Request_for_Qualifications_140R1024R0012.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

1150 North Curtis Road Boise, ID 83706-1234

PN-7200

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ARCHITECT AND ENGINEERING SERVICES

COLUMBIA-PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTERIOR REGION-9, BUREAU OF

RECLAMATION

The Columbia-Pacific Northwest Regional Office (C-PN Region) of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation intends to award one or more general purpose Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract(s) to provide Architectural and Engineering (A-E) and other A&E engineering related professional services in the state of Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington. The term of this contract is for five years. The total value of the IDIQ contract(s) shall not exceed $16,000,000.00. The minimum Task Order guarantee is $20,000.00. The IDIQ contract ceiling price is $16,000,000.00.

The Government makes no representation as to the number of task orders or the actual amount of work to be ordered. Contractors are not guaranteed work in excess of the minimum guarantee.

The Government intends to negotiate firm-fixed price task orders under this contract. However, the Government reserves the right to award other than firm-fixed price task orders if the need arises.

This acquisition is a Total Small Business Set‐Aside. The Government will only accept qualifications from small business concerns. All other firms are deemed ineligible to submit qualifications packages. The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) Code is 541330 Engineering Services. The small business size standard applicable to this project is $25.5 million in gross annual receipts averaged over the previous three one-year accounting periods. This contract is being procured in accordance with the Brooks A-E Act as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6.

The Government seeks the most highly qualified firm(s) to perform the required services.

Selection of this firm(s) will be made in accordance FAR 36.602-1. Discussions will be held with the three most qualified firms in accordance with FAR 36.602-1(c), responses will be used in the final determination of the highest rated firm(s).

The scope of the A&E contract is to provide support for complex multi-year projects, these projects will require firms with extensive backgrounds in architecture, hydropower, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering with staffing levels capable of working on multiple task orders concurrently. The specific requirements for the services to be provided by the A&E will be stated in detail in individual task orders (TOs). This will normally include: the data to be furnished by Reclamation and/or the A&E; the standards, codes, or guidelines to be followed by the A&E in the performance of the work; the required products to be furnished to Reclamation to successfully complete the TO; and the schedule required for the delivery of the products.

Submission of Qualification Packages

a. The highest qualified, responsive, and responsible offeror submitting a proposal which conforms to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the Government considering the evaluation factors will be selected to submit pricing and negotiate the contract in accordance with FAR part 15 procedures. If a mutually satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated, the next highest rated firm will be selected to submit pricing and negotiate the contract.

b. Firms desiring consideration shall email their SF-330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications package, Parts I and II, to Contract Specialist Elidec Frias at efrias@usbr.gov and Contracting Officer Lance Fleming at lfleming@usbr.gov

Contractor shall email one copy of their SF-330 Qualifications package on or before 2:00 PM MT, September 9, 2024. Email limitation is 25mb and all documents received must be compatible with Microsoft Office products and/or Adobe PDF.

If the SF-330 package exceeds 25mb then submit in multiple emails with the following subject lines and applicable attachments: Contractor Name, Solicitation 140R1024R0012 – AE IDIQ Service 1 of X.

Submissions must be received no later than 2:00 PM MT, September 9, 2024. DO NOT SUBMIT ANY PRICING INFORMATION with the completed SF-330.

c. The SF-330 must be typed, one sided and using 11-point font or larger. Do not put information outside the form. Part I must not exceed seventy-five (75) single-sided 8.5 by 11-inch pages (the page limit does not include certificates, or licenses, nor does the page limit include cover sheets, dividers, or other requested documentation (e.g., joint venture agreement, proof of A/E firm registration) provided that these do not contain any substantive information submitted in response to the request for qualifications or intended to demonstrate the qualifications of the firm. Part I pages must be numbered sequentially.

d. The organizational chart may be one-page single sided 11” by 17” foldout, using 11-point font or larger (font limitations do not apply to graphics, captions or tables but must be legible).

e. The last day to submit questions will be 7 days after this request for qualifications is posted.

Questions will only be accepted via email, send to Contract Specialist Elidec Frias at efrias@usbr.gov and Contracting Officer Lance Fleming at lfleming@usbr.gov

Qualification will be evaluated as stated below:

Award will be made to the responsible offeror submitting a proposal which conforms to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the Government considering the factors and any significant sub-factors listed in this provision. Direction set forth in FAR 36.6 will be followed.

The order of importance of the evaluation criteria are: Professional Qualifications is the most important, evaluation factors for Specialized Experience, Capacity and Past Performance are all mailto:efrias@usbr.gov mailto:lfleming@usbr.gov mailto:efrias@usbr.gov mailto:lfleming@usbr.gov https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%2036_6.html#wp1075548 weighted equally, but less than Professional Qualifications. Knowledge of the Locality is the least important factor. Geographic Location is only used as a tie-breaker..

