AE Services to Support Cost Engineering
This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS and is NOT a solicitation announcement. The purpose of this Market Research and Sources Sought Notice is to gain knowledge of potential qualified Small Business, HUBZone, 8(a), Service Disabled Veteran Owned, and Women Owned Small Business firms. Responses to this Sources Sought Synopsis will be used by the government in making appropriate acquisition decisions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District, anticipates a future Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) procurement to acquire Architect-Engineer (AE) Services under individual task orders to provide Cost Engineering Services in support of Civil Works, Military, Defense Health Agency, and the Interagency & International Services CONUS and OCONUS Programs within Mobile District. Firms should anticipate requirements to perform services toughout the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee; with possible work in South or Central America and other locations as assigned to the Mobile District. Required services include cost engineering support for programming/conceptual phases tough final design, advertising, and post award project phases for a variety of programs within the Mobile District. The selected firm must have, either in-house or tough consultants, the following Cost Engineering and/or Estimating Specialist disciplines, with professional registration required where applicable: (1) Architectural; (2) Structural; (3) Civil; (4) Mechanical; (5) Electrical; (6) Value Engineering; (7) Scheduler. The selected firms must have experience delivering AE Cost Engineering Services to include but not limited to: value engineering; development of Independent Government Estimates for a variety of procurements including AE contracts, supply and service contracts, and construction contracts; development cost estimates for all stages of the project from planning to construction; determining and applying contingencies to properly weigh the uncertainties associated with each major construction cost item or feature in coordination with input with other members of the project development team and analyze the applications thereof given various acquisition strategies attending project internal quality control/assurance and review meetings in support of project cost estimates; receiving, interpreting, disseminating, and implementing cost engineering guidance, direction, and correspondence from higher authorities; conducting field reviews of district commands’ execution of cost quality management and recommend necessary corrective actions when warranted; certification for project cost estimates and cost changes and providing technical and analytical support on project costs as required; reviewing bid results and possible bid mistakes, evaluating and making recommendations on district actions for bid mistakes; providing technical assistance on cost engineering issues including incorporating and disseminating historical cost data; providing technical support on development, upgrade, maintenance, and implementation of Microcomputer Aided Cost Estimating System; developing scope as pertaining to cost engineering products associated with project execution including construction cost estimates, construction schedules, and the development of the total project cost and schedule risk analysis; performing cost quality management by providing quality cost resources for the preparation of accurate and complete cost engineering products, including estimates, schedules, and risk analyses; supporting all project phases of civil works including the reconnaissance phase, feasibility phase, preconstruction engineering and design phase, construction phase, and operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and rehabilitation phase; providing completed total project costs, total project cost summaries, baseline cost estimates, baseline project schedules, independent government estimates, and total cost management in support of the Civil Works Program; complying with environmental laws, and other AE service related work supporting Cost Engineering. Sources are being sought for firms with a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code of 541330 with a Small Business Size Standard of $16,500,000 average annual receipts over tee years. Responses are requested with the following information: 1. Offeror’s name, address, points of contact with telephone numbers and email addresses. 2. Business size/classification to include any designations as Small Business, HUBZone, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, Woman Owned or 8(a) shall be indicated on first page of submission. 3. Description of firm's capability to provide the AE planning and engineering services with necessary personnel; capability to manage the disciplines; and capacity to execute at least 3 task orders under this IDIQ simultaneously. 4. Past performance/experience on IDIQ contracts of similar scope, describing no more than five (5) projects that are at 100% complete within the past five years of the issue date of this Notice. The past performance information should include project title, location, general description of the AE Services to demonstrate relevance to Cost Engineering, the Offeror’s role, dollar value of contract, and name of the company, agency or government entity for which the work was performed with contact information (reference name, phone number and e-mail address). Include a quantifiable amount (percentage) of the project your company contributed to the overall scope of work. Prime Contractor experience is required. NO RESPONSES WILL BE ACCEPTED BY FAX OR MAIL. ALL RESPONSES MUST BE EMAILED to: rosemary.c.hall@usace.army.mil. Submittals are due no later than 15 February 2021. Submittals will not be returned. Telephonic responses will not be honored. This is not a Request for Proposal, only a Request for Information. No award will result from this Sources Sought. This notice does not constitute any commitment by the Government. Limit response to eight (8) pages or less. Note 1: This is not a Request for Proposal, only a Request for Information. No award will result from this Sources Sought. Note 2: This sources sought synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited. Note 3: Large Businesses need not respond. Note 4: All advertisements of Mobile District projects will be tough the beta.SAM.gov. Detailed information on this and other Mobile District projects are available on the internet at beta.SAM.gov. W9127821L0011 Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Engineering District Mobile
1/29/21, 2:11 PM AE Services to Support Cost Engineering
CONTRACT INFORMATION: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, SAD, Mobile District requires AE Services for Cost Engineering. Services are to be provided under a Multiple Award Task Order a Contract (MATOC). This procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Architect and Engineer Selection Procedures (formerly referred to as the Brooks Act). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this action is 541330. It is open to all Small Business (SB) AE firms. The Government intends to award a minimum of tee (3) SB awards. The total capacity of all awards will be $9,999,999 Shared Capacity for a term not to exceed five (5) years. The Government reserves the right to select more than tee awards based on how many SB firms are considered most highly qualified. Work under this contract will be subject to satisfactory negotiation of individual firm fixed price task orders. Rates will be negotiated for each 12-month period of the contract. All interested AE firms are cautioned to review the restrictions of FAR Part 9.5 (Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest). Awardees must also comply with FAR Clause 52.204-25 (Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment) and FAR Provision 52.204-24 (Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment). PROJECT INFORMATION: This procurement is seeking AE services as defined in 40 U.S.C. 1101 and FAR 2.101 to support Cost Engineering. The services are intended to provide a full range of comprehensive support for Cost Engineering support for programming/conceptual phases tough final design, advertising and post award project phases for a variety of programs in support of Civil Works, Military, Defense Health Agency, and the Interagency & International Services CONUS and OCONUS Programs within Mobile District. Firms should anticipate requirements to perform services toughout the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee; with possible work in South or Central America and other locations as assigned to the Mobile District. AE firms are required to provide services such as (but not limited to): value engineering; development of Independent Government Estimates (IGE) for a variety of procurements including AE contracts, supply and service contracts, and construction contracts; development cost estimates for all stages of the project from planning to construction; determining and applying contingencies to properly weigh the uncertainties associated with each major construction cost item or feature in coordination with input with other members of the project development team and analyze the applications thereof given various acquisition strategies attending project internal quality control/assurance and review meetings in support of project cost estimates; receiving, interpreting, disseminating, and implementing cost engineering guidance, direction, and correspondence from higher authorities; conducting field reviews of district commands’ execution of cost quality management and recommend necessary corrective actions when warranted; certification for project cost estimates and cost changes and providing technical and analytical support on project costs as required; reviewing bid results and possible bid mistakes, evaluating and making recommendations on district actions for bid mistakes; providing technical assistance on cost engineering issues including incorporating and disseminating historical cost data; providing technical support on development, upgrade, maintenance, and implementation of Microcomputer Aided Cost Estimating System (MCACES), MII latest version; developing scope as pertaining to cost engineering products associated with project execution including construction cost estimates, construction schedules, and the development of the total project cost and schedule risk analysis; performing cost quality management by providing quality cost resources for the preparation of accurate and complete cost engineering products, including estimates, schedules, and risk analyses; supporting all project phases of civil works including the reconnaissance phase, feasibility phase, preconstruction engineering and design (PED) phase, construction phase, and operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, and rehabilitation phase; providing completed total project costs, total project cost summaries, baseline cost estimates, baseline project schedules, IGE, and total cost management in support of the Civil Works Program; complying with environmental laws, and other AE service related work supporting Cost Engineering; and Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Technical Assistance and Technical Review of engineering products. SELECTION CRITERIA: The source selection factors for this procurement are listed below in descending order of importance. Factors 1 tough 6 are primary. Factor 7 is secondary and will only be used as a tie-breaker among technically equal firms. Primary factors will be assigned a rating from “outstanding” to “unsatisfactory”, based on the risk to the Government that the Offeror will successfully perform that evaluated factor. An overall rating will also be applied to the proposal submission using the same rating scale. Proposals failing to respond or provide complete information for each factor, as required by this solicitation, will be determined non-compliant and