7200AA20R00043 A-E III IDIQ - RFQ Amended - Tracked Changes.pdf

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Management, Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA) 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20523 www.usaid.gov

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

Solicitation Number: 7200AA20R00043 Date Issued: August 17, 2020 Questions Due: August 25, 2020, 1:00 p.m. EDST RFQ Due: September 2818, 2020, 1:00 p.m. EDST

Subject: Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Solicitation for “Global Architect-Engineer

Services III Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (A&E III IDIQ)” Contracts

Dear Potential Offerors:

Pursuant to the authority in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) requests qualifications from professional architect-engineer (A/E) firms eligible to provide design, construction supervision and related services to be performed or approved by registered or licensed A&E professionals for USAID/Washington and overseas Missions worldwide. Prime offerors under this RFQ must be registered under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 541310 – Architectural Services or 541330 – Engineering Services. In addition, offerors must be eligible in accordance with the authorized geographic code for this procurement which is 937.

USAID anticipates that the maximum ordering limitation of the contracts resulting from this RFQ will be $800,000,000 over the 5-year ordering period. The maximum aggregate dollar value of task orders awarded to all contractors cannot exceed this contract ceiling. This ceiling is not being subdivided among the number of awardees, nor is it being multiplied by the number of awardees. There is no guarantee on the number of task orders that the successful contractors will receive or the amount of money beyond the minimum order guarantee set forth in the RFQ.

Firm Fixed-Price task orders are preferred although task orders may be either Firm Fixed-Price, Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee, or Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee.

USAID anticipates awarding approximately twelve (12) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts, including approximately five (5) reserved for small businesses resulting from this solicitation. These awards will replace the current A&E II IDIQ which was awarded in September 2015 and whose ordering period will expire in September 2020. The contractors performing under this mechanism are:

• Trigon Associates, LLC, AID-OAA-I-15-00053 - Small Business

• Perez, APC, AID-OAA-I-15-00051 - Small Business

• Tetra Tech, AID-OAA-I-15-00052

• CH2M HILL, Inc., AID-OAA-I-15-00048

• Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp., AID-OAA-I-15-00046

• AECOM (AECOM Technical Services, Inc.), AID-OAA-I-15-00045 http://www.usaid.gov/

A&E III IDIQ

7200AA20R00043

• Green Powered Technology, AID-OAA-I-15-00049 - Small Business

• The Louis Berger Group, Inc., AID-OAA-I-15-00050

• Camp Dresser & McKee International Inc. (CDM Smith), AID-OAA-I-15-00047

All task orders with a total estimated cost of $5,000,000 or less will be set-aside for small businesses unless the Task Order Contracting Officer determines that one of the fair opportunity exceptions applies. Small business IDIQ holders are eligible to compete for all task orders regardless of the total estimated cost.

The terms of this RFQ are included with this Cover Letter as Attachment 1, the Description of Design/Engineering Services, and Attachment 2, the Instructions to Offerors and Selection Process. Any resulting award(s) from this solicitation will be administered in accordance with applicable provisions and clauses from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR). In addition, policies and procedures from USAID’s Automated Directive System (ADS) will be applied as applicable.

Questions regarding this RFQ must be submitted via e-mail to Matthew Courtad mcourtad@usaid.gov, Ayla-Rebeka Brooks aybrooks@usaid.gov, and Elizabeth Surette esurette@usaid.gov, indicating “USAID A&E III IDIQ Questions,” no later than the deadline for questions specified in this Cover Letter. Unless otherwise notified by an amendment to this, USAID WILL NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS AFTER THE DEADLINE OR BY PHONE.

Offerors must not submit questions to any other USAID staff, including the technical office.

Answers to all questions received by the deadline indicated in this Cover Letter will be communicated through an Amendment to this solicitation that will be posted on www.BetaSAM.gov.

This RFQ in no way obligates USAID to award a contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. USAID reserves the right to reject any non-compliant offers received. Final award of any resultant contract(s) cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed through USAID’s internal procedures.

This RFQ can be viewed and downloaded from the Internet at www.BetaSAM.gov. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

Offerors are encouraged but not required to sign up as an interested vendor as all amendments to this solicitation will be issued and posted on www.BetaSAM.gov.

Sincerely, Matthew Courtad Contracting Officer mailto:mcourtad@usaid.gov mailto:aybrooks@usaid.gov mailto:esurette@usaid.gov

ATTACHMENT 1 – DESCRIPTION OF DESIGN/ENGINEERING SERVICES

1. BACKGROUND

The predecessor of this IDIQ is the Global Architect-Engineer Services II Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (A&E II IDIQ) which was awarded in September 2015. This active contract is a technical assistance mechanism that is designed to enable USAID missions, bureaus, and operating units to rapidly access exceptional technical expertise and experience to support programs with infrastructure components that drive sustainable economic growth, expand educational opportunities, enhance food security, protect the environment, and address health challenges. The A&E II IDIQ not only provides infrastructure-related technical services for a broad range of areas of infrastructure development, but also supports efforts to build technical capacity at multiple levels in the host countries. It allows for technical consultancy in areas that have a link to infrastructure.

