B -- Mapping Input/Output with BEES Life-Cycle Flows

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Parts 12 and 13, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation Number N860010-7-05927rs is issued as a request for quotation. No set-aside is identified for this RFP. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) is 541990. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has a requirement for technical support services described below. The Performance Based Statement of Work is as follows: I. BACKGROUND: The U. S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) studies building materials; computer-integrated construction practices; fire science and fire safety engineering; and structural, mechanical, and environmental engineering. Products of the laboratory's research include measurements and test methods, performance criteria, and technical data that support innovations by industry and are incorporated into building and fire standards and codes. One of BFRL?s major program areas is Healthy and Sustainable Buildings, to which the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) software project is a major contributor. BEES uses the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to evaluate the environmental performance of products based on life-cycle inventory (LCI) data compiled by LCA practitioners for more than 500 environmental flows including raw materials and energy use, air emissions, water effluent, and solid waste. NIST takes a lead role, with its BEES software, database, and methods, in providing guidance to the building community on the life cycle environmental and economic performance of products. Reliable, consistent LCI data are key to BEES success. II. SCOPE OF WORK: With this contract, NIST seeks to take a first step beyond evaluation of building products and simple building product systems toward evaluation of entire facilities. The scope of this contract is limited to commercial and residential buildings. The primary objective of this contract is for a Contractor to develop a mapping framework to directly connect an existing, or readily-adaptable, Input/Output (I/O)-based LCI framework with the fixed, BEES-based LCI framework. The Contractor is encouraged to propose an innovative and effective methodology to map BEES life cycle flows. The deliverable for this contract is a spreadsheet indicating how to convert I/O-based LCI results into the BEES impact assessment framework. This deliverable will be reviewed and incorporated by the NIST COTR in the research activities of the BFRL Metrics and Tools for Sustainable Buildings Program. The Contractor may propose and justify an alternative deliverable for Government approval. The goal of the deliverable is to effectively and efficiently convert I/O LCI results into the BEES-based LCI framework. The objective is to enable evaluation I/O LCI results through the twelve BEES impact assessment methods. The expected outcome is the ability to estimate, in a consistent, transparent manner, the environmental performance of commercial and residential buildings Period of Performance - The period of performance is from date of award through 29 FEB 2008. III. SPECIFIC TASKS: The Contractor shall develop a mapping framework for converting I/O-based LCI results into the BEES impact assessment framework. Specific tasks include: 1. Select a robust, transparent U.S. IO-LCA database. Publicly or commercially available documentation shall exist for the selected database that provides detailed, transparent information on its compilation. Robustness shall be demonstrated by reference to at least two independent, 3rd-party reviews of the selected database. 2. Map the LCI flows produced as output of the selected IO-LCA database to the BEES LCI flows. Attached is an Excel file (PWS Attachment #1) giving the fixed BEES LCI flow list, the environmental media to which they refer, and the units in which they are expressed. 3. Document matched flows. For IO-LCA database flows with direct, or convertible, mappings to BEES flows, document the match. See the ?Matched Flows? tab of PWS Attachment #2; the cells highlighted in yellow are those that are to be completed for all matched flows. As shown in the attachment, for each matched flow, list the corresponding flow from the selected IO-LCA database. Provide the units in which the IO-LCA database reports these corresponding flows, as well as their CAS Registry numbers if they exist. 4. Document unmatched flows. For IO-LCA database flows without direct or convertible mappings to BEES flows, document the matching failure. See the ?Unmatched Flows? tab of PWS Attachment #2; the cells highlighted in yellow are those that are to be completed for all unmatched flows. As shown in the attachment, documentation includes type of mismatch between BEES flows and IO-LCA flows and suggested work-around, other suggestion as to how to handle the unmatch, or justification for ignoring the BEES flow (e.g., insignificant--x %- contribution to all 12 BEES environmental impacts) NOTE: For PBSW attachments # 1 & #2 may be obtained by sending an e-mail request to thee acquisition specialist identified below. IV. DELIVERABLES AND REPORTS: Report outputs?describe what is to be included in the reports: The deliverable for Task 1 is a 1-page written summary, provided as an electronic MS Word document, justifying the IO-LCA database selection. Any external, written reviews of the detailed data shall be provided. The deliverable for Tasks 2 through 4 is PWS Attachment # 2, with cells highlighted in yellow on the ?Matched Flows? and ?Unmatched Flows? tabs completed. PWS Attachment # 2 shall be provided as an electronic MS Excel file. An alternative deliverable for Tasks 2 through 4 may be submitted upon Government?s approval of the Contractor?s proposal. V. DELIVERABLE DUE DATES AND/OR PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Tasks 1 through 5: MS Word document justifying IO-LCA database selection and MS Excel spreadsheet documenting the BEES vs. IO-LCA database matching tasks due within 5 months of contract award Period of Performance for this task: Date of award through February 2008. VI. EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS: Two MS Excel files, Attachment #1 illustrating the BEES LCI flow list and Attachment #2 showing the format of the deliverable for Tasks 2 through 4, are available via e-mail. Contact Ray Staniewski at raymond.staniewski@nist.gov and reference this solicitation number and simply request the two additional excel spreadsheets for this solicitation. ******************************************************************************************** Due to formating the following data may be difficult to read. Please contact below identified Acquisition Specialist with any questions. ******************************************************************************************** PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY Desired Output/Required Srvc/Performance Stdrd/Monitoring Method What do we want to accomplish as the end result of this requirement? Task 1: The ability to use BEES and IO-LCA data interchangeably. Tasks 2-5: The ability to estimate the environmental performance of commercial and residential buildings. What task must be accomplished to give us the desired result? Contractor shall select a robust, transparent, U.S.