Technical Support for National Aquatic Resource Surveys

Added: Feb 23, 2011 1:07 pm THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS FOR WRITTEN INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO REIMBURSEMENT WILL BE MADE FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND ANY FOLLOW-UP REQUESTS. NO TELEPHONE CALLS REQUESTING A SOLICITATION WILL BE ACCEPTED OR ACKNOWLEDGED.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is performing market research to identify the capabilities of firms that can provide support to the EPA?s Office of Water by providing support for the National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS). NARS was developed in response to the Government Accountability Office and other independent reviews calling for improved water monitoring and reporting. The NARS are designed using state-of-the art survey techniques to randomly select sites to represent the conditions of aquatic resources at multiple spatial scales. Field crews use the same and often innovative protocols at all sites to ensure that results are nationally comparable. For many of the indicators selected for research purposes, scientists analyze the results against reference conditions derived from water bodies judged to have been the least disturbed by human activities. This relatively new survey and continuing research program provides statistically valid data and information vi tal to describing water resource quality conditions across the country, how these conditions vary with geographic setting, and the extent of human and natural influences.

A draft copy of the performance work statement (PWS) is included as an attachment.

Interested parties with the capability of providing any of the services described in the draft PWS posted at the EPA CPOD website: http://www.epa.gov/oam/cinn_cmd/ are invited to submit, in writing, sufficient information that clearly demonstrates their ability to provide the services described in the draft PWS, including personnel, experience and qualifications. A description of similar services previously or currently provided shall be provided. Standard company brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this Sources Sought Synopsis. The applicable NAICS code is 541620 with a size standard of $7 million in average annual receipts. In the capabilities statements, contractors must provide their size status for the above referenced NAICS code, (i.e. large, small) and whether or not they are a certified hub zone, 8(a), women owned, small disadvantaged and/or service disabled veteran owned concern. As a reminder, small businesses are required to perform at least 50 percent of the costs of the contract performance with their own personnel (See FAR 52.219 14) under a procurement set aside for small businesses. The EPA reserves the right to set this action aside for small businesses. Responses to the above should be submitted to Tammy Adams at adams.tammy@epa.gov by 4:00 p.m. EST, on March 10, 2010.