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Subject: Notice of Intent to Sole Source 68HERH19Q0126 In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), intends to award a Sole Source Firm Fixed Price Purchase Orde... Subject: Notice of Intent to Sole Source 68HERH19Q0126 In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), intends to award a Sole Source Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order to the ANSI National Accreditation Board, LLC (ANAB). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training (OCEFT), National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) has a requirement for ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for forensic testing. The Headquarters Acquisition Division (HQAD) intends to negotiate and award a firm fixed price (FFP) contract to ANSI National Accreditation Board, LLC (ANAB). EPA has identified ANAB as the only contractor able to meet the requirements of this procurement. The sole source determination is based on the following: Only ANAB can fulfill this requirement. Therefore, the Government intends to solicit with only one source under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1). NEIC has been ISO/IEC 17025 accredited for forensic testing - field and laboratory activities - since 2001. NEIC¿s current accreditation is through the organization, ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB - https://www.anab.org/forensic-accreditation). ANAB maintains membership in the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), which ensures acceptance of NEIC¿s enforcement testing/analyses and test reports in important legal/trial settings. NEIC¿s accreditation is current with ANAB through April 13, 2020. Accreditation requires meeting both the ISO/IEC 17025 standard requirements and more stringent ¿amplification¿ requirements ¿ also called ¿supplementals.¿ Each separate accrediting body creates their own specific supplemental requirements to address those more rigorous amplification requirements. These supplemental requirements are very stringent and specific to the topic. NEIC is currently accredited for environmental forensic testing and thus must comply with accreditation supplementals for forensic science. In November 2017, the ISO organization made major updates to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard from the previous 2005 version. The updates are extensive, changing the management approach from a top-down approach to a risk-based approach. Each separate accrediting body creates their own specific supplemental requirements to address those more rigorous amplification requirements. These supplemental requirements are very stringent and specific to the topic (forensics). When ISO updated the general 17025 accreditation, each accrediting body had to update their supplemental requirements also. ANAB¿s updated requirements are documented in their Forensic Science Testing and Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Requirements, Document Number AR-3125. This AR-3125 document outlines 143 additional specific requirements that have to be incorporated into the accredited organization¿s quality management system. Many of these specific new requirements are multi-faceted/multi-component also. NEIC has worked since early Spring of 2018 to update our controlled documents (procedures, policies, guides, plans) to meet both the new ISO/IEC 17025 requirements and ANAB¿s supplemental AR-3125 requirements. This has involved reviewing and updating 129 documents. Examples of these documents include Evidence Management; Internal Audits of the NEIC Management System; Field Data and Data Package Review; Proficiency Testing and Competency Evaluation; and Data Backup. The work effort has been considerable and very time consuming, involving much of 7 staff members time, plus general reviews by almost every NEIC employee (approximately 60 employees). When NEIC is evaluated late Fall 2019/Early Winter 2020 by the accrediting body, it will be to the new standards/supplementals. The evaluation has to take place about 2-3 months prior to the end of the current accreditation (about January ¿ early February 2020), so that reports can be completed and needed corrective actions made. NEIC¿s quality management system will be evaluated against the new ISO requirements and new supplemental requirements. NEIC has spent over a year and a half updating our documents and quality management system to meet our current accrediting bodies (ANAB) supplemental requirements. It would take a tremendous effort and amount of time to evaluate and redo all of the 129 documents/management system requirements to meet a different supplemental document. Therefore, it is necessary that NEIC¿s reaccreditation contract stay with the current accreditation body, ANAB. Additionally, NEIC¿s accreditation is based upon the current ANAB/NEIC agreed upon ¿scope of accreditation,¿ which outlines NEIC¿s technical technologies (such as, mass spectrometry, inductively coupled Plasma Optical Emission, global positioning system (GPS)). NEIC¿s proficiency testing and competency evaluation program has been developed to this specific scope. Based on NEIC¿s varied enforcement field and laboratory analytical needs, there is a need for flexibility in developing/revising standard methods. NEIC¿s current accrediting body allows for a more generic scope based on general techniques. Not being required to have a specific ¿method¿ based scope is essential for NEIC¿s work. A sole source contract with our current accrediting body, ANAB, would assure NEIC¿s criminal and civil enforcement field and analytical work will have the flexibility required. Additional Information: Procurement Office: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Headquarters Acquisition Division 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue. NW Washington. DC 20460. NAICS Code: 541990, size standard: $15.0 million Period of Performance: 1 year ARO, plus 4 option years NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE. This notice of intent to award is not a request for competitive quotations. Interested concerns capable of providing the service as described in this notice may submit a Capability Statement outlining their capabilities. Information received will be evaluated for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Capability Statements must be received within the time set forth in this announcement to be considered by the Government. A determination to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Each response should include the following Business Information: a. DUNS. b. Company Name. address, POC, Phone and Email address c. Current GSA Schedules or NAICS codes appropriate to this Award. d. Type of Company (i.e., small business, 8(a), woman owned, HubZone, veteran owned. etc.) as validated in System For Award Management (SAM). All offerors must register on the SAM located at http://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/# l e. Capability Statement Responses to this posting must be in writing and provide clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government. A determination not to compete the proposed purchase order based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. All questions should be directed to William Tichacek, Contract Specialist at tichacek.william@epa.gov. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE