SOW_--_HIRL_FY22_3_2_2022.docx

TITLE: Market Research on Radon-Resistant Construction Practices in New Houses

Contracting Officer Representative: Thomas Bowles

EPA/OAR/ORIA/IED

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (6609T) Washington DC 20460

(202) 343-9301

LEVEL OF EFFORT: 364 hours (Estimated)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: TBD

A. Background

The EPA has an aggressive effort underway to reduce public health risks caused by exposure to radon, a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that is a known human carcinogen. As part of this effort, there is an EPA program promoting the use of radon-resistant design features for new construction houses. Since 1990, over 1.6 million new houses have been constructed using radon-resistant design features.

Over the past several years, independent commercial surveys of home builders have been conducted to gather information on a wide variety of home building practices. These surveys collect information such as: types of houses built, lot sizes, foundation designs, types of doors and windows used by builders, types of lumber used by builders, etc. These commercial surveys also gather information on the use of radon-resistant design features in new houses. Since 1992, the EPA has been able to utilize these existing commercial surveys to monitor the amount of new houses constructed each year using radon-resistant design features, and to track the success of the EPA’s program and assess program strategies.

The purpose of this procurement is to obtain a report on radon-resistant construction practices used by home builders in the United States during the 2021 calendar year (01 January – 31 December 2021). This effort will require the Contractor to extract information from existing commercial surveys of home builders, perform an analysis of the survey and develop a report of the results.

B.

Statement of Work

Task 1 Prepare Cost Estimate and Technical Workplan

A detailed Technical workplan and an estimated budget are required. Other than the preparation and submission of a Technical workplan and budget, no work shall begin on this Purchase Order until Technical Direction is received from the EPA COR.

Task 2 Guidance and Technical Meetings

Upon approval of the cost estimate and technical workplan by the contracting officer, the contractor shall attend no more than three meetings with EPA COR to receive EPA guidance and discuss technical issues regarding all tasks indicated. Times and dates to be determined by COR through technical direction. The meetings will take place either at the contractor’s office (Upper Marlborough, MD) or at the EPA WAM’s office (Washington, DC).

Deliverables:

The contractor shall attend no more than three overall guidance and technical issues meetings with COR.

Task 3: National Survey of Home Builders

1. Overview and Classification of Housing Types: The supplier shall use existing commercial surveys of home builders to determine the extent to which home builders incorporated radon-resistant design features into new houses constructed during 2021. The data shall be analyzed separately for Single-Family Detached and Multi-Family houses, which are defined as follows:

The supplier shall use the existing commercial surveys to obtain data for a minimum of 1,000 builders of Single-Family Detached houses and 100 builders of Multi-Family houses (builders who built new houses in the United States during the 2021 calendar year). Furthermore, data shall be obtained for a minimum of 25,000 Single-Family Detached houses and 10,000 Multi-Family houses constructed in the United States during the 2021 calendar year.

2. Definition of Radon-Reducing Features for Housing Foundation Types: The data shall be analyzed for three different foundation types: basement, slab-on-grade and crawlspace foundations. The criteria for inclusion of radon-resistant design features in new houses for the various foundation types shall be as follows:

Basement and Slab-On-Grade -New houses shall be considered to include radon-resistant design features if they incorporate a passive stack sub-slab depressurization system or a fan-driven sub-slab depressurization system.

(Note: In prior years, radon-resistant design features for basement and slab-on-grade foundations also included a rough-in for sub-slab depressurization. In this report, for calendar year 2017, a rough-in for sub-slab depressurization shall not be included when calculating the amount of homes with radon-resistant design features. The percentage of homes constructed with a rough-in for sub-slab depressurization shall continue to be considered in the analysis of techniques outlined in paragraph 7.g of this Statement of Work.)

Crawlspace - New houses shall be considered to include radon-resistant design features if they incorporate a passive stack sub-membrane depressurization system or a fan-driven sub-membrane depressurization system.

3. Geographic Analysis by U.S. Census Regions: Data for Single-Family Detached and Multi-Family houses shall be analyzed from among the nine census regions of the United States, as listed in Table 1:

Table 1. Nine Census Regions of the United States

New England Mid-Atlantic South Atlantic East North Central West North Central East South Central West South Central Mountain Pacific

The proportion of new houses analyzed in each census region shall be within ± 5 percent of the proportion of new housing starts in that region for 2021, as determined from the Census Bureau statistics. The results reported shall include a tabular comparison for the census regions, showing the percentage of the new houses analyzed and the percentage of 2021 housing starts for each region. Correction factors shall be applied to compensate for differences between the percentage of new houses analyzed and the percentage of 2021 housing starts in each region when developing totals for the United States.

4. Geographic Analysis by State Market Levels: The Single-Family Detached housing data obtained for the nine census regions shall also be analyzed on a state market level. There are 32 state market areas, listed in Table 2, which fall under the nine census regions. States with traditionally small numbers of housing starts are combined with other states, and states with traditionally large numbers of housing starts (Florida, Texas and California) are divided into two market areas. The percentage of housing starts during 2021 for each state market area within each Census region shall also be included in the report.

Table 2. State Market Level Areas

New England

· Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island

· Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont

Mid-Atlantic

· New Jersey

· New York

· Pennsylvania

South Atlantic

· Delaware, Maryland & District of Columbia

· Northern Florida (Tampa and north)

· Southern Florida (south of Tampa)

· Georgia

· North Carolina & South Carolina

· Virginia & West Virginia

East North Central

· Illinois

· Indiana

· Michigan

· Ohio

· Wisconsin

West North Central

· Iowa & Nebraska

· Kansas & Missouri

· Minnesota

· North Dakota & South Dakota

East South Central

· Alabama & Mississippi

· Kentucky & Tennessee

West South Central

· Arkansas & Oklahoma

· Louisiana & East Texas (Houston to Corpus Christi and west to the semi-arid plains)

· West Texas (Dallas to San Antonio and west)

Mountain

· Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico

· Colorado & Utah

· Idaho, Montana & Wyoming

Pacific

· Northern California (counties north of Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo)

· Southern California (10 southern counties) & Hawaii

· Oregon

· Washington & Alaska

5. Analysis by EPA Radon Zones: The Single-Family Detached and Multi-Family housing data for the nine census regions shall also be analyzed with respect to the EPA’s zones of radon potential. The EPA has assigned every county of the United States with a zone designation, which indicates the potential for elevated indoor radon levels (based on EPA surveys and geological data). The EPA radon potential zones are defined as follows:

A listing of the EPA radon potential zone designations for the 3,141 counties in the United States can be provided to the supplier, if needed.

6. Estimation of Total Number of Dwellings with Radon-Reducing Features: The Single-Family Detached and Multi-Family housing data shall also be analyzed to estimate the total number of dwellings constructed in the United States during 2021 that incorporate radon-reducing design features. This data shall be analyzed by EPA radon potential zone.

7. Analysis of Construction Characteristics and Radon-Reducing Features: As previously stated, data from existing commercial surveys of home builders shall be used to assess the degree that home builders incorporate a variety of radon-reducing design features. The following data shall be extracted from existing commercial surveys and statistically analyzed:

a. Type of houses (number of houses of each type):

i. starter houses

ii. move-up houses

iii. luxury houses

iv. multi-family houses

b. Type of foundation (number of houses of each type):

c. Number of floors, excluding basement (percentage of houses built):

d. Construction method used (percentage of houses built):

e. Builder production rate:

f. Whether any of the following methods of sub-slab preparation are used:

g. Percentage of houses incorporating any of the following sub-slab depressurization systems, for basement and slab-on-grade foundations:

h. Percentage of houses incorporating any of the following sub-membrane depressurization and ventilation systems, for crawlspace foundations:

i. Whether any of the following sealing methods are used for houses with basement or slab-on-grade foundations:

j. The percentage of new construction houses that have been tested for radon.

k. The percentage of houses tested for radon that needed further work to reduce radon levels to less than 4 pCi/L.

l. The estimated costs reported by builders for installing passive sub-slab or sub-membrane depressurization systems, broken down by the estimated percentages of houses that incorporate radon-reducing design features within the following estimated cost ranges:

i. Less than $200

ii. $200 - $299

iii. $300 - $399

iv. $400 - $499

v. $500 - $599

vi. $600 - $799

vii. $800 and greater

m. The estimated costs reported by builders for installing active sub-slab or sub-membrane depressurization systems, broken down by the estimated percentages of houses that incorporate radon-reducing design features within the following estimated cost ranges:

i. Less than $450

ii. $450 - $549

iii. $550 - $649

iv. $650 - $749

v. $750 - $849

vi. $850 - $1049

vii. $1050 and greater

8. Data Presentation: The following tables shall be developed from the data:

a. Single-Family Detached Housing Results for Nine Census Regions

b. Multi-Family Housing Results for Nine Census Regions

c. Single-Family Detached Housing Results for 32 State Market Areas

d. Single-Family Detached Housing Results for EPA Radon Potential Zones

e. Multi-Family Housing Results for EPA Radon Potential Zones

a. Total Estimated Housing Quantities (Single-Family Detached plus Multi-Family) for EPA Radon Potential Zones

