MODIFICATION
R -- COAL MINING PROCESS TECHNICAL REVIEW SUPPORT
- Notice Date
- 7/14/2010
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Acquisition Management, Region III, Contracts Branch (3PM10), 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103-2029
- ZIP Code
- 19103-2029
- Solicitation Number
- RFQ-PA-10-00006
- Archive Date
- 8/3/2010
- Point of Contact
- Ryan T. Parker, Phone: 2158145126
- E-Mail Address
-
parker.ryan@epa.gov
(parker.ryan@epa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6, FAR Subpart 13.5 Test Program for Certain Commercial Items, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotations (RFQ) under solicitation number RFQ-PA-10-00006. Award will be made using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The Government anticipates that the subsequent award will be a fixed unit price labor hour contract. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541620 with a size standard of $7.0 Million. This solicitation is being issued as unrestricted. COAL MINING PROCESS TECHNICAL REVIEW SUPPORT I. Introduction On April 2, 2010, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region III (EPA) published and sought public comment on a proposal under the Clean Water Act to restrict or prohibit discharges associated with mountain top mining at the Spruce No. 1 surface mine in Logan County, West Virginia. Additional information about the Spruce No. 1 mine and EPA's proposal can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region3/mtntop/spruce1.html. Additional information about existing mining practices, policies, and regulations can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/guidance/mining.html. II. Objective: In order to support EPA's review of this project, EPA is seeking support in performing a technical assessment of potential alternative mining practices at the Spruce project site. The contractor shall assist in the analysis and/or evaluation of alternative designs that have the potential to minimize environmental impacts at the project site. III. Task Descriptions: Technical information and collaboration with EPA Region III and EPA Headquarters will be a vital part of the contract. All work on specific practices or policies must be approved in advance by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). Deliverables shall conform to EPA standards for double sided copying and shall be presented on electronic media to the extent practicable. The contractor shall track and report expenditures by task to allow accurate accounting of activities. All deliverable products under this contract are the property of EPA. Task # 1 - Spruce No. 1 Project Scoping 1.1 An initial scoping conference call will be convened by the COR within seven (7) calendar days of contract award. 1.2 Contract review calls will occur weekly with the COR to confirm the status of tasks and discuss any scoping issues. Estimated level of effort: 50 hours Task #2: Review and Evaluation of Alternatives for Spruce At the direction of the COR, the contractor shall review the authorized Spruce No. 1 mine design and construction method and provide a technical assessment. Review may include one or more of the following categories of project assessment related to potential alternatives and minimization techniques that would result in less environmental resource impacts at the project site: • Alternative potential project locations within a given area defined by EPA. • Alternative potential project site designs to meet needs defined by EPA. • Alternative potential project construction sequence and/or methods defined by EPA. • Alternative potential waste and wastewater treatment methods defined by EPA. All review of potential project alternatives shall include estimates of cost and level of extraction and/or extraction efficiency for the proposed alternatives. All review of potential project alternatives also shall include a review of each alternative's "practicability" as defined at 40 CFR Section 230.10(a)(2) "An alternative is practicable if it is as available and capable of being done after taking into consideration cost, existing technology, and logistics in light of overall project purposes." The term "cost" should be considered as including the cost of constructing the alternatives compared to the project as currently authorized under the issued Clean Water Act Section 404 permit and the impact of each alternative to the economic viability of the project as a coal extraction activity. EPA will provide the background materials on the project and the alternatives to be evaluated. Estimated level of effort: 500 hours Task #3: Comment Review and Evaluation At the direction of the COR, the contractor shall review EPA selected comments submitted by the public in response to EPA's Proposed Determination on Spruce No. 1 and provide EPA with a technical assessment of the comments as they relate to mine design and construction methods, including alternative potential project locations, site designs, construction sequence and/or methods, and/or waste and wastewater treatment methods. The technical assessment shall include evaluation and estimates of cost, level of extraction and/or extraction efficiency, and practicability of alternatives discussed and/or proposed in the comments. Estimated level of effort: 200 hours Task #4: Report The contractor shall prepare a report including the review and analysis of the Spruce project, potential alternative designs, and comments on the Spruce Proposed Determination as discussed above detailing technical recommendations, cost estimates of alternatives, and the practicability of minimizing environmental impacts at the project site. The contractor shall submit a draft report no later than fourteen days (14) before the final report is due. EPA comments on draft report shall identify whether additional information is needed. Estimated level of effort: 400 hours Task #5: Option for Continuing Review The contractor shall be available to respond to questions and/or comments on any proposed alternative designs and costs from Task 2 and provide technical recommendations on potential project design changes as a result of this alternatives analysis. Estimated level of effort: 1,000 hours IV. Period of Performance The base period of performance for this contract shall be through March 30, 2011. The Government reserves the right to extend the period through September 30, 2011 if the Task #5 option is exercised. V. Estimated Level of Effort The subsequent contract is estimated to include a level of effort of 1,150 hours for the base period. An option for up to an additional 1,000 hours of effort for Task #5 will be available as described in the FAR