database, and ultimately received a draft of Election Day Survey reports.

Research and Development

Service members deployed overseas face multiple challenges. Consequently, rigorous training is essential to ensure personal safety and mission success. A client enlisted the support of the Acquisition Services Directorate when devising mobile training. This new capability provides training scenarios intended to be as close to an in-theater experience as possible. Realistic sets and artwork, makeup, explosives, and role-playing by foreign nationals are all integral parts of this process. During exercises, soldiers wear a small computer device that records data on the trauma and stress they encounter. The data is then used to further improve training and equipment. AQD team members supported these efforts through extensive investment in the client mission and rapid acquisition turnaround.

Integrated System for Travel

Federal employees traveling on behalf of a major Federal agency now have an accessible managed travel program. This project began as a series of task orders for travel services and has evolved into an integrated system now available throughout all levels of the Department. AQD and the agency worked diligently to develop contracts capable of implementing a travel program to meet the Department’s overall goals while addressing the needs of specific agencies.