IDIQ, Architect-Engineer (A-E) Contracts for Geotechnical Design, Laboratory Testing and Environmental Services within the lower region of Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) and adjacent Gulf Coast Districts

Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Architect-Engineer (A-E) Contracts for Geotechnical Design, Laboratory Testing and Environmental Services within the lower region of Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) and adjacent Gulf Coast Districts, United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) CONTRACT INFORMATION: No additional information shall be provided, and no solicitation will be issued. The resulting contracts are being procured in accordance with the Brooks Architect Engineer (A-E) Act as implemented in Federal Army Regulation (FAR) Subpart 36.6. Firms will be selected for negotiation based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. Interested firms shall respond by submitting a Standard Form (SF)330, listing their qualifications in accordance with the instructions below. This is not the Request for Proposal. The North American Industrial Classification System Code is 541330, which has a size standard of $25,500,000 in average annual receipts. This Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) announcement is Unrestricted. Multiple awards are anticipated, with a performance period of 5 years, with four negotiated rate escalations at each year after the initial first year. The total MATOC shared pool capacity shall not exceed $30,000,000.00 or five-year duration, whichever comes first. The minimum guarantee throughout each five-year contract is $5,000. Work will be issued by negotiated firm fixed price for Geotechnical Design, Laboratory Testing and Environmental Services task orders using the Task Order Requirement Notice (TORN) process in accordance with Section 802 of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Responding firms must address each A-E Selection Criteria. If subcontracted, clearly indicate what part of scope the subcontractor will be performing. To be eligible for the contract award, the firm must be registered in the Department of Defense (DOD) System for Award Management (SAM). Register via the SAM Internet site at https://www.sam.gov. SF330 Due Date is 23 August 2024 at 1100 hours Central Standard Time (CST). The cutoff date for contractor questions is 7 August 2024 at 1100 hours CST. 2. PROJECT INFORMATION: A-E Geotechnical Design, Laboratory Testing and Environmental services will be accomplished by Task Orders. Task Orders may utilize a combination of contractor and Government equipment and personnel. The types of projects may include all or part of the following: a. Field assignments which may include locating borings in the field and providing location information consisting of elevation, latitude and longitude, and station and offset; taking soil borings and sealing/grouting bore holes; setting permanent benchmarks as well as installing piezometers, lasers, visual tracking targets, pressure transducers, strain gages, slope inclinometers, wells, settlement gages, settlement profilers, settlement plates, and instrumentation data collection systems. Procedures for Drilling in Earth Embankments are to be performed in accordance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Regulation (ER) 1110-1-1807 and Engineer Manual (EM) 1110-1-1804. The A-E must have the capability to conduct the following test types: pile driving analysis, soil and wall displacements, obtaining subsurface information by using cone penetrometer and vane shear testing, and performing noise and vibration monitoring. The A-E must have the equipment and capability in the collection, transport, extrusion, visual classification, and testing of undisturbed soil samples using thin wall Shelby tubes (both 3-inch x 42-inch, and 5-inch x 4.5-foot) utilizing a fixed-piston sampler (Hvorslev fixed-piston or equivalent) capable of performing a 48-inch continuous push. The A-E must have the ability to perform hand auger, vibratory soil probe, and Cone Penetrometer Testing (CPT) utilizing Hogentogler or equivalent piezocones. Some sampling locations will require hard access (marsh, swamp, or heavily forested areas) and work over water requiring special equipment. Samples must be delivered promptly to the testing lab, either Government or Contractor testing lab, as specified in the task order. Corps representatives may inspect field operations to verify geotechnical investigations are being performed in accordance with Government requirements. b. Maintain and operate a USACE-validated materials testing laboratory to perform soil and concrete testing. This laboratory shall be located within the boundaries of the New Orleans District, or within 150 miles of the District's boundaries. Testing laboratory must be able to perform the following soils testing at a minimum: classification; determining water content and Atterberg limits; performing unconfined compression tests (UCTs); performing unconsolidated-undrained (Q), consolidated-undrained (R), and consolidated-drained (S) triaxial compression shear tests; permeability test; direct simple shear tests (DSS), 4-inch diameter consolidation tests; mechanical and hydrometer grain size and hydrometer analysis; and 15-blow and 25-blow Standard Proctor and Modified Proctor compaction control testing. The laboratory must also be capable of computing and compiling test results; furnishing boring and laboratory data in both text and CADD files in compliance with USACE data management and drafting standards. Electronic data shall be provided as required by task order utilizing software and file formats compatible with PDF, Bentley MicroStation, GeoStudio, OpenGround, and gINT, and in the form of plotted boring logs and test results. The A-E shall perform extruding undisturbed tube samples under controlled lab environment. Laboratory soil testing