SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- Intent to Award Sole Source
- Notice Date
- 4/17/2012
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541360
— Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, R-2/RMRS Central Administrative Zone, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80526
- ZIP Code
- 80526
- Solicitation Number
- AG-82FT-S-12-0013
- Archive Date
- 5/12/2012
- Point of Contact
- Anthony O Salas,
- E-Mail Address
-
asalas@fs.fed.us
(asalas@fs.fed.us)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action Synopsis. There is no solicitation available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will receive no response. This Proposed Contract Action is published to notify potential sources that The Rocky Mountain Research Station intends to award a sole source firm-fixed price contract, on behalf of the USDA Forest Service, to GCS Research, LLC for optimizing modeling of fire fighting resources and possible follow up services. Background: The Forest Service initiates research projects for the purpose of optimizing use and placement of fire fighting resources (crews, aircraft, engines etc.). Scientists and staff at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (FiSL) have been developing components of this optimization process but require programming support to integrate them and complete the research cycle in evaluating how well the optimization works. The existing components include: 1. Fire ignition generator (FIG) using historical fire occurrence data and modeled weather 2. Initial attack (IA) model that uses the FIG together with resource attributes (location, type etc.) and dispatch logic to simulate fire fighting 3. Neural-network programming to drive the IA with different configurations of resources and depict the responses for use with different budget targets and performance constraints. The programming requires integrating these components and producing a research-level graphical interface for testing, displaying and debugging. Given the timeframe for this project (completed by June 2013), ready and detailed knowledge of fire behavior modeling, fire behavior and weather inputs, spatial mapping and display, and multi-platform toolsets to support different operating systems is required to be successful. Tasks: 1. Produce a monthly report detailing activities initiated and completed, status of each activity and hours utilized in the task categories, as broken out below. 2. Adapt FS-supplied existing code used for calculating fire behavior for the artificial fire seasons generated by the Fire Ignition Generator (FIG). This involves ingesting the table of ignitions (and their attributes, e.g. time, date, location), a spatial landscape file containing fuel and terrain data, and weather summaries from gridded modeling to produce fire behavior characteristics for each ignition from FlamMap or derived fire behavior model code. 3. Adapt FS-supplied existing code for the initial attack model (IA) to permit user-specified geographic areas, configurations and geographic locations of firefighting resources, dispatch logic, and FIG data. 4. Integrate an existing neural net heuristic solver with the IA module such that it will run user-specified numbers of IA runs for specified ranges of the input variables, store the suite of inputs and results in an on-disk database (for re-running as necessary), display queries from this database in graphical and tabular form, display results geographically for the analysis area, and identify solutions that achieve user-specified objectives and constraints. 5. Implement CMake cross-platform build system into this combined application (Tasks 2-4) and document the build process on the Redmine web site. 6. Develop and test a stand-alone command-line interface to the model code described in Tasks 2-4 on multiple OS and hardware platforms. 7. Work directly with the scientists and staff at the FisL to develop a cross-platform graphical interface for the model code described in Task 6, to achieve a research-useable version of the software that displays and analyzes the data associated with each stage of the program operation and the results of the optimization. 8. Work with FiSL scientists and staff to document the code integration and operation of the command-line and graphical software products. Performance Requirements Perf Stand # Required Services Performance Standards Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) Monitoring Method PS-1 Contractor staff successfully execute PWS services Contractor personnel have: • Intimate knowledge of fire behavior modeling components used at the FiSL (FlamMap, FireFamilyPlus), databases and SQL queries, geographic information system toolkits (GDAL), and spatial map displays. • Expertise using these libraries and code to develop computer models that are used by wildland fire managers. • Expert knowledge of C++, Python, and cross-platform software development tools. • Knowledge of function of spatial data required for fire behavior modeling. No deviation. COR/Designee review of resume(s) and random observations of personnel abilities. PS-2 Documentation of processes as required in the tasks Documentation is thorough, clear, accurate and free of errors, and completed on-time. No deviation. COR/Designee review of documentation. PS-3 Development and integration of modules and software Final products are completed on-time and are ready for integration without rework. No deviation 100% COR/Designee review/inspection. Contract Incentives/Disincentives Disincentives: 1. If performance does not meet the required performance standards, more frequent reporting is required, as directed by the COR, without the Contractor billing additional hourly costs to the Government. 