will be removed from further consideration. After all ratings have been assigned, Offerors will be ranked as “Most Highly Qualified,” “Highly Qualified,” and “Not Qualified” in accordance with EP 715-1-7 Architect-Engineer Contracting In USACE. For purposes of this solicitation, a stand-alone contract (such as a “C” or “P”-type contract) or single task order under an Indefinite Delivery Contract is considered one project. Separating activities performed under a contract or task order will not be considered multiple projects; conversely, combining activities performed under separate contracts or task orders to produce a single project will not be considered. Projects in which the AE Service is not 100% complete will not be evaluated. Factor 1. Professional Qualifications (SF330, Part I, Section E) Part A – Resumes of Key Personnel (Section E, Blocks 12 – 18): Offerors must have, either in-house or tough consultants or subcontractors, the disciplines listed below. To demonstrate qualifications, resumes for persons filling these disciplines are to be provided in Section E. Each resume shall not exceed one page in length. All Professional Registrations, Licensures and/or Certifications must state certification numbers and expiration dates (as applicable). Specialist disciplines shall have a degree certifications as indicated/required below and training in the area of specialization. In Block 13, the role listed must use the exact same discipline nomenclature as listed below. If an individual will serve in more than one role, then all disciplines shall be clearly indicated in Block 13. The SF330 may be modified in order to meet the Submission Requirements (font size); however, the content of Section E is not to be altered (removal or deletion of required Blocks) and all items within Section E shall be answered completely. Additionally, all Key Personnel must be shown on the organizational chart in Section D. The following Cost Engineering or Cost Estimating Specialist disciplines are required: (1) Architect – Certified CCP or CEP or equivalent tough organizations such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA; provide licensure/certification number and date (2) Civil Engineer - Certified CCP or CEP or equivalent tough organizations such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA; provide licensure/certification number and date (3) Mechanical Engineer - Certified CCP or CEP or equivalent tough organizations such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA; provide licensure/certification number and date (4) Electrical Engineer - Certified CCP or CEP or equivalent tough organizations such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA; provide licensure/certification number and date (5) Structural Engineer - Certified CCP or CEP or equivalent tough organizations such as AACE, ICEC, PCEA; provide licensure/certification number and date (6) Value Engineer – Certified Value Specialist tough SAVE International; provide licensure/certification number and date (7) Scheduler Part B – Relevant Projects (Section E, Block 19): All Key Personnel are required to have a minimum of five (5) years of project experience in their discipline demonstrated by projects with scope, magnitude, and complexity comparable to this solicitation. The definition of a project is as noted in ‘Project Information’ and ‘Selection Criteria’ above. Relevant projects are those that reflect experience performing the respective discipline. Relevant Project information should be brief and highlight specific roles and tasks performed by the Key Personnel, Project Type, Scope, and Costs. No more than five projects should be listed for each resume, and each project listed must have been completed within five (5) years of publication of this solicitation announcement. (Note: The projects provided for this factor may also be used to address Factor 2.) The evaluation of Factor 1 will take into consideration the education and current registration, licensure or certification(s), as applicable, of each person named for each discipline and that person’s longevity with the firm named in Block 15. It will also take into consideration the person’s relevant project experience provided in Block 19. More weight will be given to experience with Cost Engineering projects involving multi-discipline efforts that are of scope, magnitude, and complexity similar to that described above in the paragraph titled Project Information. This factor may be assessed Strengths or Weaknesses, as appropriate. Only the Key Personnel disciplines requested in this solicitation will be evaluated. The basis of evaluation for Factor 1 will be information submitted in Part I, Sections E and G. Factor 2. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence (Projects) (SF330, Part I, Section F) For Factor 2, Offerors are to demonstrate specialized experience and technical competence which meets the definition of AE Services as defined in 40 U.S.C. 1101 and FAR 2.101. In Section F Offerors are to submit up to ten (10) projects that best illustrate the proposed team’s qualifications for award of a contract. (Note: The projects provided for Factor 1 may also be used to address this factor, however, not by reference only.) The definition of a project is as noted in ‘Project Information’ and ‘Selection Criteria’ above. For each project use only one page and note the contract or task order number, as applicable. The SF330 may be modified in order to meet the Submission Requirements (font size); however, the content of Section F is not to be altered (removal or deletion of required Blocks) and all items within Section F shall be answered completely. All projects must have been completed within five (5) years of publication of this solicitation announcement (see Block 22). At least six (6) of the projects presented must show that the Offeror (the firm submitting the SF330 as the prime contractor), whether as a prime contractor or subcontractor, performed the majority (>50%) of the work on the project. To demonstrate such