Plasma Physicists reflect our society incorporating multiple and intersecting identities both visible and invisible. We recognize that established institutional practices, tropes, and policies have caused and propagated harm to marginalized members and potential members of our honored division. APS DPP is working to evolve from the current code of conduct for meetings to a Human Relations Code (HRC) & Bias Incident Policy (BIP) to cover members at all times. The APS DPP Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Organizing Collective Committee (OCC) is championing the effort. A collective of individuals, members of the DPP community and the OCC, are tasked with building this infrastructure we affectionately deem, the HB Crew.

Our Framework

A small, vibrant organization, DPP has struggled to recognize and close historically marginalized and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) disparities. Our systemic approach, employing the Healthy to Innovative (HTI) Framework [1], is the foundation for three major strategic action areas:

• Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Toolkit - immediate member actions to reduce Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) disparities [1,3].
• Diamond Model Implementation - subject matter experts (SMEs) create a “DEI Strategic Action Plan” to implement at the most marginalized, policy-makers, and decision-makers table [1].
• Queryable Equity Database (QED)  -  disparity measurement of EBP/Diamond Model impacts.

This call for proposals is focused on the “Evidence-Based Practices” action area, specifically supporting our Human Relations Code/Bias Incident Policy construction. We need Conflict Mediation and Restorative Justice consultants to facilitate our grounding in Restorative Justice ideology and methodology so we can devise an HRC/BIP with Restorative Justice as the mechanism and Conflict Mediation as the scaffolding. We are looking for proposals for an introduction workshop, 3-4 consultation Q&A sessions, and a final product review to provide “light” verbal and written general commentary on the HRC/BIP documents. We would like you and/or your team to submit a proposed statement of work (SOW) covering the following information:

Project Requirements

In January this year, we began working on collecting information on HRC & BIP resources that are based on Racial Equity Tools, Conflict Mediation, and Restorative Justice Practices, framed heavily on the Restorative Justice Project’s Diversion Toolkit for Communities. To best facilitate the development of our DPP HRC/BIP process, we must continue to center on racialized and historically marginalized voices on the team. Similarly, we issue this call for proposals for a Conflict Mediation and Restorative Justice Expert or Team of Experts to join us as a subject matter expert (SME) consultant in our effort to build these critical tools for our community.

There are three main lines of effort the Consultants must include in their SOW for our HB-Team of ~15 people over 5 to 6 group interactions: 

• Initial 1-2 hr workshop on Conflict Mediation and Restorative Justice 
• 3 to 4 mini-sessions (aprox. 45 mins each) to help guide us through the framework, answer questions, and provide lived-in experience
• Review the final product in a 1-2 hr session (1 hr each if separate SMEs) and also provide “light” written general commentary on the document

Proposed SOW are capped at $15,000 for all three lines of effort in total over the 5-month period of performance (January-May) to be considered. Individual community-oriented subject matter expert consultants/trainers (or a single organization) are desired. BIPOC consultants and consultants from historically marginalized groups are highly sought. Please be sure to submit relevant Conflict Mediation and Restorative Justice training and consultation experience, especially within the STEM and academic fields.
 

Line of Effort Specifics 

• Work with members of the HB-Team Organizers to prepare an initial 1-2 hr workshop on Conflict mediation and Restorative Justice with a concise list of Shared Learning Outcomes (SLO)
• Conduct the 1-2 hour workshop 
• Provide a short (combined 1-2 page) pre and post-evaluation summary of session effectiveness and improvements based on SLOs co-developed with the HB-Team Organizers

Estimated billable hours will include time for: 

• Preparing for workshop and creating slide deck containing material covered during workshop and resources for HB-Team 
• Preparing the short (combined 1-2 page) pre and post-evaluation summary - one summary for both pre and post-combined. 
•  

• Work with the HB-Team to help guide members through the framework
• Provide targeted action items for HB-Team to work on between sessions  

Estimated billable hours will include time for: 

• Preparing by addressing up to 5 questions provided by the HB-Team ahead of each mini-session to ensure focus during each mini-session   
• Facilitating discussion during the sessions that foster engagement from HB-Team 
• Providing short verbal pre and post-session feedback.

• Review the final product in a 1-2 hour session 

Estimated billable hours will include time for: 

• Provide “light” written general commentary on the document 

Please provide a proposed invoice that accounts for these and any additional billable hours for deliverables with a brief (1-3 sentence) description. Please keep in mind that we are a volunteer organization that is committed to wage justice. Consequently, we have attempted to streamline the requirements to limit labor/time to keep costs at a modest level. We are open to proposals that find ways to reduce billable hours without reducing expert effectiveness

Below are excerpts of our current Community Agreements and APS DPP Code of Conduct:

Next Step Deliverables 

Interested parties should submit a proposed SOW that meets all the required information to include accounting for billable hours for deliverables with a brief (1-3 sentence) description for each by 4:00 pm ET on December 02, 2022, on this webpage via the link below.



Submit a Statement of work Here!

• Selected proposal(s) will be notified by December 09, 2022

• The Period of Performance will begin on January 03, 2023, and end on May 31, 2023

Questions regarding the call itself or the requested work can be directed to  rwjames@me.com, c/o Dr. Royce W. James.

References:

1. Young-McLear, K., & Zelmanowitz, S., & James, R. W., & Brunswick, D., & DeNucci, T. W. (2021), Beyond Buzzwords and Bystanders: A Framework for Systematically Developing a Diverse, Mission Ready, and Innovative Coast Guard Workforce,   https://strategy.asee.org/36070
2. Amy Edmondson & Josephine Mogelof (2006), Explaining psychological safety in innovation teams: Organizational culture, team dynamics, or personality?, in Creativity and Innovation in Organizational Teams, edited by Leigh Thompson and Hoon Seok Choi
3. THE TIME IS NOW: Systemic Changes to Increase African Americans with Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics and Astronomy (TEAM-UP report, 2020)
4. Center for Urban Education Racial Equity Tools, https://www.cue-tools.usc.edu/
5. Restorative Justice Project’s Diversion Toolkit for Communities Toolkit, https://rjdtoolkit.impactjustice.org/

APS DPP DEI Organizing Collective Committee