SOURCES SOUGHT
U -- Request for Information - Environmental Response Training Program
- Notice Date
- 9/21/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Acquisition Management, EPA/Headquarters, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., 3801R, Washington, DC, 20460
- ZIP Code
- 20460
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-PR-C-ERTP-06
- Response Due
- 10/27/2006
- Archive Date
- 11/10/2006
- Description
- THIS RFI CAN BE VIEWED IN PDF FORMAT AT http://www.epa.gov/oamsrpod/ersc/ERTP/ERTP%20RFI.pdf. Request for Information (RFI) for Planning Purposes ONLY: DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION REQUESTED The purpose of this RFI is to gather industry input on the proposed pricing structure of the follow-on Environmental Response Training Program contract. The current contract (68-C-03-039) will expire on January 31, 2008, and EPA is in the early stages of developing the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the follow-on contract. The Government requests that industry review the proposed contract pricing structure and the attached PWS and provide comments. The Government intends to review the comments from and take them into consideration when developing the final RFP. CURRENT CONTRACT PRICING STRUCTURE The current contract type is Cost-Plus Fixed Fee. Other direct costs such as travel, shipping, supplies, and subcontractors are cost reimbursable. The period of performance of the contract is five years, with no option periods. Offerors should read Exhibit 2, Performance Work Statement, for complete details of the tasks performed under the current contract. PROPOSED PRICING STRUCTURE The proposed pricing structure for the follow-on contract will include a Fixed-Price portion, an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) portion, Option Quantities, and Option Periods. Fixed Price The proposed fixed price portion will include presentation and routine updating of all core-training courses listed in Exhibit 1. The duration of each course is generally five days and will be conducted at locations throughout the country. The frequency of when each course will be offered is provided in Exhibit 1. Travel costs will be reimbursable as an Other Direct Cost in accordance with FAR Part 31.205-46. A fixed price shall be provided for each course per contract year. IDIQ It is anticipated that the IDIQ portion will be used for development of new courses, significant editing of existing courses, or in any other situation deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer. The IDIQ portion will NOT be used for routine development of courses. The contracting officer will authorize the use of the IDIQ portion. It is anticipated that the IDIQ portion will be used sparingly. Optional Quantities Optional quantities will be available for additional offerings of each course. It is anticipated that the optional quantities will be exercised in blocks of five (5) additional course offerings, and will be available for each course. For instance, if at the time of contract award, the Advanced Groundwater Investigation (AGWI) (165.7) course is scheduled to be offered 30 times throughout the entire period of performance of the contract and additional offerings are necessary, the contracting officer will exercise one option quantity for five (5) additional courses. The additional courses will be priced per the current year fixed price. Optional Period/Award Term It is anticipated that the base period of the contract will be three (3) years and the Government will have the option to extend that period of performance either through option periods, or through award terms. Option periods or award terms may be for one year each or two years each, the final structure of the period of performance has not yet been determined. The maximum period of performance of this contract will be five (5) years. Whether the Government chooses option periods or award terms, the decision to extend the period of performance will be made by the government and will be based on contractor performance, availability of funding, and the Government?s continued need for the requirement. WHAT SHOULD BE PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI Respondents to this RFI are asked to provide comments on the pricing structure as set forth above and/or the PWS. You should also provide any other substantive comments you feel are relevant. Capability statements, white paper, or other brochure materials should not be provided. The Government is interested in substantive comments on the proposed pricing structure and /or PWS. Information should be as succinct as possible. Elaborate responses describing a respondents capabilities are neither wanted nor desired. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). In accordance with FAR 15.209(c), responses to this RFI are not offers and will not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will not award a contract on the basis of this RFI. Although ?proposal? and ?offeror? are used in this Request for Information, response will be treated as information only. