SOW_R9EV_CompAudits-2016-04-07.doc

STATEMENT OF WORK

For Forest Service R9 Environmental Compliance Audits and Post Audit Corrective Action Assistance

1. GENERAL

The scope of this Request for Quotation and any subsequent Task Orders is to secure services to perform two separate tasks for multiple Forest Service administrative units: 1) Environmental Compliance Audits and 2) Optional Post Audit Corrective Action Assistance. Any Task Orders for this requirement will be issued under Environmental Services - GSA Federal Supply Schedule 899 . The Award Contractor(s) shall provide all personnel, labor, equipment, safety and personal protective equipment, materials, supervision, and transportation needed to perform the necessary contract management, environmental compliance audits, post audit assistance, and associated deliverables in accordance with the base GSA Environmental Services Schedule 899 and these specific Task Orders.

The performance period for this contract is from the date of contract award until September 30, 2017 with an option, at the Forest Service’s discretion, for continued performance of services of the optional provisions below within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. The total extension of performance, if excercised, shall not exceed an additional forty eight (48) months. The Forest Service may exercise these options by giving written notice to the Contractor (within 60 days of the expected audit start date).

2. PROJECT LOCATION

This contract and the activities described herein apply to the following locations and dates:

Forest

(States included in audit)

The Forest Service may require continued performance of services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. The activities listed below are optional provisions, and the total extension of performance hereunder if excercised shall not exceed forty eight (48) months. The Forest Service may exercise these options by giving written notice to the Contractor (within 60 days of the expected audit start date).

Houghton, MI

1 Note: Offerors must provide a Firm, Fixed Price Contract Line Item with cost elements of unit price per day for each forest in their initial Quote. All charges are on a Per Day basis, with the Per Day price being an “all in price” including all travel and expenses. Note that Contractor Personnel Travel will be required prior to the first day of audit, so that the work onsite can begin at the opening of business on the days scheduled.

2 Optional Post Audit Corrective Action Assistance Dates: Offerors must provide five (5) working days of post audit corrective action assistance on each site, offered and priced as part of the single, Firm, Fixed Price Optional Not-To-Exceed Contract Line Item which includes cost elements of a unit price per day for each forest for these optional services. All charges are on a Per Day basis, with the Per Day price being an “all in price” including all travel and expenses. Note that Contractor Personnel Travel will be required prior to the first day of post audit activties, so that the work onsite can begin at the opening of business on the days scheduled.

3. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY

3.1. Facilities Inventory

The Contractor shall be furnished a listing of the pertinent facilities and structures, etc. identified by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for assessment.

3.2. Management Information

“Management Information” includes but is not limited to:

(1) Organization and structure of the Administrative Units.

(2) Location of files relevant to the audit.

(3) Data gathered by the Forest Service from prior external and/or internal audits or any other pertinent compliance assessment data.

3.3.

US TEAM Guide and State Supplements

The Contractor shall use the US TEAM Guide (The Environmental Assessment Manual) developed by US ARMY Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USACERL), FS Supplemental developed by USACERL, and the State Supplement developed by USACERL for conducting audits. Electronic copies of checklists developed from the TEAM Guide for each Forest Unit will be provided in MicroSoft Excel. The checklists shall be used as a guide only, and do not represent all applicable regulations, codes, and policies. Printed and/or electronic versions or copies of the TEAM Guide, the State Supplements, the Forest Service Manual (FSM) and Forest Service Handbook (FSH), and other technical documents developed by the Forest Service may be used as field references by the Contractor for convenience but with coordination with the COR.

3.4.

Itinerary

Audit - The COR will provide the Contractor a tentative itinerary of sites to be visited during the audit, in advance of the site visit. Travel on Sunday and Friday afternoons/evenings may be required. Audits begin Tuesday morning (unless specified differently in the table provided in section 2.0 Project Location) and conclude with an exit briefing by noon on Friday.

Post Audit Assistance – The schedule and level of effort for the post audit assitance will be dependant on the number and types of findings documented during the audit. The number of days and type of work will be detrermined by the COR after completion of the audit.

3.5.

Computer Folder and File Structure

The COR shall provide the Contractor the general structure and hierarchy of electronic folders and files, including naming and filing conventions for the final deliverables.

3.6.

Work Area and Internet Access.

During the facility audits, the Forest Service will strive to provide a work area for the Contractor’s audit team to work but no Forest Service computer system access is offered. If a work area is unavailable for any reason, it will fall to the Contractor to provide their own if needed at no additional expense to the Government.

