Synopsis for Architect-Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract for Geo-Environmental Engineering and Related Services

1. CONTRACT INFORMATION: One Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for geo-environmental engineering and related services is being procured in accordance with the Brooks A-E Act as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541330; the size standard is$16.5 M of gross annual revenues per year over the last three (3) fiscal years. The top firm will be selected for negotiation based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. Work will primarily be performed within the boundaries of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District (PA, NJ, NY, MD, DE), but could also infrequently include other states and districts covered by the USACE North Atlantic Division's (NAD) mission areas (ME,VT, NH, CT, MA, VA, WV, and the District of Columbia). The contract will be negotiated and awarded with a base year ordering period and four option periods of one year each. The amount of the contract will not exceed $10,000,000. Work will be issued by negotiated firm-fixed-price task orders. Task Orders are expected to generally be in the $200,000 range but could be as much as $2,000,000. The minimum guarantee amount over the life of the contract is $20,000. Award of the contract to the selected firm is anticipated in September 2022. 2. PROJECT INFORMATION: The selected firm will be providing geo-environmental, geotechnical and professional services for planning, design, and related services during construction in support of the military, work for others and civil work missions assigned to the Philadelphia District. The use of approved innovative field screening technologies and methodologies are strongly encouraged. The vast majority of the work under this contract will be associated with projects located in Philadelphia District's civil works boundaries. This area generally includes the Delaware River basin and the coastlines of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Work outside the District's civil works boundaries may be required. Work sites are expected to be Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites, superfund sites, or other sites where USACE is authorized to perform Hazardous Toxic Radiological Waste (HTRW) or Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) operations. The work will include, but is not limited to the following items: A - Geo-Environmental Studies, Investigations and Related Work. Work will include the following types of efforts: (1) Preparation of Remedial site and facility Investigations related to CERCLA/RCRA. (2) Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) investigations. As a part of the above work the contractor will be required to complete geophysical investigations, groundwater investigations, soil, groundwater and surface water chemical sampling, testing and analysis, preparation of conceptual site models and other related work; (3) Pre-Demolition or Renovation Building Inspection. The contractor will be required to conduct building inspections for hazardous or potentially-hazards materials in support of demolition or renovation efforts. Such inspection will include, but not be limited to, asbestos-containing materials, lead-based paint, mercury-containing switches and lighting equipment, lighting, PCB-containing lighting ballasts of other equipment, Freon-containing equipment, Halon systems, radiation-containing smoke detectors, exit and emergency light systems batteries and similar materials. Other related efforts include: (4) Preparation of Accident Prevention Plans (APP) and Health and Safety Plans, including a safety, health and emergency response plan. (5) Preparation of sampling and analysis plans, including in the format specified by the Uniform Federal Policy-Quality Assurance Project Plans (UFP-QAPP). B - Geotechnical Investigations, Testing and Analysis in support of Geo-environmental work described above. These secondary efforts shall include: (1) subsurface explorations, including, but not limited to soil borings using traditional or direct push methodologies, and rock coring for geotechnical purposes. Soil sampling and rock coring requirements may be land or water based explorations; (2) Instrumentation installation shall include but not be limited to the installation, monitoring and analysis of piezometers, groundwater monitoring wells and inclinometers. This item shall include all essential items pertaining to monitoring wells and piezometer development. Other related secondary work shall include technical support of field work including subsurface exploration. The contractor shall be responsible for: (1) logging of soil samples and/or rock cores; handling, labeling, chain of custody and shipping of soil samples, rock core and environmental samples; related coordinating with other government, private and related groups in obtaining access, information, etc., performing any necessary air monitoring, and laying out the borings; (2) Soil testing shall include but not be limited to visual and laboratory classification, gradation, moisture-density relations, permeability testing, consolidation testing, laboratory field compaction testing and other physical and hydrological property testing. All final boring, well, and test pit logs as well as all geotechnical laboratory testing results shall be processed using appropriate Geotechnical software capable of visualizing geological and geotechnical information. The collection and testing of Hazardous Toxic Radiological Waste (HTRW) contaminated samples will be required. Geotechnical or HTRW laboratories may be subcontracted. The analytical laboratory must possess and maintain current National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation (NELAC) and comply with the DOD Quality Systems Manual (latest version) requirements. The approved analytical laboratory must be capable of providing Electronic Data Deliverables (EDD) in an approved USACE software format, Automated Data Review (ADR), version 7 or later, A1 and A3 or Stage Electronic Deliverables (SEDD) 2B. Laboratory review and approval will occur during coordination of Task Order requirements. C - Geo-Environmental and supporting Geotechnical Designs. Efforts include, but are not limited to support various Environmental Restoration project efforts, embankments and cut slopes, retaining structures, pavements, shallow and deep foundations, slope protection, geosynthetics, soil stabilization, site drainage, and the preparation of reports on same. Design work shall include the preparation of drawings using Autodesk Civil 3D 2019 or compatible software. D. Miscellaneous Professional Services. This work shall be done relative to geo-environmental projects previously described including but not limited to environmental impact statements, environmental inventories, baseline ecological evaluation (BEE) reports, cost estimations, historical and archaeological investigations and reports, and peer review of USACE reports. If in-house capabilities in these areas are not available, an approved subcontractor may be utilized. All work shall comply with the jurisdictional regulations and laws to include the requirements for registrations, licenses and certifications. Land surveying shall be considered as specific Task Order requirements. Surveyors will be approved by the government before conducting any work. The A/E should have the capability of executing a minimum of two (2) task orders simultaneously. 3. SELECTION CRITERIA: The selection criteria are listed below in descending order of importance (first by major criteria and then by each sub-criteria). Criteria a-f are primary factors. Criteria g-h are secondary factors and will only be used as - tie-breakers among firms that are equal based on all other factors. (a) Specialized Experience and Technical Competence. Firms should demonstrate specialized experience and technical competence in: Preparation of CERCLA/RCRA facility investigations that include geophysical investigations, groundwater investigations, & chemical testing and analysis of water and soil samples. Subsurface Explorations, including, but not limited to soil borings using traditional or direct push methodologies, and rock coring for geotechnical purposes. Instrumentation installation including but not be limited to the installation, monitoring and analysis of piezometers, groundwater monitoring wells and inclinometers. Projects requiring interagency coordination with a combination of federal, state, and local government stakeholders. Specialized experience and technical competence will be evaluated based upon the project examples listed in Section F of the SF 330 with no more than ten (10) projects listed in order of relevance. Section H may include supplementary information regarding the projects listed in Section F. The prime A/E/ JV Entity shall be included in at least five (5) of the projects listed in Section F. Projects in which the firm's work was completed in the last six (6) years will be given more consideration, projects completed more than ten (10) years old will not be considered. Projects are defined as a task order on an IDIQ contract or a standalone contract. IDIQ contracts are not considered projects. A Complete Project is considered to be any project in which the contract period of performance for the subject experience is closed, deliverables are accepted, and performance evaluations are complete. Offerors may submit projects which are substantially complete, however experience and competence shall be determined by the demonstrated completed efforts as of the date of submission and not consider the work remaining. Substantially complete projects should also include an interim CPARS or PPQ evaluation submitted as described in the - Past Performance section of this synopsis. The participation and involvement by key personnel listed in Sections E and G on the projects submitted will be considered relevant for the purpose of evaluating experience. Experience working on projects for USACE will be looked upon favorably when evaluating these criteria. (b) Professional Qualifications. Identification, qualifications (professional registration/licensure/certification and education) and experience of architecture and engineering personnel to accomplish the work specified above. Sections D, E, G, and H of the SF 330 will be used to evaluate this criterion. The firm must have on staff (or provide through a consultant[s]) personnel licensed as registered professional engineers and professional geologists (as applicable) in the Philadelphia District states (PA, NJ, NY, MD, DE) as specified below. Should any task orders be issued for work in other portions of NAD's CONUS mission areas (ME, VT, NH, CT, MA, RI, MA), the firm will need to demonstrate applicable professional registration in those locations within the task order proposal. Resumes demonstrating experience and associated qualifications are required for the following key personnel. The evaluation will consider education, training, registration, certifications, longevity with the firm, and relevant experience of specified personnel 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 LSP) but this must be clearly indicated. Key Personnel: - Project Manager*; (minimum 2 resumes) - HTRW Design Engineer (Civil, Environmental, Chemical or Process Engineer)* - Geo-environmental Expert (minimum 2 resumes)** - Geologist* - Hydrogeologist - Chemist - Human Health Risk Assessor - Ecological Risk Assessor - Industrial Hygienist - Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) in New Jersey - Cost Engineer - Health Physicist * Professional registration in one of the Philadelphia District States is required. Project Manager shall be registered as a professional engineer or professional geologist. ** Firms and their team shall demonstrate a professionally registered geo-environmental expert in all Philadelphia District States.The Geo-Environmental Engineer may be a registered (licensed) Professional Environmental Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Civil Engineer or Professional Geologist with experience in work relevant to the efforts described in the project information section of this synopsis. (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 prime, 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. In Section H of the SF330, the firm shall provide the CPARS report or PPQ for each of the projects identified in Section F of the SF330, as these projects should be the most relevant project examples provided. 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. 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 customer for the subject project, 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 A). (e) Capacity to Accomplish the Work. The firm must demonstrate the capacity for successfully executing multiple task orders concurrently while maintaining quality and schedule. Businesses will be evaluated as to their ability to execute $2M per year for this contract. 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 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 the prime contractor for the award and that is considered small for the specified NAICS code. 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. The board will evaluate a firm's knowledge and experience with geological and subsurface features, environmental conditions, local construction costs, and the state/ local regulatory agencies and requirements. Firms should demonstrate the extent of their capabilities to serve projects located throughout the Philadelphia District states (PA, NJ, NY, MD, DE). The basis of this criterion evaluation will be the information in Sections E, F, and H of the SF 330. (g) Volume of DoD A-E Contract Awards. Firms shall indicate in Section H of the SF330 the volume of DoD A-E contracts awarded to the prime or Joint Venture in the last 12 months. The information will be verified and updated during the interviews with the most highly qualified firms. (h) Small Business (SB) and Small Disadvantage Business (SDB) Participation. Extent of small business participation will be measured as a percentage of the total anticipated contract effort as determined by the Government, 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. 4. 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 50 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 DUNS number in block 11 of paragraph C of Part I of the SF 330. Firms must provide their completed SF330's and signed copies of all Amendments (SF30) posted from this synopsis via Email, or on a CD/DVD or USB. Firms that submit on CD/DVD or USB are required to submit two (2) copies of the media used. (No paper submittals will be accepted). 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 also 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. Files shall not contain classified data. The use of hyperlinks in responses is prohibited. Submission packages may be mailed or hand delivered to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Wanamaker Building, Room 643 100 Penn Square East, Contracting Division ATTN Anastasia Moffatt, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3390 or emailed to contact@example.gov and contact@example.gov not later than 5:00 PM EST on May 2, 2022. Questions regarding this synopsis are to be emailed to contact@example.gov and contact@example.gov no later than 5PM EST on April 8, 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 +1 (555) 000-0000 (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.