REAC_Inspection_Sources_Sought.docx

RFI REAC INSPECTIONS SOURCES SOUGHT AND CAPABILITY STATEMENTS

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a request for offers, quotes or proposals. This notice does not represent a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. This is a market research tool only to determine the capability of potential sources.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is contemplating establishing a multiple award IDIQ contract under NAICS Code(s) 541350 Building Inspection Services, and the Small Business Standard is $7 Million, for Housing Inspection Services and is issuing this Request For Information (RFI) in order to solicit responses from capable sources and capability statements to ensure sufficient competition exists to meet the government’s requirements.

Teaming arrangements and joint ventures will be considered for any subsequent procurement based on the Government's market research.

Please review the performance work statement (PWS) exerts and provide your feedback to Joel Bartholomew at Joel.J.Bartholomew@HUD.Gov .

So, what exactly is HUD contemplating acquiring?

(Insert a General Scope of Work here)

BACKGROUND

A Congressionally mandated HUD audit, issued in 2008, found that HUD lacked adequate controls over the physical condition of its Section 8 housing stock. The remedy provides for REAC to perform quality control inspections of up to 10,000 HQS inspections at 100 of the largest PHAs, collect the inspection data, and provide results to the PHAs, field offices, and program offices.

During FY2011, two overlapping initiatives were launched. HUD’s Secretary launched the Delivering Together effort to identify ways in which HUD could improve its customer service by reducing Public Housing Agency (PHA) burden while improving HUD’s PHA oversight. One of the Delivering Together recommendations was to establish a single standardized inspection protocol for both Public Housing and HCV programs. Under the auspices of the White House Domestic Policy Council’s Rental Policy Working Group, an interagency team of Treasury, HUD, and USDA staff developed a set of recommendations to eliminate duplicative physical inspections for owners of affordable housing subject to inspection from more than one Federal program. REAC would lead both efforts.

REAC’s Physical Assessment Subsystem (PASS) collects data and reports the actual state of repair and habitability of real property. The inspection observations are recorded on a hand-held computer using HUD developed and HUD owned software and sent electronically to REAC for scoring, analysis, and processing. The key business functions currently supported by PASS include: (1) the collection of profile data for all public housing and multifamily (MF) properties for which HUD has a statutory obligation or a financial interest, and (2) the inspection of these properties which provides the capability to assess their physical condition.

The REAC PASS Quality Assurance (QA) Division performs quality assurance reviews and physical inspections of HUD insured and assisted properties and inspector training both in the classroom and in the field. The QA Division also provides Phase II training and certification examinations for new contract inspector candidates that have passed Phase I classroom training. The QA Division’s objective is to ensure that the Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) certified inspectors conduct accurate, reliable, and repeatable inspections in full compliance with established UPCS inspection protocol.

This objective reflects HUD's commitment that HUD assisted and insured housing is decent, safe, sanitary, and in good repair

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF WORK

The Contractor shall perform to the standards of this contract. The contractor(s) shall schedule inspections and inspection reviews with property representatives of HUD and other Federal agency funded/assisted housing/properties and confirm resident notification. The contractor(s) shall use a HUD certified inspector trained in the appropriate protocol, software, and/or HUD-distributed inspection tool to conduct physical inspections and/or inspection reviews of a unit/property individually, simultaneously with the property’s staff/contract inspector performing the same inspection, and/or as a follow-on inspection to the property’s inspection.

The contractor(s) shall focus on the accuracy of the inspection and document any discrepancies utilizing the inspection protocol and supported by digital camera images, as required, that are time stamped and embedded in the deliverable. The contractor shall input and submit all required inspection data and photographic images to REAC using either a HUD-distributed REAC Inspection Tool or the secure systems Physical Assessment Sub-system. The contractor(s) shall be required to maintain data storage/warehouse sufficient to house the computerized inspection reports, including photographs and all other required data that is accessible to HUD or its designated agent 24 hours per day, seven days a week, for specific periods of time.

The contractor(s) shall have the capacity to complete a minimum of 300 HQS and/or UPCS type inspections across all fifty states and the U.S. territories each week.

