SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- Conduct two one week sessions, 30 students each, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Training (REG-IV)
- Notice Date
- 5/17/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- USACE District, New England, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751
- ZIP Code
- 01742-2751
- Solicitation Number
- W912WJ-10-X-0011
- Response Due
- 6/11/2010
- Archive Date
- 8/10/2010
- Point of Contact
- Norman Krause, 978-318-8833
- E-Mail Address
-
USACE District, New England
(norman.a.krause@usace.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is issuing this Sources Sought Announcement to determine interest, availability, and capability of Small Business concerns to provide professional soil science expertise, materials, and services associated with the conduct of two one-week sessions with 30 students each of the U.S. Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Training (REG-IV). The work will begin in August 2010 and the training sessions will occur during the periods 13-17 September, 2010, and 27 September 1 October, 2010. The training will be conducted within a 30-mile radius of Boston and is scheduled for Sharon, Massachusetts. The total work effort shall not exceed $25,000. BACKGROUND: REG-IV is an interagency, multidisciplinary course in wetland delineation based on the current Federal Wetland Delineation Manual and Regional Supplement(s). It provides the student with a basic understanding of the interaction of vegetation, soils, and hydrology in wetlands in sufficient detail to apply delineation methods on routine cases. Upon completion, successful graduates will possess the background necessary to identify wetlands and determine their boundaries for purposes of administering programs such as the Section 404 Regulatory Program. Successful completion is determined by attendance and participation in all lecture, field, and laboratory sessions. Topics include (a) wetland characteristics (including soils, hydrology, and vegetation); (b) wetland delineation methods; and (c) field exercises in recognition of wetland boundaries. In New England, the course is conducted by an interdisciplinary team of applied scientists who represent the federal agencies that utilize the Federal Wetland Delineation Manual; participating agencies generally include: US Fish and Wildlife Service; US Environmental Protection Agency; Natural Resource Conservation Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Under this contract, this work will require an individual person to serve as the New England Soils Instructor/SME, to provide local and regional subject matter expertise for the hydric soils portion of a training course on Federal Wetlands Delineation (described in Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual, Technical Report Y-87-1, and the Interim Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Northcentral-Northeast Region). This course is a highly regionalized version of the national REG IV course offered by the Corps. It highlights unique characteristics of New England and draws heavily on real life examples and experiences of the instructors and students. The hydric soils component of the course emphasizes the Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States, version 6.0. as appended by the Interim Regional Supplement. Problem soils may involve the use of information contained in Field Indicators for Identifying Hydric Soils in New England (Version 3), published by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC). As part of the multidisciplinary team that also includes federal soil scientists, the New England Soils Instructor/SME will: participate in pre-course coordination and site reconnaissance; provide classroom instruction with relevant training aids; assist in locating and coordinating access to field sites; and provide hands-on training at those field sites. Subject matter may include: Soil Formation, Soil Horizons, Soil Textures, Soil Colors, Redoximorphic Features, Terminology for Soil Profiles, Designation for Horizons and Layers, Soil Texture Triangle, Soil Texture by Feel, Permeability in Relation to Soil Texture, Soil Drainage Classes and their modal concepts for New England, NTCHS Hydric Soil Definition and Criteria, Soil Taxonomy, Levels of the Soil Classification, General Characteristics of Soil Orders, Interpreting Soil Taxonomic Names, New England Hydric Soils List, Delineation of Wetlands (Atypical Situations), Delineation of Wetlands (Problem Area Wetlands), Hydric Soil Field Indicators, NTCHS Hydric Soil Indicators as appended by the Interim Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Northcentral-Northeast Region, and the NEIWPCCs Hydric Soil Field Guide Version 3 as it pertains to soils in Atypical and Problem wetland sites. Interested firms should submit a capabilities package to include the following: business classification size (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, Small Business, etc.), primary area of expertise, staff expertise, qualifications, and demonstrated experience in performing the work requirements stated above. Specifically, interested firms should include: "Evidence of credentials as a professional soil scientist. "Evidence of experience interpreting soils in the vicinity of wetlands in the formerly glaciated New England landscapes. "Evidence of an ability to provide high quality and meaningful instruction in the application of soil science to map soils and delineate wetlands. "Evidence of possession of relevant training aids which will illustrate key learning points. Those aids must be adapted to illustrate local and regional examples of the hydric soil elements contained in the Corps manual, the regional supplement, and the NEIWPCC field guide. "Evidence of access, or an ability to access, at least six (6) suitable field sites on private or public lands within approximately a 20-mile radius of Sharon, MA. To be suitable, those sites must accommodate six small teams of students with permission to sample plants, dig soil pits, tie colored survey flags, and apply the field techniques and protocols of the Corps manual and regional supplement. Sites should be large enough to accommodate at least six upland-to-wetland transects which are separated far enough apart so that adjacent teams do not distract each other. "Evidence of access to at least one training site where instruments that have been in place since the beginning of the 2010 growing season to monitor long-term seasonal conditions such as: watertable levels, temperature and soil reduction. Responses are due by June 11, 2010. Responses should be addressed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751, ATTN: Norman A. Krause. Responses are limited to thirty (30) pages. Firms interested shall provide the above documentation in one original form and one copy. The Government will not pay for any material provided in response to this market survey nor return the data provided. This notice is for information purposes only and is not a request to be placed on a solicitation mailing list, not is it a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an announcement of a solicitation. The results of this survey will be considered to be in effect for a period of one year from the date of this notice.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/COE/DACA33/W912WJ-10-X-0011/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USACE District, New England 696 Virginia Road, Concord MA
- Zip Code: 01742-2751
- Zip Code: 01742-2751
- Record
- SN02152164-W 20100519/100517235220-044659c4019664044f23a3dd62a1a3be (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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