U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contracts Management Division, Cincinnati, OH 45268-7001

R -- EPA SAFE DRINKING WATER HOTLINE POC Contact Point, Donna Zeher, (513)366-2114, Contracting Officer, Ruby Sugg, (513)366-2146 The Environmental Protection Agency has a Hotline Information Service which supports the Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water (OGWDW) and the Office of Science and Technology (OST). The operation is comprised of the following basic elements: receiving, processing and responding to information request; receiving an processing document requests; maintaining reference materials (including a Folioviews InfoBase System) as a resource for responding to information requests; requests via a toll free telephone number and Internet, providing EPA with detailed information about Hotline customers and their concerns and preparing written documents used to commuincate with Hotline customers. The Hotline is expected to respond to 50,000 to 70,000 information requests per year regarding the regulations, guidance and programs embraced by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hours of operation are 9:00 am to 5:30 pm EST Monday through Friday except for Federal holidays. Appropriate responses via phone or Internet shall include providing courteous, accurate, and approriate answers based on the information provided by the EPA, making appropriate referrals, document ordering, and or preparing and disseminating written responses. The majority of the work will be performed telephonically.. The principal technical customers are the regulated community and the groups that support them. Calls from the general public are a significant share of the Hotline demand. The contractor shall ensure that all responses are based on up-to-date and appropriate EPA approved materials. The contractor shall provide trained personnel, office equipment and facilities. This service is currently being provided via 5 open phone lines, a Merlin II phone system, an Innings Telecom SOCOD sequencer and a LAN utilizing Novell software. Facilities must be in the immediate vicinity of Washington D.C. and have access to FTS 2000 telephone service. The contractor shall provide sufficient staff to handle fluctuations in information request volume, provide a wide range of detailed subject matter expertise, quickly assimilate new information and process all requests in a timely manner. The procurement will utilize a FIXED PRICE PERFORMANCE-BASED CONTRACTING approach. EPA intends to make available draft copies of the Statement of Work and Technical Evaluation Criteria. The intent will be to solicit input from potential offerors as to whether the draft documents are clear and whether there are any aspects which can be improved. The Agency will consider all comments while preparing the final solicitation which will be synopsized in the CBD at a future date. Requests for copies of the draft documents must be in writing. Sorry, no telephone requests will be honored. Requests by facsimile should be sent to (513) 366-2004. (0037)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0112 19950207\R-0021.SOL)