Quality Assurance and Technical Support

Added: Nov 20, 2009 11:53 am Modified: Jan 14, 2010 3:38 pmTrack Changes PRE-SOLICITATION SYNOPSIS: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION.

The purpose of this synopsis is to notify potential offerors of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Acquisition Management's (OAM's) intent to issue a solicitation to provide Quality Assurance Technical Support (QATS) services for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI), Analytical Services Branch (ASB). These services will support ASB in assuring the development of environmental data which are of sufficient quality to meet the technical and analytical needs of OSRTI.

It is the Government's intent to award a single cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) contract from this solicitation using full and open competition. The resulting contract will provide for the issuance of task orders with fixed rates for labor for specific requirements.

The anticipated ordering period includes one 24-month Base Period and three 12-month Option Periods. The EPA also anticipates an additional 24-month award term beginning after month 60. The maximum potential ordering period may total no more than 84 months. The Government reserves the right to not issue the 24-month award term in the event that the Contractor is unable to meet or exceed the performance metrics (included in the solicitation) that will be measured to determine issuing the award term or if it is in the best interest of the Government. The total estimated level of effort for this requirement is 617,560 hours, inclusive of all optional quantities.

The NAICS code for this acquisition is 541620, Environmental Consulting Services, with a size standard of $7M. The solicitation for this procurement is anticipated to be released on or about February 2010 and proposals will be due thirty days from the posting date. This procurement will be conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15 - Contracting by Negotiation.

The solicitation, any possible amendments, and other procurement-related information will be posted on EPA's Office of Acquisition Management Superfund/RCRA Regional Procurement Operations Division website at the following address: http://www.epa.gov/oamsrpod/lasc/1010391/index.htm. Interested parties are required to download the Request for Proposals (RFP) and all related documents from the aforementioned site and regularly monitor it for updates. No printed copies of RFP will be distributed.

Offerors will be evaluated on factors including personnel, technical approach, past performance, certifications, small business utilization, and price. Contract award will be made using a best value approach. The anticipated award date for this requirement is on or about July 2010, with the Base Period commencing in November 2010.

All inquiries and questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted in writing to the Contract Specialist, Matthew Courtad, at courted.matt@epa.gov. TELEPHONE CALLS REGARDING THIS PROCUREMENT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Added: Nov 20, 2009 11:53 am Sources Sought Notice

Quality Assurance Technical Support (QATS)

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. The purpose of this sources sought synopsis is for market research purposes to gain knowledge of potentially interested and qualified sources. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and/or any follow-up information requests. There is no solicitation available at this time. Information should focus on the capability to provide the technical support services defined below. Standard company brochures are not desired.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI), Technology Innovation and Field Services Division (TIFSD), Analytical Services Branch (ASB) seeks to procure Quality Assurance Technical Support (QATS) for the chemical analyses of environmental samples taken from locations where hazardous waste is a concern. Technical support for the purposes of this procurement includes support in all activities involved in assuring that environmental data collected for the use by the EPA are of a known quality and a level of quality sufficient to meet decision-making and enforcement requirements under the mandates of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), commonly referred to as Superfund.

The majority of analytical services are currently provided through the EPA Contract Laboratory Program (CLP), although local, State, Federal and other government agencies may also request analytical services. These analytical services submitted by other government agencies in support of the Superfund Program and the CLP are administered through the EPA by ASB. The CLP is a network of commercial laboratories working under fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with the EPA to perform routine sample analyses using standardized analytical methods, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures, and data reporting formats.

This procurement is to provide technical support that assures the development of environmental data which are of sufficient quality to meet the technical and analytical needs of OSRTI. This contract will provide Quality Assurance Technical Support (QATS) in the following task areas:1) Performance Evaluation Materials, for accurate analyte identification and quantitation;2) Electronic Media and Data Package Review, for contract compliance and technical acceptability;3) On-site Audits, for inspecting facilities and equipment, and for compliance with technical contract requirements;4) Methods and Guidelines Evaluation, to assure the use of effective, up-to-date procedures;5) Logistical and Administrative Support, for maintaining overall laboratory and facility-related operations including quality control, progress reports, database development, document archiving, training, and other support.

The contract will require the contractor to apply state-of-the-art instrumental analytical techniques, including GC, GC/MS (including high and low resolution MS with electron and chemical ionization capability, GC/ECD, GC/Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography, ICP/MS and electrochemical methods. Technical support may also include the analyses of asbestos, radiochemistry, explosives, perchlorate, dioxin, congeners, and various other related chemistry parameters.

A draft Statement of Work (SOW) is available at http://www.epa.gov/oam/srpod. To evaluate the potential number of laboratories capable of adequately performing under the QATS SOW a thorough review of laboratory capability statements, documentation of the organization?s quality system, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be conducted. Documentation required to be submitted on account of this sources sought notice by each laboratory for review by the EPA include the following:

1) Documentation of the organization?s quality system meeting the intent of the specification for the American National Standard ANI/ASQC E4 certification (or equivalent) and the tasks outline in the SOW;

2) Written SOPs meeting the intent of laboratory analysis, performance evaluation sample and reference material preparation, data/tape auditing of electronic media for organic and inorganic constituents, and performing on-site audits of analytical laboratories;

3) Written capabilities statement detailing the following: a) Organizational chart listing key personnel, including program manager, analytical group leader, auditor group leader, administrative group leader, senior quality assurance officer, senior inorganic and organic chemists, senior inorganic and organic auditors, inorganic and organic chemists, inorganic and organic data auditors, material/document control officer that would participate in the performance of a contract under the SOW, and a copy of the job description and/or other documentation outlining the duties and responsibilities of the laboratory; b) Inventory of key instrumentation to be used in the performance of the SOW, not including laboratory consumables and glassware; c) Inventory of IT equipment and systems; d) Proof of ISO 9001:2008 certification or equivalent; e) Statements that demonstrate corporate experience.

The Government anticipates award of a cost-reimbursement contract with a two-year (24 months) base period and additional option periods. The Government intends to issue the solicitation in mid-January 2010 after a pre-solicitation notice is published as required by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 5.2. The procurement strategy will be determined in part by the responses to this notice. Sources excluded from this procurement include any CLP contractors and/or firms with substantial financial interest in CLP contractors given conflict of interest concerns.

All interested parties that believe they can provide the required services as defined in the QATS SOW are invited to submit the above documentation. Responses, including a vendor?s business size classification (e.g., large, small, small disadvantaged, minority-owned, 8(a), service-disabled, woman-owned, etc.) should be e-mailed to Contract Specialist Matthew Courtad via the e-mail link below.



ALL INFORMATION SHALL BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 2:00 PM EST FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2009. No feedback or evaluations will be provided to concerns regarding the information submitted to the EPA. Please direct any questions you may have regarding this notice in writing to Contract Specialist Matthew Courtad.