Federal Emergency Management Agcy, Acquisition Operations Division, 500 C Street, S.W., Room 350, Washington, DC 20472

R -- MAP SERVICE CENTER SOL EMW-97-RI-0001 DUE 083097 POC Scott Drega, Contract Specialist, (202) 646-3756; Chandra G. Lewis, Contracting Officer, (202) 646-3118 WEB: Click here to go to FEMA World Wide Web site, http://www.fema.gov/ofm. E-MAIL: Click here to send e-mail to agency point of contact, Scott.Drega@fema.gov. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is currently seeking expressions of interest, comments, and input regarding it's plans for a full and open, competitive procurement of capabilities and services required to maintain the Map Service Center. It is anticipated that an award will be made based on which proposal provides the best value to the Government. The draft Statement of Work (SOW) will be available upon request or may be viewed on FEMA's world wide web site. The draft Statement of Work includes but is not limited to pre-printed map storage and distribution; print-on-demand and computer-to-plate map distribution, CD-rom production and distribution, and; internet ordering and distribution. Additionally, the SOW outlines FEMA's requirements for an inventory management system to facilitate all aspects of operations. The contract is planned for a five (5) year period of performance. The applicable SIC code is 7379. FEMA intends to award the contract on an indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery basis utilizing cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. It is anticipated that a minimum of five task orders will be issued on a fiscal year basis for the core operations of the Map Service Center. Additional task orders may be issued as technology changes and improvements to the operational procedures of the Map Service Center are necessary. It is anticipated that proposals submitted by prospective offerors will exhibit a comprehensive five-year plan for taking the Map Service Center from paper to electronic distribution. Each offeror will be expected to provide a cost proposal which estimates the total cost over the life of the contract for the transition from a paper to electronic distribution environment. The cost proposal will be used for evaluation purposes and to establish the minimum and maximum order limitations which will be incorporated into the contract. The Government will issue Request for Task Order Proposals prior to the issuance of each Task Order. Each Task Order will be issued on an estimated cost-plus-fixed-fee basis. It is contemplated that this pre-solicitation notice will be followed by the release of a formal solicitation. Copies of the formal solicitation will be furnished to all those responding affirmatively to this pre-solicitation notice and other prospective contractors upon their request. BACKGROUND: Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP was broadened and modified with other legislative measures. The NFIP is a non-taxpayer-funded, self-sustaining Federal program enabling property owners to purchase flood insurance and is designed to reduce the escalating costs of property damage caused by floods. The program is based on an agreement between the local community and the Federal Government that, if the community will implement programs to reduce future flood risks, the Federal Government will make affordable flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses that occur. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Insurance Administration (FIA), a component of FEMA. In support of the NFIP, FEMA has undertaken a massive effort of flood hazard identification and mapping to produce Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Several areas of flood hazard are commonly identified on these maps, which are based on approximate and detailed hydrologic and hydraulic analyses. One of these areas is the Special Flood Hazard Area, (SFHA), which is defined as an area of land that would be inundated by a flood having a one-percent chance of occurrence in any given year (also called the base flood or the 100-year flood). Development may take place within the local floodplain under ordinances, which must meet the minimum Federal requirements. The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 mandates the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of receipt of Federally related financial assistance for acquisition and/or construction purposes for properties within the SFHA of any community that is participating in the NFIP. On April 1, 1988 a map fee system was implemented as a much needed cost containment measure. All entities except Federal, State and local governments are charged for copies of flood maps. The customer map products orders have grown from 689 orders per day in FY96 to 821 orders per day through the second quarter of FY97, with an average of 32 map panels or map products for each order. Of these products, currently between 20% to 25% are orders for which the user is not charged. With disaster orders starting to be paid for from the Disaster Relief Fund, this proportion is expected to drop. However, the overall annual growth rate of 20% in orders is expected to continue over the term of contract, and may accelerate as the remapping program has been mandated by Congress to increase. Currently, all maps are printed by General Printing Office when the inventory management system indicates that a requirement exists for that printing. The printing time for the maps averages 30-45 days. PROCUREMENT OBJECTIVE: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking to explore the implementation of new technology which will move the Map Service Center from pre-printed to electronic distribution of map products. It is anticipated that pre-printed distribution will continue at the outset of the contract. As the new technology is implemented and the maps are scanned electronically, a transition towards electronic distribution will be undertaken with the ultimate goal to utilize electronic distribution as the primary distribution process and pre-printed distribution will be used only on an as needed basis. FEMA envisions a reduction in paper map inventory and storage as a result of the implementation of new technology and the utilization of electronic distribution. Examples of the new technology to be utilized by the Map Service Center include print-on-demand and computer-to-plate capabilities, CD-rom distribution and production, and receipt and distribution of orders via the Internet. COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Please submit comments on this announcement, comments on the draft Statement of Work, and expressions of interest in writing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Acquisition Operations Division, Flood, Fire and Mitigation Branch, 500 C Street, S.W., Room 350, ATTN: Scott Drega, Washington, DC 20472, on or before August 30, 1997. In addition to the above, please provide specific comments on the following: 1. Please comment on the Government's intention to either maintain and upgrade the current inventory management system so that it will interface with the National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and have the capability to track the electronic as well as paper inventory or to design a new inventory management system which meets these requirements. 2. Please comment on the availability of commercial technology which meets the scanning requirements, as well as the proposed print-on-demand and computer-to-plate map distribution. 3. Please comment on the proposed distribution of map products through the Internet. 4. Please comment on how the Statement of Work can be improved to make the requirements more clear, i.e. how to better state the requirement. 5. Please comment on any additional technology available which may be able to meet the requirements as stated in the draft Statement of Work. 6. Please comment on the proposed evaluation criteria and the proposed contract type. 7. Please comment on the viability of transferring the lease of the current Map Service Center Warehouse to the incoming contractor given that it is the Government's goal to reduce and eliminate the need for as much of the paper inventory as possible. The draft Statement of Work may be viewed on FEMA's World Wide Web home page. The Internet address for viewing the draft Statement of Work on FEMA's home page is http://www.fema.gov/ofm. The draft Statement of Work may be found under the icon "Bidder's Information." Additionally, a hard copy of the draft Statement of Work may be requested. All hard copy requests for the draft Statement of Work shall be in writing and may be faxed to (202) 646-3846 or emailed to Scott.Drega@fema.gov. Telephone requests will not be honored. (0213)

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