C--A-E SERVICES FOR CORE DRILLING AND LABORATORY TESTING WITHIN THE FLORIDA BOUNDARIES OF THE JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT

Description: Up to two contracts may be awarded from this solicitation using unrestricted acquisition procedures. The contract will be an Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity contract for a period of one year from date of award, with options to extend for four additional years; not to exceed a total of five years. Work will be assigned by negotiated task orders. While the estimated dollar amount per year is $1,200,000.00, the actual obligation per year may be greater than or less than the $1,200,000.00. Maximum order limit is $6,000,000 for the life of the contract, including options. The primary purpose of this proposed contract is to provide services for projects located within the geographic boundaries of the Jacksonville District. Secondarily, the contract may be used to provide services within the geographic boundaries of the other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts within the South Atlantic Division. The contractor will have the right to refuse orders for services to be performed outside the geographic boundaries of the Jacksonville District. Criteria used in allocating task orders among contracts include performance and quality of deliverables under current task orders, current capacity to accomplish the order in the required time, specialized experience, equitable distribution of the work among the contractors, and other relevant factors. PROJECT INFORMATION: The primary geographic extent of the assignments includes the Florida boundaries of the Jacksonville District. Services will include geotechnical subsurface sampling via continuous and/or standard SPT techniques, large diameter coring within rock units, in situ testing, field and laboratory testing of materials (including construction Q/A testing), chemical analytical laboratory testing, site preparation, establishing coordinate locations, and geophysical site investigations. Use of automatic hammers and strict adherence to calibration requirements will be required. Use of manual hammers with appropriate calibration will be accepted by exception only and must be approved in advance. Maximum possible recovery of sampled materials is mandatory. A geologist or civil (soils) engineer, knowledgeable in the geology of Florida, must observe all drilling operations and prepare detailed field logs to document sampling procedures. A registered surveyor must validate all coordinate locations and elevations obtained by conventional land surveying methods. Firm will be required to maintain, either in-house or through association with qualified subcontractors, Corps of Engineers validated geotechnical laboratory testing facilities for each test type during the performance period of the basic contract and all task orders. Firm will be required to submit documentation confirming that it has obtained or is in the process of obtaining Corps of Engineers validation of geotechnical laboratory testing facilities for this contract at time of contract award. No task orders will be issued until Corps of Engineers validation of geotechnical laboratory testing facilities has been successfully completed. The chemical analytical laboratory performing chemical analysis of environmental samples must participate in USEPA's National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) and be accredited by the State of Florida's accrediting authority, Department of Health, where applicable. The analytical laboratory must be capable of analyzing environmental samples utilizing USEPA-derived analytical methods and have a sound quality assurance program. The analytical laboratory must also be capable of implementing project specific QA/QC procedures as outlined in the Quality Assurance Systems Requirements of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (available on the web page www.evergladesplan.org/pm/recover/wqt_qasr.cfm) and prepare data deliverables in the format specified in http://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/programs/clp/ilm52.htm or http://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/programs/clp/olm4.htm for hardcopy sets and ftp://ftp.saj.usace.army.mil/pub/projects/ASR/ADR/ or www.lab-data.com for electronic data sets. The Government may at any time conduct audits (including requests for pertinent data or information) to confirm compliance with the specified chemical analytical laboratory requirements. A summary geotechnical report including an expert opinion and geotechnical recommendations will be required as part of each assignment. FACTORS FOR EVALUATION IN ORDER OF PRIORITY ARE: 1. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCE: DRILLING: Firm must clearly demonstrate specialized experience and expertise in the following field data collection procedures: Standard Penetration Testing (SPT), rock coring, sonic drilling, wash probing, vibracoring, undisturbed sampling, test pits, and monitoring well installations. Field conditions to be addressed include: upland, swamp (partially inundated or tidally inundated), on water, and unusual or difficult access situations. Firm must demonstrate experience related to site clearing, heavy equipment operation, establishing coordinate locations (horizontal and vertical) on land and in water, obtaining rights of entry. 2. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCE-GEOTECHNICAL LABORATORY TESTING: Firm must clearly demonstrate specialized experience and expertise in the following laboratory analyses: grain size distribution, carbonate content, Atterberg limits, moisture content, specific gravity, sedimentation rate, organic content, triaxial tests, direct shear, consolidation, compaction tests (4 inch and 6 inch molds), permeability tests, and unconfined compressive strength testing. 3. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCE-IN SITU AND FIELD TESTING: Firm must clearly demonstrate specialized experience and expertise in the following field data collection procedures: Cone Penetration Testing (CPT), Dilatometer Testing (DMT), Vane Shear Testing (VST), Pressuremeter Testing (PMT), recharge tests, slug tests, percolation tests, aquifer drawdown tests, and Aquifer Performance Tests (APT). 4. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCE-GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS: Firm must clearly demonstrate experience related to geophysical investigations such as the following methods and technologies: 1) seismic (reflection, refraction, crosshole, and tomography), 2) gravity and microgravity, 3) magnetic, 4) electrical (self-potential, resistivity, and induced polarization), 5) electromagnetic (time domain and frequency domain), 6) ground penetrating radar, 7) acoustical impedance, and 8) borehole logging (spontaneous potential, resistivity, electrical, natural gamma, gamma-gamma, neutron, caliper, temperature, sonic and borehole camera). 5. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCE-CHEMICAL ANALYTICAL LABORATORY TESTING: Firm must clearly demonstrate, either in-house or through association with qualified subcontractors, specialized experience and expertise in the following chemical analytical laboratory procedures: EPA 500 series methods for drinking water, EPA 600 series methods for waste water, toxicity characteristic leachate procedure, microbiological analyses, inorganic analyses, radiochemical analyses, methods for evaluating solid waste, physical/chemical methods, and SW-846. Chemical analytical laboratory facilities must participate in the NELAP program and be accredited by the State of Florida's accrediting authority, Department of Health, for the methods, analyses, and matrices grouped above. Chemical analytical laboratory facilities engaged in low level phosphorous testing must participate in the FDEP round robin study and maintain a score of 3 or better. Chemical analytical laboratory facilities engaged in low level mercury testing must participate in the FDEP round robin study and maintain a score of 3 or better. Chemical analytical laboratory facilities must demonstrate experience working within the State of Florida and with FDEP. 6. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND CAPACITY: Firm must have qualified professional personnel. The evaluation will consider education, training, registration, certifications, including but not limited to registered geologists, registered civil (soils) engineers, technicians, registered surveyors, drillers, and equipment operators. Firm must have, either in-house or through association with qualified subcontractors, adequate staff with specialized experience and knowledgeable in the geology of Florida, to perform the work in the required time. 7. EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE TO THE FIRM: Firm must have all necessary drilling equipment, including but not limited to: drill rigs, amphibious or track-mounted drill rigs, floating plant for protected waters, site access equipment, in situ testing equipment, site preparation equipment, geophysical equipment, and survey equipment. Firm must indicate equipments physical location and whether the equipment is owned or leased. For drill rigs, firm must indicate whether drill rigs are equipped with automatic or manual hammers. 8. PAST PERFORMANCE: Firm must provide relevant past performance in the accomplishment of similar work. Firm must submit information for relevant contracts and subcontracts including the name, address, and telephone number of references. (Relevancy is defined in the DOD guide to collection and use of past performance as information that has a logical connection with the matter under consideration and application time span.) Submit information for all relevant contracts and subcontracts started or completed within the past 5 years (measured from the date of this solicitation). Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry regarding quality, cost control and timeliness of work will be reviewed. Past DOD experience data available to the Government through the A-E Contract Administration Support System (ACASS) will be utilized for prior performance evaluation. Firm s may include supporting information in the proposal, such as letters of commendation from clients, on past performance for recent similar contracts. Firm may also include information on problems encountered in prior contracts and discuss actions taken to remedy unsatisfactory performance. THE FOLLOWING SECONDARY CRITERIA WILL BE USED AS TIEBREAKERS, IF NECESSARY: 9. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF FIRM RELATIVE TO THE WORKSITE: Firms based in or having branch offices in Florida with lower mobilization and demobilization costs will be given preference, provided there is an adequate number of qualified firms for consideration. 10. VOLUME OF PAST DOD CONTRACTS AWARDED TO FIRM: Work previously awarded to the firm by DOD will be reviewed with the objective of effecting equitable distribution of contracts among equally qualified firms. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Firms meeting the requirements described in this announcement and wishing to be considered must submit one copy of each of the completed SF 330, Part I, for the proposed combined team (firm or joint venture), and one separate copy of SF 330, Part II, for each subcontractor. Submittal of supplemental attachments to SF 330 addressing evaluation factors 1-8 is strongly recommended. Submittal packages must be received in this office at the address indicated below, no later than 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time on 28 August 2008. Submittals received after this date and time will not be considered. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or other presentations beyond those sufficient to present a complete and effective response to this announcement are not desired. The Director of Defense Procurement has issued a final rule requiring that contractors must be registered in the CCR before receiving a contract from any activity of the Department of Defense. The rule authorizes contracting officers to reject offers from contractors that have not registered. (The CCR's web site may be accessed at http://www.ccr.gov.) Small and small disadvantaged business firms are encouraged to participate as prime contractors or as members of joint ventures with other small businesses. All interested firms are reminded that the successful firm will be expected to place subcontracts to the maximum practicable extent with small and small disadvantaged firms in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 95-507. If a large business firm is selected for this contract, the firm must comply with FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract. Of those dollars the large business firm intends to subcontract out, the Corps of Engineers floors for subcontracting are 70.0% to small business concerns; 6.2% to small disadvantaged business concerns; 7.0% to women-owned small business concerns; 9.8% for HUBZONE concerns; and 0.9% to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. The term floors is used instead of goals as the Corps of Engineers objective is to exceed the percentages rather than merely meet the percentages. Large firms should keep these floors in mind when considering qualifications of potential subcontractors and ensure that each proposed subcontractor's socio-economic status is clearly identified in the submission of qualifications. The NAICS code is 541330. The size standard is $4,500,000. Responses to this ad should be in writing only; telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged. The required forms shall be submitted to the following address: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CESAJ-EN-TA, 701 San Marco Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32207-8175, or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CESAJ-EN-TA, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019. NOTE: If the offeror intends to hand deliver the offer, access to this building is controlled by security personnel. Visitors requiring access must present a drivers license, current passport, or similar positive identification. Facsimile copies are not acceptable. Security personnel are neither Government employees nor Government contractor employees. For purposes of determining whether an offer is late, delivery into the hands of security personnel will not constitute delivery to the Government. In order to ensure delivery to the Government, persons hand-delivering offers should call the contract specialist whose name appears in the procurement and ask the specialist to send someone to the security desk to take possession of the offer. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. There is a VENDOR USER GUIDE available on the FedTeds website. In order to receive notification of any amendments to this solicitation, interested vendors must REGISTER TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION on the Federal Business Opportunities website at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. If you are not registered, the Government is not responsible with providing you with notification of any changes to this solicitation. In addition, in order to generate a Plan Holders List, all interested firms must also REGISTER AS INTERESTED VENDORS which is also located on the Federal Business Opportunities website at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. You must also be registered in the Central Contractor Registration in order to be eligible to receive an award from this solicitation. Call +1 (555) 000-0000 for more information or visit the CCR website at http://www.ccr.gov. You must be registered in Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) in order to receive an award from this solicitation. The ORCA website is located at http://orca.bpn.gov.