C--Nationwide Cost Engineering Services - Small Business Concern

WALLA WALLA DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, 201 N Third Street, WALLA WALLA WA 99362-1876 C -- ARCHITECT-ENGINEERING (A-E) SERVICES FOR NATIONWIDE COST ENGINEERING SUPPORT FOR THE WALLA WALLA DISTRICT DIRECTORY/CENTER OF EXPERTISE (DX) W912EF-04-R-____ DUE __/__/___ POC Contract Specialist, Jani Long, +1 (555) 000-0000. CONTRACT INFORMATION: This announcement is for a set-aside for Small Business Participation. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District plans to award a single Nationwide Indefinite quantity contract (IDC) for a five-year period consisting of a one-year base period and four one-year option periods. The maximum amount the Government may order under this IDC shall not exceed $10 million. This contract is being procured in accordance with the Brooks A-E Act as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. Firms will be selected for negotiations based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work as further described in this announcement. The services will consist of Cost Engineering to support Walla Walla District designation as a Cost Engineering Directory/Center of Expertise. The requirements under the IDC will be issued through firm-fixed price task orders utilizing the labor and overhead rates accepted with award of the IDC. The estimated base and option year contract capacity is $2M each period. Contract options may be exercised early if the contract capacity is utilized before the contract performance period expires. However, the contract rates do not increase until the annual period for which they were negotiated has elapsed. If capacity remains available at the expiration of any contract performance period and the Government determines it to be in its best interest to exercise the next contract option period, the unused capacity will be rolled forward for use in the subsequent contract performance period. The annual rates for the then-current contract period will become effective for both the unused capacity of the previous period and the current annual capacity. The annual contract rates are fixed prices for the annual period for which they are negotiated and shall not be adjusted as a result of the early exercise of contract options or when unused capacity is rolled forward to subsequent option years. The contract minimum guarantee of $10,000 may be obligated via issuance of an initial task order concurrent with award of the IDC. The IDC is anticipated to be awarded in February of 2009. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this action is 541330 which has a size standard of $4,500,000.00 in average annual receipts. To be eligible for contract award, a firm must be registered in the DoD Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Register via the CCR Internet site at http://www.ccr.gov/. In accordance with FAR Subpart 36.209, no contract for any follow-on construction work shall be awarded to the firm that designed the project or its subsidiaries or affiliates. PROJECT INFORMATION: The proposed contract will be used to primarily support the USACE mission in performing cost engineering services, but may also be used to support other federal agencies such as the US Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management (DOE), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the General Services Administration (GSA), Bureau of Reclamation, US Forest Service, and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Typical projects will include cost engineering services for environmental restoration, waste management, decontamination and decommissioning design, regulatory support, confirmatory sampling, liquid waste site remediation, waste site remediation, burial ground remediation, deactivation, demolition, site security, waste operations, surveillance and maintenance, project management and management controls, miscellaneous restoration, stewardship preparation, independent closure reviews, operate and close utilities confirmatory sampling sites, and contingency review and escalation. The proposed IDC will support USACE mission in performing cost environmental cleanup, demolition and/or restoration. The magnitude of the task orders may range from $3,000 to $2 million. The selected A-E firm must be capable of performing cost estimates for multiple customers with a wide variety of sites across the nation in a manner that complies with Federal, State and Local regulations and laws within timeframes required to meet program objectives. As a minimum requirement, contractor personnel will be required to obtain Department of Energy badging. On August 27, 2004, President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/08/20040827-8.html . Based upon this directive, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) developed Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS Pub) 201 http://www.csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips201-1/FIPS-201-1-chng1.pdf , including a description of the minimum requirements for a Federal personal identification verification (PIV). HSPD-12 directs the implementation of a new standardized badging process, which is designed to enhance security, reduce identity fraud, and protect personal privacy by establishing a mandatory, Government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification issued by the Federal Government to its employees, contractors, and other classes of individuals. The Department of Energy (DOE) began implementing the HSPD-12 program on October 27, 2005. Only those individuals who meet the minimum requirements under the PIV process will be issued the DOE Common Badge or the follow-on HSPD-12 Standard Badge. AE firm must have sufficient resources (12 cost personnel) to work at multiple sites for long durations (often up to 30 days). Task orders under the IDC may be awarded and administered by Walla Walla District or any other USACE District that coordinates and obtains authorization from Walla Walla District for contract capacity/usage. Firms must demonstrate experience in a broad field of cost engineering for general construction and environmental remediation to include civil, structural, electrical and mechanical systems and environmental remediation processes. Professional, multi-disciplined, cost engineering services include cost engineering, cost estimating, risk analysis, program and project management, planning and scheduling, cost/schedule performance measurement and change control, and value engineering. Cost engineering may be required for projects in USACE Districts throughout the United States and at various customer locations in which the USACE provides support, such as Department of Energy sites. The A-E contractors shall use USACE estimating software MCACES (MII), USACE and DOE work breakdown structure, activity based estimating techniques, baseline cost estimating, risk analysis, critical analysis and scheduling techniques, and other related skills. The