Vendor_Questions_-_KBAO_ESA_NEPA_Answered_0001.pdf

KBAO ESA/ NEPA Support – Vendor Questions

Q1) On the first page after the cover (Page 4 of 43) at the top it says: The Bureau of Reclamation intends to award a Time & Material (T&M) Purchase Order for services represented in the Performance Work Statement. Question: Is that correct? This is a T&M and not a firm, fixed price (FFP).

A1) Correct, this will be a Time & Materials contract, NOT Firm-Fixed Price contract.

2) On the 2nd page (Page 5 of 43) the text references Attachment 1: Price Schedule - Attachment 1 has hours already filled in for labor categories. Are we to assume that the hours are fixed and we just need to provide the billing rate or are the hours adjustable? Is Attachment 1 with the hours and the rates the only item we submit for pricing?

A2) Correct, the Price Schedule includes our estimated labor hours for each labor category. You are to fill in your fully burdened labor rate and the cost per trip assuming a maximum of 3 people per trip. The Price Schedule is the document we will use to evaluate pricing; however, if there is additional documentation you feel would be beneficial, then please include that with your quote package.

Q3) Under Subtask 3.2.1, how many agency reviews are anticipated? How many public reviews of the proposed action are anticipated?

A3) The number of internal and external agency reviews will be dependent on various factors. However, it is anticipated that a minimum of three agency reviews would be necessary. It is unknown at this time whether a stakeholder review and comment period would be provided; however, up to one opportunity may be provided.

Q4) Under Subtask 3.2.2 and 3.2.3, how many agency reviews are anticipated?

A4) It is anticipated that a minimum of 3 agency reviews would be necessary.

Q5) Under Subtask 3.2.4 the task states "Develop an Environmental Assessment (EA) and associated Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and associated Record of Decision (ROD)"

There's a significant difference in the Level of Effort between an EA and an EIS. Do you have any idea which level of NEPA this is going to?

A5) Per the DOI Handbook of NEPA procedures (516 DM 1, Section 1.2(a)(5)(i)), because it is not reasonably foreseeable at this time that the proposed action or action alternatives would have significant effects on the quality of the human environment, or the significance of the reasonably foreseeable effects is unknown, Reclamation will begin by developing an EA to determine whether those effects are significant. If the initial analysis indicates that effects are significant, the effort will transition to development of an EIS.

Please also see A21 below.

Q6) Subtask 3.3.2 states

• Assist in the review and preparation of correspondence, communications plans, briefing papers, decision documents, policy and procedural guidance, meeting materials, talking points, ag endas, notes, presentations, prioritization strategies, progress reports, etc.

• Facilitate and lead or co-lead meetings, technical discussions, presentations, etc. with stakeholders, Tribes, and interagency-coordination teams on policy, consultation, and compliance development and processes in various settings with a variety of resource disci plines. Facilitation and logistical support may involve:

o Procurement and coordination of meeting venues and related facilities o Deliver briefings and oral presentations"

Question 1: Do you have any idea how much material will need to be reviewed?

A6.1) It may be necessary to review policy and procedural guidance related to Reclamation’s peer review process, and ESA, MSA, and NEPA implementing regulations.

At this time, extensive review of material is not anticipated.

Question 2: How many total meetings do you anticipate? Are these all virtual? Some?

A6.2) It is currently estimated that approximately 4-8 in-person agency/stakeholder meetings would be needed and would be held in southern Oregon (i.e., Klamath Falls, Medford, Ashland). Any necessary in-person coordination/working group meetings needed with Reclamation would be held in Klamath Falls at the Klamath Basin Area Office. It is anticipated that 1-3 in-person meetings with Reclamation may be needed, although regular coordination would occur virtually.

Question 3: Is Reclamation going to pay for renting facilities?

A6.3) Procurement of meeting venues would come from contract funding.

Question 4: How many briefings do you anticipate the contractor presenting?

A6.4) In addition to facilitating agency and stakeholder meetings, the contractor may be asked to develop and deliver structured presentations to communicate updates, including but not limited to process, schedule and progress, analytical methods, results and findings, and key issues requiring coordination or decision-making. It is currently anticipated that approximately 4-8 in-person agency and stakeholder meetings will occur over the course of this effort. Of these, up to 4-8 may include formal briefings delivered by the contractor to agency leadership, cooperating agencies, or other key stakeholders. The actual number, timing, and format of formal briefings will be determined based on needs and key milestones.