4. KEY PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

Key Personnel must have training and/or experience in working with and communicating with people. Prior familiarity with facilities and/or environmental compliance issues within the forest service is desirable, but not required. At least one audit team member must be present for the post audit assistance portion of the project to provide first hand knowledge of required corrective actions.

4.1. Audit Personnel

The audit team for each administrative unit compliance audit will consist of at least two individuals; a Lead Auditor and a Second Auditor. The Contractor’s personnel are expected to explain the non-compliance and regulatory issues to any accompanying Forest Service personnel as the issues are identified and assist FS personnel with the correction of any findings that can be fixed immediately on site. Either the lead auditor or second auditor must be a CHMM and the CHMM must participate in the post audit assistance (see section 4.2 Post Audit Assistance Personnel). The Contractor shall also provide backup personel for each team member to fill in for the primary members in the event one of them cannot attend.

4.1.1. Lead Auditor

4.1.1.1. Extensive experience in environmental compliance auditing, as demonstrated by years of experience and nationally-recognized certification(s) and accredidation(s) as Environmental Compliance Lead Auditor. Experience with land management agencies environmental compliance auditing desirable but not required..

4.1.1.2. Extensive knowledge of the environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Oil Pollution Act (OPA), Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabiltiy Act (CERCLA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA).

4.1.1.3. Moderate knowledge of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) primarily in the areas of hazard communication and hazardous materials.

4.1.1.4. Experience with USACERL TEAM Guide.

4.1.1.5. Sufficient knowledge of small to large water and wastewater systems so that can identify system deficiencies.

4.1.1.6. Proficient in computer operations.

4.1.2. Second Auditor

4.1.2.1. Experience in environmental compliance auditing

4.1.2.2. Basic knowledge of the environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Oil Pollution Act (OPA), Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabiltiy Act (CERCLA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA).

4.1.2.3. Basic knowledge of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) primarily in the areas of hazard communication and hazardous materials.

4.1.2.4. Experience with USACERL TEAM Guide.

4.2. Post-Audit Assistance Personnel

The post audit assistance personnel for each administrative unit will consist of one individual that participated in the entire unit audit. Personnel must have training and/or experience in working with and communicating with people.

The Contractor shall provide “on-site” services at a location(s) convenient to the work sites, in most cases this is assumed to be the same location as the Supervisor’s Office of each administrative unit. All Contractor on-site personnel performing post audit corrective action assistance must be Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM), and have extensive knowledge of the environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the identification, classification, storage, management, documentation of, and recycling or Disposal of materials including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Clean Air Act (CAA); Clean Water Act (CWA); Oil Pollution Act (OPA); Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); Pollution Prevention Act (PPA); Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the areas of Hazardous Materials storage and fire protection; and Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Hazardous Materials Regulations.

4.3. Staff Approval

The COR will approve the Contractor personnel for each task . It is solely within the COR’s discretion as to whether or not a particular individual has the appropriate experience. Offerors must submit credentials for key personnel as part of their proposal. At a minimum, this includes the Lead Auditor and Post Audit Assistance Personnel.

No substitution of Key Personnel will be permissable without COR preapproval, so offerors should only propose Key Personnel who are reasonably expected to be available to perform each task . In submitting a proposal, the Contractor agrees that any staff substitution that is not approved, in writing, by the COR will presumptively be grounds for Task Order Termination for Convenience of the Government. Where an unavoidable staff substitution is required and proposed, the substitute must be similarly or better qualified (in skills and experience) than the staff person being replaced. Contractor also agrees that an approved staff substitution will not result in any increased cost to the Government, either in pay rate or in the Firm, Fixed, Price established for completion of the entire Task Order.

5. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

The following specifications outline the work, in general, as currently foreseen by the Government for completing the Environmental Compliance Audits and Post Audit Assistance. However, the Government reserves the right to modify the activity based on: new statutes or regulations; other changed conditions or standards; the professional advice of the awarded Contractor, or other extenuating circumstances as may arise.

Work under this activity shall be accomplished as follows:

5.1.

Pre-Field Audit Work

5.1.1.