performance, Offerors are to state the percentage of work they performed. If a proposed subcontractor also worked on the project, state the percentage of work it performed. If an Offeror submits more than six (6) projects, those projects must reflect performance of work by the Offeror, or one or more of its proposed subcontractors. For each such project state the percentage of work performed by the Offeror, and/or the percentage of work performed by each proposed subcontractor. Clearly identify the Project Number (as indicated above), Type and the Offeror’s role on the project. In Block 24, “cost” is the total value of the project, not simply the value of the work performed by the Offeror and/or any proposed subcontractor. The Government reserves the right to review any official performance evaluation system of records to inform its source selection decision. When completing Section G, in Block 26, along with the name of key personnel, include the firm with whom the person is or was associated at the time the project was performed. Those firms submitting as Joint Ventures (JV) must follow the same procedures as any other Offeror with the following exception. If the JV (the Offeror) cannot provide at least six (6) projects that demonstrate performance by the JV of 50% or more of a project, as either a prime contractor or subcontractor, the JV may provide projects performed by any partner of the offering JV that reflect performance of 50% or more of a project, as either a prime contractor or subcontractor. JV Offerors are not required to submit projects of both partners but more consideration may be given for projects that were performed as a JV. Of the projects submitted as prescribed above, relevant projects are those that reflect the specialized experience and technical competence of the Offeror and/or proposed subcontractor(s), as prime contractors or subcontractors, performing services similar to those described above in the paragraph titled Project Information. More weight will be given to experience with Cost Engineering projects involving multi-discipline efforts that are of scope, magnitude, and complexity similar to that described above in the paragraph titled Project Information. This factor may be assessed Strengths or Weaknesses, as appropriate. The basis of evaluation for Factor 2 will be information submitted in Part I, Sections F and G. Factor 3. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence (Technical Capabilities) (SF330, Part I, Section H) In Part I, Section H, the Offeror must provide a proposed plan demonstrating its technical capabilities and team’s breadth of knowledge and experience with Cost Engineering. The narrative should describe the quality management procedures; subcontractor management; prior experience of the prime firm and any significant consultant; preparing cost estimates using MII and PACES; preparing programing/conceptual, parametric, final design, and change order estimates; scheduling with specialized experience and technical competence in preparing construction schedules for both horizontal and vertical construction projects that result in a construction duration that can be used in bidding a project; and preparation of Value Engineering Studies in accordance with SAVE International guidelines. This factor may be assessed Strengths or Weaknesses, as appropriate. Factor 4. Past Performance (SF330, Part I, Section H) Offerors shall demonstrate in narrative (or other format) a history of customer satisfaction with the Offeror's quality of work, cost control and scheduling. Past Performance history is not to be limited to information presented in Factor 2. Past performance can be substantiated by presentation of CPARS or PPQ ratings, or customer ratings from other project evaluation systems. Customer excerpts or quotes from prior evaluations for the purposes of substantiating the narrative are not desired. The narrative should describe the corporate approach for maintaining success with customer satisfaction with the Offeror's quality of work, cost control and scheduling. This factor may be assessed Strengths or Weaknesses, as appropriate, with more weight given to successful performance ratings in these tee areas on Department of Defense contracts. Factor 5. Capacity to Accomplish the Work (SF330, Part I, Section H) All SB Offerors are to clearly demonstrate the capacity to accomplish at least tee (3) $25,000 task orders simultaneously. This factor may be assessed Strengths or Weaknesses, as appropriate. Factor 6. Knowledge of Locality (SF330, Part I, Section H) Offerors are to clearly demonstrate their knowledge of the locality of AE services for Cost Engineering for the Mobile District. The narrative should describe the any known features that are unusual of unique specific to Cost Engineering. More consideration will be given to narratives demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the differing programs and challenges therein requiring cost engineering support. This factor may be assessed Strengths or Weaknesses, as appropriate. Factor 7. SB and SDB Participation (SF330, Part I, Section H) Offerors shall provide the extent of participation of small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, historically black colleges and universities, and minority institutions. The participation is to be measures as a percentage of the total anticipated contract effort, regardless of whether the small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, historically black colleges and universities, or minority institutions are the prime contractor, subcontractor, or joint venture partner; the greater the participation, the greater the consideration. This factor is not to be confused with a formal subcontracting plan. This factor is a secondary criterion and will only be evaluated as a tie-breaker among technically equal firms. Interviews. As required by acquisition regulations, interviews for the purpose of discussing prospective contractor qualifications will be conducted by the AE Evaluation Board (Selection Board). Interviews will be held with those offerors deemed by the Board to be qualified for award. Interviews will be conducted by telephone and will most likely occur the same week that the Selection Board convenes. Phone calls and personal visits for the purpose of discussing this solicitation are not allowed. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Interested AE firms or joint ventures (JVs) with the capabilities to perform this work are invited to submit one (1) complete PDF of their SF330 (Architect-Engineer Qualifications) proposal. Offerors must submit the electronic proposal package to the USACE via DoD SAFE (https://safe.apps.mil/). Emailed submissions of proposals are not permitted and will not be accepted under any circumstances. DoD SAFE provides a time stamped notification to the Government when a file is uploaded. The Government must receive your proposal no later than the time and date as specified in this solicitation. The DoD SAFE system notification must show the proposal “Drop-Off” or submission was prior to the specified time. DoD SAFE requires a unique “Request for Drop-Off” code in order to upload proposal files. Offerors must submit their requests for a “Request for Drop-Off” code no later than midnight CST the day prior to the proposal submission date. Requests received the day proposals are due will not be honored or fulfilled. The Government will begin to issue the “Request for Drop-Off” codes the day before submittals are due in order for Offerors to upload proposal files. All DoD SAFE requests and submission exchanges shall be sent to each of the following recipients: Ms. Cheryl Ayler at Cheryl.L.Ayler@usace.army.mil and Ms. Courtney Perry at Courtney.L.Perry@usace.army.mil. The current edition of the SF330 must be used, and may be obtained from the Government Printing Office or from the following web site: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116486. PDFs shall be compatible with Adobe Acrobat XI or an earlier version. Proposals submitted in a format other than as described above will not be accepted. All Offerors responding to this solicitation MUST identify on the front cover of the SF330 their company name and solicitation number. Firms submitting proposal responses must upload all files at one time to DoD SAFE as the ‘Request for Drop-Off’ grants only a single use for upload(s). All Offerors, to include JVs, submitting proposals shall obtain a DUNS number. Include the DUNS number in Part I, Section B, Block 5 next to the name of the firm. Additionally, all Offerors, to include JVs, must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). For instructions on registering with the SAM, go to https://www.sam.gov/SAM. JVs are to include a fully executed JV Agreement with their proposal at Part II. JVs submitting as 8(a) are to include a JV Agreement that has been reviewed by their respective SBA District. All fonts shall be at least 12 or larger in Arial (not Arial Narrow) to include text, tables, and figures. Pages shall be 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches. The Organizational Chart required in Part I, Section D and the Matrix required by Part I, Section G may be presented on a sheet up to 11 inches by 17 inches, each counting as one page respectively. Do not use multi-column formatting. The SF330 is to be organized as indicated below. Part I of the SF330 shall not exceed 40 pages, including cover sheets, cover letters, separators, and blank sheets, and shall be organized as follows: SF330, Part I, Sections A, B, C and D. SF330, Part I, Section E. SF330, Part I, Section F. SF330, Part I, Section G. SF330, Part I, Sections H and I. Part II of the SF330 shall not exceed 30 pages, including cover sheets, cover letters, separators, and blank sheets. A Part II is required for each branch office of the Offeror and any subcontractor that will perform a key role under the contract. Part II shall be organized as follows: SF330, Part II SF330, Part II, Offeror and Subcontractor Information and Joint Venture Agreement (as applicable) (This document does not count against the page limitation for Part II). OFFERS MUST BE RECEIVED AT THE ADDRESS INDICATED ABOVE NO LATER THAN NOON CENTRAL TIME ON 25 AUGUST 2021. The Agency will not accept any offers received after this time and date. The Selection Board is tentatively scheduled to commence in September 2021. ALL QUESTIONS SHALL BE SUBMITTED VIA THE BIDDER INQUIRY PORTAL IN PROJNET at http://www.projnet.org/projnet. No other means of communication (e-mail, fax, or telephone) will be accepted. Questions should be submitted no later than 10 August 2021, NOON Central Time to allow time for a response. On this date and time, the portal will be closed. To submit and review inquiries, firms will need to be current registered users of the ProjNet system. To register, go to the link above, click the BID tab, select BIDDER INQUIRY, select USACE, enter the Bidder Inquiry Key for this solicitation as listed below, and your e-mail address, and then click login. Complete all required information and then click CREATE USER. Verify that information on the next screen is correct and click CONTINUE. From this page you can view all bidder inquiries for this solicitation or add an inquiry. Offerors or Bidders will receive an acknowledgement of their question via e-mail, followed by a response to their question after it has been processed by our team. The Solicitation Number is: W9127821R0029. The Bidder Inquiry Key is: J9DZQP-9X53HQ. Firms are requested to review the Bidder Inquiry Portal for previous questions and responses, prior to submission of a new inquiry on the Portal. CAUTION: Any inquiry submitted and answered within this system will be accessible to view by ALL FIRMS interested in this solicitation. The call center for the ProjNet operates weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM U.S. Central Time Zone. The telephone number is 1-800-428-HELP. W9127821R0029 Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Engineering District Mobile
7/12/21, 2:08 PM