U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/OFA/AGFS/AMD -- OFA51, 1305 East West Highway -- Station 7604, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

R -- ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES SOL 40AATA-8-09112 DUE 081798 POC Contract Specialist, Mary B. Kreh, 301/713-0829x202;Contracting Officer, Norbert F. Szymanski, Jr., 301/713-0829x207 R -- The Department of Commerce (DOC), International Trade Administration(ITA), Environmental Technologies Export Office (ETE), whose mission is to support the export of U.S. environmental technologies, has been the leading point of contact within the U.S. Government for U.S. environmental firms since the office's creation in 1994. To achieve this mission, ETE has sponsored a variety of products and services, such as publications, trade missions, technical seminars, outreach conferences, and training programs designed to support a broad range of U.S. firms seeking to export environmental technologies. For example, responding early on to the industry's need for more market research specific to the environmental sector, ETE developed country specific Environmental Technologies Export Market Plans (EMPs) focused on the Big Emerging Markets. With more than a dozen of these EMPs now available, these studies have become a signature publication for the office. However, ETE has also released special topic reports, such as the Water and Wastewater Treatment Export Market Plan, the National Environmental Exporters Resource Guide, and a soon-to-be released Financing Environmental Projects report. Given ETE's small staff, and the substantial demands on the Commercial Service staff overseas, ETE has worked closely with contractors and with partner organizations (e.g national trade associations, state environmental business councils, etc.), to produce these reports. In addition, ETE has organized domestic outreach conferences in various cities of strategic interest to the office, such as those where there is strong concentration of environmental firms. These conferences have been used to familiarize firms in the particular region not just with ETE, but with the wide range of government and private sector resources available to help them in their export efforts. Also, ETE has worked with Embassies and Consulates to organize trade promotion events overseas, such as technical seminars, training seminars and trade missions; and domestically, particularly reverse trade missions. These events require extensive efforts to recruit U.S. firms on the domestic end, and similar work to recruit speakers and participants on the foreign country end. The success of such events hinges on the ability to identify solid project leads and representatives of those projects within the foreign country. DOC then organizes business meetings around these opportunities for U.S. firms. As many of these building blocks have been put in place, and more is learned about the needs of U.S. environmental exporters, ETE is looking to become more strategic and focused in these activities. As such, ETE is currently considering several activities, but is still evaluating the viability of some, and the best timing for those activities. As part of this contract, the contractor may be asked to provide some research support or develop "think pieces" to help ETE evaluate specific project proposals before a final commitment is made on a proposed activity. This would ensure that the activity leverages existing programs and activities, and is relevant to the most immediate export interests of the U.S. environmental industry. Therefore, ETE will develop detailed statements of work for specific task orders to be performed by the successful bidder until the contract ceiling is achieved. In order to make best use of its limited resources, ETE requires a contractor with capabilities to support a wide range of activities. An illustrative list, divided into three categories, is provided below. All project examples are under active consideration within ETE, although task orders would likely be prepared for only a subset of these projects. It is also possible that new project ideas could be formulated as a result of work under this contract, although these prospective tasks would still fall into one of the three categories listed below. (1) Market Research and analyses related to the environmental and clean energy sectors -- (a) Environmental Technologies Export Market Plans on new markets. Markets under consideration include: Saudi Arabia, Japan, Vietnam, Central Asia, and the Black Sea; (b) A market research study on commercial opportunities for U.S. environmental and clean energy firms arising from the Climate Change Treaty; (c) Building on the Water and Wastewater Treatment Export Market Plan, released by ETE in 1997, a strategic assessment of opportunities for U.S. firms in this market segment, and recommendations to ETE on how the office can best work with the private sector to position U.S. water firms to compete for these opportunities. (2) Domestic Seminars, Roundtables, Conferences -- Building on the soon-to-be released Roadmap for Financing Environmental Exports, work with ETE to identify and recommend follow-on activities aimed at developing a dialogue between the U.S. environmental industry and the finance sector with the goal of improving the ability of U.S. environmental firms to develop and present "bankable" projects. (3) International Seminars, Roundtables, Conferences -- (a) Development of seminars that seek to match environmental solutions available in the U.S. to specific industry sectors where pollution control is needed. For example, a seminar might focus on environmental solutions for the mining industry in Chile; water and wastewater treatment systems for the hotel industry in Mexico and the Caribbean; air pollution control technologies for the power sector in India; and (b) Develop and organize a technical seminar on water utility life cycle management in a target country overseas (candidates under discussion include Chile, Egypt, Philippines, Poland, and South Africa). Technical Proposal/Evaluation Criteria: To support these programs, and to help ETE fully assess the viability of activities under consideration, ETE requires a contractor with broad international experience and capabilities. Each bidder is requested to submit a technical proposal addressing the following evaluation criteria, which are presented in descending order of importance. (1) Experience in, and knowledge of, global environmental markets, including trends, U.S. industry strengths and weaknesses, and legal and regulatory regimes in foreign countries (notably the DOC-defined Big Emerging Markets). (2) Experience and knowledge of the water sector, encompassing water treatment (potable water), wastewater treatment, quantity issues, and reuse and recycling. This should include an understanding of technologies and services involved in such projects, U.S. firms that offer these technologies and services, and overseas markets that represent solid opportunities for U.S. firms. (3) Experience and knowledge of the clean energy sector, encompassing the renewable energy and energy efficiency market segments. This expertise should include knowledge of technologies and services available for such projects, U.S. firms that offer these technologies and services, and overseas markets that represent opportunities for U.S. firms. Current knowledge regarding the status of the Climate Change Treaty is also important. (4) Proven ability to research and write international market research reports; and (5) Ability to organize seminars, roundtables and conferences both domestically and internationally. To demonstrate this capability, the successful bidder shall have at least one regional overseas office in each of our major target regions (Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa), or partners in each of these regions, or a proven ability to organize overseas events from a U.S.-based location, or some combination of all three. Cost Proposal: Bidders are to submit a cost proposal with category names, fully loaded salary rates/hour and a complete cost breakdown (base rate, fringe, overhead, etc.) for each salary rate. Award will be based on the best value to the Government with technical more important than cost. The Government anticipates award of this requirement no later than September 30, 1998 with all tasks to be performed within twelve (12) months. No Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation document will be prepared. This announcement is the Government's request for technical and cost proposals. Written technical questions will be accepted by fax 301/713-0809 up to and including fifteen (15) calendar days after publication of this notice. Responses to written questions will be published in the CBD on the sixteenth (16th) calendar day (or the next business day). Late questions may not be addressed. Questions by telephone will not be answered. Two (2) copies each of technical and cost proposals are to be submitted no later than 12:00 noon DST, August 17, 1998 to the following address: U.S. DOC/NOAA, Acquisition Management Division (OFA513), 1305 East West Highway, Sta #7443, Silver Spring, MD 20910, Attn: Mary B. Kreh. Anticipated award value is $90,000.00. This is a Small Business Set-Aside. Offerors are to submit a copy of their GSA Supply Schedule Contract if available. Posted 07/13/98 (W-SN222342). (0194)

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