BEN-Draft_CRP_haying_EIS_SOW.doc

Procurement Request for Professional Services On the Prepartion of a Programmatic Envrionmental Impact Statement For the Conservation Reserve Program For the Farm Service Agency

DATE :12/6/2017

Statement of Work (SOW), Performance Requirements Standards (PRS) are attached.

Grand Total

If you have any questions please contact Douglas Joyner at (202) 772-9074; e-mail: Douglas.Joyner@wdc.usda.gov;

STATEMENT OF WORK

DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATION / WORK STATEMENT

Conservation Reserve Program Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

1. INTRODUCTION

The Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, authorized the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The program is governed by regulations published in 7 CFR, part 1410. The program is implemented by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).

Summary CRP is the largest voluntary conservation program operated by the Federal government and has implemented conservation practices on over 36 million acres of private land. CRP has evolved from its early roots as primarily an erosion control initiative to an environmental program that addresses diverse local and national natural resource priorities. The program offers participants annual rental payments for 10 to 15 years and cost share assistance to eligible producers who establish long-term, resource-conserving covers on eligible land to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat. FSA bases rental rates on the relative productivity of the soils within each county and the average cash rent or cash rent equivalent.

FSA has detrermined that a Programmattic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for CRP must be prepared to address program changes regarding haying and management/maintenance.

This EIS will primarily examine the following:

· Definition of Haying

· The different usages of haying within CRP parameters

· Differences of Management vs Maintenance and how these relate to practices authorized under CRP

· The meaning of “Commercial Use” in CRP

· How and when emergency hayng is used in CRP

2. OBJECTIVE

The Agency seeks the services of an experienced contractor to coordinate all relevant environmental planning, studies, and documentation services, including public involvement and coordination support, for the preparation of a Nationwide Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for CRP.

FSA recognizes that programmatic NEPA documents can be substantial in size; however, the analysis should not be more excessive than necessary to inform the decision makers of the environemtnal impacts.

3. ATTACHMENTS

3.1. Performance Requirements Standards (Attachment I)

3.2 Federal Requirements

All environmental analysis and documentation will identify and evaluate all relevant impacts, conditions, and issues associated with the proposed action, and available alternatives in accordance with, but not limited to the following:

· National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347

· Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508

· FSA’s environmental regulations at 7 CFR Part 799, Environmental Quality and Related Environmental Concerns – Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act

· FSA’s handbook for the Conservation Reserve Program, 2-CRP, Agricultural Resource Conservation Program

· FSA’s handbook for environmental compliance, 1-EQ, Environmental Quality Programs

· Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 136; 16 U.S.C. 460 et seq.

· National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, 80 STAT.915; 16 U.S.C. 470 & 36 CFR 800

4. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: Contractor is ultimately responsible for supplying all necessary labor, materials, expertise etc. to successfully complete all relevant Federal and State statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to complete the PEIS. Any and all software, data, and other materials acquired during this project are the property of FSA and shall be turned over to FSA at the close of this project. Specific requirements of this task order are outlined in the following sections.

4.1. Kick-off Meeting: Organize, coordinate, and sponsor a one to two-day kick-off meeting in Washington DC within 10 business days after contract award. Meeting participants shall include the COR, CRP Program Manager, key FSA staff, contractor and their appropriate consultants or sub-contractors, and any applicable staff from identified cooperating agencies. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss or conduct:

4.1.1. Contractual obligations, procedural issues and schedule;

4.1.2. The proposed action discussing all previous studies and available data;

4.1.3. Data needs and regulatory requirements for the PEIS, specifically related to the information discussed in #2 of the SOW; and

4.1.4. Any issues not expressly understood related to the EIS process.

4.2. Pre-PEIS Reports Review: The contractor shall evaluate all relevant available data to determine potential data needs and gaps. The contractor shall prepare and submit report evaluations and analyses to the Contracting Officer’s technical Representative (COR) for review, comment and concurrence within 15-25 business days after contract award. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-15 business days. Within 10-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed with FSA, the contractor shall revise the report and submit a final electronic version of the report to the COR.

