**Statement of Work**

**Heritage Data Access and Technical Support Contract**

**Estimated Period of Performance:** From Contract Date of Issuance
through September 30, 2013.

**I Background Information**

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is "to safeguard
the natural environment - air, water, and land - upon which life
depends", and to lead "National efforts to reduce environmental risk(s)
based on the best available scientific information".

In an effort to support EPA's overall mission, and specifically the
threatened and endangered species and critical habitat requirements,
Office of Environmental Information (OEI) is proposing a contractual
vehicle to provide access to the best available datasets on the
locations of species of concern occurring in the U.S. and to make
available subject-area consultation and associated web and technical
support services.

There is a need to develop easy and flexible access to readily
available, authoritative and consistent threatened and endangered
species and critical habitat data and their geographic locations at the
national, regional, local and precise levels to support programmatic and
policy decisions that impact biodiversity preservation and environment
protection. The authoritative source for this data is the Natural
Heritage Programs (NHPs).

The individual Natural Heritage Programs (NHPs) currently operate in all
50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Mexico and the Canadian
provinces. These NHPs collect and manage threatened and endangered
species and critical habitat information including specific locations of
populations of plants, animals and natural communities for their state,
commonwealth, territory or province.

On a state-by-state basis, the individual heritage program offices have
responded to threatened and endangered species and critical habitat data
requests pertaining to land use planning, environmental regulation and
resource management activities.

The contractor would be required to work in partnership with the Natural
Heritage Programs to provide access to precise, local, regional and
national data on threatened and endangered species and critical habitat
information.

**II Purpose**

1\. To provide USEPA with access to precise data on threatened and
endangered species, critical habitat and other related datasets. The
data will be used for Agency's planning, policy and on-site activities
(i.e., emergency response, remedial activities, pesticides registration)
leading to the minimization of the impact on those species and habitat.
The data must be provided at varying levels of resolution. The result of
the contract vehicle is to develop a "one-stop shopping" process for
high quality, standardized biodiversity data at precise, local, regional
and national levels.

2\. To support the Agency's policy and programmatic activities by
providing expertise on threatened and endangered species and critical
habitat information through consultation, training and species-related
technical and web-based services.

**III Tasks**

**Task 1 - Project Management and Task Administration**

Work under this contract will be performed through the issuance of work
assignments. The contractor will receive an individual task order from
the Task Order Contract Officer Representative (COR) and develop work
plans to address those requirements including schedule, cost and product
outcomes information.

> **Deliverable 1.1**
>
> Provide a Work Plan describing the contractor's approach, assumptions,
> costs, schedule and product outcomes from the threatened and
> endangered species and critical habitat data access, consultation,
> technical assistance and outreach tasks. Key issues and/or problems
> should be described. The Work Plan will be accepted when it meets the
> requirements specified in the SOW and approved by the Task Order COR.
> This acceptance will be based on the contractor\'s approach,
> assumptions, estimated project schedule, cost and product outcomes for
> the work ordered.
>
> **Deliverable 1.2**
>
> Provide quarterly status reports to describe the project
> results/product outcomes from the species data access, consultation,
> technical assistance and outreach tasks. Key issues and/or problems
> should also be described (approximate length: 1-2 pages).

**Task 2 - Species Dataset and Access (License)**

**Subtask 2.1** - Provide **National Dataset(s)** of threatened and
endangered species and critical habitat information composed of precise,
local, state, regional and national levels. This dataset(s) to originate
or be derived from NHPs' data and datasets should be at a geographic
scale to depict the best available and most precise (exact) geographic
location.

Provide a data access license (established annually) which would allow
controlled access for EPA (the maximum number of 300 EPA staff and
contractors) to have access and use of the data.

> **Deliverable 2.1**
>
> **National Dataset(s)** of Species data at USGS 7.5' topographic
>
> quadrangle or finer scale delivered in a data format and/or
> methodology to be
>
> determined. Possible formats are either Access or Excel files with
> shape files, extensible markup language (XML) or geographic markup
> language (GML) formatted data files, etc. and delivered by either
> downloading via web services (e.g., web feature services or image
> services) or CDs, DVDs, etc.

