SOLICITATION NOTICE
F -- Legal and Regulatory Assistance on Geologic and Ocean Resource Management Issues Faced by the National Park System
- Notice Date
- 3/30/2011
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Contracting Office
- WASO - WCP - Denver Contracting & Procurement P.O. Box 25287MS WCP Denver CO 80225
- ZIP Code
- 80225
- Solicitation Number
- P11PS00249
- Response Due
- 4/15/2011
- Archive Date
- 3/29/2012
- Point of Contact
- Robert D. Dobson Contract Specialist 3039876988 bob_dobson@contractor.nps.gov;
- E-Mail Address
-
Point of Contact above, or if none listed, contact the IDEAS EC HELP DESK for assistance
(EC_helpdesk@NBC.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR subpart 12.6 entitled "Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items", and FAR Part 13 entitiled "Simplified Acquisition Procedures" as supplemented with additional information included in the notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; Quotations are being requested and a written solicitation type document will not be issued. The RFQ and incorporated FAR provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 05-48 dated January 31, 2011.The Request for Quote P11PS00249 entitled "Legal and Regulatory Assistance on Geologic and Ocean Resource Management Issues Faced by the National Park System" is issued to result in a purchase order. The required services will be performed in National Park Service offices, Lakewood, CO. The period of performance will begin upon award of the purchase order and will end by April 30, 2012. The start date for the period of performance will be dependent upon purchase order award and notification that the contractor has received an approved background security check under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12). Quotes are due by 2PM Mountain TIme April 15, 2011. Quotes shall be submitted by email to Robert Dobson, Senior Contract Specialist (contractor) at bob_dobson@contractor.nps.gov. Questions should be sent to Robert Dobson, bob_dobson@contractor.nps.gov. The address is the National Park Service, Mail Stop WCP, 12795 West Alameda Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80225. This RFQ is a small business set-aside for Small Business concerns. The NAICS code is 541620 (Environmental Consulting Services) and the small business size standard is $7 million. To be eligible for award under this RFQ, the offeror must be listed with current status on the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) website (www.ccr.gov) and the offeror's Representations and Certifications must be updated and complete in the Online Representations and Certifications website at orca.bpn.gov. BEST VALUE TO THE GOVERNMENTAward will be made to offeror who represents the best value to the Government. Technical evaluation factors as well as past performance will be considered in addition to price. The evaluation factors are detailed in this combined synopsis/solicitation notice. Evaluations will be conducted an accordance with procedures identifed in Federal Acquisition Regulations 13.106. QUOTESCompanies shall provide a quote based on an estimated (1) 940 estimate direct productive manhours for the base period of performance anticipated to be August 1, 2011 through January 31, 2012 and (2) an option period for 940 direct productive manhours with a period of performance from February 1, 2012 through July 31, 2012.The quote should include a per hour cost (fully loaded rate) plus any other costs (i.e. travel cost estimate of $2,000.00 each for base and option period). In addition, the quote must include responses to the evaluation factors and any other requested documentation (such as resumes). STATEMENT OF WORK Title: Legal and Regulatory Assistance on Geologic and Ocean Resource Management Issues Faced by the National Park System Description: The Geologic Resources Division (GRD) is one of several divisions within the NPS Natural Resource Program Center. GRD provides parks, regions, networks, and the NPS Washington Office with expertise on minerals management, disturbed lands restoration, geohazards, soil and geologic inventories, planning, and the management of specialized geologic resources such as caves and karst, fossils, and coastal resources. As part of this assistance, GRD policy/regulatory staff provide park, regional, and national offices with interpretations of statutes, regulations, case law, and policy. GRD also develops and/or contributes to the development of regulatory, policy and guidance documents. GRD policy/regulatory staff work closely with attorneys in the Department of the Interior Office of the Solicitor in these tasks. For example, GRD assists ocean and coastal park units (units situated along the shoreline of or containing marine or Great Lakes submerged lands) with issues pertaining to NPS jurisdiction and boundaries as affected by geologic processes. The Ocean & Coastal Resources Branch (OCRB) of the National Park Service Water Resources Division is also a component of the NPS Natural Resources Program Center. OCRB was formed in 2007 to implement the NPS Ocean Park Stewardship Action Plan (2006). One of the goals of the Plan is to increase NPS technical and regulatory capacity to help parks and regions address the myriad of complex issues facing ocean and coastal parks, including fishing, pollution, wildlife, climate change, sediment, infrastructure, invasive species, and restoration. To help accomplish this, OCRB is working with GRD to develop long-needed guidance documents, including a Director's Order and several reference manuals. Another project that GRD is working on is the development of a rule making package to revise the NPS's nonfederal oil