U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268

B -- ANALYSIS FOR DRINKING WATER SAMPLES FOR CCL COMPOUNDS SOL CWX055 DUE 090800 POC Barbara Curtiss at 513-487-2036 or fax No. 513-487-2109 E-MAIL: U.S. EPA, Cincinnati Contracts Management Division, curtiss.barbara@epamail.epa.gov. The U.S. EPA is seeking a qualified contractor to provide services as specified in this combined synopsis/request for quote (RFQ). This is a small business set aside and award will be made under the procedures of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition. The requirement is as follows: the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) mandates the EPA to establish a listof unregulated microbiological and chemical contaminants to aid in priority setting for the Agency's drinking water program. This list is referred to as the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). The EPA is conducting in-house research associated with chemicals on the CCL. This project involves the evaluation of conventional water treatment for the removal of the CCL chemicals from drinking water. Contractor is to analyze samples from in-house projects examining removal efficiencies for the CCL chemicals by conventional drinking water treatments. To reach QC/QA needs, the contractor shall use EPA methods for the analyses, to have acceptable minimum detection levels (MDL) for all analytes as described in the method, and where applicable, to be certified by EPA and/or the appropriate state agency for requested analyte. See atch A for analytes, recommended methods and required certification. Some requested analytes do not currently have an approved method but it is anticipated that these methods may become certified in the near term. Should an analytical method be recommended for the three analytes the current method pricing should prevail. Should no method be certified, additional requests for other analytes may be substituted. Samples will primarily be drinking water, spiked with the analyte of interest, that has undergone drinking water treatment e.g., membrane filtration, coagulation of GAC filtration. Twenty to Thirty samples will be generated per week. Some weeks may have forty, while some weeks may have none. In total, the vendor will analyze 700 samples. The purchase order will include an option of 280 additional samples. The option for the additional samples may be exercised unilaterally by the Government. Quotes shall include the following items A thru F. (A) The cost per sample per analytical method for the 700 sample analyses. The approx. percentage of samples by analytical method should be: 6% [502.2(alt 524.2)]; 33% [507(alt 525.2)]; 10% [508(alt.1)]; 3% [515.2]; 7% [524.2]; 7%[525.2]; 17%[8270]; 3%[8141]; 7%[8321]; and 7%[other]. (B) The cost per sample per analytical method for the additional 280 samples. (C) The cost of attending a one-day project review meeting in Cincinnati within three weeks after the award of the contract. At this time,draft copies of "Chain of Custody:, "Sample Analysis" and "QA/QC" forms shall be reviewed. Revisions, based on the EPA Project Officer's (PO) comments shall be submitted within two weeks. The awardee shall comply with the QA/QC requirements as delineated in Attachment AA. (D) The quote should include all associated costs with sample handling and analytical reporting. The vendor shall provide sample containers, preservatives and sample transportation. The vendor shall supply these within 48 hrs of the request, excluding weekends and holidays. The EPA PO will provide several days notice of the need for sampling supplies. The vendor shall package the refrigerated samples at the EPA facility at 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 and deliver the samples to the vendor's laboratory. Samples shall be stored and processed according to the method's sample handling procedures. Since some analytes require extraction within 4 hrs of collection, overnight delivery may be inappropriate and a local facility will be required. Within 72 hrs of sample pick-up, the contract laboratory will notify/confirm receipt of samples to the EPA PO by verbal or e-mail communication. The analysis reports should be delivered to the EPA PO within 21 days of receipt of the samples. The report should be in a hard copy and electronic (ASCII, EXCELL, QUATTRO) format. The awardee shall comply with the report content requirements as delineated in Atch AA. During the period of the purchase order, the contractor shall inform the EPA PO, by telephone, of any problems that may affect the performance of the contract. Corrective actions shall then be made. (E) The vendor shall also provide, alone with the quote, evidence of EPA/State certification and the latest Performance Evaluation Study results for any of the following methods, if referenced in the quote, 502.2, 507, 508, 508.1, 515.2, 524.2 or 525.2. (F) The vendor shall demonstrate expertise with the methods by providing, along with the quote, any control charts/tables for blanks, spikes, duplicates, internal standards, surrogates and method detection limit studies for the most recent six months of analyses. These charts/tables shall describe the