SOURCES SOUGHT
F -- Soil Conservation Evaluation & Analysis (Soil Survey)
- Notice Date
- 8/9/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541370
— Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Headquarters/Management Services Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue Mail Stop 5460, Beltsville, MD, 20705-5000, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- NRCS-S-07-0002
- Response Due
- 9/10/2007
- Archive Date
- 9/25/2007
- Description
- This Request for Information (RFI) is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and is not a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. Response to this RFI will not serve as proposals, bids, or offers, which could be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. However, only respondents to this RFI will be sent an RFP if one is issued as a result of this RFI. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is currently conducting market research to examine competitive sourcing alternatives for soil survey services to determine the existence of viable commercial sources capable of providing the necessary services. In support of NRCS field offices, USDA is seeking further information, comments, recommendations, and capabilities from interested parties with relevant experience in any or all of the following areas: soil genesis and classification, soil survey, and technical soil services. Study scope includes approximately 300 soil survey scientist field positions providing services to produce, document, and deliver scientifically-based soil information by National Cooperative Soil Survey Standards to help society to understand, value, and wisely manage global resources. The current organizational structure consists of 18 Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) Regional Offices that provide quality assurance over smaller project offices responsible for conducting soil surveys and quality control oversight within 146 assigned geographic areas covering 2.3 billion acres. The soil survey scientist function is sought to support the USDA NRCS mission and operational requirements for full field, laboratory, and technical support for the Soil Survey Program. The Soil Survey Program is authorized under law and regulation and guided by executive order and secretary?s memoranda. The Agriculture Appropriation Act of 1896 established the soil survey and subsequent laws (1903, 1928 and 1935) clarified purpose. In 1966, Congress expanded the scope and further clarified the intent of the Soil Survey Program in Public Law 89-560, known as the Soil Survey for Resources Planning and Development Act. This function provides basic conservation data for the purposes of planning and application of conservation measures. The data in many instances is complex and requires in-depth scientific analysis including laboratory investigations. Interpretations are built from this analysis of data into tables and other formats, including computer databases, to help simplify the planning and application phases of conservation activities. Duties include professional and scientific work in the investigation of soils, soils management, and adaptation for alternative uses. Detail qualifications include the following: 1.0 Conducting the survey, including field data collection and documentation, investigation, description, classification, correlation and developing and maintaining the soil geographic data for the MLRA Regional Area to include: ? Ensuring accuracy of line placement with respect to landforms ? Ensuring accuracy and consistency of the soil map unit attribute data ? Ensuring soil series are mapped regionally on appropriate parent materials and landforms ? Geo-referencing locations of sampled soil profiles and ensuring adequate representation of soil series by laboratory data ? Quantifying distribution and extent of designated benchmark soils ? Ensuring sufficient and appropriate benchmark soils are designated to represent the most common soils in the region ? Creating sufficient, high quality block diagrams to represent the benchmark soils of the MLRA region 2.0 Publishing to the Web Soil Survey as areas are completed and reviewed 3.0 Reporting progress for the geographic area of responsibility 4.0 Periodically completing a review of new soil survey area data 5.0 Developing a long range work plan and investigations plan 6.0 Meeting with Soil Survey Area Technical Team which includes state staff, cooperators, NRCS field staff, resource soil scientists, and others 7.0 Developing an annual business plan with priorities and resources requirements Written responses must contain sufficient documentation to convey organizational capabilities to fulfill the requirements. Interested organizations submitting a capability statement must provide the following: 1) company name and address; 2) point of contact; 3) phone/fax/email; 4) NAICS Codes; 5) business size and status; 6) capability information in response to the function requirements / description; 7) at a minimum, the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops, and Soils (ARPACS) professional soil scientist certification; requirements for the Office of Personnel Management 470 Occupational Series, or applicable state soil scientist certification are required for all soil survey scientist positions; and 8) past experience describing similar projects. Clearly identify any information considered to be sensitive or proprietary. The closing date for the receipt of responses is August 17, 2007 at 5 PM, Eastern Daylight Time. Send your responses via email to the USDA Point of Contact listed below. POINT OF CONTACTS Rhea Jack, Management Analyst Phone: 202-690-2008 Fax: 202-720-2588 Email: rhea.jack@wdc.usda.gov
- Place of Performance
- Address: 18 USDA NRCS MLRA Soil Survey Regions
- Zip Code: 20013
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 20013
- Record
- SN01367184-W 20070811/070809220743 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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