SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- A study to focus on competition in the railroad industry to review and analyze various proposals that might enhance competition
- Notice Date
- 8/13/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary of Tranportation (OST) Procurement Operations, OST Acquisition Services Division, 1200 New Jersey Ave, Washington, DC, 20590, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- DTOS59-07-R-00020
- Response Due
- 8/28/2007
- Archive Date
- 9/12/2007
- Point of Contact
- Clementine Caudle-Wright, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-366-4968, Fax 202-366-9848,
- E-Mail Address
-
clementine.caudle-wright@dot.gov
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is issued as a request for proposal (RFP). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-17. The purpose of this combined synopsis/solicitation is to acquire an independent study of railroads to respond to a GAO report and to implement GAOs recommendation. The STB intends to retain a contractor that will provide a team of qualified analysts to assess competition in the U.S. railroad industry. The Government will be available to provide, upon request, technical assistance to the Contractor, but the Contractor will be expected to fully staff and manage the project. A Fixed Price contract is contemplated for this requirement. SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECS/WORK STATEMENT - Report to the U.S. STB on Competition and Related Issues in the U.S. Freight Railroad Industry C.1.0 Introduction - In October 2006, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its latest report on the U.S. railroad industry. GAO found that the industry health has improved, but it expressed concerns over competition and captivity in the railroad industry. GAO recommended that the Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) conduct a rigorous analysis of the state of competition in the U.S. railroad industry and consider actions to address problems associated with potential abuses of market power. In this statement of work the STB seeks to implement GAOs recommendation. The study will focus on competition in the railroad industry and will review and analyze various proposals that might enhance competition. As part of the analysis, the study will explore the interaction between capacity and competition in the railroad industry. The study also will examine the railroad industrys privately owned capital infrastructure expenditures relative to its overall earnings and how such expenditures compare with such outlays in other capital intensive industries. NOTE: The Contractor is to compare the capital requirements of the railroad industry with other industries. Collection of this information should be considered background information needed to put the railroad industry structure, conduct, and performance into a proper perspective. The STB is soliciting proposals for an independent and quality technical analysis from a team of highly skilled researchers. While STB staff will be available to provide technical assistance as specified herein, the STB and its staff will not otherwise be involved in conducting the study or in the formulation of the conclusions and/or recommendations of the report. The STB will make available its Carload Waybill Sample (a very rich data source which we have collected for more than 20 years). The Board also collects and will provide (as needed) detailed operating and financial statistics on the Class I carriers. More broadly, the contractor can rely on the expertise of STB staff for general background information and to assist the contractor to the best of their ability, provided that such assistance does not compromise the independence of the final report. C.2.0 Background In the years following the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, the U.S. railroad industry vastly improved its productivity, profitability, and performance. Rail transportation rates, in both real and nominal terms, declined steadily while freight volumes steadily increased. In the last few years, however, capacity constraints have emerged in key corridors and rates have in some cases increased sharply. The Government believes that changes in railroad rates should reflect the operations of a competitive marketplace and not an abuse of market power. The STB believes that capacity and competition are inherently linked and is concerned that the railroads may not be capable of generating the capital resources to provide sufficient capacity to adequately serve the public based on widely available forecasts. This concern led us to initiate Ex Parte 671, Rail Capacity and Infrastructure Requirements. The record developed in that proceeding has strengthened our belief that there is a direct link between railroad capacity and service levels. A goal of this study is to examine the relationship between known capacity requirements and the railroads ability to meet those needs. C.3.0 Scope The STB intends to retain a contractor that will provide a team of qualified analysts to assess competition in the U.S. railroad industry. The Government will be available to provide, upon request, technical assistance to the Contractor, but the Contractor will be expected to fully staff and manage the project. C.4.0 Technical Requirements The Contracting Officer (CO) will issue the contract for the required report. The designated Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will provide technical assistance as needed. The Contractor is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. The