SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- RECOVERY--A--Climate Change Downscaling Projections for The Institute of Water Resources
- Notice Date
- 10/19/2009
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- US Army Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity, ATTN: CEHEC-CT, 7701 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315-3860
- ZIP Code
- 22315-3860
- Solicitation Number
- W912HQ-IWR-CLIMATE
- Response Due
- 11/2/2009
- Archive Date
- 1/1/2010
- Point of Contact
- Nancy Hilleary, 703-428-6120
- E-Mail Address
-
US Army Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity
(Nancy.L.Hilleary@usace.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format 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 document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-37. The requirement is unrestricted, and the associated NAICS code is 541990. This requirement uses American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. Clauses may be accessed electronically in full text through http://farsite.hill.af.mil Contractors must be actively registered with Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at http://www.ccr.gov. The following provisions apply: FAR 52.212-1, FAR 52.212-2, FAR 52.212-3, FAR 52.212-4, FAR 52.212-5, DFARS 252.212-7001, FAR 52.203-15, FAR 5.204-11, FAR 52.215-2 and Contract Manpower Clause (see below). DUE DATE: The due date for the delivery of a response to this solicitation is on or before 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), 02 November 2009. POINT-OF-CONTACT (POC): Nancy Hilleary, Contract Specialist, Phone: 703-428-6120, FAX: 703-428-8181, E-MAIL: Nancy.L.Hilleary@usace.army.mil Request for Proposals: SCOPE OF WORK Climate Change Downscaling Projections for The Institute for Water Resources Introduction: Managing hydrologic extremes due to climate variability is an essential mission of water management agencies. The USACE must ensure that its systems and projects will remain adaptable and sustainable over time even if the frequency and severity of extreme hydrologic events may change. The USACE water managers are considering ways to make water management more flexible and adaptable to changing conditions. The USACE climate change strategy is to work closely with other Federal agencies to develop consistent approaches with regard to policies related to climate change. USACE is also trying to coordinate climate change activities with state governments and others so approaches can be integrated. As part of this approach, USACE formed an interagency workgroup on climate change and water resources with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (National Weather Service and Office of Atmospheric Research) to evaluate how climate change considerations can be incorporated into activities related to the Nation's water resources. The result was a USGS circular Climate Change and Water Resources Management: A Federal Perspective (Brekke et al 2009, http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1331/). USACE was represented in this effort by co-authors Dr. Olsen and Dr. White. The report presents the best available science to help water managers prepare for and adapt to the effects of climate change on the nations water resources. The report suggested as one of 12 key points the following: Key Point 7: Current expectations about future climate may indicate a need to supplement historical climate information. Planning assumptions might instead be related to projections of future temperature and precipitation. This can be accomplished using a multitude of approaches; a best approach has yet to be determined. The USACE Actions for Change Theme 1 (AFC T1) Temporal and Spatial Systems Changes PDT (TSSC PDT) headed by Dr. Olsen has been working closely with external experts, and with fellow operating agency Reclamation in particular, to identify methods that could be used to incorporate downscaled climate projections in USACE planning and engineering in a systematic manner consistent with other Federal agencies (e.g., Maurer et al 2007). These resulting projections will be freely distributed to researchers, decision-makers, and members of the public who need quantitative information about future climate change in the U.S. Goals and Objectives: The basic goal of this Contract is to produce fine-resolution projections of future climate change. Description of Required Services: Produce downscaled projections from general circulation models (GCMs) of daily minimum temperature, daily maximum temperature, daily mean temperature, and precipitation to support consistent local and regional evaluation of potential climate change impacts to public safety and water resources management and infrastructure. Two proven statistical downscaling approaches will be used: the existing Bias Correction/Spatial Downscaling (BCSD) and the newly developed Bias-Corrected/Constructed Analogs (BCCA). The resulting projections will be stored as a supplement to the existing initial library of downscaled climate projections currently at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). These results will be freely distributed via the LLNL archive to researchers, decision-makers, and members of the public who need quantitative information about future climate change in the US. Required services: 1.Perform spatial downscaling of projections of future global climate for the US domain including daily minimum temperature, daily maximum temperature, daily mean temperature, and precipitation, using two empirical downscaling techniques (BCSD and BCCA).. 2.To investigate the effects of bias correction based on producing and archiving the following intermediate data sets: " GCM monthly projections regridded to a common 2 grid). " Bias-corrected GCM monthly projections (on the 2 grid). " Spatially downscaled (but not bias-corrected) monthly climate projections. 