2. OVERVIEW OF OFFICE OF ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment (E3) Office of Energy and Infrastructure (E&I) was established for the purpose of strengthening USAID’s internal technical capacity. Within E&I, the Engineering Division provides technical leadership and field support for the design, construction, installation, and effective operation of critical development infrastructure – specifically, that of master planning, water, wastewater, solid and hazardous waste, roads, ports, electrical grids, energy production, and information/communication technologies.

The E3/E&I/Engineering Division performs the following functions for the Agency:

• First response engineering capabilities (both services and construction) in all infrastructure sectors for emergency/disaster response and for conflict, post-conflict, and failed state reconstruction and stabilization phases

• Engineering services to all USAID Bureaus and overseas Missions to ensure effective planning, design, construction, management, operations, and maintenance of infrastructure

• Education and training of USAID staff and host country counterparts on topics related to infrastructure, such as its role in development, engineering requirements, financial considerations, and post-implementation requirements

• Promotes technical capacity building in the multiple areas of infrastructure, within USAID, for the host governments, and for the local engineering and construction industries

3. OBJECTIVE OF THE IDIQ

The objective of the Global Architect-Engineer Services III Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite- Quantity (A&E III IDIQ) is to procure infrastructure services, including infrastructure planning, engineering design, construction supervision, and related support; ranging from quick response to short and long-term services. These services predominantly require performance or approval by registered and/or licensed A&E professionals, either as individual organizations, partnerships, joint ventures or other legal entities permitted by law to practice architecture, engineering and construction management.

Also, specialized technical services under this IDIQ will provide support and advice to USAID and participating host government entities and regulatory bodies, in overall institutional and infrastructure development including, but not limited to: policy, legal, regulatory, financial and commercial development and reform, feasibility studies, environmental management, master planning, design and construction supervision, human resource development and training (capacity building and internships), operations and maintenance optimization, and promotion of private sector participation. This type of assistance is often planned and implemented in coordination with other donors, national, provincial and local governments, NGOs, community groups, and private and public enterprises.

One overarching objective of all USAID interventions is to support partner countries on improving management and capacity building at all levels of the economy and government. By establishing effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework that supports adaptive management, this contract looks to promote and encourage organizations (including local governments) to be open to surprises, accommodate and manage risks, and encourage learning and development of ideas and practices to mitigate those contingencies; so they can pave their way onto their journey to self-reliance.

4. DEVELOPMENT SECTORS AND TECHNICAL AREAS

USAID infrastructure interventions are mainly related to the following sectors:

4.1 USAID development sectors:

● Agriculture and Food Security

● Democracy, Human Rights and Governance

● Economic Growth and Trade

● Education

● Energy, Environment, and Global Climate Change

● Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

● Global Health

● Water and Sanitation

● Working in Crises and Conflict

All of these sectors may have technical tasks that could include planning, design, procurement support, construction oversight, and operations and maintenance optimization. Also, projects in the different sectors could include work on one or more of the following technical areas:

