Instructions for Developing a SOW Using Work Elements
There are two parts to the development of a SOW:
- 1. Determining the content of the SOW in terms of work elements, deliverables, milestones, etc.
- 2. Entering the SOW into Pisces.
Starting in FY05, all SOWs were developed using work element format.
The following instructions outline how to develop the content of the SOW:
Step One - Choose the Work Element
Project work will be defined by describing each major task in the project by
choosing from a list of work elements. The work elements are standard project
tasks that describe all of the work the F&W program does. Examples of the
work elements are: Install Fence, Maintain Vegetation, Produce Hatchery Fish, etc.
The work elements have been compiled by project managers and are intended to
cover all work performed in the Fish and Wildlife program. If you are unable to
find a work element that fits, or are unsure which one to use, contact your
COTR or fishsupport@bpa.gov for
assistance.
All contract work must be described using work elements. Activities like report
writing, gathering metrics as part of biological reporting, and work that the
contractor performs to obtain environmental compliance should all be described
in the SOW using the appropriate work elements.
Some work elements are common to most SOWs. These include:
-
WE #165, Produce
Environmental Compliance Documentation.
This WE must be used whenever a SOW includes a work element that requires
environmental compliance (EC), except when the BPA project manager can confirm
that all EC-related activities are already covered by previous documentation.
When in doubt, use this WE to describe any work done by the contractor to
obtain environmental compliance. Even when this WE is used, each EC-related WE
should also have a milestone that EC documentation has been or will be
completed before on-the-ground work can begin.
- WE
#119, Manage and Administer Projects.
This WE covers activities like submitting documents for new contract or
contract renewal, preparing and submitting accrual estimates, and general contract
management duties.
- WE
#132, Produce Progress (Annual) Report.
The annual report provides the clearest and most accessible documentation that the
contract successfully accomplished its WE objectives/deliverables or reasons why it did not.
Milestones should reflect all of the review activities between 1st draft and
upload to the BPA website that will occur in the current contract period. If
the first draft of the annual report is due after the contract period ends, do
not include it as a deliverable in the current contract period. Rather, you may
have to include the draft annual report for the previous contract period, and
perhaps milestones leading up to the annual report for the current contract
period.
- WE #185,
Produce Pisces Status Report.
This WE should be included in all SOWs with very few exceptions. The contractor need not
enter milestones or deliverables for this WE. Once "Produce Pisces Status Report"
has been added to the SOW, Pisces -- with the input of the BPA COTR -- will
automatically create milestones for either monthly or quarterly status
reporting. Monthly/Quarterly reports are due 7 and 15 days after the end of the
month, respectively (5 Jan, 5 Feb for monthly reports; or 15 Jan, 15 Apr for
quarterly reports).
Other Work Elements: Conventions and Special Conditions
- WE #158, Mark/Tag Animals (PIT Tags).
Projects requiring PIT tags should include this work element, or if too few fish
are being tagged to warrant this work element, PIT tag milestones can be included
under WE #157, Collect/Generate/Validate
Field and Lab Data.
- Training: If training applies exclusively/primarily to the activities of one WE, include the
training as a milestone under that WE. If the training applies generally to multiple WEs, use a
milestone under WE # 119, Manage
and Administer Projects.
- General maintenance (facilities, vehicles): Use the same approach as for training: if maintenance
applies exclusively/primarily to the activities of one WE, include the
maintenance as a milestone under that WE. If the maintenance activities apply
generally to multiple WEs, use a milestone under
WE # 119, Manage and Administer Projects.
One exception: for hatchery maintenance, use
WE #61, Maintain Hatchery.
One of the major challenges in choosing a work element is dealing with "lumping
versus splitting" issues: how much work can be included in a single work
element. In some cases, BPA requires portions of work to be split out into
separate work elements to assist with project management or reporting needs.
For a detailed guide on how to approach lumping and splitting see
Lumping vs. Splitting work elements (PDF).
All contract work must be described using work elements. This includes:
- Contractor work to write reports
- Contractor work to and gather metrics as part of biological reporting
- Work that the contractor performs to obtain environmental compliance
Step Two - Name the Project Action
Because a project may conduct a number of the same activities, it is important
to name each in the work element line in Pisces. For example, a project that
installs two fish screens may use names such as "Southern Diversion Screen" and
"Eastern Diversion Screen" to distinguish between the two.
- Choose a name that will make sense when viewing the SOW.
- Consider including the objective in the name, if desired.
Step Three - Capture the Details
In Pisces, each work element line item has a description field where you can
capture details about the work. This section is the place to document
everything from descriptive location information to prescribed scientific
approaches. This area can accommodate a large amount of text and can be used
just like SOWs that were constructed in text documents.
Besides the work element description field, there is another opportunity to
document information about the work element in the milestone section. However,
any significant information must be in the work element description, and can be
in two places, if necessary.
The work element pages have
examples of information that might be part of the description and milestone fields.
Step Four - Define the Deliverables
In Pisces, each work element line item has a deliverable field where you can
capture specific information about what the work element is to produce.
In some cases, information in the deliverable section may overlap with
information in the description field.
- NOTE: No work element can have more than one deliverable.
Step Five - Establish Milestones
Milestones are important steps or events associated with a work element and
deliverable.
- All milestones must have both start and end dates. The only exception is the
"Deliverable" milestone, which has an end date only.
- All milestone dates are within the contract period.
- Milestone dates should be consistent with the work described and with each other.
For most work elements, the Deliverable milestone is automatically inserted by Pisces and cannot
be deleted. Use it to specify dates and specifications for completion of deliverables.
Before you submit your SOW, make sure to "validate" by running the SOW Validation report in
Pisces. Pisces uses this checklist to
verify that your SOW meets BPA requirements; you may want to have this checklist handy as you prepare your SOW.
Questions? Your COTR (Contracting Officer's Technical Representative) is available to
offer guidance about content, structure, and level of detail. If you encounter any technical
difficulties in Pisces, or would like help understanding and using the application, please
contact fishsupport@bpa.gov during business hours, and our knowledgeable and friendly Pisces expert will assist you.
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