C -- Hemlock Dam Removal and Channel Construction Design

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region has a requirement for Architect/Engineering Services for design of a dam removal and channel construction project on the Mt Adams Ranger District near Carson, Washington. Required services will include conceptual design document preparation, preparation of final construction documents, including all appropriate architectural and engineering disciplines, and a firm estimate of construction cost. In addition, applicants must provide consulting services through the construction period. The completed channel and surroundings shall be designed to restore historic fish passage, to incorporate native materials in the design, to permit natural stream processes such as floods, sediment movement and deposition, and to retain the capability for channel adjustment in response to disturbance.Design services are required for the decommission and disposal of the dam and associated facilities, removal of sediments from behind the dam, and for construction of a channel through the stream reach currently occupied by the reservoir or influenced by the dam. Disposal of construction materials from the dam and associated facilities, and disposal and stabilization of sediments will be part of the design, as will water management during construction activities. In addition, designs will include site prep and post-dam removal rehabilitation to restore native riparian vegetation to the disturbed areas. Constructed channel and all site rehabilitation and water management shall meet Federal, State and Local regulations and standards. The applicable NAICS code for this project is 541330 with a corresponding size standard of $4.5 million. This procurement is 100% set aside for HUBZone small business concerns. Both HUBZone and non-HUBZone firms are encouraged to submit their Standard Form (SF) 330 in response to this announcement. In the event that there are an inadequate number of SF 330s received from interested HUBZone firms that are evaluated and ranked as highly qualified, SF 330s from non-HUBZone firms will be considered. Firms will be evaluated and ranked in accordance with the terms of the Brooks Act. The estimated contract start date is July 16, 2007 with the performance period running through December 31, 2008 or until project construction is complete. Evaluation Criteria The following factors will be used for the purpose of evaluation and determination of the most highly qualified firms, among which the awardees will be selected. Submitted SF 330?s should address these areas specifically: 1) Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services (25%). Of importance to the Government in establishing a firm as highly qualified in this area will be: a) A designer of record professionally registered in their discipline and licensed in the state of Washington. b) The presence of highly qualified personnel in key applicable positions such as Engineers, Hydrologists, Aquatic Biologists, and Fluvial Geomorphologists. 2) Specialized experience and technical competence in the type of work required (25%). Of importance to the Government in establishing a firm as highly qualified in this area will be: a) Recent successful experience in designs of natural channels with bankfull discharges of 1500 cubic feet per second or greater. b) Experience managing surface and subsurface water in construction areas and on similar-sized streams to maintain water quality at levels that meet state standards and permit requirements. c) Experience incorporating deformable banks and prioritizing use of native materials into project designs. d) Experience designing and implementing dam removals of similar scale. e) Experience working in streams in steep mountainous terrain characteristic of the Pacific Northwest. 3) Capacity to accomplish the work in the required time (10%). Of particular importance to the Government in establishing a firm as highly qualified in this area will be: a) The ability to provide design services in a timely fashion starting immediately upon issuance of the notice to proceed. b) The availability of assistance during the construction phase, and the ability to provide that assistance in a timely fashion. 4) Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules (15%). In establishing a firm as highly qualified in this area the Government will be looking for the following: a) A record of successful work in systems of similar scope, scale and characteristics. b) Past work that has been constructed and in place long enough to establish long term project success on streams of the scale indicated above. c) Breadth of experience in channel designs that includes multiple projects of similar scope and scale as identified under this advertisement (i.e. including natural channel design, removal of concrete dams, site restoration). d) A record of responsiveness and the ability to work with construction firms during the construction phase of projects. 5) Location in the general geographical area of the project and knowledge of the locality of the project (5%). Of particular importance in establishing a firm as highly qualified in this area the Government will look for: a) The ability to make frequent scheduled and unscheduled visits to the construction site during construction activities and an office work environment close enough to the project to allow for rapid exchange of work products during construction. b) Firms located such that response time for scheduled and unscheduled field visits will not unduly affect construction activities, or add significant cumulative costs to the project. c) A preference will be shown for firms that are able to meet a three hour response time to the project location during the construction assistance phase of the project. Due to the importance of response time during the construction phase, a firms location in proximity to the project site will be considered with closer being viewed as better. 6) Organization, management and quality control (20%). In evaluating firms on this criterion, those viewed as highly qualified will have: a) The ability to design and provide technical services during construction for complex aquatics projects that require sequencing of multiple construction activities. b) An established and successful working relationship between all team members that work under this contract, and clear lines of authority on the proposed team. c) Experience in working outside the firm?s typical area of operation, and have established methods to ensure quality control under these circumstances. SF 330s will be evaluated to determine the most highly qualified firm based on criteria responses. Evaluating past performance and experience may include review of information provided by the firm, customer inquires, Government databases, and publicly available sources. Failure to provide requested data, inaccessible points of contact, or invalid phone numbers could result in a firm being considered less qualified. SUBMISSION PACKAGE REQUIREMENTS The SF 330 is limited to 75 single-sided pages. Minimum font size is 10. Submit five (5) copies of SF 330 for the prime offeror (SF 330 should also include team?s key sub consultants). Firms with branch offices and consultants must submit Part II of Standard Form 330 that should include project samples. Firms must separately address the evaluation factors and relate where information can be found in the submittal package relevant to each factor. Interested firms capable of performing the services described herein are invited to respond by submitting a completed Standard Form 330, Part I and Part II, to the office address listed above by June 18, 2007. Firms shall provide one (1) original and four (4) copies of their entire proposal. The submittal should be forwarded with a cover letter that states the firm is requesting consideration for Solicitation Number AG-05K3-S-07-0030 and identifying whether the firm providing the submittal is a HUBZone or non-HUBZone firm. Personal interviews may be scheduled for firms ranked as most highly qualified. Firms slated for interviews may be asked to explain management and design team components, quality control process; and to provide design solutions to actual/hypothetical projects, etc. Elaborate presentations are not desired. Site visits will not be arranged during the period of this advertisement.