Inactive

Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Services (ECCRS).

Inactive

The US Environmental Protection Agency, Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC) in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) has a requirement to obtain contracto... The US Environmental Protection Agency, Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC) in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) has a requirement to obtain contractor support to implement, on a nationwide level, EPA's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Policy (65 FR 81858), December 2000, which was established under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996, and to implement EPA's Public Involvement Policy (65 FR 82335). Under EPA's ADR Policy, the ADR techniques to prevent and resolve disputes with internal and external parties in many contexts, include adjudications, rulemaking, policy development, administrative and civil judicial enforcement actions, permit issuance, protests of contract awards, administration of contracts and grants, stakeholder involvement, negotiations, and litigation. Services to be performed under the anticipated contract include: • Contract Management • Situation Assessment • ADR for Agreement Seeking Processes • Consultation and Information Exchange • Just-in-Time / Quick Response Dispute Prevention and Resolution • Workplace Dispute Prevention and Resolution to Advance EPA’s Environmental Mission • Strategic Planning and Organizational Development • Arbitration • Training Support • Activities in Support of the ADR Process The Government anticipates the award of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract that will allow for the issuance of firm fixed price (FFP) and time and material (T&M) type task orders over an ordering period of five (5) years. The EPA intends on a single award ID/IQ with a maximum value of $85 million. The anticipated solicitation release date is not earlier than November 5 and the close date shall be approximately 30 days thereafter. The solicitation will be issued on a full and open competitive basis with no small business set-aside(s). A Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) document shall accompany this Pre solicitation Notice via separate attachment. Be advised that changes to any or all documentation is possible when the final Solicitation (SOL) is released. No hard copies will be available. The solicitation 68HERC23R0179 will be available for downloading at FedConnect® located at the following internet address: www.fedconnect.net/. Questions relating to the solicitation are required to be submitted electronically through FedConnect®. ONLY those questions posted through FedConnect® will be accepted. All responses to questions will be released on FedConnect®. At this Internet site you will be able to register with FedConnect®, enabling you to download the solicitation once released, join the mailing list, and to submit questions. If you need technical assistance in registering or for any other FedConnect® function, call the FedConnect® Help Desk at (800) 899-6665 or email at support@fedconnect.net. Contractor registration in the Government’s System for Award Management (SAM) is required in order to be eligible for contract award. Registration may be completed and information regarding the registration process may be obtained at http://www.sam.gov. Once issued, solicitation documents will be available electronically for download at https://www.fedconnect.net. Hard copies of the solicitation package will not be distributed. Electronic copies of responses will be required and must be submitted via FedConnect® (https://www.fedconnect.net). All responsible sources may submit a proposal for EPA consideration. The applicable NAICS code is 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, with a size standard of $24.5 Million. Contract award will be made in accordance with FAR part 15-Contracting by Negotiation. The point of contact is Erin Ridder, Contract Specialist, at ridder.erin@epa.gov.