firm selected will also be required to perform cost estimating review in accordance with the Walla Walla Cost Center guidance, perform cost analysis, risk analysis, scheduling, evaluation of management controls, attend meetings, site investigations, prepare Change Order cost estimates and assist in negotiations, if required. The firm must have cost engineering specialist(s) for each required design discipline, such as architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, environmental and electrical. The firm's cost engineering specialist(s) must be certified by a professional organization, such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA, etc. The firm's cost estimators must spend the majority of their time performing cost engineering functions, and must be specifically identified, and their competence indicated by resume, in Section E of the SF 330. Individual resumes are limited to one page each. In addition, the firm selected must demonstrate experience in using USACE estimating software MCACES (MII), USACE and DOE work breakdown structure, activity based estimating techniques, baseline cost estimating, risk analysis, critical analysis and scheduling techniques, and other related skills. In accordance with FAR Subpart 36.209, no contract for any follow-on construction work shall be awarded to the firm that designs the project or its subsidiaries or affiliates. SELECTION CRITERIA: A-E selections will be conducted in strict accordance with the announced selection criteria, and in compliance with FAR Subpart 36.6, its supplements and Engineer Pamphlet 715-1-7. Evaluation of contractor proposals will be based on contractors specialized experience and technical competence in areas of experience such as cost engineering, cost estimating, program and project management, planning and scheduling, risk analysis, cost/schedule performance measurement, security clearances, change control, and value engineering. Review of professional capabilities for satisfactory performance of work required under this contract or work performed by individual task order requirements. Review of demonstrated capability and capacity in order for the firm to perform the statement of work as required by USACE, DOE, NNSA, and/or other federal agencies as described in this A-E announcement. Each firm will be evaluated with respect to past cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules. The selection criteria are listed below in descending order of importance (first by major criterion and then by each sub-criterion). Criteria A thru D are primary. Criteria E is secondary and will only be used as tie-breaker among technically equal firms. A. Professional Qualifications: The selected firm must have, either in-house or through consultants, the following Cost Engineering disciplines, with registration required where applicable (1) Architect; (2) Structural; (3) Civil; (4) Mechanical; (5) Electrical; (6) Environmental; (7) Value Engineering; (8) Scheduler; and (9) Risk Analysis. The firm's cost engineering specialist(s) must be certified by a professional organization, such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA, etc; B. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence in: (1) Preparing cost estimates utilizing the following estimating software: MCACES (MII) and PACES. The firm selected must demonstrate experience utilizing this software; (2) Preparing cost estimates for Civil Works and Military projects; (3) Preparing cost estimates for environmental restoration, waste management, decontamination and decommissioning design, regulatory support, confirmatory sampling, liquid waste site remediation, waste site remediation, burial ground remediation, deactivation, demolition, site security, waste operations, surveillance and maintenance, project management and management controls, miscellaneous restoration, stewardship preparation, independent closure reviews, operate and close utilities confirmatory sampling sites, and contingency review and escalation for projects at Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) site work; (4) Preparing programming/ conceptual, parametric, final design, and change order estimates; (5) Preparing cost and schedule risk analysis; (6) Scheduling with specialized experience and technical competence in preparing construction schedules for both horizontal and vertical construction projects that result in a construction duration that can be used in bidding a project. Schedule shall include a breakdown of all construction activities with related durations in a neat, orderly fashion. Said schedule may be included in the construction solicitation, therefore it must be accurate and defendable; (7) The ability to provide quick turnaround of task orders, i.e. ability to prepare proposals in 5 to 10 days; (8) Preparation of Value Engineering Studies; (9) Describe the firm's quality management plan, quality assurance, and coordination of the in-house work with consultants; C. Capacity to Accomplish the Work: The capacity to accomplish approximately $166K per month comprised of 3 or more individual task orders simultaneously with task orders ranging from $3,000 to $2 million for an annual amount of approximately $2M over a 5-year period; D. Past Performance: Past performance on Department of Defense (DOD) and other contracts with respect to cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules; E. Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business: Extent of participation of small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, HUBZones, Service disabled veteran-owned businesses, historically black colleges and universities, and minority institutions in the proposed contract team, measured as a percentage of the total estimated effort will be evaluated and considered in the award decision. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Interested architect-engineer firms having the capabilities to perform this work must submit three (3) copies of Standard Form (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, Part I and II for the prime firm. A separate SF 330 Part I and II may be submitted for each firm (JV partner or major subcontractor) that will be part of the team proposed on the contract to adequately present qualifications of the entire team. All documents shall be submitted in triplicate. Submit completed SF 330 to Walla Walla District Office, Contracting Division, 201 North 3rd, Walla Walla, WA 99362-1876 not later than the close of business 4:00 PM Pacific Time on November 13, 2008, or within 30 calendar days after publication date of this notice, whichever is later. This is not a request for proposal and no other general notification will be made. Include the firms DUNS number in SF333, Part II, Block 4. Facsimile transmissions will not be accepted. Solicitation packages are not provided and no additional project information will be given to firms during the announcement period. This is not a request for proposal. Only timely SF 330s will be considered.