Notice ID: 12FPC424Q0202
Description of Requirement. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) requires outreach and education services throughout the state of South Carolina that target historically underserved farmers. The outreach efforts would focus on increasing awareness of NRCS programs and services through a series of conferences and educational workshops. Plan and produce Historically Underserved (HU) farmers and landowners conference in South Carolina for at least 100 producers from South Carolina and others from surrounding states. Conduct six two-day outreach education workshops in South Carolina. The outreach events will consist of classroom exchange of information on the first day, and the second day will be a technical assistance exercise on how to construct a high tunnel.
Scope:
Target audiences that are historically underserved and have no previous contact with NRCS.
Secure meeting facility, logistics, and equipment needed to conduct workshops and the conference.
Develop agenda, contact presenters, and arrange for the workshops and the conference.
Provide feedback by final report to NRCS regarding the meeting’s success.
Review and interpret census demographics.
- Review the Ag Census data to determine trends and the status of agriculture in South Carolina. Identify the counties with a larger number of minority farmers and identify the prominent agricultural products within those counties. Share findings with NRCS-SC staff to help determine workshop locations.
Review and selection of workshop locations
- Using census data and internal NRCS data, select the appropriate region and counties to hold the workshops. Internal data includes a review of past allocation of NRCS funding across the state, requests for service and complaints from minority farmers regarding service.
Local farmer and farm cooperatives meetings and consultation
- For the counties selected, identify and consult with leaders within the minority communities and more specifically, leaders within the minority farming communities. Attend community and farm co-op meetings to secure their support for the workshops and solicit their feedback on workshop content, structure, and location within the county.
Speaker identification, selection, invitation and coordination
- Identify, select and secure speakers for the workshops, both internal and exterior to USDA. In addition to NRCS, internal speakers may include Farm Service Agency, Rural Development, Risk Management Agency and SARE. External speakers may include private sector estate planning attorneys, local land trusts, cooperative extension, and farmer market operators.
Venue/facilities selection, coordination and management
- Identify, contact, visit and evaluate possible venues to host each county workshop. Contact and gain input from local NRCS county staff, local Chambers of Commerce, Visitor Bureaus and local farmers. Venues to consider may include churches, private banquet facilities, libraries, hotels, farmers markets, agricultural education facilities, county facilities, and restaurants. Selection criteria include factors such as room capacity, location within the county, ease of access, and availability/compatibility of audio-visual equipment. Once the venue has been selected, execute a contract with the facility manager. Prior to the event, conduct a pre-workshop site visit to ensure that room setup is as specified, including having the appropriate number of tables and chairs, signage, lighting, and that audio visual equipment performs properly …
The period of performance for this contract is two-years from the date of award.
This is a 100% set aside for Small Business, the applicable NAICS code is 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, which has a size standard of $24.5 million. Time and Materials – Not to Exceed $37,416.00
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