-based IO-LCA database. Contractor shall map BEES flows with flows from the selected IO-LCA database. What should the standards be for completeness, reliability, accuracy, timeliness, and quality? How will we measure performance? The selected database shall consist of data developed in a consistent, transparent, documented manner. All yellow highlighted cells in PWS Attachment #2 will be completed. How will we determine that success has been achieved? NIST TIC shall review the one-page document justifying database selection. NIST TIC shall review the delivered Attachment #2 and determine its acceptability. ******************************************************************************************** COTR: The Contracting Officer?s Technical Representative (COTR) is to be determined. Place of Performance: National Institute of Standards & Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, MD. 20899-1640. Government Furnished Equipment The contractor will perform the tasks described herein on the NIST Campus, Gaithersburg, Md. NIST will provide a desk, computer, and telephone for use by the contractor in the performance of this effort. Period of Performance - The period of performance is from date of award through 29 FEB 2008. Price Quote: To be considered responsive, the contractor shall submit the best potential fixed price, for the effort described. The resulting purchase order shall be on a firm fixed price basis with payments based upon completion and acceptance of the Taskings and delivery schedule. The award shall be made on a best value basis. Best value evaluation factors include the following: 1) Approach - The likelihood of effectively meeting the requirements; 2) Past Performance - The relevance and quality of prior performance for similar taskings. Must include at least three (3) Past Performance references and valid phone numbers; and 3) Price - The amount, realism and consistency of the evaluated price. The evaluation shall be based on use of the adjectival scheme as follows: Outstanding (O) - Conspicuously striking in eminence; Excellent (E) - Very good of its kind; eminently good, superior or first class; Good (G) - Beneficial and worthwhile; sound and valid; Adequate (A) - Reasonably sufficient and suitable; Marginal (M) - Minimally suitable at the lower limit; Unsatisfactory (U) - Not acceptable, not adequate to carry out. The solicitation document and incorporated clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular Number 2005-14. The provisions and clauses may be downloaded at http://www.acqnet.gov.far. The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this solicitation: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial applies to this acquisition and there is no addendum to this provision; FAR 52,212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items. The Government shall award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (i) approach, (ii) past performance, (iii) price; FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and there is no addendum to this provision; FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and there is no addendum to this provision; FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition; FAR 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel; FAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data - General. All interested contractors must be actively registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at the CCR website www.ccr.gov. Interested contractors are invited to provide an electronic response, with cover letter, to be received no later than midnight, August 17, 2007, and shall be in either Word or .PDF format. Any other format shall be identified as ?NON RESPONSIVE? and not considered. Each response shall be on 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch paper, in a commercially standard font, not smaller than a size 12 point font. One (1) written/hard copy original is to follow and shall be addressed to Mr. Raymond Staniewski, Purchasing Agent, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-1640, raymond.staniewski@nist.gov. Contractors must submit a complete response. Responses that are not substantially complete shall be identified as "NON RESPONSIVE" and not considered. Offers of partial performance shall be identified as "NON RESPONSIVE" and not considered. The response shall be secured by simple stapling and shall not contain elaborate binding. Each page in the response shall be separately numbered. A page of paper printed on both sides is considered two pages. The quote shall include the letter of transmittal, shall be limited to eight (8) single sided pages. Submit quotes arranged in three sections as follows: Section I - Approach, which includes identification and qualifications of relevant personnel and technical management approach; Section II - Past Performance, which includes relevant experience which describes at least three (3) relevant projects performed in the last three years and quality of performance; Section III - Price, firm fixed price for the required technical consulting services. Each firm fixed price shall include sufficient data to allow the Government to determine the amount, realism and consistency of the fixed price. Award shall be made to the responsible contractor that offers the best value to the Government. The Government shall not be liable for any costs incurred in response to this request. The Government reserves the right to make a single award, multiple awards, or no award as a result of this RFQ. It is the responsibility of the quotter to confirm NIST's receipt of quote.