role of the government is quality assurance to ensure contract standards are achieved. In this contract the quality control program is the driver for product quality. The contractor is required to develop a comprehensive program of inspections and monitoring actions. The first major step to ensuring a self-correcting contract is to ensure that the quality control program approved at the beginning of the contract provides the measures needed to lead the contractor to success. Once the quality control program is approved, careful application of the process and standards presented in the remainder of this document will ensure a robust quality assurance program. C.4.1 Tasks The Contractor shall perform the following: 4.1.1 Task 1 - Orientation and Kickoff Meeting The purpose of this task is to provide the Contractor team with an adequate knowledge and understanding of the study goals and the regulatory system administered by the Government. 4.1.1.1. Kick-off Meeting - The project will be initiated with a one-day kick-off meeting to be held in Washington, DC at a location to be provided at time of award. The Contractor project manager (PM) and necessary technical experts will attend this meeting. The Government will assist the Contractor in identifying the key sources of data on the railroad industry and review the findings reported in the GAO study. The Government will provide the Contractor with an overview of the statutory obligations and, in particular, the Government need to balance the competing interests delineated in the National Railroad Transportation Policy (49 U.S.C. 10101). The Contractor will provide an overview of its company Quality Control Program for this type of work. 4.1.2 Task 2 - Qualitative Research The purpose of this task is to conduct in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with shippers, railroad managers, academic experts, consultants, financial analysts, and key Government staff. In particular, attention is to be focused on the importance of competition, capacity, and regulatory policy as drivers of the industry's performance. In conducting these interviews, the Contractor shall include in its inquiries topics not limited to: (1) competition in the U.S. railroad industry both nationally and in selected geographic markets to be identified; (2) competition for grain, coal, chemical, general merchandise (boxcar) and intermodal movements; and (3) the effects of competition and capacity availability on service quality. NOTE: Geographic markets have not been selected. The Government will work with the vendor to identify representative markets for analysis. 4.1.3 Task 3 - Develop a Methodology to Verify Results Obtained in Task 2 Armed with the results obtained from Task 2, the Contractor will develop an appropriate analytical methodology to verify the results of its qualitative research. This methodology must employ techniques from industrial organization and econometrics best suited to verifying the information obtained in Task 2. The Contractor will report the details of its proposed methodological approach to the STB prior to proceeding with the verification process. The Contractor should highlight how the proposed approach is similar to or different from previous studies of competition in the U.S. railroad industry. The Contractor will explain why the methodological approach it has chosen will provide new insight into the state of railroad competition. Before the Contractor commences work on Tasks 4 and 5, the Government will provide appropriate technical comments on the methodological approach proposed by the Contractor. 4.1.4 Task 4 - Analyze Competition in the Railroad Industry Incorporating the information obtained in Task 2, and relying on the methodology chosen in Task 3, the Contractor will collect and analyze the data needed to complete the competition assessment. Should the Contractor require specific information from the railroads that is not publicly available, the Government will assist the Contractor in collecting that data pursuant to its statutory authority at 49 U.S.C. 721 (b). 4.1.5 Task 5 - Analyze Capacity and Service Quality in the Railroad Industry The Contractor will examine how competition and capacity constraints influence the quality of service provided by rail carriers. 4.1.6 Task 6 - Analyze Range of Policy Actions The Contractor will evaluate how the policy reforms suggested by GAO would affect the future financial health and stability of U.S. railroads and whether such proposals would stimulate or discourage private investments in the railroad industry. 4.1.6 Task 7 - Prepare a Final Report The Contractor will prepare its final report by November 1, 2008. The contractor will be responsible for printing the report and producing an electronic/CD-Rom/disc production of the final report. The report shall be consistent with the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual, located on-line at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/browse.html. C.4.2 Staffing The value of the services to be provided to STB by the Contractor will depend heavily on the qualifications and experience of the Project Manager (PM) as well as the qualifications of the members of the PM team of experts. To avoid and preclude any appearance of a conflict of interest, the PM nor the Key Personnel (as defined at 4.2.2) will be subject to a conflicts screening. The PM and Key Personnel must demonstrate that do not have an interest that would bias the results of the study. 