4.2 Infrastructure technical areas:

4.2.1 Water and Sanitation

a. Stormwater Management

1. Flood protection

4. Flood control structures (dikes, spurs, levees, seawalls, etc.)

5. Urban drainage

6. Stormwater conveyance, retention, and detention

7. Bio-retention structures

8. Water reservoirs (basins, dams, etc.)

9. Shoreline stabilization

10. Coastal breakwaters

b. Water Supply

1. Water collection structures

2. Source water intakes

3. Underground water wells and pumps

4. Municipal water treatment

5. Small-scale water treatment

6. Water transmissions systems

7. Pressurized distribution systems

8. Gravity-based distribution systems

9. Water monitoring infrastructure (meters, smart meters, SCADA)

10. Storage structures (reservoirs, underground and elevated tanks)

11. Pump stations

12. Irrigation systems

13. Fire suppression systems

14. Groundwater Wells

15. Groundwater Protection

c. Wastewater

1. Collection systems

2. Conveyance systems

3. Rural sanitary systems (Pit latrines, composting latrines)

4. Urban network systems

5. Septic and leach field systems

6. Municipal wastewater treatment

7. Small-scale wastewater treatment

8. Packaged wastewater treatment solutions

9. Sludge management

10. Lift stations

11. Discharge structures

12. Biogas recovery

4.2.2 Environmental

a. Environmental impact studies

1. Climate risk assessments

2. Air and water quality impacts

3. Historic and cultural sites

4. Social and economic impacts

5. Noise and light pollution

6. Traffic impact analyses

7. Environmental mitigation plan

8. Cost and schedule analyses

9. Financial planning for mitigation measures

10. Public hearings

11. Preparation of environmental documentation

b. Natural Resource Management

1. Biodiversity conservation

2. Sustainable forestry

3. Climate Change mitigation and adaptation

4. Sustainable Agricultural Intensification

5. Management of ecosystem services

c. Nature Based Economic Growth

1. Sustainable Tourism

2. Environmental Enterprise Development

3. Sustainable Conservation Finance

4. Payments for Ecosystem Services

d. Natural Resource Governance

1. Resource Rights, Governance and Policy Reform

2. Resource based Conflict Mitigation & Management

3. Environmental Compliance

e. Solid waste collection, transfer and disposal

f. Recycling infrastructure

g. Transfer stations

h. Hazardous waste management

i. Landfills (leachate, gas, designs and operations)

j. Incinerators (Medical Waste, Solid Waste, Toxic Waste, Hazardous Waste)

k. Waste-to-energy systems (electricity, heat, methane)

l. Pollution prevention plans

m. Carbon capture and sequestration

n. Remediation of contaminated areas (In some cases, the Contractor may be required to wear protective clothing up to EPA Level C. Thus, the Contractor must have the ability to field and train qualified staff).

4.2.3 Transportation

a. Public transit systems

b. Rural roads

c. Urban roads

d. Highway networks

e. Modal transport analyses (pedestrian, bicycle, car, train, bus, plane, boat)

f. Pavement systems (roads, ports, airports)

g. Road safety

h. Special infrastructure (bridges, tunnels, interchanges)

i. Railways

j. Airports

k. Marine ports

l. Waterways

m. Seaports (Docks, Quays, Cargo Handling Yards)

4.2.4 Energy

a. Power generation systems (hydro, fossil-fuel, solar, wind, etc.)

b. Power transmission systems

c. Substations

d. Power storage systems (batteries)

e. Power grids, mini-grids and micro-grids

f. Small-scale energy systems (geothermal, solar, wind, etc.)

4.2.5 Telecommunications

a. Radio and cell phone masts and towers

b. Ground stations

c. Duct banks and telephone exchange infrastructure

d. Fiber optics and copper networks

e. Integrated services digital networks

f. Underwater cables

4.2.6 Vertical Structures and Exterior Public Space

a. Institutional/commercial buildings (government, schools, warehouses, community centers, etc.) and public space

b. Essential service buildings (hospitals, fire stations, police stations, civil defense, airport control towers, etc.) and public space

c. Housing (single- and multi-family homes, apartments and condominiums, and informal settlements) and public space

d. Retaining walls

e. Water towers

f. Chimneys and stacks

g. Piers and wharves

5. STATEMENT OF WORK

Contractors, when directed by USAID, must be able to provide all services from project inception through close-out. Task Orders under this IDIQ may call for the provision of A&E services or a combination of services including, but not limited to, all development sectors and technical areas under section 4.1 and 4.2.

Task orders performed under this contract will seek to utilize “cutting-edge” planning, design and construction management tools, and expertise to overcome barriers that limit the progress of development. Services procured under this IDIQ are encouraged to include the design and implementation of innovative approaches such as crowd sourcing, mobile technology, etc., where applicable. Task orders will also seek to incorporate innovative construction, engineering, financial, and management solutions throughout the Agency’s development work.

Considering the overarching objective of capacity development work to support the journey to self-reliance, the A&E contractors will undertake their activities in a way to empower all professionals within organizations responsible for providing infrastructure services as well as to strengthen the underlying institutions in terms of organizational structure, systems and processes.

The intent is to produce a cadre of professionals in the workforce and an enabling environment within the organizations in order to effectively and sustainably deliver infrastructure services for the long term.

In addition, contractors under the A&E are required to maximize the use of local engineers/professionals to perform work under this contract, and shall demonstrate reasonable efforts to find native technical staff in the local markets, before utilizing expat or overseas expertise.

5.1 Services by Construction Stage

The services below have been categorized according to construction stage.

5.1.1 Planning Services

The planning stage can be used to identify projects that would best serve the goals of a program, organization or region. It involves performing a series of assessments of needs and requirements, creating a set of tools to help guide the project team through the design, and the implementation and operations of the project. The tools or products created during this phase will verify space, technical, financial, legal, and other resources requirements and constraints; to propose plans that will help address such requirements, while managing time, cost, quality, environmental, social, climate and other risks.