Coordination with the COR

(a) Prior to the field audit and after the COR’s pre-audit briefing to the administrative unit the Contractor’s Project Manager shall coordinate with the COR to review protocol issues affecting the forest, including:

(i) Current environmental plans and programs

(ii) Hazardous materials and waste management

(iii) Recycling program

(iv) Underground/Above Ground storage tank status

(v) Drinking water and wastewater program

(vi) Review of Forest facilities inventory data

(vii) Facility assessment schedule and procedures

(viii) Unusual or unique environmental considerations

(b) The information obtained through this coordination shall be organized and conveyed by the Contractor’s Project Manager to all Contractor assessment team personnel to facilitate their understanding of the Administrative Unit. This information, along with State and local regulations of concern, and any other information provided to the assessment teams for purposes of conducting audits, shall be provided at least seven (7) days prior to start of each assessment.

5.1.2.

Data Collection

(a) The Contractor will search the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State Public Health, Environment and other Databases to determine if there are issues that the Forest Service may not be aware but have the attention of the regulatory community. At a minimum this will be an ECHO, CERCLIS (SEMS), RCRIS, TRI Reporting, and SDWIS data pulls. The results of the data pulls shall be made available to the COR and other designated Forest Service representatives, and the audit team during the facility audit.

5.1.3.

Logistics

(a) The Contractor shall make all the necessary travel, transportation, and hotel arrangements for all Contractor personnel.

5.2.

Facility Audits/Field Work 5.2.1.

Access Prior to performing audits, the Contractor shall coordinate arrival and departure times with the COR or designated Forest Service representative. A Forest Service representative will accompany the Contractor during all facility audits.

5.2.2.

Procedure The Contractor shall conduct the audits in accordance with the Forest Service Assessment Procedures/ Protocols. The on-site assessment shall be based on record search, interviews, and visual site surveys using federal, state, local regulations, and Forest Service policy as basis for findings. A daily compilation of findings shall be reviewed with the Forest Service representative at the end of each day to determine how the audit is proceeding. All work products shall be prominently stamped “DRAFT”.

The following are the major components of facility audits:

· Administrative Unit Entrance Conference

· On-site Assessment using protocol (preparation of findings)

· Interviews

· Records Review

· Visual survey of Facilities

· Onsite training of Forest Service personnel

· Daily reviews of field observations (list of findings at each facility)

· Written Findings

· Administrative Unit Exit Conference

5.2.3.

Findings The Contractor shall conduct a representative audit of records including plans, permits, manifests, files, and reports, and a statistical inspection of facilities (based on COR guidance at each site), grounds and activities. Forest Service personnel will accompany Contractors. The Contractor shall discuss the findings with Forest Service personnel (for training purposes) as they are observed and document all findings using field written notes and digital photographs. THE CONTRACTOR WILL ASSIST FS PERSONNEL WITH CORRECTION ACTION OF ANY FINDINGS THAT CAN BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY ON SITE. All findings and associated photographs shall be documented and provided to the Governement in hard copy and electronic format as part of the Final Draft Report.

As a minimum each finding shall include the following:

· Detailed Location

· Finding Date

· Assessor

· Score (Signifigant, Major, Minor, Compliant)

· Status(open or closed)

· Protocol Regulatory reference (Code/Requirement)

· Protocol Item Number (if applicable)

· Specific description of finding along with a preliminary root cause determination.

· Recommended corrective action

· Pictures of associated finding (attached)

The contractor shall document best management work practices and/or corrective actions taken by the unit to address previous findings.

The contractor shall also indicate if any current finding was documented in a previous audit (if provided). If the current finding(s) are substantially the same as historical audit findings, the audit report shall document that finding as a “recurring finding”.

5.3.

Geographic Scope and Duration of Audit Field Work

The visual survey of facilities is not intended to be a comprehensive inspection. The survey is meant to be a representative sampling of the types of facilities and activities of which an administrative unit is involved. The itinerary will identify the approximate number and type of facilities to be included in the audit including recreation areas, work centers, research labs, etc. The number of facilities varies based on the size and complexity of the administrative unit. Fieldwork typically begins on the first day of the audit at 10:00 AM and ends at noon Thursday. The audit schedule may require long drive times at the beginning and end of the day and/or multiple lodging locations.

5.4.

Digital Photographs Digital photographs will be taken when appropriate to provide finding related information that will facilitate execution of the reporting portion of this contract (i.e., to aid in corrective action estimate preparation). Digital photos will be used in the exit conference, and shall be turned over to the COR upon submission of the final draft report requirement. All digital photos will be included in the Final CD-ROM deliverable. Photo shall be a minimum of 10 megapixel in RAW format. All photos shall be sorted by site and saved in separate electronic directories.

5.5.

