DTPH56-08-SS-000001, PHMSA's Pipeline Safety Mission Consulting Services Requirement

Sources Sought Notice: DTPH56-08-SS-000001, PHMSA's Pipeline Safety Mission Consulting Services Requirement THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. The purpose of this notice is to identify small business organizations with requisite qualifications to provide the services stated herein. Based on capability statements received in response to this Sources Sought Notice, the acquisition may be solicited as a 100% small business set-aside. All small business organizations [8(a), SB, SDB, WOSB, HUBZone, VOSB, and SDVOSB] are encouraged to respond to this notice. This notice is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposals, Solicitation, Request for Quotes, or an indication the Government will contract for the items contained herein. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this notice. The Government does not reimburse respondents for any cost associated with submission of the information being requested or reimburse expenses incurred to interested parties for responses to this sources sought. Any responses received will not be used as a proposal. This notice is part of Government Market Research. Information provided in response to this notice will be used to assess alternatives available for determining how to proceed in the acquisition process. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541620 (Environmental Consulting Services) (though subject to change) and the Small Business Size Standard is $6.5 Million. Interested parties must register in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) online at https://www.bpn.gov/CCR/scripts/index.html and must also register at the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) website at https://orca.bpn.gov/. Capability statements must be emailed to Ms. Blenda Perez at blenda.perez@dot.gov on or before 12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time, on September 8, 2008. Companies are encouraged to submit capability statements if they have the capability and capacity to provide the identified services below. INTRODUCTION The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), within the Department of Transportation (DOT), has responsibility for the regulation of hazardous materials transportation by highway, rail, air, water and pipeline. PHMSA is the primary federal regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that the Nation's 2.3 million miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines are safe, reliable, and environmentally sound. From the federal level, we oversee the development, implementation and enforcement of regulations concerning pipeline construction, maintenance and operation, and we share these responsibilities with our state regulatory partners. The rules governing pipeline safety are included in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 190-199. Individual states may have additional or more stringent pipeline safety regulations. The nation's pipelines are a transportation system that enables the safe movement of extraordinary quantities of energy products to industry and consumers, literally fueling our economy and way of life. The arteries of the Nation's energy infrastructure, as well as the safest and least costly ways to transport energy products, our oil and gas pipelines provide the resources needed for national defense, heat and cool our homes, generate power for business and fuel an unparalleled transportation system. Over the past several years, PHMSA has strengthened its role in assuring the safety of the nation's pipeline system in numerous ways, including promulgating new regulations on integrity management (IM). These new regulations, together with the new inspection processes being used by regulators to evaluate operator compliance, rely for their effectiveness on the operators access to new technologies that support improved safety and integrity performance and on regulators access to information on the appropriate use and limitations of these technologies. Please visit http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/ for a full description of PHMSA's various pipeline safety programs and how this contract may support many of these vital safety initiatives. REQUIREMENT PHMSA uses a variety of contractor support to address ongoing and new challenges for its IM mission. Integrity management decision makers within PHMSA require current, accurate and streamlined knowledge to address growing challenges. These services are considered on demand and in the form of technical reports, briefs, white papers, PowerPoint slideshows and physical travel to attend and execute requested support. This service contractor will coordinate and work extensively with other PHMSA contractors. This coordination will make use of services those contractors provide to PHMSA such as but not limited to industry performance and IM data and webpage development. Very limited Information Technology (IT) development and management is anticipated. The support structure is divided into three program areas. Each area is divided into tasks that are in support of the PHMSA pipeline safety mission. Program Area 1 has recurring and annual needs and Program Areas 2 & 3 are infrequent and periodic in nature. Annual needs are indicated below. Please view the program and task statements of work for more detailed scope descriptions. PROGRAM AREA 1 - CREATING AND PROMOTING INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE Introduction: The contractor must provide necessary technical, management, and administrative services to support PHMSA in creating and promoting knowledge to IM decision makers. This initiative is intended to increase PHMSA and multiple pipeline stakeholder awareness of new technology, effectiveness of consensus standards incorporated into Parts 192-195 of PHMSA's regulatory program and to organize and hold some of PHMSA's public events and growing need in assessing quality from multiple program outputs. Task 1A - Tracking and reporting developments in new technology (annual/reoccurring) - Working with multiple research programs in government and industry to identify and track existing technology and ones under development which prevents damage, detects leaks and damage, characterizes damage severity and expedites repair and remediation of damage; - Collecting information from relevant government agencies and trade organizations associated with the pipeline industry to understand confidence levels and perspectives with existing technology and ones under development; - Investigating technology solutions used in