Market Research for Monitoring and Technical Assistance Support

1.0 Summary The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), is conducting market research to determine if any small business sources have the current relevant qualifications, experience, personnel and capability to perform the work described herein under a program entitles "Monitoring and Technical Assistance Program" (MTAP). The Volpe Center is seeking potential offerors to provide program support, project monitoring, and technical assistance to grant and loan programs. This is a Sources Sought notice only to assist the Government in its acquisition strategy. This synopsis does not constitute a Request for Proposal. The primary NAICS code for this sources sought notice is 541330 - Engineering Services. 2.0 Background The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) currently has a grant and loan portfolio distributed across multiple programs for projects located throughout the entire United States. FRA administers the grants and loans to assist State and other eligible entities in the planning, acquisition, design, construction, and improvement of freight rail and intercity passenger rail infrastructure, facilities, and equipment, as well as rail service operating support for Amtrak. In order to provide stewardship of taxpayers' dollars and due diligence as a federal grant-making agency, FRA provides monitoring and technical assistance to its grant and loan recipients. 3.0 Description The Volpe Center supports FRA's monitoring and technical assistance program (MTAP) for High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR), the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program, Amtrak, and other grants. The overarching goals for the MTAP program are to avoid problems, foster solutions and achieve successful completion of the projects. The Volpe Center is seeking a capability statement from all interested parties who have rail experience and are capable of providing: A. Support to numerous grantees and loan program recipients across the nation, B. Multi-disciplinary teams that can provide support for the tasks below and, C. Services at multiple locations simultaneously for multiple years. The Volpe Center anticipates the need for assistance in the following areas: Task Area 1 Monitoring and Technical Assistance 1. Monitoring Program Support and Reporting 2. Implementation and Transition Plans 3. Technical Assistance, including technical studies and papers 4. Project Management Review 5. Management and Technical Capacity/Capability Review 6. Safety and Security Management Review 7. Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Program Review 8. Recurring Oversight and Reporting, including meeting support and construction oversight 9. Lessons Learned and Best Practices 10. Before and After Studies 11. Annual Compliance Monitoring and Grant Closeout 12. Value Engineering Review 13. Planning and Concept Design Review 14. Environmental Review 15. Project Scope Review 16. Project Delivery Method Review 17. Capital Cost Estimate Review 18. Project Schedule Review 19. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Review 20. Rail Vehicle Technical and Procurement Reviews, and Fleet Management Plan Reviews 21. Design Reviews, including Preliminary Engineering (PE), Final Design (FD), Readiness to Procure Construction Review 22. Risk Assessments and Contingency Review 23. Financial Review 24. Readiness for Revenue Operations Review Task Area 2: Real Estate Acquisition and Management Review Review the Grantee's Real Estate Acquisition and Management Plan (RAMP), including schedule, cost estimates, appraisals, development to a level commensurate with the project phase, and at every phase, demonstration of compliance with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act (Uniform Act) of 1970, amended (Public Law 91-646; 42 U.S.C. 4601, et seq.) http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/realestate/row_legs.htm. Respondents should demonstrate their real estate experience with and working knowledge of Appraisal, Acquisition, Relocation, and Property Management - four major elements of the Uniform Act. Task Area 3 Buy America Review Review the Grantee's compliance with the Buy America requirements of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), the Buy American Act of 1933, and adherence to the Buy America clause set forth in the recipient's agreement with FRA. Respondents should demonstrate their experience with compliance oversight and knowledge of applicable statues, regulations and policies. 4.0 Submission Instructions Please respond to the following questions by September 8, 2017. Respondents shall address their technical capabilities, knowledge, and expertise by presenting its experience with rail projects and programs in response to the questions below. Submissions that do not provide required information as it relates to the requirements of the Task Areas and/or do not address the questions below may not be considered a capable source when determining any potential set asides. 1. If you are a small business please respond to question 2. Other than small business please respond to question 3. 2. Briefly identify past professional experience which clearly demonstrates your firm has both: a. The resources to work on one or more of the task areas* above as it relates to the Monitoring and Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) and; b. The capability to work on multiple complex rail projects simultaneously across the nation. * Respondents providing information for Task Area 2 may submit non-rail experience to demonstrate their expertise with the four major elements of the Uniform Act. 3. Briefly identify past professional experience which clearly demonstrates your firm has both: a. The resources to work on all the task areas above as it relates to MTAP and; b. The capability to work on multiple complex rail projects simultaneously across the nation. 4. Is your firm registered in the System for Award Management (SAM)? You must be registered in SAM to do business with the government. Please ensure your Reps and Certs are current or up to date in SAM. https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM. Please include: Contract number; Customer (Government agency or private industry); Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) name, telephone and fax numbers; contract value and type of contract; period of performance; and description of product/services for all projects and contracts referenced in your response for verification. Sources should indicate whether they are a non-profit, large business, small business, or other business type. Information provided should be sufficiently detailed in the area(s) above so the Government can assess the ability of the company to provide the described services. All of the information sought should be conveyed in no more than 3 pages. The page size is set at 8 x 11 inches. The text font must be no smaller than 12 point. Each response must reference the Sources Sought title and number. Respondents shall ensure that the Contractor's name and address following information are included in the response along with the following: 1) Point of Contact (along with telephone number and e-mail address); 2) DUNS Number and CAGE Code; 3) Contractor Address; 4) NAICS code(s) as registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and if applicable; 5) Certified or self-certified socio-economic status as registered in SAM. All responses must be submitted via e-mail to the points of contact below. Electronic attachments to the e-mail should be submitted either Adobe .pdf or any format that can be supported by Microsoft Office. 5.0 Information Availability THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is for information and planning purposes only, and is a market research tool to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources prior to determining the method of acquisition and possible issuance of a Request for Proposal, including the use of any non-profit organization or small business program. The notice does not constitute a solicitation for bids, quotations, and proposals, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of response to this Sources Sought notice. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. Submissions must be disclosable to the public or the submitter should provide a summary statement that can be disclosed to the public with fuller supporting information that is clearly marked as restricted. The Government will use customary means to safeguard proprietary information, but only when such information is (1) clearly marked as proprietary; (2) is, in fact, information that could not have been obtained from another party or source; and (3) is otherwise deserving of such treatment under standards and processes described in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Executive Order 12600.