**Subtask 2.2** - Provide custom datasets. Examples of custom datasets
are

datasets of a specific area (by State, county, watershed, federal land
units,

hexagon, ecoregion, etc.) or a pre-defined list of threatened and
endangered species and critical habitat within a particular geographic
area; and risk assessment on species

datasets.

> **Deliverable 2.2**
>
> Custom datasets at USGS 7.5' topographic quadrangle or finer scale
> delivered in a data format and/or methodology to be determined.
> Possible formats are either Access or Excel files with shape files;
> extensible markup language (XML) or geographic markup language (GML)
> formatted data files, etc. and delivered by either downloading via web
> services (e.g., web feature services or image services) or CDs, DVDs,
> etc.

**Subtask 2.3** - Provide threatened and endangered species and critical
habitat

summary datasets (by state, county, watershed, federal land units,
hexagon, or

ecoregion, etc.).

> **Deliverable 2.3**

Summary datasets of threatened and endangered species and critical
habitat

> at USGS 7.5' topographic quadrangle or finer scale delivered in a data
> format and/or methodology to be determined. Possible formats are
> either Access or Excel files with shape files, XML formatted data
> files, etc. The information to be provided by either downloading via
> web services (e.g., web feature services, image services) or CDs,
> DVDs, etc.

**Subtask 2.4** - Provide access to remote sensory imagery and datasets
pertaining to threatened and endangered species and critical habitat
data.

> **Deliverable 2.4**
>
> Remotely sensed imagery and datasets at USGS 7.5' topographic
>
> quadrangle or finer scale delivered in a data format and/or
> methodology to be
>
> determined. Possible formats are either Access or Excel files with GIS
> shape files, XML formatted data files, etc. and delivered by either
> downloading via web services (e.g., web feature services, image
> services) or CDs, DVDs, etc.

**Task 3 - Consultation Services**

**Subtask 3.1** - Conduct analysis and provide studies to identify
locate and describe areas of threatened and endangered species and
critical habitat and may include but not limited to: diversity, invasive
species, ecosystems, biodiversity locations and species distribution and
abundance. The consultation will use NHPs' data and technical and
scientific expertise.

The consulting services are included but not limited to the following:

> 1 - Identify current status and confirm threatened and endangered
> species and
>
> critical habitat locations

2 - Provide assessments, current and potential trends, threats and
stresses and data

analysis

> 3 - Conduct threatened and endangered species and critical habitat and
> land use
>
> studies

4 - Research, identify and acquire remote sensing data and imagery for

example: vegetation, ecological sensitive mapping

> 5 - Provide ground and on-site technical threatened and endangered
> species and critical habitat expertise

6 - Evaluate environmental-relating regulatory and remediation work

> plans, proposals, etc. to identify impacts and risks on threatened and
> endangered species and critical habitat
>
> 7 - Evaluate pesticide use in relation to threatened and endangered
> species and
>
> critical habitat locations

**Deliverable 3.1**

> Provide reports and studies to identify, locate and describe areas of
> threatened and endangered species and critical habitat and may include
> but not limited to: diversity, invasive species, ecosystems,
> biodiversity locations, species distribution and species abundance.
> The reports will utilize NHPs' data, technical and scientific
> expertise together with the contractor's resources.
>
> Examples of consultation services and reports, include, but are not
> limited to the following:
>
> 1 - **Trends assessment reports** - Status reports to describe the
> number and condition of population size, extent, and long- and
> short-term trends.
>
> 2 - **Threats assessment reports** - Reports to show data pertaining
> to the severity, scope, and immediacy of specific threats to
> threatened and endangered species and critical habitat.

