U.S. EPA, HPOD (3803F), 401 M St. SW, Washington, DC 20460-0001

A -- EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM SOL GP6030 DUE 091096 POC Contact Point, Melissa Revely-Brown, (202)260-1225 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oceans and Coastal Protection Division (OCPD), is issuing a request for proposals for services which the Government intends to solicit and award and a Firm Fixed Price contract using the Simplified Acquisition Procedures of FAR Part 13 to conduct an evaluation of the National Estuary Program related to the effectiveness of the program, its value as a management model, and its success in achieving the objectives set forth in Section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The contractor shall provide capability and services to: * propose, develop, and apply an evaluation methodology; * conduct the evaluation, including gathering and reviewing information from a variety of sources; and * prepare draft and final reports, including recommendations to enhance or improve program operation and management. OCPD planned project period of 12 to 18 months. Applicants must submit project proposals in writing no later than 15 days after notice of solicitation and must demonstrate experience in designing and conducting performance, organization, and program evaluations, especially as related to environmental management. Proposals will be reviewed for responsiveness to the evaluation objectives; methodological innovation and efficiency; demonstrated experience in program evaluation, including experience of principal investigators; cost; best value to the government; and ability to complete the evaluation in timely manner. EPA reserves the right to fund all or parts of one or more proposals, and/or to fund them incrementally, or to not award funding Project Description Working with the Oceans and Coastal Protection Division (OCPD), the contractor(s) will develop and apply an evaluation methodology, including proposed measures against which performance will be measured; review information and data, including information derived from interviews with relevant individuals and other sources beyond official file documents; assess program performance based on specified process and outcome measures; and prepare draft and final reports, including conclusions and recommendations to enhance or improve program operation and management. Submission Instructions Proposals must include the following elements: 1. Cover page 2. Project summary (one page) 3. Proposal plan - proposed evaluation approach, including methodology, types and sources of information to be collected, performance and/or outcome measures, analytical techniques, and project outputs; - estimated data or other needs required to apply the proposed approach and their likely availability; and - plan of work to achieve objectives of the proposal, including timelines, steps in process, products and deliverables, and coordination with related efforts. 4. Contractor(s) qualifications - documentation of experience in designing and conducting performance, organization, and program evaluations, especially as related to environmental management; - experience/credentials of principal investigators, team members, subcontractors, and any others individuals contributing in an advisory capacity to the project; - roles of principal investigators, team members, and subcontractors; and - evidence of ability to complete the evaluation in timely manner. 5. Budget, including: - one-page summary - special budget items such as panel advisory services travel, supplies, and proposed subcontractors. (Subcontracts require separate budget breakout.); and - direct and indirect costs. For a copy of the SOW, please fax your request to 202/260-1225. NO PHONE CALLS. (0240)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0005 19960828\A-0005.SOL)