shall be performed in accordance with USACE EM 1110-2-1906. Other ASTM tests may be assigned. c. Geotechnical design efforts may include selection of design parameters; stability analyses of levees, dikes, earthen structures, flood risk reduction structures, pump stations, and floodwalls; stability analyses of slopes for revetments, channels and excavations; pile capacity curves and downdrag analysis; settlement analyses; design and analysis of cantilevered and braced retaining walls to include numerical modeling with software programs such as FLAC and/or Optum; bearing capacity analyses; geotechnical analyses associated with the design of pile supported T-Walls (e.g. stability and unbalanced loads, pile downdrag, and settlement induced bending); seepage and piping analyses; dewatering design; ground water study; filter design; relief well design; pore pressures in clay; wall and soil displacement, and operation and interpretation of data obtained from contractor-provided pile driver analyzer or static pile load testing. Contractor must be capable of deriving material properties for soil and rock characterization and for soil/rock/structure interfaces from laboratory and field testing and be able to calibrate numerical models to lab and/or field data. Geotechnical design reports, design plates and design drawings shall be prepared and furnished as paper copies and in electronic format as directed by the Government. All geotechnical designs will be conducted in accordance with provided and applicable USACE design guidelines such as Engineer Manuals and project specific design memoranda. d. Engineering During Construction (EDC): Geotechnical EDC services will be provided including, but not limited to, in-place density testing, moisture content testing, pile load test monitoring, pile load test data evaluation and pile tip recommendations, organic content determination, sand content determination, jet index testing, compaction control testing (including one-point compaction testing). A geotechnical engineer, geologist, and/or technician may be stationed on site for consultation and material testing during construction. Geotechnical engineering services also consists of Field QA testing, including soils, concrete and asphalt, during construction. The A-E will be required to prepare and submit a Quality Control Plan (QCP) in accordance with ER 1165-2-217. The A-Eshall also provide any required coordination with regulatory bodies per EP 200-2-3. e. Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste (HTRW) projects to include Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs); site/remedial investigations and assessments under CERCLA, RCRA, and TSCA; risk characterization and assessment; environmental monitoring, sampling, and testing of various media including solid materials, soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater; remedial action design; hazardous material and waste management; and lead, asbestos, PCBs, and radon testing, management and remedial design. Contractor shall also assist and advise Corps of Engineers personnel on environmental compliance, for the design of HTRW remedial action projects, and waste stream issues associated with Government facilities and activities. All wastes shall be properly disposed and manifested in accordance with local, state, and Federal requirements and guidance by USACE EP 200-2-3, as well as provide air monitoring and modeling for Air Pathway Analysis (APA) for determining the acceptability of air emissions from remedial action projects, all in accordance with EP 200-1-24. f. The contractor shall perform all work in accordance with the CEMVN HSDRRS Design Guidelines and appropriate USACE ERs, EMs, EPs, ETLs, design memoranda, and ASTMs, all readily available online. 3. SELECTION CRITERIA: The selection criteria are listed below in descending order of importance. Criteria (a) thru (e) are primary. Criteria (f) is secondary and will be used only as a tiebreaker among technically equal firms. PRIMARY CRITERIA: a. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence of the prime firm, joint venture partners, consultants, subcontractors and/or free-lance associates in the type of services specifically indicated in paragraph 2 above. b. Professional Qualifications for key disciplines: Qualified Registered/Licensed Professional Personnel available to work on this contract in the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Geotechnical Engineer, Civil Engineer, Environmental Engineer, Geologist and Geophysicist. Qualified personnel are required in the following key disciplines: Engineering Technician, Laboratory Technician, Draftsmen/CADD operator, GIS Technician and Environmental Professional (in accordance with ASTM E 1527). The evaluation will consider education, training, registration, relevant experience, and longevity with the firm of key personnel who will be assigned to this contract. Registered/Licensed Professionals shall be registered in accordance with requirements set forth by the state in which the work is performed. Resumes contained in SF330, Part I, Section E shall be completed for each discipline. c. Capacity to Accomplish the Work (personnel and equipment) in the required time: i. Maintain and operate a USACE-validated materials testing laboratory to perform soil and concrete testing, located within the boundaries of the New Orleans District, or within 150 miles of the district's boundaries. The lab shall be equipped and staffed to perform at a minimum three (3) triaxial 3-point UU tests and three (3) 4-inch diameter consolidation tests simultaneously. The lab shall also be equipped with at least one (1) direct-shear machine, one (1) direct-simple shear machine, and at least one (1) oven validated for use in determining organic content. The lab shall include a temperature-controlled space for storage of undisturbed samples awaiting testing and for up to a year afterwards