other facets of the energy industry such as down hole in within petrochemical refineries; and - Identifying government agencies and trade organizations associated with other industries to find technological solutions applicable to the pipeline industry and illustrate the path to implement. Task 1B - Addressing the competency and effectiveness of consensus standards and industry guidelines for existing and emerging issues (annual/reoccurring) - Working with multiple national consensus standard developing organizations (SDO) to identify and track the continued relevance of consensus standards incorporated by reference in Parts 192-195 of PHMSA's pipeline regulatory program. Determining when critical revisions or when new standards are needed is important with ever changing social economic perceptions and technological improvements; - Coordination with the Pipeline Standards-Developing Organizations Coordinating Council (PSDOCC) which meets periodically to track SDO revision cycles and the necessity to revise or create new standards; and - Provide annual reporting to PHMSA leadership on the number of SDOs and standards incorporated by reference into Parts 192-195 both by in part or in whole, the revision cycle of these incorporated standards and all SDO coordination activities associated with Task 1-B. In addition, a portion of this report should convey updates from multiple research programs and how they are influencing and strengthening standards. Task 1C - Organizing and executing public events and peer reviews (annual/recurring) - Provide the organizational leadership to pull together agendas, prepare handouts, find and secure hotels and in some cases moderate some of PHMSA's public technical or research events; and - Provide the organizational leadership to identify and secure relevant, independent and balanced peer review panelists. These panelists may review multiple PHMSA program and in some cases outputs from this service contract in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines for quality. Pub. Law. No. 106-554-515(a) and the OMB bulletin - Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review proscribe the manner in which Federal agencies must ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of public information. PROGRAM AREA 2 - CROSS BORDER AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES AND FRONTIER REGION ASSESSMENTS Introduction: PHMSA's cross border coordination is growing through a recent MOU/Arrangement with the Canadian National Energy Board. Understanding and quantifying differences between North American pipeline operations is important before an implementation strategy is created for harmonizing IM inspections and audits and consistent application of consensus standards. Many challenges also exist in frontier regions where identification and quantification of information to PHMSA decision makers is greatly desired. Task 2A - Assessing regulatory, technical and consensus standards issues between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico - Provide reports comparing regulatory programs, technical issues and consensus standards on North American cross border pipelines and possibly in other international regions; - Work with standard developing organizations and North American regulators to disseminate findings; and - Provide organizational leadership with these groups on PHMSA's behalf so standards are consistently applied on cross border pipelines. Task 2B - Assessing regulatory, technical and consensus standard issues for frontier regions such as the Outer Continental Shelf and the Arctic - Provide reports addressing regulatory, technical issues and consensus standards on offshore pipelines; and - Provide reports addressing regulatory, technical issues and consensus standards on pipelines in the Arctic. PROGRAM AREA 3 - TECHNICAL SUPPORT DURING PIPELINE EMERGENCIES Introduction: Major pipeline failures and natural disasters can occur. In the time immediately following these events, PHMSA requires significant attention to technical and regulatory detail so appropriate corrective action orders are generated rapidly. In some cases, on site collection of technical and photo details is required so mission critical actions are not delayed. Task 3A - On site information collection and situation assessment during major pipeline failures - Within 72 hours or within the appropriate agreed time following a pipeline incident deemed major by PHMSA, travel and report to the affected area; and - Provide predetermined photo evidence and engineering/technical information collection as deemed relevant and directed by PHMSA and in report form. Task 3B - On site information collection and situation assessment during natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods - Within 72 hours or within the appropriate agreed time following a natural disaster deemed major by PHMSA and relevant to pipeline matters, travel and report to the affected area; and - Provide predetermined photo evidence and engineering/technical information collection as deemed relevant and directed by PHMSA and in report form. REQUIRED AREAS OF EXPERTISE The contractor must provide a designated lead and, where appropriate, additional staff for each task. The task leader and additional staff must have the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities to bring specified PHMSA support to satisfactory completion. Specifics of the depth and range of expertise is required for each area: - Demonstrated petroleum engineering experience and or special emphasis on oil and gas pipeline operations; - Documented knowledge of and experience using U.S. Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 190, 191-192, 193, 194, 195, 198 and 199 - Documented knowledge of and experience using the various consensus standards applied in the oil and gas pipeline industry and incorporated in the pipeline safety regulations. These include but are not limited to standards addressing design, construction, integrity management and pipeline operations; - Documented knowledge of and experience addressing various internal and externally applied technologies applied in the oil and gas pipeline industry; - Documented knowledge of and experience using direct assessment processes and protocols; and - Demonstrated public speaking experience, leading diverse groups and strong writing skills. GOVERNMENT COST ESTIMATE The total estimated cost and hours associated with these services range from $200k to $400k and 2,000 hr to 4,000 hr per year. Area 1 contains services which are anticipated as annual/recurring in nature and services in Area 2 & 3 are periodic and infrequent.