The contractor would also be expected to provide progress updates to Reclamation on a regular basis.

Q7) Subtask 3.3.3 states "Create a shared platform for document libraries and to facilitate multi-user editing and review"

Do you want us to create a SharePoint site?

A7) Yes, SharePoint is preferred.

Q8) Subtask 3.3.4 states “Provide assistance with tracking and reviewing newly published articles within the Klamath River Basin that may inform baseline and impact analysis.”

“Develop, compile, and maintain a reference management system or database (e.g., Mendeley) to store and organize all scientific documentation as well as other sources referenced in the development of documents under this contract"

Question: How many articles do you anticipate needing to be reviewed?

A8) It is not currently anticipated that a large number of newly published articles would need to be reviewed. Reclamation already possesses a large library from past efforts. An estimate of 10-20 newly published articles or annual reports may need to be reviewed to determine if they are useful for this current effort.

Q9) The Table on Page 11 of 43 talks about a peer review report. What exactly are we peer reviewing?

A9) See bullet four in subtask 3.3.5 Scientific Modeling Support. Reclamation’s peer review policy applies to scientific information and assessments. Under this effort, two models used to inform environmental analysis – the WRIMS model used to develop water operations scenarios and the KB_HEM model used to perform socioeconomic analysis related to agricultural water supply and demand – would be subject to Reclamation’s peer review policy. Peer review of these models would be inclusive of such things as model application, methodology, inputs and outputs, and model results used to inform environmental analyses. As the contractor would be directly involved with the analysis associated with use of these models, it is recommended the peer review itself be performed by others who are not directly involved (i.e., contract out the peer review).

Q10) Can you provide more detail on the level of experience/expertise you would like the socioeconomics person to have?

A10) The NEPA document will include a section on socioeconomic analysis. It is requested that the Socioeconomic Specialist (or NEPA specialist, Data Analyst, etc.) have adequate experience (i.e., 5 years) to develop a robust socioeconomic analysis related to water supply and demand and be able to coordinate with the socioeconomic modeler to synthesize, interpret, and incorporate model results into an impact analysis.

Q11) How many people and for how many days are you anticipating the trips to be? Do we include travel time and labor or just ODCs?

A11) Trips for in-person meetings (both with Reclamation and agency and stakeholder groups) would generally involve a one- to two-night stay. It is anticipated that 1-3 people would be necessary. Please include travel time and labor.

Q11) The PWS includes two lists of Key Personnel, one under Section 10.0 and another under Section 10.4 (which includes minimum qualifications). These lists of key personnel also vary from the list of labor categories in Attachment 1 – Price Schedule. Please confirm which positions are considered as Key Personnel.

A11) Please consider the positions listed under Section 10.4 as Key Personnel. The positions listed under Section 10 are considered general staffing positions that would contribute to a multidisciplinary team with appropriate expertise to fulfill the tasks under this contract.

Q12) Additionally, please confirm that key personnel resumes are only required to be submitted with the Staffing Plan and Roster (as described in Section 10.5) after the contract is awarded and are not required to be included in the proposal.

A12) It is requested that Key Personnel resumes be submitted as part of the proposal.

Resumes will be included as part of the technical evaluation.

Q13) We kindly request additional clarification regarding the project area and measurable scope.

One of our estimating sources has advised that, in order to provide an exact bid total, they need more defined information regarding the work area, including:

• Total acreage

• Total river length, if applicable

• Defined land area(s) involved

• Any available maps or area boundaries showing the locations relevant to the required work

A13) See Section 1.2.1 within the PWS. Reclamation’s Klamath Project, the operations of which are subject to this compliance effort, delivers water for irrigation and related purposes to approximately 230,000 acres if agricultural and wildlife refuge lands in Klamath County in southern Oregon and Siskiyou and Modoc counties in northern California. The Project stores waters of the Klamath and Lost rivers and diverts and delivers water for irrigation and related purposes through a network of conveyance features. The Project includes three primary storage reservoirs including Upper Klamath Lake, Clear Lake Reservoir, and Gerber Reservoir, and includes two dams on the Klamath River: Link River Dam and Keno Dam. Link River Dam, the most upstream dam, regulates surface water elevations in Upper Klamath Lake and allows for water deliveries through Reclamation facilities; Keno Dam maintains water levels in the Lake Ewuana Reach of the Klamath River and provides for flood control in the upper Klamath Basin.

See maps below.

