Draft PWS_USMC EWN__31Jul23.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Increasing the Resilience of USMC Resources Using Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, Marine

Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), and MCAS Cherry Point

1. Background

The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center-Environmental Laboratory (ERDC- EL) leverages the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) program that supports implementation and assessment of nature-based solutions (NBS) for the purpose of reducing impacts from natural hazards (e.g., coastal storms, floods, desertification, drought, wildfire, etc.). The use of NBS rather than conventional engineered structures, where appropriate, provides a suite of benefits in addition to just engineering function. These additional benefits include carbon sequestration potential, habitat creation, enhanced ecological services, additional resilience for military mission, and increased societal value (e.g, recreation).

Coordinated investment in both built and natural infrastructure are essential to sustain readiness and mission resilience across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in the twenty-first century.

For more than 10 years, the USACE EWN® program has been leveraging natural systems to support critical engineering functions while also delivering diverse economic, environmental, and social co-benefits. Progress has been the product of numerous projects, partnerships, technical advancements, and communication investments that are accelerating innovation and delivery of nature-based solutions.

Over the last 5 years, DoD installations have experienced more than $10 billion in damage from natural hazards, such as storms and flooding. The risks produced by natural hazards, climate change, and aging infrastructure systems are increasing, as are the need and demand for innovation and action to create resilient systems. Meeting this need will require new ways of thinking about complex problems, an openness to new solutions, a willingness to change, and a commitment to adaptation.

The Department of the Navy is now prioritizing integration of NBS into their overall strategies of creating greater resilience for their installations. The Department of the Navy’s Climate Action 2030 highlights the value of pursuing nature-based resilience, “Building on Executive Order 14072, Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities and Local Economies, the DON will draw down an additional five million metric tons of CO2e per year through nature-based solutions by 2027, roughly the same as removing one million cars off the road, on DON-managed lands or working with partners. The DON will also deploy nature-based solutions to mitigate shoreline erosion, protect mission-critical assets, and improve natural assets that are key to achieving resilient infrastructure and operations.”

The EWN program is seeking expertise to pursue development of NBS at three installations:

Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), and MCAS Cherry Point. The Contractor shall pursue opportunities to identify and deploy NBS for the purpose of creating more resilience for US Marine Corps installations and their mission, https://www.navy.mil/Portals/1/Documents/Department%20of%20the%20Navy%20Climate%20Action%202030%20220531.pdf https://www.navy.mil/Portals/1/Documents/Department%20of%20the%20Navy%20Climate%20Action%202030%20220531.pdf particularly as climate change poses increasing challenges. The Contractor shall develop NBS project sites at the respective installations (Table 1).

Table 1. US Marine Corps Installations and Associated NBS Projects

2. Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties

The Contractor shall accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with appropriate combinations of education, training, and experience. It is envisioned that this work will be performed by a team of 10-12 project managers, scientist, and engineers with knowledge in a broad array of disciplines including, but not limited to: policy, planning, landscape architecture, ecology, geology, hydrology, ecological and hydrodynamic modeling, and project management as it relates to NBS development and natural infrastructure.

This work shall be executed by a contractor with the following qualifications:

i. Must have demonstrated a minimum of five years’ experience implementing major resilience efforts (i.e. water, energy, coastal protection) in support of DoD military installation master or natural resource planning.

ii. Must have demonstrated a minimum of three years’ experience with coastal resilience efforts in support of DoD and/or other Federal government agencies (e.g., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]).

iii. Must have experience with using sediment in development of NBS designs in coastal systems.

iv. Must have demonstrated a minimum of three years’ DoD, state, or other outside government agency experience with organization, coordination, and planning of large and diverse stakeholder (defined as greater than three organizations outside your company in a single effort) and partnering working groups for the purpose of

Installation Project(s) Description

Thin-layer placement/living shoreline to improve resilience at fuel pier

Living shoreline at Albergottie Creek

Marine Corps Training Area Bellows - Dune restoration

Puuloaq Range Training Facility - Range/Shoreline restoration

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Living shoreline and thin layer placement at Piney Island

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Marine Corps Base Hawaii pursuing development of NBS.

v. Must have demonstrated a minimum of three years’ experience with development of NBS field study plans (development, scoping, design) and collection of field data and other data such as wind, wave, weather, and current forces that informs decision making tools such as carbon sequestration models, hydrodynamic and sediment transport models, digital elevation models.

vi. Must have demonstrated a minimum of three years’ experience with developing detailed health and safety procedures and associated documentation for diverse data collection, surveying, land planning, and/or natural resource planning associated with field-based activities conducted on a military installation, to include coordination with designation installation points-of-contact (POC) responsible for mission and training operations.

