Microgrid for A/E Services

C-ARCHITECT-ENGINEERING (AE) SERVICES for MICROGRID PROJECTS, VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (CONUS), ALASKA, AND HAWAII CONTRACT INFORMATION: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - Philadelphia District (CENAP) plans to award three to five (3-5) separate AE Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to comprise one (1) Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC) for AE services to support Microgrid projects. These contracts are being procured in accordance with the Selection of Architects and Engineers as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. The total shared capacity of the MATOC is $9,900,000. Firms will be selected for negotiation under this MATOC based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. Work will primarily be performed within the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. The target of three to five (3-5) IDIQs will be negotiated and awarded with a five-year ordering period. Work will be issued by negotiated firm-fixed-price task orders. Task orders will be awarded in accordance with USACE Alert 21-013, Updated Procedures for the Selection of Task Orders on Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Contracts dated 14 April 2021 (USACE Alert 21-013) and is located in Attachment A. Individual Task Orders are anticipated to be valued between $20,000 and $1 million with the occasional Task Order outside that range. The minimum guarantee amount over the life of the contract is $10,000 for each of the MATOC contracts. Award is anticipated by winter 2022-2023. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code to be used for this procurement is 541330. This code currently defines the Small Business size standard as $22.5M of gross annual revenues per year over the last five (5) fiscal years. The Small Business Administration is proposing to update this size standard definition in February-May 2022. An amendment notifying firms of any change in the NAICS 541330 size standard will be issued for this synopsis should that determination be made during the solicitation period. Firms should structure their SF330 submission accordingly. PROJECT INFORMATION: The Department of Defense (DoD) requires installations to be energy resilient and microgrids are being pursued to meet those energy resiliency goals. Energy resilience, as defined by DoD Instruction 4170.11, Installation Energy Management, is defined as - the ability to prepare for and recover from energy disruptions that impact mission assurance on military installations. As defined by the Microgrid Exchange Group (MEG), - A microgrid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the grid. A microgrid can connect and disconnect from the grid to enable it to operate in both grid-connected or island-mode. A Microgrid, at a minimum, is a system of interconnected loads (such as, but not limited to, buildings or structures) and distributed energy resources (such as, but not limited to, generators, photovoltaics, wind farms, energy storage) which are physically separated and located throughout a complex or military installation which are to operate and function together as one entity to provide energy to mission essential loads when needed. The Microgrid is to provide power in a similar fashion to a utility providers electrical distribution system. It must also provide demand response and be able to disconnect from the utility provider's electrical distribution system as needed to operate in an island mode. The Microgrid is to control the distributed energy resources, so they function together as a whole even though they are physically separated and originally intended to provide power to a single load for example. The Microgrid can provide power to an entire complex or installation, or to selected mission essential loads within the complex or installation. An electrical system with various energy resources which provides power to a single load is not considered a Microgrid. The work under this contract will primarily be in support of Military Installations, with occasional support of Civil Works, and the Work for Others Programs. Work will be within the continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, and Hawaii. Primary work under this contract will involve but not be limited to: inspection and condition assessment surveys of existing sites, verification of existing reference materials, verification of existing conditions, data collection of energy usage, assets, and infrastructure, consulting and coordinating with stakeholders to define priority missions and loads, risk identification and assessment, concept development, engineering and design, Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD), cost estimating and life cycle cost analysis, system modeling and studies, technical specification preparation, testing, participation in the commissioning of, and report writing, all related to the design of microgrids. Secondary work will involve, but not be limited to, the design, construction, renovation and/or alteration to institutional, industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational type facilities and repair and maintenance to institutional, industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational type facilities. Types of related work including but not limited to highway, other paved surfaces, utility systems, site work, and Energy Resiliency Conservation and Improvement Projects (ERCIP) may be a part of both the primary and secondary work. Both primary and secondary