At this stage, without this information, they have advised that they can only provide hourly rates for the defined areas of work rather than a more exact total estimate.

Q13) PART 2 - Could you please advise whether the Government can provide any of the above information, including maps, acreage, river length, or other measurable area details for this requirement? If this information is not currently available, please also confirm whether offerors should base their quotation on hourly labor rates and related support pricing only.

A13(2) Please base quotation on hourly labor rates and related support pricing.

Q14) The evaluation criteria on page 16-17 includes Technical Approach, Past Performance, and Price as factors. Then page 16-17 includes project experience, key personnel, team roster, and resume requirements. that are not included in the evaluation criteria listed on page 40. Please clarify if resumes, team roster, and staffing plan are required and evaluated.

A14) Please provide a Staffing Plan including a roster of proposed personnel with individual qualifications and resumes for Key Personnel. These will be included as part of the technical evaluation.

Q15) Please confirm resumes for key team members are limited to the project manager, NEAP lead, and ESA specialist/biologist.

A15) Yes, that is correct.

Q16) Is the letter of commitment from subcontractors required from the individuals, or should it be prepared by the firm?

A16) The letter of commitment should be prepared by the firm, rather than each individual.

Q17) Are offerors expected to price peer reviewers and peer review management as separate labor categories/ODCs?

A17) Peer review management inclusive of preparation of a Peer Review Plan as well as responding to peer review comments can be included in existing labor categories. Given positions listed within labor categories would be involved in the analyses associated with use of the models, it is recommended that the peer review itself and associated peer review report be subcontracted.

Q18) Is the contractor expected to provide the shared platform itself, and if so, are software/license costs allowable or included in indirects?

A18) Yes, software/license costs are allowed under indirect costs.

Q19) Should offerors include pricing for additional or supplemental NEPA documentation mentioned in the PWS, or is the quote limited to the listed milestones only?

A19) Please base pricing on the deliverables identified on the deliverables table. Additional or supplemental NEPA documentation referenced in the PWS but not included in the deliverables table may be necessary in the future but is not required to be priced at this time. If such additional NEPA documentation is later determined to be necessary, it may be addressed through a contract modification.

Q20) For travel, please clarify the anticipated number of trips, travelers, duration, and whether travel is included in evaluated price.

A20) Please see responses under A6 and A11. Travel will be included in evaluated price.

Q21) If the NEPA pathway becomes an EIS instead of EA, how will scope, schedule, and ceiling be adjusted?

A21) The scope would be expanded to include EIS requirements, the schedule would be extended to allow for necessary time to complete an EIS/ROD, and the ceiling would be adjusted as necessary to reflect the expanded effort.

Q22) Please confirm whether public review support is required for the BA/EFH documents;

some sections mention public review and others only internal/interagency review.

Q22) Public review periods will not be included for BA/EFH documents. Public review will likely be necessary for the NEPA document and may also be provided for the draft Project Narrative.

Q23) Section 3.2.4 references an EA or EIS may be developed; however, Section 4 references only an EA. If the NEPA analysis determines that an EIS is appropriate, will the BOR modify the contract?

A23) Yes, please see A5 and A21.

Q24) Will the contractor be required to organize and facilitate a public meeting in support of the draft NEPA document(s) referenced in Section 3.2.4?

A24) Reclamation will follow the NEPA process as described in A5. The need for a public meeting will depend on the level of NEPA review conducted. Public meetings are typically associated with an EIS/ROD process and are not always required for an EA/FONSI.

Q25) Could BOR clarify whether the contractor will receive existing model documentation and prior analyses to integrate into the Proposed Action Narrative? Will the contractor be expected to create additional modeling for analysis?

A25) Yes, the contractor may be provided with existing and ongoing model results to integrate into the Proposed Action Narrative and Proposed Action analyses. Prior analysis will also be provided. The contractor may also need to create additional modeling.

Q26) Will the contractor be given direct access to hydrologic and habitat models, or will BOR provide outputs only?

A26) The contractor may be given direct access to models, in addition to being provided with model outputs.

Q27) The PWS requires the contractor to build a shared platform within 2 weeks. Should contractors assume SharePoint, or may alternative systems be proposed?

A27) An alternative system could be proposed but SharePoint is preferred.

Q28) How many days should we assume for the travel events in Southern Oregon? For proposal purposes, is it safe to assume 3 days/2 nights for each event on average?

A28) Please see A6.2 and A11.