Analyses of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to climate, gender, engineering and construction capacity, political and social issues, and environmental priorities can characterize the context in which a project will exist and can inform decisions about project priorities, prerequisites, and phasing.

All plans must adhere to applicable U.S. laws and regulations and must also follow USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS), particularly in what pertains to construction and risk management policies (mandatory reference 301maw and 201maw).

The contractor may be required to provide the following A&E planning services to include, but not limited to:

a. Perform feasibility studies and master planning. In this context, feasibility studies determine whether the planned infrastructure project can be realized given existing site and environmental conditions, land tenure, climate change, socioeconomic constraints, Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat (SWOT) analysis, local capacity, courses of action and alternatives. Master Planning may mean a more focused approach to project development. Specific actions for master planning may entail: a) Developing implementation plans with phasing schedule and identified priorities for multiple facilities and infrastructure elements; b) Developing a framework for environmentally and financially sustainable programs that attract private sector investment and participation; c) Creating conceptual solutions and designs to shape the urban environment with all its components; d) Defining zoning, with public, communal, and private spaces, and public facilities; and defining the mix of uses and their physical relationship; and e) Promoting engagement of the local stakeholders and acting as builder of consensus between those stakeholders and the general community.

b. Assess capability gaps and infrastructure needs that must be addressed prior to the start of future projects.

c. Plan for regionally oriented projects that require cooperation among countries (e.g., energy, natural resources projects, trading, transportation, etc.).

d. Conduct space planning and programming for specific facilities.

e. Carry out pre-design site assessments.

f. Provide technical assistance to USAID or host country organizations, such as site visits or assessments of legal or technical framework.

g. Conduct pre-feasibility, feasibility, and proof-of-concept engineering studies.

h. Provide Initial Government Cost Estimates based on own conceptual designs or designs by third parties. If developing a Rough Order of Magnitude estimate, provide all assumptions and limiting factors after doing due diligence on market research.

i. Develop conceptual designs of multiple types of facilities and infrastructure.

j. Conduct assessments of alternatives or value engineering.

k. Draft operations, maintenance, and financing plan collaboratively with stakeholders.

In addition to professional A&E services required during planning, the contractor may be required to provide the following incidental services:

a. Identify short- and long-term goals within and across various sectors.

b. Support USAID Missions in the preparation of activity-planning documents that comply with the ADS.

c. For a wide range of infrastructure matters, provide expert technical opinion that carries professional responsibility by means of signing or stamping documents prepared or reviewed by licensed professionals.

d. Analyze real estate and land tenure issues.

e. Conduct independent analyses such as gender analyses, environmental assessments, needs determination, and climate risk assessments.

f. Determine risk tolerance during the different stages of the construction activity, and develop mitigation measures to address risks that are beyond the established tolerance.

g. Analyze tariffs, taxes, regulations, laws, and other sources of liability that may impact the cost of the project or require permits and authorizations.

h. Conduct investigations, studies, and assessments of cultural resources, environmentally sensitive areas, religious artifacts, economic surveys, management analyses, organizational plans, the restructuring and privatization of institutions, and policies.

i. Prepare statistical databases, such as databases oriented to supply and demand or the availability of local technical resources and construction labor and materials.

j. Develop or refine analytical tools or methods to support any component of this scope.

k. Conduct economic impact assessments.

l. Perform financial planning that includes analyses of revenue generation sources for future projects, with a consideration of banks, investors, the local government tax base, government budgets, natural resource sales (e.g., oil and minerals), public and private donations, and the interest of donor countries.

m. Research and develop financial mechanisms such as payment for ecosystem services associated with water supply.

n. Perform market research, to identify vendors, sources, substitute materials, delivery/customs concerns, geographic availability, quality of material, etc. Also identify market failures and recommend corrections.

o. Conduct sectoral research, such as for identifying improvement opportunities.

p. Assess the capacity of local trade crafts, construction firms, A&E firms, and suppliers of construction material (e.g., concrete, gravel, asphalt, wood, paint, plaster, pipes, etc.), and explore twinning opportunities.

q. Define capacity building needs and develop implementation plans to include training and educational services.

r. Provide direct technical assistance to host country institutions, such as for planning and establishing technical requirements, policies, and procedures.

s. Establish dispute resolution mechanisms for various instances, scenarios and types of intervention.

t. Assist in real estate and permit acquisitions.

u. Develop proposals to secure public-private partnerships or alternative financing.

v. Facilitate meetings, hearings, or technical review of alternatives with contractors, stakeholders, beneficiary communities or the general public.

w. Determine existing capacity for operations and maintenance (O&M), and long-term financing of O&M requirements. Particularly, the contractor must be able to help with the analyses required under Section 611€ of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, for capital assistance projects exceeding $1 million.

x. Facilitate site visits for Mission and other USG personnel or dignitaries.