4.3. Administrative Records Plan: Contractor is responsible for the Development and implementation of a single web-based system, which utilizes Microsoft Access or Sharepoint or poses a similar functionality, that lists and documents all information, reports, correspondence, and any other information related to the development of the PEIS that shall become part of the Administrative Record. The system must adhere to USDA’s Common Computing Environemnt (CCE) standards to ensure future integration and operability for the Agency. The system shall include all pertinent information and be designed to enable the contractor and the Agency to efficiently locate and reference all information. Upon completion of this contract, provide the electronic database file or similar file and all original project materials to FSA. Within 15-25 business days after contract award, prepare and submit the plan to the COR for review. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 5-15 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the plan and submit a final electronic version of the plan to the COR.

4.4. PEIS Plans and Reports

4.4.1. Web-based Work Implementation Plan: Develop or implement and maintain throughout the entire length of the contract a Web-base Work Implementation Plan (WWIP) with functionality similar to Microsoft Project or Sharepoint.

· The WWIP shall be updated weekly and must include, but not be limited to, the following: schedule of specific milestones, costs related to each of the tasks, critical path flow chart that clearly shows the start and end date of all activities, a narrative description of major tasks required by the Statement of Work (SOW), the responsible parties for each task, and the individual steps required for completion of each task.

· The system must adhere to USDA’s CCE standards and should allow for secure access via the internet. Within 20-30 business days after contract award, prepare and submit the plan to the COR for review. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-15 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the plan and submit a final electronic version of the plan to the COR.

4.4.2. PEIS Study and Data Plan: Following up on the review performed in Section 4.2, identify specific studies including environmental baseline data needs that the scoping process has determined to be relevant for the PEIS. This plan shall serve as a working compendium of data needs thus far identified and specific studies determined necessary to successfully complete the objective of this contract. As outstanding impact questions are answered, subsequent data gathering requirements may be revised according to the following criteria:

4.4.2.1. In the event that early data gathering efforts concerning certain direct impacts reveal that those impacts will not occur, or will not occur to any meaningful extent, with COR concurrence, it may be possible to forego gathering and analyzing data concerning indirect impacts that would have arisen from the direct impacts.

4.4.2.2. In the event that early data gathering efforts reveal previously unidentified or unexpected potentials for impacts, additional data and analyses concerning these impacts may be necessary. All additional analyses must be concurred with by the COR in writing.

4.4.2.3. Throughout the course of this dynamic study effort, the focus of the data gathering effort shall be to obtain no more and no less than the information needed to answer the impact questions identified during the scoping process or as other issues arise. This effort shall involve sufficient research to provide reasonable factual bases for the subsequent impact analyses. However, this effort shall not involve research or data acquisition merely for the sake of compiling encyclopedic volumes of data that are not germane to impact analyses related to the objective of this contract.

4.4.2.4. The information shall be obtained as far as feasible, from various sources identified during scoping. These sources shall include other agencies involved in any component of the proposed action, State and local agencies and organizations, information provided by FSA making maximum use of pre-existing and institutional documentation wherever feasible. See Section 6 for the information already completed by/for FSA.

4.4.2.5. Prepare and submit the initial plan to the COR for review within 30-45 business days after contract award. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-15 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the plan and submit a final electronic version of the plan to the COR. As mentioned above, this plan shall be a working document. If studies or data needs change or require modifications after the plan has been finalized, revise plan components as necessary and submit to the COR for review, comment, and concurrence or as a minimum with Monthly Status Reports.

4.4.3. Impact/Significance Identification and Analysis Plan: Analyze gathered or available information to make predictions as to the potential impacts or effects of the proposed action. These predictions shall be based on calculations, extrapolations, models, precedent, logical inference and other reasonable, accepted, and systematic methodologies as may be appropriate. To the extent that adverse impacts are predicted, the contractor will confer with the COR to identify feasible alternative actions or mitigation measures that would lessen those impacts. The potential impacts of the mitigation measures will then also be analyzed. The contractor will analyze (at a minimum three and a maximum six) alternatives, including a “No Action” alternative.