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. All information regarding this RFI will be posted at http://www.epa.gov/oamsrpod/ersc/ERTP/ERTP%20RFI.pdf. CONTACT INFORMATION Please submit your response to this RFI via email to Sandra Rivera at rivera.sandra@epa.gov by 4:00 P.M. EST on October 27, 2006. All questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted by October 6, 2006. Answers to all questions regarding this RFI will be posted on this website. Or by US Mail or overnight commercial carrier to: Sandra Rivera US Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Mail Code: 3805R Washington, DC 20460 Note: All mail sent to EPA via US Postal Service is irradiated prior to delivery; anticipate 2-3 weeks for delivery and damage similar to exposure to high heat. NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED Exhibit 1 CLASSROOM COURSES # of Times Course Offered Per Year 1. Advanced Groundwater Investigations (AGWI) (165.7) 1 2. Air Monitoring for Emergency Response (165.4) 9 3. Air Monitoring for Hazardous Materials (165.4) 1 4. Chemistry For Environmental Professionals - Applied (165.21) 1 5. Chemistry For Environmental Professionals - Fundamentals (165.21) 1 6. Emergency Response To Hazardous Material Incidents (165.15) 4 7. Environmental Remediation Technologies (165.3) 1 8. Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operations (165.5) 20 9. Health & Safety Eight-Hour Training Refresher (165.10) 25 10. Introduction To Groundwater Investigations (165.7) 2 11. Introduction To Environmental Geophysics (165.20) 1 12. Introductory Risk Assessment Guidance For Superfund (165.6) 12 13. Oil Response Training - Basic Course (165.18) 1 14. Oil Response Training - Fast Water Practical (165.18) 4 15. Oil Response Training - Slow/Backwater Containment (165.18) 3 16. Radiation Safety - Overview For Environmental Professionals (165.11) 2 17. Radiation Safety - Practical Applications (165.11) 2 18. Radiation Safety - Advanced For Environmental Professionals (165.11) 2 19. Risk Management Programs - Basics (165.19) 1 20. Risk Management Programs - Techniques (165.19) 1 21. Advanced Radiation Training 2 22. Sampling For Hazardous Materials (165.9) 11 23. Simulations 3 24. Division Group Supervisor-EPA 339 2 25. Resource Unit Leader-EPA 348 1 26. Situation Unit Leader-EPA 346 1 27. Command and General Staff-EPA 420 2 28. Incident Management Team Exercise 3 29. Public Information Officer-EPA 403 1 30. Incident Command System 300/400 Intermediate and Advanced-AICS 4 31. Liaison Officer-EPA 401 1 32. Incident Commander-EPA 400 1 33. Operations Section Chief-EPA 430, Section Chief portion only 1 34. Finance Administration Section Chief-EPA 460 1 Exhibit 2 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE TRAINING PROGRAM) A. BACKGROUND The Environmental Response Center is responsible for developing and managing the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response's Environmental Response Training Program. This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program is designed to train personnel from federal, state, and local government agencies in techniques and methods for preventing and mitigating chemical releases while protecting the health and safety of response personnel and the public. As part of EPA's comprehensive mandate for protecting the public and the environment from chemical incidents resulting from transportation accidents, releases from industrial operations, deliberate releases and hazards associated with the investigations and cleanup of contaminated sites, this training program was developed to provide courses in safety and technical operations related to hazard identification, evaluation, control and decontamination. The training presented under this training program last from 1 to 5 days. They provide participants with fundamental information about the subjects covered. They do provide a foundation for developing knowledge and skills in a variety of response activities. All presentations emphasize the practical application of instructional material through problem-solving, case studies, lectures, workshops, demonstrations, exercises, and special training sessions. Eight weeks of training were presented to 200 participants in the first year of the training program in fiscal year 1980. During fiscal year 2000, 215 weeks of training were attended by over 5,300 students. It is anticipated that this level of effort will be significantly increased during the next few years to facilitate domestic terrorist response. Approximately 50% of the total weeks of training are done at the training facilities in Edison, New Jersey or Cincinnati, Ohio. The remaining courses are presented at various locations throughout the United States through arrangements with EPA's ten regional offices. B. SCOPE OF WORK The Contractor shall organize, manage, and present the ERC Environmental Response Training Program as directed in work assignments issued by the Contracting Officer. This will include the following: 1. The Contractor shall