Award A-E Services IDIQ Base + 4 Option Years Multiple Award

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California). 

The selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the projects.  At least three (3) A-E firms will be selected from this announcement.  A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with four (4) option years.  The expected minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000 respectively.  The expected maximum total contract amount is $15,000,000. 

The A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC. 

I. Statement of Work:  The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California).  The Contractor shall be required to perform all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically identified in individual task orders. 

I.A.  Inventory of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations; evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans; security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost estimates.

I.B.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civilworks associated with surface and subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion control, bridges and security and communication systems.  The design of each project shall include consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a usable facility.  These features in general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings, including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm water drainage.

I.C.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems.  Design services shall include assessments, master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the estimate of probable construction costs.

I.D.  Design services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems; Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.

I.E.  Permitting support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies, computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed facilities. 

I.F.  Geotechnical services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging, sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective shoring systems. 

I.G.  Surveying, aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS) database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System (GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition; topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography) including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical maps and documents.

I.H.  Engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies; backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.

I.I.  Design and bidding services – Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security, communication and instrumentation.  Review and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals, conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of: conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects, attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.

I.J.  Construction assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions during construction (including request for information/requests for clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support; review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction process.

I.K.  Start-up services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs; monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying facility performance. 

II.  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

II.A.  Deliverables – Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set forth in each task order.  All deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI or Imperial units, or both.  All deliverables shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad, with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy, reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required number of copies will be specified in each individual task order.   All deliverables for design services shall be provided in the following phases of development:  30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final, and 100% Final.

II.A.1. Reports:  All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch, typed on white bond paper, with binders.  All photographs shall be clear, color copies.  All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible.  Reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible.  Data or report tables shall be provided in spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).

II.A.2. Plans:  All final plans shall be computer generated (AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the title block).  All preliminary and draft drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block and with lettering in Romand script.  Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic Standards.  All plan drawings shall be geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.

II.A.3.  Specifications:

II.A.3.(a)  Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition.  Materials shall describe where possible, by recognized industry or technical society standards.  Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5 inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections.  Specifications shall be provided in MS Word 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format. 

II.A.3.(b)  The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the Government when authorized by the Government.  Specifications shall not be written to specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and other companies’ similar products would not meet the Governments’ minimum requirements for the item.  The Contractor shall provide in the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient characteristics of the product.  Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.

II.A.4.  Aerial Photography:  All general site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as specified by task order.  All maps shall be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required.  Horizontal vertical scales shall be based upon current geodetic datum for the project area.  All aerial maps shall also be provided in digital format and georeferenced when required by task order. 

II.A.5.  Cost Estimates:  Cost estimates shall reflect current prices for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work.  The estimates shall be itemized by the major items of construction.  Lump sum amounts for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted.  All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S. dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed.  Contractor shall provide all sources used for preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans.  Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required.  Construction cost estimates will be utilized in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become confidential material for official use only.  Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her representative.

II.A.6.  Geographic Information Systems (GIS):  Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic, environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order. 

II.A.7.  Photographs: 

II.A.7.(a)   Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format.  Photographs shall be clear, in color and of at least 8 megapixel resolution.  The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1).  The CD will contain a text file to identify each photograph as described below in paragraph b.

II.A.7.(b)  Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name, date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and description of photograph.  The above captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.

II.B.  Standards – All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering practices.  All criteria, factors, assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well as the justification for the selection of these criteria. 

II.C.  Project Manager – The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required under the contract.  The project manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design information. 

II.D.  Meetings – Progress and review meetings shall be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.

II.E. Monthly Updates– The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month.  The update will be submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per project/task order:  Major Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable Dates/Delays, and Contractor’s Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if applicable.  The report may be submitted by email.

II.F.  Coordination – When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being developed under separate contracts.

II.G.  Value Engineering (VE) – The Contractor shall cooperate with an “outside” (i.e., a third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO.  This may require the Contractor to respond to VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into the design.  If the Contractor is required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO. 

II.H.  Permits – Should it become necessary to secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as necessary for the performance of the services.  The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on such property.  In the event the owner requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and obtain a receipt.  The Contractor, upon submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

II.I.  Re-submittal – In the event that documents submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion, the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents.  No partial re-submittals will be permitted.  The Contractor shall assume all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.

II.J.  Work Plan – When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a Work Plan (WP).  The WP shall describe the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the Government’s Scope of Work.  At minimum, the WP shall contain the following elements:

II.J.1.  Introduction – A general explanation documenting the task and goals.

II.J.2.  Work Plan Approach – Explanation of how the activities will satisfy the requirements.

II.J.3.  Key Personnel – Identification of key personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.

II.J.4.  Quality Control – A description of the quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all aspect of the work specified in the task order.

II.J.5.  Schedule – An overall schedule for the execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the WP.  The schedule shall identify major project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other mutually agreed upon format).  END OF SCOPE OF WORK.

III.  EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS:  Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors in descending order of importance.  Merit Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so forth.  Each Merit Factor is then divided into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance.  Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category.  Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications statement responses shall be submitted as follows:

III.1.  All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New Roman Font. 

III.2.  For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category.  For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis, and design of hydraulic structures) – A maximum of one page for each Item (Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc…) shall be submitted.  Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.3.  For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit Factor, unless otherwise noted.  Each Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.4.  In each response page, the Merit Factor, Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.

III.5.  The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x of x..

III.6.  Margins shall have the following minimum dimensions:  Left 1 inch, Right 0.75 inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch

Responses that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be evaluated.  There will be no exceptions. See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.

The Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows:  Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 = 10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV.  EVALUATION FACTORS

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):

1.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures (13 Points):  a.  Levees (4 Points); b.  Dams (3 Points); c.  Floodwalls ( 3 points); d.  River Channel (1 point); e.  Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)

2.  Analysis of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points):  a.  Ground and Surface water studies (3 Points); b.  Dam Break (3 Points); c.  Reservoir Capacity (1 point); d.  Flood Routing (1 point); and e.  Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1 point)

3.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points):  a.  Upgrade to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or capacity increases (3 points); b.  Advanced primary Treatment (1 point); and c.  Secondary Treatment (1 point)

4.  Studies, Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points):  a.  Seepage Analysis (3 points); b.  Slope Stability (1 point); and c.  Design of de-watering systems (1 point)

5.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points):  a.  Buildings - Administrative, Storage, and Maintenance Buildings.   Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability Act (ADA)). (2 points); b.  Ancillary Civil Structures’, i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures, washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure. (2 points); and c.  Energy Conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design of any civil works projects. (1 point)

6.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation and upgrades of existing plants (4 points):  a.  Instrumentation and Controls (2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c.  Structural (1 point)

7.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points):  a.  Underground Storage Tanks (1 point); b.  Contaminated soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c.  Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d.  Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)

8.  Geographic Information System (GIS) (4 points):  Integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)

9.  Preparation of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points):  a.  Aerial Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b.  Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of historical maps (1 point); c.  Inundation Maps (1 point); and d.  Light Detecting and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 2 – Past performance on contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules, and managerial ability. (28 points)

1.  Provide a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1.  For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five (5) projects per Category shall be listed.  For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category shall be listed.  Each Project shall contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points):  a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b.  Contract Number if available; c. Contract Type;  d. Total Contract Value; e.  Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone Number; and f.  Brief description of the work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this solicitation.  This list, in conjunction with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database, will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.

2.  Provide examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely completion of 2 past projects.  Provide specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above.  (10 points)

3.  Describe regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm.  (3 points)

MERIT FACTOR 3 – Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10 points)

1.  Provide information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist, Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline.(Note that the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)

2.  Identify state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. (1 point)

3.  Provide information on contractor’s corporate structure, including regional and field office structure. (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 4 – The firm’s capacity to accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)

1.  Provide information on the firm’s capacity to accomplish work within a require period of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5 points)

2.  Provide information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)

MERIT FACTOR 5 – Firm’s location in the general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic, environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)

END OF EVALUATION FACTORS

V.  SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following:

1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures

a. Levees (Response shall be in this area and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)

END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE HEADING

VI.  This procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED). 

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (Feb 1998).  This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of clause)

If a large business is selected for the contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract.  The contract will require the Government to order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year. 

All A-E firms who meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown above.  SF 330s , Part II ,must also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors.  Five (5) complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted.  The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical location.  The SF 330 should also address the firm’s capability to perform all services, including any qualifiying subocntractors. 

VII.  The SF 330 must be received in this office no later than 3:00 p.m., Mountain Daylight  Time on March16, 2009.  The deadline is extended in order to respond to questiion received as of 02-27-09 at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, February 27, 2009.  After 8:00 a.m. on February 27, 29009 no questions will be accepted. 

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998).  This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.  (End of provision)

Any submittals received after this date will be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. 

Telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged.  Administrative and procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915) 832-4714.  This is not a request for a price proposal. 

VIII. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for Engineering Services. The small business size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three years. The Federal Product Service Code (FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping, interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering Services. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which will be considered. 

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California). 

The selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the projects.  At least three (3) A-E firms will be selected from this announcement.  A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with four (4) option years.  The expected minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000 respectively.  The expected maximum total contract amount is $15,000,000. 

The A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC. 

I. Statement of Work:  The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California).  The Contractor shall be required to perform all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically identified in individual task orders. 

I.A.  Inventory of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations; evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans; security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost estimates.

I.B.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civilworks associated with surface and subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion control, bridges and security and communication systems.  The design of each project shall include consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a usable facility.  These features in general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings, including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm water drainage.

I.C.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems.  Design services shall include assessments, master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the estimate of probable construction costs.

I.D.  Design services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems; Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.

I.E.  Permitting support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies, computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed facilities. 

I.F.  Geotechnical services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging, sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective shoring systems. 

I.G.  Surveying, aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS) database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System (GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition; topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography) including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical maps and documents.

I.H.  Engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies; backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.

I.I.  Design and bidding services – Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security, communication and instrumentation.  Review and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals, conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of: conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects, attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.

I.J.  Construction assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions during construction (including request for information/requests for clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support; review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction process.

I.K.  Start-up services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs; monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying facility performance. 

II.  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

II.A.  Deliverables – Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set forth in each task order.  All deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI or Imperial units, or both.  All deliverables shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad, with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy, reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required number of copies will be specified in each individual task order.   All deliverables for design services shall be provided in the following phases of development:  30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final, and 100% Final.

II.A.1. Reports:  All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch, typed on white bond paper, with binders.  All photographs shall be clear, color copies.  All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible.  Reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible.  Data or report tables shall be provided in spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).

II.A.2. Plans:  All final plans shall be computer generated (AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the title block).  All preliminary and draft drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block and with lettering in Romand script.  Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic Standards.  All plan drawings shall be geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.

II.A.3.  Specifications:

II.A.3.(a)  Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition.  Materials shall describe where possible, by recognized industry or technical society standards.  Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5 inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections.  Specifications shall be provided in MS Word 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format. 

II.A.3.(b)  The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the Government when authorized by the Government.  Specifications shall not be written to specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and other companies’ similar products would not meet the Governments’ minimum requirements for the item.  The Contractor shall provide in the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient characteristics of the product.  Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.

II.A.4.  Aerial Photography:  All general site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as specified by task order.  All maps shall be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required.  Horizontal vertical scales shall be based upon current geodetic datum for the project area.  All aerial maps shall also be provided in digital format and georeferenced when required by task order. 

II.A.5.  Cost Estimates:  Cost estimates shall reflect current prices for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work.  The estimates shall be itemized by the major items of construction.  Lump sum amounts for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted.  All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S. dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed.  Contractor shall provide all sources used for preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans.  Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required.  Construction cost estimates will be utilized in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become confidential material for official use only.  Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her representative.

II.A.6.  Geographic Information Systems (GIS):  Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic, environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order. 

II.A.7.  Photographs: 

II.A.7.(a)   Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format.  Photographs shall be clear, in color and of at least 8 megapixel resolution.  The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1).  The CD will contain a text file to identify each photograph as described below in paragraph b.

II.A.7.(b)  Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name, date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and description of photograph.  The above captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.

II.B.  Standards – All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering practices.  All criteria, factors, assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well as the justification for the selection of these criteria. 

II.C.  Project Manager – The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required under the contract.  The project manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design information. 

II.D.  Meetings – Progress and review meetings shall be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.

II.E. Monthly Updates– The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month.  The update will be submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per project/task order:  Major Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable Dates/Delays, and Contractor’s Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if applicable.  The report may be submitted by email.

II.F.  Coordination – When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being developed under separate contracts.

II.G.  Value Engineering (VE) – The Contractor shall cooperate with an “outside” (i.e., a third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO.  This may require the Contractor to respond to VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into the design.  If the Contractor is required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO. 

II.H.  Permits – Should it become necessary to secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as necessary for the performance of the services.  The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on such property.  In the event the owner requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and obtain a receipt.  The Contractor, upon submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

II.I.  Re-submittal – In the event that documents submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion, the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents.  No partial re-submittals will be permitted.  The Contractor shall assume all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.

II.J.  Work Plan – When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a Work Plan (WP).  The WP shall describe the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the Government’s Scope of Work.  At minimum, the WP shall contain the following elements:

II.J.1.  Introduction – A general explanation documenting the task and goals.

II.J.2.  Work Plan Approach – Explanation of how the activities will satisfy the requirements.

II.J.3.  Key Personnel – Identification of key personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.

II.J.4.  Quality Control – A description of the quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all aspect of the work specified in the task order.

II.J.5.  Schedule – An overall schedule for the execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the WP.  The schedule shall identify major project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other mutually agreed upon format).  END OF SCOPE OF WORK.

III.  EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS:  Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors in descending order of importance.  Merit Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so forth.  Each Merit Factor is then divided into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance.  Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category.  Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications statement responses shall be submitted as follows:

III.1.  All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New Roman Font. 

III.2.  For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category.  For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis, and design of hydraulic structures) – A maximum of one page for each Item (Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc…) shall be submitted.  Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.3.  For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit Factor, unless otherwise noted.  Each Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.4.  In each response page, the Merit Factor, Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.

III.5.  The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x of x..

III.6.  Margins shall have the following minimum dimensions:  Left 1 inch, Right 0.75 inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch

Responses that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be evaluated.  There will be no exceptions. See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.

The Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows:  Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 = 10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV.  EVALUATION FACTORS

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):

1.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures (13 Points):  a.  Levees (4 Points); b.  Dams (3 Points); c.  Floodwalls ( 3 points); d.  River Channel (1 point); e.  Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)

2.  Analysis of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points):  a.  Ground and Surface water studies (3 Points); b.  Dam Break (3 Points); c.  Reservoir Capacity (1 point); d.  Flood Routing (1 point); and e.  Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1 point)

3.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points):  a.  Upgrade to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or capacity increases (3 points); b.  Advanced primary Treatment (1 point); and c.  Secondary Treatment (1 point)

4.  Studies, Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points):  a.  Seepage Analysis (3 points); b.  Slope Stability (1 point); and c.  Design of de-watering systems (1 point)

5.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points):  a.  Buildings - Administrative, Storage, and Maintenance Buildings.   Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability Act (ADA)). (2 points); b.  Ancillary Civil Structures’, i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures, washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure. (2 points); and c.  Energy Conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design of any civil works projects. (1 point)

6.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation and upgrades of existing plants (4 points):  a.  Instrumentation and Controls (2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c.  Structural (1 point)

7.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points):  a.  Underground Storage Tanks (1 point); b.  Contaminated soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c.  Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d.  Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)

8.  Geographic Information System (GIS) (4 points):  Integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)

9.  Preparation of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points):  a.  Aerial Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b.  Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of historical maps (1 point); c.  Inundation Maps (1 point); and d.  Light Detecting and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 2 – Past performance on contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules, and managerial ability. (28 points)

1.  Provide a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1.  For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five (5) projects per Category shall be listed.  For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category shall be listed.  Each Project shall contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points):  a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b.  Contract Number if available; c. Contract Type;  d. Total Contract Value; e.  Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone Number; and f.  Brief description of the work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this solicitation.  This list, in conjunction with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database, will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.

2.  Provide examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely completion of 2 past projects.  Provide specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above.  (10 points)

3.  Describe regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm.  (3 points)

MERIT FACTOR 3 – Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10 points)

1.  Provide information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist, Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline.(Note that the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)

2.  Identify state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. (1 point)

3.  Provide information on contractor’s corporate structure, including regional and field office structure. (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 4 – The firm’s capacity to accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)

1.  Provide information on the firm’s capacity to accomplish work within a require period of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5 points)

2.  Provide information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)

MERIT FACTOR 5 – Firm’s location in the general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic, environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)

END OF EVALUATION FACTORS

V.  SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following:

1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures

a. Levees (Response shall be in this area and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)

END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE HEADING

VI.  This procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED). 

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (Feb 1998).  This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of clause)

If a large business is selected for the contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract.  The contract will require the Government to order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year. 

All A-E firms who meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown above.  SF 330s , Part II ,must also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors.  Five (5) complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted.  The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical location.  The SF 330 should also address the firm’s capability to perform all services, including any qualifiying subocntractors. 

VII.  The SF 330 must be received in this office no later than 3:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time on March 9, 2009.  The deadline is extended in order to respond to questiion received as of 02-27-09 at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, February 27, 2009.  After 8:00 a.m. on February 27, 29009 no questions will be accepted. 

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998).  This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.  (End of provision)

Any submittals received after this date will be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. 

Telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged.  Administrative and procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915) 832-4714.  This is not a request for a price proposal. 

VIII. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for Engineering Services. The small business size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three years. The Federal Product Service Code (FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping, interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering Services. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which will be considered. 

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California). 

The selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the projects.  At least three (3) A-E firms will be selected from this announcement.  A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with four (4) option years.  The expected minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000 respectively.  The expected maximum total contract amount is $15,000,000. 

The A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC. 

I. Statement of Work:  The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California).  The Contractor shall be required to perform all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically identified in individual task orders. 

I.A.  Inventory of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations; evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans; security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost estimates.

I.B.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civilworks associated with surface and subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion control, bridges and security and communication systems.  The design of each project shall include consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a usable facility.  These features in general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings, including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm water drainage.

I.C.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems.  Design services shall include assessments, master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the estimate of probable construction costs.

I.D.  Design services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems; Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.

I.E.  Permitting support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies, computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed facilities. 

I.F.  Geotechnical services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging, sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective shoring systems. 

I.G.  Surveying, aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS) database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System (GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition; topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography) including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical maps and documents.

I.H.  Engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies; backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.

I.I.  Design and bidding services – Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security, communication and instrumentation.  Review and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals, conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of: conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects, attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.

I.J.  Construction assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions during construction (including request for information/requests for clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support; review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction process.

I.K.  Start-up services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs; monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying facility performance. 

II.  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

II.A.  Deliverables – Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set forth in each task order.  All deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI or Imperial units, or both.  All deliverables shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad, with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy, reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required number of copies will be specified in each individual task order.   All deliverables for design services shall be provided in the following phases of development:  30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final, and 100% Final.