3. Task Descriptions

Task 3.1 – Initial Phase Meetings and Outreach

As part of the initial and ongoing efforts to understand the needs of the installation and stakeholders, outreach and coordination are expected to occur. Stakeholder engagement will be critical to successfully implement the projects shown in Table 1 and develop design plans at the selected sites. Engagement efforts may include on-site or virtual meeting/workshop formats, which will be guided by project complexity and installation needs. Media and articles, landscape renderings, posters and/or short videos may be developed to share information on the data collection and project design process.

1) Kickoff meetings will be held, within 2 months of contract start date, for each project site to understand site-specific constraints. Meetings with base personnel will clarify the role of installation stakeholders that need to be engaged throughout project stages that are critical to the deployment of field studies and to build consensus during development of NBS design plans. Aligning priorities of installation operations and mission readiness with NBS development is expected to be a focus of meeting engagement efforts.

2) Stakeholder engagement shall occur frequently with at least 2 additional stakeholder meetings/workshop occurring per installation within 10 months of contract start date.

Deliverables: Meeting agendas for ERDC EWN POC review before every meeting. Meeting minutes and summary report for each meeting/workshop provided to ERDC EWN POC within 2 weeks of completing meetings/workshops. Monthly progress reports for this task to describe progress made, problems encountered, and resolution.

Task 3. 2 – Study Development and Regulatory Compliance for Initial Phase Field Efforts

In support of subsequent tasks and project development, the Contractor will work with USMC and other stakeholders (as applicable) to develop a field study plan to collect, review, analyze and evaluate desktop and field data/information specific to each USMC project/site(s). This effort should begin with a desktop review of human and natural landscape systems in the vicinity of the project area(s) to understand potential opportunities for, and challenges to, achieving enhanced ecological, mission support, and recreational performance for NBS designs. Once available desktop data has been collected and analyzed, a field study plan will be developed to collect additional site-specific field data which may include small scale projects meant to simulate NBS alternatives. Once implemented, these small-scale projects can then be evaluated for efficacy, habitat value, mission compatibility, and community acceptance – the field study plan will outline performance metrics and associated measurement methods/techniques.

In addition to the small scale simulated NBS project implementation, the field study plan will outline other field data to be collected including necessary information to populate carbon sequestration models, hydrodynamic and sediment transport models; digital elevations models;

calculations to understand wind, wave, weather, and current forces; as well the design and permitting phases of the project. An essential component of this work is also ensuring mission resilience; therefore, the field study plan will include direction for coordinating with installation representatives to collect data necessary to determine and understand the current and potential future missions for each installation is necessary. Identification of restrictions related to security and sensitive military operation areas, and other sensitive environments and cultural resource areas, will also occur.

Where possible, the field study plan will outline techniques related to the collection of data related to indigenous or traditional/local ecological knowledge. This information will provide an additional understanding as to the current ecological/biological conditions within a site as well as potentially provide a longer-term assessment of the dynamic coastal environment which will help focus short- and long-term design objectives related to improving resilience to a changing climate.

This task will also identify and apply for needed permits or regulatory compliance for the initial phase field effort (i.e., permits for sediment sampling, equipment placement, etc.). The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining any permits that are required for successful project completion.

Deliverables: A field study plan for each installation provided to ERDC EWN POC within 4 months of contract start date. Permit applications submitted within 4 months of contract start date. Monthly progress reports for this task to describe progress made, problems encountered, and resolution.

Task 3.3 – Initial Phase Field Study Deployment and Conceptual Design Development

Once the field study plan is approved for each project site, the field study effort will be implemented to address data gaps identified in the desktop analysis and establish baseline conditions within the project site. This field data will also inform the Basis of Design from which the Contractor’s team of engineers and scientists will develop restoration designs and specifications which will help inform how NBS can be employed at USMC installations.

Following the collection of field data, the Contractor shall develop recommendations for conceptual designs and prepare a Study Report for each individual project site which will provide sufficient baseline data to assist in the development of the NBS design. The report will describe the methods used and data collected under Task 3.3 and will include maps and figures to be used in subsequent tasks. The Government may comment on Report based on previous designs that were generated by the Government. It is not expected that results of the initial phase, small-scale NBS will be available to inform further development of conceptual designs, but instead it is expected that these results will support subsequent design and permitting tasks.

Deliverables: Study report for each installation provided to ERDC EWN POC within 12 months of contract award. Monthly progress reports for this task to describe progress made, problems encountered, and resolution.