and gas regulations at 36 CFR Part 9, Subpart B. The NPS promulgated these regulations back in 1978. Since then, innovations in extraction and mitigation techniques underscore the need for the NPS to improve and update the regulations. As part of this rulemaking effort the NPS needs help in a variety of tasks, including but not limited to: drafting regulatory and preamble language, carrying out regulatory compliance responsibilities, evaluating existing regulations implemented by state and other federal agencies, maintaining an understanding of current oil and gas law, and developing a sound administrative record. The number of issues warranting research and analysis outpaces the in-house capability of GRD and OCRB. As a result, GRD and OCRB seek to obtain assistance from a Contractor in conducting regulatory and legal research and developing analytical and guidance memoranda and other regulatory or legislative documents. Scope of Work: The Contractor shall conduct regulatory and legal research and develop analytical and guidance memoranda and other regulatory or legislative documents related to ocean and coastal issues and the nonfederal oil and gas rulemaking effort. Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall provide the NPS with all labor and services necessary to conduct the needed research and prepare the requested documents in electronic format. The work must be performed in GRD's Lakewood, Colorado office. Travel to Lakewood is required if the Contractor is not located there. Specific research and analytical needs include the following: 1. Nonfederal Oil and GasGRD has initiated efforts to revise its regulations at 36 CFR Part 9, Subpart B. The NPS is currently preparing a draft programmatic environmental impact statement, draft proposed regulation, and associated administrative and compliance documents. The contractor shall: 1.Assist with drafting regulatory text2.Assist with carrying out rulemaking compliance responsibilities3.Develop an electronic and hardcopy administrative record4.Prepare research memoranda on a variety of legal and policy questions related to the rulemaking effort, including, but not limited to: resource protection concerns associated with operations that are exempt from the current 9B regulations, penalties, electronic submission of permit applications, and fees for access across federally owned lands not encumbered by an operator's mineral right. 2. Ocean and Coastal Park Jurisdictional GuidanceOCRB and GRD have recently completed a second draft of the NPS Ocean and Coastal Jurisdiction Handbook. This handbook discusses and explains NPS authorities and policies regarding various issues in ocean and coastal parks as derived from NPS regulations, various statutes, case law, and the U.S. Constitution. Such issues include commercial and recreational fishing, aquaculture, commercial and recreational boating, invasive species, recreation, water quality, off-road vehicles, and sediment management. The draft handbook is now under review by NPS Office of Policy for publication as NPS Reference Manual #39-1. The Contractor will help GRD and OCRB finalize the handbook by:(1)Collecting and analyzing comments on the current draft of the NPS Ocean and Coastal Jurisdiction Handbook from the Office of Policy;(2)Researching any and all questions raised in comments received; and(3)Drafting or modifying language for inclusion in the final version of the handbook. 3. Establishing, refining, and updating high-priority park unit boundariesThe Contractor will research and draft between 5 and 10 park unit-specific legal memoranda satisfactory to GRD, OCRB, the NPS Land Resources Division, and the Department of Interior Office of the Solicitor regarding the location and modification over time of the boundaries of particular ocean and coastal park units. The park units included in this analysis will be those determined by OCRB, GRD, and other NPS offices as high-priority; that is, park units faced with sea/lake level changes, dynamic geologic features and processes, or other factors that necessitate analysis of that unit's boundary. This task will require the Contractor to:(1)analyze park enabling statutes, other statutes, and other applicable documents such as deeds, maps, and agreements, (2)consult with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies, (3)determine whether federal or state common law, or both, governs the legal outcome of geological shoreline processes in a given park such as erosion, reliction, and accretion, and (4)analyze the likely impacts of sea or lake level changes and seasonal fluctuations on park shorelines. The Contractor will need to travel to up to two NPS regional offices (the NPS Northeast Regional Office and the Midwest Regional Office) during the performance of this task. Estimated travel costs of $2,000 for each of the base and option prices must be included in the quote. These memoranda will then be used by the NPS Land Resources Division to update park boundaries as warranted and feasible, and by GRD, OCRB, and other NPS offices to help parks apply available authorities within the updated boundaries. 