3.Document methodologies and results. 4.Make resulting library of downscaled projections and associated documentation accessible to the USACE and a broader range of potential users via a web-based interface. Deliverables: 1.Library of fine-resolution climate projections for US domain, consisting of downscaled simulations from 16 or more global climate models each simulating 3 or more scenarios for future climate, produced using 2 empirical downscaling techniques. Priority will be decided based upon interagency (USACE-Reclamation) critical requirements. This library will be housed on a publicly-accessible server. 2.Online-documentation describing methodologies used to produce downscaled results, background and descriptive material for GCMs that were downscaled, limitations and uncertainties, and citing peer-reviewed literature. 3.Web interface allowing selection and downloading of a desired subset of downscaled results, compatible with USACE Oracle database and required Automated Information System (AIS) CorpsMap. This will allow users to select a geographical region, climate variables (e.g. temperature or precipitation), emissions scenario, and GCMs, and then download only the selected data of interest. References Brekke, L.D., Kiang, J.E., Olsen, J.R., Pulwarty, R.S., Raff, D.A., Turnipseed, D.P., Webb, R.S., and White, K.D., 2009, Climate change and water resources managementA federal perspective: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1331, 65 p. (Also available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1331/.) Maurer, E.P., L. Brekke, T. Pruitt, and P.B. Duffy, 2007, Fine-resolution climate change projections enhance regional climate change impact studies, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 88(47), 504 (online at http://www.agu.org/eos_elec/2007/47-504.html) Schedule: This work will be completed one year from date of award. The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is attached. END OF STATEMENT OF WORK Evaluation Factors Award will be made on the basis of best value to the Government. Offerers are urged to ensure that their proposals are submitted on the most favorable terms to reflect their best possible potential. The technical proposal will describe the capacity of their organization and any anticipated subcontractors to perform the work in accordance with the Scope of Work. The Government intends to make an award without discussions, based upon initial proposals received, but reserves the right to conduct discussions if deemed necessary. The evaluation factors are as follows: 1.Technical Approach. The specific factors that will be rated in the award process include: a.Understanding of the range of relevant substantive issues involved in the work requirement b.Analytical framework, procedures, and methods for satisfying the work requirement. Note: The discussion of technical approach in proposals should be limited to five single-spaced pages. 2.Technical Experience. Offerers proposals should demonstrate for key personnel specific capabilities in the following areas, which will be rated in the award process: a.Experience in the production of downscaled climate projections for the US using two proven, state-of-the-science, spatial downscaling techniques that add meaningful spatial detail to existing coarse-resolution climate simulations (Bias Correction - Spatial Downscaling (BCSD) and Bias Corrected - Constructed Analogs (BCCA)). b.Ability to rapidly produce a large library of downscaled projections using these methods, as evidenced by having necessary codes on hand and tested. c.An available data archive for housing and distributing downscaled results, including a web interface that allows a selected hyperslab (logically contiguous collection of points in the dataspace) to be downloaded. d.Experience in the production of simple adjustments to the BCSD procedure to obtain intermediate datasets for General Circulation Model (GCM) monthly projections re-gridded to a common 2 grid, bias-corrected GCM monthly projections on the 2 grid, and spatially downscaled (but not bias-corrected) monthly climate projections. e.Experience in the development, use, and evaluation of global climate models; especially familiarity with the limitations of these models. f.Experience working with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), particularly as relates to the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Stage 3 (CMIP3) Multi-Model Dataset Archive. g.Experience working in or with federal water resources management agencies, particularly the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the US Bureau of Reclamation, in climate-change related studies. Similar experience with State water management agencies also desirable. h.Possession of a proven system for data visualization and exploration that has been applied to downscaled climate projections. i.Experience in leading a multi-organizational and multi-disciplinary study team. j.Experience applying downscale climate projections to numerical modeling of surface hydrology. k.Experience developing and applying methods for uncertainty quantification in climate change projections. Note: The discussion of technical experience of key personnel in proposals should be limited to five single-spaced pages. 