operate two training facilities. The Contractor shall provide adequate classroom, office, storage, and work space for the main training facility. Present facilities consist of 3 classrooms, 5 storage areas, 5 office areas, and 5 large laboratory/exercise areas. (Minimum space requirements for main facility: 3 classrooms that accommodate 35 people each; 2200 square feet of storage area; 4400 square feet of office space, and 4,000 square feet of laboratory/exercise space. The contractor shall also have access to an outdoor area for the purpose of conducting outdoor training exercises.) This amounts to approximately 25,000 square feet of space exclusive of the outdoor area use. The Government shall provide the required classroom, storage, and laboratory/exercise areas for the Edison facility. The Edison facility has 16,000 square feet of space. 2. The Contractor shall present the 19 training topics identified in the attached schedule of classes of 2001 (Exhibit 1). The title and content of each will be as set forth in Exhibit 1. The times and locations for these courses will approximately follow the attached one. However, certain presentations may be deleted and new ones could be added as the need arises. The format of the presentations may need to be changed to meet agency needs. Exact times and locations will be specified in individual work assignments. 3. The Contractor shall be responsible for the increased role of domestic preparedness training to meet EPA?s responsibilities. The Contractor will organize, present and evaluate drills, exercises and seminars to evaluate the readiness of local, state and government personnel in response to deliberate releases of toxic materials. a. The Contractor will also develop and deliver training courses in health and safety, detection, sampling, and decontamination related to domestic response to deliberate releases. 4. The Contractor shall continually evaluate all training materials as to content, quality, and effectiveness, and shall recommend to EPA appropriate additions, deletions, or modifications. As directed by work assignments, the Contractor shall develop, organize, and present new training relevant to incident response and employing new training techniques. The Contractor shall develop special training sessions such as workshops, field exercises, and technology seminars to support the EPA Superfund program. 5. The Contractor shall provide technical support to the EPA in monitoring the external programs and potential external program providers for consistency with the contractor provided courses; maintaining external program records, and supplying the external programs with the required information and course completion certificate for course candidates. 6. In addition, the contractor shall maintain a system of records on individuals who participate in the ERT program. The contractor and its personnel are subject to the EPA's Privacy Act procedures (furnished upon request). The Contractor and its employees may be criminally liable for violation of the Act. 7. The Contractor shall provide administrative and management support for the training effort, including: a. A work assignment tracking system b. A cost accounting system which categorizes costs, develops cost projections, assigns cost categories to each work assignment, and tracks incurred costs. c. Preparation of financial, course statistics, end of course, and other periodical reports required by the contract and individual work assignments. d. Preparation of audio and visual materials necessary to present training, including manuals, problem and exercise manuals, handouts, 35MM slides, video and audio tapes, transparencies, etc. e. Organization and maintenance of files for all training materials including, but not limited to, lecture notes, visual and audio aids, reference materials, and instructional program outlines. f. Shipment of equipment and training materials to locations arranged by the Regional training contacts. g. Implementation of a personnel management system. h. Registration and notification of attendees. C. STAFFING The Contractor shall provide a full-time professional and support staff as follows: Facility Professionals Support 1. Main Training Facility (currently Cincinnati, OH) 1 Manager/Instructor, P-4 level 16 Instructors, P-3 level 5 Instructors, P-2 level 10 Technicians 8 Administrative Staff (clerical, compute specialist, accountant, secretarial, or similar) 2. Edison, NJ Training Facility 1 Senior Instructor, P-4 level 3 Instructors, P-3 level 3 Instructor, P-2 level 4 Technicians Clerk-typist D. STAFF DUTIES AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall provide a staff with the necessary education and experience to fulfill all Statement of Work requirements. EPA considers all P-4 and P-3 staff members to be "key personnel". 