Task 3.4 – Health and Safety and Mission Coordination for Initial Phase

In support of activities noted under Tasks 3.2 and 3.3, the Contractor will develop a detailed program-level health and safety procedures for activities. This includes coordination with mission and training, particularly on range sites to ensure that field activities are completed safely and in conformance with USMC requirements.

Deliverables: Report documenting detailed program-level, health and safety procedures for each installation provided to ERDC EWN POC and installation POCs within 3 months of contract start date. Monthly progress reports for this task to describe progress made, problems encountered, and resolution.

4. Security Requirements

Access and General Protection/Security Policy and Procedures:

All contractor and all associated sub-contractors employees shall comply with applicable installation, facility and area commander installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures (provided by government representative). The contractor shall also provide all information required for background checks to meet installation/facility access requirements to be accomplished by installation Provost Marshal Office, Director of Emergency Services or Security Office. Contractor workforce must comply with all personal identity verification requirements (FAR clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel) as directed by DOD, HQDA and/or local policy. In addition to the changes otherwise authorized by the changes clause of this contract, should the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) at any installation or facility change, the Government may require changes in contractor security matters or processes.

For contractors who do not require CAC, but require access to a DoD facility or installation:

Contractor and all associated sub-contractors employees shall comply with adjudication standards and procedures using the National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification Index (NCIC-III) and Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) (Army Directive 2014-05 / AR 190- 13), applicable installation, facility and area commander installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures (provided by government representative, as NCIC and TSDB are available), or, at OCONUS locations, in accordance with status of forces agreements and other theater regulations.

Contractor Company to obtain a Facility Clearance and individual clearances at the appropriate level:

The Contractor must pre-screen Candidates using the E-verify Program (http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify) website to meet the established employment eligibility requirements. The Vendor must ensure that the Candidate has two valid forms of Government issued identification prior to enrollment to ensure the correct information is entered into the E-verify system. An initial list of verified/eligible Candidates must be provided to the COR no later than 3 business days after the initial contract award." *When contracts are with individuals, the individuals will be required to complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, with the designated Government representative. This Form will be provided to the Contracting Officer and shall become part of the official contract file.

5. Performance Requirements Summary

Task Number and Statement Standards/AQLs

Task 3.1: Initial Phase Meetings and Outreach

Standard: The Contractor shall conduct one kickoff meeting at each of the Marine Corps installations. In addition, Stakeholder engagement shall occur frequently with at least 2 additional stakeholder meetings/workshop occurring per installation either virtually or on-site at an installation. Meeting minutes and summary report for each meeting/workshop provided to ERDC EWN POC within 2 weeks of completing meetings/ workshops.

Acceptable Quality Level: Kickoff meetings with each installation occur within 2 months of contract award. The 2 stakeholder meetings/workshops for each of the 3 installations are completed within 10 months following contract award.

Performance and products meet the standard with few exceptions, resulting in minimal delays.

Delays should be reported as soon as possible. Customer satisfaction 95% of the time.

Task 3.2: Study Development and Regulatory Compliance for Initial Phase Field Efforts

Standard: The Contractor shall complete a field study plan for each of the 3 installations to include the identification and application of needed permits and/or satisfying regulatory compliance for initial field study efforts. Field study plan for each installation provided to ERDC EWN POC within the timeframe specified below.

Acceptable Quality Level: Field study plans for each of the 3 installations are completed and submitted to the EWN Program POC within 4 months of contract award. Necessary permit applications for initial field study efforts are submitted to appropriate regulatory agencies within 4 months of contract award.

Performance and products meet the standard with few exceptions, resulting in minimal delays.

Delays should be reported as soon as possible. Customer satisfaction 95% of the time.

Task 3.3: Initial Phase Field Study Deployment and Conceptual Design Development

Standard: The Contractor shall prepare a study report, which will include project conceptual designs, for each of the individual project sites at each installation. Study report for each installation provided to ERDC EWN POC within the timeframe specified below.

Acceptable Quality Level: Study report shall be completed within 12 months of contract award.

Delays should be reported as soon as possible. Customer satisfaction 95% of the time.

Task 3.4: Health and Safety and Mission Coordination for Initial Phase

Standard: The Contractor shall prepare detailed program-level, health and safety procedures for all activities conducted on each installation to include coordination with mission and training POCs at respective installations. Report documenting detailed program-level, health and safety procedures for each installation provided to ERDC EWN POC and installation POCs within the timeframe specified below.

Acceptable Quality Level: Health and safety procedures for all activities at each installation are reviewed and approved by appropriate installation POCs within 3 months of contract award.

Performance and products meet the standard with few exceptions, resulting in minimal delays.

Delays should be reported as soon as possible. Customer satisfaction 95% of the time.