Clause 52.217-9. VI. Other Direct Costs (ODC) The Government estimates that there could be up to $15,000 in ODCs for each the base period and the option period. This amount will not be added to the contractor's quoted prices for evaluation purposes. ODCs are reimbursable not to exceed (NTE) amounts that will be available in both the base and option period. ODCs include travel, photocopying, and delivery services. TRAVEL (If required). All travel shall be conducted in accordance with the Government Federal Travel Regulations (FTR). Travel shall only be in direct support of this purchase order. The contractor shall provide the following information to the COR for approval prior to incurring travel costs: destination, duration, arrangements, estimated costs, date, and time of travel. Any travel incurred without prior approval may be subject to non-reimbursement. Documentation and receipts for travel activities shall be sent to the COR at time of invoice submission for reimbursement. VII. Schedule Of Deliverables: Task Deliverable Due Date 1 Spruce No. 1 Project Scoping Within seven (7) calendar days of contract award. 2 Review and Evaluation of Alternatives for Spruce No. 1 No later than 30 days following the award of the contract 3 Comment Review and Evaluation No later than 30 days following the award of the contract 4 Draft Report No later than 14 days before the final Final Report September 10, 2010 5 On-Going Review Until September 30, 2011 VIII. Instructions for the Preparation of Quotes Quotation preparation instructions are provided for the development of a clear and readable technical plan. The quotes shall be comprised of TWO separate packages, the first containing three (3) hardcopies of the technical submission and the second containing two (2) hardcopies of the pricing submission. All packages must clearly identify the solicitation for which it is being submitted. A. Technical Submission Instructions. The quoter shall submit three (3) hardcopies of the technical submission. All cost and pricing details must be omitted from this part of the quote. Quoters are strongly encouraged to prepare their submissions as succinctly as possible. It is suggested that pages be on 8.5" x 11", printed in standard business size. Overly lengthy or elaborate quotation packages are not encouraged. Technical submissions must address the following 3 elements: Element #1: Experience/Approach - Not to exceed 5 pages. Technical experience and/or expertise in mountaintop mining in Appalachia is needed for this task. The quoter must have previous experience in reviewing or analyzing mountaintop mining design, layout, construction methods, and impacts. The quoter also must have previous experience in estimating cost, extraction efficiency, and profitability associated with mountaintop mining techniques. The quoter shall detail its experience and proposed approach to performing the required tasks. Element #2: Staffing Plan - Not to Exceed 5 Pages including resumes. * The quoter shall provide an organizational chart showing how the proposed team for this contract shall be staffed, indicating which staff shall be assigned to the various SOW task areas. The chart should identify any subcontractors. The quoter shall describe the suitability of the proposed staffing organization to perform the work. * Identification of positions proposed including functional responsibilities * Minimum experience, skill, and required knowledge for each position proposed Quoters shall submit a resume for all proposed key personnel. It shall describe their relevant experience. Element #3: Past Performance - Not to Exceed 5 pages. Quoters shall include references for three projects/contracts that are similar in scope and complexity to the RFQ's requirements. Include the following information for each contract and subcontract listed: a) Name of government agency/organization/company b) Brief description of contract or subcontract and relevance to this requirement. c) Total contract value. d) Period of performance. e) Government agency/organization/company point of contact, telephone number, and e-mail address. B. Price Quotation Instructions. Quoters shall provide a price of each task based on the level of effort indicated by task. The price for each task shall be broken down into labor/skill category, hourly price per category, and quantity of hours to complete each task. The CLIN structure for the submission of quotes and the subsequent award will be as follows: CLIN 0001 - Task 1 CLIN 0002 - Task 2 CLIN 0003 - Task 3 CLIN 0004 - Task 4 CLIN 0005 - Other Direct Costs (Base Period) NTE $15,000 CLIN 1001 - Task 5 CLIN 1002 - Other Direct Costs (Option Period) NTE $15,000 IX. Evaluation Factors for Award Quoters are cautioned that an unacceptable rating for any factor of this solicitation may make the entire quote unacceptable. If the quote is determined unacceptable in any of the evaluation factors, the quote may not be considered for award. Experience/Approach: Quoters will be evaluated on their proposed technical approach. The evaluation will be based on how well the approach meets the required tasks as well as the degree to which the quoter's approach addresses the following criteria: The required timelines for each task, including (as appropriate): any use of subcontractors any timely submittal of deliverables. Any considerations and assumptions made for each task; The quoter shall detail its experience and proposed approach to performing the required tasks. Staffing Plan: Quoters will be evaluated on the extent to which the proposed staffing plan demonstrates that the staffing levels, schedules, and functional responsibilities will be able to perform the required tasks. Quotes will be evaluated to determine whether the contractor personnel will be able to perform the required tasks. Past Performance: The Government will evaluate the quoter's performance record with the areas of quality of services performed, cost control, timeliness of performance and business relations to determine if the firm's past performance has been acceptable. In conducting the past performance evaluation, the Government reserves the right to use both the information provided in the quoter's past performance quotation and information obtained from other sources, such as the Contractor Performance System (CPS) or similar systems, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), and commercial sources. Price: The Government will evaluate the quoter's hourly prices for each labor/skill category, the quantity of hours quoted per labor/skill category per task, the total price of the each task, and the total price. X. Basis for Award: Award will be made to a single contractor. The Government intends to award a contract on the basis of initial quotes received without discussion. Therefore, initial submissions should contain the quoter's best technical and price quote. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if it is determined by the Contracting Officer to be in the Government's best interest. EPA will make award to the contractor whose quote, in conforming to this RFQ, is most advantageous to the Government, price and non-price factors considered. The Government intends to award on an all or none basis. XI. Clauses and Provisions The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-44. The following provisions and clauses are hereby incorporated by reference and shall apply to this solicitation and shall apply accordingly to the subsequent award. The provisions and clauses can be found at https://www.acquisition.gov/far/. FAR 52.212-1 FAR 52.212-2 - NOTE - The specific evaluation factors are described in Paragraph IX above. FAR 52.212-3 FAR 52.212-4 Alternate I FAR 52.212-5 - Note that the following FAR clauses are cited within this clause: 52.203-6, 52.216-31, 52.219-8, 52.219-28, 52.222-3, 52.222-19, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.225-5, 52.225-13, 52.232-33. 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. As prescribed in 17.208(g), insert a clause substantially the same as the following: OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract at any time during the base period by written notice to the Contractor within 10 days, provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 20 days prior to the exercise of the option, The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension. (b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause. (c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed fourteen (14) months. (End of clause) Organizational Conflicts of Interest (a) The Contractor warrants that, to the best of the Contractor's knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which could give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in FAR subpart 9.5, or that the Contractor has disclosed all such relevant information. (b) Prior to commencement of any work, the Contractor agrees to notify the Contracting Officer immediately that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, no actual or potential conflict of interest exists or to identify to the Contracting Officer any actual or potential conflict of interest the firm may have. In emergency situations, however, work may begin but notification shall be made within five (5) working days. (c) The Contractor agrees that if an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest is identified during performance, the Contractor will immediately make a full disclosure in writing to the Contracting Officer. This disclosure shall include a description of actions which the Contractor has taken or proposes to take, after consultation with the Contracting Officer, to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the actual or potential conflict of interest. The Contractor shall continue performance until notified by the Contracting Officer of any contrary action to be taken. (d) Remedies-The EPA may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if it deems such termination necessary to avoid an organizational conflict of interest. If the Contractor was aware of a potential organizational conflict of interest prior to award or discovered an actual or potential conflict after award and did not disclose it or misrepresented relevant information to the Contracting officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default, debar the Contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract. (e) The Contractor agrees to insert in each subcontract or consultant agreement placed hereunder provisions which shall conform substantially to the language of this clause, including this paragraph, unless otherwise authorized by the contracting officer. CONFLICT OF INTEREST CERTIFICATION Except as noted below, the contractor does not have any conflict of interests with the task in this procurement as related to the Contractor's on-going or past performance of related activities. The contractor is not aware of any past performance or on-going activities that would affect the contractor's judgment and objectivity in performing the proposed tasks. ___________________________________________ ____________ (Signature of Person Authorized to Sign the Submission) DATE ___________________________________________ (Printed or Typed Name of Above Person) XII. Submission of Quotes The quotation due date (closing date) is 3:00pm Eastern Standard Time, July 19th, 2010. The following information should be submitted as your quote: 1. Technical submission as described in Paragraph VIII above. 2. Price quotation for the base option periods per CLIN as described in Paragraph VIII above. 3. Completed FAR provision 52.212-3. ORCA representations are acceptable. 4. Completed Organizational Conflict of Interest Certification in Paragraph XI above. Quotes shall be submitted via mail to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III Contract Branch Attention: Ryan Parker (3PM10) 1650 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Failure to submit a complete quote by the time and date established may result in the quote not being considered. By submitting a quotation, the quoter agrees to comply with all terms and conditions as set forth in this RFQ, including the list of tasks. The quoter bears the responsibility to ensure that their quotation is received by the Contracting Officer prior to the closing date and time established in the solicitation. Quoters must submit all technical questions concerning this solicitation in writing via email to Ryan Parker at parker.ryan@epa.gov. Amendment 0001 A. The reason for this amendment is to make the following changes: 1. Change the second sentence of the second paragraph to read, "This solicitation is being issued as unrestricted." 2. Change paragraph VIII. B. to read "The price for each task shall be broken down into labor/skill category, hourly price per category, and quantity of hours to complete each task." 3. Change the first sentence of paragraph XI to read "The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-44. " B. Quoters should acknowledge Amendment 0001 with their quote. C. The time and date for receipt of quotes remains unchanged. D. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/EPA/OAM/3PM10/RFQ-PA-10-00006/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02205978-W 20100716/100714235350-d0ad340994babda3aeaafd319cef3f16 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |