Physical Needs Assessment Implementation

This sources sought notice is for market research purposes only and does not commit the Government to pay for the information requested, issue a solicitation, or award a contract. No solicitation document exists at this time. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUB Zone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned for this sources sought. Your response to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. HUD intends to competitively procure these services. At this time, HUD has not determined whether to solicit the services as a small business set aside or on an unrestricted basis (i.e. all business types) FAR Part 15. A decision will be made after reviewing the responses to this notice. Project Background The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is conducting market research for an upcoming procurement requirement to manage the national implementation of a newly developed Physical Needs Assessment (PNA) tool. HUD is in the process of creating a new PNA tool which will be used as a planning tool for Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and which will also be used by HUD to aggregate the physical needs of the public housing portfolio, assess the needs of the public housing portfolio, and the impact of annual capital fund appropriations on those needs. The PNA data is anticipated to be collected via a submission process that involves a Microsoft Access database with an Excel overlay or similar complexity of data handling. Purpose/Objective The contractor will be required to plan and perform technical assistance, quality control, and quality assurance with PHAs, HUD staff, and PNA providers on the new PNA, to be completed by all PHAs for the first time over a one year period after completion of the new PNA tools by HUD. The contractor will be required to facilitate the flow of information to PHAs with regard to the new PNA tool and guidance instruction manual, and to coordinate quality control efforts. The further objective is to complete physical needs assessments on a statistically valid sample of public housing developments nationally after completion of the PHAs' PNAs. The national sample would be used for quality assurance purposes and to determine the national needs number accordingly. Capability Statement/Information Sought Contractor capabilities are to include: experience performing or managing the performance of physical needs assessments for residential real estate including components of lifecycle planning and energy auditing; experience in property inspection; experience processing, organizing, analyzing, evaluating, and presenting large amounts of data and producing useful summary reports for public or private sector clients; experience in the delivery of customer service including web assisted and in-person training and technical assistance to product users on a national scale; experience with quality control of large quantities of customer supplied data; proficiency and experience with statistical analysis. Experience need not be exclusive to public housing or to the public sector but may include comparable experience in other residential real estate or with other comparable clients. Respondents must provide as part of their response a capability statement demonstrating their ability to provide the services described above as well as addressing the following minimum capabilities: 1. Ability as a small business to provide 51% or more of the total amount of PNA implementation required services. 2. Ability to develop a Technical Assistance Plan, Quality Control Plan and Quality Assurance/Statistical Validation Plan to serve more than 3,000 PHAs submitting PNAs on more than 7,000 public housing projects nation-wide, as well as HUD staff and other housing industry members. 3. Ability to manage PNA data collection and database management, analysis, and reporting to HUD management. 4. Executing a program of quality control that involves review and evaluation of every submitted PNA and escalating levels of intensity and interaction with PHAs and field office personnel to resolve data anomalies identified in submitted PNAs; 5. Revise the automated PNA Tool as needed based on implementation and use of the PNA tool by the PHAs; 6. Conduct PNA Quality Assurance in accordance with the PNA Quality Assurance/Statistical Validation Plan that involves the contractor's performance of up to 525 PNAs at public housing projects throughout the continental United States depending upon the level of confidence desired by HUD. Analysis and statistical evaluation to arrive at a statistically valid national needs number that can be relied upon by HUD for policy planning. The contractor's PNA sampling would be planned to proceed after the substantial completion of the PNAs by the PHAs and would be planned for completion, including analysis and acceptance, within 1 year. 7. Ability to effectively and efficiently plan and execute transition of PNA tool data system operation to HUD at the conclusion of the contract; and 8. Conduct additional unanticipated in-depth research reports as needed based on quality assurance reviews and technical assistance. The period of performance for these services consists of a 12 month base with two 12 month options (36 months). Teaming arrangements are encouraged. Respondents' must include their DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code. Include technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Responses must be double-spaced and single-sided on 8.5" x 11" plain white paper, with 1" margins on all sides, using a standard font no smaller than 12 point. The response cannot exceed 15 pages and must be sequentially numbered, beginning on the first page after the table of contents. Cover letters and tables of contents do not count against the page limit. Submissions must be sent electronically to Ms. Millie Egan, Contract Specialist, at Millie.J.Egan@hud.gov