1. Professional Qualifications: The evaluation will consider education, registration, overall relevant geotechnical engineering design experience with relevant projects, and longevity with the firm. (SF-330, Part I, Sections E & G) Firms will be evaluated on professional qualifications, competence, and experience of the proposed key personnel in providing services to accomplish the tasks required under this contract, including participation in example projects as outlined in the SF-330, Part 1, Section G. Key personnel are individuals who will have major contract or project management responsibilities and/or will provide unusual or unique expertise. Firms shall include at a minimum the following key personnel:

Project Manager, General Biologist, Fish Biologist, Ecologist, Civil Engineer, Mechanical, Engineer, Structural Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Hydropower Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologist/Hydraulic Engineer, Surveyor, Economist, Archaeologist, Environmental Compliance Specialist, and Public Involvement Specialist. Firm's Engineers and Surveyors shall be licensed in the States of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming. Each licensed Engineer and Surveyor from the firm’s team shall be licensed in one or more of the States of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming resulting in the firm having one minimum licensure in each of those 5 states for engineering and surveying. Resumes are limited to one page each and shall indicate: professional registration (including registration/certification number), certification, licensure and/or accreditation in appropriate disciplines; recent experience on project-specific work relevant to the services required under this contract; and proposed role in this contract. Indicate participation of key personnel in example projects in the SF-330, Part 1, Section G. Firms shall submit proof that they are permitted by law to practice the professions of architecture or engineering as required by FAR 36.601-4(b). If a firm is in a jurisdiction that requires AE firm registration, the firm shall provide proof of registration.

How the Government will evaluate: Firms will be evaluated on professional qualifications, competence, and experience of the proposed key personnel in providing services to accomplish the tasks required under this contract, including participation in the projects in the SF-330, Part 1, Section G.

2. Specialized Experience: The evaluation will consider specialized experience in performing:

a. Architectural and Engineering Analysis and Design

b. Hydraulic Analysis and Design

c. Structural Analysis and Design

d. Hydropower Analysis and Design

e. Electrical, Mechanical, and Hydraulic Equipment and Electric Power Production

Equipment

f. Water Treatment Engineering and Design

g. Construction Management

h. Engineering Geology and Geotechnical Engineering

i. Preparation of feasibility-level designs and cost estimates

j. Preparation of final designs, drawings, specifications, and cost estimates

k. Water resource demand analysis and water conservation planning

l. Preparation of water resource feasibility studies

m. Cost Estimates and Economic analyses

n. Preparation of environmental compliance activities (e.g. National Environmental

Policy Act Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act)

o. Fire Protection Engineer

Firms submitting qualifications as a joint venture shall include with their submission a copy of the joint venture agreement. Failure to include the joint venture agreement may result in the firm’s elimination from further evaluation.

How the Government will evaluate: Firms will be evaluated for demonstrated specialized experience based upon the projects listed in Section F. Firms showing surveying experience in the states comprising the C-PN region will be rated more favorably.

3. Capacity to Accomplish the Work in the Required Time: Capacity to perform approximately $16,000,000.00 in work of the required type in a 5-year period. The evaluation will consider the availability of an adequate number of personnel in key disciplines and equipment availability.

How the Government will evaluate: The government will evaluate each firm’s capacity based on recent annual work accomplishments, the number and type of personnel in relevant positions currently available to be assigned work on this contract, and a description of the firm’s ability to provide up to $16,000,000.00 worth of work on in a 5-year period.

4. Past Performance: Past performance on Bureau of Reclamation and other contracts with respect to cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules, as determined from PPIRS and other sources. Letters of recommendation, endorsements, and other relevant information submitted by the A-E will be considered. For each relevant contract or reference, the offeror is requested to provide: Agency/company and contact point (email address and phone number), period of performance, dollar value of contract, contract number and type.

How the Government will evaluate: Past performance will be evaluated, for the prime contractor and any subcontractors who are listed as Key Personnel, based on information received from: 1) CPARS evaluations and FAPIIS 2) PPQs, 3) knowledge considered “close at hand” by the evaluators and Contracting Officer, and 4) additional information provided in Section H.

The purpose of the past performance evaluation is to allow the Government to assess the offeror's ability to perform the work in a timely manner at a satisfactory or better level, as required by the statement of work, based on the offeror's demonstrated past performance history. Firms providing relevant examples of value added to past projects will be rated more favorably. Offerors without relevant past or present performance history, or whose performance record is so limited that an adjectival rating cannot be reasonably assigned shall receive the rating “Neutral," meaning the offeror is treated neither favorably nor unfavorably.

During the evaluation of past performance, the Government reserves the right to give greater consideration to past performance for the projects listed in Section F of the SF-330 as they will be considered to be most relevant to the effort described in this solicitation.

