DRAFT SOW STGDS 6-18-2012.doc

STATEMENT OF WORK

Seismic Technical Guidance Development and Support IDIQ Contract

A.

Background of the Project

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the goal of reducing the ever-increasing cost that disasters inflict on our country. Preventing losses before they happen by designing and building a community’s structures to withstand anticipated forces from these hazards is one of the key components of mitigation. Mitigation is the only truly effective way of reducing the cost of these disasters and advance the whole of community concept.

As part of its responsibilities mandated under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), and in accordance with the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (PL 94-125) as amended, FEMA is charged with supporting mitigation activities necessary to improve technical quality in the field of earthquake engineering. The primary method of addressing this charge has been supporting the investigation of seismic and seismic-related multi-hazard technical issues as they are identified by FEMA, the development and publication of technical design and construction guidance products, the dissemination of these products, and support of training and related outreach efforts based on these products. These voluntary resource guidance products present criteria for the design, construction, upgrade, and function of buildings subject to earthquake ground motions in order to minimize the hazard to life for all buildings, increase the expected performance of higher occupancy structures, and improve the capability of essential facilities to function during and after earthquakes anywhere in the United States. They ultimately serve as the basis for future changes to the nation’s building codes and improve the nation’s resiliency in reducing future earthquake losses.

FEMA has had considerable success in attracting some of the best earthquake engineers and scientists to assist in the development of these FEMA resource products. Because of this, our products have been widely used by practicing design professionals and building officials, and the techniques and technologies contained in these products are being incorporated into the nation’s model building codes and consensus and industry standards. The fact that the International Building Code (IBC), the NFPA-5000 Building Code, and the nationally recognized American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE-7 minimum design loading standard have all revised their seismic requirements to incorporate material from our resource products is one of the premier successes of the NEHRP and FEMA.

One of the primary examples of these products is the NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and Other Structures, which presents the minimum criteria for the design and construction of buildings considered prudent and economically justifiable for the protection of life safety in buildings subject to earthquakes anywhere in the United States. This publication serves as the basis for the seismic provisions of the International Building Code and the International Residential Code. It also serves as the basis for compliance by Federal agencies with Executive Order 12699 for new federally owned, leased or regulated construction.

Another example is the ongoing development of a primary product is the Performance Based Seismic Design (PBSD) Guidelines Project. PBSD is one of the more promising methodologies that can be used to reduce damages from an earthquake or other similar hazard over and above the current life safety target of the nation’s current building codes. Current building codes for the design of new buildings are prescriptive in nature and are intended principally to provide for a life-safety level of protection when the design-level event such as an earthquake occurs. While current codes are intended to produce buildings that meet a life-safety performance level for a specified level of ground shaking, they do not provide a procedure that enables the designer to determine if other performance levels will be achieved or exceeded. During a design level earthquake, a code-designed building could achieve the goal of preventing the loss of life or life-threatening injury to the occupants, but could still sustain extensive structural and nonstructural damage and be out of service for an extended period of time. In some cases, the damage may be too costly to repair, with demolition being the only option.

PBSD is a concept that permits the design of buildings with a realistic and reliable understanding of the risk of life, occupancy and economic loss that may occur as a result of future earthquakes. PBSD is based on an evaluation of a building’s design to determine the probability of experiencing different types of losses, considering the range of potential earthquake events that may affect the facility. The desired performance level for a structure, along with a specified level of seismic shaking, are defined at the initiation of the structure’s design process. The decision-maker then selects one or more of these performance levels, and an input ground motion event or hazard level for which this performance is to be achieved. The designer would then be provided with a procedure that is intended to allow for the determination as to whether these various performance levels are exceeded for the selected design hazard. Following the PBSD process, the building design would then be adjusted until the performance evaluations indicate a risk of loss that is deemed acceptable by the building owner or regulator.

B.

Project Objective

The objective of this Task Order contract is to support the investigation of seismic and seismic-related technical issues as they are identified by FEMA, the development and publication of technical design guidance products to address those issues, the dissemination and support of that information, the availability of Subject Matter Experts to assist FEMA in carrying out its responsibilities under the NEHRP, and the development and use of related training materials and other related outreach activities to the various user groups who need that information. The specific technical issues and tasks shall be identified by FEMA with input from the Contractor and various outside sources.

These issues shall include, but not be limited to: general seismic design and construction guidance (such as updated guidance on retrofitting existing buildings), seismic analysis and modeling methodologies (such as improved guidance on nonlinear time-history modeling), specific seismic design issues (such as near field effects and soil-structure interaction), guidance for seismic-related hazards (such as tsunami, landslide, liquefaction, and soil failure), and related dissemination, training and outreach activities in support of these issues. Also included shall be the ability to fund Subject Matter Experts to advise and assist FEMA as needed. This work shall be done through the contracting of specific task orders over the course of this contract.

This contract shall replace the current FEMA IDIQ contract HSFEHQ-08-D-0726. The need for the work performed under that IDIQ contract continues to exist and a replacement contract is essential if FEMA is to be able to meet its requirements mandated under the NEHRP.

FEMA also has in place other similar IDIQ contracts, including one with the National Institute of Building Science, Building Seismic Safety Council (HSFEHQ-09-D-0147) and one, the Technical Assistance and Research Contract (TARC) with URS Inc. (HSFEHQ-10-D-0037). Both of those contracts include the ability to conduct seismic-related work, but neither contractor has a sufficient level of in-house seismic engineering expertise to manage and monitor cutting edge seismic development work or to ensure a suitable end product. For this reason, FEMA needs to issue a new replacement IDIQ contract.

C.

Project Tasks

Specific project tasks shall be separately contracted as needed by FEMA under this IDIQ contract. Some of the intended tasks will be severable, meaning that they involve ongoing activities such as on-call technical assistance provided by Subject Matter Experts, but most of the tasks will be non-severable, meaning that they are intended to provide a specific end product, such as providing seismic technical design and construction guidance addressing a specific earthquake-related issue.

The Contractor shall provide the professional, technical, and support personnel, services, materials, equipment and facilities necessary to meet the stated Objective and conduct the work as required under the contracted tasks.

The Contractor shall establish and utilize a management plan to manage the overall task order project. Under this plan, the contractor shall be responsible for: 1) overseeing the overall progress on each contracted task, 2) for overseeing the technical direction of each task to ensure the final product is technically defensible, and 3) overseeing and ensuring the overall quality of each task product. The Contractor shall review project activities on a regular basis and be available for immediate consultation as required. The Contractor shall select the specific task teams and consultants to carry out the various projects tasks in a manner consistent with FEMA and Contractor policies and practices, and the Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that the work to be performed by task order project teams and consultants is produced in a timely manner and has been reviewed for both technical accuracy and for usefulness.

The Contractor shall also act as a liaison with other related concurrent research and development projects, hold regular meetings to discuss progress of the tasks and resolve any conflicts, and serve as a means to transfer information between teams and consultants, ensuring that the efforts are complimentary and supplementary.

All task team selections shall take into consideration balance between experience in different areas of expertise as well as geographic, gender and ethnic diversity. All selections shall be made in consultation with FEMA. The Task Order Project Director shall be identified in the Key Personnel clause of the contract. Selection of all other personnel shall be completed within one month after execution of the specific task contract.

The Contractor shall provide quarterly progress reports that specify the Contractor’s progress for each task, a description of any problems encountered and proposed solutions, a description of the work plan for the succeeding quarter, and a financial summary that provides: (1) expenditures during reporting period; (2) total expenditures to date; (3) total expenditures versus planned expenditures; (4) estimated cost at completion; and (5) an updated schedule showing planned versus actual progress. In addition, the Contractor shall provide a monthly financial summary along with each monthly invoice.

E. Potential Project Tasks The specific technical issues and tasks shall be identified by FEMA with input from the Contractor and various outside sources. These issues shall include, but not be limited to: general seismic design and construction guidance (such as updated guidance on retrofitting existing buildings), seismic analysis and modeling methodologies (such as improved guidance on inelastic design modeling), specific seismic design issues (such as near field effects and soil-structure interaction), guidance for seismic-related hazards (such as tsunami, landslide, liquefaction, and soil failure), and related dissemination, training and outreach activities in support of these issues.