1. Manager/Instructor (P-4) Manages and is responsible for all phases of the contract. Supervises all contract personnel. Directs, schedules, and reviews all work plans. Provides technical advice to subordinates as needed. Reviews and comments on the contents of training courses. Prepares or directs the preparation of required technical and managerial reports. Teaches in courses. Education/experience: Master's degree (or equivalent experience) in industrial hygiene, engineering, environmental science, or management plus 8 years of combined experience in training, emergency response, remedial action at waste sites, or experience related to the training course which he/she teaches. Two years of the individual's experience must be in management. 2. Instructor (P-4) Prepares work plans, performs major work plan activities or other related activities required by the contract under the general supervision of the Manager/ Instructor. May supervise other employees. Evaluates the quality and progress of work assignments, training exercises, and course curriculum. Provides technical and other assistance to subordinates. Acts as resource person in his/her technical field or area of specialized interest. Teaches in courses. Education/experience: Master's degree (or equivalent experience) in industrial hygiene, engineering, environmental science, chemistry, biology, or toxicology plus 6 years of combined experience in training, emergency response, remedial action at waste site, or experience related to the training course which he/she teaches. 3. Instructor (P-3) Prepares training curriculum, agendas, and technical material used in courses. Acts as a resource person in his/her technical field or area of specialized interest. Teaches in training courses. Education/experience: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in industrial hygiene, engineering, environmental science, chemistry, or the biological sciences plus 5 years of combined experience in training, emergency response, remedial action at waste sites, or experience related to the training course which he/she teaches. 4. Instructor (P-2) Performs a variety of assignments under the direction of the Manager/Instructor or other supervisors. Prepares training course material. Evaluates and revises training course material. Teaches in courses. Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in engineering, environmental science, industrial hygiene, chemistry, or the biological sciences plus 3 years of combined experience in training, emergency response, remedial action at waste sites, or experience related to the training course which he/she teaches. 5. Instructor (Training Specialist) (P-3) Provides knowledge skills, and expertise in training techniques and methodology. Reviews courses, course contents, and method of training to determine if the most effective training techniques are being used. Reviews reports and other written material for effectiveness. Trains other instructors in teaching methods, acceptable training techniques, and effective presentations. Teaches in courses. Education/experience: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in the sciences or arts such as communications, teaching, or training specialties plus 4 years of experience in the area of education or as a training specialist. 6. Technician Maintains training equipment assembles and prepares course manuals and other material used in courses, assembles and packs equipment and materials to be used in field courses, set up exercises and classrooms for courses. Provides general assistance to training staff personnel. Experience: Two years of experience relevant to the described duties. 7. Support Staff Support staff should provide word processing, typing, purchasing, computing, bookkeeping, accounting, filing, record keeping, and other support activities. Experience: Two years of experience relevant to the assigned duties. E. EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION SUBSTITUTIONS The following substitutions are acceptable for the education and experience requirements cited in paragraph D above: 1. Any combination of additional years of experience in the proposed field of expertise plus full-time college level study in the particular field totaling 4 years will be an acceptable substitute for a Bachelor's degree. 2. A Bachelor's degree plus any combination of additional years of experience and graduate level study in the proposed field of expertise totaling 2 years will be an acceptable substitute for a Master's degree. 3. A Bachelor's degree plus any combination of additional years of experience and graduate level study in the proposed field of expertise totaling 4 years or a Master's degree plus 2 years of either additional experience or graduate level study in the proposed field of expertise will be an acceptable substitute for a Ph.D. degree. 4. Additional years of graduate level study in an appropriate field of expertise will be considered equal to years of experience on a one-for-one basis.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Cincinnati, OH
- Zip Code: 45268
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 45268
- Record
- SN01151240-W 20060923/060921221757 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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