A12-Synopsis_20R0048.pdf

NOTE: THIS IS A SYNOPSIS, NOT A SOLICITATION. SPECIFICATIONS ARE NOT

AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME; THEREFORE NO QUESTIONS OF A TECHNICAL OR

CONTRACTUAL NATURE WILL BE ACCEPTED OR ANSWERED UNTIL THE

SOLICITATION IS ISSUED. INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS SYNOPSIS IS

SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

This will be an UNRESTRICTED procurement. All qualified business concerns may submit proposals.

NAICS: 523910. Total value is estimated to be more than $10,000,000.00.

The New Orleans District, US Army Corps of Engineers (CEMVN) described, evaluated and updated its plan to mitigate for unavoidable habitat losses caused by the construction of the Comite River Diversion (Comite) Project and the East Baton Rouge Parish Flood Risk Management (EBR) Project in Environmental Assessment #576. CEMVN seeks to purchase Bottomland Hardwood (BLH) mitigation bank credits located in the Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River Basin watersheds, as specified below.

As part of CEMVN’s plan to mitigate for unavoidable impacts to BLH habitat caused by the construction of the Comite and EBR Projects, CEMVN will purchase BLH mitigation bank credits able to mitigate impacts in the Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River Basins. The bank(s) from which credits will be purchased will be selected through a competitive solicitation/award process. Any mitigation bank meeting the eligibility requirements and having the appropriate resource type of credits may submit a proposal to sell credits.

CEMVN may enter into one or more contracts to purchase the needed amount of mitigation credits. A separate contract shall be executed for each bank credit purchase. CEMVN may purchase fewer credits than the total mitigation need. In order for the CEMVN to acquire the credits needed to satisfy its mitigation obligations, the CEMVN may accept proposals from one or more offerors, resulting in the lowest cost combination that fulfills the mitigation requirements and is the best value to the Government, as determined by the CEMVN. Award will be based on lowest price.

The CEMVN desires to acquire BLH credits in the amount and type specified below:

BLH credits representing up to 319 Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHUs) to mitigate for impacts caused or to be caused by the construction of the Comite Project.

BLH credits representing up to 383 AAHUs to mitigate for impacts caused or to be caused by the construction of the EBR Project.

A mitigation bank must meet all of the following qualifications to be eligible to sell credits to satisfy the Comite and EBR Projects’ mitigation requirements. For the proposal to be considered responsive and for the offeror to be considered responsible, the mitigation bank shall:

• be approved by CEMVN and in full compliance with its Mitigation Banking Instrument (MBI), its other legal instruments (such as its conservation servitude and its financial assurances) and the standards set forth in 33 CFR Part 332; and

• be physically located within the Lake Pontchartrain or Mississippi River Basins, which together are coextensive with Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs); 08090203, 08090202, 08090201, 08070205, 08070204, 08070203, 08070202, and 08070201; and

• provide the habitat type that matches the habitat type being mitigated; and

• have available mitigation credits assessed using version 1.2 of the Bottomland

Hardwood Forest Wetland Value Assessment (WVA) Community Model to compensate for the impacts to the particular habitat to be mitigated; and

• have a duly-recorded perpetual conservation servitude/easement.

Models used for Civil Works projects are required to be certified by Headquarters USACE Model Certification Panel and comply with the certification criteria presented in EC 1105-2-

412. Version 1.2 of the WVA BLH Community Model has been certified and was used to assess construction impacts. Accordingly, this model was used to assess compensatory mitigation credit values.

To facilitate the solicitation process, CEMVN, in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has run version 1.2 of the WVA on the approved banks in the Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River Basins with available BLH credits based on information provided by the bank sponsors during the bank approval process. The Value Model results will be included in the solicitation package.

All requests for information as well as any questions pertaining to this solicitation shall be submitted in writing via email to Anedra Baldwin at anedra.a.baldwin@usace.army.mil or Christopher M Nuccio at christopher.m.nuccio@usace.army.mil before the deadline shown on the solicitation.

NAICS: 523910. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued on or about 14 July 2020, with a proposal due date established. Actual issue date will be shown when the solicitation is issued. The solicitation documents for this procurement will be posted on the beta.SAM.gov website and can be accessed from a link located on this beta.SAM.gov website. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader for .pdf files (www.adobe.com) in order to open most files posted by the CEMVN. You are encouraged, for marketing purposes, to register as an Interested Vendor on Beta.sam.gov.

A prospective Offeror must be registered with the Beta System for Award Management (SAM), including the NAICS code they are bidding under, in order to submit a proposal and receive a Government contract award. To register, the beta.SAM Internet address is:

https://beta.sam.gov. The Contract Specialist for this procurement is Anedra Baldwin at 504- 862-1754; or by e-mail at anedra.a.baldwin@usace.army.mil.

mailto:edith.m.brandon@usace.army.mil mailto:christopher.m.nuccio@usace.army.mil mailto:edith.m.brandon@usace.army.mil