work shall include design and construction support to include the following professional disciplines: architects, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and geotechnical engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, and specification writers. LEED Accredited Professional(s) are required in addition to Licensed Professional Engineers and Registered Architects. The following Tertiary work and Related work will only be performed as needed to complete the work related to Microgrids and ERCIP efforts. Tertiary work will include, but not be limited to, preparation of concept, preliminary, and detailed designs for the removal, remediation, abatement and restoration of environmental hazards including soil and groundwater, lead paint, asbestos, PCB's, and other contaminated wastes. Professional qualifications for the third level of work shall include but not be limited to: environmental engineers/environmental scientists, certified industrial hygienists, geologists, and hydrologists/hydraulic engineers. Related work will include historical preservation, economic and life cycle cost analysis, planning, site investigations, design analysis, claims analysis, schedule preparation, surveying, studies, reports, and expert witness efforts. In addition to professional disciplines previously listed, surveyors, specification writers, cost estimators, and CADD/BIM (Building Information Modeling) technicians shall be included for all levels of work as required. SELECTION CRITERIA: Selection criteria are listed below in descending order of importance. Criteria (a) through (f) are primary factors, criteria (g) and (h) are secondary factors and will only be used as, - tie-breakers', among firms that are essentially and technically equal. a. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence. Information contained in the SF 330 Section F will be the primary basis for evaluation against this criterion with no more than 10 projects listed. Project information may be supplemented by information in SF 330 Section H. The Prime / JV entity shall be included in at least 5 of the projects listed in Section F. Projects in which the firm's work was completed in the last five years will be given more consideration. Also, large scale projects that incorporate multiple loads and multiple different types of distributed energy resources will be given more consideration. Experience working on projects for the Department of Defense will be more highly rated when evaluating these criteria. IDIQ contracts are not considered projects and cannot be submitted. A single Task Order completed under an IDIQ contract is considered a project and may be submitted. The participation and involvement of key personnel listed in Sections E and G on the projects will be considered relevant for the purpose of evaluating experience. Firms are to demonstrate experience and technical competence in the following: Concept Microgrid Designs - design drawings, technical specifications, supporting reports and analyses. Reports - Microgrid Designs, Planning, Studies, or Analyses evaluating various distributed energy resources (new and existing), mission essential load determinations, optimization of such systems, system configurations, and resiliency provided Microgrid Life Cycle Cost Analysis evaluating various distributed energy resources (new and existing), optimization of such systems, system configurations, and resiliency provided Asset and as-built data collection efforts Simultaneous completion of multiple projects geographically separated b. Professional Qualifications. Identification, qualifications (professional registration/licensure/certification and education) and experience of engineering and scientific personnel to accomplish the work specified above. Section D, Section E and Section H of the SF330 will be used to evaluate this criterion. (1) The firm shall have on staff (or provide through consultant[s]) personnel with Professional Engineering licensure. The firm is to also include a statement that they have the ability with their staff or through their consultant(s) to obtain Professional Engineering licensed staff for any of the CONUS states to include Alaska and Hawaii for projects that require state specific Professional Engineering Licensure. The requirement to provide state specific licensure will be located in Task Orders when the projects requires it. (2) Resumes demonstrating experience and associated qualifications are required for the following disciplines. Provide resumes for those individuals expected to be primarily assigned to perform work under the contract at the working level. The evaluation will consider education, training, licensure, registration, certifications, longevity with the firm, and relevant experience of specified disciplines performing the role for which they are proposed to be used on the contract. Firms shall clearly identify the role of each individual on each resume submitted specific to the roles specified herein. Individuals may fill multiple roles (e.g., PM and EE) but this must be clearly indicated. Firms shall submit resumes identifying key personnel for each of the following disciplines: - Project Manager (two (2) resumes required, one for each individual offered). Project Manager shall be registered as a Professional Engineer or Professional Geologist. - Electrical Engineer (two (2) resumes required, one for each individual offered); - Communications Engineer - Civil Engineer - Cost Engineer c. Work Management and Teaming. In the SF 330, Section H, the firm shall provide their proposed