4QBO68103200 - Schedules Limited Source Justification - rev.docx

Schedules Limited Source Justification

General Services Administration Federal Acquisition Service Southeast Sunbelt Region

1. Requiring and Contracting Activity

a. Requiring Activity: Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards (OAQPS) Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

c. Contracting Officer: Rosa Debro

d. Task ID: 4QBO68103200

e. Estimated Value of This Action: $2,897,550.00 (Base + two (2) Option Years

2. Nature of Description of Action:

This justification and approval is being requested to procure services to continue the Air Quality Modeling and Simulation Analysis requirement for Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards (OAQPS). The services will be procured on a Time and Material basis.

3. Description of Supplies or Services:

OAQPS requires professional assistance to support air quality model simulations and analyses of emissions and ambient measurements in order to establish baseline levels of air quality and determine the interrelationships between and among various criteria and toxic air pollutants as they relate to visibility, deposition, meteorology, and precursor emissions. Contractor shall assist with (1) projecting environmental conditions and analyzing the effectiveness of control programs, and (2) developing and updating air quality modeling platforms to include meteorological, emissions, air quality models and data bases for use in environmental assessments.

4. Authority:

FAR 8.405-6(b)(1) Only one source is capable of responding due to the unique or specialized nature of the work;

5. Justification Rationale:

The EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards has requested the acquisition of air quality model simulations and associated emissions and meteorological model processing to support the development and implementation of environmental policies and regulations as required under the Clean Air Act. EPA’s regulatory modeling utilizes common platforms assembled by Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) that contain air quality, meteorological, and emissions data sets that interface with air quality models including the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) and the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) which are used by CSC to provide to EPA environmental assessments integrated across multiple pollutants and spatial scales. In August 2010 EPA issued the Transport Rule Proposal which is intended to reduce the amount of fine particles and ozone transported across State boundaries to help areas attain health-based ambient air quality standards for these pollutants. CSC developed the modeling platform and performed the air quality model simulations to support this proposed rule. In order to meet Clean Air Act mandated targets for attaining these standards, EPA must finalize this run in 2011. Because of their knowledge and experience gained from the air quality modeling for the proposed rule, CSC is uniquely qualified to most efficiently incorporate updates to this modeling platform in response to public comment on the proposal and provide the air quality model simulations in time for EPA to issue the final Transport Rule in 2011. Selection of another contractor would require additional funding and time to transfer and benchmark the air quality modeling systems and data sets created and used by CSC. EPA is also engaged in multi-year programs to review and revise, as necessary, ambient standards for criteria pollutants such as fine particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Over the next three to five years, these programs will require extensive model simulations to characterize baseline air quality and project the impacts of control programs in a manner that provides consistency across the various pollutants. CSC is uniquely qualified to perform the air quality modeling for the standards review process because of their unique experience with national, regional, and local scale air quality model simulations.

6. Contracting Officer Determination:

The Independent Government Cost Estimate w as derived from GSA Advantage and previous procurement of these services. GSA has already determined the prices under schedule contracts to be fair and reasonable. Therefore, a separate determination of fair and reasonable pricing is not required.

7. Market Research:

As this requirement is a continuation of a current GSA task order (4TAP68050170) for Environmental Protection Agency, research for the previous requirement was conducted via e-Buy which indicated that CSC Systems & Solutions LLC can provide the services as a best value to the government. A notice of intent will be issued in FBO to offer companies an opportunity to submit a capability package. Response date is 09/09/2010. Current labor rates were established competitively using published GSA Federal Supply Schedules, and determined fair and reasonable. There is no indication that the labor market for the labor categories utilized on the task order has changed significantly for the time of the first task order 4TAP68050170.

8. Other Supporting Facts:

None

9. Statement of Actions to Overcome Barriers to Competition:

EPA will continue to conduct market research to identify other potential commercial sources for Environmental Services.

10. Requiring Agency Certification:

I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance which form the basis for this justification are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Norm Possiel, Project Officer

11. Contracting Officer Certification:

The undersigned has determined that the anticipated cost to the Government for this acquisition will be fair and reasonable. Further, I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Rosa Debro

Contracting Activity Competition Advocate Joel A. Rogero