4.4.3.1 Impact Identification: Diagram, graphically, the investigation of potential impacts of this project and the results of those investigations. The analytical process and graphic portrayal of the potential impacts shall be used to eliminate or expand alternatives, and it shall generally be accomplished by the following process:

4.4.3.2. Identify the specific activities, tasks, and subtasks involved in the proposed action and alternatives evaluated. For each specific activity, task, and subtask, the analyses shall determine the full range of effects (direct, indirect, and cumulative) that each could have on any environmental resource.

4.4.3.3. For each potential direct effect, identify which further effects could be caused by the direct effects. This inquiry can identify multi-stepped chains of potential causes-and-effects.

4.4.3.4. Starting at the beginning of each chain of causes-and-effects, work through a series of questions for each potential effect: Would this effect actually occur from this project? If not, why not? What would preclude it from happening? If the effect cannot be ruled out, characterize which types of data, other information, and analyses are needed to determine the parameters of the effect, including its extent, duration, and intensity. Identify the sources from which the data are to be obtained.

4.4.3.5. Impact Significance: Determine the factors that influence the significance of the types of impacts relative to each issue. Factors may include, but not be limited to: magnitude, duration or frequency, extent, likelihood of the impact occurring and intensity of the proposed impact.

4.4.3.6. Identify the method(s) by which impacts would be identified and measured. Define levels of significance. Use numerical standards whenever possible. Use comparisons, if necessary or percent increases or decreases over baseline conditions. Do not use terms such as minimal, moderate, normal, severe, etc. unless they can be clearly defined and understood by the public.

4.4.3.7. Prepare and submit the report to the COR for review within 45-60 business days after contract award. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-15 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the report and submit a final electronic version of the report to the COR. If changes are necessary after the report is finalized, submit the changes to the COR for review as the information is developed or as a minimum with Monthly Status Reports.

4.5. Public Involvement Plan: Develop a public involvement plan that outlines the individuals, agencies, and organizations that need to be consulted and involved in any and all public involvement activities related to this contract, including distribution of deliverables. This plan shall be linked and visable through the WWIP. The plan shall maintain an on-going list of individuals and point-of-contact information for all appropriate and relevant Federal and State agencies, Tribes, newspapers, and repositories. Prepare and submit the plan for review to the COR within 40-60 business days after contract award. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 5-15 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the plan and submit a final electronic version of the plan to the COR.

4.6. PEIS Outline: Prior to the development of the PEIS’s narrative text, prepare and submit a proposed PEIS outline to the COR for review within 40-60 business days after contract award. This outline shall identify the resource areas and impact issues to be covered and the proposed document organization and format. It is recommended that those resources eliminated from further analysis be included in this document with the draft justification.

Upon receipt of Agency comments on this outline, revise eache outline as needed, for use in the Preliminary Draft PEIS. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-20 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the outline and submit a final electronic version of the outline to the COR.

4.7. Preliminary Draft PEIS:

4.7.1. Upon completion of all appropriate analyses, compile, prepare and submit the Preliminary Draft PEIS to the COR for review within 140-160 business days after contract award. This document shall utilize the approved outline; include appropriate color maps, relevant reports and studies and a comparative presentation of the impacts with sufficient information on the existing conditions so as to provide the decision-maker and reader with a relevant context for understanding potential impacts and their importance. As appropriate, the document will also address any proposed mitigation measures to avoid or minimize any adverse environmental effects.

The discussion of impacts shall include a traceable, defensible rationale for each conclusion. The entire report shall be written in plain English and will be organized and presented in a user-friendly format that will facilitate reading by an interested, but not necessarily environmentally expert, audience.

4.7.2. At the request of the COR, distribute the appropriate number of hard (up to 30 copies) or electronic copies of the complete Preliminary Draft PEIS to governmental agencies and entities chosen by the COR to review the document. Optionally, instead of electronic distribution, the contractor may link the Preliminary Draft PEISA to the WWIP for secure download and electronic comment.

4.7.3. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 30-45 business days. Meet with the Agency to discuss reviewer comments on the Preliminary Draft PEIS. At the COR’s discretion the meeting may be held by teleconference. Within 10-20 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the document and provide electronic revisions to the COR for written approval prior to finalizing the Draft PEIS.

