70CNR-S3879 Scope of Work~1.docx

Nevada State Purchasing Division Department of Administration 515 E Musser St Ste 300 Carson City, NV 89701 purchasing.nv.gov nevadaepro.com

70CNR-S3879 SCOPE OF WORK

WIIN WATER TESTING IN SCHOOLS AND DAYCARES

SCOPE OF WORK

1.1 OVERVIEW

With the federal funding appropriated under section 1464(d) of the Safe Drinking Water Act, amended by the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act (WIIN) section 2107, the State of Nevada Purchasing Division on behalf of the Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide project development and implementation activities for a program to investigate the potential presence of lead in drinking water in Nevada, in support of NDEP’s WIIN Grant Project as outlined in this RFP.

Testing will be done at approximately:

372 preschools 392 elementary schools 667 daycare facilities

As required by the federal grant, the project must utilize the US EPA’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water (the “EPA’s 3Ts Manual”), published by the Office of Water (4606M), document number EPA 815-B-18-007, October 2018.

This includes efforts to

Communicate, throughout the implementation of the program, the results and important lead information to the public, parents, teachers, and larger community Train on the risks of lead in drinking water and testing for lead Test using appropriate testing protocols and a certified laboratory Take Action, including the development of a plan for responding to results of testing conducted and addressing potential elevated lead where necessary.

Below are specific activities included in these key elements.

The Scope of Work includes technical services and support to assist NDEP in implementing the WIIN Grant Project, as described in detail below.

Services will be on an “as needed” basis, at the discretion of the NDEP. In general, however, the following capabilities are anticipated to be required under the contract.

Subcontractors may be retained or local partnerships with public water systems may be created to conduct portions of the work outputs. Subcontractors must act in accordance with State regulations and the Contract.

Due to the statewide nature of this project, the NDEP will entertain the possibility of having more than one vendor, if serving a limited geographic region. However, in such instances, extensive and close collaboration among other vendors will be necessary to meet the overall requirements of the project as described herein.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND TASKS

The selected contractor must be well versed in the US EPA publication “3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Manual”. (www.epa.gov/safewater/3ts) The federal grant funding for this contract mandates its use. The manual contains more detail than is expressed herein.

Task 1: Communication

Contracted services shall include the use of a variety of education and outreach materials throughout the project with the goal of reaching the target audiences. NDEP has identified the target audiences as daycare, preschool, and elementary school parents, teachers, and staff.

Outreach needs may include draft content for items such as press releases, letters/fliers, newsletters, email, or social media content in coordination with NDEP Webmaster, Public Information Officer (PIO) and/or Publications Editor.

Outreach in the form of Program education, notification, and request for voluntary participation should begin at least 30 days prior to targeted testing at a facility.

Information about the sampling program and lead in drinking water will be shared:

Before the lead in drinking water sampling program begins;

After obtaining the results of testing; and When/if corrective measures are decided upon (or in the event no corrective measures are appropriate because the lead levels are low); The contractor(s) shall provide timely information and support the NDEP when communication is necessary in response to periodic public interest in the program.

Testing results to be shared with the daycare, preschool, or elementary school communities as soon as possible, but no later than 2 weeks following the receipt of the final results;

The contractor shall design and develop a website and/or web-based application in consultation with DCNR Bureau of Information Technology staff to meet grant requirements for the timely public availability of project-related data and materials.

The website/application should preferably be developed using ExpressionEngine as the content management system (CMS), as this platform is currently used across DCNR and is maintained, patched, and secured by DCNR IT staff. The final solution must be compatible with the latest stable version of ExpressionEngine and capable of being hosted on NDEP servers operating in a Microsoft IIS environment upon project completion.

The contractor shall ensure the solution is made available to NDEP, including all necessary files, documentation, and administrative access required for ongoing operation and maintenance. If the contractor identifies an existing data tracking and reporting system developed by another state that could serve as a viable foundation, NDEP will assist with state-to-state coordination as needed.

Task 2: Project Set Up

Prior to any sample collection or analysis activities the contractor will provide a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) to NDEP for transmittal to, and approval by, US EPA Region 9.

The contractor will provide NDEP with a strategy for identification and prioritization of locations based on underserved and low-income communities, facilities that are older and more likely to contain lead plumbing, and facilities that appear to have factors indicating relative permanence.

The contractor shall consult with NDEP on proper management of Official State Records to be transferred to NDEP upon project completion.