Contractor Travel: The Contractor shall be required to perform periodic travel within the Continental United States (CONUS) and/or outside the continental United States (OCONUS) in performance of this contract. Prior to travel (each planned trip) the Contractor shall coordinate with and receive Government authorization from the GTR for all travel. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all passenger transportation, lodging and subsistence. For OCONUS travel, the contractor employees shall possess passports, visas and medical clearances for designated areas. The Government will not reimburse the Contractor for these types of expenses. Reimbursement of CONUS travel costs will be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation in accordance with FAR 31.205-46. The Contractor shall travel using the lower cost mode transportation commensurate with the mission requirements. When necessary to use air travel, the Contractor shall use the tourist class, economy class or similar lodging accommodations to the extent they are available and commensurate with the mission requirements. HUD will not reimburse Contractor’s local travel. Local travel is defined as travel within 50 miles of the Public Housing Agency (PHA). The Contractor shall use local travel to the maximum extent possible. Note: The Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) applies to OCONUS travel Equipment: The Contractor shall furnish all necessary inspection equipment required to conduct physical inspection and physical inspection reviews. The Contractor shall furnish all required hardware and data collection devices (DCDs) and the necessary expertise to maintain the technical environment of the DCDs.

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS/MANUALS/DOCUMENTS/PUBLICATIONS:

The Contractor shall abide by all applicable regulations, publications, manuals, and policies and procedures in the performance of this contract including, but not limited to the following:

Training: The Contractor shall be responsible to train and ensure satisfactory completion of physical inspection training in accordance with HUD standards.

Scheduling:

Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS): The following shall be used for all UPCS type inspections/inspection reviews:

Housing Quality Standards (HQS): The following scheduling process for HQS inspection reviews/inspections and QA inspections shall be used:

Inspections

HQS:

UPCS-V Inspections: Services shall include:

UPCS/UPCS-type/Other Federal Agency Inspections: Services shall include:

HQS Quality Assurance (QA) Inspections: Services shall include:

Data Storage and Reporting:

HQS Inspections/Inspection Reviews and QA Inspections Data Storage:

The contractor(s) shall be required to maintain data storage/warehouse sufficient to house the computerized inspection reports, including photographs and all other required data that is accessible to HUD or its designated agent 24 hours per day, seven days a week, for specific periods of time.

Quality Control: The Contractor shall establish and maintain a complete Quality Control Program that shall ensure services are performed in accordance with this contract. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non reoccurrence of defective services. The Contractor’s quality control program is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirements of the contract. The Contractor shall provide the associated Quality Control Plan.

Quality Control Plan: The Contractor shall develop, maintain, enforce and document a Quality Control Plan (QCP). The QCP shall ensure the Government receives the level of quality that is consistent with the requirements specified in this contract. The QCP shall be sufficiently detailed to provide the Contractor’s methodology for identifying and recruiting qualified personnel. The QCP shall also provide the Contractor’s methodology for resolving problems identified by the Government during reviews conducted in accordance with its Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QSAP). The QCP shall also provide the Contractor’s methodology for establishing an internal feedback system for support personnel, and for resolving problems identified by that feedback system. The QCP shall demonstrate and validate that the services or deliverables to be provided under the contract are completed with a level of quality that meets the minimum performance threshold established in the Government’s QASP. The QCP shall address Quality Management Approach, Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Quality Standards. This will also include conducting follow-up quality control inspections to verify completion of repairs of deficiencies identified during original inspection of up to 10% at HUDs request.

The tasks require a set of skill categories based on the following approximate breakdown:

Special Qualifications: The Contractor(s) shall ensure all contractor(s) (including any subcontractor) personnel that will be conducting inspections, shall meet the special qualification requirements as follows:

HUD is interested in the capabilities of perspective contractors in the following areas:

CONTEMPLATED PERFORMANCE METRICS

Disincentive

CONTEMPLATED REPORT REQUIREMENTS

Inspection Reporting: The contractor shall provide the PHA’s original HQS report and the comparison Federal HQS report, with embedded photos, in the HUD-distributed REAC HQS Inspection Tool (database) for each HQS inspection to REAC for all HQS type inspections on a weekly basis.

Weekly Scheduling Report: The contractor shall provide an Excel spreadsheet that provides for each Task Order: Contractor(s) Inspector’s first and last name, ID number, and contact information; PHA city and state with property contact/representative with contact information; property address including city, state, and zip code; and date and time of each scheduled review.

UPCS: The contractor shall verify and upload inspection data for each inspection, within 24 hours of completion of the inspection, to REAC using the Secure Systems PASS. The contractor shall provide a satisfactory answer to any questions about inspection details resulting in the inspection being placed on hold or rejected in PASS secure systems.