Inactive

The purpose of Amendment 00001 to Sources Sought Notice is to provide the written text of the original notice posted 4/18/2023 in the Description of the notice, rather than only as an attachment. Plea... The purpose of Amendment 00001 to Sources Sought Notice is to provide the written text of the original notice posted 4/18/2023 in the Description of the notice, rather than only as an attachment. Please refer to the attachments in the original notice for further details. ENVIRONMENTAL COLLABORATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION SERVICES (ECCRS) THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS FOR WRITTEN INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP REQUESTS. NO TELEPHONE CALLS REQUESTING A SOLICITATION WILL BE ACCEPTED OR ACKNOWLEDGED. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing market research in preparation for a future procurement. Information submitted in response to this notice is merely used for internal market research purposes and no feedback will be offered to the interested parties that submit capability statements. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing market research to identify contractors that possess the capabilities to provide support for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC) in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR). OEJECR provides alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services to the entire Agency. The objective of the anticipated contract is to obtain contractor support to implement, on a nationwide level, EPA's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Policy (65 FR 81858), December 2000, which was established under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996, and to implement EPA's Public Involvement Policy (65 FR 82335). Under EPA's ADR Policy, the Agency encourages the use of ADR techniques to prevent and resolve disputes with internal and external parties in many contexts, including adjudications, rulemaking, policy development, administrative and civil judicial enforcement actions, permit issuance, protests of contract awards, administration of contracts and grants, stakeholder involvement, negotiations, and litigation. EPA's Public Involvement Policy encourages Agency management and staff to provide for meaningful public involvement in EPA decision-making and offers guidance and direction on how to accomplish this mission. Services to be performed under the anticipated contract include: • Contract Management • Situation Assessment • ADR for Agreement Seeking Processes • Consultation and Information Exchange • Just-in-Time / Quick Response Dispute Prevention and Resolution • Workplace Dispute Prevention and Resolution to Advance EPA’s Environmental Mission • Strategic Planning and Organizational Development • Arbitration • Training Support • Activities in Support of the ADR Process To be considered a potential source, a firm must demonstrate it is able to provide the necessary personnel and services to support the effort delineated by the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS). The successful contractor shall provide all necessary labor skilled personnel, materials, and services in support of the efforts. A draft copy of the PWS is included as an attachment to this synopsis. Based on the nature of the performance work statement requirements, it is anticipated that offerors with the expertise to perform these requirements could also have relationships (e.g., a parent/subsidiary/sister company affiliation, or an existing contractual relationship) which present the potential for significant organizational conflicts of interest. It is EPA’s contention that a potential organizational COI may exist if award were to be made to firms within the following groups or to firms that have significant business or financial relationships with these firms: 1. Entities that own, operate, or invest in waste management/waste disposal firms. Waste management/waste disposal firms are subject to EPA regulations, and work performed by these types of firms under any resultant contract could affect the particular regulations that apply to these firms. An impaired objectivity OCI could exist for firms that are members of this regulated sector of industry if they concurrently provide contractual support to the EPA because the substance of the contractor's performance has the potential to affect its other activities and interests or vice versa. This scenario will be monitored at pre-award and at post-award with issuance of each task order and/or technical direction, in conjunction with the contractor’s COI certification. 2. Entities that provide direct input into the development of environmental regulation, policy, and/or guidance. An unequal access to non-public information OCI may exist for these entities because a contractor has access to non-public information as part of its performance of a government contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other transaction and that non-public information may provide the contractor an unfair competitive edge in a later competition for a government contract. This scenario will be monitored at pre--award and at post-award with issuance of each task order and/or technical direction, in conjunction with the contractor’s COI certification. It is contemplated that work affecting these industries shall be performed under the resulting contract. Therefore, if award were made to any of the entities and/or individuals listed above or to entities that have significant business or financial relationships with them, a conflicting role may exist. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, with a size standard of $24.5 million. This requirement is currently performed as a single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the allowance of firm-fixed price and time and materials task orders. The Government anticipates this follow-on procurement to be issued as a single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the allowance of firm-fixed price and time and materials task orders. The resultant contract is anticipated to have a total period of performance of 60 months. Interested parties with the capability of providing the services described in the draft PWS are invited to submit a capability statement of up to fifteen (15) pages which sufficiently and clearly demonstrates their ability to provide the services described. The capability statement shall include a description of any services that the party currently provides as well as personnel to accomplish the work with their relevant experience and qualifications. It is important that the capability statement include information with regard to the