2. Rework required for unsatisfactory performance or deliverables (including typos, coding errors, etc) shall be done at no expense to the Government. Deliverables: Deliverable Due Date Monthly Status Report (Task 1) Within five business days of the last day of the preceding month Completion of the FIG module (Task 2) Two Months After Task Order Award (ATOA) Adaptation of IA module (Task 3) Four Months ATOA Combine Neural Net, IA, and FIG modules (Task 4) Seven Months ATOA Documented Build Process on the Redmine Web Site (Task 5) 12 Months ATOA Completion of GUI and Optimization Software (Task 6) Nine Months ATOA Completion of Documentation (Task 7) 12 Months ATOA Government Furnished Resources: 1. The work must be completed at the Fire Sciences Laboratory to ensure that the Forest Service scientists and staff have direct interaction in the development process. The Forest Service shall provide a computer, software, and network connection, occasional working space in a Forest Service laboratory, and any non typical office supplies that may be required for completion of the work. 2. Forest Service shall provide contractor identification cards and keys as necessary for access to government offices, research facilities and field study sites -if required by the assigned tasks. 3. The Forest Service shall provide all field and analytical equipment, if required by the assigned tasks. 4. IT Training Requirements: Contractor is required to successfully complete the USDA Computer Security Awareness Training and the USDA Privacy Basics training. The Forest Service will provide any access to training course(s) requirements such as the use of Government computer-Security Training and any other Safety or Security requirements required for the use of Government Property, Services, and Equipment prior to use. Dependency Factors: All existing code will be provided by the individual scientists and staff of the FiSL. Place of Performance and Travel: 1. Onsite work at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory is required. The Forest Service will not reimburse overtime costs. 2. Travel is not expected for this task. In the event that travel is needed, the Contracting Officer must approve such travel prior to booking and commencement of travel. The Contractor shall be reimbursed for actual allowable and reasonable travel costs incurred during performance of this effort in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. 3. Work requested under this task order is not intended to improperly supplement the Forest Service staff and not intended to be used as a "personal services." Further, the unit will assure that a "personal services" relationship will not be allowed to develop between using agency officials and contractor employees during the performance of any work under this task order. (Reference FAR section 37.104 regarding prohibited "personal services.") The proposed contract action is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Date posted to FedBizOpps: 17 APR 2012. Date posting will close: 27 APR 2012. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541360. The Size Standard is $4.5 million. The desired period of performance for the services described herein is anticipated to be from June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013. The responses to this synopsis will be used to confirm that this is a sole source requirement. This notice is not a Request for Proposals (RFP); it is a market research tool being utilized to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources prior to awarding the contract. Any information submitted by respondents to this synopsis is strictly voluntary. The Government will not pay for any information that is submitted by respondents to this notice of proposed contract action. Contractors who believe they possess the expertise and experience shall submit technical capabilities in writing to Anthony Salas, RMRS Acquisition Management, USDA Forest Service, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526, or electronically to: asalas@fs.fed.us. Responses must be received no later than 12:00 p.m. MDT 27 APR 2012. All documentation shall become the property of the Government. Firms responding must indicate the following information: Indicate the business size: small business or disadvantaged business, veteran owned small business or HUB Zone certified, and indicate the appropriate NAICS code. This synopsis neither constitutes a Request for Proposal, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. This synopsis should not be construed as commitment by the Government for any purpose other than market research.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USDA/FS/82FT/AG-82FT-S-12-0013/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02723968-W 20120419/120417235219-bbba9532503b270749f1db8be24e75b1 (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 |