II.A.1. Reports:  All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch, typed on white bond paper, with binders.  All photographs shall be clear, color copies.  All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible.  Reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible.  Data or report tables shall be provided in spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).

II.A.2. Plans:  All final plans shall be computer generated (AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the title block).  All preliminary and draft drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block and with lettering in Romand script.  Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic Standards.  All plan drawings shall be geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.

II.A.3.  Specifications:

II.A.3.(a)  Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition.  Materials shall describe where possible, by recognized industry or technical society standards.  Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5 inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections.  Specifications shall be provided in MS Word 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format. 

II.A.3.(b)  The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the Government when authorized by the Government.  Specifications shall not be written to specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and other companies’ similar products would not meet the Governments’ minimum requirements for the item.  The Contractor shall provide in the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient characteristics of the product.  Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.

II.A.4.  Aerial Photography:  All general site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as specified by task order.  All maps shall be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required.  Horizontal vertical scales shall be based upon current geodetic datum for the project area.  All aerial maps shall also be provided in digital format and georeferenced when required by task order. 

II.A.5.  Cost Estimates:  Cost estimates shall reflect current prices for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work.  The estimates shall be itemized by the major items of construction.  Lump sum amounts for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted.  All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S. dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed.  Contractor shall provide all sources used for preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans.  Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required.  Construction cost estimates will be utilized in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become confidential material for official use only.  Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her representative.

II.A.6.  Geographic Information Systems (GIS):  Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic, environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order. 

II.A.7.  Photographs: 

II.A.7.(a)   Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format.  Photographs shall be clear, in color and of at least 8 megapixel resolution.  The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1).  The CD will contain a text file to identify each photograph as described below in paragraph b.

II.A.7.(b)  Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name, date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and description of photograph.  The above captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.

II.B.  Standards – All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering practices.  All criteria, factors, assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well as the justification for the selection of these criteria. 

II.C.  Project Manager – The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required under the contract.  The project manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design information. 

II.D.  Meetings – Progress and review meetings shall be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.

II.E. Monthly Updates– The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month.  The update will be submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per project/task order:  Major Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable Dates/Delays, and Contractor’s Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if applicable.  The report may be submitted by email.

II.F.  Coordination – When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being developed under separate contracts.

II.G.  Value Engineering (VE) – The Contractor shall cooperate with an “outside” (i.e., a third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO.  This may require the Contractor to respond to VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into the design.  If the Contractor is required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO. 

II.H.  Permits – Should it become necessary to secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as necessary for the performance of the services.  The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on such property.  In the event the owner requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and obtain a receipt.  The Contractor, upon submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

II.I.  Re-submittal – In the event that documents submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion, the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents.  No partial re-submittals will be permitted.  The Contractor shall assume all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.

II.J.  Work Plan – When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a Work Plan (WP).  The WP shall describe the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the Government’s Scope of Work.  At minimum, the WP shall contain the following elements:

II.J.1.  Introduction – A general explanation documenting the task and goals.

II.J.2.  Work Plan Approach – Explanation of how the activities will satisfy the requirements.

II.J.3.  Key Personnel – Identification of key personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.

II.J.4.  Quality Control – A description of the quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all aspect of the work specified in the task order.

II.J.5.  Schedule – An overall schedule for the execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the WP.  The schedule shall identify major project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other mutually agreed upon format).  END OF SCOPE OF WORK.

III.  EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS:  Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors in descending order of importance.  Merit Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so forth.  Each Merit Factor is then divided into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance.  Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category.  Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications statement responses shall be submitted as follows:

III.1.  All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New Roman Font. 

III.2.  For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category.  For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis, and design of hydraulic structures) – A maximum of one page for each Item (Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc…) shall be submitted.  Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.3.  For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit Factor, unless otherwise noted.  Each Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.4.  In each response page, the Merit Factor, Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.

III.5.  The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x of x..

III.6.  Margins shall have the following minimum dimensions:  Left 1 inch, Right 0.75 inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch

Responses that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be evaluated.  There will be no exceptions. See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.

The Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows:  Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 = 10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV.  EVALUATION FACTORS

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):

1.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures (13 Points):  a.  Levees (4 Points); b.  Dams (3 Points); c.  Floodwalls ( 3 points); d.  River Channel (1 point); e.  Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)

2.  Analysis of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points):  a.  Ground and Surface water studies (3 Points); b.  Dam Break (3 Points); c.  Reservoir Capacity (1 point); d.  Flood Routing (1 point); and e.  Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1 point)

3.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points):  a.  Upgrade to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or capacity increases (3 points); b.  Advanced primary Treatment (1 point); and c.  Secondary Treatment (1 point)

4.  Studies, Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points):  a.  Seepage Analysis (3 points); b.  Slope Stability (1 point); and c.  Design of de-watering systems (1 point)

5.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points):  a.  Buildings - Administrative, Storage, and Maintenance Buildings.   Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability Act (ADA)). (2 points); b.  Ancillary Civil Structures’, i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures, washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure. (2 points); and c.  Energy Conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design of any civil works projects. (1 point)

6.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation and upgrades of existing plants (4 points):  a.  Instrumentation and Controls (2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c.  Structural (1 point)

7.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points):  a.  Underground Storage Tanks (1 point); b.  Contaminated soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c.  Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d.  Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)

8.  Geographic Information System (GIS) (4 points):  Integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)

9.  Preparation of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points):  a.  Aerial Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b.  Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of historical maps (1 point); c.  Inundation Maps (1 point); and d.  Light Detecting and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 2 – Past performance on contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules, and managerial ability. (28 points)

1.  Provide a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1.  For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five (5) projects per Category shall be listed.  For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category shall be listed.  Each Project shall contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points):  a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b.  Contract Number if available; c. Contract Type;  d. Total Contract Value; e.  Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone Number; and f.  Brief description of the work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this solicitation.  This list, in conjunction with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database, will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.

2.  Provide examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely completion of 2 past projects.  Provide specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above.  (10 points)

3.  Describe regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm.  (3 points)

MERIT FACTOR 3 – Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10 points)

1.  Provide information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist, Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline.(Note that the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)

2.  Identify state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. (1 point)

3.  Provide information on contractor’s corporate structure, including regional and field office structure. (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 4 – The firm’s capacity to accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)

1.  Provide information on the firm’s capacity to accomplish work within a require period of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5 points)

2.  Provide information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)

MERIT FACTOR 5 – Firm’s location in the general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic, environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)

END OF EVALUATION FACTORS

V.  SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following:

1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures

a. Levees (Response shall be in this area and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)

END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE HEADING

VI.  This procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED). 

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (Feb 1998).  This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of clause)

If a large business is selected for the contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract.  The contract will require the Government to order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year. 

All A-E firms who meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown above.  SF 330s , Part II ,must also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors.  Five (5) complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted.  The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical location.  The SF 330 should also address the firm’s capability to perform all services, including any qualifiying subocntractors. 

VII.  The SF 330 must be received in this office no later than 3:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time on February 27, 2009. 

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998).  This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.  (End of provision)

Any submittals received after this date will be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. 

Telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged.  Administrative and procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915) 832-4714.  This is not a request for a price proposal. 

VIII. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for Engineering Services. The small business size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three years. The Federal Product Service Code (FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping, interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering Services. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which will be considered.

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California). 

The selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the projects.  At least three (3) A-E firms will be selected from this announcement.  A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with four (4) option years.  The expected minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000 respectively.  The expected maximum total contract amount is $15,000,000. 

The A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC. 

I. Statement of Work:  The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California).  The Contractor shall be required to perform all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically identified in individual task orders. 

I.A.  Inventory of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations; evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans; security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost estimates.

I.B.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civilworks associated with surface and subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion control, bridges and security and communication systems.  The design of each project shall include consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a usable facility.  These features in general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings, including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm water drainage.

I.C.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems.  Design services shall include assessments, master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the estimate of probable construction costs.

I.D.  Design services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems; Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.

I.E.  Permitting support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies, computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed facilities. 

I.F.  Geotechnical services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging, sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective shoring systems. 

I.G.  Surveying, aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS) database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System (GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition; topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography) including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical maps and documents.

I.H.  Engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies; backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.

I.I.  Design and bidding services – Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security, communication and instrumentation.  Review and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals, conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of: conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects, attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.

I.J.  Construction assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions during construction (including request for information/requests for clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support; review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction process.

I.K.  Start-up services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs; monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying facility performance. 

II.  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

II.A.  Deliverables – Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set forth in each task order.  All deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI or Imperial units, or both.  All deliverables shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad, with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy, reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required number of copies will be specified in each individual task order.   All deliverables for design services shall be provided in the following phases of development:  30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final, and 100% Final.

II.A.1. Reports:  All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch, typed on white bond paper, with binders.  All photographs shall be clear, color copies.  All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible.  Reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible.  Data or report tables shall be provided in spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).

II.A.2. Plans:  All final plans shall be computer generated (AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the title block).  All preliminary and draft drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block and with lettering in Romand script.  Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic Standards.  All plan drawings shall be geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.

II.A.3.  Specifications:

II.A.3.(a)  Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition.  Materials shall describe where possible, by recognized industry or technical society standards.  Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5 inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections.  Specifications shall be provided in MS Word 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format. 

II.A.3.(b)  The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the Government when authorized by the Government.  Specifications shall not be written to specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and other companies’ similar products would not meet the Governments’ minimum requirements for the item.  The Contractor shall provide in the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient characteristics of the product.  Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.

II.A.4.  Aerial Photography:  All general site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as specified by task order.  All maps shall be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required.  Horizontal vertical scales shall be based upon current geodetic datum for the project area.  All aerial maps shall also be provided in digital format and georeferenced when required by task order. 

