SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Commercialization Training and Technical Assistance for Partnership for Clean Indoor Air
- Notice Date
- 9/15/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Administrative Contract Service Center, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Nw, Washington, DC 20460
- ZIP Code
- 20460
- Solicitation Number
- RFQ-DC-05-00464
- Response Due
- 9/27/2005
- Archive Date
- 10/27/2005
- Description
- NAICS Code: 541620 This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, Subpart 13.106 and 13.5 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; offers are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Request for quotation number RFQ-DC-05-00464 shall be referenced on any quotation. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect thru Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-05. The NAICS and small business size standard for this project are 541620/$6.0 million. Only one award will result from this solicitation, via the issuance of a time-and-materials purchase order. STATEMENT OF WORK - Commercialization Training and Technical Assistance for Partnership for Clean Indoor Air Pilot Projects. This Statement of Work outlines tasks for the implementation of an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to provide support to Partnership for Clean Indoor Air pilot projects and Partners to promote new technology that reduces indoor air pollution. Specifically, the Contractor shall build the capacity of local Partners to develop a robust business strategy framework with which to evaluate, roll out and monitor household energy programs aimed at reducing indoor air pollution (IAP) in developing countries. The Contractor shall use easy to use, available, field tested and proven materials to help Partners evaluate and select the right household cooking and/or heating technology based on customer needs, and ensure that a self-sustaining delivery system is in place to support the program scale-up. The Contractor shall conduct regional workshops and provide individual technical assistance to pilot project grantees, government programs, and non-governmental organizations in several countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE - The estimated period of performance for this requirement is from the date of award through September 30, 2006. BACKRGOUND - Some three billion people worldwide burn traditional biomass (e.g., wood, dung, crop residues) and coal indoors for home cooking and heating. The number of people using these fuels is expected to rise substantially by 2020. According to the World Health Organization, this widespread use results in the premature deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people each year from breathing elevated levels of indoor smoke, with women and children being most significantly affected. Indoor air pollution from household energy ranks as the fourth leading environmental health risk in poor developing countries. In response to this challenge, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, along with other governments and organizations, launched the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002. The Partnership's mission is to improve health, livelihood, and quality of life by reducing exposure to indoor air pollution from household energy use. The Partnership is focusing on four priority areas: incorporating social and cultural practices to promote adoption of new technology; developing local sustainable markets for improved technology; improving the design and performance of indigenous technologies; and monitoring indoor air pollution, health and other impacts of the interventions. The EPA is funding projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to identify and demonstrate effective approaches for increasing the use of clean, reliable, affordable, efficient, and safe home cooking and heating practices that reduce people's exposure to indoor air pollution. This Statement of Work focuses on providing EPA and its global Partners a consistent approach and a common vocabulary to expedite comprehensive assessments of local markets and devise appropriate regional strategies for implementing indoor air pollution programs. In addition, it will provide the tools and techniques required to develop and manage a sustainable business model which can be scaled up through the region, and a mechanism to share lessons learned and helpful tools among other members of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air to support local market initiatives. This type of information, training and technical assistance is vital for successful implementation of improved household energy programs, and will form the basis of more effective regional and global solutions to indoor air quality management problems. OBJECTIVES: This Statement of Work has four objectives: 1) Implement an available, field tested and proven business strategy framework with selected Partners to evaluate, roll out and monitor household cooking device programs aimed at reducing the level of indoor air pollution in developing countries; 2) At a minimum, the business toolkit should include the following components: a) Macro Environment: What is the local environment in which we are operating? b) Customer & Demand: Who is our customer, how can we best serve them and what is the anticipated demand? c) Supply: What is the best way to get the right product to the right place at the right price at the right time? and d) Sustainability & Scale Up: How do we ensure that the programme is sustainable and scalable?; 3) Build the capacity of local Partners to apply a business strategy framework to ensure that the local project provides