Specific potential project tasks may include the following:

Task 1: Subject Matter Experts and Project Oversight The objective of this Task Order would be to provide the services of subject matter expertise for the review, analysis, and development of FEMA and NEHRP program activities related to the seismic design of and the prevention of earthquake damage to the built environment. This would allow FEMA to have, through the contractor, on call subject matter experts available to provide guidance to FEMA on the investigation and implementation of our various technical investigations and developmental efforts.

Task 2: Issues Related to Advanced Seismic Analysis Methods

The objective of this project would be to expand and update the FEMA-440 Seismic Analysis Procedures document to address related cutting edge issues that were identified and discussed but could not be resolved in the original project. The issues could include improving nonlinear multi-degree of freedom simplified modeling. This project will develop new design guidance on this issue based on research results from the NSF-funded EERC’s.

Task 3: Quantification of Building System Performance and Response Parameters

The objective of this project would be to test the previously developed procedure to establish consistent and rational building system performance and response parameters (R, Cd, Ω0) for the linear design methods traditionally used in current building codes (done under ATC-63). This project would use this procedure and criteria for the evaluation of structural systems for new construction with equivalent earthquake performance. This would include encouraging the use of this methodology by the nation’s building codes to set minimum acceptable design criteria for standard code-approved systems and to provide guidance in the selection of appropriate design criteria for other systems when linear design methods are applied and to evaluate current tabulation of and limitations on code-approved structural systems for adequacy to achieve the inherent design performance objectives.

Task 4: Evaluation of Non-Ductile Concrete Frame Vulnerability This task would be to develop an evaluation methodology and supporting guidance to allow for the risk evaluation of non-ductile concrete frame buildings. This evaluation methodology should be exportable into the FEMA HAZUS loss estimation modeling software.

Task 5: National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program (NETAP)

NETAP is a FEMA program to provide technical assistance, primarily in the form of training, to states and local communities with a recognized seismic risk. The program is managed at the FEMA Region level in association with State Earthquake Program Managers. NETAP also includes the ability to provide specific mitigation technical assistance on an as needed basis.

Task 6: Support of Seismic-Related Training Programs

The objective of this project would be to develop and conduct consistent training materials, modular in construct, that will help to disseminate the knowledge contained in the FEMA design guidance publications to the broadest possible base of practitioners in the sciences of seismic design and construction as well as building owners, managers, and others involved in construction financing and investment decisions. This includes developing and deploying the means to disseminate the material to the intended audiences.

Task 7: Update of FEMA Non-Structural Design Guide publication

The objective of this project would be to complete the revision of FEMA 74 Design Guidance for Non-Structural Building Components so that it can serve as a practical guide for implementing seismic provisions for the design and construction of non-structural components of new and existing buildings.

Task 8: Update Seismic Rehabilitation Guidance

The objective of this task would be to develop and execute a multiyear plan to produce new guidance documents for the seismic rehabilitation of existing buildings. Specifically, certain aspects of FEMA 310 (ASCE 31) and FEMA 356 (ASCE 41) need updating to reflect the current state of knowledge of seismic engineering rehabilitation of buildings. The resource and guidance documents that ultimately result from this program will provide specific language that can be used by appropriate private-sector code organizations to incorporate the needed improvements in ASCE 31 and ASCE 41.

Task 9: Converting FEMA Products for Use with Web-based or Mobile Technology

The objective of this project would be to adapt FEMA guidance and evaluation products for use with web-based or mobile technology application. This would include pilot testing of the application in a community or communities where the potential for earthquake damage exists. Such electronic applications should be designed for wireless transmission, should run on the most commonly used operating systems, and allow building data to be transmitted and downloaded directly into local databases, spreadsheets and risk assessment tools, (such as HAZUS-MH).

Task 10: Guidance on Soil Foundation Structure Interaction The objective of this project would be to expand and update the FEMA-440 Seismic Analysis Procedures document to address the third of three specific cutting edge issues that were identified and discussed but could not be resolved in the original project. The issue to be addressed in this task order is improving guidance on soil to foundation structure interaction.

Task 11: Development of Flood and Seismic Design Guidance for Pile Supported Foundations This task would be to research and develop design and construction guidance on pile-supported foundation systems that would meet the elevation requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program while still meeting the seismic design requirements developed under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and are currently found in the nation’s model building codes and standards.