Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations Branch, MS2500, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817

B -- DESIGN OF A MONITORING PROTOCAL/PLAN FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT/DEVELOPMENT OF FEDERAL OFFSHORE SAND BORROW AREAS SOL 1435-01-00-RP-31051 DUE 011400 POC Lisa Goins-Berntsen, Contracting Offficer, (703) 787-1359 E-MAIL: lisa.goins@mms.gov, lisa.goins@mms.gov. The United States (U. S.) Government, and specifically, the Minerals Management Service (MMS), a bureau within the U. S. Department of the Interior, has jurisdiction over all mineral resources on the Federal OCS. Public Law 103-426, enacted October 31, 1994, gave the MMS the authority to convey, on a noncompetitive basis, the rights to OCS sand, gravel, or shell resources for shore protection, beach or wetlands restoration projects, or for use in construction projects funded in whole or part or authorized by the Federal Government. The Shore Protection Provisions of the Water Resource Development Act of 1999 (S. 507 as passed by Congress on August 4, 1999) amended that law by prohibiting charging non-Federal interests a fee for using OCS sand. To date, MMS has provided sand to the U.S. Navy to restore the beach at the Navy's Fleet Combat Training Center at Dam Neck, Virginia, to Duval County, Florida to renourish Jacksonville Beach, to the City of Virginia Beach to renourish Sandbridge Beach, and to the Park Service and the State of Maryland for the restoration of portions of Assateague Island. In the last several years severe storms and nor'easters have caused unprecedented damage to coastal resort towns along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, resulting in severe beach erosion and economic losses. High storm waters have carried away vast amounts of beach sand and breached dune systems, which protect the coastal areas and provide a source of revenue for many beach communities. Many of these areas will require extensive nourishment in the near-term to offset this damage and to prevent further damage in the event of future storms. The first line of defense against coastal storm damage is the beach and nearshore zone. Damage assessments conducted after the passage of severe storms have conclusively shown that, for areas where a wide expanse of beach or coastal sand is in-place, damage from flooding is greatly diminished or, in many cases, minimal. Where the beach is narrow or non-existent, there is no mechanism by which the wave energy can be broken down. SCOPE OF WORK: The study's objective is two-fold: (1) To provide the MMS with an appropriate and sound design for a physical/biological monitoring system to evaluate the near-term, long-term, and cumulative effects of using Federal sand borrow areas on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts; (2) To examine the feasibility and appropriateness of including Federal, State, and local authorities with an interest in the use of offshore Federal sand in a regional management concept for developing ways to assure and monitor the responsible, environmentally sound long-term management of Federal offshore sand areas. In Year 1 of the project: (1) Design and deliver to the MMS protocols for field monitoring systems to evaluate the physical and biological effects of using Federal offshore borrow areas on a near-term (one beach nourishment event) and long-term, cumulative basis (using the same borrow area on a continuous long-term basis to renourish a nearby beach or beaches); (2) Evaluate the feasibility/appropriateness/desirability of putting such a monitoring system into place taking into account: (a) cost factors to put these monitoring systems into place (b)the availability and suitability of environmental information for making lease decisions (c)the types of dredging operations and projects which should be monitored; and in addition, identify the need for collecting supplemental biological data or physical modeling information in the Federal borrows areas; (4) Identify, review, and evaluate needed environmental work and/or mechanisms (organizational, economic) to offset any potential adverse impacts; (5) Identify the need for and collection of any additional geological/geophysical data to define available sand supplies for planned projects within the study area; (6) Examine the feasibility/desirability of incorporating Federal, State, and local players with different interests and authorities in such a way that they benefit from an overall strategy to develop ways to assure and monitor the responsible, environmentally sound long-term and cost-effective management of Federal offshore sand areas and identify the relevant parties and authorities who should participate. In Year 2 of the study: If, in Year 1 of the study, the study team determines that it is feasible and appropriate to manage Federal offshore sand resources on a regional basis, develop detailed plans and fully identify the relevant parties by geographic area to meet the needs of Federal, State, and local interests to facilitate the environmentally acceptable and cost-effective near and long-term use of Federal sand borrow areas offshore the U.S. East and Gulf of Mexico coasts. In light of these issues and concerns, the MMS intends to competitively award a contract: To provide the Agency with an appropriate and sound design for a physical/biological monitoring system to evaluate the near-term, long-term, and cumulative effects of using Federal sand borrow areas on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts; To examine the feasibility and appropriateness of including Federal, State, and local authorities with an interest in the use of offshore Federal sand in a regional management concept for developing ways to assure and monitor the responsible, environmentally sound long-term management of Federal offshore sand areas. The period of performance of the resultant contract will be twenty-five (25) months with an estimated value of $300,000 to $375,000. In order to compete for this contract, an offeror must demonstrate that they are qualified to perform the work by providing, not later than COB JANUARY 14, 2000, a Capabilities Statement describing in detail: (A) Key personnel with the expertise and experience to conduct the described multidisciplinary program. The project team will be required to have: (1) A Program Manager (PM) with extensive environmental and coastal planning expertise to oversee all major management and technical aspects of the project; (2) A technical team composed of marine biologists, physical oceanographers, marine geologists, coastal engineers and planners, and dredging engineers experienced in designing coastal management systems and familiar with studies of offshore environments, dredging effects, and coastal erosion techniques. (3) Principal scientists must collectively illustrate relevant experience in the scientific disciplines demonstrated through authorship in appropriate peer-reviewed publications, work history, and professional affiliations. (B) The organization's expertise with this type of work and a description of your facilities and resources; and (C) Specific references (including project identifier and description, period of performance, dollar amount, and client name and phone number) for previous work of this nature that your organization or personnel is currently performing or has completed within the last three (3) years. REFERENCES WILL BE CHECKED. Offerors shall submit their Capabilities Statement in original and four (4) copies to Lisa Goins-Berntsen, Contracting Officer, Minerals Management Service, 381Elden Street, MS-2500, Herndon Virginia 20170-4817. Timeliness of receipt of submissions will be determined by the time received in the Procurement Operations Branch, Herndon, Virginia. Your Capabilities Statement will be evaluated based on: (A) Experience and expertise of all technical Key Personnel, their experience in the types of work proposed, and demonstrated ability to do the work. Scientific/technical personnel must collectively demonstrate relevant experience in the scientific/technical disciplines demonstrated through authorship in appropriate peer reviewed publications or appropriate work-related experience. Evaluation factors include (1). The length and quality of experience for each person assigned to perform specific tasks. (2). The level and quality of formal education in the disciplines and technical fields necessary, examining the level of relevant education attained as well as, honors, awards, and recognition of previous work. (3). Experience on similar programs on the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico or in similar areas zoogeographically and oceanographically. (B) The Project Manager shall have: (1) experience and demonstrated leadership ability required for the coordination of the study process, (2) experience in managing a large multi-disciplinary team and the interdisciplinary processes required for this study, and (3) ability to control costs and to keep project performance and document preparation on schedule; and (C) Your organization's history of (1) successful completion of similar projects (similar in size, scope, complexity, duration, and dollar value), (2) producing high-quality documents, and (3) conducting similar projects on schedule and within budget. Questions should be faxed to Lisa Goins-Berntsen at (703) 787-1387 or e-mailed to Lisa.Goins@mms.gov. All correspondence should include the RFP number, your full name/company name, address and phone and fax numbers. Requests or questions by telephone are strongly discouraged. See Note 1 Posted 12/16/99 (W-SN409149). (0350)

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