4.8. Draft PEIS:

4.8.1. Within 5 business days after COR approval of the Preliminary Draft PEIS, prepare and submit to the COR for review a draft public Notice of Availability (NOA) for publication in the local newspapers, FSA State Servcie Centers, local libraries and websites as appropriate. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 5-15 business days. The contractor shall submit and pay for the publication of the approved public notice in local newspapers, FSA State Servcie Centers, and local libraries identified in the Public Involvement Plan at a time approved by the COR.

4.8.2. Convert the Draft PEIS and all attachments and graphics into Adobe Acrobat’s portable document format (PDF) for posting on the Agency website (see Section 4.13). In addition, the document shall be compressed (zipped) to minimize file size and provided to the COR, so as to coincide with the publication and distribution of each Draft PEIS. Optionally, instead of electronic distribution to COR, the contractor may link each Draft PEIS to the WWIP for secure download and inter-agency distribution.

4.8.3. Within 10-15 business days after COR approval of each Draft PEIS, prepare and submit to the COR a single bound hard copy and thumb/micro USB drive containing the electronic files of each complete Draft PEIS including all graphics, maps, and appendices or attachments. Optionally, the contractor may post each Draft PEA to the WWIP for secure download and inter-agency distribution.

4.8.4. Simultaneously with Section 4.8.1 and as requested by the COR, distribute the appropriate number of hard (up to 30 hard copies) and electronic (up to 30 thumb/micro USB drives containing the electronic files of each complete Draft PEIS) copies to governmental agencies, organizations, interested citizens, and public repositories listed in the Public Involvement Plan.

4.9. Public Meeting Support/Materials:

4.9.1. The public review period for the Draft PEIS shall be a minimum of 30 consecutive days but be no more than 45 consecutive days. At the time of publication the Agency will decide as to the length of its public review period.

4.9.2. After the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes the receipt of the Draft PEIS in the Federal Register, the contractor will coordinate and organize all activities for public meetings to solicit public comments on the Draft PEIS. The public meetings sites, dates, times and informative materials shall be coordinated with the COR and FSA. For cost purposes the contractor should assume up to five (5) public meetings and three (3) Indian Tribal consultation meetings including the travel cost of up to four FSA National Office employees attending the meetings.

4.10. Preliminary Final PEIS:

4.10.1. Within 15-25 business days after the completion of the Draft PEIS public review period, compile, summarize and submit all public comments with the Agency’s proposed response to the COR for review in the form of a comment/response matrix.

4.10.2. FSA will provide review comments on the contractor’s comment/response matrix within 15-25 business days. Based on COR request, and if necessary, re-evaluate previous or perform additional analyses, prepare responses to comments received and revise theh PEIS accordingly.

4.10.3. Provide electronic copies of all proposed text revisions of the PEIS to the COR for approval prior to finalizing the PEIS. Optionally, instead of emailing, the contractor may post to the WWIP for secure download and review.

4.10.4. Within 20-30 business days of the receipt of COR comments, prepare and submit the Preliminary Final PEIS to the COR for review.

4.10.5. At the request of the COR, distribute the appropriate number of hard (up to 30 copies) or electronic copies. Also, post the Preliminary Final PEIS to the WWIP for secure download and review.

4.10.6. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 25-30 business days. Discuss substantive reviewer comments on the Preliminary Final PEIS with the Agency in a meeting or teleconference. After final comments are received and discussed and as requested by the COR, revise the document within 30-45 business days. Provide electronic text revisions to the COR for approval prior to finalizing the Final PEIS. Optionally, instead of emailing, the contractor may post to the WWIP for secure download and review prior to finalizing the Final PEIS.

4.11. Final PEIS:

4.11.1. Within 5-15 business days after COR approval of the Preliminary Final PEIS, prepare and submit to the COR for review a draft public notice for publication in local newspapers, FSA State Service Centers, and local libraries identified in the Public Involvement Plan at a time approved by the COR. FSA will provide review comments to the contractor within 5-15 business days. The contractor shall submit and pay for the publication of the approved public notice in local newspapers, FSA State Servcie Centers, and local libraries identified in the Public Involvement Plan at a time approved by the COR.