5.1.2 Design Services

The design phase, as defined by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR): “Design means defining the construction requirement (including the functional relationships and technical systems to be used, such as architectural, environmental, structural, electrical, mechanical, and fire protection), producing the technical specifications and drawings, and preparing the construction cost estimate”, is used to provide details that are necessary for construction.

Each Full Design will have completion milestones as specified in the task order. USAID will review each phase of the design and may provide comments. The plans, specifications, and any other data should be finalized (100% final design) preliminary to construction and will form the basis for the contractual/legal obligation that a construction contractor will assume when agreeing to execute a construction project.

The contents of the construction documents, the number of drawings and specificity of the specifications, should be determined by a competent, qualified and licensed professional engineer. The should follow all applicable local building codes, or the latest edition of International Building Code requirements; but in any case, the construction documents must include the necessary and sufficient documents to procure and award a construction contract and allow the construction contractor to implement the project without any interpretation or assumption; they should also incorporate the operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals to allow O&M without such assumptions or interpretations. The Contractor shall stamp/certify all drawings and specifications to confirm compliance with the applicable building codes and accessibility requirements.

In a Design-Build contract or Cooperative Agreement with construction components, the implementing partner is responsible for both design and construction. The A/E firm under this IDIQ may be required to review the design and provide comments back to USAID rather than the Implementing Partner.

The social, environmental, and economic context of the location must be the basis of the design for a project. USAID expects the Contractors to utilize local A&E capabilities when feasible and appropriate. It is also essential that the potential risks of climate effects on infrastructure are considered in the design phase. How those risks are addressed and what risks remain and may need to be managed in other ways should be documented. In addition, it is strongly encouraged that the Contractors promote the participation of local infrastructure actors (community, academia, students, construction industry, regulators, government, etc.) during the design process.

Designs that are common in the United States may not be applicable in the context of a developing country, and projects and activities must comply with appropriate national and international standards and reflect Agency best practices. The latest seismic requirements must be addressed in all stages of design.

Infrastructure design must consider gender dynamics in the community or region and capture the current or anticipated effects of infrastructure on men and women. To do this, the Contractor must conduct a stakeholder analysis that incorporates the perspective of both men and women of the community; community leaders; and other key stakeholders with a position in gender issues.

The contractor may be required to provide design services to include, but not limited to:

a. Conduct surveys, mapping, and geographic information system (GIS) analyses

b. Determine and apply the latest design standards, engineering and seismic requirements throughout all stages of the design process

c. Conduct technical studies preliminary to design, such as, existing facility condition assessments; geotechnical investigations; topographic surveys; soils studies; water quality and quantity analyses; hydrologic studies; traffic studies; structural and pavement condition analyses; wind and sunlight condition studies; trading, cargo, port and airport facilities assessments, etc.

d. Provide the necessary and sufficient design documents (i.e. drawings, specifications, calculations, reports) for all the applicable disciplines such as architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, IT/communications, interior design, landscape architecture, traffic, petroleum and gas, agricultural, mining, civil aviation, etc.

e. Develop a detailed project implementation plan that, at a minimum, defines the work tasks, the estimation of the required resources, durations for individual tasks, and the identification of any interactions among the different work tasks. This plan will help to track the budget and the schedule for construction work. The construction schedule will be prepared and maintained using industry-accepted scheduling software.

f. Prepare construction manuals that will guide the construction contractors on, but not limited to, construction procedures, forms required for inspection, handover, testing, submittals, and transmittals

g. Develop health and safety plans to be implemented during construction

h. Develop long-term Operation and Maintenance (O&M) plans and manuals, with the appropriate methodology and context (i.e. English and local language, audio-visual) for use by local tenants

i. Develop Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan

j. Develop plans for preservation of historic facilities and sites

k. Estimate detailed costs for implementation of own interventions or interventions proposed by others

l. Perform life cycle cost analyses to determine the most cost-effective design solutions

m. Develop, assess and recommend alternative design components.

In addition to professional A&E services required during design, the contractor may be required to provide the following incidental services:

a. Assist in conducting public meetings or hearings with stakeholders

b. Develop program management plan, and monitoring plan for awards

c. Special technical services that are not specifically applied to the actual preparation of working drawings or specifications of the project for which the services are required to meet the development goals of the programs

5.1.3 Procurement support services

During the procurement stage, the equipment and services necessary for construction are contracted or purchased. The USAID Mission or Operating Unit may require support to prepare the complete solicitation packages, establish the selection processes to identify equipment and construction contractors, or service providers that will thrive in the local context.