Prior to any sample collection, the contractor will establish a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for taking action on any sample that results in exceedance of the PAL. The SOP shall be reviewed and approved by NDEP.

Prior to any sample collection, the contractor will work with NDEP to create an initial agreement of commitment to be signed by the daycare, preschool, and elementary school representative, as applicable. The NDEP will require a commitment by the facility to cooperate with any necessary follow-up sampling and follow-through on potential fixture replacement using fixtures supplied by NDEP and installed by a licensed plumber at the expense of the facility.

Task 3: Training

Contracted services shall include education and training for daycare, preschool, and elementary school staff on the sources and risks of lead in drinking water and how lead in drinking water is regulated, The training plan for key facility staff shall utilize EPA’s 3Ts Manual to provide appropriate training instruction and materials to participating facilities in the form of letters, fliers, emails, and/or onsite demonstration.

Task 4: Testing

Contracted services shall utilize EPA’s 3Ts Manual 2-step sampling protocol, as described at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/3ts-module-5 to provide sample collection at Nevada daycares, preschools, and elementary schools.

Given that the occurrence of lead in drinking water in Nevada is low, according to regulatory data for Public Water Systems, and to facilitate cost savings to ensure grant funding stretches at far as possible, only the first-draw samples will be collected at the initial sampling event. Any follow up confirmation and flush sampling of individual fixtures will be conducted only after the contractor’s review of results from the first-draw sample and consultation with NDEP. Follow up sampling activities will be conducted at locations identified with lead results above Project Remediation Trigger of 10µg/L. NDEP will use its discretion and may also request follow-up for some fixtures below that level. The contractor shall report to, and consult with, NDEP on all results greater than 10µg/L upon receipt.

Sample analytical services shall be provided by a Nevada Certified Lab, using analytical method 200.8, under proper chain of custody. Information on laboratories certified for analysis of lead in drinking water can be found through the NDEP Laboratory Certification Program at https://ndep.nv.gov/water/lab-certification.

Following US EPA Region 9 approval of the project QAPP, testing at daycare, preschool, and elementary school facilities may begin.

The testing plan must utilize the EPA 3T’s Manual, and include but is not limited to the following activities:

Development of sampling plans;

Initial site assessments for the sampling event;

Collect (or causing collection of) initial first draw samples;

Sample collection and analysis services as well as to disseminate information;

Provision of a Chain of Custody and sampling instructions to the facility;

Proper coding and recording of all sampling efforts using the coding system and recordkeeping recommendations identified in EPA’s 3Ts Manual.

Initial first draw sampling, using a 250 mL sample bottle, will occur at each tap potentially used for consumption.

Review the laboratory data;

Collect (or causing collection of) follow-up flush samples at identified facilities Outlets not being tested will be labeled as “not for drinking water.” This may include utility sinks.

The approximate number of preschools, elementary schools, and licensed daycare facilities eligible for this project that must be addressed (by one or more contractors) includes those in the table below. The number is subject to change based on licenses in place during the project period.

Schools Daycares

Task 5: Taking Action The contractor shall employ (as applicable) the immediate actions listed below following the receipt of results indicating elevated lead levels:

Shut off problem outlets Share test results Post “Not for Drinking/Cooking” at problem outlets

The contractor shall create a Standard Operating Procedure for actions that will be taken upon receipt of a result exceeding the PAL, or for any site for which NDEP has exercised discretion below that level.

The contractor shall coordinate with NDEP staff for physical replacements of fountains or fixtures in daycares, preschools, and elementary schools where elevated lead levels are discovered.

To the extent that grant funding is available, replacement fixtures will be funded by NDEP and provided through a state vendor. Coordination with the daycare facility for installation by a licensed plumber will be facilitated by the contractor.

Task 6: Reporting

The contractor shall provide the following minimum reporting:

Quarterly reporting using an Excel spreadsheet provided by US EPA and NDEP.

Quarterly progress reports and invoices that contain contract budget ledger and list of daycares, preschools, and elementary schools sampled including dates times and results;

Quarterly reporting on activities resulting from following the Taking Action SOP;

Updates to the testing results website within two weeks of receipt of sample results, including actions taken/planned on elevated results;

A “Final Report” document detailing project outcomes.

Budget

The total budget for this project shall not exceed $528,535.00 The vendor agrees to adhere to this budget.

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