SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- GREEN-INFRASTRUCTURE RESEARCH
- Notice Date
- 2/10/2009
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Acquisition Management, EPA/Ohio, Cincinnati Procurement Operations Division 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45268
- ZIP Code
- 45268
- Solicitation Number
- PR-CI-09-10314
- Response Due
- 2/18/2009
- Archive Date
- 3/18/2009
- Point of Contact
- WILLIAM M. YATES, Contract Specialist, Phone: 513-487-2055, E-Mail: yates.william@epa.gov<br />
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NAICS Code: 541620 Environmental Consulting Services, this is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ) and is designated as full and open competition. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Exposure Research Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, NC (RTP), under the Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 13, on a fixed price basis, intends to purchase Scientific and Technical Consulting in support of a study that will collect needed data on selected green infrastructure technologies. The EPA received questions pertaining to this requirement. Here is a copy of the questions along with the answers to the questions: 1) Was the UWRRC involved in writing this solicitation? Answer: No 2) Has there been any prequalification discussion of the firms and/or universities that might respond to the rfp? Answer: No 3) Has a region of the US been selected for this work to occur? For example, will the work occur in Region 5? Answer: No 4) Under Phase 2: Bioretention Cell, item 1; what is the unit of measure for the minimum area of the bioretention facility? Answer: the unit measurement is ?Square Feet? 5) Deliverables part 2. Quality Assurance states in part ?The contractor shall comply with all requirements as delineated in Attachment 1.? Attachment 1 was not found with the solicitation. Can you please provide me a copy of this attachment? Answer: Yes. This will be provided along with the answers to the questions. 6) Evaluation Criteria part A states in part ?The quotation shall not exceed ten pages (single sided), and a maximum of 12 point font. Should ?maximum? actually be ?minimum?? Answer: Yes, the font should be no smaller than 12 point font. 7) Scope Phase 2 ? Bio Retention Cell - #1- is it 9 square feet? Answer: Yes, square feet. 8) Is there a preference to where the roof systems and bio-retention cells should be located (referenced in Phase 1 and 2)? Answer: The location and description of benefits for such shall be at the offerors discretion. 9) Would the EPA prefer that Phase 1 and 2 be accomplished in the same geographic location? Answer: The geographical location shall be at the offerors discretion. 10) Is a specific format required for the submittal? (i.e. Federal 330 Format). Answer: There is no specific format required. EPA would like to see a readable and logical format. 11) Are appendices allowed? Is that considered part of our 10 pages? Answer: Yes appendices are allowed. Attachments (for example: resumes, drawings, specifications) are normally not considered under the 10 page restriction. 12) Does EPA have a preferred location for the conference and if so where? Answer: The location and description of benefits for such shall be at the offerors discretion. 13) What is the targeted length of the conference (1, 2, 3 days)? Answer: The anticipated length of the conference is three days. 14) Are we allowed to charge a fee to attend the conference? Answer: Yes, however, the ?conference? portion of this requirement would have to be on a ?no cost? basis to the EPA. In lieu of this, the contractor would be allowed to charge ?reasonable fees? to cover the cost of the conference facility, support services, expert presentations, working meals and light refreshments (including meals and light refreshments for non-federal attendees) and similar expenses. 15) Is the contractor expected to pay the catering, conference room, and other logistically costs? Answer: Yes, unless you want to bid this portion of the requirement on a ?no cost? basis. This would allow the contractor to charge ?reasonable fees? to cover the cost of the conference facility, support services, expert presentations, working meals and light refreshments (including meals and light refreshments for non-federal attendees) and similar expenses. 16) Does the contractor have the ability to leverage non-EPA funding sources for the international conference? Yes, however, the ?conference? portion of this requirement would have to be on a ?no cost? basis to the EPA. In lieu of this, the contractor would be allowed to charge ?reasonable fees? to cover the cost of the conference facility, support services, expert presentations, working meals and light refreshments (including meals and light refreshments for non-federal attendees) and similar expenses. 17) Regarding "the contractor shall collect basic data on rainwater andstormwater runoff characteristics in the study watershed", please explain how the "study watershed" is defined. And, what is meant by "basic data"? Answer: The interpretation of "study watershed" and "basic data" is at the offerer's discretion. The ?study watershed? shall be defined as follows: Within a 30 acre area surrounding the green roof/blue roof to be studied. 18) Is it permissible/desirable to have the roofs and/or bioretention cells loaded by a rainfall simulator? (This arrangement would help achieve sufficient data collection to perform statistical analyses.) Answer: The use of a rain simulator is at the offerer's discretion. 19) Regarding roof testing, we believe that replicates are desireable to improve reliability of results and that different treatments (eg,vegetation, soil mix, loading rates) are needed to advance the science of green roofs. Could project funds be used to construct additional replicates and treatments? Would it be permissible to use project funds to monitor existing green/blue roofs in addition to the plots constructed for this project? Answer: Use of project funds with respect to replicates, construction, and monitoring existing green/blue roofs outside the sites constructed for this project is at the offerer's discretion. 20) Regarding "provides a pilot-scale bioretention facility for the study having a plan area of at least 9 square", a word is missing - 9 square what? Answer: The word that is missing after "square" is "feet". 