The contractor may be required to provide procurement services to include, but not limited to:

a. Provide cost estimates of construction, equipment or services to be procured

b. Conduct market research to help define the procurement strategy

c. Identify potential bidders

d. Support USAID in conducting pre-bid meetings or pre-proposal conferences

e. Assist USAID in developing short lists of construction contractors, vendors, or service providers

f. Review technical requests for information during the bidding phase and help draft responses

g. Support technical evaluation committees or otherwise assist in reviewing, evaluating and providing recommendations regarding the selection of proposals

5.1.4 Quality Assurance and Construction Oversight

As previously mentioned, the Agency’s preferred delivery approach to implementing construction is Design-Bid-Build (DBB). Often certain activities implement construction with designs by others not related to the construction contractor. Therefore, in many cases, the Agency needs to contract expertise to perform Quality Assurance (QA) and Construction Oversight during the construction phase. Monitoring and construction oversight are critically important to ensure that the construction contractor is building the facility per the final designs, that safety and environment are not negatively affected, and that any unexpected necessary project changes are properly documented, analyzed and channeled for approval by USAID.. Local construction practices may not align with U.S. or internationally acceptable standards, so training and capacity building may be necessary for local construction contractors to properly adhere to drawings and specifications.

The contractor may be required to provide Quality Assurance and Construction Oversight services to include, but not limited to:

a. Assist USAID or the implementing partner in holding construction meetings

b. Assess alternative design details or value engineering analysis

c. Monitor construction schedule to ensure compliance with construction contracts and recommend remedies if deviations affect performance period, milestones, scope, or cost

d. Verify construction services contractor mobilization plans including recommendations to USAID for approval of work schedule and issuance of notice to proceed

e. Provide overall activity construction management and oversight

f. Develop or review quality assurance and quality control plans, and ensure they comply with contract documents and engineering best practices

g. Monitor and inspect construction activities and advise USAID on quality control issues and quality assurance challenges, such as non-compliance with standards, or potential problems (e.g., technical, legal, or political) that could affect schedule, scope, cost, or safety

h. Review shop drawings and submittals provided by the construction contractor

i. Review records of the construction contractor’s construction schedule (e.g. critical path method, line balancing, queue scheduling, or similar methods as approved by USAID) to ensure that they comply with construction contract documents

j. Participate in periodic construction implementation meetings to resolve issues impacting project cost and schedule

k. Continuously monitor and advise USAID on the progress of the work by providing periodic progress highlights and detailed progress reports

l. Monitor, report, and take necessary measures to ensure that the construction complies with the activity’s Environmental Mitigation & Monitoring Plan (EMMP) and include this information in periodic reports as well as in final reports

m. Maintain library of project construction records which include, but are not limited to, shop drawings, submittals for materials, warranties, product literature, photos, videos, and maintenance procedures; such documentation will be submitted to USAID and become official activity records

n. Draft correspondence, certificates, notices and instructions

o. Monitor and track procurement process of long lead-time equipment by construction contractors

p. Assist the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and provide recommendations in carrying out inspection services for implementation, equipment installation, construction, and contract administration

q. Assess any proposed changes to drawings and specifications and provide technical recommendations

r. Document as-built conditions and prepare or review as-built drawings. As-built documents shall become part of the activity official records

s. Inspect completed works to verify compliance with construction contracts, specifications, and drawings

t. Review construction service contractors’ payment invoices and recommend actions

u. Promptly review construction service contractor claims for extensions of time, payments of extra work, and other similar matters and provide recommendations to the COR

v. Assist with claims and requests for equitable adjustment, such as providing expert testimony

w. Play a major role in the review analysis and in making recommendations to USAID in the event of a possible claim or litigation between the Government and the construction contractors. In the event of litigation or any alternative process between the said parties for the resolution of claims undertaken or defended by USAID, provide expert opinion and recommendations to protect USAID interests such as preparing for and serving as a witness in any public or private hearing or other forum related to projects

x. Review operations, maintenance, and financing plan with stakeholders during construction.

Indicate aspects of construction that may require stakeholder maintenance, repair, or replacement. Verify that such plans support adaptive management to deal with unexpected situations

y. Indicate aspects of construction that may require stakeholder maintenance, repair, or replacement.

z. Provide photo records of construction activities; and also maintain video records of construction, particularly when critical milestones are being achieved in order to record progress

aa. Provide independent professional recommendations to USAID for any potential external (i.e.

climate change, political unrest, natural disasters, etc.) or internal (i.e. unstable soil conditions, poor quality of materials, bad water quality, etc.) risk posed to the project.

bb. In a Cooperative Agreement, Host Country Contract or G2G, the A/E Firm must do an over-the shoulder check of the IP’s QA/QC and provide comments back to USAID.

