T -- T -- CARTOGRAPHIC SERVICES AND MAP PRODUCTION

Notice Date

October 22, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, R-1 Northern Region, P.O. Box 7669 200 East Broadway Regional Office, Missoula, MT, 59807

ZIP Code

59807

Solicitation Number

R1-02-04

Response Due

November 20, 2001

Point of Contact

Selena Odlin, Contract Specialist, Phone 406-329-3229, Fax 406-329-3536, Email sodlin@fs.fed.us -- Leta Wicka, Purchasing Agent, Phone 406-329-3148, Fax 406-329-3536, Email lwicka@fs.fed.us

Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation No. R1-02-04 is issued as a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Mapping and Digitizing Services. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 97-27. This solicitation is set-aside and restricted to small businesses. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this procurement is 541990. The small business size standard is $5.0 million. This will be a fixed price contract with a base year award and four (4) one (1) year renewal options. Work shall be performed at the USDA Forest Service, Northern Region Regional Office, CFFHP Map Room located in the basement of the Federal Building at 200 East Broadway in Missoula, Montana. Space is limited and shall be restricted to two (2) people at a time. Service Contract Act Wage Rates shall apply. The applicable wage rate is 1994-2317, Revision No. 15, dated 5/31/2001. Pricing shall be submitted for the base year and each of the four (4) option years. Pricing shall be submitted based on an hourly rate. The project specifications are as follows: The purpose of this statement is to detail the services and products needed to support the GIS portion of the Aerial Detection Survey (ADS) and Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) programs in the Northern Region. Our services and products are divided into four items: I. trace map production, II. digitizing, III. user map production, and IV. Arc info coverages and Arc View project file (.apr) updates. All coverage and project files are located in the CFFHP staff area on the IBM server system (615). Flight map: These are 1:100,000 scale USGS topographic series maps that have been taped together to include all or part of a reporting area. Pest infestation locations are recorded on these maps using both polygons and points features with pest codes during low level flights over the forested lands in the Region. Following each flight the information is inked to improve readability. Extensive folding precludes these maps from being used for digitizing. Reporting Area: Our reporting areas are defined to include all national forest land and any adjacent forested land that we survey. An Arc Info coverage of these boundary lines has been developed for the entire region. There are currently about 30 areas defined at this time. Trace map: Trace maps are used to trace pest location information from the flight maps to improve readability and restore the correct geo-reference for all polygons and points. Once completed the trace maps are used for digitizing and archiving. Trace maps are plotted at 1:100,000 scale for each reporting area on paper no larger than 36 by 60 inches. Each reporting area may take from one to four such maps to cover the entire area. Themes included are as follows: area boundary in red, PLSS section lines in light gray, national forest boundary in green, 30 by 15 minute grid (cross hair symbol) in black, and streams (USGS DLG 1:100,000 data) in light blue. Also included are neat line north arrow, scale denominator, legend, and title (reporting area and year). These maps are plotted using an Arc View project file (.apr). These maps are produced for distribution each year. User maps show the location and attribute (pest code) for each polygon using the same reporting area sections used for the trace maps. Themes included are as follows: reporting area boundary in red, ownership (USFS, BLM, parks, reservations, state, private) are color coded by owner, PLSS section lines in light gray, streams in light blue, roads in light gray, major cities, pest polygons in solid red, and attributes in black. Also include neat line, scale denominator, north arrow, legend and title. All features except pest will be maintained in an Arc View project file (.apr). Map projection: Albers Conic Equal Area with the following parameters: Datum-NAD 1927; Spheroid-Clarke 1866; Units-Meters; 1st Standard Parallel-46 00 00; 2nd Standard Parallel-48 00 00; Central Meridian-109 00 00; Latitude of Origin-44 00 00; False Easting-600,000.0; False Northing-0.0; AML list: Pts2poly.aml-Used to convert points to polygons; Pestcode.aml-Used to enter pest codes; Codpar.aml-Used to parse the pest codes into six items in data table; Codck1.aml-First code check; Codck2.aml-Second code check; Setanno.aml-Used to set pest codes as annotations; Dragall.aml-Used to reposition all annotations drag all; Moveanno.aml-Used to move annos one at a time; Codexp.aml-Used to expand .pat items to WO standard format; Codusr.aml-Used to append all map files into regional coverage; Codola.aml-Used to add data items for state, reporting area, ownership, county and district. BACKGROUND: Each year the Forest Health Protection (FHP) staff conducts aerial detection surveys on approximately 28 million acres in the Region. Polygon, point, and attribute data recorded during these surveys are copied to a trace map. This information is then digitized from the trace map to produce an Arc Info pest coverage by reporting area section. We also distribute to each user a copy of the trace map or a plotted copy of the user map for their area of responsibility. As requested we also provide the pest coverage in digital form to all users. TRACE MAP PRODUCTION: Trace maps are used to transfer polygon and point data from the flight map blank copies are plotted using an Arc View project file as needed for each section of a reporting area. The completed trace map is used to trace features from the flight map, then as the master for digitizing. DIGITIZING: This process includes using the trace map as the master then digitizing all polygon and point features in ArcInfo. The pest codes are input using pestcode.aml and then each annotation is repositioned using dragall.aml and moveanno.Based on the 1998 detection survey, the digitizing workload for 2001 was estimated to be as follows: Number of polygons converted was 25,000 (a mix of simple and complex). Of these 10,000 were converted from points to two-acre polygons. The remaining 15,000 polygons averaged 65 acres in size. Number of trace maps was 40 (none larger than 36 by 60 inches). Tracing: Using a clean unfolded trace map, flight map and light table, the pest polygon and point locations are transferred to the trace map in a two step process. First the polygons and points are transferred using a red marker. The pest codes are then added using a purple marker. Proper geographic alignment is