firm’s size status for the above referenced NAICS code, (i.e., large, small); as well as whether the firm qualifies for any other SBA certified socio-economic categories such as a certified Hubzone, 8(a), women-owned, small disadvantaged and/or service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern. Additionally, interested parties should include a discussion of the capability of the firm’s accounting system to implement a cost accounting system required of a time and materials contract in the event the government elects to utilize time and materials task orders. Previous experience with time and materials government contracts should also be discussed. It is expected that the firm be able to receive and process large numbers of sub-contractor invoices each month. The EPA reserves the right to set this action aside for small businesses if it determines that there are two or more small businesses able to compete in terms of market prices, quality, and delivery. If set aside, a small business would be required to comply with FAR 52.219-14. Interested parties should also include a discussion about their capability to manage a roster of more than 100 sub-contractors including, but not limited to, circulating requests for proposal; matching appropriate facilitators, mediators, and trainers to the requested projects; performing conflict of interest checks specific to each case/project with suggested providers; negotiating sub-contract arrangements; receiving large numbers of invoices from sub-contractors and processing them for payment; managing and evaluating sub-contractor performance. Standard company brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this Sources Sought Synopsis. Capabilities Statements in response to this Sources Sought Synopsis MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE FEDCONNECT PORTAL MESSAGE CENTER by 12:00 p.m. EST, on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023. Any questions regarding the content of this Sources Sought Synopsis announcement must be submitted through the FedConnect portal. Additionally, interested parties must register with FedConnect to submit documents, questions, and to view responses. FedConnect can be accessed at https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/. FedConnect is a web portal that connects agencies and vendors to streamline the process of doing business with the federal government. Through FedConnect contractors will be able to receive, review and respond to contract pre- and post-award actions and documents such as correspondence, request for proposals, tasking instruments and contract modifications. The use of FedConnect also furthers the EPA's commitment to moving towards a paperless acquisition environment by reducing its carbon footprint and conducting its business in an ecologically friendly manner. There is no charge to use FedConnect. Vendors can register with FedConnect at www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/. For assistance in registering or for other FedConnect technical questions please call the FedConnect Help Desk at (800) 899-6665 or email at support@fedconnect.net. In addition, all vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), as this facilitates registration for FedConnect. Please note that vendors MUST have their SAM profile set to “public,” otherwise FedConnect will not be able to access the SAM information required to validate vendor credentials. Registration may be completed and information regarding the registration process may be obtained at http://www.sam.gov. There is no charge for registration in SAM. ENVIRONMENTAL COLLABORATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION SERVICES (ECCRS) THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS FOR WRITTEN INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP REQUESTS. NO TELEPHONE CALLS REQUESTING A SOLICITATION WILL BE ACCEPTED OR ACKNOWLEDGED. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing market research in preparation for a future procurement. Information submitted in response to this notice is merely used for internal market research purposes and no feedback will be offered to the interested parties that submit capability statements. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing market research to identify contractors that possess the capabilities to provide support for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC) in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR). OEJECR provides alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services to the entire Agency. The objective of the anticipated contract is to obtain contractor support to implement, on a nationwide level, EPA's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Policy (65 FR 81858), December 2000, which was established under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996, and to implement EPA's Public Involvement Policy (65 FR 82335). Under EPA's ADR Policy, the Agency encourages the use of ADR techniques to prevent and resolve disputes with internal and external parties in many contexts, including adjudications, rulemaking, policy development, administrative and civil judicial enforcement actions, permit issuance, protests of contract awards, administration of contracts and grants, stakeholder involvement, negotiations, and litigation. EPA's Public Involvement Policy encourages Agency management and staff to provide for meaningful public involvement in EPA decision-making and offers guidance and direction on how to accomplish this mission. Services to be performed under the anticipated contract include: • Contract Management • Situation Assessment • ADR for Agreement Seeking Processes • Consultation and Information Exchange • Just-in-Time / Quick Response Dispute Prevention and Resolution • Workplace Dispute Prevention and Resolution to Advance EPA’s Environmental Mission • Strategic Planning and Organizational Development • Arbitration • Training Support • Activities in Support of the ADR Process To be considered a potential source, a firm must demonstrate it is able to provide the necessary personnel and services to support the effort delineated by the draft Performance Work Statement (PWS). The successful contractor shall provide all necessary labor skilled personnel, materials, and services in support of the efforts. A draft copy of the PWS is included as an attachment to this synopsis. Based on the nature of the performance work statement requirements, it is anticipated that offerors with the expertise to perform these requirements could also have relationships (e.g., a parent/subsidiary/sister company affiliation, or an existing contractual relationship) which present the potential for