management plan that references the organizational chart provided in Section D of the SF 330. The plan should describe the AE's proposed work management approach for executing the work to be performed under this contract including team composition, roles and responsibilities of key team members and each subcontracted firm and its approach for ensuring high quality work products performed by the firm and their subcontractors. The plan shall include information on quality control processes and procedures, cost and schedule control, coordination of in-house disciplines and consultants, and relevant experience working with each of the subcontractors on similar projects. Section C, Section D, Section G and Section H of the SF 330 will be used to evaluate this criterion. In reviewing the above project management and teaming information, the evaluation board will consider how the firms, including joint ventures (JV) and Offerors utilizing of affiliates, subsidiaries, parent, LLC, LTD member companies, propose to execute the scopes of work (Section 2 Project Information). Organization of the firm's team will be evaluated in accordance with Section 4 Submission Requirements (e.g., JV, Mentor-Prot'g, etc.). d. Past Performance. The firm shall possess a good record of past performance on contracts with respect to cost control, quality of work, compliance with performance schedules, and ability to manage subcontractors. Assessment against this criterion will be determined primarily by evaluating ratings performed in Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), the Government-wide evaluation reporting tool for all past performance reports on contracts, or via those provided in Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs). In reviewing past performance information, the evaluation board will consider the relevancy of the past performed work in addition to how well the firm performed. Positive references from customers and other verifiable information as to exemplary performance may also be considered as provided in Section H of the SF330. With their SF330, the firm shall provide the CPARS report or PPQ for each of the projects identified in Section F of the SF330. The firm shall provide the full contract number and task order number (if applicable) for any Federal contract listed in Section F of the SF330. NOTE: The most recent CPARS report is to be provided for any federal contract unless a specific explanation is provided as to unavailability of a CPARS rating. Do not submit a PPQ when a completed CPARS is available. If a project is not a federal project or a CPARS report is not available, the firm shall complete Part I of the PPQ, send it to the customers, request that they complete Part II of the PPQ and return to the firm, and submit it with the SF330 submission. No sealed envelope is required. A blank PPQ can be found attached to this synopsis (Attachment B). The evaluation board may seek and consider past performance information from other sources but is not required to do so if none is available from CPARS or if no PPQ is provided. Other sources of information the evaluation board may consider include interviews with organizations and Government personnel familiar with the firm's performance. If little to no relevant past performance data (CPARS reports, PPQs, or information in Section H) is available, the firm may be given a neutral evaluation regarding past performance. CPARS reports or PPQs shall be placed at the end of Part I of the SF330 (they will not be counted towards the page count). e. Capacity. The firm must demonstrate the capacity for successfully executing multiple task orders concurrently while maintaining quality and schedule. A firm shall be evaluated on the available capacity of key personnel from the prime firm and its teaming consultants primarily through a review of each firm's Part II submission and any information provided in SF330 Section H as to their methods for managing workload. The prime contractor needs to demonstrate that they have the core competencies to perform work required under the contract on their own merit. In order to meet or exceed the requirements of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.219-14, "Limitations on Subcontracting (Sept 2021)", the prime contractor along with - similarly situated subcontractors must have the capacity to perform at least 51% of the work over the life of the contract. - Similarly situated subcontractor means a first-tier subcontractor, including an independent contractor that has the same small business program status as that which qualified the prime contractor for the award and that is considered small for the specified NAICS code (example - if prime is a WOSB, then subcontractors that are WOSB would count towards the goal). The firm should address how it will meet these requirements based upon the assumption that the items listed under - Specialized Experience and Technical Competence above constitute the preponderance of the work to be performed under this contract. f. Knowledge of Locality. Work under these contracts may be in a widely dispersed geographic area, therefore responding firms should demonstrate the extent of their capabilities to serve federal installations throughout CONUS, Alaska, and Hawaii. The board will evaluate a firm's knowledge and experience with working on military installations and other federal complexes across the country. The basis of the evaluation will be the information in Sections E, F, and H of the SF 330. g. Extent of Participation of Small Businesses (SB) concerns. Firms