MODIFICATION
B -- Radiochemical Analysis
- Notice Date
- 7/26/2010
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541380
— Testing Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- RTP Procurement Operations Division (D143-01) Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
- ZIP Code
- 27711
- Solicitation Number
- PR-NC-10-10631
- Response Due
- 8/9/2010
- Archive Date
- 8/10/2010
- Point of Contact
- ROBIN S. HARRIS, Placement Contracting Officer, Phone: 919-541-0955, E-Mail: harris.robin@epa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
ROBIN S. HARRIS
(harris.robin@epa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This combined synopsis/solicitation has been amended from a small business set aside to full and open competition. THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) SUBPART 12.6 "SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS", AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED.This solicitation number is PR-NC-10-10631 and the solicitation is being re-issued as a full and open competition Request for Quotation (RFQ) using FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 05-44. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541380 - Testing Laboratories, which has a size standard of $12.0 million to qualify as a small business, is applicable. A firm fixed-price contract is anticipated to result from award of this solicitation. The procurement is for analysis of up to 860 marine sediment samples and up to 350 wetland sediment samples for radiochemical analysis (as described below). The period of performance of this contract shall be 12 months from the date of contract award. Statement of Work: BACKGROUND: Abundances of naturally occurring, elemental radioisotopes in marine sediments and wetland soils can be used to date sediment or soil deposition in timeframes from days to 100s of years. Radioisotopes frequently used are 234Th (T1/2 = 24.5 d), 7Be (53 d), 137Cs (30 yr) and 210Pb (22.3 yr). Concentrations of these radioisotopes determined in sediment or soil core fractions with depth provide information about deposition rates and mixing. These parameters can be coupled with other measurements to obtain estimates of, for example, organic mater decomposition, organic matter burial, and sediment accretion rates. The US EPA Gulf Ecology Division is conducting research into factors controlling the development of hypoxia (i.e., water where dissolved oxygen concentrations fall below 2.0 mg/L) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Sediment deposition, sediment mixing, and organic matter decomposition rates are all important variables that affect the consumption of oxygen in marine sediments which contributes to the development, extent and duration of Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. Concentrations of 7Be, 234Th, 137Cs, and 210Pb in Gulf of Mexico marine sediment samples are therefore key measurements critical to the success of this research. In addition, the US EPA Gulf Ecology Division is investigating the ecosystem functions and services supported by coastal wetlands in Tampa Bay, Florida. Wetland soil accretion rates are important for quantifying carbon sequestration and ecosystem response to rising sea levels in coastal wetlands. Concentrations of 137Cs and 210Pb in wetland sediment samples are key measurements critical to the success of the US EPA Gulf Ecology Division research in Tampa Bay coastal wetlands. Scope: The contractor shall analyze a minimum of 265 and a maximum of 860 Gulf of Mexico marine sediment samples for 7Be, 234Th, 137Cs, and 210Pb activity and a minimum of 130 and a maximum of 350 wetland sediment samples for 137Cs and 210Pb activity. For the Gulf of Mexico study, there will be 12 stations X 3 cores per station X 8 to 11 samples per core = 288 to 396 samples. The 396 samples will be obtained from cores sectioned in the following manner: (SEE STATEMENT OF WORK AT EPA WEBSITE BELOW FOR TAB LE). Core diameter is 9.5 cm. EPA will ship approximately 1/2 the samples near Oct 4, and ship the remainder near Oct. 12. For the wetland samples, there will be a minimum and maximum of 130 and 350 samples, respectively. Soil cores will be taken from each of nine mangrove wetlands in Tampa Bay, FL using a coring cylinder with a diameter of ~ 7.6 cm. Each core will be divided into 2 cm increments (i.e., final volume = ~ 90 cm3; mass will be dependent upon bulk density). The number of samples sent out for analyses will depend upon the amount of time required to analyze each sample. Please note that only 137Cs and 210Pb concentrations will be measured from these wetland samples. EPA will ship approximately 1/3 of the samples in late August, 2010 or a time designated by the Contracting Officer?s Representative(COR). The remainder will be shipped in mid to late October, 2010 or a time designated by the (COR).. Wetland samples shall be processed within 30 days of receipt of samples by contractor and raw data made available electronically to EPA at that time. TASK DESCRIPTION: Analyses of marine sediments shall follow established procedures equivalent to those described by Allison et al. 2005 and Osterman et al. 2009. Marine samples will be collected during a research cruise that will occur between September 25 and October 9, 2010. Marine samples will be shipped to the contractor within two weeks of collection. Marine samples will consist of approximately 70 g (at a maximum for some samples) to 250 g wet sediment. Results of similar analyses for Gulf of Mexico sediments indicate activities might be as low as 0.5 dpm/g sediment (e.g., Allison et al. 2005). Analyses of wetlands sediments shall follow established procedures equivalent to those described by Lynch et al. 1989, Hussein et al. 2004, Graham et al. 2005, and/or Kolker et al. 2009. Wetland samples will be collected between April 2010 and December 2010 and shipped to the contractor within six weeks of collection. Results of similar analyses for Tampa Bay coastal wetland soils indicate activities might be as low as 0.1 dpm/g sediment (e.g., Nawrocki 2001). The contractor shall be responsible for necessary sample preparation and analysis. MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES: Results shall be reported as the activities (dpm/g) of 7Be, 234Th, 137Cs, and 210Pb in each marine sediment sample. These results shall include activities of supported and excess 234Th and 210Pb. Wetland results shall be reported as the activities (dpm/g) of 137Cs and 210Pb in each soil sample. These results shall