4.11.2. Convert the Final PEIS and all attachments and graphics into PDF format for posting on the Agency website (see Section 4.13). In addition, the document shall be compressed (zipped) to minimize file size and provided to the COR so as to coincide with the publication and distribution of the Final PEIS. Optionally, instead of electronic distribution to the COR, the contractor may link this to the WWIP for secure download and inter-agency distribution.

4.11.3. Within 10 business days after COR approval of the Final PEIS, prepare and submit to the COR a single bound hard-copy and an digital/electronic copy on a thumb/micro USB drives containing all electronic files containing including all graphics, maps, and appendices or attachments. Optionally, instead of CDs to COR, the contractor may post this to the WWIP for secure download and inter-agency distribution.

4.11.4. Simultaneously with Section 4.11.1 and as requested by the COR, distribute the appropriate number of hard (up to 30 hard copies) and electronic (up to 30 thumb/micro USB drives containing the electronic files of each complete Draft PEIS) copies to governmental agencies, organizations, interested citizens, and public repositories listed in the Public Involvement Plan.

4.11.5. Within 10-15 days after the completion of the Final PEIS’s public review period, compile, summarize and submit all public comments with the Agency’s proposed response to the COR for review in the form of a comment/response matrix.

4.11.6. Discuss reviewer comments with the Ageny in a teleconference or meeting, including potential responses, and whether additional analyses or data are necessary. The COR will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-15 business days.

4.12. Draft Record of Decision: Within 10-15 business days of the receipt of COR comments on the Final PEIS comment summary, re-evaluate previous or perform additional analyses as necessary, and prepare and submit a Record of Decision to the COR for review. The COR will provide review comments to the contractor within 10-15 business days. Within 5-15 business days after final comments are received and discussed, revise the document and submit a final electronic version of the document to the COR.

4.13. Monthly Status Reports: In addition to maintaining the WWIP each week, submit a monthly status report to the COR on the first business day of every month for the duration of this contract. The monthly status report should be consistent with the weekly web updates to the WWIP, but should go a step further and contain more detail. The status report shall track information included in the WWIP including, but not be limited to, details on progress made during the month, problems encountered or anticipated problems that may delay successful completion of tasks, deliverables and/or the entire project, as well as impacts to the scheduled deadlines, corrective actions taken with regard to the identified problem(s), planned activities for the succeeding month, the estimated completion dates of all significant milestones, tasks and/or deliverables as they relate to each other, expended vs. planned budget cost, and an updated schedule. A statement on the status of the tasks as they relate to the schedule, either confirming that a task is on schedule or explaining the nature and extent of the delay that will be required. Interim updated status reports may be required at the discretion of the COR.

4.14 Administrative Record: Prior to submittal of final invoice for payment, the contractor must submit a complete administrative record which shall include at minimum: all corresponsedence related to the project (but not including financial or contractual items), copies of all comments received, copies of all deliverables, copies of all data sources cited and used in reference section of document, and any other relevant material that could be used in a court of law to support and document the NEPA process for this project.

5. Data Submission Format:

5.1. All correspondence (written, printed and electronic) materials shall be in the English language. All printed materials, (i.e., letters, evaluations, plans, reports, etc.), shall be type written in accordance with GSA’s style guide and prepared with the latest version of Microsoft Word.

5.2. All documentation shall be converted to PDF formats using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat when posting on FSA’s website. Text and graphics shall be presented as readable, properly indexed and bookmarked documents. The documentation shall be prepared accordingly to be reasonably accessible over a dial-up internet connection and as an entire document accessible for high-speed internet connections. To the extent practicable, documents submitted for review by the COR or posted in the WWIP shall be transmitted electronically or on electronic media using Microsoft Word to utilize the “Track Changes’ function and eliminate duplicate work.

5.3. All Geographic Information System related graphics shall be prepared and submitted in appropriate Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) file formats including completed Federal Geographic Data Committee compliant metadata. Maps provided in each Draft and Final PEA shall be submitted in a *.mxd format. All data layers (coverages, shapefiles or personal geodatabases) shall be submitted in one folder including a portable document format version of each map’s final layout. If large maps are required they shall be constructed using ArcMap 9.0.

5.4. All documentation shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 794d to the extent practicable.

6. Agency Furnished Items:

6.1. Reports and other prepared information. All supporting technical and relevant data developed by FSA shall be provided to the contractor for inclusion in and support to this contact. The following reports, studies, and policy will be provided to contractor after contract award in electronic/digital format:

7. Data/Assistance: The COR shall make available to the Contractor all Agency specific data and assistance as necessary to accomplish the objectives and tasks identified in this contract. The COR shall attempt to make information available to the contractor within 5-15 business days upon e-mail request from the contractor.

8. Meetings: In addition to the kick-off meeting described in Section 4.1, and at the discretion of the COR, the contractor and sub-contractors may be requested to attend or participate in up to 10 additional meetings. Whenever feasible, meetings shall be held by teleconference or other similar methods. Contractor is responsible for the planning and coordinating of any and all meetings. The scope and nature of a contractor’s participation may involve, but not be limited to, coordination or resolution of outstanding issues, progress briefings, or discussion of process or procedutral questions.

9. Contractor Personnel: The contractor’s experience and knowledge base must be extensive and detailed enough to allow the contractor to thoroughly and accurately execute the requirements in this contract in an independent manner without significant assistance from the Agency. The contractor and its personnel (sub-contractors) must have the following:

9.1. Extensive levels of expertise and knowledge in the policies, theories, modeling, principles and practices of environmental impact analyses, particularly agricultural economics and wildlife issues; conservation best management practices; Federal environmental statutory and regulatory requirements; development of Nationwide Programmattic environemtnal impact analysis and public involvement related to the proposed action.

9.2. Possess and maintain technical and material knowledge as a subject matter expert on all matters related to this type of requirement.

9.3. Demonstrate to the fullest extent possible that its staff possesses prior experience and localized knowledge of all relevant activities to meet the objectives of this contract.

9.4. Provide the following interpersonal and analytical skills while performing services under this contract:

9.4.1. Communication Skills. Must possess excellent communication skills (both oral and written). During the course of this contract, must be able to effectively discuss various topics with program and senior management officials and diverse audiences and individuals in order to prepare written analyses, responses to comments and summarize findings, recommendations, etc.

9.4.2 Working Relationship. Must have the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the COR, FSA, senior management officials, program officials, employees and representatives of other offices within and outside the Federal Government. May be requested to attend and participate in meetings related to policy development affecting the project. During these meetings, verbal discussion and participation is anticipated and expected.

9.4.3. Customer Service. Must provide the Agency with customer service appropriate to accomplish the requirements of the contract. Be responsive to inquires from the COR and, at all times, demonstrate "Good Faith” efforts in meeting customer service elements.

9.4.4. Must be skilled in analysis, environmental impact modeling, use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), evaluation and problem solving to identify discuss and solve problems.

10. Key Personnel. Shall provide resumes or summary of qualifications, work experience, education, skills, etc., which emphasizes pertinent previous experience for all key personnel in each state who will be involved with any aspects of the contract. Shall provide an organizational chart that identifies the key personnel’s respective position within the hierarchy of this contract. Shall specify how long the company submitting the proposal has been in the business of providing services similar to those requested in this SOW and under what company name(s).

10.1. Shall designate a Project Manager (PM) with documented experience in projects of this scale, and additional staff as necessary and appropriate to perform all tasks of this contract. The PM must be able to show experience in preparing Federal Nationwide Programmattic EISs. The PM will serve as the contractor’s direct liaison with the COR.

10.1.1 Staffing for project must include at least: a PhD Agricultural Economist, Agronomist, Biomass Energy expert, Transportation expert, and Wildlife/Fisheries Biologist.

10.2. Staffing Levels: Assign and maintain the appropriate number of staff, to include: engineers, scientists, specialists, and support personnel at levels adequate and sufficient to provide the Agency with full compliance with the requirements of this contract during the entire period of performance of this contract. Staffing levels will not change during the course of the contract unless approved in writing by the COR.