II.A.5.  Cost Estimates:  Cost estimates shall reflect current prices for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work.  The estimates shall be itemized by the major items of construction.  Lump sum amounts for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted.  All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S. dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed.  Contractor shall provide all sources used for preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans.  Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required.  Construction cost estimates will be utilized in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become confidential material for official use only.  Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her representative.

II.A.6.  Geographic Information Systems (GIS):  Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic, environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order. 

II.A.7.  Photographs: 

II.A.7.(a)   Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format.  Photographs shall be clear, in color and of at least 8 megapixel resolution.  The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1).  The CD will contain a text file to identify each photograph as described below in paragraph b.

II.A.7.(b)  Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name, date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and description of photograph.  The above captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.

II.B.  Standards – All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering practices.  All criteria, factors, assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well as the justification for the selection of these criteria. 

II.C.  Project Manager – The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required under the contract.  The project manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design information. 

II.D.  Meetings – Progress and review meetings shall be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.

II.E. Monthly Updates– The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month.  The update will be submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per project/task order:  Major Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable Dates/Delays, and Contractor’s Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if applicable.  The report may be submitted by email.

II.F.  Coordination – When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being developed under separate contracts.

II.G.  Value Engineering (VE) – The Contractor shall cooperate with an “outside” (i.e., a third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO.  This may require the Contractor to respond to VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into the design.  If the Contractor is required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO. 

II.H.  Permits – Should it become necessary to secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as necessary for the performance of the services.  The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on such property.  In the event the owner requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and obtain a receipt.  The Contractor, upon submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

II.I.  Re-submittal – In the event that documents submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion, the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents.  No partial re-submittals will be permitted.  The Contractor shall assume all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.

II.J.  Work Plan – When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a Work Plan (WP).  The WP shall describe the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the Government’s Scope of Work.  At minimum, the WP shall contain the following elements:

II.J.1.  Introduction – A general explanation documenting the task and goals.

II.J.2.  Work Plan Approach – Explanation of how the activities will satisfy the requirements.

II.J.3.  Key Personnel – Identification of key personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.

II.J.4.  Quality Control – A description of the quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all aspect of the work specified in the task order.

II.J.5.  Schedule – An overall schedule for the execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the WP.  The schedule shall identify major project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other mutually agreed upon format).  END OF SCOPE OF WORK.

III.  EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS:  Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors in descending order of importance.  Merit Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so forth.  Each Merit Factor is then divided into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance.  Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category.  Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications statement responses shall be submitted as follows:

III.1.  All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New Roman Font. 

III.2.  For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category.  For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis, and design of hydraulic structures) – A maximum of one page for each Item (Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc…) shall be submitted.  Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.3.  For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit Factor, unless otherwise noted.  Each Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.4.  In each response page, the Merit Factor, Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.

III.5.  The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x of x..

III.6.  Margins shall have the following minimum dimensions:  Left 1 inch, Right 0.75 inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch

Responses that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be evaluated.  There will be no exceptions. See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.

The Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows:  Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 = 10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV.  EVALUATION FACTORS

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):

1.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures (13 Points):  a.  Levees (4 Points); b.  Dams (3 Points); c.  Floodwalls ( 3 points); d.  River Channel (1 point); e.  Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)

2.  Analysis of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points):  a.  Ground and Surface water studies (3 Points); b.  Dam Break (3 Points); c.  Reservoir Capacity (1 point); d.  Flood Routing (1 point); and e.  Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1 point)

3.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points):  a.  Upgrade to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or capacity increases (3 points); b.  Advanced primary Treatment (1 point); and c.  Secondary Treatment (1 point)

4.  Studies, Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points):  a.  Seepage Analysis (3 points); b.  Slope Stability (1 point); and c.  Design of de-watering systems (1 point)

5.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points):  a.  Buildings - Administrative, Storage, and Maintenance Buildings.   Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability Act (ADA)). (2 points); b.  Ancillary Civil Structures’, i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures, washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure. (2 points); and c.  Energy Conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design of any civil works projects. (1 point)

6.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation and upgrades of existing plants (4 points):  a.  Instrumentation and Controls (2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c.  Structural (1 point)

7.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points):  a.  Underground Storage Tanks (1 point); b.  Contaminated soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c.  Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d.  Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)

8.  Geographic Information System (GIS) (4 points):  Integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)

9.  Preparation of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points):  a.  Aerial Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b.  Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of historical maps (1 point); c.  Inundation Maps (1 point); and d.  Light Detecting and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 2 – Past performance on contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules, and managerial ability. (28 points)

1.  Provide a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1.  For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five (5) projects per Category shall be listed.  For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category shall be listed.  Each Project shall contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points):  a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b.  Contract Number if available; c. Contract Type;  d. Total Contract Value; e.  Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone Number; and f.  Brief description of the work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this solicitation.  This list, in conjunction with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database, will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.

2.  Provide examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely completion of 2 past projects.  Provide specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above.  (10 points)

3.  Describe regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm.  (3 points)

MERIT FACTOR 3 – Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10 points)

1.  Provide information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist, Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline.(Note that the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)

2.  Identify state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. (1 point)

3.  Provide information on contractor’s corporate structure, including regional and field office structure. (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 4 – The firm’s capacity to accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)

1.  Provide information on the firm’s capacity to accomplish work within a require period of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5 points)

2.  Provide information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)

MERIT FACTOR 5 – Firm’s location in the general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic, environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)

END OF EVALUATION FACTORS

V.  SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following:

1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures

a. Levees (Response shall be in this area and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)

END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE HEADING

VI.  This procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED). 

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (Feb 1998).  This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of clause)

If a large business is selected for the contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract.  The contract will require the Government to order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year. 

All A-E firms who meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown above.  SF 330s , Part II ,must also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors.  Five (5) complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted.  The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical location.  The SF 330 should also address the firm’s capability to perform all services, including any qualifiying subocntractors. 

VII.  The SF 330 must be received in this office no later than 3:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time on February 20, 2009. 

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998).  This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.  (End of provision)

Any submittals received after this date will be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. 

Telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged.  Administrative and procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915) 832-4714.  This is not a request for a price proposal. 

VIII. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for Engineering Services. The small business size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three years. The Federal Product Service Code (FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping, interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering Services. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which will be considered.

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California). 

The selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the projects.  At least three (3) A-E firms will be selected from this announcement.  A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with four (4) option years.  The expected minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000 respectively.  The expected maximum total contract amount is $15,000,000. 

The A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC. 

I. Statement of Work:  The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California).  The Contractor shall be required to perform all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically identified in individual task orders. 

I.A.  Inventory of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations; evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans; security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost estimates.

I.B.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civilworks associated with surface and subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion control, bridges and security and communication systems.  The design of each project shall include consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a usable facility.  These features in general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings, including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm water drainage.

I.C.  Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems.  Design services shall include assessments, master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the estimate of probable construction costs.

I.D.  Design services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems; Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.

I.E.  Permitting support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies, computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed facilities. 

I.F.  Geotechnical services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging, sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective shoring systems. 

I.G.  Surveying, aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS) database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System (GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition; topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography) including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical maps and documents.

I.H.  Engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies; backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.

I.I.  Design and bidding services – Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security, communication and instrumentation.  Review and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals, conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of: conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects, attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.

I.J.  Construction assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions during construction (including request for information/requests for clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support; review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction process.

I.K.  Start-up services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs; monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying facility performance. 

II.  GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

II.A.  Deliverables – Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set forth in each task order.  All deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI or Imperial units, or both.  All deliverables shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad, with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy, reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required number of copies will be specified in each individual task order.   All deliverables for design services shall be provided in the following phases of development:  30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final, and 100% Final.

II.A.1. Reports:  All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch, typed on white bond paper, with binders.  All photographs shall be clear, color copies.  All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible.  Reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible.  Data or report tables shall be provided in spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).

II.A.2. Plans:  All final plans shall be computer generated (AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the title block).  All preliminary and draft drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block and with lettering in Romand script.  Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic Standards.  All plan drawings shall be geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.

II.A.3.  Specifications:

II.A.3.(a)  Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition.  Materials shall describe where possible, by recognized industry or technical society standards.  Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5 inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections.  Specifications shall be provided in MS Word 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format. 

II.A.3.(b)  The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the Government when authorized by the Government.  Specifications shall not be written to specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government’s requirements, and other companies’ similar products would not meet the Governments’ minimum requirements for the item.  The Contractor shall provide in the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient characteristics of the product.  Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.

II.A.4.  Aerial Photography:  All general site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as specified by task order.  All maps shall be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required.  Horizontal vertical scales shall be based upon current geodetic datum for the project area.  All aerial maps shall also be provided in digital format and georeferenced when required by task order. 

II.A.5.  Cost Estimates:  Cost estimates shall reflect current prices for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work.  The estimates shall be itemized by the major items of construction.  Lump sum amounts for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted.  All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S. dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed.  Contractor shall provide all sources used for preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans.  Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required.  Construction cost estimates will be utilized in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become confidential material for official use only.  Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her representative.

II.A.6.  Geographic Information Systems (GIS):  Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic, environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order. 

II.A.7.  Photographs: 

II.A.7.(a)   Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format.  Photographs shall be clear, in color and of at least 8 megapixel resolution.  The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1).  The CD will contain a text file to identify each photograph as described below in paragraph b.

II.A.7.(b)  Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name, date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and description of photograph.  The above captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.

II.B.  Standards – All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering practices.  All criteria, factors, assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well as the justification for the selection of these criteria. 

II.C.  Project Manager – The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required under the contract.  The project manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design information. 

II.D.  Meetings – Progress and review meetings shall be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.