4. Commercial and Recreational Fishing Reference ManualOCRB is working with ocean and coastal park resource managers on recreational and commercial fishing issues. Submerged natural resources are not managed in the same way as terrestrial natural resources; harvest and enhancement are typically allowed in ocean and coastal systems, but not in terrestrial systems. Parks and state fishery management agencies often have different missions and goals (protection vs. harvest), and state agencies rarely focus on fishery resources within parks. Some parks do not understand their jurisdiction and authorities. OCRB and GRD will develop a fishery reference manual under DO 39 to provide guidance on implementing NPS policies and on managing fisheries within park boundaries. The Contractor will help OCRB and GRD develop the fishery reference manual by:(1)Analyzing recommendations and comments on fishery issues received during development of the Ocean and Coastal Jurisdiction Handbook and in a workshop being planned for FY11 for park resource managers;(2)Developing the first draft of the NPS fishery reference manual; and(3)Revising or modifying the draft based on reviewer comments. Qualifications of Key Personnel: Key Contractor Personnel must have a minimum of an advanced law degree such as a Master of Laws [L.L.M Degree] in Natural Resources and Environmental Law and Policy or equivalent experience. In addition, key personnel must have substantial legal and policy expertise related to ocean, coastal, and nonfederal oil and gas issues facing the National Park System. All services under this contract are required to be conducted by trained personnel who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide services immediately and with no unnecessary delays. Key personnel are expected to have the appropriate legal training and background in addition to experience in a natural resource work environment to successfully complete the Scope of Work. Period of Performance: The anticipated period of performance for the base period will begin on August 1, 2011 and conclude January 31, 2012. There will be an option to extend the order from Feburary 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012. Place of Performance: Facilities and all computer hardware and software shall be provided by the National Park Service, Geologic Resources Division, at the Academy Place office located at 7333 W. Jefferson Avenue, Suite 450, Lakewood, CO 80235. Government-Furnished Property: Equipment and materials that may be provided by GRD, OCRB, and other NPS offices for use exclusively related to the project include but are not limited to National Park Service files, records, publications, and maps related to the National Parks. Furthermore, GRD shall supply office space, computer system, and telephone. The Contractor shall be responsible for the security and protection of government-furnished property provided to the Contractor in connection with this contract, and shall return all property to the government upon completion of this contract. The government shall pay for and approve all shipping and handling arrangements for all government property. Rights in Data: All material first produced in the performance of this contract shall be the sole property of the government. The Contractor shall not publish or produce such material in whole or in part, in any manner, or form, nor authorize others to do so, without the written consent of the Contracting Officer. Deliverables: The Contractor will produce draft and final legal and policy memoranda and other documents, and will prepare written analyses of NPS regulations, laws, policies, and administrative procedures. All written products will be filed on a government-provided computer in park-named or other clearly-named folders, and will be in MS Word, MS Powerpoint, or MS Excel 2003 or 2007. The Contractor will also communicate via email. All emails containing information relevant to the Scope of Work described above will be filed in park-named or other clearly-named archives which are backed-up and readily accessible to government personnel. Evaluation This procurement action is based on the best value to the Government. Offerors should respond to the following evaluation factors with a narrative along with resumes. Evaluations shall be conducted consistent with Federal Acquisition Regulations 13.106.1. Key personnel experience and knowledge of legal and regulatory authorities and policies regarding ocean and coastal units. Identify specific knowledge pertaining to the Department of Interior and the National Park System. Offerors shall be evaluated on the material submitted including resumes.2. Key personnel experience and knowledge in researching and writing reports/memorandum regarding legal and regulatory authority and the federal rulemaking process. Identify specific knowledge pertaining to the Department of Interior and the National Park System. 3. Corporate knowledge of statutory and common law concepts as applied to ocean and coastal processes, resources, and locations. 4. Past performance in similar or related projects. Offeror shall provide two references with name, organization, work description, value, period of performance and contact information. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) ClausesThe following FAR provisions and clauses are hereby incorporated by reference into the RFQ and resultant purchase order: FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items (June 2008)FAR 52-212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications (Aug 2009)FAR 52.212-4 Alternative 1 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (March 2009)FAR 52-212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implements Statutes or Executive Orders (Feb 2010) FAR 52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantify-Separately Priced Line ItemFAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999)
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOI/NPS/APC-IS/P11PS00249/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Lakewood, CO
- Zip Code: 80225
- Zip Code: 80225
- Record
- SN02412505-W 20110401/110330234121-87f1ab6391fac84b84102e0342777f9c (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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