SOLICITATION NOTICE
C -- Engineering Planning Services for the Northern Guam Watershed - Irrigation Project
- Notice Date
- 7/26/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541330
— Engineering Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Hawaii State Office, P.O. Box 50004, Honolulu, HI, 96850-0002
- ZIP Code
- 96850-0002
- Solicitation Number
- AG-9251-S-06-0007
- Response Due
- 8/25/2006
- Archive Date
- 9/9/2006
- Description
- PART I - GENERAL INFORMATION A. INTRODUCTION: The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in Hawaii, announces a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Architect and Engineering (A&E) firms interested in contracting for A&E Services for engineering planning services for the Northern Guam Watershed, located on the Island of Guam. The primary goal of the Watershed Plan is to identify and evaluate potential sources of irrigation water, with particular emphasis on adequacy of volume to support agriculture through the dry season, impacts resulting from development of identified water resources and costs associated with developing the resources. The development of the water resource specifically shall include infrastructure to deliver irrigation water for agricultural operations to each landholding within the planned area. Tract 1021 (also referred to as Tract I or Tract 10120) is located in northern Guam. It is under the jurisdiction of the Chamorro Land Trust Commission (CLTC) and dedicated to long term agricultural use. The Northern Guam Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is a government entity instituted by Government of Guam Public Law 17-51. The SWCD is comprised of five board members elected by the registered farmers. The group is seeking assistance from NRCS to address an identified critical and recurring need for ample water supply for farmers in Tract 1021 in the villages of Dededo and Yigo. More than 70 farmers hold long term agricultural leases in the 817 acre project area. THIS PROCUREMENT IS UNRESTRICTED and is therefore open to all businesses regardless of size. The primary North American Industrial Classification System Code (NAICS) is 541310, and the small business size standard is $4.5 million. Firms will be selected for negotiation based on demonstrated competence for the required work. The Government contemplates the award of a firm-fixed price contract resulting from this competition. B. STATEMENT OF WORK: The Contractor shall perform watershed planning to determine the quantity of irrigation water required to address agricultural needs for the planned area, possible sources of supplemental irrigation water, appropriate configurations (layout, sizes) of water distribution systems to the various parcels within the planned area. The distribution system(s) may be independent of the water source however each potential source of irrigation water shall have a distribution system capable of delivering the necessary water to the various landholdings in the planned area. Specifically the watershed plan shall include the costs and impacts (environmental, economic and social) of each irrigation water source and distribution configuration in accordance with NRCS policy, Federal and Territorial laws and regulations. The technical feasibility (practicality of installation, system capacity, design life, etc.) of each evaluated water source and distribution system will be documented with maps, survey, computations, etc. in accordance with sound engineering practice. The Contractor shall provide all expertise in agronomy, engineering, geology, hydrology, cultural resources, economics, and environmental/regulatory issues necessary to develop detailed alternative solutions to the problem of dry season water shortages. The final product will be in the form of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) sufficient in detail and supporting documentation to be published for public comment and input. Possible scenarios might include, but are not limited to, collection of water (runoff from impervious and low infiltration areas) combined with large storage capacity, minimal wells and sufficient storage to provide water over the duration of the dry season, a large number of wells and minimal storage (for regulating flow rather than depending on pump pressure to deliver water through the system), Anticipated well yields shall be estimated on proposed locations and geologic information at the proposed location or if utilizing existing wells, known sustainable yield for the well. C. SPECIFIC ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY THE CONTRACTOR: 1. Develop a Schedule of Work conforming to all applicable NRCS policy and criteria. The plan shall include specific tasks with due dates for completion of the tasks and shall be in conformance with the Plan of Work, Exhibit 1 in the specifications. 2. Assess the current condition of the planned area: physical boundaries, current land use, current available water supply, current agricultural water requirements, pertinent cultural resources present, relevant biologic concerns (flora and fauna), topographic, soil and geologic features, and socio-economic conditions (population, land use, regulations, general economics). 3. Develop and document alternative solutions addressing any determined agricultural water shortages anticipated during dry seasons. Alternatives will necessarily consider and anticipate changes in land use resulting from any increase in water availability resulting from the implementation of the alternative, i.e. should more water become available, it is likely that more land will be under intense agriculture use than the current situation. In short, some anticipation of the future condition of the planned area must be included as part of the planning effort. 4. Coordinate activities during the alternative development process with the Sponsors (Guam Department of Agriculture, the Northern Guam Soil and Water Conservation District), and USDA NRCS. This will be accomplished with meetings with representatives of the four parties (NRCS, Northern Guam SWCD, Government of Guam Department of Agriculture) no less frequently than once per month during the performance period. More frequent meetings may be required and other parties may have interest or need to participate in the meetings, e.g. Guam Waterworks Authority, Guam Department of Public Works, Chamorro Land Trust Commission, etc. 5. The performance time is one hundred twenty (120) calendar days from NRCS acceptance of the mutually agreed to schedule of work submitted by the Contractor. The final product will meet the requirements as listed in the Specifications. D. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor will furnish all equipment, personnel and materials to perform the tasks listed in the specifications. The project will require knowledge and experience in land use planning, water supply and distribution planning, agriculture, possibly surveying, completing economic analysis and assessing current biological, cultural resource, social and environmental conditions and impacts of potential alternatives. Formulation and evaluation of alternatives will likely include literature search, contact with affected landowners, public utilities, project sponsors, regulatory authorities, the general public, and others. Site investigation for the area to be planned is essential as is documentation of the data gathered (digital photographs, spreadsheets, documents, maps, notes, etc.). PART II - PRE-SELECTION CRITERIA Only firms meeting the following criteria will be considered for further evaluation 1. Employ two (2) engineers on a full time basis with one registered in the Territory of Guam. Engineering experience will be at least for distinct experiences in the planning or design of water supply, water distribution, and/or irrigation type water resource projects. 2. Have either in-house or available as a subcontractor a source for performing topographic surveys. Four distinct topographic survey experiences must be listed on the submitted Standard Form 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications. 3. Demonstrate sufficient capacity and experience in-house, or have ability to access in a timely fashion for duration of the contract, the necessary professional expertise to conduct planning activities in accordance with procedures established in Economic & Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies and the NRCS documentation cited previously. PART III - SELECTION CRITERIA Firms meeting the pre-selection criteria will be evaluated and ranked using the following selection criteria: 1. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence in the Type of Work Required (40%) 2. Professional Qualifications Necessary for Satisfactory Performance (20%). 3. Capacity to Accomplish the Work (20%) 4. Past Performance on Contracts with Government Agencies and Private Sector (20%). PART IV - CONTACT INFORMATION Firms which meet the criteria?s described in this announcement are invited to submit four (4) copies the completed Standard Form 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, by 2:00 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time (HST), August 25, 2006, as well as any information that will assist with evaluation on the selection criteria, to the Contracting Officer at the following address: Keith Y. Harada, Contract Specialist USDA, NRCS 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 4-118 P.O. Box 50004 Honolulu, HI 96850 Phone: (808) 541-2600 ext. 116 FAX: (808) 541-2613 E-Mail: keith.harada@hi.usda.gov Only those firms responding by that time will be considered for selection. After an initial evaluation, which may take up to thirty (30) calendar days, the most highly rated firm will be selected. Any questions should be addressed to the Contracting Officer. In order to comply with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, all contractors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a Federal Contract. For information regarding registration, contact the CCR website at www.ccr.gov.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Northern Guam Watershed
- Country: GUAM
- Country: GUAM
- Record
- SN01098109-W 20060728/060726220341 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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