4.2.1 Project Manager The PM should possess the skills and experience needed to manage interdisciplinary teams of the type required for projects of this magnitude and complexity. The PM should also have substantial experience in the preparation of competition assessments. 4.2.2 Key Personnel Key personnel are considered essential to the successful performance of this contract. The Contractor shall obtain and maintain current resumes of those identified for each position or function listed below that will be assigned for this project. Project Manager, Senior Qualitative/Marketing Researcher, Senior Economist, Senior Econometrician/Statistician The identified key personnel shall not be reassigned or removed without the written consent of the Contracting Officer unless the identified key personnel become unavailable. At such time, the contractor shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer, in writing, within the first day of the unavailability and provide a written justification (including proposed substitutions) in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on the performance and quality of the contract. All proposed replacement personnel shall submit to the Contracting Officer a current resume to support that the replacement is comparable to the personnel being replaced. The Government may amend the key personnel list. 4.2.3 Other Personnel The Contractor shall hire only competent personnel to be used in the performance of this contract. By competent, the STB means individuals with the skills, education, and experience needed to complete this report. C.4.3 Travel with the $35,000 ceiling amount is envisioned to support Task 1 and Task 2. It is not limited to those categories and could conceivably support the later tasks as well by approving travel requests that support the vendor's ability to complete the research and report. It is expected that much of the qualitative research can be done in Washington, D.C., where many of the key stakeholders have a presence or can be expected to visit on a regular basis. It is also possible that portions of the qualitative research can be done through phone interviews, surveys, etc., which may also minimize travel time. - END OF WORK STATEMENT QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM (QCP) The Contractor shall establish and maintain a complete Quality Control Program to assure that the requirements of the contract are met as specified. One copy of the Contractor's proposed initial Quality Control Plan shall be provided at the Kickoff meeting as stated in Section C. The Contractor may be required to submit additional plans, as mutually agreed to by both parties. The Government will review each plan to insure the successful completion of the project. The Government must approve each plan within 15 calendar days after receipt. The QCP shall include, but not be limited to: 1. An inspection system covering the scanning and indexing services as stated in the contract. A checklist shall be used in inspecting contract performance during regularly scheduled or unscheduled inspections. 2. The name(s) of the individual(s) who will perform the inspection. 3. A system for identifying and correcting deficiencies in the quality of services before the level of performance becomes unacceptable and/or the Government inspectors point out the deficiencies. 4. A file of all inspections conducted by the Contractor and any corrective actions taken. This documentation shall be made available to the Government during the term of the contract. The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial, applies to this acquisition. Additional instructions are Each proposal is presumed to represent the submitter's best efforts in responding to the Request for Proposal (RFP). Proposals are due on August 28, 2007 by 12:00 noon. The offeror shall transmit a softcopy of their Technical and Cost proposals via electronic mail to Clementine.caudle-wr@dot.gov by 12:00 noon August 28, 2007. The electronic softcopy submission must be 100% complete. Partial electronic deliveries will not be accepted. Each file must be saved as either an Adobe Acrobat PDF File, or Word format. Resolving difficulties in transmitting the softcopy of the complete proposals are not the responsibility of the Government. All proposals and associated materials submitted with the proposals become the property of the Federal Government unless specified. Offerors should be succinct and to the point with their responses and limit the size of their Technical Approach response to no more than 20 double-sided pages; that is to say, 20 pieces of paper or 20 sheets of paper with information on both sides. The 20 double-sided pages/sheet of paper of the technical proposal DO NOT include, specifically the quality assurance plan, past performance information, resumes, or subcontracting plans. All main text responses must be in 12-point, Times Roman or Courier font. Paragraph and section headings, labels, captions, headers, footers, etc. may use larger or smaller fonts as appropriate. Diagrams, charts, tables, pictures and other effects are welcome, and even preferred in some cases, if they appropriately provide necessary information to respond to the solicitation and can be accommodated within the page limit. For HARD COPY submission: NO singled-sided technical proposals are acceptable, each offeror must submit five (5) complete and bound sets of their proposal, including the technical and cost proposal, must be on standard 8-1/2 X 11 inches, 20 or 24 lb paper. CAUTION: The Technical Approach shall not exceed 20 double-sided sheets of 8.5"X11" paper. The pages that are and are not subjected to the page