REVISED_-_Sources_Sought_-_SOL-CI-16-00012.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT

TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR

THE OFFICE OF WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT (OWM)

SOL-CI-16-00012

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS FOR WRITTEN INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO

CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

The purpose of this contract is to provide environment consulting support services to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Water (OW), Office of Wastewater Management (OWM), Water Permits Division (WPD) in amending, developing, and implementing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and Clean Water Act (CWA) regulations. Technical support is expected to include professional program managers, engineers, scientists, information specialists, statisticians, and administrative services with experience in NPDES permitting and CWA regulations as well as experience and best practices to help make municipal wastewater treatment facilities more efficient and sustainable.

The majority of the work emphasizes requirements related to work in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water; however this work may be available for use by other organizations within the EPA subject to capacity and permission. All work required under this contract shall be defined in written work assignments issued by the EPA Contracting Officer (CO). The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will review all of the contractor analyses.

Under the Clean Water Act, the Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) works in partnership with EPA Regions, States and Tribes to regulate discharges, as defined under the Act, into applicable surface waters, such as wetlands, lakes, rivers, estuaries, bays and oceans. Typically OWM focuses on water that collects in discrete conveyances or point sources, to include water that collects in pipes, ditches, and sanitary or storm sewers. This methodology of analyzing identifiable point sources within a defined watershed is intended to maximize continuity in solution to address all pollution problems within a definitive geographic area. Again, targeting point sources of pollution, natural or otherwise, a Watershed-based National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a basis to qualify and measure alternatives through the development of environmentally sound permits for multiple point sources located within a watershed so as to effectively meet water quality standards. In addition, OWM requires support in the direction and promotion of the programs conducted under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the largest single water quality-funding source, whose emphasis focuses on funding wastewater treatment systems, nonpoint source projects, and estuary protection. In meeting these mission requirements OWM requires vital technical and administrative support services to quantify and extend the base of knowledge and specialized expertise necessary for decision-makers to fulfill their statutory responsibilities.

The purpose of this announcement is to identify potential small businesses with the capability to perform all or a portion of the requirements defined in the attached draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) and to further determine whether or not all or a portion of the work can be set-aside for potential small businesses sources. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541620, Environmental Consulting Services, with a size standard of $15 Million.

The proposed contract will have a base period consisting of 12 months with four (4) option periods of 12 months each, for a total potential period of performance of five (5) years. Total maximum level of effort for this five year period of performance is 610,000 direct labor hours. It is anticipated that a cost-plus-fixed-fee/level-of-effort contract will result from the solicitation.

The current projected start date of the contract is July 1, 2016. The RFP will appear on the FedBizOpps.gov website at https://www.fbo.gov/ under Solicitation Number SOL-CI-16-00012.

All responsible sources who submit a proposal will be considered by the Agency. It is the responsibility of the offeror to check FedBizOpps for updates or changes. It is anticipated that the RFP will be available in March 2016.

All interested parties are hereby invited to submit a capability statement of no more than fifteen

(15) pages on standard 8.5” by 11” paper. The Government shall evaluate each capability statement based on the interested party’s demonstrated qualifications, capabilities, expertise, experience and past performance in each of the areas included in the draft PWS. Interested parties shall describe their ability to provide all necessary labor, materials, services, equipment and facilities in support of the efforts required by the PWS.

Interested parties shall provide their size status for NAICS code 541620, (i.e. large, small) and whether or not they are a certified hubzone, 8(a), women-owned, small disadvantaged and/or disabled veteran owned concern.

Due to the nature of the PWS requirements, it is anticipated that interested parties with the expertise to perform this work could also have relationships (e.g. a parent/subsidiary/sister company affiliation or an existing contractual relationship), which presents the potential for significant organizational conflicts of interest. It is the EPA’s contention that a significant organizational conflict of interest would exist if award were to be made to firm within the following groups:

• Firms within the regulated community that discharge processed water or which provide treatment of wastewater or drinking water;

• Firms that develop/manufacture/sell/import water treatment chemicals and/or equipment, to include firms that develop/manufacture/sell/import point-of-use or point-of-entry treatment devices;

• Firms that provide advisory and/or technical services relating to waste minimization, waste management, and wastewater treatment and control for regulated industries;

• Firms that act in a consulting, advisory, or legal capacity with, or for, firms trying to overturn or avoid application of effluent guidelines or regulations within the scope of this work could manipulate data outcomes to effect a particular determination in favor of their clients;

https://www.fbo.gov/

• Firms that own, operate, or construct either community or commercial water systems;

• Firms that are developers, suppliers, or manufacturers of pesticides, agricultural chemicals, or products indigenous to animal feed lot operations, regardless of size;

• Firms that own, operate, or construct facilities or products which use water as a coolant for the absorption of heat, regardless of source or purpose, where those waters are not part of a closed system or reduced to steam; rather, once used, used waters are released, discharged, or otherwise returned to aquifers, ground water, or source waters;

• Firms that have current or previous contracts with states or tribes to provide legal, technical, or consulting services related to wastewater management, NPDES permitting, water infrastructure development, or resource planning could be adversely effected in their ability to provide fair and impartial services or adversely impacted by their own pecuniary interests by having provided or by continuing to provide technical compliance assistance, wastewater analysis, or consulting services to states and tribes.

Firms that are directly included in the entities described above would have clear conflicts which would be difficult for the agency to avoid, mitigate or neutralize. However, some consulting firms that may have affiliates or subsidiaries that are part of those entities could, with proper disclosure and appropriate action, avoid, mitigate, and neutralize the potential conflict of interest.

Likewise, firms that have business or financial interests in those entities may also present actual or potential conflicts of interest concerns, which with proper disclosure and appropriate action may be avoided, mitigated, or neutralized. None of these firms are restricted from submitting a capability statement to indicate interest in this upcoming solicitation.

EPA reserves the right to use any and all information submitted by, or obtained from, an interested party in any manner EPA determines is appropriate, including, but not limited to, the creation of a competitive solicitation. An interested party shall avoid including any classified, business confidential, and/or proprietary information in its response. However, if an interested party shall submit such information, the information shall be clearly marked accordingly, and the interested party shall provide sufficient justification as to why such information is business confidential and/or proprietary. EPA shall review said information and safeguard it accordingly.

The Government shall not pay for any information that is provided in response to this announcement, nor shall it compensate any respondents for the development of such information.

Responses to the above should be submitted to Brad Heath, USEPA-CPOD, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268-0001, or via e-mail to heath.brad@epa.gov no later than January 15, 2016. A separate synopsis shall be issued for the Request for Proposal (RFP) resulting from this sources sought synopsis.

mailto:heath.brad@epa.gov