**Task 4 - Species Database and Application Technical Services**

**Subtask 4.1** - Provide technical support service; develop threatened
and endangered species and critical habitat database tools and
applications. These technical services are included but not limited to
the following:

1 - Provide species database administration and management

2 - Host repository(ies) of species data and datasets

3 - Develop Geospatial-relating species and mapping tools and
applications

4 - Develop new and enhanced existing remote sensing analysis tools

5 - Develop decision-making species-relating analysis tools

> 6 - Develop metadata records, procedures and standards

**Deliverable 4.1**

> Provide technical services (i.e., geospatial databases, metadata
> development, etc.) to identify, locate and describe areas of: species
> diversity, invasive species, ecosystems, biodiversity, habitat
> locations and species distribution and abundance. These services and
> products should use NHPs' data, technical and scientific expertise
> together with the contractor's resources.

**Subtask 4.2** - Provide web tools and application services. The
contractor should provide the species data systems, software,
information tools and services needed to aggregate, analyze, and deliver
reliable biodiversity products and services. The web tools, application
services and products are not limited to the following:

> 1 - Build and administer (host) ecological and species websites

2 - Develop security methodologies, schemas, etc. species data

> 3 - Develop Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based software
>
> applications and data exchange for species data management using XML
>
> or GML based service protocols

4 - Provide GIS interoperability application support

5 - Provide geospatial and species data visualization tools

6 - Provide species data and geospatial locational tool

7 - Design XML or GML scheme and web security processes

8 - Recommend standards for ecologic and species data

9 - Develop models on species data and locations

**Deliverable 4.2**

> Provide web tools and application services to identify, locate and
> describe areas of threatened and endangered species and critical
> habitat and may include but not limited to: diversity, invasive
> species, ecosystems, biodiversity locations, distribution and
> abundance. These services and products should use NHPs' data,
> technical and scientific expertise together with the contractor's
> resources.

**Task 5 - Additional Support Services**

**Subtask 5.1 - Outreach** - Support the development and planning of
communication and outreach activities within and outside of the Agency.
The contractor should conduct presentations and workshops describing the
threatened and endangered species and critical habitat data and
associated technical services. These services to include liaison and
data broker services with the national, state and local conservation,
non profit and government organizations.

**Deliverable 5.1.1**

> Provide a strategic plan to describe the contractor's approach,
> assumptions, costs, schedules and project outcomes. Key issues and/or
> problems should be described.

**Deliverable 5.1.2**

> The contractor should conduct presentations and workshops describing
> the threatened and endangered species and critical habitat data and
> associated technical species services. Number and topics to be
> determined.

**Subtask 5.2** - **Communication** - The contractor to provide
telephone and email communication services relating to threatened and
endangered species and critical habitat data and associated technical
and web products and services. Inquiries will be responded to within two
(2) hours during normal business hours. During national emergencies,
support services will be modified after discussion between EPA and the
contractor. The three kinds of services are as follows:

> 1 - Responding to On-call Emergency Response /Remediation activities
>
> having threatened and endangered species and critical habitat data and
> datasets
>
> queries
>
> 2 - Responding to general threatened and endangered species and
> critical habitat
>
> software, data and technical assistance support
>
> 3 - Responding to simple threatened and endangered species and
> critical habitat location requests with a "yes or no" answer to a
> large or small geographic location

**Deliverable 5.2.1**

> Provide a development plan for support services to provide telephone
> and email communication services relating to threatened and endangered
> species and critical habitat data, associated technical and web
> products.

**Subtask 5.3 - Training** - The contractor to provide plans and
execution of training relating to threatened and endangered species and
critical habitat data and associated technical products. Number and
topics to be determined. The training activities and products are
included but not limited to the following:

> 1 - Threatened and endangered species and critical habitat data
> modeling

2 - Ecologic monitoring

3 - Threatened and endangered species and critical habitat policy
analysis

4 - Impact analysis

5 - Field studies

6 - Trends assessment studies

7 - Threats assessment reports

**Deliverable 5.3.1**

> Provide the development plan to conduct and staff training services.
> The training support services should cover topics of threatened and
> endangered species and critical habitat data, associated technical
> services and web products. Number and topics to be determined.