US EPA, CMD-RTP MD-33 (Frances Legg), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

A -- PROCESS SOURCE CHARACTERIZATION SOL 68D20062 POC Frances B. Legg, Contract Specialist 919-541-3567; Cheryl A. Saliby, Contracting Officer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a current contract number 68D20062 with Southern Research Institute. This is a cost-plus-fixed-fee, level of effort contract in its final option period. The purpose of the contract is to characterize process sources of various emissions. The current contract expires on March 31, 1996, however, work on existing non-severable tasks needs to be continued without interruption. Only an extension of the present contract can provide uninterrupted, critical analytical support to meet established schedules. Therefore, the government intends to conduct sole source negotiations with Southern Research Institute to extend the period of performance of this contract up to 4 months from April 1, 1996, to July 31, 1996, to allow for the continuation of work. The Government's best estimate of the additional labor hours required to complete the work for 4 months is 1,000 hours and $80,000. This is the amount of hours and money remaining on the contract; there is no additional cost for this extension. Only the incumbent contractor has the knowledge and know-how to do the required work without a long training and start-up period. It would not be practicable for the government to substitute a replacement contractor(s) during the extended period of work due to the limited time work is needed and the expense of multiple transitions. The work to be completed during the time extension requires the same expertise and qualifications of the contractor as is currently required to perform the task orders under the contract. Specifically, the necessary qualifications are set forth below for the described tasks. Only the incumbent can satisfactorily and economically meet the government's requirements. It would be unreasonable to have another firm or firms start up and perform the 5 ongoing tasks at the multiple sites being conducted under this contract because of the loss of efficiency and unnecessary duplication of costs. Any other firm would require extensive training and familiarization with the on-going tasks to the extent that the extension period would expire before a replacement firm was fully familiar with the work requirements. The contractor has already developed approved data systems, progress and cost reporting processes, etc., which satisfy contract and customer needs. The incumbent contractor has a qualified/trained contract-acclimated staff in place and the staff matches the unique immediate needs of the specific tasks it supports, thus causing no interruption in critical support. Only an extension of the present contract can ensure that the government will not have to bear the cost (both monetary and delays in critical services) of changing contractors twice in 4 months. Specific qualification requirements for the work to be performed are as follows: 1) minimum of 2 journeymen personnel with undergraduate degrees in a field of science (chemistry, engineering, meteorology, physics) with a minimum of 2 years experience in research related to stratospheric ozone depletion, 2) a minimum of 1 journeyman with undergraduate degrees in a field of science with a minimum of 2 years experience in research related to measurements or studies of emissions from chemical alternatives to chemicals currently used in air conditioning and other refrigerant systems and in halon fire protection equipment, 3) a minimum of 1 journeyman with undergraduate degrees in a field of science with a minimum of 2 years experience in measurements of volatile organic chemical emissions from industrial processes (molding, adhesives, coating and finishing, etc.) 4) a minimum of 1 journeyman with undergraduate degrees in a field of science with a minimum of 4 years of experience in measurements and modeling regarding methane emissions from both natural and anthropomorphic sources, 5) a minimum of 1 senior management person with a graduate degree in a field of science with a minimum of 10 years experience in a combination of the above fields of which 5 years must be in a management or supervisory capacity, 6) corporate staff qualifications in indoor and outdoor ambient air measurements, standard and special laboratory analysis, chemical and mechanical engineering, preparation of technical documents, and technology transfer activities. Interested parties who believe they can provide the required services are invited to submit in writing an affirmative response demonstrating an ability to immediately assume the above duties without disruption to the current operations and demonstrating a cost benefit to the government in view of the short period of performance and the pending recompetition. Any written response must be received no later than 15 days after publication of this synopsis. In order to be responsive, the correspondence must be accompanied by a written narrative statement of capability, including detailed technical information sufficient to permit agency analysis in order to determine a bonafide capability to meet the government's requirements. Responses without the required documentation will be considered non-responsive. This is not a formal notice of solicitation. See Note 22. No telephonic or faxed requests will be honored (0054)

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