Employee Transportation Services

This requirement is for all personnel, storage, materials, supplies, vehicles, equipment, fuel, licenses, permits, authorizations, certifications, insurance, services, and maintenance required to perform transportation functions in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations. DHS is a federal entity whose personnel are engaged in the performance of an array of critical national security missions. DHS personnel are, therefore, potential targets for terrorists and other criminal actors. As a result, the requirements for transportation services contain a host of key security measures necessary for the safe and secure transportation of DHS personnel and protection of its facilities. The DHS Office of Security mandated highly specific security requirements for the transportation services contract, including significant security requirements for the vehicle storage facilities. The proposed task order will provide daily fixed route shuttle services for employees of the following DHS Components located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area: Headquarters, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Coast Guard. The anticipated period of performance is February 2, 2013 through April 30, 2013. The proposed contractor, RHG Group, currently performs transportation services under DHS task order HSHQDC-12-F-00197, scheduled to expire February 1, 2013. On January 24, 2013, OPO awarded two Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) to RHG Group and All About Town, Inc. for DHS-wide transportation services, following a competition conducted in accordance with the procedures outlined in FAR Subpart 8.4. DHS expects that Components will require at least three months to issue calls against these BPAs and transition the transportation services from the incumbent contractor if required. Given that HSHQDC-12-F-00197 will expire on February 1, 2013, this represents a potential break in service of three months. As such, DHS intends to issue a direct order to RHG Group under its new BPA to support the transportation requirements of Headquarters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Coast Guard on a short term basis. Transportation services are required to meet an existing Department need for transportation between multiple DHS facilities throughout the National Capital Region. Transportation services must remain uninterrupted and seamless in order to avoid a highly negative impact on the DHS mission based on a lack of a capability to transport employees and other authorized users between various DHS facilities. The transportation services are required to support authorized personnel in carrying out their official duties such as to attend DHS-sponsored events and meetings and to transport paper files and documents in a safe and secure manner. In addition, there is a Department need to transport DHS employees to and from DHS facilities that are located in areas that exceed reasonable walking distances (.5 miles) from mass transit stations for the purpose of facilitating employee commutes. A lapse in service would result in the Department being unable to provide transportation services to its employees. Such a lapse is unacceptable given the integral role that these services play in promoting on time daily arrival of DHS employees at their respective places of work in fulfillment of the DHS mission. The DHS Office of Security mandates specific security requirements ensuring protection of DHS personnel and facilities. The vendor is required to provide suitable personnel and comply with highly specified physical security requirements. The contractor's employees must be on-boarded through the DHS security suitability process prior to performing work which can take from a few weeks to a few months. The contractor must also meet minimum vehicle storage requirements prescribed by the DHS Office of Security. The storage security requirements are necessary to ensure passenger safety and would likely require the contractor to make costly and time consuming modifications to its current vehicle storage facility to ensure adherence to these specifications if a vendor other than the incumbent receives the competitive award. The vendor could require substantial time in order to comply with significant facility security requirements, begin learning the new processes and the organization, and train the new employees. Therefore, DHS is not in a position to conduct a competition for interim transportation services for a three month period without such a competition resulting in a service disruption to a critical service. Uninterrupted transportation services are critical to DHS' mission. DHS determined that RHG Group is currently positioned to effectively provide continuous transportation services, on an interim basis, while a competition for long term transportation services for Headquarters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard is conducted between BPA holders. DHS does not currently possess the resources to provide in-house transportation services while conducting this competition. The incumbent, RHG Group, possesses experience, capabilities, and capacities specific to DHS' needs necessary to continue to provide transportation services without a break in service. RHG Group currently possesses the physical security systems, mandated by the DHS Office of Security, in order to comply with requirements for protection of DHS personnel and facilities. A new contractor would need to hire and train new employees and obtain the required security credentials and physical security capabilities and capacities.