R -- Environmental Consulting Services

The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Bio-containment Procurement Branch is seeking qualified business sources that can provide assistance to complete the preparation of an assessment of the potential for environmental effects under the National Environmental Policy Act for the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF). The Environmental Impact Study (EIS) contractor shall provide expert advice by providing analysis, technical guidance, and recommendation on both the appropriate process requirements and all relevant issues and impact assessments. The NBAF is envisioned to provide the nation with the first integrated agricultural, zoonotic disease, and public health research, development, testing, and evaluation facility with the capability to address threats from human pathogens, high-consequence zoonotic disease agents, and foreign animal diseases. The facility would also provide the additional infrastructure required for threat and vulnerability assessments and for testing and evaluating promising foreign animal disease countermeasures. NBAF will support the complementary missions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Human Health and Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The proposed 520,000 square foot building must provide modern, safe and secure biocontainment laboratories of sufficient capacity to provide animal testing capability needed for the licensure of the human disease vaccines; defend against high-consequence human and foreign animal diseases in livestock; and provide the essential DHS infrastructure requirements for threat characterization, forensics, and detection. The co-location of human and agricultural Biodefense efforts will create an integrated and comprehensive system to rapidly recognize and characterize biological agents in human and animal populations, food, water, agriculture, and the environment. Since the U. S. is lacking in such critical national capability, acquiring an operational facility as soon as possible is of high priority. The facility will be comprised of Biosafety Levels 2, 3, 3Ag & 4 laboratories, vivarium and associated support spaces located on a site ranging is size from 30 to 100 acres. The Government anticipates 3-5 sites will be included in this contract and result in 3-5 independent environmental impact studies conducted concurrently. It is anticipated that at least some of the information needed to evaluate the potential for significance of impacts to the human environment will be provided by the Government, directly from the candidate site, or other stakeholders. In other cases, the EIS Contractor shall collect supplementary information as needed. In all cases, the EIS Contractor shall review this information. The EIS Contractor shall assist with the administrative process of preparing and completing the document. The EIS Contractor shall fulfill the following major objectives in all tasks listed in this statement of work: Inspect the accuracy, validity, integrity, and completeness of environmental information provided to the Government by external Federal and non-Federal stakeholders, identify shortfalls, and make recommendations to the Government for resolution and acceptance; Assist the Government and/or the Government?s NEPA Planning and Public Outreach Contractor with scoping and other public coordination activities associated with the environmental impact analysis process; Assist the Government in coordinating environmental issues with other Federal agencies; For the purposes of advising the Government - To identify and anticipate issues from information provided by the government and other stakeholders that may lead to either or both (1) a significant environmental impact; or (2) a concern with evaluating the level of significance; Identify information gaps that may hinder an appropriate evaluation of significance and collect, analyze, and validate the needed information for the EIS Contractor?s use; Identify appropriate options to resolve potentially significant environmental impacts, research the risks and benefits of each option relative to the needs of the Government and other stakeholders and provide recommendations on appropriate actions to mitigate significant impacts, when possible; Identify potentially conflicting environmental requirements, identify options for resolution, research the risks and benefits of each option, and recommend solutions to resolve potential conflicts; Assist the Government in ensuring that its decision to approve or disapprove the options under evaluation will be in full compliance with all appropriate environmental requirements; Prepare the Government?s draft and final environmental documents pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act for Government approval; and Maintain the administrative record of the preparation of the appropriate environmental documents, including sources of information used in the preparation of the documents including the EIS, as well as appropriate project files for eventual turnover to the Government. The Estimated Cost of Construction is about $400 million. Selection of the firm will be conducted in accordance with the Source Selection Procedures as outlined in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 15.3, utilizing trade-off between past performance and price. Firms will be evaluated in terms of their relevant experience, including relevant experience of staff members, specifically on Environmental Impact Study work required by this procurement. It is expected that a Request for Proposals (RFP) for this requirement will be posted about October 13, with proposals due about November 13, 2006. The Government intends to set this acquisition aside for participation by Small Businesses, utilizing NAICS Code 541620 Environmental Consulting Services, Size Standard $6.5M. Based on the responses to this synopsis, the Government may decide to further restrict competition to 8(a), HUBZone, or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Programs, as outlined in FAR Part 19. Interested firms should, as early as possible, but not later than 4:00 PM Eastern Time, September 5, 2006, indicate interest in this acquisition by letter (no more than 2 typewritten pages) with a brief summary of experience in relevant contracts. Letters should be sent to the attention of Robert Driggers, Contracting Officer, to the address noted above, preferably as an e-mail attachment, with copy to Ms. Paulette Webster at the e-mail address below. Ensure your letter includes your business size. More detailed present/past performance information will be required with proposals. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS AND IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. Points of Contact: Bob Driggers, Contracting Officer, +1 (555) 000-0000, E-mail contact@example.gov; Danny Hager, Chief, Bio-containment Procurement Operations Branch, Procurement Division, +1 (555) 000-0000, E-mail contact@example.gov; Paulette Webster, Procurement Technician, +1 (555) 000-0000, E-mail: contact@example.gov