number, frequency and standard concentrations of such tests performed. Prior to the award, the EPA may require the vendor to analyze, at the vendor's expense, 3 to 5 QA/QC samples provided by the EPA. Attachment AA-QA Requirements -- All method specific QA/QC requirements shall be implemented in the performance of the contract samples. This includes, but is not limited to, requirements for sample storage, holding times, use of laboratory check standards, initial demonstration of capability, performing a method detection limit study, calibratin (both initial and continuing calibration checks), assessment of surrogate and internal standards. If any method specific QC protocol does not meet method specific criteria and if corrective actions can not resolve the failure, then sample analysis shall stop until the EPA PO, or his designee, can be contacted for guidance. Because these are requirements of the method, analysis of any of the above are not directly chargeable as an analysis. The following additional guidance is provided for performing spikes and laboratory duplicates. Depending on project design, these may be requested by the EPA PO in addition to the method specific requirements. Spikes sample analysis requirements: Samples from the contract shall be spiked at a frequency so that 5% of the total contract specific samples are spiked. The selection for spiking should be fairly randomized to be performed approx. every 20th sample. Spiking on specific samples may be rquested by the EPA PO and would be indicated either in a memorandum, e-mail or on chain of custody sheets. Acceptable spike rceovery is considered as being in the range of 70-130%. If this spike recovery is not met, and corrective actions can not bring the recovery into acceptable limits, the laboratory shall immediately contact the EPA PO for advice on how to proceed. Laboratory duplicate analysis requirements: Samples from this contract shall be duplicated at a frequency so that 5% of th total contract specific samples are duplicated. The selection for duplication should be fairly randomized to be performed approximately every 20th sample. Duplication on specific samples may be requested by EPA PO and would be indicated either in a memo, e-mail or on chain of custody sheets. Acceptable relative percent difference (RPD) is considered as being less than 20% when samples have concentrations above the low standard of the calibration curve. If this RPD is not met, and corrective actions can not bring the RPD into acceptable limits, the laboratory shall immediately contact the EPA PO for advice on how to proceed. Data Pkg Requirements: The following items shall be provided in all data packages delivered to the EPA PO: (1) A listing of all samples and the results of each sample analysis, listing the specific analytes and method. Additional information to be included is sample collection date, sample extraction date (if applicable) and sample analysis date; (2) Results that require additional explanation (e.g., estimated values, values where there was a QC result that failed criteria, etc.), shall be clearly flagged, with an accompanying definition of each flag utilized; (3) A full and complete reporting of spike and duplicate sample analyses, including the percent recovery and RPD, respectively; (4) A copy of the chromatogram shall be included for each sample; (5) A copy of all initial calibration curves (the first time generated and any full calibrations, performed throughout the contract period that have a direct association with contract samples) and any continuing calibrations, along with an assessment of the acceptability of the complete full calibration or calibration check; (6) The results of any and all QC checks performed that are directly associated with the contract samples. This includes lab performance check standards, quality controls samples, surogates (if used), lab reagent blanks and lab fortified blanks/sample matrix; (7) Any case narrative necessary for communicting anomalies or other information that the lab deems as pertinent or might be needed by the EPA PO to aid in the interpretation of the data presented. Records Management -- The lab shall maintain records of all raw data and lab notebooks for a period of one year after completion of the last sample associated with this contract. Records that shall be maintained include logbooks, extraction records, chain of custody records, chromatograms, quantitation reports, etc. In short, all the records that are needed to reconstruct the entire analysis/reporting system specific to the laboratory. Only those responsive vendors that request a fax copy of the Attached A, Analyte Method References, will be faxed a copy. Fax to the attention of Barbara Curtiss at 513-487-2109 or mail your request to U.S. EPA, my attention, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268. NO TELEPHONE REQUEST WILL BE HONORED. Award will be made to the lowest price vendor that meet all the minimum requirements specified above. Request for the attachment must be received within 15 days of the posting of this announcement. Posted 08/25/00 (W-SN490456). (0238)

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