maintained by aligning PLSS and stream features on the trace map with those on the flight map (local registration) in the area where lines and points are being copied. Digitizing: The trace map is used to digitize all polygons and points. Points must be converted to two-acre polygons at this time or before using the build/clean command. Four or more points from the 30 by 15 minute grid are used for latitude longitude tic mark locations. Tic locations used are marked with yellow highlighter and the latitude longitude values are recorded on the trace map. RMS error values are recorded for each map section digitized. The finished pest coverage will have all polygons closed with no dangles. Projection will be Albers Conic Equal Area (see definitions for parameters). Attributes: Pest codes are input to the .pat file in item called data using an AML called pestcode.aml. The .pat file is then used to populate an annotation file using an AML called setanno.aml. Then using dragall.aml and moveanno.aml the annotations are repositioned in relation to each other and other map features (PLSS, roads, and streams) so each code is clearly readable on the final printed map. USER MAP PRODUCTION: User maps are used to distribute each years ADS data (pest locations and intensity to our users. Each reporting area section is plotted using an Arc View project file (.apr). These maps are plotted at 1:100,000 scale on paper no larger than 36 by 60 inches for each section of each reporting area. Number of copies produced for each reporting area depends on the distribution list. Total distribution is approximately 550 maps. COVERAGE UPDATES: Arc coverages for several themes are necessary to support the Arc View project files needed for trace maps, user maps and special case and display maps. These coverages include PLSS, roads, streams, ownership (Idaho and Montana), forest boundaries, district boundaries, reporting area boundaries and others. These coverages will need updating as arcs (boundary lines) and attributes (land exchanges) change. The trace map and user map project files (.apr) will also need periodic updates. Updates include using Arc Info and Arc View to move and add arcs, edit attribute values and plot new maps. Our experience has shown that for a given map or project file two hours are needed to make these updates. There are approximately 25 trace map .aprs, 25 user map .aprs, and 15 coverage types (approx 50 maps total). PRODUCTION SAMPLES: All of our production products are available for review at the Regional Office located at 200 West Broadway, Missoula, Montana. Award will be made to that offeror (1) whose proposal is technically acceptable and (2) whose technical/cost relationship is the best value to the Government comparing price versus technical quality. The critical factor in making any cost/technical trade-offs is not the spread between the technical ratings, but rather the significance of that difference. The significance of the difference in ratings will be determined on the basis of what that difference is and what it would cost the Government to take advantage of it. Award may not necessarily be made for technical capabilities that would appear to exceed those needed for fulfilling the requirements of this contract. The Government reserves the right to make cost/technical trade-offs that are in the best interest and to the advantage of the Government. Award may be made without further negotiations. Proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms, from a price and technical standpoint, which the offeror can submit to the Government. However, the Government may, after evaluation of proposals, conduct further oral or written discussions as appropriate, with all offerors whose proposals are within the competitive range. Technical evaluation factors, in total are of equal importance. The Government is willing to pay more for a technically superior proposal. However, between offerors of equal technical quality, price will be the determining factor in selection for contract award. The following evaluation factors will be used to determine which proposal is the best value to the Forest Service: (a) Price Proposal. Cost/Price analysis will be conducted to determine that Offeror understands the Forest Service requirement, has offered a realistic price, and has offered a fair and reasonable price. (b) Technical Proposal. The following factors are of equal importance amongst themselves. Technical proposals will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of the following criteria: (1) Quality Assurance Plan. The quality of the proposal will be evaluated on each Offeror's knowledge and demonstrable experience in each of the following: (i) Cartographic processes to include map projections and coordinate systems (lat/long, Albers, UTM, etc). (ii) Digitizing both point and polygon data using mainframe or PC based ARCInfo software to produce polygon coverages. (iii) General computer use to include file creation and editing on both PC and mainframe hardware using word processors and both ARCInfo and ARCView and experience using data recorders/loggers for data entry. (iv) Editing polygon features, attribute data and annotations using ARCInfo and ARCView software under UNIX. (2) Past Performance -- Each offeror shall furnish a list of three (3) most recent projects related to cartographic services with a contact person and phone number for each individual. (3) Personnel Qualifications -- Offeror's experience in this field of work. For each employee available to perform work under this project, provide education, publication and presentation record, and prior and/or ongoing jobs in this field of work. The following FAR clauses shall apply: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors ? Commercial Items; 52.212-2, Evaluation?Commercial Items; 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications ? Commercial Items (Offeror shall include a complete copy of this provision with their proposal); 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions ? Commercial Items; and 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders ? Commercial Items with the additional FAR clauses stated at the following paragraphs within 52.212-5(b) applying: (1)(5)(6)(7)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(18)(19)(21)(27)and 52.212-5(c) applying: (1) and (3). The clauses and certifications referenced above may be obtained from the following website: http://www.arnet.gov. Offerors shall request Standard Form 1449 from the issuing office if they intend to submit a proposal. This form shall be submitted along with the Representations and Certifications and the offeror's technical and price proposal. Proposals are due on November 20, 2001 at Close of Business. =20 =20

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/USDA/FS/0343/R1-02-04/listing.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20011024/TSOL002.HTM (D-295 SN511271)