5.1.5 Commissioning Services

Upon completion of construction activities, and ideally performed before owner acceptance, the new facilities must follow a process intended to ensure that all building systems, including sustainable building technologies, are installed properly and perform in accordance with the design and that the as-builts are consistent with the owner’s project requirements. An assessment of the tenants’ and operators’ capacity to operate and maintain the new facility must take place, and adequate training must be provided to guarantee optimal and long utilization of the facilities.

This stage also covers the necessary knowledge transfer that must coincide with the transfer of ownership of the new construction. The contractor may be required to coordinate with end-users and operators of the new facility to determine what level of risk is acceptable during operations and maintenance, and when to implement measures to mitigate risks that are beyond the established tolerance.

The knowledge transfer can be in the form of training sessions, operations and maintenance plans, and user manuals. These should consider and address climate risks which may manifest over the lifetime of the infrastructure.

The contractor may be required to provide commissioning services to include, but not limited to:

a. Develop and/or verify final system manuals with local tenants, owners and facility stakeholders as the audience, ensuring language and technical concepts are appropriate for the local context

b. Assist USAID in keeping track of the status of warranties and guarantees for all awarded construction contracts

c. Analyze, evaluate, and/or prepare final plans and procedures for maintenance, operations, and financing of facilities, using the appropriate format (i.e. printed, videos, charts), and language (i.e. local language. English)

d. Prepare recommendations and draft documentation for acceptance of equipment, construction, and installation work

e. Prepare, review, or implement training programs, such as in the areas of operations, maintenance, costs, fee collection, financing, and logistics

f. Prepare commissioning plan and close-out schedule with cooperation of the construction contractor

g. Provide expertise in conducting the necessary inspections and determine the remaining works to be completed

h. Provide inspection services to verify completion of all work in accordance with construction contract specifications (during periods for the remedy of project defects)

i. Issue Certificates of Substantial or Final Completion to USAID (when construction works are satisfactorily completed, and in coordination with USAID)

j. Review, certify, and ensure that as-built drawings as well as any other documentation required in the construction contracts are submitted properly

k. Ensure any training manuals for equipment are properly handled and provided to the owner (in cases of complex items, train the owner’s staff, monitor installation, verify working conditions, and advise USAID on all transactions and material transfers)

l. Review any required operations, maintenance, and financing plans prepared by others, and provide recommendations to USAID

5.2 Cross-Cutting Requirements

The following services cross multiple stages of the construction process. Contractors shall address the following cross-cutting requirements on their own or in combination with other services.

5.2.1. Environmental Compliance

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 117, as amended, requires that the impact of USAID’s activities on the environment be considered and that USAID include environmental sustainability as a central consideration in designing and carrying out its development programs.

The mandate is codified in Federal Regulations (22 CFR 216) and USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) part 204.

The Contractors must develop recommendations, and prepare all plans and designs in such a manner that the construction implementation activities prevent and minimize the pollution of air, water, or land; to plan and implement preventative and effective noise and dust control measures;

and to safeguard the other parameters of the environment and to protect the health and safety of people. All work, recommendations and designs must be performed in accordance with all applicable US and host country environmental laws and regulations and in accordance with the environmental requirements and mitigation measures for individual TOs. Where there is a conflict between U.S. and host country law, the requirements more protective of health and the environment will be used. In no case will the requirements be less stringent than those required by US law and regulation.

Contractors must base environmental aspects of their work under each TO on mitigation measures and environmental guidelines provided by USAID under the respective RFTOP issued.

The guidelines may include an environmental mitigation and monitoring checklist that would be completed and will also describe procedures for supervising construction activities to ensure that identified mitigation measures have been addressed as planned. For each TO, the Contractor must identify the appropriate Environmental requirement to be implemented during construction execution by a third party. If there is a conflict, the requirements of the Attachment J.6, “Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)” take precedence over this section.

5.2.2. Climate Risk Concerns

The contractors will be encouraged to pursue solutions that support USAID’s efforts to build climate resilience and move towards “low carbon” economic growth in developing countries.

The contractors, before implementation of any intervention, will identify short- and long-term adverse impacts of climate change and support USAID to integrate appropriate adaptation and resilience measures into the planned activities. Impacts of climate change include increases in temperatures, more frequent extreme precipitation and heat events, more severe droughts, and increased wildfire activity, along with other impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. The Contractor will identify and incorporate appropriate climate risk mitigation considerations so that infrastructure is resilient to expected climate impacts such as flooding, increased drought, more intense storms, etc. This will include potential impacts on the location (siting), functionality and sustainability of resulting infrastructure and infrastructure services. It might also involve identification of relevant data sets and gaps, review of local building standards and codes for adequacy; and determination of safety factors or other measures of uncertainty that will be carried through design.

In addition, the contractors will identify and incorporate opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions and increase energy efficiency of the intended infrastructure interventions. Infrastructure design and construction will look to promote the use of clean technology and expansion of green practices when appropriate.