10.3. Staff Substitution. When substitution of key personnel is required, written notification shall be submitted to the COR for review, comment and concurrence. The notification will include justification in sufficient detail to permit evalution of the substitution's impact on the performance of the contract. Qualifications of substitute personnel shall be equal to, or greater than, the qualifications of the personnel being substituted.

10.4. The COR, at their sole discretion, may require the Contractor to remove and replace key personnel.

11. Subcontractors. Shall provide information similar to that of key personnel described above that is adequate enough to evaluate the qualifications of all proposed subcontractors.

12. Travel. Public transportation will be reimbursed based upon a negotiated rate based upon market values. The contractor will also pay for the travel of up to four FSA National Office Personnel to attend up to eight public meetings. Mileage will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal designated mileage rate. Local travel (within a 50 mile radius of Contractor's or sub-contractor’s office) will not be reimbursed and should be included in the price of the contract. A General and Administrative Rate may be applied to the cost of travel.

13. Other Direct Costs (ODCs). ODCs may include faxing, postage, and other miscellaneous costs.

14. Invoice Requirements and Payment Process. Under the terms of the contract, the Contractor shall invoice monthly to the address provided in the contract. In addition to the information required by the Prompt Payment Act, the following information must be included on the invoice:

Order Number

Period of Performance

Date of Invoice

Detailed list of services provided

Travel receipts, in accordance with the FTR

POC for company with phone, fax, e-mail

Amount for services

Have an orginal signature (no photocopies, no faxes, no scanned and emailed) 15.

Period of Performance. The period of performance for this order is no more than 30 months after contract award .

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF BUSINESS PROPOSAL

(a) General Instructions:

Proposals submitted in response to this Request for Quote shall be furnished in the following format specified below.

1.

The proposal must include technical and price proposals to be considered. The proposals shall be submitted as separate electronic files.

2.

Submit a technical proposal, which must address the technical factors listed below. The technical proposal is limited to thirty (30) pages.

3.

Submit a price proposal, Factor 2, and past performance information, Factor 3, which includes the Standard Form 1449, Pricing Schedules (with supporting documentation), and Contractor's Supplemental Information, Attachment II.

4.

The Agency will evaluate proposals in accordance with the evaluation factors set forth in this Request for Quote.

(b) Delivery of proposals:

E-MAIL: XXXXXXXXX@wdc.usad.gov.

(c) Evaluation Factors: Technical, price and past performance are equal. Technical and past performance combined is more important than price. Award will be based on the best value to the Government. Award may be made without discussions.

Factor 1 - Technical.

A. Relevant Experience. The technical proposal shall clearly identify the Offeror's wishes to be considered for this requirement and provide evidence of experience in providing this service. Relevant experience shall be considered for work completed within the past five (5) years only. Relevant experience required:

(1) Describe the firm's experience, within the past five (5) years, in preparing environmental impact analyses and documentation (Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and any associated State statutes and regulations for Federal or State customers.

(2) Describe your firm's experience, within the past five (5) years, in Environmental Impact Statements in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and any associated State statutes and regulations for Federal Nationwide ‘Programmtic’ projects.

(3) Describe recent experience, within the past five (5) years, in preparing environmental review documents on projects that dealt with controversial large-scale wildife/fisheries issues, or controversial range issues. Clearly describe the controversy, the resources impacted, and the project results or implications.

(4) Describe the analytic process that your firm uses to identify all types of impacts that could arise directly or indirectly from one or more project components. In addition, describe how this identification process is used to prioritize and characterize relevant data and analytical needs.

(5) Describe how your firm establishes impact significance criteria and ratings for predicting the magnitude, duration, extent, likelihood, and any intensifying factors associated with potential impacts identified for each affected environmental resource area.

(6) Describe and list whether any of the environmental documents you have prepared were litigated and, if so, what was the outcome of the litigation. Provide a comprehensive list that shows the outcomes of all documents litigated.

(7) Describe your firm's direct experience with the Endangered Species Act and associated studies including but not limited to recent (past 5 years) Biological Assessments (BAs) and/or Biological Evaluations (BEs).

(8) Describe your firm's project experience with USDA and FSA.