II.E. Monthly Updates– The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month.  The update will be submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per project/task order:  Major Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable Dates/Delays, and Contractor’s Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if applicable.  The report may be submitted by email.

II.F.  Coordination – When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being developed under separate contracts.

II.G.  Value Engineering (VE) – The Contractor shall cooperate with an “outside” (i.e., a third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO.  This may require the Contractor to respond to VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into the design.  If the Contractor is required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO. 

II.H.  Permits – Should it become necessary to secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as necessary for the performance of the services.  The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on such property.  In the event the owner requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and obtain a receipt.  The Contractor, upon submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

II.I.  Re-submittal – In the event that documents submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion, the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents.  No partial re-submittals will be permitted.  The Contractor shall assume all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.

II.J.  Work Plan – When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a Work Plan (WP).  The WP shall describe the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the Government’s Scope of Work.  At minimum, the WP shall contain the following elements:

II.J.1.  Introduction – A general explanation documenting the task and goals.

II.J.2.  Work Plan Approach – Explanation of how the activities will satisfy the requirements.

II.J.3.  Key Personnel – Identification of key personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.

II.J.4.  Quality Control – A description of the quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all aspect of the work specified in the task order.

II.J.5.  Schedule – An overall schedule for the execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the WP.  The schedule shall identify major project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other mutually agreed upon format).  END OF SCOPE OF WORK.

III.  EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS:  Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors in descending order of importance.  Merit Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so forth.  Each Merit Factor is then divided into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance.  Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category.  Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications statement responses shall be submitted as follows:

III.1.  All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New Roman Font. 

III.2.  For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category.  For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis, and design of hydraulic structures) – A maximum of one page for each Item (Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc…) shall be submitted.  Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.3.  For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit Factor, unless otherwise noted.  Each Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.4.  In each response page, the Merit Factor, Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.

III.5.  The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x of x..

III.6.  Margins shall have the following minimum dimensions:  Left 1 inch, Right 0.75 inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch

Responses that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be evaluated.  There will be no exceptions. See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.

The Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows:  Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 = 10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV.  EVALUATION FACTORS

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):

1.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures (13 Points):  a.  Levees (4 Points); b.  Dams (3 Points); c.  Floodwalls ( 3 points); d.  River Channel (1 point); e.  Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)

2.  Analysis of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points):  a.  Ground and Surface water studies (3 Points); b.  Dam Break (3 Points); c.  Reservoir Capacity (1 point); d.  Flood Routing (1 point); and e.  Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1 point)

3.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points):  a.  Upgrade to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or capacity increases (3 points); b.  Advanced primary Treatment (1 point); and c.  Secondary Treatment (1 point)

4.  Studies, Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points):  a.  Seepage Analysis (3 points); b.  Slope Stability (1 point); and c.  Design of de-watering systems (1 point)

5.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points):  a.  Buildings - Administrative, Storage, and Maintenance Buildings.   Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability Act (ADA)). (2 points); b.  Ancillary Civil Structures’, i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures, washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure. (2 points); and c.  Energy Conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design of any civil works projects. (1 point)

6.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation and upgrades of existing plants (4 points):  a.  Instrumentation and Controls (2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c.  Structural (1 point)

7.  Studies, Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points):  a.  Underground Storage Tanks (1 point); b.  Contaminated soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c.  Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d.  Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)

8.  Geographic Information System (GIS) (4 points):  Integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)

9.  Preparation of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points):  a.  Aerial Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b.  Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of historical maps (1 point); c.  Inundation Maps (1 point); and d.  Light Detecting and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 2 – Past performance on contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules, and managerial ability. (28 points)

1.  Provide a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1.  For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five (5) projects per Category shall be listed.  For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category shall be listed.  Each Project shall contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points):  a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b.  Contract Number if available; c. Contract Type;  d. Total Contract Value; e.  Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone Number; and f.  Brief description of the work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this solicitation.  This list, in conjunction with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database, will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.

2.  Provide examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely completion of 2 past projects.  Provide specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above.  (10 points)

3.  Describe regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm.  (3 points)

MERIT FACTOR 3 – Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10 points)

1.  Provide information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist, Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline.(Note that the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)

2.  Identify state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. (1 point)

3.  Provide information on contractor’s corporate structure, including regional and field office structure. (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 4 – The firm’s capacity to accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)

1.  Provide information on the firm’s capacity to accomplish work within a require period of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5 points)

2.  Provide information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)

MERIT FACTOR 5 – Firm’s location in the general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic, environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)

END OF EVALUATION FACTORS

V.  SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following:

1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures

a. Levees (Response shall be in this area and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)

END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE HEADING

VI.  This procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED). 

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (Feb 1998).  This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of clause)

If a large business is selected for the contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract.  The contract will require the Government to order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year. 

All A-E firms who meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown above.  SF 330s must also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors.  Five (5) complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted.  The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical location.  The SF 330 should also address the firm’s capability to perform all services.  The Government recognizes that Mexican engineering firms may not be familiar with the SFs 330; however, the same information that would appear on the SF 330 may be submitted in an alternate format.  All information submitted in an alternate format must be submitted in five (5) copies. 

VII.  The SF 330 and alternate formatted information must be received in this office no later than 4:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time on February 20, 2009. 

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998).  This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.  (End of provision)

Any submittals received after this date will be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. 

Telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged.  Administrative and procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915) 832-4714.  This is not a request for a price proposal. 

VIII. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for Engineering Services. The small business size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three years. The Federal Product Service Code (FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping, interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering Services. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which will be considered.

The U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects located

The
U.S. Section, International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and
Mexico, (USIBWC), intends to award an Architect Engineer (A-E) Indefinite
Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for A-E services for projects
located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of
Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California). 

The
selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the
projects.  At least three (3) A-E firms
will be selected from this announcement.  A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with
four (4) option years.  The expected
minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000
respectively.  The expected maximum total
contract amount is $15,000,000. 

The
A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide
the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject
contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC. 

I.
Statement of Work:  The contractor shall furnish all labor, material,
supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete
task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the
U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,
and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon,
Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California).  The Contractor shall be required to perform
all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically
identified in individual task orders. 

I.A.  Inventory
of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of
engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations;
evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis
and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans;
security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network
analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost
estimates.

I.B.  Design
services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civilworks associated with surface and
subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such
as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric
power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion
control, bridges and security and communication systems.  The design of each project shall include
consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a
usable facility.  These features in
general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings,
including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway
improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking
areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm
water drainage.

I.C.  Design
services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new
construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced
primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance
facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems.  Design services shall include assessments,
master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the
estimate of probable construction costs.

I.D.  Design
services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective
and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems;
Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.

I.E.  Permitting
support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies,
computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain
all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed
facilities. 

I.F.  Geotechnical
services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging,
sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and
geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and
magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater
investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage
analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective
shoring systems. 

I.G.  Surveying,
aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS)
database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System
(GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data
collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition;
topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography)
including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified
orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical
maps and documents.

I.H.  Engineering,
hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies;
backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam
break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater
modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.

I.I.  Design
and bidding services – Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and
cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas
of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security,
communication and instrumentation.  Review
and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals,
conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and
Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may
include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of:
conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager
at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement
actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects,
attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining
files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.

I.J.  Construction
assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction
contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change
order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions
during construction (including request for information/requests for
clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost
estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final
operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of
operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support;
review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of
inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and
coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction
contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction
process.

I.K.  Start-up
services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and
implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs;
monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time
after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of
warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying
facility performance. 

II.  GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS

II.A.  Deliverables – Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set
forth in each task order.  All
deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI
or Imperial units, or both.  All deliverables
shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad,
with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy,
reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required
number of copies will be specified in each individual task order.   All deliverables for design services shall
be provided in the following phases of development:  30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final,
and 100% Final.

II.A.1. Reports:  All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch,
typed on white bond paper, with binders.  All photographs shall be clear, color copies.  All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x
11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible.  Reduction shall be such
that all printing is legible and reproducible.  Data or report tables shall be provided in
spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).

II.A.2. Plans:  All final plans shall be computer generated
(AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard
black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the
title block).  All preliminary and draft
drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block
and with lettering in Romand script.  Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic
Standards.  All plan drawings shall be
geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.

II.A.3.  Specifications:

II.A.3.(a)  Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition.  Materials shall describe where possible, by
recognized industry or technical society standards.  Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5
inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections.  Specifications shall be provided in MS Word
2003 or other mutually agreed upon format. 

II.A.3.(b)  The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open
competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand
name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of
the Government when authorized by the Government.  Specifications shall not be written to
specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to
one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is
essential to the Government’s requirements, and other companies’ similar
products would not meet the Governments’ minimum requirements for the
item.  The Contractor shall provide in
the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient
characteristics of the product.  Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.

II.A.4.  Aerial Photography:  All general
site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory
purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and
shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as
specified by task order.  All maps shall
be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required.  Horizontal vertical scales shall be based
upon current geodetic datum for the project area.  All aerial maps shall also be provided in
digital format and georeferenced when required by task order. 

II.A.5.  Cost Estimates:  Cost estimates shall reflect current prices
for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work.  The estimates shall be itemized by the major
items of construction.  Lump sum amounts
for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted.  All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S.
dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering
News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices
appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed.  Contractor shall provide all sources used for
preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans.  Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required.  Construction cost estimates will be utilized
in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become
confidential material for official use only.  Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting
Officer (CO) or his/her representative.

II.A.6.  Geographic Information Systems (GIS):  Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic,
environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other
pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS
format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order. 

