Request For Information ECOS09

Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE) Environmental, Construction and Operations and Services 2009 (ECOS09) Request for Information (RFI) # 1 Date: 3 June 2008 THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. This RFI is issued for the purpose of developing a viable solicitation that will best communicate the Government's requirements to industry. Response to this RFI is strictly voluntary and will not affect any corporation's ability to submit an offer if, or when, a solicitation is released. The requested information is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued. No entitlement to payment by the Government of direct or indirect costs or charges will arise as a result of the submission of information in response to this RFI. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any improperly identified proprietary information. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Formal notices will be on http://www.fedbizopps.gov/ website and the AFCEE website (i.e., Industry Day information, Request for Proposal, and etc.): http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/pkv/ECOS09/default.asp (note: this is a public domain website available to all). GENERAL INFORMATION. The Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE), Brooks City-Base, TX, is planning to contract with small business firms to perform Environmental, Construction and Operations & Services 2009 (ECOS09). The ECOS09 contract will be a tool for AFCEE to provide government customers' access to competent small business contractors to satisfy environmental, construction, operations and services requirements. The ECOS09 contract offers a broad range of environmental restoration and construction; traditional minor construction, repair, and demolition; and operations and services. The operations and services include: environmental conservation, compliance, pollution prevention and clean-up activities, ordnance removal and disposal, and energy management. Operations and services do not include fulfilling the normal, everyday duties and taskings expected to be accomplished by government personnel assigned to a civil engineer flight at an Air Force installation. Work ordered under the contract will be that arising from, driven by, or in support of the worldwide AFCEE mission. The current ECOS (Environmental Construction and Operations & Services) contract SOW will be revised, but scope shall essentially remain unchanged (current ECOS SOW can be downloaded at: http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/pkv/ECOS/default.asp ). Based on responses and comments, the ECOS09 SOW will be developed and posted at a later date on the AFCEE ECOS09 website: http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/pkv/ECOS09/default.asp Central Contract Registration (CCR) will be mandatory for these contracts (see CCR website: http://www.ccr.gov/ ) BACKGROUND AND PROGRAM INFORMATION. AFCEE anticipates awarding indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts with the following characteristics: - Anticipate that each contract will have a basic ordering period of five (5) years with three additional years of performance - Small Business Set-Aside North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 562910 - Size Standard (500 Employees) - Multi-award - estimated to be five to eight contractors. The Government reserves the right to award approximately 8 contracts or none at all - $350M-$500M program ceiling range - with no option to increase the program ceiling. Collective amount of all Task Orders (TO) issued against the basic IDIQ contracts cannot exceed the overall program ceiling amount - Each contractor is guaranteed minimum award $2,500.00 - Firm-Fixed Price (FFP), Time and Materials (T&M), and Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) type contracts - Anticipated range of a standard ECOS09 TO is $100K to $2.5M - Requirement to support implementation of both a service contract and a construction contract rate structure (Service Contract Act, Davis Bacon) The government anticipates using the Price Performance Tradeoff source selection procedures found in FAR 15 and supplements. This technique initially determines technical acceptability of an offeror's proposal and subsequently conducts tradeoff between past performance and cost/price. Offerors forming teams to accomplish all work found in the ECOS09 SOW are reminded to review FAR 52.219-14 (b)(1), - Limitation on Subcontracting which calls out - at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern the 50% expenditure will include not only the small business prime offeror, but the first-tier small business teaming subcontractors as well. After award of the basic contracts, selection of individual contractors for each Task Order (TO) will be dependent upon contractor specific technical and/or management capabilities, proximity to the proposed work site, availability of labor and resources, contractor's performance on prior TO's, schedule driver and cost. The government reserves the right to compete individual TOs to comply with FAR 16.505 and DFARS 216.505-70 or if it is in the best interest of the Government to do so. The ECOS09 Acquisition team needs feedback from industry and from government personnel. Your comments are important and your recommendations will be a key component in AFCEE developing an effective acquisition strategy. We've devised a series of questions/topics below for you to consider - other comments regarding the government's course of action and/or alternatives are encouraged. QUESTIONS: 1. Would you be interested in submitting a proposal considering the anticipated scope of the program addressed above? If not, please explain why? 2. The current ECOS contract SOW will be revised, but scope shall essentially remain unchanged (current ECOS SOW can be downloaded at: http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/pkv/ECOS/default.asp ). Can you offer any improvements to the ECOS SOW? Do you have sufficient experience with these services such that an evaluator could assess your capability? If not, please explain why. If so, what evidence could you provided on the capability to effectively and efficiently execute multiple, concurrent scope requirements in geographically disperse locations? 3. The anticipated range of a Task Order (TO) under ECOS09 is $100K to $2.5M. What is the minimum and maximum dollar value project on which your firm would routinely consider submitting a proposal? What maximum capacity of work can your firm reasonably manage while assuring effective program/project implementation and maintaining quality products? 4. In what socio-economic programs do you now participate (e.g. Mentor Protege, Indian Incentive, etc.)? What is the extent of your participation in these programs? Do you also qualify under any of the sub-categories (8(a), small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, service disabled veteran-owned small business, and HBCU/MI)? 5. As stated above the Government anticipates using Price Performance Tradeoff (PPT) source selection process. Could you identify any benefits if full trade off procedures were used? In your view, what criteria would distinguish one firm's capabilities from another? Please explain. 6. AFCEE may evaluate world-wide capability, experience, and past performance as part of any solicitation that might result from this inquiry. Is your company able and willing to perform efforts worldwide? If your capability is limited to an area, please explain what area. 7. In your view, how many simultaneous, geographically dispersed task orders should a firm need to show to demonstrate the ability to effectively manage worldwide ECOS09 scope capability and to handle surge requirements? How can capacity be most effectively demonstrated to the Government under a solicitation (e.g. scope/dollar value, numbers of task orders, both, etc.)? 8. Would your firm participate in this acquisition with other firms as teaming members or joint ventures? What other teaming opportunities do you see for this acquisition? How would you demonstrate depth and breadth of team experience in accordance with the scope requirements? 9. AFCEE is planning to host an Industry Forum/Pre-solicitation Conference in the near future. What format for this event do you think would be most beneficial? What topics would you like to hear discussed and how many people would you want to send? 10. In your view, how should fair opportunity and head-to-head competition be conducted at the task order level? Would you support a down-selection mechanism? How would you recommend any down-selection be handled? 11. Do you have any other comments or suggestions that you would like to share with us? CONTACT INFORMATION: For clarification, please contact Ms. Sheri Brassfield, ECOS09 Contracting Officer at 210-536-4492. All responses to questions and comments will be posted on the ECOS09 Website periodically. Please include the following with your response: name and address of firm; size of business; point of contact and telephone number, number of employees, classification standard i.e. small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone, etc, affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, and potential teaming partners. Please e-mail responses to afceeacxecos09@brooks.af.mil no later than 19 Jun 2008. Since this is an RFI to be used in planning a future acquisition, please do not send in any proposals. Request for proposals, if and when issued, will be available on the Internet at FedBizOpps.gov. As such, it is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sites for release of any additional information. Note: Before submitting question, please check website on a routine basis to see if question(s) has already been asked and answered. The website is available to public domain at: http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/pkv/ECOS09/default.asp THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. Please note that official information will be provided only by the Contracting Officer or the Buyer. Any information received from other sources should not be relied upon as official.