significant organizational conflicts of interest. It is EPA’s contention that a potential organizational COI may exist if award were to be made to firms within the following groups or to firms that have significant business or financial relationships with these firms: 1. Entities that own, operate, or invest in waste management/waste disposal firms. Waste management/waste disposal firms are subject to EPA regulations, and work performed by these types of firms under any resultant contract could affect the particular regulations that apply to these firms. An impaired objectivity OCI could exist for firms that are members of this regulated sector of industry if they concurrently provide contractual support to the EPA because the substance of the contractor's performance has the potential to affect its other activities and interests or vice versa. This scenario will be monitored at pre-award and at post-award with issuance of each task order and/or technical direction, in conjunction with the contractor’s COI certification. 2. Entities that provide direct input into the development of environmental regulation, policy, and/or guidance. An unequal access to non-public information OCI may exist for these entities because a contractor has access to non-public information as part of its performance of a government contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other transaction and that non-public information may provide the contractor an unfair competitive edge in a later competition for a government contract. This scenario will be monitored at pre--award and at post-award with issuance of each task order and/or technical direction, in conjunction with the contractor’s COI certification. It is contemplated that work affecting these industries shall be performed under the resulting contract. Therefore, if award were made to any of the entities and/or individuals listed above or to entities that have significant business or financial relationships with them, a conflicting role may exist. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services, with a size standard of $24.5 million. This requirement is currently performed as a single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the allowance of firm-fixed price and time and materials task orders. The Government anticipates this follow-on procurement to be issued as a single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the allowance of firm-fixed price and time and materials task orders. The resultant contract is anticipated to have a total period of performance of 60 months. Interested parties with the capability of providing the services described in the draft PWS are invited to submit a capability statement of up to fifteen (15) pages which sufficiently and clearly demonstrates their ability to provide the services described. The capability statement shall include a description of any services that the party currently provides as well as personnel to accomplish the work with their relevant experience and qualifications. It is important that the capability statement include information with regard to the firm’s size status for the above referenced NAICS code, (i.e., large, small); as well as whether the firm qualifies for any other SBA certified socio-economic categories such as a certified Hubzone, 8(a), women-owned, small disadvantaged and/or service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern. Additionally, interested parties should include a discussion of the capability of the firm’s accounting system to implement a cost accounting system required of a time and materials contract in the event the government elects to utilize time and materials task orders. Previous experience with time and materials government contracts should also be discussed. It is expected that the firm be able to receive and process large numbers of sub-contractor invoices each month. The EPA reserves the right to set this action aside for small businesses if it determines that there are two or more small businesses able to compete in terms of market prices, quality, and delivery. If set aside, a small business would be required to comply with FAR 52.219-14. Interested parties should also include a discussion about their capability to manage a roster of more than 100 sub-contractors including, but not limited to, circulating requests for proposal; matching appropriate facilitators, mediators, and trainers to the requested projects; performing conflict of interest checks specific to each case/project with suggested providers; negotiating sub-contract arrangements; receiving large numbers of invoices from sub-contractors and processing them for payment; managing and evaluating sub-contractor performance. Standard company brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this Sources Sought Synopsis. Capabilities Statements in response to this Sources Sought Synopsis MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE FEDCONNECT PORTAL MESSAGE CENTER by 12:00 p.m. EST, on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023. Any questions regarding the content of this Sources Sought Synopsis announcement must be submitted through the FedConnect portal. Additionally, interested parties must register with FedConnect to submit documents, questions, and to view responses. FedConnect can be accessed at https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/. FedConnect is a web portal that connects agencies and vendors to streamline the process of doing business with the federal government. Through FedConnect contractors will be able to receive, review and respond to contract pre- and post-award actions and documents such as correspondence, request for proposals, tasking instruments and contract modifications. The use of FedConnect also furthers the EPA's commitment to moving towards a paperless acquisition environment by reducing its carbon footprint and conducting its business in an ecologically friendly manner. There is no charge to use FedConnect. Vendors can register with FedConnect at www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/. For assistance in registering or for other FedConnect technical questions please call the FedConnect Help Desk at (800) 899-6665 or email at support@fedconnect.net. In addition, all vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), as this facilitates registration for FedConnect. Please note that vendors MUST have their SAM profile set to “public,” otherwise FedConnect will not be able to access the SAM information required to validate vendor credentials. Registration may be completed and information regarding the registration process may be obtained at http://www.sam.gov. There is no charge for registration in SAM.