II.A.7.  Photographs: 

II.A.7.(a)   Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs
requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format.  Photographs shall be clear, in color and of
at least 8 megapixel resolution.  The
Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic
format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1).  The CD will contain a text file to identify
each photograph as described below in paragraph b.

II.A.7.(b)  Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name,
date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and
description of photograph.  The above
captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.

II.B.
 Standards
– All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance
with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in
which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering
practices.  All criteria, factors,
assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well
as the justification for the selection of these criteria. 

II.C.  Project
Manager – The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and
alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the
Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required
under the contract.  The project manager
shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the
contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project
deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting
errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design
information. 

II.D.  Meetings – Progress and review meetings shall
be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and
problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key
players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available
then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.

II.E. Monthly Updates– The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each
individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month.  The update will be
submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per
project/task order:  Major
Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with
Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable
Dates/Delays, and Contractor’s Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if
applicable.  The report may be submitted
by email.

II.F.  Coordination
– When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with
other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being
developed under separate contracts.

II.G.  Value
Engineering (VE) – The Contractor shall cooperate with an “outside” (i.e., a
third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO.  This may require the Contractor to respond to
VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into
the design.  If the Contractor is
required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be
included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO. 

II.H.  Permits
– Should it become necessary to
secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties
not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and
approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as
necessary for the performance of the services.  The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on
such property.  In the event the owner
requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such
property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and
obtain a receipt.  The Contractor, upon
submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in
accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

II.I.  Re-submittal – In the event that documents
submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as
specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion,
the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents.  No partial re-submittals will be
permitted.  The Contractor shall assume
all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.

II.J.  Work
Plan – When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a
Work Plan (WP).  The WP shall describe
the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the
Government’s Scope of Work.  At minimum,
the WP shall contain the following elements:

II.J.1.  Introduction – A general explanation
documenting the task and goals.

II.J.2.  Work Plan Approach – Explanation of how the
activities will satisfy the requirements.

II.J.3.  Key Personnel – Identification of key
personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.

II.J.4.  Quality Control – A description of the
quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and
acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all
aspect of the work specified in the task order.

II.J.5.  Schedule – An overall schedule for the
execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the
WP.  The schedule shall identify major
project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be
prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other
mutually agreed upon format).  END OF SCOPE
OF WORK.

III.  EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS:  Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors
in descending order of importance.  Merit
Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so
forth.  Each Merit Factor is then divided
into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance.  Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is
of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category.  Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications
statement responses shall be submitted as follows:

III.1.  All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New
Roman Font. 

III.2.  For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit
a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category.  For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis,
and design of hydraulic structures) – A maximum of one page for each Item
(Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc…) shall be submitted.  Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will
not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.3.  For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror
shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit
Factor, unless otherwise noted.  Each
Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be
read and evaluated past the one page requirement.

III.4.
 In each response page, the Merit Factor,
Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.

III.5.  The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall
be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order
as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and
all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x
of x..

III.6.  Margins shall have the following minimum
dimensions:  Left 1 inch, Right 0.75
inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch

Responses
that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be
evaluated.  There will be no exceptions.
See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.

The
Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows:  Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 =
10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV.  EVALUATION FACTORS

MERIT
FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory
performance of Architect-Engineering Services.  Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):

1.  Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic
structures (13 Points):  a.  Levees (4 Points); b.  Dams (3 Points); c.  Floodwalls ( 3 points); d.  River Channel (1 point); e.  Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)

2.  Analysis
of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points):  a.  Ground and Surface water
studies (3 Points); b.  Dam Break (3
Points); c.  Reservoir Capacity (1 point);
d.  Flood Routing (1 point); and e.  Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1
point)

3.  Studies,
Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points):  a.  Upgrade
to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or
capacity increases (3 points); b.  Advanced
primary Treatment (1 point); and c.  Secondary
Treatment (1 point)

4.  Studies,
Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points):  a.  Seepage
Analysis (3 points); b.  Slope Stability
(1 point); and c.  Design of de-watering
systems (1 point)

5.  Studies,
Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points):  a.  Buildings - Administrative,
Storage, and Maintenance Buildings.   Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical,
Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability
Act (ADA)). (2 points); b.  Ancillary
Civil Structures’, i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures,
washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure.
(2 points); and c.  Energy Conservation,
pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design
of any civil works projects. (1 point)

6.  Studies,
Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation
and upgrades of existing plants (4 points):  a.  Instrumentation and Controls
(2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c.  Structural (1 point)

7.  Studies,
Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points):  a.  Underground
Storage Tanks (1 point); b.  Contaminated
soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c.  Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d.  Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)

8.  Geographic
Information System (GIS) (4 points):  Integrate
hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying
all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)

9.  Preparation
of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points):  a.  Aerial
Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b.  Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of
historical maps (1 point); c.  Inundation
Maps (1 point); and d.  Light Detecting
and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 2 – Past performance on
contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private
industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules,
and managerial ability. (28 points)

1.  Provide
a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to
the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1.  For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five
(5) projects per Category shall be listed.  For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category
shall be listed.  Each Project shall
contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does
not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than
what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points):  a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b.  Contract Number if available; c. Contract
Type;  d. Total Contract Value; e.  Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone
Number; and f.  Brief description of the
work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this
solicitation.  This list, in conjunction
with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database,
will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.

2.  Provide
examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with
performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely
completion of 2 past projects.  Provide
specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above.  (10 points)

3.  Describe
regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that
indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm.  (3 points)

MERIT FACTOR 3 – Professional qualifications
necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10
points)

1.  Provide
information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly
trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil
Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer,
Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist,
Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD
Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The
description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline.(Note that the one page maximum
requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information
submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The
offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)

2.  Identify
state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM,
and TX. (1 point)

3.  Provide
information on contractor’s corporate structure, including regional and field
office structure. (1 point)

MERIT FACTOR 4 – The firm’s capacity to
accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)

1.  Provide
information on the firm’s capacity to accomplish work within a require period
of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on
one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and
obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5
points)

2.  Provide
information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources
needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of
drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited
to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized
tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)

MERIT FACTOR 5 – Firm’s location in the
general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and
knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic,
environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)

END OF EVALUATION
FACTORS

V.  SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE

MERIT FACTOR 1 – Specialized experience and
technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering
Services.  Demonstrate experience in each
of the following:

1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of
hydraulic structures

a. Levees (Response shall be in this area
and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)

END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE
PAGE HEADING

VI.  This
procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED). 

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference
(Feb 1998).  This contract incorporates
one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they
were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their
full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed
electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.
(End of clause)

If a large business is selected for the
contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for
a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract.  The contract will require the Government to
order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year. 

All A-E firms who meet the requirements
described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330,
Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown
above.  SF 330s must also be submitted
for all proposed subcontractors.  Five (5)
complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted.  The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office
where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and
subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical
location.  The SF 330 should also address
the firm’s capability to perform all services.  The Government recognizes that Mexican engineering firms may not be
familiar with the SFs 330; however, the same information that would appear on
the SF 330 may be submitted in an alternate format.  All information submitted in an alternate
format must be submitted in five (5) copies. 

VII.  The
SF 330 and alternate formatted information must be received in this office no
later than 4:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time on February 20, 2009. 

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions
Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998).  This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by
reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text.
Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The
offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be
completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of
submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the
provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with
its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be
accessed electronically at this/these address(es):  http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html.  (End of provision)

Any submittals received after this date will
be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to
Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. 

Telephone calls and personal visits are
discouraged.  Administrative and
procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915)
832-4714.  This is not a request for a
price proposal. 

VIII.  The North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for
Engineering Services.  The small business
size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three
years.  The Federal Product Service Code
(FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping,
interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering
Services.  All responsible sources may
submit an offer, which will be considered

The selected firm must be able to team with firm(s) in Mexico to assist in the projects. At least three (3) A-E firms will be selected from this announcement. A Firm-Fixed Price (IDIQ) contract is contemplated for a basic year with four (4) option years. The expected minimum and maximum task order amounts are $25,000 and $3,000,000 respectively. The expected maximum total contract amount is $15,000,000. The A-E contractor must possess sufficient qualifications and experience to provide the full range of A-E services necessary for the projects under the subject contract, as determined necessary by the USIBWC.