5. Knowledge of the Locality: The evaluation will consider the firm's knowledge and experience in the Pacific Northwest Region (ID, OR, WA, MT, and WY).

How the Government will evaluate: Knowledge of locality will be evaluated based on the firm’s longevity of performing projects within the C-PN region. Firms with greater numbers of key personnel that have performed this work in the region will be rated more favorably than those with less.

6. Geographic Location of the firm: The most advantageous location would be nearest to the Pacific Northwest Regional Office. Geographic location of the firm will only be used as a tie-breaker among technically equal firms.

How the Government will evaluate: Firms whose primary office is located closest to the C- PN regional office will be rated more favorably than those farther away. The location will be determined by driving distance and time from the primary office location, where most key personnel are located. An online mapping tool (Map Quest or Google Maps) will be used to calculate the driving distance and time. This evaluation factor will only be used as tiebreaker if needed.

Contractor Selection and Award Approval. The contractor selection criteria in the solicitation are as follows:

After discussions are held with at least three of the most highly qualified firms, the selection authority shall forward a list of selected firms to the Contracting Officer, in accordance with FAR 36.6. The Contracting Officer may then initiate negotiations, and a request for proposal shall be forwarded. Price proposal instructions included in this solicitation shall only apply to those firms with whom negotiations are initiated. Price proposal information shall be submitted only when specifically requested by the Contracting Officer.

COMPETITIVE RANGE DETERMINATION. The competitive range determination information in the solicitation is as follows: The source selection procedure will begin with an initial review of the proposals and continue through a technical evaluation conducted by the TPEC. The TPEC will rate the proposals based on the evaluation criteria identified above. When consensus ratings for all proposals have been completed, the TPEC will present a summary of their evaluation to the Contracting Officer. Their summary will include:

Identification of submission rejected as being technically unacceptable, and reasons for that determination. (Major weaknesses beyond discussion). Identification of submissions that meet most minimum requirements but did not fall into the category of "acceptable", including a list of the major weaknesses for each submission. These weaknesses may be negotiated to correct submission deficiencies, at the discretion of the Contacting Officer.

If a determination is made that a proposal fails to comply with basic request for qualifications instructions or is weak and lacking in clarity concerning the firm’s ability to meet the basic requirements, it will be rejected from the competitive range, since it could not be made acceptable without major revisions.

The competitive range will comprise the three most highly qualified firms, as recommended by the TPEC. Discussions will be held with those three firms to assist in determining the ranking order. The firms may be asked similar questions about their experience, capabilities, organization, quality management procedures, or approach towards the anticipated task orders.

After discussions have been completed, the Contracting Officer shall review the recommendations of the TPEC and shall, with the advice of appropriate technical and staff representatives, make the final selection.

ID/IQ Contract for A&E Services Columbia-Pacific Northwest Regional Office, Boise ID Solicitation No. 140R1024R0012

Foreword

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Columbia-Pacific Northwest (CPN) region is planning to award one or more general purpose Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts for Architect and Engineering (A&E) and other A&E engineering related professional services as defined at FAR

2.101. This IDIQ will support CPN in the states of Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming in support of the CPN Interior Region-9 programs. These contracts will require extensive civil, electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical engineering expertise. Additionally, expertise in architecture, environmental, natural, physical and social sciences, planning, economics, and cost estimating will be required.

The purpose of these A&E IDIQ contract(s) will be to provide assistance or data collection on CPN Region projects, requiring various professional specialists in engineering and planning as well as support functions in economics, environmental, natural, physical, and social sciences. The projects for which these services are required will primarily be located within Reclamation's Columbia Pacific Northwest Region; however, they could also include Reclamation's other Regional Offices and Denver Offices, as well as programs for which Reclamation is performing technical support services, (e.g. Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and other Dept. of Interior Agencies). Work outside the CPN Region will be rare, and the primary geographic area for these services is anticipated to be the states of Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington.

All proposed IDIQ contract(s) will be for a period of five years. Registered Professional Architects and Engineers must be licensed in the states where work will be conducted.

It is Reclamation’s intent to award multiple IDIQ contracts but reserves the right to award a single general-purpose contract if it is determined to be in the Government’s best interest to do so. Standards to be used for performing engineering services under this contract are provided in Section C. The Contractor shall follow these standards in preparing plans of work for, and implementing, the Task Orders (TOs) awarded under the contract(s). Reclamation may expand upon or slightly alter these standards in task-specific TOs to ensure that requirements are suited to specific locations or resource.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1. MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ARCHITECT and ENGINEERING SERVICES

C.1.1. Summary

The Bureau of Reclamation CPN Region provides scientific and technical expertise in all areas of water resource management, development, and protection. The CPN Region performs a wide variety of technical services for other Reclamation offices, other government agencies, and public entities. The purpose of this document is to identify the types of technical services and activities that are to be furnished by an Architect-Engineer (A&E) contractor in support of Reclamation’s mission so that the A&E can provide supplemental expertise to Reclamation’s technical and resources staff.