In terms of climate risk, continuous monitoring needs to be undertaken. Additionally, it is encouraged that the Contractors promote the participation of local firms or professionals during the QA/Construction Oversight phase, so technical capacity is developed in the local market.

5.2.3 Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)

Women and men have unique uses for infrastructure and benefit from it - including in its construction, operation and management - in different ways. The Contractor should ensure USAID infrastructure investments support women’s access to services, facilities and activities, increase women's economic opportunities, encourage women to take up decision making and leadership roles and empower women. At a minimum, ensure that women and men benefit equitably from all infrastructural developments of activities to avoid exacerbating gender inequalities and ensure protection of female from any forms of gender-based violence. This means designing infrastructure that meet the needs of girls, persons with disabilities (PWDs), women and men: patterns of usage and priorities, ensuring that the designs of facilities explicitly recognize their differences and eliminates social exclusion and discrimination.

During construction, the A/E if in the role of CMC, must ensure gender equity and equality at the worksite. Attention to gender issues at this stage is still critical, particularly in regard to sexual harassment at worksites. Appropriate remedial action needs to be taken if such incidents occur.

It may be advisable to include sexual harassment prevention training as part of the project. Such gender-based violence activities may include strict working hours not flexible for single mothers, inappropriate PPE, insufficient lighting, poor toilet facilities, etc. ,

5.2.4 Sustainable Construction

Sustainable Construction focuses more on the built environment and surrounding ecosystems, during the design phase, construction phase and during the operational life cycle of the infrastructure. The Contractor will identify ways in which Sustainable Construction approaches can be used to improve both technical performance and appropriateness of USAID funded infrastructure.

Technical performance includes interventions to improve energy efficiency, water consumption, and materials consumption. Appropriateness is how the project aligns with community goals and how the project supports responsible development that integrates with existing systems from a social, environmental, cultural, and economic perspective. Developing local ownership is an important part of community engagement.

Conflict sensitivity and do no harm: Ensure that project activities are maximizing positive and constructive dynamics in the context and communities in which they operate, and not exacerbating negative or destructive dynamics. A conflict sensitive approach reflects understanding of the context in which the project will operate, the interaction between the proposed intervention and that context, and innovative thinking to avoid negative impacts and maximize positive ones.

5.2.5 Capacity Building and Training

Well-educated and experienced populations are essential to achieving self-reliance for countries and communities. USAID supports partnering countries in developing stable, resilient, and prosperous growth through various activities. Building the capacity of partner countries by training host country entities and using local labor to accomplish the tasks of infrastructure activities is one-way USAID supports this path to self-reliance. As such, task holders are required to incorporate capacity building into its strategy in executing the requirements of this contract. At a minimum, the Contractor will seek to build local infrastructure capacity by engaging local engineering firms, expertise, and institutions. Services procured under the IDIQ may include training of technical personnel within host country institutions on a variety of infrastructure development sectors and technical areas.

It is also critical to encourage the training of women engineers and facilitate the participation of women in workforce development across all infrastructure sectors in order to increase the overall accessibility of infrastructure. Entry points for women’s role in infrastructure can be activities such as participating in the management of infrastructure services (water associations and road maintenance committees, boards of rural power utilities etc.). Infrastructure programs can target women in training sessions for new agricultural technologies; promote technologies that improve women-related agricultural tasks; and use women role models in training sessions.

In addition, the project can also build the capacity of local entities to understand the effects and risks associated with climate change, and how to design mitigation plans.

To support the development goals of USAID A&E activities, the contractor may be required to provide A&E related capacity building and training services to include:

a. Hold training seminars associated with construction

b. Provide on-the-job training during the design, construction, supervision and maintenance activities

c. Hold weekly meetings during construction with construction contractors and workers to discuss lessons learned and opportunities for improvement

d. Procure and manage Grants Under Contract (GUC) mechanisms to provide capacity building support or other services. GUCs cannot include architect and engineering, design or construction services as defined in the Brooks Act and FAR Part 2 and Part 36.

e. Develop manuals and guides, such as training manuals, construction guides, and equipment guides

f. Provide training courses and refresher courses regarding operations and maintenance

g. Develop projections of the cost to operate and maintain infrastructure investments and provide training sessions on the methodology for developing these costs

h. Facilitate discussions between maintenance and operations workers from multiple cities

i. Create educational banners, posters, and flyers in accordance with USAID branding and marking rules

j. Train local educators to serve as construction trainers

k. Assist in providing construction oversight jointly with a local construction firm to identify potential construction issues in a way that contributes to the capacity of the local firm

l. Tour safe construction sites or existing infrastructure with students from local universities or schools

m. Tour infrastructure…