I. Statement of Work: The contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, superintendence, and transportation necessary to complete task orders for Architect-Engineer services for projects located along the U.S./Mexico border in the United States (States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) and the Republic of Mexico (States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California). The Contractor shall be required to perform all or part of the following services, which will be more specifically identified in individual task orders.
I.A. Inventory of facilities, data acquisition, measurement and recording; development of engineering, planning and feasibility/cost benefit studies; investigations; evaluations; operations and maintenance studies; energy studies; risk analysis and vulnerability assessments; space utilization studies; safety plans; security assessments and planning, standard operating procedures; network analysis schedules; conceptual, preliminary, and final designs, and cost estimates.
I.B. Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, and new construction for civil works associated with surface and subsurface water deliveries and accounting, flood control and hydropower, such as channels, levees, canals, dikes, dams, reservoir embankments, hydro-electric power plants as well as site work, buildings, roads and paving, erosion control, bridges and security and communication systems. The design of each project shall include consideration of all necessary supporting features to provide a complete and a usable facility. These features in general include, but are not limited to access and service drives, buildings, including storage, administration/laboratory and maintenance, off-site roadway improvements, street extensions, utility line extensions, vehicle parking areas, grading, and drainage systems, including off-site discharge of storm water drainage.
I.C. Design services for rehabilitation, renovation, repair, maintenance, and new construction for civil environmental works, including wastewater (both advanced primary and secondary treatment) plants, wastewater collection, conveyance facilities, water treatment plants and potable water distribution systems. Design services shall include assessments, master planning, pre-design, conceptual, final designs, and preparation of the estimate of probable construction costs.
I.D. Design services and technical support for and related to site remediation; corrective and removal action designs; design of hazardous waste containment systems; Underground Storage Tank (UST) upgrades and remediation.
I.E. Permitting support, including performance of additional engineering analyses, studies, computations, and preparation of applications and drawings necessary to obtain all required permits for construction and operation of proposed or constructed facilities.
I.F. Geotechnical services including concrete core sampling and testing; soil drilling, logging, sampling and testing; monitoring well drilling and logging; lithologic and geophysical logging; surface geophysical surveys (electromagnetic, seismic and magnetic); cone penetrometer testing; subsurface soil and groundwater investigations for determination of structural design criteria; seepage analysis, slope stability analysis, and design of de-watering and protective shoring systems.
I.G. Surveying, aerial photography, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS) database development, including both conventional and Global Positioning System (GPS), land and bathymetric surveys; easement and related field data collection; metes and bounds identification for possible property acquisition; topographic mapping (preparation of base maps from aerial photography) including Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) surveys; preparation of rectified orthophotoquads; scanning, vectorization, and geo-referencing of historical maps and documents.
I.H. Engineering, hydraulic and hydrologic studies, including groundwater and surface water studies; flood routing studies; backwater studies; reservoir routing studies; sediment transport modeling; dam break analysis; sedimentation and scour analysis; aquifer studies, groundwater modeling, development of inundation maps, and reservoir capacity studies.
I.I. Design and bidding services - Preparation of construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates for all phases of design from conceptual to final in the areas of architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, safety, security, communication and instrumentation. Review and evaluation of third-party studies, reports, investigations, proposals, conceptual designs, and plans and specifications in both the English and Spanish language and Imperial and SI units. Design and bidding services may include preparation of contract solicitation documents and bid evaluation of: conventional design-bid build, design-build, design-build (construction manager at risk), design-build operation, and design-build-operate-transfer procurement actions; as well as responding to questions during bidding of projects, attending meetings, issuing addendums, preparing schedules, and maintaining files and documents and other construction related bidding procedures.
I.J. Construction assistance services, including review of shop drawings and other construction contractor submittals; review of requests for changes and/or deviations; change order preparation and review of contractor proposals; responding to questions during construction (including request for information/requests for clarification); submittal and schedule monitoring; construction cost estimating; provision for training; preparation of the draft and final operations and maintenance manuals; preparation of staffing studies and plan of operations; performing value engineering review; utility negotiations support; review and verification of record drawings (as built); performance of inspection services; construction claim and expert witness support; and coordination support with federal, state, and local agencies, construction contractors, the public, and any other parties involved in construction process.
I.K. Start-up services, including preparation of staffing plans, development and implementation of training programs, quality control and safety programs; monitoring of facility start-up and operation for a specified period of time after completion of construction, including assistance for resolution of warranty items; revising the operation and maintenance manual, and certifying facility performance.

II. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
II.A. Deliverables - Quantities and schedules for deliverables will be set forth in each task order. All deliverables shall be provided in either English or Spanish, or both, and in SI or Imperial units, or both. All deliverables shall be provided in electronic format (Autocad, with no cross references and no layers) and in PDF format and hard copy, reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Electronic format and the required number of copies will be specified in each individual task order. All deliverables for design services shall be provided in the following phases of development: 30% Preliminary, 90% Draft, 100% Pre-Final, and 100% Final.
II.A.1. Reports: All reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch, typed on white bond paper, with binders. All photographs shall be clear, color copies. All drawings in reports shall be 8.5 inch x 11 inch or 11 inch x 17 inch, computer generated, clear and legible. Reduction shall be such that all printing is legible and reproducible. Data or report tables shall be provided in spreadsheet format (Excel 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format).
II.A.2. Plans: All final plans shall be computer generated (AutoCAD 2009 or other mutually agreed upon format), submitted as standard black and white paper, and 24 inch x 36 inch size (trim to trim, including the title block). All preliminary and draft drawings shall be submitted as standard black and white copies. The drawing will have the USIBWC title block and with lettering in Romand script. Applicable graphic symbols shall conform to the Architectural Graphic Standards. All plan drawings shall be geospatially referenced as described in the individual Task Orders.
II.A.3. Specifications:
II.A.3.(a) Specifications shall be prepared per CSI MasterFormat 2004 edition. Materials shall describe where possible, by recognized industry or technical society standards. Specifications shall be provided typed on 8.5 inch x 11-inch bond paper, and provided with an index of sections. Specifications shall be provided in MS Word 2003 or other mutually agreed upon format.
II.A.3.(b) The Contractor shall include specifications that permit full and open competition and may include restrictive provisions or conditions using brand name or equal descriptions only to the extent necessary to satisfy the needs of the Government when authorized by the Government. Specifications shall not be written to specify a particular brand name, product, or feature of a product, peculiar to one manufacturer unless the particular brand name, product, or feature is essential to the Government's requirements, and other companies' similar products would not meet the Governments' minimum requirements for the item. The Contractor shall provide in the case of brand name or equal specification at least five salient characteristics of the product. Contractor shall identify standard specifications by date of issuance.
II.A.4. Aerial Photography: All general site maps prepared from aerial photography for planning and/or inventory purposed shall be at a scale of 1:2500 or other mutually agreed upon scale, and shall have contour intervals of 0.5 meter or in Imperial units of 2 feet, or as specified by task order. All maps shall be provided on electronic media and hard copy if required. Horizontal vertical scales shall be based upon current geodetic datum for the project area. All aerial maps shall also be provided in digital format and georeferenced when required by task order.
II.A.5. Cost Estimates: Cost estimates shall reflect current prices for labor, materials, and equipment at the proposed location of the work. The estimates shall be itemized by the major items of construction. Lump sum amounts for major items, which cannot be readily analyzed, will not be accepted. All cost estimates shall be provided in U.S. dollars and projected to mid-point of construction using current Engineering News Record Construction Cost Indexes, Consumer Price Index or other indices appropriate for the location in which the project is to be constructed. Contractor shall provide all sources used for preparing cost estimates such as RSMeans. Cost estimates utilizing Mexican economy may be required. Construction cost estimates will be utilized in preparing Government estimates for evaluating bids and as such will become confidential material for official use only. Such material shall not be divulged to anyone other than the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her representative.
II.A.6. Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Infrastructure data, hydrological, hydraulic, environmental, geotechnical, terrain and topography, survey data, and other pertinent data shall be entered into the GIS database in ESRI (v9.2) ArcGIS format or other mutually agreed upon format when required by task order.
II.A.7. Photographs:
II.A.7.(a) Unless otherwise stated, the Contractor shall provide all photographs requested under task orders to the Government in digital camera format. Photographs shall be clear, in color and of at least 8 megapixel resolution. The Contractor shall submit an electronic copy of all photographs in an electronic format and a hard copy in report format (Section C.2.A.1). The CD will contain a text file to identify each photograph as described below in paragraph b.
II.A.7.(b) Each photograph shall be identified by a photo number, project name, date, and time of photograph, location of photographer, orientation and description of photograph. The above captioned information shall be labeled below each photograph in the report.
II.B. Standards - All designs, drawings, and specifications shall be prepared in accordance with applicable codes and regulations applicable to the country and state in which the project will be developed and shall conform to sound engineering practices. All criteria, factors, assumptions and codes upon which the design is based are to be provided as well as the justification for the selection of these criteria.
II.C. Project Manager - The Contractor shall appoint a project coordinator or manager and alternate to serve as a single point of contact and liaison between the Contractor and the CO and/or their representative for the services required under the contract. The project manager shall be responsible for the coordination of the services provided under the contract and shall respond to questions regarding clarification of project deliverables during controls and review procedures to minimize conflicting errors and omissions and provide for the technical adequacy of design information.
II.D. Meetings - Progress and review meetings shall be held at a mutually agreed upon location for discussion of questions and problems relating to the work under the contract. Attendees shall be key players for the task order in question, if the assigned expert is not available then an expert with equal qualifications may be substituted.
II.E. Monthly Updates - The Contractor shall submit a monthly update report for each individual task order to include updated schedule on or before the 3rd of each month. The update will be submitted to the CO and respective COR and shall address the following per project/task order: Major Accomplishments, Significant Problems and Proposed Solutions, Issues with Contractual Requirements, Issues with Meeting the Task Order Deliverable Dates/Delays, and Contractor's Proposed Action to Remediate the Delays, if applicable. The report may be submitted by email.
II.F. Coordination - When directed by the CO, the Contractor shall be required to coordinate with other consultants involved with specific design aspects of projects being developed under separate contracts.
II.G. Value Engineering (VE) - The Contractor shall cooperate with an "outside" (i.e., a third party) VE consultant when directed by the CO. This may require the Contractor to respond to VE recommendations and incorporated recommendations of the VE consultants into the design. If the Contractor is required to incorporate VE changes to the design documents, this work may be included by a modification to the task order if so determined by the CO.
II.H. Permits - Should it become necessary to secure the right of ingress and egress to perform any of the work on properties not owned or controlled by the Government, all necessary permits, licenses and approvals from all local, state/federal authorities shall be obtained as necessary for the performance of the services. The Contractor shall secure the consent of the owner prior to entry on such property. In the event the owner requires the payment of a fee for a license to enter upon and/or use of such property, the Contractor, when so directed by the CO, shall pay such fee and obtain a receipt. The Contractor, upon submission of such receipt, shall be reimbursed for the full amount thereof in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.
II.I. Re-submittal - In the event that documents submitted for review, as describe above, are deficient or incomplete as specifically defined in the task order for a particular stage of completion, the Contractor shall correct the deficiencies and resubmit the documents. No partial re-submittals will be permitted. The Contractor shall assume all costs due to the re-submittal of documents.
II.J. Work Plan - When required by a specific task order, the Contractor shall submit a Work Plan (WP). The WP shall describe the detailed approach for the performance of the task order, based upon the Government's Scope of Work. At minimum, the WP shall contain the following elements:
II.J.1. Introduction - A general explanation documenting the task and goals.
II.J.2. Work Plan Approach - Explanation of how the activities will satisfy the requirements.
II.J.3. Key Personnel - Identification of key personnel to be used on the project and their responsibilities.
II.J.4. Quality Control - A description of the quality control organization, including a chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the quality control plan shall be implemented for all aspect of the work specified in the task order.
II.J.5. Schedule - An overall schedule for the execution of the work required by the task order shall be included in the WP. The schedule shall identify major project phases (environmental, planning, design, and construction and shall be prepared using the Critical Path Method (Microsoft Project 2003, or other mutually agreed upon format). END OF SCOPE OF WORK.