Provided in the following sections are the types of services, studies, analyses, designs, structures, features, and projects that are anticipated to be performed under this Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantities (IDIQ) contract. Reclamation recognizes that the wide variety of technical services possible under this contract may not be able to be adequately performed by one A&E firm and that subcontracting may be required to furnish this full range of services.

The focus of these contracts will be to provide support for complex multi-year projects, these projects will require firms with extensive backgrounds in architecture, hydropower, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering with staffing levels capable of working on multiple task orders concurrently.

The specific requirements for the services to be provided by the A&E will be stated in detail in individual task orders (TOs). This will normally include: the data to be furnished by Reclamation and/or the A&E; the standards, codes, or guidelines to be followed by the A&E in the performance of the work; the required products to be furnished to Reclamation to successfully complete the TO; and the schedule required for the delivery of the products.

The A&E is responsible for performing the services and providing the products identified in the individual TOs by the specified schedule. The A&E shall be responsive to the Reclamation-furnished criteria, information, guidance, and reviews of the preliminary work and draft products completed. The A&E shall provide all qualified personnel, facilities, materials, equipment, and transportation necessary to perform the services described. All work shall be performed by personnel having professional skill and experience in the required field. There is no assurance that all the skills or even major groups of the skills listed in the following sections will be required.

C.1.2. Background and Objective

The objective of this IDIQ is to obtain A&E services for the preparation of final plans, specifications, and drawings for current and future projects throughout the CPN region pertaining to dams, hydroelectric powerplants, pumping plants, pump/generating plants, switchyards, water conveyance facilities and other appurtenant support facilities and systems. Secondarily, the A&E will assist with investigations, studies, surveys, data collection, and cost estimates for other related support services as required by the CPN Region. Other work may include preparation of designs and specifications for construction and maintenance of facilities such as buildings, roads, canals, bridges, pumping plants, powerplants, recreation areas, fire protection system and water control structures.

Bureau of Reclamation programs are multi-disciplinary activities involving a variety of professional specialists in the engineering fields as well as economic, environmental, natural, and social sciences.

Program input may also be required from other agencies, entities, interested individuals or groups, and the public. Each program is unique and the nature and degree of involvement of each specialist is variable, depending on the needs of each program or project.

Project planning is usually sequentially dependent; input from one source frequently being a prerequisite to the work of another. Input from all specialists and outside sources must be timed to meet program schedules. Any delay in one activity could delay the work of those succeeding activities dependent upon it, and if it is on the critical path, could delay completion of the entire program and any programs related to it.

C.1.3. Contractor Requirements

Contractor will provide assistance in accomplishing the following types of tasks:

a. Engineering

(1) Architectural and Engineering Designs and Analyses

(2) Construction Management Assistance

(3) Contract Specification Writing

(4) Design Data Collection

(5) Surveying

(6) Preliminary and Final Design Creation

(7) Cost Estimates

(8) Drafting/Cartography

(9) Hydraulic Analyses and Designs

(10) Materials Engineering and Research

(11) Miscellaneous Engineering Support

(12) Structural Analyses and Design

(13) Fire Protection System Design

Contractor may provide the following support services either as incidental to the large projects mentioned above or stand-alone task orders:

b. Geotechnical

(1) Pre-Design Earth Materials Testing

(2) Engineering Geology

(3) Geotechnical Engineering

(4) Seismotectonic and Geophysics

c. Infrastructure

(1) Electrical Equipment and Electric Power Production Equipment

(2) Electrical Systems

(3) Hydraulic Equipment

(4) Mechanical Equipment

(5) Operation and Maintenance

(6) Operation and Structural Safety

(7) Training

d. Other Technical Support

(1) Assistance in Obtaining Permits

(2) Computer System Analysis and Engineering

(3) Quality Assurance

(4) Report Preparation and Editing

(5) Technical Communications

(6) Visual Presentations

(7) Remote Sensing including LiDAR collection and Geographical Information Systems

(8) Cartography

(9) Project Management

C.1.4. General Work Requirements

All work will be performed in accordance with the Reclamation criteria, methods, standards, procedures, quantities, and schedules specified in each TO. The Contractor shall complete the work specified in each TO and shall be responsible for all necessary services, labor, materials, and equipment. Necessary data may be provided by Reclamation or developed and/or collected by the Contractor, as determined by Reclamation. The Contractor will furnish the number of copies of documentation specified in the TO describing the results and studies made, and will furnish Reclamation staff all information, design and analysis data, geospatial data, metadata, maps, drawings, photographs, text, cover, working papers, notes, computations, formulae, computer procedures, GIS databases, and worksheets which Reclamation deems necessary for review and acceptance of assignments. Hard copies and/or digital copies will be required as stated in the individual task orders.