until instructed to discard such samples. The lab shall be staffed with certified and experienced technicians qualified to perform the specified testing. ii. Provide at a minimum two (2) 4-person drill crews led by experienced and highly qualified drillers stationed within the limits listed above; have ready access to a minimum two (2) core drill rigs capable of operating off-road and in difficult terrain and capable of 3-inch and 5-inch Shelby tube sampling with a continuous 4-foot push utilizing a fixed-piston type sampling method (Hvorslev fixed-piston or equivalent); and a cone penetrometer test (CPT) rig equipped with Hogentogler or equivalent piezocones. iii. Provide the minimum personnel: four (4) Registered Professional Engineers specializing in Geotechnical Engineering, with experience in the design of levees, floodwalls, channels, and foundations for floodgates and other water control structures in southern Louisiana; two (2) licensed Geologists, two (2) 2-person Land Survey crews, one (1) Civil Engineer, one (1) Environmental Engineer; one (1) experienced Environmental Professional who meets the requirements of ASTM E 1527; one (1) OSHA-certified Environmental Specialist; six (6) certified lab technicians; four (4) field technicians, four (4) CADD draftspersons; and personnel experienced in design, installation, and interpretation of data from field instrumentation such as inclinometers, piezometers, extensometers, and settlement plates. iv. Provide ready access to barges, marsh buggies, and other equipment necessary to work on open water, swamp and marsh conditions, and experience in performing borings and CPTs in these environments. v. Provide construction site monitoring with a minimum ten (10) vibration monitoring devices per day, three (3) noise monitoring devices, and two (2) pile driving analyzers. vi. Produce work products using OpenGround, Keylab, MicroStation, and AutoCAD as required by the Government and in compliance with USACE data management and drafting standards. The SF330 shall include the location and capabilities of their USACE-validated laboratory meeting the requirements above or provide the location of a proposed lab to meet these requirements and the number of calendar days after contract award that the lab will be operational. Existing USACE-validated laboratories shall be ranked more favorable to the Government than proposed labs. The majority of the anticipated work will be subsurface exploration and laboratory testing. If the A-E is a joint venture or utilizes subcontractors, the prime firm must perform at least 50% of the work utilizing in-house resources as measured over the life of the contract to meet the requirements of FAR Clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. d. Past Performance: Past performance on Department of Defense (DoD) and other contracts with respect to quality of work, cost control and compliance with performance schedules. Evaluations will be based on Architect-Engineer Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) as well as rating information and other credible documentation included in the SF330 submittal to demonstrate past performance with respect to quality of product/service, cost control, compliance with performance schedules and business relations from the past five years. Performance evaluations for key joint venture partners, subcontractors, consultants and free-lance associates may also be considered. e. Knowledge of Locality: Demonstrated knowledge of the locality within the limits of the New Orleans District and the Mississippi Valley Division and demonstrated prior field data collection experience within Louisiana. SECONDARY CRITERIA: f. SB and SDB Participation: The extent of participation of small businesses including small disadvantaged businesses, woman-owned small businesses, HUBZone small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and veteran owned small business will be measured as a percentage of the estimated effort. 4. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Interested firms that have the capability to perform the services described in this announcement are invited to submit five printed copies and one electronic copy (CD) of Standard Form 330 for the proposed team to the address below not later than 1100 hrs Central Standard Time on the closing date of this announcement. In lieu of a CD, SF330s can be forwarded electronically to Lauren Gandolfi at contact@example.gov prior to the deadline. Firms must provide five (5) printed copies AND an electronic version (CD or email). The six evaluation criteria listed above must be addressed in the appropriate sections of the SF330 for the proposed team. Include the firm's UEI Number in Block 4 of the SF330. The evaluation factors listed above must be addressed in the appropriate sections of the SF330 for the prime contractor as well as all subcontractors and consultants, and any other pertinent information. The SF330 Part 1 must not exceed 100 pages (8.5 x 11 inch sheets), including no more than 50 pages for Section H. Each side of a sheet of paper is a page. Use font type no smaller than point size 11. Any pages greater than 100 pages in Part 1 will not be evaluated. Firms responding to this announcement after the closing date and time will NOT be considered. Required forms may be obtained on the Internet at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP. Overnight or courier type of mail should be sent to the following address: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District Attn: Lauren Gandolfi, 7400 Leake Avenue, Room 172 New Orleans, LA 70118-3651 Refer to Announcement No. W912P824R0001. In order to ensure receipt, please notify Lauren Gandolfi (contact@example.gov) via email in advance that you will be sending your submission to the District. Primary Point of Contact: Lauren Gandolfi contact@example.gov Secondary Point of Contact: Christopher Nuccio contact@example.gov