SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Analytical Services Supporting the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program
- Notice Date
- 5/25/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- Contracts Management Division 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268
- ZIP Code
- 45268
- Solicitation Number
- PR-CI-06-10768
- Response Due
- 7/1/2006
- Archive Date
- 7/31/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS FOR WRITTEN INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing market research to determine potential small business (SB) sources in preparation for a future procurement. The EPA, Office of Water, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), Technical Support Center (TSC) requires contractor support for analytical laboratory services in conjunction with implementation of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (UCMR). To ensure sufficient laboratory capacity, it is anticipated that multiple contracts will be established under this requirement as indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity type contracts. The EPA has the responsibility to investigate chemical, radiological and microbiological contaminant occurrence in order to characterize drinking water threats. While EPA relies on independent research efforts, it also is heavily engaged in conducting drinking water occurrence studies to obtain new data. The largest of these studies is the monitoring program mandated by the UCMR. The UCMR is a 5-year cyclic monitoring program, which allows OGWDW to evaluate contaminant occurrence in finished drinking water. The anticipated strategy is to select the key contaminants identified as occurrence priorities, which when combined with health effects data and available drinking water treatment technologies, enable EPA to establish National Primary Drinking Water Standards and maximize the protection of public health. The second cycle of UCMR has been proposed (UCMR2) and is expected to be promulgated in late 2006. As a means to reduce the UCMR compliance burden on small public water systems (those serving less than 10,000 individuals), EPA selects a representative sample of small systems that must comply with the UCMR monitoring requirements This procurement will specifically serve as the means for conducting these sample analyses. Successful offerors to PR-CI-06-10768 shall provide all necessary labor, materials, services, equipment, and facilities to support the tasked analytical services included in the Statement of Work. Tasks anticipated in this procurement include: 1) Conducting laboratory analyses, following all required QC using methods promulgated for UCMR2. An interested small business laboratory will need to have EPA Laboratory Approval for the List 1 Assessment Monitoring methods (EPA Methods 527 and 529), at a minimum. Additional analyses may be tasked if the small business laboratory also has EPA Laboratory Approval for the List 2 Screening Survey methods (EPA Methods 521, 525.2 and 535). 2) Providing logistical support by logging, receiving, confirming appropriate preservation, and storing field samples received at their laboratory in support of this contract. 3) Reporting results in a timely manner using an EPA specified electronic format. 4) Preparing monthly reports identifying any problems encountered as well as the status of work completed and on-going analyses. Under a separate contract vehicle, EPA will coordinate the preparation of these kits and the collection of these samples. To reiterate, laboratories will not be responsible for sample shipping costs, unless these shipping costs are the direct result of chronic sample recollections due to gross laboratory negligence or incompetence. Firms interested in this requirement need to recognize that it will need to have EPA approval (or ?pending approval?) for UCMR2 as a prerequisite to be considered for award for the request for proposal (RFP) when it is issued. To attain EPA approval, UCMR2 laboratory application(s) must be complete without unresolved deficiencies and firms must have passed an EPA offered proficiency testing (PT) study for each of the respective methods. Laboratories can learn more about the UCMR2 Laboratory Approval Program at: www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2/labs.html. The anticipated contracts will have a total potential performance period of five years. EPA estimates a sum total (adding all methods individually and multiplying by the number of applicable PWSs and anticipated sampling locations per PWS) of 41,000 sample analyses will be ordered over the five year multiple award contract term. This total includes the sum of an estimated: 9,360 analyses for EPA Method 527; 9,360 analyses for Method 529; 11,232 analyses for EPA Method 521; 5,616 analyses for EPA Method 525.2; and, 5,616 analyses for EPA Method 535. The vast majority of these analyses will be conducted during the three year monitoring period for UCMR2 (proposed to extend from July 2007 through June 2010). The standard EPAAR solicitation provisions (EPAAR 1552.209-70 and1552.209-72) require an offeror certify that it is unaware of any potential conflict of interest or disclose any potential conflict of interest which may impact their ability to impartially conduct work under the solicitation. The standard EPAAR solicitation provision (EPAAR 1552.209-71) requiring a contractor to make full disclosure of any actual or potential conflict of interest discovered after contract award will also be a part of the solicitation. The applicable NAICS code is: 541380 with a size standard of $11 million. ANY INTERESTED FIRM should submit a capability statement which demonstrates the firm?s ability to perform the key requirements described above. The capability statement should include or address: - Any correspondence that indicates your firm is actively pursuing EPA UCMR2 Laboratory Approval (i.e., copy of the laboratory's UCMR2 laboratory approval program registration sheet, or an EPA cover letter associated with the laboratory approval program). - Appropriate documentation indicating state certification, such as a copy of a state drinking water laboratory certification certificate, that demonstrates your firm's experience conducting analytical methods which utilize solid phase extraction (SPE) / gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (e.g., EPA Method 525.2). - Any documentation demonstrating your firm's experience or available instrumentation (GC/MS) that utilizes programmed temperature vaporizing (PTV) injection (as appropriate to EPA Method 529). - Any documentation demonstrating your firm's experience or available instrumentation using large volume injection / chemical ionization (CI)/GC/MS/MS (as appropriate to EPA Method 521). This is not a primary request, consequently, firms that do not have this instrumentation should simply indicate as such. Small business laboratories are encouraged to respond, even if it does not have this specific experience or instrumentation. - Any documentation demonstrating your firm's experience or available instrumentation using liquid chromatography (LC)/MS/MS (as appropriate to EPA Method 535). This is not a primary request, consequently, laboratories that do not have this instrumentation should simply indicate as such. Small business laboratories are encouraged to respond, even if your firm does not have this specific experience or instrumentation. Copies of these methods are available for down-load using the links at: www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2/methods.html. Standard company brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this sources sought synopsis. In the capabilities statements, contractors should provide their size status for the above referenced NAICS (i.e. large, small) and whether or not they are a certified HubZone, 8(a), Woman-Owned, Small Disadvantaged and/or Disabled Veteran-Owned concern. EPA reserves the right to set this action aside for Small Businesses. Responses to the above should be submitted to: David Plagge, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268 or FEDEX/handcarry to 4411 Montgomery Road, Norwood, OH 45212 or via e-mail at plagge.david@epa.gov by July 1, 2006. An RFP will be synopsized on the Fed Biz Opps Website at a later date. The current projected start date of the contract is May 1, 2007.
- Web Link
-
The Environmental Protection Agency
(http://www.epa.gov/oam/solicit)
- Record
- SN01057677-W 20060527/060525221657 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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