Costs for printing and distribution of digital storage devices, etc. (electronic media), reports, surveys, field notes, maps, drawings, manuscripts, progress reports, calculations and other documents will be borne by the Contractor. Receivers of such publications are limited to Reclamation. One reproducible copy of each type of applicable publication will be required unless otherwise specified in the TO. The Contractor shall be responsible for all costs of copying deliverables; those costs are to be included as general administrative expenses in the loaded hourly rates in Section B.

Work will be performed in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, and standards. The Contractor will be responsible for developing and/or collecting any necessary data beyond that provided by Reclamation. Reclamation will review and approve all work prior to acceptance in accordance with subparagraphs below.

a. Review of Submitted Designs - The Government reserves the right to review any level of design. The Contracting Officer may initially forego a thorough review and return the entire submittal for re-checking and correction by the Contractor if errors are found prior to the review being completed. All submitted designs or information shall become the property of the Government. The Government reserves the right to use any part of or all of the Contractor’s design for purposes outside of the design contract.

(1) Resubmittal - If any document submitted for review is deemed to be deficient or incomplete, the Contractor will be required to correct the deficiencies and resubmit the corrected document (see the clause in Section F entitled FAR 52.246-4, Inspection of Services-Fixed-Price and the clause in Section I entitled FAR 52.236- 23, Responsibility of the Architect- Engineer Contractor. The Contractor will be compensated for design modifications which are outside the normal give-and-take between a designer and a client when such changes are initiated by the Government pursuant to the clause in Section I entitled FAR 52.234-1, Changes Fixed Price - Alternate II (but see the clause in Section G WBR 1452.201-80 Authorities and Limitations).

b. Acceptance - Final acceptance will not be made until all work under each TO has been delivered, found to be acceptable, and approved. See the clause in Section E entitled “Inspection of Services” and the clause in Section I entitled “Responsibility of the Architect- Engineering Contractor.” Prior to Reclamation’s approval of final products, no portion of the studies, findings, materials, conclusions, or recommendations shall be released to an outside party or otherwise publicized without prior consent of the Contracting Officer.

c. Applicable Standards - All work shall be in accordance with all applicable Reclamation, Federal, State, and local codes, laws, regulations, and standards. It is incumbent upon the Contractor to be knowledgeable of and follow all codes, laws, regulations, and standards. Applicable Reclamation standards include, but are not limited to:

1) Reclamation Directives and Standards FAC 03-03. This document may be accessed electronically at https://www.usbr.gov/recman/fac/fac03-03.pdf

2) Reclamation Safety and Health Standards, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 1993 (Reprinted 2014), paragraph 14.11.6, etc. This document may be accessed electronically at http://www.usbr.gov/ssle/safety/RSHS/rshs.html

3) Hazardous Energy Control Program (HECP), FIST 1-1 This document may be accessed electronically at https://www.usbr.gov/power/data/fist_pub.html

C.1.5. Responsiveness and Roles of Contractor Staff

The A&E is professionally responsible for the services performed under this contract. The Contractor shall be responsive to Reclamation-furnished criteria, information, guidance, and review comments.

Designs shall provide for the least adverse environmental impact based upon adopted Environmental Impact Statements and reports unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer and the lowest life cycle cost for the anticipated duration of the requirements, including both original and maintenance costs.

See Section B for a listing of the labor categories/job titles and expertise the Contractor shall supply under the contract. The listing of personnel is not all inclusive. The Contractor may propose additional disciplines or propose one person for more than one type of work. Qualified personnel being made responsible for multiple roles will be acceptable but may only have one loaded hourly rate based on their actual salary. Person performing multiple roles will be paid the rate for the particular role they are performing. Individuals performing multiple roles will be paid the rate for the role they are performing at the time. It is the responsibility of the Architect or Engineer to determine the level of effort for each category that individuals will be performing under.

C.1.6. Contractor Project Lead

The Contractor will advise the Contracting Officer of their Key Personnel in accordance with the clause in Section H entitled Key Personnel Requirements Bureau of Reclamation – C-PN Region (Feb 1995).

See Section B for the labor categories/job titles designated as Key Personnel.

C.1.7. Value and Planning Engineering Study

All designs for projects with estimated construction costs in excess of $1,000,000.00 shall be subject to a value and or planning engineering review at the 30% completion level unless otherwise specified in the TO. The Value and or Planning Engineering Team will include representatives from Reclamation, the Contractor, and other such entities as the Contracting Officer deems appropriate.