include activities of supported and excess 210Pb. The results shall be provided electronically (Microsoft Excel email attachment or CD) in a form that can be easily copied into other computer applications. The contractor shall provide quality assurance information with each data report sent to the EPA within 30 days after receipt of each batch of wetland samples and 60 days after receipt of each batch of Gulf of Mexico sediment samples. The contractor shall also provide a final hard-copy output of data files (i.e., spreadsheets) for the purpose of quality assurance. A written report detailing the methods used and the results of QA measures shall also be provided by the contractor. Laboratory notes discussing problems encountered shall be included as an appendix to this report. Original records, such as laboratory notebooks and efficiency/calibration curves, shall be retained for at least three years following final report submission, as copies may be requested to be sent to the EPA. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: The basic minimum criteria include the following quality control samples for a minimum of every 20 samples analyzed: (i) one laboratory method blank, (ii) one duplicate sample analysis, (iii) laboratory control reference materials (equivalent to a certified reference material), and (iv) efficiency/calibration curve(s). Analytical precision for standards shall be ? 2% and error between duplicate samples shall not exceed 20%. The contractor shall re-analyze (at no cost to the Government) an entire batch of samples if results of the blanks or standards are deemed unacceptable for the methods utilized. The contractor shall permit QA audit of laboratory and/or data entry procedures by EPA at any time while conducting the analyses (given advance notification). Analyses shall be conducted on a high purity germanium detector or equivalent. For the wetland samples, the 137Cs detection limit should be between 0.02 to 0.1 pCi/g and the 210Pb detection limit should be approximately 0.5 pCi/g. APPLICABLE AND CONTROLLING DOCUMENTS: The contractor shall provide a written QA Management Plan equivalent to the EPA?s requirement document [EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans (QA/R-2)] and a written Quality Assurance Project Plan equivalent to the EPA?s requirement document [EPA Requirements for QA Project Plans (QA/R-5)] for the Project Officer?s review and approval prior to the analysis of samples. These reference documents can be located at http://www.epa.gov/quality/qa_docs.html. The QAPP shall describe in detail all chemical methods, including expected recovery of all analytes, and all standard operating procedures used in these analyses. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. The period of performance shall be 12 months from the date of contract award. REFERENCES: References are provided in the Statement of Work at the EPA Procurement Website at http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd to obtain the Statement of Work, pricing sheet and evaluation criteria. The following FAR provisions apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors--Commercial Items, FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation ? Commercial items. Evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of provision 52.212-2 are as follows: A. Technical Criteria: 1. Adequacy of QA/QC protocols, 2. Demonstrated experience with radiochemical analysis of marine and wetland sediment samples of a similar size/scope and provide a brief explanation of each method used, with references including ability to meet detection limits as stated in the SOW, 3. Demonstrated ability to meet the deadlines for the project, 4. Demonstrated adequacy of Records Management Program. B. Past Performance: Submit a list of 3 customers for whom like or similar samples have been performed within the past 2 years. Include specific points of contact and phone numbers. Past performance will be evaluated on: 1. Quality of product or service; 2. Timeliness of performance (ability to adhere to deadlines), and; 3. Overall customer satisfaction. and C. Price. The Government intends to award a single contract to the responsible offeror whose technically acceptable proposal offers the 'Best Value' to the Government price and other factors considered. For this requirement, 'best value' will be determined based on technical criteria, past performance and price. For this requirement, Technical Criteria and Past Performance is significantly more important than price. In accordance with FAR 52.204-7(b)(1)Central Contractor Registration, all prospective awardees shall be registered in the CCR database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract or purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation. All offerors are to include with their offers a completed copy of provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications ?Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items. The following additional FAR clauses which are cited in clauses 52.212-5 are applicable to the acquisition: 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation; 52.222-3 Convict Labor, 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities, 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons; 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Fund Transfer-Central Contractor Registration; 52.222-41 Service Contract Act of 1965, As Amended; 52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal hires. Any applicable wage determination(s) will be made a part of the resultant contract. All technical questions are to be forwarded to the Contracting Officer at the following email address: harris.robin@epa.gov. Offerors should review any other information posted with this Request for Quotation on EPA's website at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd. Arrow down to the CURRENT SOLICITATIONS section and click on the solicitation. ALL FURTHER INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS SOLICITATION WILL BE LOCATED AT THE EPA WEBSITE. Please submit two copies each of the technical and price proposal to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP Procurement Operations Division, Attn: Robin S. Harris (E105-02), 4930 Old Page Road, Durham, NC 27703. All offers are due by August 9, 2010, 12:00 p.m. (noon), ET. No telephonic or faxed requests will be honored. E-mail proposals are acceptable and should be e-mailed to: harris.robin@epa.gov
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