Audit Briefings The COR will invite Forest Service personnel to attend the Entrance and Exit Conference. The Contractor shall discuss the specific format of these meetings with the COR and shall use a PowerPoint presentation, slides, view graphs, and handouts as appropriate. The Contractor will also maintain a list of attendees. All information shall be reviewed with the COR prior to the briefing presentation. Any briefing may include use of videoteleconferencing (VTC). Where VTC is required or desired, the USFS will provide, set up, and operate all VTC equipment. Contractor personnel will be expected to participate in any VTC briefing at the same level of involvement & effort as a traditional, in-persontype briefing.

5.5.1.

Entrance Conference.

The Contractor, with coordination from the COR, shall conduct an entrance conference. The entrance conference for the Unit is usually conducted the first day of the audit and shall not exceed one hour. Additional entrance conferences may be conducted during the week for the site personnel. The Contractor will be responsible for perparing agenda, taking notes during the conference and submitting a meeting summary to the COR. A typical Entrance Conference might include content related to the following:

· Goals of the Environmental Compliance Program, emphasizing identification of potential violations, the advantages of a proactive approach to preclude future problems and the value of the assessment as a management and budgeting tool

· Introduction of the Audit Personnel

· Introduction of appropriate Forest Service personnel

· Protocol Areas to be covered during the Audit

· Common Findings & Training on Solutions

· Audit procedures

· Itinerary review

· A brief description of the schedule of projected milestones including the date, time, and location of the exit conference, and the date of the final draft report submission 5.5.2.

Exit Conference.

Upon completion of the fieldwork, the Contractor shall conduct an Exit Conference to share assessment findings and observations with the COR and Administrative Unit personnel. The Exit Conference is typically conducted on Friday Morning and shall not exceed two hours. Photos, which visually convey a summary of the site assessment, shall be used. Photos in the PowerPoint presentation shall be compressed for web/screen resolution.

The exit conference shall include a summary of current finding(s) and findings that appear to be recurring. A slide with the top ten or most important Recommendations to focus on shall be provided.

The Contractor will be responsible for perparing agenda, taking notes during the conference and submitting a meeting summary to the COR. The exit conference shall also include a summary of any positive best practices noted during the audit. A slide highlighting positive best practices shall be included in the exit conference presentation. A question and answer period shall conclude the briefing.

5.6.

Audit Deliverables and Timing.

5.6.1.

Preliminary Draft Audit Summary.

At the conclusion of the Exit Conference the Contractor shall provide the COR and Administrative Unit personnel a copy of a Preliminary Draft Audit Summary in both hard copy and editable electronic format. The summary shall contain the following:

· Introduction – Purpose, Objectives, Audit Coverage, and Assessed Facilities

· Summary of Finding for Each Protocol Area

· Top ten or most important Recommendations – The 10 most important things to focus on, as presented during the Exit Conference.

5.6.2.

Exit Conference Presentations.

Editable electronic copies of all presentations and handouts shall be provided to the COR at the Exit Conference either on a USB drive or CD-ROM.

5.6.3.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC).

Prior to submittal of draft findings the Contractor shall conduct an independent review of the findings to determine if the correct protocol question was utilized, whether the finding condition statement adequately describes what the auditors found, consistency between auditors, consistency with previous audits, whether the recommended solution is appropriate and has a pollution prevention component. The Contractor is also responsible for ensuring that a QA/QC is completed prior to submitting the final Draft Report to the COR.

5.6.4.

Submittal of Draft Findings.

The draft findings and Darft Report shall be submitted electronically to the COR within fourteen (14) working days (unless a longer time period is negotiated) after completion of the field visit. The file shall be compressed and submitted to the COR via a Contractor provided file transfer protocol website or a CD-ROM if necessary depending on the file size and Forest Service email limitations. The COR will consolidate all Forest Service comments and return them within twenty (20) working days, unless a longer time period is negotiated. Forest Service comments will be provided either on a hard copy of the draft findings or in a Microsoft Word document using track changes. The Contractor must address all comments submitted by the COR.

5.6.5.

Submittal of The Final Draft Report For Review.

A Final Draft Report shall be submitted to the COR within ten (10) working days after the COR returns comments on the draft findings. The Final Draft Report shall be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format. The Forest Service will have ten (10) working days to review the draft report, unless a longer time period is negotiated. The Contractor shall address all comments provided by the COR and submit the revised Final Draft Report to the COR within ten (10) working days after receiving the COR comments. The COR will then prepare for the Contractor a transmittal letter, and a distribution list of the Forest Service personnel that will receive the final deliverables. Electronic copies of the transmittal letter will be provided to the Contractor for inclusion in the final deliverables.