C.1.8. Participation in Meetings and Events Attended by Third Parties https://www.usbr.gov/recman/fac/fac03-03 https://www.usbr.gov/recman/fac/fac03-03 http://www.usbr.gov/ssle/safety/RSHS/rshs.html

The Contractor shall comply with the guidance at FAR Subpart 37.114(c) and always identify themselves as Contractor employees working under a contract awarded by Reclamation when attending any meetings or events involving Reclamation projects where it might not be clear to third parties that they aren’t employees of the U.S. Government.

C.2. GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

C.2.1. General

Reclamation will appoint a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for the IDIQ contract. The COR’s appointment memorandum will detail their responsibilities. Each individual task order will have a COR assigned, who may or may not be the same as the base IDIQ COR.

The COR will be the primary contact for the work for each task order, although the Contracting Officer may direct the Contractor to coordinate directly with the Technical Lead, Project Manager and/or Area Office personnel or others on certain technical requirements. See the clause 1452.201-70 Authorities and Delegations (Sep 2011) and WBR 1452.201-80, Contracting Officer’s Representative’s Authorities and Limitations- Bureau of Reclamation (May 2018).

To assure clear understanding between the Contractor and Reclamation regarding the requirements relative to each TO, the Contractor may be required to participate in post award conferences for TO’s pursuant to WBR 1452.242-80 Post-Award Conference- Bureau of Reclamation (Mar 2022) and may also be required to participate in regularly scheduled meetings or telephone consultations with the CORs until completion of the respective TO. The Contractor shall maintain frequent telephone/E-mail communication with the COR to discuss any identified information gaps and/or problem areas. In addition, any delay in meeting the negotiated schedule for any TO shall be immediately reported to the Contracting Officer.

C.2.2. Government Review Responsibilities

The Government will review and comment on engineering and related services’ results, notes, drawings, and other deliverables as specified in the Reporting Requirements and Deliverables section and in the individual TOs. Requirements in the TOs Statements of Work will take precedence over this section.

The Government will review all information and materials provided under the TO. Unless otherwise stated in an individual TO or schedule, Reclamation will require 10 days for review of any submittals. If the Government uses time in excess of the specified number of calendar days for review of any submittal or resubmittal, additional time, not to exceed the excess time, will be added to the time allowed the Contractor for completion of the work affected by such excess time, to the extent it is demonstrated that the excess time caused the delay. If the Government's review of two or more separate submittals or resubmittals is late and results in concurrent days of excess time, such days will be counted only once in computing an extension of the completion date. Further, if the Contractor fails to make complete approval submittals in the sequence and within the time periods specified in this contract, and thus precludes the Government from approving or considering for approval such submittals within the specified calendar day period, then the Contractor shall not be entitled to reimbursement for any extension of time for completion of the work.

C.2.3. Government Furnished Materials and Services

The Government will provide access to reports, memoranda, photographs, drawings, maps, GIS databases, and any other materials owned by the Government that are pertinent to each TO that are not otherwise prohibited from release by law, regulation, or policy. Reclamation has determined that some documents contain information considered to be "sensitive" and necessary to be appropriately safeguarded. These types of documents will be marked appropriately and will be intended for Contractors use only. These documents, or copies of the documents, are not to be distributed to any other entities, without prior consent and approval by the Government. Additional restrictions regarding sensitive documents may be included in individual TOs.

A list of Government furnished materials will be provided in TOs that include such materials.

Originals of photographs, drawings, and maps shall be lent to the Contractor in order to make reproductions as required. The Contractor shall be responsible for all costs of copying Government furnished materials and for the safe return of the materials. The Government will also provide, as part of each TO, specific issues and/or information concerning the subject study area and schedule.

The Government shall provide its most recent edition of the Autodesk Civil3D drawing template (.dwg) and standard support files, necessary to produce properly formatted drawings. The Contractor is responsible to ensure they have the most current drawing template available from the Government before production of any drawing files.

The Government shall provide the Reclamation CSI Guide Specifications to the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible to ensure they have the Specification Guide available from the Government before production of any specification files.

C.3. PRICING OF TASK ORDERS

C.3.1. Supplies/Services and Prices/Costs

Section B contains a listing of labor categories/job titles that may be utilized during performance of the contract. The Contractor shall provide loaded hourly rates for each labor category/job title under the contract, including subcontractors who are permanent team-members listed on the Contractor’s SF330 package submitted for the contract. After negotiation and execution of the contract, the Loaded Hourly Rates shall be applicable for all work performed under the contract of each applicable period.