3.Past Performance. Offerers will submit detailed information on prior contract or other efforts involving the 1) downscaling of GCM in the US, and 2) development and use of Geographic Information System databases and modeling techniques for climate-related information associated with general circulation models and downscaling. List and provide profiles for 3-5 relevant efforts, current or completed within the past five years, which demonstrate your and your anticipated subcontractors experience with this type of work. Profiles of contract efforts should include dates, location, types of contracts, dollar values, description of the work and references. Reference information should include the name, address, fax number and telephone number of the Contracting Officer or other contract administrator. References should also be provided for any anticipated subcontractors to be used. 4.Price. Price proposals will be evaluated for reasonableness and to determine the best overall value to the government. This factor will be judged on the degree to which the proposed cost/price elements are reasonable and consistent with the work to be performed. Excessively high or low cost/price may be deemed to indicate a lack of understanding of the scope of work or level of technical expertise required. Basis for Award The relative order of importance of the non-price evaluation factors is as follows: the technical approach and technical experience factors are considered equally important. The two sub-factors for technical approach are considered equally important, and the order of importance for the four sub-factors for technical experience correspond to the order in which they are listed (item a is the most important, and item k is the least important). The past performance factor is considered slightly less important than either of the two technical factors. Past performance will be rated by evaluating the profiles for previous contract efforts submitted as evidence of offerers past performance doing related work. Phone interviews with the references submitted for past contract efforts on similar work will be used to confirm those efforts and determine whether they met or exceeded contractual requirements. If an offerer has no past performance, that offerer will receive a neutral rating. The following rules will apply for award: 1.All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. 2.An offerer whose capabilities fail to meet one or more specified evaluation factors will be deemed ineligible for award. Submit your proposal in accordance with the following CLINs, breaking out Labor by category, hours and hourly rate: CLIN 0001, Labor Services for Climate Change Downscaling Projections for the US Army Corps of Engineers 1 LS $_____________ CLIN 0002, Travel 1 LS $_____________ CLIN 0003, ODCs1 LS $_________________ CLIN 0004, Contractor Manpower Reporting Requirements 1 LS $___________ Contract Manpower Reporting Clause The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) operates and maintains a secure Army data collection site where the contractor will report ALL contractor manpower (including subcontractor manpower) required for performance of this contract. The contractor is required to completely fill in all the information in the format using the following web address: https://cmra.army.mil. The required information includes: (1) Contracting Office, Contracting Officer, Contracting Officers Technical Representative; (2) Contract number, including task and delivery order number; (3) Beginning and ending dates covered by reporting period; (4) Contractor name, address, phone number, e-mail address, identity of contractor employee entering data; (5) Estimated direct labor hours (including subcontractors); (6) Estimated direct labor dollars paid this reporting period (including subcontractors); (7) Total payments (including subcontractors); (8) Predominant Federal Service Code (FSC) reflecting services provided by contractor (and separate predominant FSC for each subcontractor if different); (9) Estimated data collection cost; (10) Organizational title associated with the Unit Identification Code (UIC) for the Army Requiring Activity (the Army Requiring Activity is responsible for providing the contractor with its UIC for the purposes of reporting this information; (11) Locations where contractor and subcontractors perform the work (specified by zip code in the United States and nearest city, country, when in an overseas location, using standardized nomenclature provided on website); (12) Presence of deployment or contingency contract language; and (13) Number of contractor and subcontractor employees deployed in theater this reporting period (by country). As part of its submission, the contractor will also provide the estimated total cost (if any) incurred to comply with this reporting requirement. Reporting period will be the period of performance not to exceed 12 months ending September 30 of each government fiscal year and must be reported by 31 October of each calendar year. Contractors may use a direct XML data transfer to the database server or fill in the fields on the website. The XML direct transfer is a format for transferring files from a contractors systems to the secure website without the need for separate data entries for each required data element at the website. The specific formats for the XML direct transfer may be downloaded from the website. Attachment A (Contract Manpower Reporting Worsheet.doc) can be viewed in the above Contractor Manpower Reporting Website as part of the applicable solicitation or contract and is considered part of this clause.
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(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/COE/DACA72/W912HQ-IWR-CLIMATE/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Army Corps of Engineers, Institute of Water Resources 7701 Telegraph Road Alexandria VA
- Zip Code: 22315-3860
- Zip Code: 22315-3860
- Record
- SN01987807-W 20091021/091019234804-2a6a65a17552073526b96a48eac4421b (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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