Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Small Business Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Geotechnical Services, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District 1. - CONTRACT INFORMATION: This announcement for indefin... Small Business Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Geotechnical Services, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District 1. - CONTRACT INFORMATION: This announcement for indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) architect-engineer (A-E) services is in accordance with Public Law 92-582 (the “Brooks Architect-Engineer Act”) and FAR Part 36 procedures. The Government selects firms for negotiations based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. The Government intends to award a single, small business IDIQ A-E contract for geotechnical services within the USACE Seattle, Walla Walla, and Portland District boundaries. This includes projects located in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Work may be required on projects for other agencies served by the Seattle District (NWS), potentially supporting work within the Walla Walla (NWW) and Portland District (NWP) boundaries. If the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) determines during the selection process that the number of awarded contracts should be adjusted, based upon the selection criteria, the PCO may adjust that number or award none at all. The IDIQ A-E contract will have a base period of performance of three (3) years, with no option periods. The total capacity is $5,000,000 ($5.0M) cumulative for the life of the contract. The task orders awarded under this IDIQ contract will be Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP). The NAICS Code for this procurement is 541330 for Engineering Services. For size determination, reference 13 CFR 121.104(c). The wages and benefits of service employees (see FAR 22.10) performing work under these contracts must be at least equal to those determined by the Department of Labor under the Service Contract Act, as determined relative to the employee's office location (not the location of work). To be eligible for contract award, a firm must have a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). For information about opening a SAM account, copy and paste the following link for instructions: https://www.sam.gov/SAM/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_Contract_Registrations.pdf Contractors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the Internet at https://beta.SAM.gov or by calling (866) 606-8220. 2. - PROJECT INFORMATION: This IDIQ A-E acquisition includes geotechnical-related services from a variety of sources for civil works projects, USACE operating projects, and support of DoD, IIS, and in-house USACE design projects requiring stand-alone A-E geotechnical investigations of new properties or sites requiring services from a highly qualified geotechnical A-E firm. These are usually not part of a new facility design, such as MILCON projects, where the A/E design services frequently include geotechnical subconsultants as part of the A-E’s team capabilities. NWS task orders under the geotechnical services contract are for routine geotechnical, seismic, and investigative expertise provided by licensed professional geotechnical engineers, geologists, hydrogeologists, and hydrologists. The work includes geotechnical-related services routinely required for military and IIS projects (foundations and retaining structures, subsurface utilities, local road improvements, and parking areas), and smaller scale civil works projects (levees, operating projects). Services include investigations, analyses, and professional recommendations (design parameters) that support execution of separate design and construction activities via other A-E contracts, in-house resources, or used for future project planning (site development constraints, repair or rehabilitation options, etc.). The work includes geological and geotechnical exploration, geologic mapping, geological/ geotechnical sampling and testing, design analyses of embankments, foundations for structures and similar facilities, blast design, geophysical exploration, and rock mechanic investigations for one or more project phases, and other services as required by the Government. 3. - SELECTION CRITERIA: The Brooks Act requires the public announcement of requirements for A-E services, selection of the most highly qualified firms based on demonstrated competence and professional qualifications, and the negotiation of fair and reasonable prices. The primary factor in A-E selection is the determination of the most highly qualified firm based on general selection criteria specified in the FAR and DFARS with project specific criteria included in the context of the general criteria listed below in descending order of importance: Primary Selection Criteria – A) Specialized Experience and Technical Competence; B) Professional Qualifications; C) Knowledge of the Locality; D) Capacity; and E) Past Performance. Secondary Selection Criteria (used only as a “tie-breaker”) – F) Extent of Small Business Participation (not used); G) Geographic Proximity (not used); and H) Volume of DoD Contract Awards. PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA: Selection of the firms will be based on the following primary criteria, listed in descending order of importance, first by major criterion and then by each sub-criterion, if applicable. The Government recognizes