a customer needs driven solution supported by a sustainable business model in order to provide maximum benefit to the IAP affected households; 4) Use the experience gained in selected geographies to help inform the regional and global strategies for the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air. TASKS: Task 1: Project Plan and Monthly Conference Calls - The Contractor shall provide the EPA Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) with a project plan and a schedule of activities within thirty (30) days of receipt of contract. The contractor and EPA will have monthly conference calls to discuss implementation of the SOW. Task 2: Project Launch - Facilitate initial workshop in each of the three regions (dates and locations to be identified in consultation with COR and local Partners) to introduce the business strategy framework; Agree on work plan (schedule, resources, and tasks) including the level of support required to each of the local Partners in the relevant region. Once the level of support is determined, the Contractor will feedback to the COR whether the allocation of days to that specific local Partner is appropriate or whether it should be increased or decreased. Based on the recommendation, the COR will agree with the Contractor on any reallocation of the total consultancy days and corresponding updates to the program plan; Start initial data gathering and walk through the templates for each module of the business toolkit. Task 3: Data Collection & Analysis - During this activity, the Contractor will provide support to the local Partner to complete the following activities: Collect data for analysis of macro environment, customer and demand, supply, and sustainability modules of the business strategy framework; Analyze data for macro environment and customer and demand modules; Weekly conference calls/status reports between Contractor and local Partner to monitor progress and manage identified risks regarding the timing for the project and scope; Remote support (e-mail and telephone) by Contractor to local partner during the period of this project. Task 4: Market Strategy Support - The Contractor will work with the local partner to support the development of the supply and sustainability modules and assist in the data analysis and interpretation of results. Task 5: Strategic Planning - Following the completion of the regional IAP market strategy, the Contractor will spend time with each local partner in the relevant country for a mutually agreed number of consultancy days during the project with the aim of identifying any major gaps that may exist between the market strategy and the current position (based on the sustainability checklist developed under Task 4); The Contractor will work with the local partner to develop an action plan to resolve the gaps identified by using the sustainability checklist. The action plan will feed in to the development of the business plan for the scale up of the IAP reduction strategy resulting in a business plan for the relevant region. DELIVERABLES - 1) Facilitate three regional workshops (dates, locations and attendees to be identified in consultation with COR) to introduce the business framework strategy and develop work plans (schedule, resources, tasks) including the level of support required to each of the local partners. 2) Work with a minimum of four local Partners (to be identified in consultation with COR) to conduct an assessment of the macro environment, including IAP exposure profile, market analysis and industry analysis. Prepare detailed reports including an IAP exposure profile, market context (country and regional), and cooking device industry overview (e.g., supplier, product). 3) Work with a minimum of four local Partners (identified above) to conduct an assessment of customer and demand, including customer analysis, market strategy and demand forecast. Prepare detailed reports, including customer profiles (needs/behavior), customer segments and segment sizes, product type selection, product price, marketing mix per segment, and demand forecast. 4) Work with a minimum of four local Partners (identified above) to conduct a supply assessment, including such things as product feasibility analysis, supply chain stakeholders, core supply chain processes, and supply chain management. Prepare detailed reports of the product/supplier selection, supply chain stakeholder value propositions, supply chain processes (buy, make, fulfil), product cost, production schedule, and optimal supply model. 5) Work with a minimum of four local Partners (identified above) to conduct a sustainability assessment, including such things as business model definition, financial analysis, sustainability analysis, and scalability strategy. Prepare detailed reports of the business and financial model, stakeholder value propositions, financing requirements, sustainability checklist, and scalability approach. 6) A trip report for each trip taken to Asia, Africa and Latin America outlining achievement of training objectives, results from the training, and an assessment of technical assistance needs shall be provided to the EPA Project Officer within 15 days after each trip; and 7) Final written report to the COR after the project is completed; outlining the activities undertaken, the number of people trained, and recommended next steps in the region for developing sustainable local markets home cooking and/or heating technologies. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS - The Contractor shall be required to identify themselves as Contractor employees for the EPA. This includes requirements for the Contractor to always identify themselves orally by their name and organization. In meeting the requirements of this Purchase Order, the Contractor shall be in a support role and will not be involved in the development of EPA policy, nor in any other act which is an inherently governmental function. All materials, reports and results of this Purchase Order will be the property of the EPA and available for dissemination to the public through such vehicles as the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air website, quarterly bulletin and publications. BASIS FOR AWARD: The Government will make award to the responsive, responsible firm, whose quotation is most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. This is a best-value procurement. The Government may or may not award to the low price quotation. For this requirement, all evaluation factors other than cost or price are of equal importance which are: 1) Technical Merit - The Government will evaluate the offeror's knowledge of business strategies with which to evaluate, roll out and monitor household energy programs aimed at reducing indoor air pollution in developing countries; capacity to conduct business training and provide technical assistance to local Partners to develop and manage a sustainable business model; and use of available, easy-to-use field tested and proven business development materials. 2) Past Experience - The Government will evaluate the offeror's past experience conducting business training for a wide range of international participants, including ability to communicate business information in an easy to understand format; supporting international non-governmental organizations, organizations with the development of local market strategies and scalability business plans; and providing field-based business and technology services to the development sector. 3) Cost-Price: The Government will evaluate the total expected cost of performing this work. The Government anticipates award of a purchase order on a time and material basis. The provision at FAR 52.212-1 "Instructions to Offerors-Commercial" applies to this acquisition. Offerors are to include a completed copy of FAR provision 52.212-3 "Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items" with their response. The following FAR clauses also apply: 52.212-4 -"Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items", 52.212-5 "Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items", with the following clauses cited in 52.212-5 being applicable to this acquisition: 52.222-3 "Convict Labor", 52.222-21 "Prohibition of Segregated Facilities", 52.222-26 "Equal Opportunity", 52.222-35 "Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans", 52.222-36 "Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities", 52.222-37 "Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans", 52.225-13 "Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases", and 52.232-33 "Payment of Electronic Funds Transfer - Central Contractor Registration" and 52.232-34 "Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - Other than Central Contractor Registration". The aforementioned provision and clauses can be accessed electronically at http://www.arnet.gov/far and http://www.gsa.gov/far. Prospective sources are reminded that award can only be made to a Contractor who is registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS REQUEST FOR QUOTATION: Offerors shall provide a project plan (no more than 10 pages) that describes the Offeror's ability to satisfy the Government's requirements as set forth in the Statement of Work, including technical expertise in providing field-based business and technology services to the development sector; capacity to conduct business training for a wide range of international participants, including the ability to communicate business information in an easy to understand format; and experience supporting international non-governmental organizations with the development of local market strategies and scalability business plans. In addition to the project plan, Offerors shall submit the proposed business toolkit to be used to meet the requirements of this Contract. In addition, Offerors shall submit a labor-hour quote by task, including all estimated costs including direct, indirect costs, and other direct costs (ODC's), including travel and a ceiling price for this requirement. The Government's estimated level of effort for this requirement is approximately 1,200 hours with a breakdown as follows: 120 hours for preparing and conducting three (3) regional workshops; 1,000 hours for implementing business toolkit with a minimum of four (4) Partners; and 80 hours for report preparation. For ODC purposes, the Government estimates three-week trips for training and work plan implementation for the following: one trip to Latin America; one trip to Africa and one trip to Asia. Finally, Offerors shall provide a completed FAR 52.212-3. All questions concerning this RFQ must be submitted in writing and faxed to (202) 565-2554 or e-mailed to roberson.denise@epa.gov. No telephonic response to this solicitation will be accepted. Due date for receipt of responses to this RFQ will be 4:30 PM/EDT, 09-27-05 to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, ATTN: Denise Roberson 3803R, Washington, DC 20460 via U.S. mail; or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Acquisition Management, BID AND PROPOSAL ROOM, Mail Code 3802R, Ronald Reagan Building, 6th Floor, Room 61107, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 via commercial delivery; or e-mail at roberson.denise@epa.gov. Electronic responses are preferred. Point of contact: Denise Roberson, Contract Specialist, Phone (202) 564-4899.
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