Project Plan: The contractor shall provide a project plan for each Task Order that describes all planning, scheduling and inspection review/inspection activities; personnel positions and staff skills and abilities, standards, and training; inspection schedule; equipment resources; training and facilities; and functional responsibility and authority within a structured project organization. The Project Plan will also detail the random sampling technique to be used to select inspections for HQS, UPCS-V, and QA type inspections to ensure a mix of housing types, property inspectors, and overall inspection results.

Monthly Performance Report Performance Metrics: The contractor shall develop performance metrics that allow tracking of project completion against the milestones set by REAC for each Task Order.

Performance Report: The contractor shall submit a monthly Performance Report that reflects project progress, resources, budget, schedules, work flow, quality control, and reporting for each Task Order. The contractor(s) shall evaluate the use of their random sampling technique for any PHA HQS, UPCS-V, and QA type inspections for a mix of housing types, PHA inspectors, and overall inspection results. The contractor(s) shall perform a detailed review of project deliverables for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to contractual and functional requirements and report the results of their

CONTEMPLATED MAGNITUDE OF THE PROJECT

HUD is contemplating a multiple award IDIQ with a minimum of Three (3) firms and a maximum of Seven (7) firms. HUD anticipates utilizing these contracts for a minimum of 9,000 inspections and maximum of 50,000 inspections annually.

CONTEMPLATED PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Place of Performance: The physical inspection and inspection review services to be performed during this contract shall be performed at a select number of HUD and other Federal agency funded/ assisted housing/properties located in the United States (U.S.) and U.S. Territories to include the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and Guam.

The Contractor(s) shall maintain a database sufficient to house the computerized inspection reports, including photographs and all other required data that is accessible to HUD or its designated agent 24 hours per day, seven days a week, for the entire period of the contract.

The Contractor(s) must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within the Contract when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce is essential.

RESPONSE REQUESTED

Small Businesses are encouraged to respond.

This synopsis is a market research tool being used to determine the availability and capability of potential sources prior to determining the method of acquisition and whether the government will proceed with this acquisition. The Government will not pay for any information solicited. If a contract is ultimately pursued, responses to this RFI will be used to aid in determining whether the acquisition is set-aside for small business or in establishing small business subcontracting goals. All qualified firms are encouraged to respond.

The capability statement shall address, at a minimum, the following for the past three years:

1. Name and address of company and or companies (if there is a teaming arrangement or joint venture);

2. Technical expertise relevant to the requirement;

3. Technical approach relevant of the requirement;

4. Management approach relevant to the requirement;

5. Corporate experience relevant to the requirement;

6. Indicate if you are a small business or any other socio-economic categories that apply to your firm under the designated NAICS code;

7. Relevant past performance. Your capability statement needs to include a list of three customers (Government/non-Government) within the past three (3) years highlighting similar work in nature, scope, complexity, and difficulty and a brief description of the scope of work. Your submission for relevant past performance must include for each customer:

· Contract name;

· Contracting Agency or Department, POC and contact information;

· Yearly contract value (in $$);

· Whether your firm was the prime or a subcontractor;

· Period of performance;

· Description of work and how it relates to the requirements.

Submission requirements:

1. Page limit - eight (8) 8 ½ x 11 pages

2. 1 inch margins (top, bottom and sides)

3. Times New Roman font - 12 point

4. Page limitation does not include (1 cover page or 1 letter of introduction page)

5. Do not include promotional materials Interested firms responding to this market survey must provide a capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills and capability to fulfill the Governments requirements for the above. The capability statement shall be in sufficient enough detail, but not exceed eight (8) pages TOTAL, so that the Government can determine the experience and capability of your firm to provide the requirements above. The Government technical team will then assess the experience & capabilities based on: 1) technical expertise relevant to the requirement; 2) technical approach relevant to the requirement, 3) management approach relevant to the requirement, 4) corporate experience relevant to the requirement, and 5) relevant past performance. Please specify one primary and one alternate Point of Contact (POC) within your firm, including telephone numbers and email addresses.

Only electronic copies of capability statements will be accepted and should be emailed to: Joel.J.Bartholomew@Hud.Gov. The e-mail shall contain the following subject line: Response to Sources Sought Notice – REAC Inspections Requirement. The Government may use the responses received to determine whether to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside, or in the absence of a least two small business responses to this notice, may determine to proceed with a full and open competition. This decision and whether to proceed with the acquisition is at the sole discretion of the Government.

All interested contractors should submit their capability statements by TIME 3:00 PM EST on 12/06/2013 attention Joel Bartholomew. Late responses will not be considered.