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

B -- COMMUTE EMPLOYMENT: IMPLICATIONS AND BEST PRACTICE APPROACHES SOL 0100RQ17067 DUE 031300 POC Dotty Quinn, Contracting Officer, (703) 787-1365 DESCRIPTION: The Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service intends to competitively award a purchase order to study the effects of commute employment and the options for managing them in the offshore oil and gas industry. The contact period is one year (12 months) from the date of award. The cost is estimated to be no more than $100,000. The following information describes the prospective efforts and advises potential offerors how to respond. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE NOTICE CARFULLY AS IT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY NOTICE THAT WIL BE ISSUED. BACKGROUND: Commute Employment (sometimes called fly-in' or long distance commute' employment) is characterized by a regular, repeated, pattern of work in which workers travel to a worksite (typically remote), for a specific work period (often a week or more) where all accommodations are provided by the employer, and then; leave the worksite and reside elsewhere with their families (if any) for a specified non-work period (also often a week or more). Indeed,commute employment differs from the traditional work systems principally because of the regularity of the extended work/non-work rotation pattern and the distinctive nature of the place-of-work/place-of-residence relationships. Other characteristics, such as the extended work day and shift arrangements, are important elements in the system. Commute work has implications for a variety of work, family, community and regional issues. The commute employment pattern was originally developed to meet the needs of the offshore oil and gas industry. Today it is estimated that the total global offshore oil and gas workforce is at about a quarter of a million people (International Labor Organization, 1993). As such the commute system gives rise to certain concerns that may be problematic for workers and their employers which reflects on MMS's responsibility to protect the human, marine and coastal environments. These problems may be related to health and safety, training or lack of, employment-related concerns, employee's families and the communities or regions in which they live. STUDY OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to examine the effects of commute employment and the options for managing them in the offshore oil and gas industry. This study will examine this with an emphasis on deepwater patterns and hazardous environments. SCOPE OF WORK: The objectives will be accomplished through three components. First, an annotated bibliography on commute employment will be developed through a literature review. Second, a discussion paper and best practices guide will build on the annotated bibliography and existing literature. Finally, the discussion paper and best practices guide will be distributed to those working in this area and provide the basis for an international review workshop at which participants would comment on the research findings and discuss their experiences, insights, practices and policies related to these matters for incorporation into the discussion paper. The analysis will be conducted at the international level. First the contractor shall conduct a literature review of important papers on commute employment, its effects and management that will be used to create an annotated bibliography, best practices guide to commute employment and discussion paper. The papers and reports will be selected in consultation with the MMS so as to ensure that the bibliography, best practices guide and discussion paper provides valuable input to ongoing MMS studies. Second the contractor shall conduct an international review workshop at which participants would comment on findings of the literature review and discuss other experiences, insights, practices and policies relevant to these matters. Finally, the contractor shall produce a discussion paper providing a summary of the use of commute employment pertaining to its effects, as revealed by the literature, key informants and professional knowledge of the principal investigators. In addition the paper will discuss examples of best practices designed to optimize these effects; and an analysis of the implications of these examples for OCS operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Alaska regions as well as international, focusing particularly on deepwater and hazardous locations. CAPABILITY STATEMENT, TECHNICAL PROPOSAL AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PLAN: In order to compete for this contract, an offeror must submit a CAPABILITY STATEMENT. Describe in detail: (1) the qualifications and specific experience of the key personnel who will have the primary responsibility for performing and managing the project; (2) the organization's experience with this type of work and a description of the facilities to be used; and (3) specific references (including project identifier and description, period of performance, dollar amount, client name and telephone number) for previous work of this nature that the organization and or key personnel has completed within the last two years or is currently performing. Also include any negative references and a rebuttal explanation. References will be checked to validate the information provided. Descriptions of key personnel should include their familiarity and understanding of OCS activities and the resulting social and economics impacts in the United States as well as Globally. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL. This proposal shall describe the methodologies that will be employed in order to achieve the Study Objectives. This shall consist of a discussion: (1) of your understanding of the project i.e. the purpose, scope, and issues; (2) your approach to completing the project; and (3) the level of difficulty you anticipate in successfully completing this project, identifying any potential problems, and your intended solutions. The components of the Scope of Work should be described with consideration to social science, thus, utilizing methodologies and theories particular to the conceptual phenomena under investigation. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PLAN: Fully discuss your plans and procedures for managing the project, your criteria for quality assurance, and for ensuring the acceptability of the end products. Discuss your organization of the project team and plans for monitoring the activities of all project personnel. Indicate any positions necessary for contract performance that are presently not filled and the anticipated date of assignment or new hire. Provide information about the work you expect to subcontract or assign to consultants. Explain the criteria you use to select proposed subcontractors and/or consultants. Key project personnel may also address any other topics considered to be pertinent to a demonstration of the knowledge, competence, and capability to perform this effort. EVALUATION FACTORS: CAPABILITY STATEMENT will be evaluated based on the following factors: (1) The skills, abilities, education, professional credential and experience of the proposed key personnel; (2) The experience and past performance of the organization, including number, size, location of projects and complexity of similar projects completed by the proposed project team and organization; and (3) Past performance includes adherence to budgets and schedules, effectiveness of cost control, the acceptability of previous products delivered, effectiveness of program management and the offerors willingness to cooperate with customers in both routine and unexpected matters. TECHNICAL EVALUATION: (1) Documentation of specific methods and techniques, detailing how each task will be performed; (2) Overall comprehensiveness and quality of the proposal; (3) Demonstrating understanding of the work, including creativity and thoroughness which supports the appropriateness of all proposed methodologies, analyses, etc. to be used in accomplishing the tasks; and (4) Anticipation of potential problem areas, and creativity/feasibility of proposed problem solution recommendations. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PLAN EVALUATION: (1) Evidence that there will be a committee Program Manager with sufficient management experience and resources and an adequate scheduling plan to ensure successful and timely completion of the project; (2) Evidence and sufficiency of a data management plan and system designed to ensure continuous evidence of data possession, comparison, and security; and (3) Appropriate mix and balance of education and training. COST PROPOSAL INFORMATION: The cost proposal shall include a statement that the offeror intends to comply with the Statement of Work. The cost proposal shall be broken down as follows: (1) Breakdown of direct labor cost by named person or labor category, including number of labor hours and current actual or average hourly rate; (2) The amount proposed for travel, subsistence, and local transportation supported with a breakdown which includes: number of trips anticipated, cost per trip per person, destination (s); proposed number of person(s) scheduled for travel, mode of transportation and mileage allowances if privately owned vehicles will be used; (3) Cost breakdown of materials and other direct costs including duplication/reproduction, meetings and conferences/workshops, postage, communication and any other applicable items; (4) If consultants are proposed, detailed data concerning proposed consultant costs should include: (1) names of consultant(s) to be engaged; (2) daily fees to be paid to each consultant; (3) estimated number of days of consulting services; (4) consulting agreements entered into between consultant(s) and the offeror, or invoices submitted by consultant(s) for similar services previously provided to the offeror; and (5) rationale for acceptance of consultants costs. HOW TO RESPOND: Offerors must submit by COB March 13, 2000, the original Technical Proposal, Capability Statement and three (3) duplicate copies to Ms. Dottie Quinn, Contracting Officer, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations Branch. 381 Elden Street. MS 2510, Hemdon, VA 20170-4817. Three (3) additional copies must be submitted to Ms. Connie Landry, Procurement Coordinator, Minerals Management Service: Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., MS 5431, New Orleans, LA 70123-2394. Posted 02/10/00 (W-SN424070). (0041)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0017 20000214\B-0004.SOL)