21) The solicitation reference "Phase 2: Bioretention Cell" but just below, it references "bioretention cells" - how many cells are envisioned? If only one, how could we "collect data on media mix and effects of vegetation types"? Would it be permissible to use project funds to monitor existing biorention areas in addition to the one(s) constructed for this project? Answer: Monitoring of existing cells in addition to the one(s) constructed for this project is acceptable and the number of cells constructed is at the offerer's discretion. 22) Is it permissible to have the "international conference" in conjunction with (or part of) another conference, such as EWRI Congress or WEFTEC? Answer: This question indicates that the conference would become a ?co-sponsored? conference. If this were to be a ?co-sponsored? conference, the EPA would have to take the lead in the co-sponsoring of the conference. However, you can bid the ?conference? portion of this requirement on a ?no cost? basis to the EPA. And in lieu of this, the contractor would be allowed to charge ?reasonable fees? to cover the cost of the conference facility, support services, expert presentations, working meals and light refreshments (including meals and light refreshments for non-federal attendees) and similar expenses. 23) Page 4 ? Evaluation Criteria: Paragraph A mentions that the quotation shall not exceed ten pages. Does the page limit include all four items (i.e., Technical Approach, Qualifications of Personnel, Past Performance and Price)? Answer: The page limit is for your technical approach. Your Past Performance, Cost Proposal and Resumes can be separate sections. 24) Will the CVs for the PI and other personnel be included in the page limit? Answer: The page limit is for your technical approach. Your Resumes can be a separate section. 25) Should the cost proposal be submitted as a separate document, or is it to be included with the technical proposal? Answer: You Cost proposal can be submitted as a separate document. 26) Is any particular format recommended for the proposal (e.g., SF 330)? Answer: There is no particular format recommended for the proposal. 27) The Solicitation states "B. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES: Offeror shall provide documentation in sufficient detail to demonstrate the product capabilities in meeting or exceeding the stated requirements in the Specifications." What product and specifications are being referred to? Answer: The actual products are going to be the final report and proceedings for the international conference. However, the interim products are going to be the green roof, the blue roof and the control roof in order to obtain the data necessary to produce the reports The specifications are those which are identified under ?C. Technical Approach? for phase one and phase two. ATTACHMENT #1TO THE STATEMENT OF WORK NRMRL QA Requirements and Definitions EPA?s Quality System Website: http://www.epa.gov/quality/ EPA?s Requirements and Guidance Documents: http://www.epa.gov/quality/qa_docs.html In accordance with EPA Order 5360.1 A2, conformance to ANSI/ASQC E4 must be demonstrated by submitting the quality documentation described herein. All quality documentation shall be submitted to the Government for review. The Government will review and return the quality documentation, with comments, and indicate approval or disapproval. If the quality documentation is not approved, it must be revised to address all comments and shall be resubmitted to the Government for approval. Work involving environmental data collection, generation, use, or reporting shall not commence until the Government has approved the quality documentation. The QAPP shall be submitted to the Government at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of any environmental data gathering or generation activity in order to allow sufficient time for review and revisions to be completed. After the Government has approved the quality documentation, the Contractor shall also implement it as written and approved by the Government. Definitions: Environmental Data - These are any measurements or information that describe environmental processes, location, or conditions; ecological or health effects and consequences; or the performance of environmental technology. For EPA, environmental data include information collected directly from measurements, produced from software and models, and compiled from other sources such as data bases or the literature. Quality Assurance (QA) - Quality assurance is a system of management activities to ensure that a process, item, or service is of the type and quality needed by the customer. It deals with setting policy and running an administrative system of management controls that cover planning, implementation, and review of data collection activities and the use of data in decision making. Quality assurance is just one part of a quality system. Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) - A QAPP is a document that describes the necessary quality assurance, quality control, and other technical activities that must be implemented to ensure that the results of the work performed will satisfy the stated performance criteria. A QAPP documents project-specific information. Quality Control (QC) - Quality control is a technical function that includes all the scientific precautions, such as calibrations and duplications, that are needed to acquire data of known and adequate quality. Quality Management Plan (QMP) - A QMP is a document that describes an organization?s/program?s quality system in terms of the organizational structure, policy and procedures, functional responsibilities of management and staff, lines of authority, and required interfaces for those planning, implementing, documenting, and assessing all activities conducted. A QMP documents the overall organization/program, and is primarily applicable to multi-year, multi-project efforts. An organization?s/program?s QMP shall address all elements listed in the ?Requirements for Quality Management Plans? in Appendix B of the NRMRL QMP. Quality System - A quality system is the means by which an organization manages its quality aspects in a systematic, organized manner and provides a framework for planning, implementing, and assessing work performed by an organization and for carrying out required quality assurance and quality control activities.R-2 - EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans (EPA/240/B-01/002) March, 2001, http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/r2-final.pdf