the Prime/JV and their subconsultants identified in the SF 330 as the Team. The Government gives additional consideration for experience and qualifications of the Prime Contractor (Prime) or Joint Venture (JV), including the JV partners. Criteria A through E are primary and evaluated for all Offerors. Primary Criterion A - Specialized experience and technical competence of the proposed Team firm(s) demonstrated during the past ten (10) years in the broad range of geotechnical work required for this contract. Firms evaluated as being highly qualified will demonstrate experience in the following areas, listed in descending order of importance. a. - Projects delivering geotechnical services with routine to moderately complex technical requirements for: (1) - Building foundations. (2) - Earth retaining structures, channels, and/or levees. (3) - Roads and parking areas. (4) - Underground utilities. b. - Engineering investigations, evaluations, analysis, and design for new construction, repair, and renovation: (1) - Foundations, retaining structures, levees, and utilities. (2) - Bearing, settlement, seepage, and stability analyses. (3) - Site-specific seismic hazards, response, and safety evaluations. (4) - Design criteria for rock, soil, engineered fill, and pavements. (5) - Materials sampling and testing (soil, rock, pavement). c. - Additional considerations: (1) - The Government may evaluate more favorably projects completed no more than five (5) years prior to the specified submission date. (2) - Projects in which the Prime/JV and its subconsultants demonstrated prior project experience working together in significant prime/subconsultant roles may be evaluated more favorably for this criterion. (3) - Prime/JV projects completed on a military installation or civil works operating project, demonstrating knowledge of access and permitting requirements, may be evaluated more favorably for this criterion. The basis of the evaluation will be the information in Sections F, G, and H of the SF330. Provide a maximum of ten (10) projects completed by the Prime/JV and its team consultants within no more than 10 years prior to submission in Section F. The Government may evaluate more favorably projects completed no more than five (5) years prior to the specified submission date. Submit up to ten projects in Section F of the SF 330. The Government defines a "project" as work performed at one site or at a single operating site (dam, lock, etc.). An Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC) is not a project. A project may contain multiple task orders or contracts if they are for multiple phases of the project at the same site. Clearly state in each project description the extent of work (as percentage of fee) performed by the Prime/JV and each team subconsultant, phase of work (percent completed), and date of completion. If the Offeror provides a specific task order as its "project", include the base contract number(s) and the task order number(s) for reference purposes. If the Offeror provides a site-specific contract as its "project", provide the contract number for reference purposes. If the Offeror provides more than 10 example projects, the Government evaluates only the first 10 examples in the order presented in the SF330. A completed project is defined as one in which the firm’s performance of the work for which it was hired is 100% complete. Primary Criterion B - Professional qualifications of the Prime/JV’s staff and team consultants for this contract. Provide a minimum of one (1), but no more than two (2), resumes for each Key Personnel. If providing additional resumes beyond the number requested for each key personnel, the Government will review the maximum number in the order presented in the SF330. The Government will not evaluate the other resumes. Do not generalize professional registrations or certifications; provide specific details. All disciplines, except those noted below, require an applicable professional license, registration, or certification. For the purpose of this criterion, a foreign license, registration, or certification is not applicable. The education, training, professional registration, proposed job title, and overall relevant experience of key personnel will be considered. The Government considers experience relevant if similar to the specialized experience described in Criterion A. Where proposing more than one individual (resume) for any discipline, the Government considers the cumulative qualifications of all resumes within that discipline. An individual can only support one discipline (i.e., an individual cannot submit resumes for multiple disciplines). This criterion is primarily concerned with the qualifications of the key personnel identified by the A-E and not the number of personnel, which is under Criterion D - Capacity. Submit resumes in Section E of the SF330 for each of the disciplines below, listed in descending order of importance. Function codes (fc) are in SF330 Instructions, “List of Disciplines”, and reported in Part II – General Qualifications. (1) - Project Managers – fc 48, Professional license or registration (ex: P.E.), registered in the state(s) where the work is performed (WA, OR, ID, MT). (2) - Geotechnical Engineer – fc 27, Professional license or registration (ex: P.E.), registered in the state(s) where the work is performed (WA, OR, ID, MT). (3) - Hydrogeologist – no fc, Professional license or registration (ex: P.G., PHG), registered in the state(s) where the work is performed (WA, OR, ID, MT). (4) - Geologist – fc 30, Professional license or registration (ex: P.G., L.G.), registered in the state(s) where the work is performed (WA, OR, ID, MT). (5) - Structural Engineer – fc 57, Professional license or registration (ex: P.E.), registered in the state(s) where the work is performed (WA, OR, ID, MT). The Government evaluates more favorably key personnel that worked on the example projects in Section A. The Government may evaluate key personnel employed by the Prime/JV more favorably. The basis of the evaluation will be the information in Sections E, G, and H of the SF330. Primary Criterion C - Knowledge of the Locality: The board will evaluate the Prime/JV and team’s demonstrated knowledge and experience. Work under the contract covers a large geographic area; therefore, demonstrate the extent of past geotechnical projects located throughout the Pacific Northwest (PNW), specifically the NWS, NWP, and NWW areas of responsibility (AOR) for the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The Government may evaluate more favorably geotechnical projects performed at NWS military installations and NWS operating project sites. The basis of the evaluation will be the information in Section H of the SF330. Primary Criterion D – Capacity of key disciplines. The board will consider available capacity of key disciplines identified above in Criterion B of the Prime/JV and its team consultants to perform work in its required time. The basis of the evaluation will be the information in Section H and Part II of the SF330. Function code (fc) and descriptions must correspond to “List of Disciplines (Function Codes)” in the SF330 Instructions. Where a function code does not exist, the Government described the requirement in Criterion B. Responses must be coordinated with Part II, subpart 9, “Employees by Discipline”. Provide a table summary of the number of personnel for each key discipline, with separate columns for (1) Prime/JV capacity, (2) team subconsultant capacity, and (3) total team capacity for each key discipline in Section H of the SF330. The Government measures capacity by number of personnel, not percentage of availability. The Government will evaluate each firm’s Part II of the SF330 to determine if the function code capacity and claimed numbers of personnel support the information in Section H. Part II of the SF330, which requires identification of each individual employed by the firm by one function code, may exceed the numbers reported in Section H, but not be less. Primary Criterion E - Past Performance on DoD and other contracts with respect to cost control, quality of work, management/business relations, and compliance with performance schedules. CPARS is the primary source of information on past performance. The Government queries CPARS for all firms submitting an SF330. For each project in Section F of the SF330, include the project owner’s contact information. The Offeror may also include past performance information (Past Performance Questionnaires) for the 10 example projects described in Section F. If deemed appropriate by the Selection Board (Board), performance evaluations for significant team subconsultants are also considered. The Board may seek information on past performance from other sources. If there is any conflict in past performance records, CPARS is the official record. The Board will first consider the relevancy of each performance evaluation on A-E services contracts to the proposed contract, including: the type of work, contractor's performing office, age of the evaluation, and whether subsequent evaluations indicate a change in a firm's performance. Performance ratings for unique geotechnical-related projects of similar size, scope, and complexity to those anticipated for the NWS mission areas are more relevant. The board will then rate the confidence in the firm based on the ratings of its past performance, with an emphasis on quality of work, cost control, and compliance with performance schedules. The Government may consider the extent to which past projects were performed by proposed key personnel. The result is a single confidence rating. Where no recent/relevant performance record is available or the Offeror’s performance record is so sparse that the Government can assign no meaningful confidence assessment rating, the Offeror will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on the factor of past performance. SECONDARY SELECTION CRITERIA: The Government uses the following secondary criterion as a tiebreaker among technically equal, most highly qualified firms. Secondary Criterion F – Extent of Small Business Participation. (Not used.) Secondary Criterion G – Geographic Proximity. (Not used.) Secondary Criterion H - Volume of DoD A-E Contract Awards in the last 12 Months. Responding firms must identify all contract numbers, task orders and modifications, award dates, and total negotiated fees for any DoD A-E contract(s) awarded within the past twelve (12) months. The basis of the evaluation will be the A-E provided tabular listing of the required information in Section H of the SF330. 4. - SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: SF330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, must be received no later than 21 October 2020, 2:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. In strict compliance with guidance relating to the current situation with COVID-19 and social distancing, the only authorized transmission method for qualifications in response to this solicitation is electronically via SAFE online submission. THE GOVERNMENT WILL ACCEPT NO OTHER TRANSMISSION METHOD (E-MAIL, FACSIMILE, REGULAR MAIL, HAND CARRIED, ETC.). Electronically transmit A-E qualifications using the following link: https://safe.apps.mil/ Please send qualifications using the link above to Contract Specialist John Scola (john.p.scola@usace.army.mil) AND to Contracting Officer Bruce Okumura (bruce.d.okumura@usace.army.mil). Instructions for Submitting Electronic Documents Submit SF330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, in searchable PDF format suitable for reading using Adobe Acrobat in a Windows 10 operating system. PDF files combined and compressed using compression utility software such as WinZip or PKZip are acceptable. Submit the SF330 (08/2016 edition) for the Prime A-E firm, which includes all team consultants. Include the firm's DUNS number and CAGE codes in the SF330, Part I, Sections B and C. The SF330 has a total page limitation of 80 printable pages, with Section H limited to fifteen (15) pages. The 80 printed page limit excludes Part II. For all SF330 sections, use no smaller than 11 pt. font. In an effort to reduce paperwork and cost, submit A-E qualifications electronically through the SAFE site. Submit in Adobe PDF format. Submit no more than five (5) PDF files. Total file size cannot exceed 8GB package, and each package cannot contain more than 25 files (DoD SAFE published limit). Files may be compressed and/or combined into ZIP files using compression utility software such as WinZip or PKZip to reduce file size and facilitate transmission. Request for Upload Code Send an e-mail to Contract Specialist John Scola (john.p.scola@usace.army.mil) AND Contracting Officer Bruce Okumura (bruce.d.okumura@usace.army.mil). Send request no later than five (5) working days prior to the due date to receive an upload code. Include “SAFE A-E Qualification Drop-Off Request …” in the subject. Include the solicitation number and title, name and email address of the sender, and the company name of the Offeror in the body of the email. The request code will allow a one-time file upload via the SAFE site. Offerors that fail to email the request of an upload code before the submission date may not be able to receive a request code in time to upload their submission. The Offeror will receive an email from NoReplyTo@mail.mil with the subject line similar to "[DoD SAFE] W912DW20RTEST A-E Qualification Drop-off Invite". The body of the email will contain a hyperlink, with the drop-off key embedded, for your use in uploading your document. The body of the email may also contain additional instructions from the Contracting Specialist in a note beneath the hyperlink. The drop-off key will be valid for 14 calendar days. Instructions for Upload of Documents Follow the hyperlink in the SAFE email. This will take you to the DoD SAFE drop off page. The page will pre-populate the Name and email you provided, the name and email of the recipient, and any additional instructions from the Contracting Specialist. Add Contract Specialist John Scola (john.p.scola@usace.army.mil) AND Contracting Officer Bruce Okumura (bruce.d.okumura@usace.army.mil) as recipients. The Offeror must enter the e-mail address for both the Contracting Officer and Specialist. The Offeror can enter an additional e-mail address if desired. After entering the e-mail address, click the ADD button to add the person’s e-mail to the “Recipients List” of your response. When your document is submitted, a notification will be sent to the recipients you added. NOTE: Do NOT send the SAFE site packages to group e-mail accounts. Accept the default checkbox settings. Add the files that contain your offer. Files for upload will be listed beneath the “Click to Add Files or Drag Them Here” button. Enter a description for each file. Ensure your submittal is complete and all files are listed; this is a one-time drop-off key. Click on “Drop-off Files” when all files are listed. When the upload is complete, DoD SAFE will present a screen listing the files uploaded and transmit an email to the recipient(s) to inform them that the submittal was uploaded. Receipt of Submissions The Government will consider submission timely if it is completely uploaded in the SAFE website and the acknowledgement email sent by the date and time that A-E qualifications are due. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to allow sufficient time for upload. It can take several minutes or even hours in some cases. The Government will not be responsible for submissions delivered to any location or to anyone other than those designated to receive. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that the A-E qualifications are submitted to the designated recipient. Offerors are responsible for allowing sufficient time for receipt by the Government in accordance with the instructions provided. OFFEROR'S QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS Direct your technical and contract questions about this Synopsis to Contracting Officer’s Representative Harry Ehlers, P.E. (harald.r.ehlers@usace.army.mil) and Contracting Specialist, John Scola (john.p.scola@usace.army.mil). All the questions shall be submitted no later than 5 days before SF330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, is due and must contain PANNWD-20-P-003427 in the subject line of the e-mail. Primary Point of Contact: John P. Scola Contract Specialist, Seattle Army Corp of Engineers john.p.scola@usace.army.mil