limitation. Offerors must include the necessary information to evaluate the proposal, but are not to include privacy information (e.g. Social Security Number, Home Address, Home and Cell Phone numbers, etc.), on any proposed staff member. All privacy data must be removed from all submitted resumes. All questions shall be sent via electronic mail to Clementine.caudle-wr@dot.gov and no later than 12 noon, Thursday, August 16, 2007. Responses to the questions will be provided through Amendment to the RFP and posted on FOB by COB on Friday, August 17, 2007. There is no guarantee that late questions will be addressed. The Offeror proposal shall be subject to the following: (a) Proposal shall include DOT request for proposal (RFP) #: DTOS59-07-R-00020 as a subject (b) Proposals must be valid for 30 calendar days after submission. (c) Failure to comply with the above instructions may result in proposal being determined as non-responsive. CAUTION: Because of increased security in federal buildings, please contact the Contracting Officer at (202) 366-4968 or (202) 366-4964, at minimum one day before arrival at the federal building so that the Contracting Officer may position herself to receive the proposal. FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation Commercial Items in addition to the addendum, the evaluation procedures include the following Technical Evaluation Criteria: Factor 1: Technical Approach to the Performance Work Statement Contractor must demonstrate that it is qualified by demonstrating its corporate capabilities and emphasizing experience relevant to the work statement must provide a staffing plan for personnel, must provide a planned approach to the performance work statement, and must provide a comprehensive quality assurance plan detailing the techniques it will employ in its qualitative, quantitative and report-writing phases. Factor 2: Key Personnel preference will be given to firms that offer personnel with sufficient economic experience and with experience in preparing similarly complex reports. Contractor must identify key individuals by name and position, submit a resume for each key individual that identifies successful past performance of similar work performed. Factor 3: Past Performance will include three past performance references to support company past performance activities of work similar to that which is described in this work state. Past performance of the company is in addition to Factor 2 at number 3. Key Personnel must also identify their work experience on similar projects. The Project Manager (PM) shall have at least three (3) years of project management expertise in the transportation industry on at least three projects similar in scope to the project requirements outlined in the scope of work for this fixed price contract. BASIS FOR AWARD The Government will award one fixed price task order as a result of this Request for Proposal. The award will be made to the responsive and responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the most advantageous to the Government considering price and responsiveness to Section C-Performance Work Statement. The award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is the most advantageous to the Government considering price and responsiveness to the performance work statement. The Government reserves the right to make award without discussions. The Government also reserves the right not to make any award as a result of this solicitation. Offerors are instructed to include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items, with its offer. The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and a statement regarding any addenda to the clause. The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items (June 2007), applies to this acquisition and identifies the following applicable FAR clauses cited in the clause (a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items: (1) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553); (2) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Pub. L. 108-77, 108-78). (b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items: 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 255(f), 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)); 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer?Central Contractor Registration (Oct 2003) (31 U.S.C. 3332); 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a); 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, as Amended (July 2005) (41 U.S.C. 351, et seq.); 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246); 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Sept 2006) (38 U.S.C. 4212); 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (June 1998) (29 U.S.C. 793); 52.222-39, Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees (Dec 2004) (E.O. 13201); 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, as Amended (July 2005), flow down required for all subcontracts subject to the Service Contract Act of 1965 (41 U.S.C. 351, et seq.). PROPOSALS are due on August 28, 2007 at 12:00 noon local time. Contact Clementine Caudle-Wright, (202) 366-4968 for information regarding the solicitation. NOTE: Please review and apply any amendments to this combined solicitation when preparing your proposals.
- Place of Performance
- Address: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC
- Zip Code: 20590
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20590
- Record
- SN01370609-W 20070815/070813220552 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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