Independent Review Panel

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS ONLY This Request for information (RFI) is for the purpose of identifying contractors that possess the capabilities outlined below. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is a water management agency with 600 dams in the 17 western states. Reclamation is known best for construction of dams, power plants, and canals. Of these, 370 dams are classified as high or significant hazard which could result in loss of life and significant damage if they were to fail. Approximately 70 percent of the structures which Reclamation owns are more than 50 years old and this aging infrastructure presents many programmatic and technical challenges. Reclamation's Dam Safety Officer requires the services of an external independent source to conduct the annual 2016 Reclamation Independent Review Panel (IRP) review of Reclamation's fiscal year (FY) 2015 Dam Safety Program. The review is to evaluate Reclamation's mission, objectives, policies, and procedures and then examine Reclamation's compliance with those policies and programs. The review will evaluate the competence of Reclamation's FY15 Dam Safety Program relative to the generally accepted standards of practice of dam safety. Specific areas of the Reclamation Dam Safety Program to be reviewed include overall management, development, and maintenance of technical competence, program development and execution, human resource management, public information and relations, and two of Reclamation's regional programs. The 2016 IRP requires three specialists with extensive expertise in major Federal or State agency dam safety programs related to hydraulic and/or geotechnical engineering and/or program management. The IRP will: - Develop preliminary list of suggested Dam Safety Program areas to review and evaluate during the upcoming IRP. These suggestions will be based on past experience as an IRP member (as appropriate) and/or review of previous IRP findings. - Review data prior to site visits to two of Reclamation's Regions including recent work documents, decision documents, previous IRP reports, selected technical reports, Comprehensive Facility Reviews, Issue Evaluations, and Corrective Action Studies. - Participate in regional and area office site visits in Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region (Sacramento, California) and Lower Colorado Region (Boulder City, Nevada) including interviews with field staff to determine their level of understanding of dam safety and how the Dam Safety Program integrates with the Operations and Maintenance Program. The IRP members may also interview the Dam Safety Officer and/or staff from Reclamation's Dam Safety Office and Technical Service Center. - Gather information from documents, interviews and presentations from Reclamation personnel; process observations; and present findings orally and in a final written report of findings. The external, independent source (Contractor/Organization) shall have the following minimum qualifications. - A major mission of advancing and improving dam safety management through support of dam safety programs and providing a forum for exchange of information and technical advancements - Expertise in dam safety program review activities as demonstrated by involvement in an organized dam safety review process. - Include members who are recognized leaders in dam safety management, with both the level of experience and credibility that are essential to ensure the safety of some of the Nation's largest dams. - Include members that represent state, federal, and local governments, engineering consultants, and academia. - Nonprofit status is desired to ensure an independent review. All IRP nominees shall: - Be a registered professional engineer or geologist in the United States, or similarly credentialed in their home country - Have made a significant contribution to the dam safety profession through involvement with professional societies, licensing boards, or other civic or professional activities - Have at least 20 years experience in engineering related to the safety, design, construction, maintenance, and/or operation of dams - Demonstrate through education and experience that they are a recognized or national expert in their field - Extensive knowledge of Federal dam safety standards and its practices in the fields of risk and program management activities authorized under Public Law 95-578, Reclamation Safety of Dam Act of 1978 and as amended under Public Law 98-404, January 23, 1984 - Working knowledge of all applicable Reclamation design criteria, regulations and applicable industry building codes - Currently or recently a senior member of a dam safety organization - A Master's degree in the listed disciplines is desired - Recent and relevant experience on multimillion-dollar projects verifying the constructability of the proposed designs is desired (for at least one of the selected IRP panel members.) This RFI shall not be considered as a request for proposal or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the contractor submission of this RFI or the Government's use of such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor's input resulting from this RFI. No contract will be awarded as a result of this announcement. Data submitted in response to this RFI will not be returned. INSTRUCTION FOR RFI SUBMISSION: After review of the attached documentation, interested parties may submit a response in an electronic format only via email to jmccord@usbr.gov & aphillips@usbr.gov no later than 22 July 2015 09:00 am MDT. Electronic files should be in Microsoft Office Word or PDF format. All information should be UNCLASSIFIED material only. Respondents should include as part of their submission: a. A synopsis of the company's capabilities to provide qualified personnel to provide position description and classification support services (limit 5 pages) b. DUNS Number c. Company Name d. Company Address e. Business size, SDVOSB, HUBZone, or Woman owned status, as validated via the System for Award Administration (SAM). All offers must register on the SAM located at http://www.SAM.gov f. Company point of contact, phone and email address. g. Past work experience. If you have experience working with other Federal Agencies and/or commercial businesses of similar size and scope, please include agency and/or business name contract number (if applicable), amount and type of contract (e.g. FFP, T&M, Labor hour etc). Any company proprietary information must be marked as such, the RFI information should not exceed a total of 10 one-sided 8 1/2x11 pages, with one inch margins, and font no smaller than 12 point.