Inactive

The New England District (NAE) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this Sources Sought Announcement to determine interest, availability and capability of 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disa... The New England District (NAE) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this Sources Sought Announcement to determine interest, availability and capability of 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Women-Owned and Small Business concerns for Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts for professional environmental consulting services. The NAICS code for the work described below is 541620 with a size standard $16,500,000. The contract period of performance is expected to begin in February of 2022 and would remain in place for up to five years from the contract award date. NAE intends to award this work as a single indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with a total value up to $15,000,000. The location of services to be performed under this contract shall be primarily in the six New England States (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, and CT) but will also include all other states and districts covered by the USACE North Atlantic Divisions (NAD’s) civil works and military projects boundary (NY, PA, NJ, DE, MD, VA, WV, and the District of Columbia). Under this contract the successful offeror will be required to provide services to support the environmental analysis and assessment, resource management, and other programs (e.g. Superfund, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), and other DOD Programs) of the New England District and elements of NAD. Offerors will be evaluated based on professional capabilities relative to the support services outlined in the sections below as well as demonstrated knowledge and experience with ecological issues in the Northeast and adjacent coastal waters, with a particular focus on the requirements of applicable environmental laws and regulations including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) and Clean Water Act (CWA) (particularly as they pertain to suitability testing of dredged material); Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Air Act (CAA); National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA); as well as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Planning procedures. Following is a list of anticipated requirements and tasks which will serve as the primary factors for evaluation of each offeror’s experience and capabilities. Tasks are further summarized in the accompanying table; to be considered qualified, firms MUST include the completed table in their capabilities package. Task orders are expected to involve Technical Support 60% of the time, and Environmental Studies and Reports 40% of the time. Significant weight will be given to the first task in Technical Support and the first task in Environmental Studies and Reports. It should also be noted that at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel under this contract shall be expended for the employees of the offeror. This does not, however, include laboratory analytical services. Capacity. The firm must demonstrate the capacity to execute the full value of the contract over the ordering period - accomplishing multiple task orders concurrently while maintaining quality and schedule. A firm will be evaluated on the available capacity of key personnel from the prime firm and its team. The prime contractor needs to demonstrate that they have the core competencies to perform work required under the contract on their own merit. In order to meet or exceed the requirements of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.219-14, "Limitations on Subcontracting", the prime along with "similarly situated" subcontractors must have the capacity to perform at least 50% of the work over the life of the contract. "Similarly situated" subcontractor means a first-tier subcontractor, including an independent contractor that has the same small business program status as that which qualified the prime contractor for the award and that is considered small for the specified NAICS code. The firm should address how it will meet these requirements based upon the assumption that the items listed under "Specialized Experience and Technical Competence" above constitute the preponderance of the work to be performed under this contract. Technical Support: * Demonstrated ability to stage significant field sampling, survey, and analysis efforts in freshwater, riverine and coastal environments. Provide laboratory and field equipment and/or technical support for field studies (including expert staff, boats, positioning equipment, sampling equipment, etc.) with particular emphasis on oceanographic survey (including multibeam bathymetry, side-scan sonar, acoustic backscatter), sediment-profile imaging, marine sediment testing, water quality monitoring, and plume tracking associated with dredging project effects. The Contractor must have the demonstrated ability to perform field surveys within the NAD footprint, primarily in the New England coastal waters. * Demonstrated ability to perform water quality, sediment chemistry, bioassay, and bioaccumulation analyses according to the most up to date protocol. A thorough knowledge of the Green Book, Inland Testing Manual, and New England Regional Implementation Manual requirements is required. Laboratory facilities must meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USACE certification requirements. * Demonstrated ability to produce Sampling and Analysis Plans (SAP) and Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP) according to USACE and EPA reporting and formatting requirements. * Demonstrated ability to perform identification of plants, fish and wildlife, and benthic infauna from marine, terrestrial, and freshwater environments. * Demonstrated experience in performing wetland delineation surveys in the Northeast region. * Demonstrated experience in database development and management for complex environmental monitoring programs. * Demonstrated experience in geospatial data analysis, management, and presentation. * Demonstrated experience in performing General Conformity Determinations under the Clean Air Act. * Demonstrated experience in performing cultural resource surveys in the Northeast region. * Demonstrated experience in performing economic and social impact studies in support of USACE water resources projects. * Ability to render expert opinions (written and oral). Demonstrated experience and in-house staff to provide reliable expert witnesses in regulatory, legal and scientific settings to defend technical analyses performed under this contract. Environmental Studies and Reports * Prepare reports on environmental monitoring studies, oceanographic surveys, and sediment analysis pertinent to the proposed action (including bioassay and bioaccumulation testing of proposed dredged materials). * Prepare environmental reports including: Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Environmental Assessments (EAs) according to NEPA, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), USACE and Army NEPA regulations for USACE civil works and military construction projects; and CWA, Section 404 (b)(1) Evaluations and Statements of Compliance. These documents may need to include impact analyses on the results of any required field studies (for example, wetland delineations or fish and wildlife surveys). * Use computer models and/or geographic information systems (GIS) to describe existing environmental conditions and potential environmental impacts of proposed projects. * Perform Remedial Site Investigation/Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) and environmental monitoring studies to determine the state of environmental contaminants at Superfund and other hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste sites. Interested firms should submit a capabilities package to include the following: business classification (e.g. 8(a), HUBZone, etc.), staff size, primary area(s) of expertise, qualifications, resumes of key personnel, demonstrated experience in performing the work requirements stated above, and a completed summary of capabilities table. Specifically include demonstrated capabilities and experience in performing collection and analysis of both sediment and water resources data, and preparation of NEPA documents/appendices. Responses are due 30 days from the date of this announcement. Responses should be emailed to Heather Skorik at heather.m.skorik@usace.army.mil. Responses are limited to thirty pages, not including staff resumes, which should be included in a separate appendix. The Government will not pay for any material provided in response to this market survey nor return the data provided. This notice is for information purposes only and is not a request to be placed on a solicitation mailing list nor is it a Request for Proposal (RFP) or an announcement of a solicitation. The results of this survey will be considered to be in effect for a period of one year from the date of this notice.