shall identify their small business team members and indicate their commitment to utilize SBs to include Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), HUBZone Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB). Extent of use will be measured as a percentage of the total anticipated contract effort, regardless of whether the small business concern is a prime contractor, sub-contractor, or joint venture partner; the greater the participation the greater the consideration. h. Volume of DoD Contract Awards. Firms shall indicate in Section H of the SF330 the volume of DoD AE contracts awarded to the prime (or JV) in the last 12 months. This information will be verified and updated during the interviews with the most highly qualified firms. The equitable distribution of DoD AE contracts among firms, including SB and SDB, will be considered. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Firms desiring consideration and meeting the requirements described in the announcement shall submit a completed SF 330 (revision 07/2021) Parts I and II for the prime A/E firm. Part II for each/any subconsultant must also be submitted. Please note that a separate Part II is required for each branch office of the prime firm and any subcontractors that will have a key role in the proposed contract. If a joint venture is being utilized, a copy of the joint venture agreement is to be included in Part II. A joint venture Small Business must have the capacity to perform at least 40% of the work performed by the joint venture over the life of the contract. If you have an approved Mentor Prot'g Program agreement by the U.S. Small Business Administration, please include that in your submission within Part II of the SF 330. This Mentor-Prot'g agreement will not be included within the page limit stated below. Part I does not have a specific page limit as whole, however, Section H is limited to 30 pages, not including past performance questionnaires or CPARS evaluations. A page is one side of an 8 x 11 sheet of paper. 11 x 17 (single side) pages may be used to provide graphical information or images that do not fit well on an 8 x 11 sheet but this counts as two pages. Front and back cover and section dividers do not count toward the page limit. Font size shall not be less than 11 font for "main-body" text. Font size shall be no less than 10pt font for graphics, tables, image descriptions and similar features. The margins for pages that supplement the SF 330 forms shall not be less than one inch with the exception that - inch margins are allowed when using the Standard Form 330. Pages in excess of the page limit will not be evaluated. The Philadelphia District does not retain SF 330 Part IIs on file. Page number located in bottom margin of each page is preferred. Include your Unique Entity Identifier in block 11 of paragraph C of Part I of the SF 330. Firms must provide their completed SF330's posted from this synopsis via Email only. In the SF 330, Part I, Section H, provide the firm's proposed Work Management approach for this contract including its approach for ensuring the quality of work performed by its subcontractors - see also SELECTION CRITERIA. In the SF 330, Part I, Section H, the AE firm may provide supplemental information to address all aspects for which Specialized Experience and Technical Competence is being sought as well as documentation to support past performance selection criteria such as copies of applicable certificates and/or awards. Only project information for projects listed in Section F shall considered for the Specialized Experience and Technical Competence criteria. Files shall not contain classified data. The use of hyperlinks in responses is prohibited. Submission packages may be emailed to Stephen.T.Kolokithias@usace.army.mil and Jamaal.a.edwards@usace.army.mil not later than 3:00 PM EST on July 18, 2022. Questions regarding this synopsis are to be emailed to Stephen.T.Kolokithias@usace.army.mil and Jamaal.a.edwards@usace.army.mil no later than 3:00 PM EST on June 9, 2022. All contractors are advised that registration in the DODs System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Database is required prior to award of a contract. Failure to be registered in the SAM Database may render your firm ineligible for award. All firms are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Information regarding this registration may be obtained by accessing the Web Site http://www.sam.gov or you may call (866) 606-8220 (available 24 hours, 7 days a week). The Contracting Officer reserves the right to terminate negotiations, with firms that do not respond to Government requests for proposals, information, documentation, etc. in accordance with established schedules. RECEIPT OF SUBMISSIONS: For the purposes of establishing whether a submission is considered late, the government refers to FAR 15.208. The government will not be responsible for submissions delivered to any location or to anyone other than those designated to receive responses on its behalf. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that responses are submitted to reach the designated recipient. Offerors are responsible for allowing sufficient time for the response to be received in accordance with the instructions provided. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. No other notification to firms for this project will be made. In accordance with the FAR 36.601-4(b) - contracts for architect-engineer services may only be awarded to firms permitted by law to practice the professions of architecture or engineering.