In response to Task Order Requests for Proposals (RFP), the Architect or Engineer shall furnish a breakdown of all costs estimated to complete the work required by the RFP to include all costs associated with materials (identified by item and quantity), equipment (identified by item, quantity and whether contractor-owned or rented), categories of direct labor, subcontracts, overhead and other indirect costs, profit/fee, and any other pricing information requested by the Contracting Officer, in sufficient detail to permit an analysis of fair and reasonable price. Categories of labor not contained in Section B - Price Schedule of the base award will not be allocable and therefore not permitted for Task Order (TO) pricing. AE shall also consider C.4. TASK ORDER COMPETION AND TASK ORDER PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS for additional TO pricing requirements. Profit rates will be negotiated at the individual TO level using a structured approach as required by DIAR 1415.404-4(a).

Reclamation’s structured approach for the purpose of pricing profit on task orders are the use of weighted guidelines.

It is possible that task order Period of Performance (PoP) under this contract may extend beyond the

PoP of the base IDIQ. If a TO PoP extends beyond year five (5) of the base contract, escalation on labor rates will be allowable for the first two (2) years beyond year five (5) only. For example, if the base contract PoP ends in FY2029, the Government will accept escalated labor rates on a TO up to FY2031. Anything beyond two (2) years will utilize the rates of the last allowable year under the TO.

The 6% architect-engineer fee limitation codified at 48 CFR 836.606-71 and regulated at FAR 15.404- 4(c)(4)(B) applies to this contract and all task orders. The 6 percent fee limitation does not apply to the architect or engineer services described in paragraph (c) of 48 CFR 836.606-71. The Contracting Officer reserves the right to re-negotiate the AE fee if they determine that the AE contractor is outside of the fee limitation. Compliance with the CFR also extends to TO modifications and events when re-design is required. If a modification or re-design results in non-compliance with the 6 percent fee limitation, the Government reserves the right to re-negotiate the AE fee.

Section I. contains FAR 52.236-22, Design within Funding Limitations which obligates the A/E to prepare plans and designs that can be used for construction within the funds available for construction.

If bids exceed the estimated construction price, the A/E must revise the plans and specs at no additional cost to the Government (unless the unfavorable bids resulted from conditions beyond the reasonable control of the A/E).

C.4. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The following describes, in general terms, the kinds of tasks which the Contractor may be called upon to provide.

C.4.1. Engineering and Engineering-related

a. Architectural Designs and Analyses - Architectural designs and analyses performed under this contract are anticipated to include: architectural treatment of buildings, seismic retrofits, plants, and other structures; interior layouts and selection of materials and colors; landscape design; site layouts; visual environment considerations; and historic preservation considerations.

b. Construction Management Assistance (CMA) - CMA services may be performed to help identify defects or deficiencies in the work of a construction contractor in determining conformance with the designs and specifications prepared by the A&E or Reclamation. These services are anticipated to include: field review of construction to observe and evaluate field conditions and provide recommendations for foundation acceptance for structures; review and comment of contractor-prepared drawings and data; review of contractor-prepared Value Engineering and other proposals; preparation of documents with recommendations on the acceptability of submittals; drawing preparation; and preparation of other construction-related documentation.

The Contractor may be called upon to provide construction management services which may include providing qualified construction inspectors, geologists and geologic exploration equipment, construction materials, testing personnel and equipment;

surveying personnel and equipment; providing reviews of designs for constructability;

reviewing contractor-prepared Critical Path Method (CPM) logic diagrams and construction schedules; reviewing and analyzing contractor submittals; assistance with reviewing and analyzing contractor claims and requests for contractor adjustments, preparing written reports of the analyses, assisting in presenting findings to contractors, and providing expert testimony if litigation occurs; and preparing costs estimates for direct costs, effects on other work, and delays using available contractor CPM data when modifications are considered or required.

The Contractor shall provide construction support services relating to construction contract administration and post construction activities as may be included in the TOs. These services include review and recommendations for approval or rejection of shop and other working drawings and other items submitted by the Contractor or its subcontractors.

Preparation of reports recommending foundation acceptance or rejection. Preparation of record drawings showing construction according to the records of the resident engineer and constructor. Evaluation to recommend whether design assumptions are valid for the field conditions encountered. Preparation of O&M manuals and standard operating procedures.

During project construction, the Contractor shall review shop drawings, materials, fixtures, equipment, samples, plant materials, and color schedules submitted by the construction contractor in accordance with the contract plans and specifications and shall recommend action in accordance with the determination of their conformity to the contract plans and specifications. The Contractor shall furnish, during the project construction period, such engineering advice in connection with the design as may be requested by the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall review Reclamation-furnished documents and drawings which indicate changes in the construction contract and determine from said documents and drawings substantial material departures in the project construction based on such documents and drawings from the requirements delineated on the original contract drawings and make recommendations to Reclamation.

