National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition and Assistance Division, Building 301, Room B117, Gaithersburg, MD 20899

B -- LIFE-CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILES FOR SELECTED BUILDING PRODUCTS SOL Q660043 DUE 050896 POC Linda Shariati (301) 975-5053 The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to acquire life-cycle environmental profiles for selected building products. The objective of this effort is to develop life-cycle environmental profiles for selected building products. These life-cycle profiles shall be developed by the Contractor and incorporated in the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) software model developed by the contracting agency, the NIST Office of Applied Economics. BEES is intended to help the building community compare the environmental and economic performance of building products made from alternative building materials. The Contractor shall develop environmental profiles for ten building products. The project shall be conducted in two phases. Phase I shall be for the period from the date of contract award through September 30, 1996. Phase II will be for an optional period and for related studies. Phase II will be for the period from October 1, 1996 through September 30, 1997. In Phase I, environmental profiles shall be developed for two building products used in floor covering applications (such as nylon carpeting and vinyl sheet flooring), and three building products used in exterior cladding applications (such as face brick, vinyl siding, and wood siding), for a total of five building products in Phase I. In the optional period Phase II, environmental profiles shall be developed for five additional building products, three in one application (such as wall covering) and two in another application (such as roof surfacing). At the outset of the project, the Project Steering Committee, consisting of the NIST project management team and the Contractor team, shall work together to define the building products. Once the products are selected, NIST will specify the functional unit of measurement for all materials in each application (e.g., square feet of floor covering for 30 years). The methodology used to generate these life-cycle environmental profiles will strictly follow the latest versions of the ISO 14000 series of life-cycle assessment standards (ISO 14040 and 14041), the latest Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) life-cycle assessment guidance documents, and the latest EPA life-cycle assessment guidance (EPA/600/R-92/245 and EPA-452/R-95-002). The database underlying the development of the environmental profiles shall be an established, nationally recognized life-cycle assessment database. The life cycle includes all stages from cradle to grave. These include raw materials extraction and processing, materials manufacture, transportation, installation and use, and end-of-life. The use stage shall include thermal performance only. The environmental profiles shall be provided on a U.S.-average basis, accounting for typical U.S. manufacturing practices, energy grids, and environmental regulations. The nature of the technology mix shall be a weighted average based on current industrial practice, not the best available technology or the worst operating unit. Two important, energy-related aspects of environmental performance shall be given special treatment. First, in order to account for regional variations in transportation networks (which can have a significant impact on the environmental profiles of building materials), the environmental profile for transportation to point of use shall be parameterized. That is, in addition to the U.S. average environmental profile for the transportation stage as a whole, a U.S. average environmental profile for transportation from factory of final production to point of end use shall be reported and documented. Additionally, environmental profiles per ton-mile for transportation from final production to point of use shall be reported such that customized, location-specific environmental profiles can be derived for this important parameter. Second, embodied energy shall be reported separately. It shall be reported in total, by fuel source and feedstock energy, and by renewable and nonrenewable energy. The initial life-cycle assessment task shall be the goal and scoping phase. The goal and scoping phase shall strictly follow the latest ISO, SETAC, and EPA guidance. NIST must approve results of this phase including clearly spelled out assumptions and limitations, before the Contractor shall move on to inventory analysis. At this point, NIST may request a limited number of sensitivity analyses on key assumptions. Inventory analysis: The inventory results shall include physical flows (weight units) comprising all energy and raw materials requirements, air emissions, water effluents, and solid waste generated by each building product within the boundaries set by the Project Steering Committee in the initial scoping phase. The following inventory results shall be provided in tabular form: inventory items (e.g., carbon dioxide); units; and quantities per functional unit; grouped by inventory data category (e.g., energy, raw materials, air emissions, water effluents, solid waste) and reported as totals and by percentage of total for each life-cycle stage (e.g., raw materials extraction, materials manufacture, transportation, installation and use, and end-of life). In addition, special groupings shall be tabulated for transportation from final production to point of end use and for embodied energy as per above. Impact Assessment: A partial impact assessment (excluding impact valuation) shall be carried out. The impact assessment shall be an evaluation of the potential contribution of each building product to a range of environmental issues and shall include, but not be limited to, global warming, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical oxidant creation. The inventory-impact mappings and conversion factors for all impacts shall be documented. The Contractor shall provide qualitative guidance on how to incorporate the resource depletion impact into the BEES model. The following impact assessment results shall be provided in tabular form: environmental impacts (e.g., global warming potential); units; and quantities per functional unit; reported as totals; by inventory item; and by life-cycle stage. Documentation: Written documentation shall be provided in accordance with ISO CD 14041 (12/1/95), with additional documentation for the impact assessment step. A documentation report outline will be provided in the solicitation package. All assumptions and data limitations (such as the applicability of U.S. average data) shall be documented. In addition, process flowcharts for each building product shall be annotated with all inventory items at the process level. Each process shall be described, including a description of the inputs and outputs which are needed to determine where the process starts and ends, and the function of the process. Allocation procedures, such as for coproducts and recycling/reuse, shall be documented. Peer Review: The Contractor shall conduct an internal peer review of all project deliverables before delivery to NIST. This internal review shall include verification of calculations made and a thorough checking for consistency in the modeling and assumptions. In addition, the Contractor shall provide consulting support during the external peer review phase of the project, the BEES Beta Test, to begin in Spring 1997 and conclude in September 1997. The Contractor shall help NIST respond to environmental profile issues raised during this review. The contractor shall deliver to NIST the life-cycle inventory and life-cycle impact assessment environmental profiles for ten building products, with documentation. The environmental profiles shall be delivered both in printed and in Excel version 4 spreadsheet format. Documentation shall be delivered in both printed and electronic, WordPerfect 6.1 form. Finally, the Contractor shall provide limited consulting support during the BEES Beta Test. During Phase I, the Contractor shall complete one building product within the first six weeks of project initiation and complete the remaining four building products by September 1, 1996. During Phase II, the Contractor shall complete five building products by March 1, 1997, provide any significant updates to Phase I, and provide consulting support during the BEES Beta Test Spring 1997 through September 1997. A Request for Quotation (RFQ) package will be available 7 days after publication of this announcement and responses will be due approx. 20 days after publication. Evaluation and award will be conducted within 15 days thereafter. This acquisition is reserved for small business. Interested parties must request a copy of the RFQ package in writing to the above mentioned address. All responsible sources may submit a response which will be considered by the agency. (0113)

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