FPCRFI1501CoE final 010915.pdf

FPCRFI1501CoE – Request for Information – Center of Excellence location Page 1

STATE OF COLORADO

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

DIVISION OF FIRE PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Request for Information (RFI) #: FPCRFI1501CoE

Center of Excellence Location

Release Date: January 9, 2015

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY AND IS CONSIDERED NON-BINDING.

THIS IS NOT A FORMAL BID SOLICITATION. NO AWARD WILL RESULT.

1. BACKGROUND, OVERVIEW, AND PURPOSE OF THIS RFI

This Request for Information (RFI) facilitates the effort made by the Division of Fire Prevention and

Control (DFPC) to gather information on the various jurisdictions in Colorado who are interested in hosting the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Advanced Technology’s physical location. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information from respondents relative to questions detailed within this RFI, Section 6, Requested Information.

The CoE’s Mission Statement is as follows: To protect the citizens, land, and resources in Colorado, the Center of Excellence will research, test, and evaluate existing and new technologies that support sustainable, effective, and efficient aerial firefighting techniques. The Vision Statement allows for future expansion into other fields that are tangentially related to aerial firefighting: The Center of

Excellence is the worldwide leader in collaboratively researching and developing innovative technologies and capabilities supporting or related to aerial firefighting.

The Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE) was created in Senate

Bill 14-164, which also authorized the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to purchase or contract for aerial firefighting assets. During the legislative session, proponents of the CoE explained that there is currently no mechanism for determining the efficacy of aerial firefighting, and that the need exists for an innovative, science- and data-focused research entity. For this reason, the CoE was touted as an integral part of ensuring the successful implementation of Colorado’s own aerial firefighting fleet.

The specific language of Senate Bill 164 creating the Center of Excellence reads:

“C.R.S. 24-33.5-1228 (b) The Center of Excellence shall perform, but is not limited to, the following functions:

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(I) Serve as an integrated repository for science-based evaluation of the three fundamental contributing factors to successful aerial firefighting: effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability;

(II) Review current regular research and assessment projects to evaluate:

a. new and existing technologies for integration into tactical fire scenarios in a variety of settings, such as initial attack, night operations, and operations in wildland urban interface areas; and

b. sustainable contracting and value propositions to determine which technologies and contract vehicles are most advantageous and cost-effective to entities performing or providing aerial firefighting; and

(III) Review current data and documentation on science and technology relevant to aerial firefighting and make the results of the center of excellence's research and assessment projects available to persons interested in aerial firefighting effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, including fire managers, policy decision-makers, scientists, students, and any other requesting persons.”

The Center of Excellence will solicit problem statements from all wildland fire partners in Colorado and throughout the country. An Advisory Board will review the problem statements and advise the

Director on which problems to research. Each project will be assigned a project lead who will direct other staff members to produce specific research deliverables based on his or her area of expertise.

Several times throughout the process, the staff will meet to reevaluate the problem statement and determine whether or not the research is headed in the right direction.

If there is enough data that already exists to solve the problem, then the project lead will draft a technical, actionable research document outlining the proposed solution(s) to the problem. If more data is required, and collecting this data is feasible, the CoE will do innovative science-based research to collect the necessary data or information. In either case, the end project will be user-friendly best practices, one-pagers, demonstrations, presentations, and education and training exercises that will be most useful for the on-the-ground firefighters who can utilize these solutions to improve the way we fight fire. After the new technology or procedure has been implemented, the project lead will check in with the end user to ensure the provided solution is efficient, effective, and sustainable. End users will help identify what gaps still exist and how to improve the process by which the Center of Excellence helps solve their problems.

It is contemplated that the CoE will initially require nine (9) full time employees to run the daily operations. They will be expected to perform diverse research projects based on their respective areas of expertise. The potential staff list includes: the director, an administrative assistant, a legal and policy researcher, a firefighter with a background in aviation and its use in wildland firefighting, a statistical analyst, an outreach coordinator, a fire economist, a communication specialist, and a firefighter safety officer. These individuals will be able to tackle any project and provide holistic research on the implications of implementing any developed solution.