The Contractor may be required to prepare a set of record drawings of the project by correcting or revising the original contract drawings to show all changes in construction as per the records of the Resident Engineer and the constructor. Reports, drawings, and other submittals required shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the TOs.

c. Contract Specifications - Services may include preparation of complete contract specifications for construction or other projects. The specifications shall be of sufficient detail so that they can be used in solicitations for bids or proposals, on a full and open competitive basis. The technical specifications shall state precisely what is expected from the construction contractor in clear and concise statements. Materials shall be described, where possible, by reference to standards generally known to the industry, technical, society, Federal, or military specifications and standards. The standard which best represents no more and no less than the Government's minimum needs shall be selected for incorporation into the specification.

The Reclamation Specifications Format shall be used by the Contractor as a guide in preparing technical specifications, unless otherwise stated. At times Reclamation prepares designs and specifications for other agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or the United States Forest Service (USFS). In these cases, specifications in the respective agency’s format and language will be required.

The use of trade names, propriety items, and the drafting of specifications by adopting a manufacturer's description of a particular commercial article will not be permitted, unless a "Brand Name or Equal" specification, with appropriate salient characteristics is utilized.

Brand name or sole source specifications shall not be used without prior approval from the Contracting Officer. The item will otherwise be specified by giving its physical characteristics, chemical composition, laboratory test results, and performance in actual use in such a manner as to allow full and open competition among suppliers.

The technical provisions shall comprise a master technical specification covering all items of work common to all line items under the TO and shall be prepared with separate sections covering the various trades of work classification. The sequence of materials shall be in the same order as that used in Reclamation Specification Format, or other guides, as specified. Where applicable, technical provisions shall be based upon specifications listed in the TO.

A schedule of construction Contractor's approvals and tests shall be prepared listing all shop drawings, samples, materials, fixtures, equipment, plant materials, and color schedules to be submitted and all tests to be performed by the construction Contractor in accordance with the contract specifications. The A&E contractor shall limit the number of required contract submittals to the least number of submittals required to protect the Government’s interests and to ensure the safety and integrity of the constructed works.

d. Designs and Drawings - The A&E shall become thoroughly familiar with

Reclamation-furnished design data and established project functional requirements.

Using this information, the A&E shall develop engineering concepts that will satisfy project requirements at reasonable costs. Each design shall include drawings, a narrative discussion, and the estimated construction costs.

Final drawing guidelines shall be based on approved designs and layouts and shall be developed according to Reclamation Standards, or as specified in TOs. All delivered drawings shall be reproducible.

Generally, any drawings or output data files produced on a Computer Aided Design and

Drafting (CADD) system and furnished to Reclamation shall be compatible with the current version of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2023, *.DWG file format, manufactured by Autodesk, Inc., Sausalito, CA, as used by Reclamation. As specified in the specific TOs, geotechnical engineering and geology drawings may require the use of Intergraph CADD applications and ORACLE database applications. Drawing conversion shall be accomplished by scanning existing engineering drawings and converting them to final drawings. Before submission for final acceptance, all designs and drawings prepared by the A&E shall be signed and dated by the registered professional responsible for the project. The stamp and signature of the registered professional engineer shall appear on all design drawings.

e. Design Data Collection, Surveying, Preliminary and Final Designs, Cost Estimates - The

Contractor may be called upon to collect data for appraisal, feasibility, final and/or special designs, cost estimates, construction specifications or other suitable documentation for projects and facilities (including appropriate field engineering, surveying, geologic mapping of potential structure sites and potential construction material sources, foundation core drilling, construction material sampling and laboratory testing, location of utilities and similar work); prepare construction schedules for facilities; prepare chemical engineering/chemistry studies for water quality investigations and studies; prepare other studies or surveys for facilities or projects; prepare geologic investigations and analyses of sites and construction materials; conduct site and/or aerial surveys.

f. Drafting/Cartography - The Contractor may be called upon to prepare maps, drawings, and charts depicting information specified by Reclamation. All materials will be furnished by the Contractor except as otherwise provided in the TO. The Contractor may be called upon to create or update drawings to create final As-built drawings.

g. Hydraulic Analyses and Designs - Hydraulic analyses and designs performed under this contract are anticipated to include: sizing of hydraulic structures (including fish passage and protective facilities, spillways, outlet works, tunnels, pipelines, penstocks, canals, pumping plants, powerplants, tanks, culverts, and other features); removal of instream barriers; design of energy dissipaters; hydraulic transient analyses; reservoir flood routings; cavitation evaluations; water surface profile studies; river hydraulic analyses; and other open-channel and pressure flow analyses.

h. Materials Engineering and Research - Materials engineering and research performed under this contract are anticipated to include investigating and analyzing the prevention, detection, control, and mitigation of corrosion; providing technical expertise and applied research on the proper use of geosynthetics and polymeric materials for engineering uses; providing technical expertise in testing and evaluating concrete, concrete…