R-5 - EPA Requirements for QA Project Plans (EPA/240/B-01/003) March, 2001 http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/r5-final.pdfSubstantive Change - Substantive change is any change in an activity that may alter the quality of data being used, generated, or gathered. NRMRL?s Quality System Specifications: (1) a description of the organization?s Quality System (QS) and information regarding how this QS is documented, communicated and implemented;(2) an organizational chart showing the position of the QA function; (3) delineation of the authority and responsibilities of the QA function; (4) the background and experience of the QA personnel who will be assigned to the project; and (5) the organization?s general approach for accomplishing the QA specifications in the SOW. Category Level Designations (determines the level of QA required): Category I Project - applicable to studies performed to generate data used for enforcement activities, litigation, or research project involving human subjects. The QAPP shall address all elements listed in R-5. Category II Project - applicable to studies performed to generate data used in support of the development of environmental regulations or standards. The QAPP shall address all elements listed in R-5. Category III Project - applicable to projects involving applied research or technology evaluations. The QAPP shall address the applicable sections of R-5, as outlined in the NRMRL QAPP requirements for the specific project type (see below). Category IV Project - applicable to projects involving basic research or preliminary data gathering activities. The QAPP shall address the applicable sections of R-5, as outlined in the NRMRL QAPP requirements for the specific project type (see below). Guidance for QAPPs by Project Type (described in more detail on subsequent pages): These outlines of NRMRL QAPP Requirements for various project types, from Appendix B of the NRMRL QMP (except where otherwise noted), are condensed from typically applicable sections of R-5 (EPA Requirements for QA Project Plans) and are intended to serve as a starting point when preparing a QAPP. These lists and their format may not fit every research scenario, and QAPPs must conform to applicable sections of R-5 in a way that fully describes the research plan and appropriate QA and QC measures to ensure that the data are of adequate quality and quantity to fit their intended purpose. Applied Research Project - pertains to a study performed to generate data to demonstrate the performance of accepted processes or technologies under defined conditions. These studies are often pilot- or field-scale. Additional guidance is given in ?QAPP Requirements for Applied Research Projects?. Basic Research Project - pertains to a study performed to generate data used to evaluate unproven theories, processes, or technologies. These studies are often bench-scale. Additional guidance is given in ?QAPP Requirements for Basic Research Projects?. Design, Construction, and/or Operation of Environmental Technology Project - pertains to engineering projects involving environmental technologies, an all inclusive term used to describe pollution control devices and systems, waste treatment processes and storage facilities, and site remediation technologies and their components that may be utilized to remove pollutants or contaminants from or prevent them from entering the environment. Comprehensive guidance can be found in the EPA Quality System document ?Guidance on Quality Assurance for Environmental Technology Design, Construction, and Operation? G-11, at http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g11-final-05.pdf. Method Development Project - pertains to situations where there is no existing standard method, or a standard method needs to be significantly modified for a specific application. Additional guidance is given in ?QAPP Requirements for Method Development Projects?. Model Development Project - includes all types of mathematical models including static, dynamic, deterministic, stochastic, mechanistic, empirical, etc. Comprehensive guidance is provided in the EPA Quality System document ?Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling? G-5M, http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g5m-final.pdf. Abbreviated guidance is provided in ?QAPP Requirements for Research Model Development and Application Projects?. Sampling and Analysis Project - pertains to the collection and analysis of samples with no objectives other than to provide characterization or monitoring information. Additional guidance is given in ?QAPP Requirements for Sampling and Analysis Projects?. Secondary Data Project - pertains to environmental data collected from other sources, by or for EPA, that are used for purposes other than those originally intended. Sources may include: literature, industry surveys, compilations from computerized databases and information systems, and computerized or mathematical models of environmental processes. Additional guidance is given in ?QAPP Requirements for Secondary Data Projects?. Software Development Project - pertains to projects dealing with software development or data management and includes all types of software/hardware systems development, data base design and maintenance, and data validation and verification systems. Additional guidance is given in ?QAPP Requirements for Software and Data Management Projects?. All interested parties may identify their interest and capability of meeting EPA requirements by submitting technical documentation along with their cost proposal to William M Yates, Contracting Officer, by e-mail to yates.william@epa.gov. If you send your proposals via email, include the Program Officer at field.richard@epa.gov. You can mail your proposal at the following addresses: via U.S. Mail via Courier or Hand-Carried Delivery USEPA CPOD USEPA CPODWilliam M. Yates, Contracting OfficerAttn: William M. Yates, Contracting OfficerMail Code: NWDSuite 300, 3rd Floor26 West Martin Luther King Drive 4411 Montgomery RoadCincinnati, Ohio 45268Norwood, Ohio 45212 This requirement has been extended to: Wednesday, February 18, 2009. Technical proposals must be submitted to William M Yates by 4:00 PM Wednesday, February 18, 2009 in order to be considered by EPA. Questions must be submitted in writing to William M Yates via e-mail. Telephone queries will not be honored.
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