III. EVALUATION FACTOR INSTRUCTIONS: Evaluation will be based on the Merit Factors in descending order of importance. Merit Factor 1 is of highest importance, followed by Merit Factor 2, and so forth. Each Merit Factor is then divided into Categories that are also listed in descending order of importance. Hence, Category 1 under each Merit Factor is of highest importance, as is Item (a) under each Category. Unless noted otherwise, the qualifications statement responses shall be submitted as follows:
III.1. All responses shall be in 12 point, Times New Roman Font.
III.2. For Merit Factor 1, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Item under each Category. For Example, Category 1 (Studies, analysis, and design of hydraulic structures) - A maximum of one page for each Item (Levees, River Channels, Dams, etc...) shall be submitted. Each Item cannot exceed the one page and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.
III.3. For Merit Factors 2 through 5, each offeror shall submit a maximum of one page response per Category under each Merit Factor, unless otherwise noted. Each Category response shall not exceed the one page requirement and will not be read and evaluated past the one page requirement.
III.4. In each response page, the Merit Factor, Category, and Item shall be included followed by the response.
III.5. The responses to the Evaluation Factors shall be submitted in one three ring binder and shall be in the same sequential order as stated in the synopsis. All Merit Factors shall be separated with a tab and all pages within the Merit factor shall be numbered in the following manner: x of x..
III.6. Margins shall have the following minimum dimensions: Left 1 inch, Right 0.75 inch, Top 0.4 inch, and Bottom 0.5 inch
Responses that are not in the format specified shall be set aside and shall not be evaluated. There will be no exceptions. See the end of the evaluation factor section for a format of sample responses.
The Scoring for each Merit Factor is as follows: Merit Factor 1 = 53 points; Merit Factor 2 = 28 points; Merit Factor 3 = 10 points; Merit Factor 4 = 6 points; and Merit Factor 5 = 3 points

IV. EVALUATION FACTORS
MERIT FACTOR 1 - Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. Demonstrate experience in each of the following (53 points):
1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures (13 Points): a. Levees (4 Points); b. Dams (3 Points); c. Floodwalls ( 3 points); d. River Channel (1 point); e. Canals (1 point); and f. Culverts (1point)
2. Analysis of Hydraulic and Hydrologic Systems (9 Points): a. Ground and Surface water studies (3 Points); b. Dam Break (3 Points); c. Reservoir Capacity (1 point); d. Flood Routing (1 point); and e. Sediment Transport Studies and Modeling (1 point)
3. Studies, Analysis, and Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants (5 points): a. Upgrade to existing wastewater treatment plants required for permit compliance and/or capacity increases (3 points); b. Advanced primary Treatment (1 point); and c. Secondary Treatment (1 point)
4. Studies, Analysis of Geotechnical Support Requirements (5 points): a. Seepage Analysis (3 points); b. Slope Stability (1 point); and c. Design of de-watering systems (1 point)
5. Studies, Analysis and Design of Civil Works (5 points): a. Buildings - Administrative, Storage, and Maintenance Buildings. Discuss components and requirements involved (Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Communications, Security, Safety Systems and American Disability Act (ADA)). (2 points); b. Ancillary Civil Structures', i.e. Water towers, sewage lift stations parking structures, washracks, exterior lighting, retaining walls, fencing, and utilities infrastructure. (2 points); and c. Energy Conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction and use of recovered materials in design of any civil works projects. (1 point)
6. Studies, Analysis and Design of Hydroelectric Plant Systems, specifically for rehabilitation and upgrades of existing plants (4 points): a. Instrumentation and Controls (2 points); b. Automation (1 point); and c. Structural (1 point)
7. Studies, Analysis and Design of Site Remediation (4 points): a. Underground Storage Tanks (1 point); b. Contaminated soil and ground water remediation (1 point); c. Lead and Asbestos remediation (1 point); and d. Mold remediation (small buildings) (1 point)
8. Geographic Information System (GIS) (4 points): Integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. (4 points)
9. Preparation of Base Maps using and preparing the following (4 points): a. Aerial Photography/Traditional Land Surveying (1 point); b. Scanning vectorization and geo-referencing of historical maps (1 point); c. Inundation Maps (1 point); and d. Light Detecting and Ranging (Lidar) surveys (1 point)
MERIT FACTOR 2 - Past performance on contracts with Federal, State, and/or local government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, cost control, compliance with schedules, and managerial ability. (28 points)
1. Provide a list projects performed during the last five (5) years similar in nature to the work described for each Category under Merit Factor 1. For Categories 1 through 5, a maximum of five (5) projects per Category shall be listed. For Categories 6 through 9, a maximum of two (2) projects per Category shall be listed. Each Project shall contain the following information (Note the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated) (15 points): a. Name of Contracting Agency/Owner; b. Contract Number if available; c. Contract Type; d. Total Contract Value; e. Agency/Owner Contact Name and Telephone Number; and f. Brief description of the work and how this work relates to the work outlined under this solicitation. This list, in conjunction with, but not limited to the US Army Corps of Engineers performance database, will be used for evaluation. The description shall not exceed ten (10) lines.
2. Provide examples of past performance in quality of work, cost controls, compliance with performance schedules, and managerial abilities, demonstrating timely completion of 2 past projects. Provide specific examples using the projects listed under category 1 above. (10 points)
3. Describe regional or national quality awards received during the past 5 years that indicate the technical and engineering performance of the firm. (3 points)
MERIT FACTOR 3 - Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. (10 points)
1. Provide information discussing qualified professional who are certified and highly trained to include the following key disciplines: Project Manager, Civil Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Hydrologic Engineer, Hydraulic Engineer, Structural Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Geophysicist, Cost Engineer, Hydrogeologist, Geologist, Surveyor, GIS Specialists, CADD Designer and CADD Operator, which shows consistency with this solicitation. The description shall include the number of personnel in each discipline. (Note that the one page maximum requirement does not apply to this Category, however additional information submitted other than what is requested will not be read and evaluated: The offerer shall not exceed two pages in length.) (8 points)
2. Identify state registration and licensing for architects and engineers in CA, AZ, NM, and TX. (1 point)
3. Provide information on contractor's corporate structure, including regional and field office structure. (1 point)
MERIT FACTOR 4 - The firm's capacity to accomplish the contract performance in the required time frame. (6 points)
1. Provide information on the firm's capacity to accomplish work within a require period of time. In addition, from the projects listed in Merit Factor 2(1) expound on one project detailing information on which there were significant delays and obstacles to complete the project yet the deliverable was submitted on time. (5 points)
2. Provide information on availability of equipment, facilities, and other resources needed to perform all required data analysis, design work, and preparation of drawings, specifications, studies, and assessments including, but not limited to, office and field equipment, computer hardware and software, specialized tools and equipment, and vehicles. (1 points)
MERIT FACTOR 5 - Firm's location in the general geographical area of the project (CA, AZ, NM, TX, and Mexico) and knowledge and experience in dealing with regional issues to include economic, environmental, binational, and political along the US/Mexico border. (3 points)
END OF EVALUATION FACTORS

V. SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE
MERIT FACTOR 1 - Specialized experience and technical competence for satisfactory performance of Architect-Engineering Services. Demonstrate experience in each of the following:
1. Studies, Analysis, and Design of hydraulic structures
a. Levees (Response shall be in this area and shall not exceed the one page requirement.)
END OF SAMPLE RESPONSE PAGE HEADING

VI. This procurement is open to all businesses, regardless of size (UNRESTRICTED).
52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (Feb 1998). This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of clause)
If a large business is selected for the contract it must comply with clause FAR 52.219-9 regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work it intends to subcontract. The contract will require the Government to order services priced at not less than $1,000 for the base contract year.
All A-E firms who meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit Standard Forms (SF) 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (June 2004 Edition) to the office shown above. SF 330s must also be submitted for all proposed subcontractors. Five (5) complete sets of the SF 330s shall be submitted. The SF 330 must clearly indicate the office where the work will be performed and the qualifications of the individuals and subcontractors proposed to work on the contract and their geographical location. The SF 330 should also address the firm's capability to perform all services. The Government recognizes that Mexican engineering firms may not be familiar with the SFs 330; however, the same information that would appear on the SF 330 may be submitted in an alternate format. All information submitted in an alternate format must be submitted in five (5) copies.

VII. The SF 330 and alternate formatted information must be received in this office no later than 4:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time on February 20, 2009.
52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998). This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): http://www.arnet.gov/far/index.html. (End of provision)
Any submittals received after this date will be handled in accordance with FAR provision 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition.
Telephone calls and personal visits are discouraged. Administrative and procedural questions shall be directed to Colleen Elliott at (915) 832-4714. This is not a request for a price proposal.

VIII. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541310 for Architectural Services and 541330 for Engineering Services. The small business size standard is $4,500,000 in gross receipts averaged for the past three years. The Federal Product Service Code (FPSC) is C211 for Architect-Engineering Services (including landscaping, interior layout, and designing) and C219 for Other Architect and Engineering Services. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which will be considered.