8.1 Each table described above in paragraph 8 shall contain the following information for each applicable category (e.g., census region, state market area, or EPA radon potential zone), and the total for the United States.

a. Number of housing units built in 2021 and number of home builders reporting.

b. Percentage of one-story houses built, and the amount with and without radon-resistant design features. Presented separately for basement, crawlspace and slab-on-grade foundations.

c. Percentage of two-story houses built, and the amount with and without radon-resistant design features. Presented separately for basement, crawlspace and slab-on-grade foundations.

d. Percentage of three-story houses built, and the amount with and without radon-resistant design features. Presented separately for basement, crawlspace and slab-on-grade foundations.

e. Percentage of houses built on piers.

f. Percentages of houses built with and without radon-resistant design features, presented separately for basement, crawlspace and slab-on-grade foundations.

g. Percentages of all houses built with and without radon-resistant design features.

h. Percentage of houses tested for radon after construction, and percentage of houses tested requiring additional work to reduce radon levels.

i. Percentage of houses tested for radon after construction, and percentage of houses tested requiring additional work to reduce radon levels, presented separately for basement, crawlspace and slab-on-grade foundations.

j. Percentages of houses built with and without radon-resistant design features, presented separately for conventional (on-site), prefabricated (panelized), and modular construction methods.

k. Percentages of houses constructed with and without radon-resistant design features, presented separately for home builder production rates of 1-10, 11-25, 26-100, and greater than 100 houses per year.

l. Breakdown of radon reduction methods for houses with basement and slab-on-grade foundations (e.g., rough-in, passive stack, fan-driven system, sealing entry routes), by percent.

m. Breakdown of radon reduction methods for houses with crawlspace foundations (e.g., passive stack, fan-driven system, foundation wall vents), by percent.

n. Breakdown of sealing methods used for houses with basement and slab-on-grade foundations, by percent.

o. Breakdown of sub-slab preparation methods for houses with basement and slab-on-grade foundations, by percent.

p. Breakdown of estimated cost ranges for houses with passive radon-reduction systems.

q. Breakdown of estimated cost ranges for houses with active radon-reduction systems.

9. Reporting Requirements: A report shall be prepared. The report shall contain the following:

a. Executive summary.

b. Description of commercial surveys utilized.

c. Number of builders contacted and response rate.

d. A comparison of the number of houses analyzed and the number of 2021 housing starts in each census region.

e. Percentage of starter houses, move-up houses and luxury houses, and the average square footage for each type of house.

f. A brief statistical discussion of the analysis.

g. Data tables (as discussed in Section 8).

h. A copy of the commercial survey(s) used to collect the data.

9.1 A draft report shall be submitted for review by the EPA. A final report shall be submitted following resolution of review comments provided by the EPA. The draft and final reports shall be submitted in both hard copy and electronic formats. The electronic copies of the draft and final report text shall be submitted in Microsoft Word. The electronic copies of the draft and final report data tables shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel. The electronic files containing the report text and data tables shall be submitted to the EPA Project Officer via e-mail or CD-ROM. Two hard copies of the draft and final reports shall be provided.

10. Period of Performance: Overall period of performance begins at ward of purchase order and ends120 days after award of purchase order

· Draft report submitted no later than 60 days after award of purchase order.

· EPA review comments on draft report will be submitted 30 day after receipt of report.

· Final report submitted no later than 30 days after receipt of EPA review comments (est. 120 days after award of purchase order.

C. Schedule of deliverables

D. General

A contractor’s technical workplan is needed. An estimated budget is required.

Other than preparing and submitting a budget, no work shall begin on this Purchase Order until Technical Direction is received from the EPA COR.

The Contractor shall furnish a copy of each section of the monthly technical and financial management reports which relate to this Purchase Order directly to the COR at the same time the reports are submitted to the Contracting Officer.

The COR is authorized to issue technical direction in accordance with the contract clauses.

The Contractor shall communicate with the COR at least once a month to discuss progress made during that month, any problems or obstacles encountered, and the complete status of all ongoing tasks.

The Contractor shall be prepared to submit for inspection copies of all work in progress at any time as directed by the COR.

The Contractor shall notify the COR when 75% of the Work on the Purchase Order hours and/or costs have been used.

Final deliverables shall be submitted in hard copies and in electronic form. Unless specified otherwise, all deliverables shall be submitted in MS Word, MS Excel, or MS Access suitable for a Windows 98 operating environment. Unless otherwise specified, electronic copies of deliverables shall be submitted to the COR via e-mail or cloud based services. Unless otherwise specified, two hard copies of all deliverables shall be provided.