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2. LOCATION INFORMATION

A group consisting of both public and private stakeholders identified possible location criteria they believed may be necessary to ensure the CoE’s success. This list is not ranked or prioritized in any way and represents input from a brainstorming session where nothing was eliminated from consideration:

Central and accessible to everyone in the State

On or near an airport capable of handling large and small aircraft

Not overly congested airspace

Access to multiple types of terrain and fire activity, including wildland-urban interface

Support and investment from local community (city, county, and private industry)

Access to necessary stakeholders, including ground firefighting resources

Desirable place to live

In the best interest of the State

Nearby University or other Institution of Higher Education with relevant programs

Available and affordable housing in area for staff

Access to private industry or ability to incorporate private industry in community

Access to philanthropic groups

Access to watershed and other critical infrastructure

While this RFI does not ask for jurisdictions to identify specific office space, part of the location determination will be based on the availability of appropriate office space, as identified in conjunction with the State Architects Office. Relevant facility criteria is identified only to ensure that jurisdictions understand that, once chosen, this is the type of facility the Center of Excellence will be looking to lease:

5,000 square feet of office space

Ability to expand

Robust IT infrastructure

Currently in existence

Affordable or sponsored

Conference rooms/classrooms

Teleconference and Web Conferencing Capabilities

Low cost/minimal tenant improvement

Workspace for visiting researchers

3. INQUIRIES

For questions and clarifications regarding the RFI or the program, please submit your inquiries in writing (via email) to Melissa Lineberger, Interim Director of the Center of Excellence for Advanced

Technology Aerial Firefighting: Melissa.lineberger@state.co.us. All inquiries must be sent by January mailto:Melissa.lineberger@state.co.us

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19, 2015. All questions and corresponding answers will be posted on the Vendor Self Service website

(Colorado.gov/vss) as a modification on the VSS system in a timely manner.

4. SCHEDULE

The schedule of the RFI follows. This schedule is subject to change based on the number of RFI inquiries received or the number of RFI responses received and the information contained in the responses. Please note that early responses are appreciated. All responses received by February 6, 2015 will be considered by DFPC. Late response may be submitted, but DFPC may not be able to integrate them into its planning and decision-making process.

RFI Release Date: January 9, 2015

Inquiries Regarding the RFI due: January 20, 2015, 5:00pm MT

Estimated Response to Inquiries (to be posted on Colorado VSS) January 23, 2015

RFI Submission Due Date/Time: February 6, 2015, 3:00pm MT

5. DISCLOSURE OF RESPONSES

Information submitted in response to this RFI may be reviewed by other entities within the State for purposes of compiling and analyzing possible options. Otherwise, materials submitted in response to this RFI will not be publicly disclosed.

6. REQUESTED INFORMATION

Respondents are required to answer each of the following sections of this RFI. Please provide clear and concise answers. In addition to the specific questions below, Respondents are also encouraged to provide any additional observations, strategies, and recommendations to support DFPC’s efforts to locate the Center of Excellence in the area best situated to ensure its success.

a. Based on the information contained herein and your knowledge of Colorado’s Center of

Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting, what qualities do you think a jurisdiction needs to have to help ensure the Center’s success?

b. How does the jurisdiction you represent meet the criteria that you have identified in Question a?

c. What makes your jurisdiction appropriate to host the Center of Excellence for Advanced

Technology Aerial Firefighting?

d. Are there any additional resources (such as, but not limited to, discounted office space, FTEs, access to local resources, etc.) to incentivize selection of your jurisdiction for the Center of

Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting? If so, please identify the resources that your jurisdiction could offer and provide an approximate monetary value for each resource.

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7. VENDOR RESPONSES

Respondents are requested to limit their narrative response to no more than one hundred (100) pages total. Of the number of pages provided, no more than 10 pages should be devoted to supporting materials (i.e., marketing materials, brochures, etc.)

Responses may be emailed or sent/delivered in hard copy.

If emailed, Vendor responses must be emailed on or before 3:00 pm MT, February 6, 2015.

Responses should be emailed to:

Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control c/o Melissa Lineberger 690 Kipling Street, Suite 2000 Lakewood, CO 80215 Melissa.Lineberger@state.co.us

Please mark the subject line of your email response as: RFI Response CoE Due: February 6, 2015

In response, please include:

Introduction Executive Summary Discussion Points – Answers to questions in Section 6 Supporting Information Contact Information (Point of Contact Name, Telephone Number, Email Address)

Responses and information/material submitted must be non-proprietary and non-confidential.

Information submitted as a response to this RFI is not considered a response to a proposal or bid for goods or services. This RFI is to gather information as specifically requested; the State has not determined future need of any solicitation. The decision and/or need to use information gathered form this RFI to develop or solicit future goods or services has not been determined. This determination will be made at the State’s discretion.

This is a non-binding, non-competitive RFI. Replies to this RFI will not be considered as offers, nor will replies result in an award for these services. Replies may, or may not, be used to aid in creating a future solicitation.

mailto:Melissa.Lineberger@state.co.us