B. Staffing – Describe current staff available along with planned staffing levels for the work specific to this task. Staffing plan should include number of staff, name of Project Manager and key personnel, percentage of time each will spend on the project and their qualifications including resumes and experience in similar projects and an organization chart. Staffing plan should also show any work to be subcontracted, the names and qualifications of subcontractors, and the percentage of the total contract to be subcontracted. Staffing plan should demonstrate contractor’s ability to execute the work within the constraints of the schedule. Current and anticipated future workloads need to be described to demonstrate availability of identified staff to ensure expeditious completion of each PEA.

Factor 2 - Price

The Government will evaluate price based on competitive pricing, among GSA vendors.

Complete the Pricing Schedule.

(a) Complete the Unit Price for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN).

(b) Submit a detailed breakdown of cost to support the price amount proposed. Data to include, but not limited to: labor category, unburdened labor rate, number of hours, material cost, general and administrative expenses, profit, travel, and any other related expense.

Factor 3 - Past Performance The Government will evaluate the quality of the offeror's past performance using as a minimum the following criteria:

(1) The firm's past experience and performance record (not sub-contractors), within the past five (5) years, relative to the delivery of specific environmental documents (e.g., Draft or Final Programmatic Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements) compared to schedules established in contracts.

(2) Any proposed sub-contractor’s experience and performance within the past five (5) years, relative to the delivery of specific environmental documents (e.g., Draft or Final Programmatic Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements) compared to schedules established in contracts.

(3) The offeror's record of conforming to the SOW and specifications and standards of good workmanship and adherence to schedule.

(4) Administrative and management aspects of performance.

(5) The offeror's control of costs, including costs incurred for changed work.

(6) The offeror's reputation of reasonable, cooperative and competitive practices and overall concern for the client.

(7) Any predecessor or related companies, if applicable.

The evaluation of past performance is a subjective assessment based on a consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances. The evaluation may consider information from any source(s) deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer. At a minimum, the offeror shall provide a minimum of two references that are using or have used services of the type proposed in this SOW. The references shall include the customer’s name, the location where the services were provided, contact person(s), customer’s telephone number, a complete description of the service type, and dates the services were provided. The references may include State or Federal government customers where the offeror, preferably within the last 5 years, has successfully completed PEAs or EISs with similar time constraints. These references may be contacted to verify offeror’s ability to perform the contract and whether the offeror has consistently demonstrated a commitment to customer satisfaction and timely delivery of quality goods and services at fair and reasonable prices. The Agency reserves the right to use any information or additional references deemed necessary to establish the ability of the offeror to perform the conditions of the contract. This is a matter of judgment. Negative references may be grounds for disqualification.

Offerors with no relevant performance history or for whom information on past performance is not available; the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance.

The offeror's response or lack thereof to the above information will be taken into consideration.

Performance Requirements Standards

Environmental Impact Statement

Time Data is free of spelling errors or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

15 business days after contract award.

100% of the document

No more than 10% of the report’s pages require revisions.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

$500 per business day exceeding standard.

Time

Revisions complete within 10 business days of receipt of Government comments.

4.2 - Administrative Records Plan

Quality

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

15 business days after contract award.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

20 business days after contract award.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

40 business days after contract award.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

45 business days after contract award.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

40 business days after contract award.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

50 business days after contract award.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

140 business days after contract award.

100% of the document.

No more than 10% of the document’s pages require revisions.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling errors or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

10 business days after COR approval of Preliminary Draft PEA.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

$500 per business day exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling errors or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

10 business days after completion of last Draft PEA’s public review meeting.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

$500 per business day exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

20 business days after receipt of COR final comments on public comments.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

$500 per business day exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analysis.

10 business days after COR approval of Preliminary Final PEA.

2 business days exceeding standard $100 per page exceeding standard.

$500 per business day exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling errors or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

10 business days after completion of Final PEA’s public review period.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page exceeding standard.

$500 per business day exceeding standard.

Time Data is free of spelling error or clerical defects.

Thoroughness and accuracy of data and analyses.

10 business days after receipt of COR final comments on public comments.

2 business days exceeding standard.

$100 per page…