5.7.

Final Draft Audit Report Organization

The Final Draft Report shall be organized as follows: (Note the COR will consider alternate report organizations and content if the Contractor wishes to propose modification to the organization below).

Section 1.0 - Introduction

This section shall cover the following:

· Introduction.

· Overall Audit Purpose.

· Objective of the Audit.

· Items Covered in the Conduct of the Audit.

· How the Audit Was Conducted.

· Findings Scoring Methodology.

· Audit Coverage.

· Audit Team Members.

· Summarize compliance trends (progress, neutral, or decline) if historical info is available

Section 2.0 – Summary of Findings

This section will include short paragraphs regarding the findings identified in each of the protocol areas and a Finding Distribution table. Include a preliminary root cause determination. This section will also include paragraph(s) regarding the occurrence of repeat/recurrent finding(s) documented in past audits. This paragraph will provide a conclusion regarding the effectiveness of historical corrective action(s) based on these findings.

Section 3.0 – Follow-up Actions

This section will include the following:

· A review of findings and recommendations.

· Repeat/recurrent findings and trend evaluation and analysis

· Implementation of Corrective Actions and

· Top ten or most important Recommendations

Section 4.0 – Detailed Findings

This section will include full descriptions of each facility noncompliance finding including:

· Written description of finding.

· Findings shall be organized by administrative unit, by site, and by protocol. Multiple findings of the same type shall be presented in a list rather than separately.

· The recommended solution to address the finding. Pollution Prevention alternatives shall be identified wherever possible. Alternative(s) shall be included for the correction of each cost related deficiency (versus a deficiency which can be corrected solely through management action). Format and organization for this section shall be per the COR.

· Findings based on best management practices will also be provided. Management practice recommendations are not based on regulatory requirements. They are strictly management practices that will enhance an administrative unit’s environmental program. Items appropriate for this priority classification include: risk reductions issues (e.g. hazardous waste minimization) and good industry practices.

· Photos taken during the audit that demonstrate the issue of noncompliance, and that will help identify the location of the finding or assist with a corrective action. Finding sheets with photos shall be printed in color for the final deliverables, as noted below. Print resolution shall be a minimum of 200 dpi.

5.7.1.

Submission Binders For Final Draft Report Deliverable The submission of the Final Draft Report deliverable shall be in 3-ring binders with clear plastic pockets on the spine and front cover. The Contractor shall prepare inserts for the spine and cover. The following information will appear on the cover and spine inserts: report title, organizational units audited, dates during which the audit was conducted, and USDA and Forest Service logos. The Contractor’s name and logo (if any) may appear on the cover only. Sample inserts will be provided by the Contractor and approved by the COR before the first report is finalized.

5.7.1.1.

Chapter and Subchapter Dividers Dividers separating each section will be provided. Each divider will describe the contents of the following section. The dividers will be of thicker paper stock.

5.7.2 CD-ROM For Final Deliverable

The final deliverable CD-ROM will contain the final draft report as a Microsoft Word document, all presentations, all findings, and all photos taken. The COR will provide the format for the CD-ROM.

5.8.

Audit Deliverable Format and Number of Copies The Forest Service will provide the Contractor with a transmittal letter that shall be included in the front cover of each hard copy report and also electronically on the CD-ROM. The Contractor is responsible for the production and distribution of the final deliverables. Final deliverables shall be sent by overnight delivery to the Forest Service personnel on the distribution list supplied by the COR.

Final deliverables shall include the following:

· One (1) CD will be provided to the COR containing all of the information gathered and presented during the audit.

· Four (4) CD’s containing all of the information gathered and presented during the audit shall be mailed to the personnel listed on the distribution list.

· One (1) Hard copy, in binder, of the Final Draft Report shall be provided to the COR. Provide color copies of the Detailed Findings Sheets.

· Four (4) Hard copies, in binders, of the Final Draft Report shall be mailed to the personnel listed on the distribution list. Provide color copies of the Detailed Findings Sheets.

5.9.

Post Audit Corrective Action Assistance 5.9.1 The schedule and level of effort for the post audit assitance will be dependant on the number and types of findings documented during the audit. The type of work will be determined by the COR after completion of the audit. For cost estimating, provide a five (5) working days of post audit work, include travel to each station. Make up of days may vary at each site. Provide a unit price per day for each forest with original proposal.

