Architectural & Engineering Services

This notice was incorrectly posted as a pre-solicitation and will be archived on 24 March 2016. This same notice (A_E_RFI_2016) is now posted as a sources sought and the due date extended to 8 April 2016. This notice is issued for the purpose of market research (FAR) 10.002(b)(2)(i) and to assess capabilities and qualifications of interested parties, for both large and small businesses, as part of market research and acquisition planning. The information provided back to NASA will not be disclosed out of the agency and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement. Submission of any information in response to this notice is completely voluntary. ALL INTERESTED PARTIES are invited to submit a Capabilities Statement. THIS NOTICE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN MARKET RESEARCH. CURRENT CONTRACT FEATURES: The current NASA Ames Architectural & Engineering contract NNA13AA14C, with AECOM Technical Services Inc., has the following features: 1) Period of Performance: 11/01/2012 to 10/31/2017. 2) Contract Type: Combination FFP/IDIQ. 3) The contract was awarded under Full and Open Competition. 4) The maximum value of the contract, including all options, is approximately $56M. Description The A/E firm will provide: on-site engineering support services for the preparation of designs relating to facility modifications, repairs, and maintenance; environmental compliance and remediation studies, plans, and designs; energy life cycle cost analysis; facilities planning; master planning studies and facility usage investigations; information technology-based configuration management; re-certification of pressure vessels and systems; and energy and power reliability studies. The A/E firm shall have the capability and experience of designing low voltage (less than 600 V), medium voltage (5kv-35kv) and high voltage (115kv) with experience in relay protection and arc flash in all voltage levels. The A/E firm shall have experience in fire alarm, security and building energy management systems, construction management and inspection experience in electrical systems. The A/E services will include cost estimating; preparing drawings and specifications for construction bid packages; review of submittals and construction materials. NASA Ames Research Center has a large campus environment consisting of approximately 125 facilities spread over an area exceeding 1800 acres. The facilities range in purpose from general office activities to state of the art research facilities and range in age from relatively new to over 70 years old. The above skills are needed for rehabilitation and modification of infrastructure and research facilities, including offices, laboratories, hangers, and wind tunnels, as well as other minor construction and repair work. The technical guidance, review and approval of all work will be accomplished by the Facilities Engineering Branch at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA as the representative of the Contracting Officer. NOTE: The A/E firm shall have a working office located within 120 miles of the NASA Ames Research Center facility. PART I. PURPOSE OF THIS SYNOPSIS This synopsis has two purposes: 1) To request information, stated in Part II below, of this RFI, from interested parties regarding their recommended contracting approach, including contract type, incentive structure and contract duration, to provide the A/E services described above. 2) To request information on capabilities/qualifications of potential Offeror's to provide the services described in the technical areas stated in Part III of this RFI in order to assess capabilities of large and small businesses interested in this effort. An interested parties list will be posted. *Note: Part I of this RFI is for informational purposes only and responses are not requested. PART II. RESPONSES REGARDING THE CONTRACTING APPROACH: The Government is soliciting industry comments on the optimal contracting approach to perform a potential Architectural & Engineering Services procurement that will enhance competition and provide business opportunities. Responses to Part II must be in 5 pages or less (including any exhibits, attachments, etc...) and include the following: 1) Please provide your view regarding what type of contract provides the best approach for this type of work, how should the risk be shared by the Government and Contractor, and how does the proposed contract type incentivize the Contractor to perform high quality work at a reasonable price and maximize scalability over the life of the contract? Discuss your views regarding the implementation of incentive fees, award fees, performance deduction schedules, award term(s), bonuses, and/or other appropriate incentives for contractor performance. 2) Service contracts are typically limited to a five year duration unless a deviation is approved. Is five years the appropriate duration or is a shorter period appropriate to take advantage of competitive forces, or would it be in ARC's best interest to seek a deviation to the five year limitation - what would be the Government benefit of a longer term, how would a longer term maximize NASA's return on investment, etc.? 3) What would help reduce the Contractor's bid and proposal or transaction costs during any potential proposal development and evaluation process for this effort? 4) Is it effective for any A/E disciplines (such as Civil, Structural, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering) to be broken out of the contract and set-aside for small businesses? If so, which disciplines? 5) Socio-economic considerations are a priority at ARC. Given the general scope of work stated in the "Description Section" of this RFI, please submit suggested percentages of the work that could be subcontracted to each of the following types of businesses: Small Business Concerns; Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Concerns; Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Concerns; HUBZone Small Business Concerns; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) (includes other minority Institutions); Veteran-Owned Business Concerns; and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Concerns. Include the basis for these suggested percentages. This information may be used to establish subcontracting goals for any future procurement. 6) What will be the biggest challenge for your company in developing a proposal for this potential effort? PART III. RESPONSES REGARDING THE CAPABILITIES/QUALIFICATIONS OF POTENTIAL SOURCES: Interested Offerors having the required specialized capabilities/qualifications to support some or all of the work described in the "Description Section" of this RFI are asked to submit a narrative detailing their capability/qualifications in 10 pages or less (including any exhibits, attachments, etc...) that must include the following: 1) Provide your company name, address, point of contact, phone, fax, e-mail, DUNS number and website (if applicable). 2) State whether your company is a Large business, Small business, Small Disadvantaged Business, certified 8(a) small business (include anticipated graduation date), HUBZone small business, Woman-owned small business, Veteran-owned small business, HBCU/MI, Service-Disabled Veteran-owned small business for NAICS code 541310, size standard $7.5M in average annual receipts. 3) State whether your company is on any Federal Schedule for these services and which ones they are. 4) Describe your company's A/E capability and capacity in each of the Technical Areas listed in the "Description Section" above. 5) Provide a list of relevant work performed in the past five (5) years, including contract type, contract number, technical description and how it is relevant to this work, dollar amount, period of performance, general geographic location of the project and a customer reference name and telephone number. (6) Provide professional qualifications your company possesses that are necessary for satisfactory performance of the required services (licensed/registered architects and engineers, etc.). (7) State your company's knowledge of the potential contracts place of performance, Mountain View, CA. PART IV. INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMISSION OF RESPONSES TO THIS RFI: All responses to Part II and III of this RFI shall be received no later than April 01, 2016. Please respond via electronic mail (e-mail) to the Contract Specialist, Stephen Cox, at the following address: stephen.b.cox@nasa.gov. Responses must be in PDF format and PART II submissions must be a separate file from Part III submissions. All questions MUST be in writing and should also be directed to Mr. Cox. The Government reserves the right not to answer questions if it so chooses. If an interested party requests confirmation of receipt, the Contract Specialist will confirm receipt via email. In all responses, please reference Architectural & Engineering Services - Request for Information in the subject line and on all attachments. Verbal questions will not be accepted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps. It is the potential Offeror's responsibility to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Point of Contact Name: Stephen Cox Title: Contract Specialist Phone: 650-604-3015 Fax: 650-604-2593 Email: Stephen.b.cox@nasa.gov