The Contractor shall coordinate with the COR within ten (10) working days after the submittal of the Final Draft Audit Report to determine the number of days and type of activities to be included in the post audit assistance. The type of work could include:

· Classify and quantify Hazardous Materials (product) and Wastes, and identify “green” alternatives;

· In consultation with a Forest Service representative, identify which Hazardous Materials and Wastes will be kept and which will be disposed of. Ensure items are appropriately labeled;

· Prepare biddable schedules (lists) for Disposal items;

· Working with a Forest Service representative, ensure remaining Hazardous Materials are properly stored to the extent storage capacity is present;

· Based on Hazardous Materials that must be stored and used, identify any additional storage needs;

· Prepare or update the Region 9 Environmental Compliance Checklists for each District and prepare or update any needed draft corrective action plans;

· Update, as needed, Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans, Emergency Spill Response Plans for Hazardous Material spills, or other Environmental Plans as required;

· Train Forest Service employees to assist them in maintaining unit compliance. Specific environmental training will be based on the audit findings but could include:

· Hazardous waste management

· Emergency spill response

· SPCC/UST

· CAA, CWA, EPCRA, TSCA, CERCLA, FIFRA requirements specific to the Forest Unit as applicable.

5.9.2 Upon completion of the post audit assistance, the contractor shall document post audit activities in a letter report. The Report shall include the dates and personnel involved, a list of accomplishments to include references to specific audit findings, and a list of any required follow up actions. The Draft Letter Report shall be provided to the COR within ten (10) working days of the completion of on site activities. The Draft Letter Report shall be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format. The Forest Service will have ten (10) working days to review the draft report, unless a longer time period is negotiated. The Contractor shall address all comments provided by the COR and submit the revised Final Letter Report to the COR within ten (10) working days after receiving the COR comments; one (1) hardcopy and one (1) electronic copy in Microsoft Word format (as an email attachment).

6. PROJECT WORK PLANS AND COST

The Contractor shall provide the Government with a project work plan and firm fixed price for each administrative units audit and post audit assistance in the statement of work and a unit price per day for each administrative unit. Award will be made on a per administrative unit basis. Three unbound copies of each work plan and pricing will be submitted to the CO. The cost for each site shall be presented using the attached schedule (Attachment A).

The project work plan shall include the following:

· Description of how the work will be performed.

· List of all personnel assigned to each audit and qualifications of each, if not previously provided (including any subcontractors). Specifically address experience that personnel have had in the states identified in the audit schedule.

· Work schedule.

· Firm fixed price for the audit to be performed and a unit price per day as an“all in price” including all travel and expenses

7. EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

1.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS OF KEY PERSONNEL

a. Name, resume and location of Lead Auditor.

b. Name, experience and qualifications of Second Auditor.

c. Indication of which Auditor will be performing the Post Audit Assistance including certification as CHMM.

2.

EXPERIENCE AND PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FIRM

a. Chronological projects

b. Representative projects

c. Use of the US TEAM Guide

3.

TECHNICAL APPROACH: Offerors shall provide a written outline or narrative describing their method of approach for this project. Documentation should also indicate how offeror’s completion of the individual tasks for this project aligns with the deliverables schedule included in the statement of work.

4.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

5.

PRICE/COST

All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price.

A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

AWARD OF CONTRACT: Award will be made to the offeror, (1) whose proposal is technically acceptable and (2) whose technical/cost relationship is the most advantageous to the Government. While cost is secondary to technical, it may be a factor in the award decision. The critical factor in making any cost/technical tradeoff is not the spread between the technical scores, but rather what is the significance of that difference. The significance of the spread in scores will be determined on the basis of what it would cost the Government to take advantage of it. Award may not necessarily be made for technical capabilities that would appear to exceed those needed for the successful performance of the work. The Government reserves the right to make cost/technical trade-offs that are in the best interest and to the advantage of the Government.

Firms will be ranked based on their response to the evaluation criteria. Neither short-listing nor interviewing are anticipated, but we reserve those options should the need arise. Awards may be made without further negotiations. Proposals should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms, from a price and technical standpoint, which the offeror can submit to the Government. However, the Government may, after evaluation of proposals, conduct further oral or written discussion as appropriate, with all offerors whose proposals are within a competitive range.

All charges are on a Per Day basis. Audit and Post-Audit columns specify number of people covered by the on-Forest days shown. Audit Prep and Deliverables columns “days” to be completed by Bidder. Award will be made on a per administrative unit basis.

2016SOW_R9EV_CompAudits-2016-04-11.doc