U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Will Award Multiple Architect-Engineer Services Contracts for Use in the Middle East and Other Areas

1. Contract Information: Transatlantic Division Middle East District (TAM) intends to award one contract to be procured in accordance with the Brooks A-E Act as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. A firm will be selected for negotiation based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work. See Numbered Note 24 for general information on the A-E selection process. A-E services are required construction phase support services. Additionally, as an option, the firm may be required to provide construction phase services needed to assist the Government in achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications for projects in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED NC rating tool v2.2 and 2009/v3, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Construction Bulletin No 2014 issued 28 June 2010 and LEED requirements provided by TAM customers. North American Industrial Classification System code is 541330, which has a size standard of $4.5 million in average annual receipts. This announcement is open to all businesses regardless of size. One indefinite delivery contract will be negotiated and awarded, each with one base year and four, 1-year option periods. The amount of this contract will not exceed $90 million over the five year period (presuming the Government elects to exercise all option periods). The total capacity may be used at any time throughout the life of the contract and the Government reserves the right to move the capacity forward as necessary to meet operational needs. Work will be issued by negotiated firm-fixed-price, labor hour or cost reimbursable task orders. Options will be exercised in accordance with FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract. The wages and benefits of service employees (see FAR 22.10) performing under these contracts must be at least equal to those determined by the Department of Labor under the Services Contract Act, as determined relative to the employee's office location (not the location of the work). Task orders awarded under the contract may occur throughout the US Central Command AOR, which includes the Middle East, the Arabian Gulf States, portions of Southwest and Central Asia, and portions of Africa. Selected firms will be required to work in these areas, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and travel to these regions may be required. FAR 52.232-18, Availability of Funds, is applicable to this contract, as funds are presently not available for this contract. If a large business is selected for this contract, it must comply with FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan, regarding the requirement for a subcontracting plan on that part of the work that it intends to subcontract. TAM Subcontracting goals are as follows: (a) 5% of the contract value subcontracted or performed with small business concerns; (b) 1% of the contract value subcontracted or performed with those small business concerns owned and controlled by HUBZones; (c) 1% of the contract value subcontracted or performed with those small business concerns owned and controlled by Service-Disabled Veterans; (d) 1% of the contract value subcontracted or performed with those small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantage individuals; (e) 1% of the contract value subcontracted or performed with those small business concerns owned and controlled by women. Contractor compliance with the Small Business Subcontracting Plan will be monitored through regular submission of reports into the Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS). This plan is not required with this submittal, but will be required with the fee proposal of the firm selected for negotiations. To be eligible for contract award, a firm must be registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Register via the CCR internet site at http://www.ccr.gov. NOTE: All firms should be aware of the limitations of DFARS 236.602-70. This clause requires that A-E contracts funded by military construction appropriations that are estimated to exceed $500,000, and are to be performed in countries bordering the Arabian Gulf, can only be awarded to United States firms or to joint ventures of United States and host nation firms. TAM's AOR contains many countries that border on the Arabian Gulf such as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Yemen. In fact, the majority of the countries where TAM has a current presence and construction work border the Arabian Gulf. Consequently, while this acquisition is to be issued as full and open to allow for the greatest amount of competition among qualified A-E firms, it is noted that at least 50%, if not more, of the task orders to be awarded (and, consequently, a majority of the total dollar value of task order awards) under the new A-E IDCs will be limited to U.S firms or joint ventures involving U.S. firms. 2. PROJECT INFORMATION: The firm will provide local national (LN), third country national (TCN), and/or US citizen subject matter experts to perform on-site construction phase support services for assigned projects in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR).The positions for LN and TCN shall replicate typical foreign national service (FNS) employee positions obtained by U.S. Government Agencies to support overseas projects and locations. TAM requires Construction Managers, Construction Schedulers, Data Managers, Office Managers, Project Engineers and Quality Assurance Representatives. These employees will gather information on contractor performance and report this information back to Government personnel. Government personnel will retain final decision-making authority on contractor performance. All work will be submitted in hardcopy format and/or through an automated system to Government personnel designed in each task order. As an option in this contract, the firm may be required to provide construction phase services needed to assist the Government in achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications. 3. SOURCE SELECTION CRITERIA: A-E firms meeting the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit (1) a Standard Form (SF) 330, Architect-Engineering Qualifications, Part I and II, and (2) any requested supplemental data to the procurement office shown below. Firms responding to this announcement before the closing date will be considered for selection. The selection criteria for this co are listed below in descending order of importance (first by major criterion and then by each sub-criterion). Criteria (a) through (e) are primary. Criteria (f) through (g) are secondary and will only be used as "tie-breakers" among firms that are essentially technically equal. (a) The firm shall demonstrate specialized experience and technical competence relative to the Construction Phase Support Services as required under this announcement, to include management support services for construction, renovations repairs, and additions to institutional and industrial facilities type projects., Firms shall demonstrate capability in the following disciplines: Construction Manager, Quality Assurance Representative (QAR), Office Engineer, Construction Scheduler, Data Manager, and Project Engineer. The firm shall demonstrate its personnel possess a minimum of five (5) years experience in construction management projects. A Bachelors Degree is required in an Engineering discipline for the Construction Manager, Project Engineer and Office Engineer positions. For the QAR positions, a 2 year technical degree related to Electrical, Mechanical, Civil Engineering or related engineering discipline. This education should have been obtained in a technical school, community college, 4-year college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Construction Manager should have a minimum of 10 years experience in managing construction project of a minimum value of $5 million Construction scheduler in addition to technical degree should have at least 5 years experience with Network Analysis System (NAS) as used in the construction industry. Data Manager shall possess a 2 year technical degree, preferably in computer science or another information technology related degree be have at least 2 years experience in working with Construction management processes and report systems. Civilian acquired skills in Construction Management may be substituted for up to 2 years of field experience. To be creditable, such civilian acquired skills must have been designed specifically as career preparation for the work of the position being filled, and must have provided the applicant with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work. Firms with greater numbers of employees within the disciplines listed above shall be given more consideration in the selection process. Firms who currently employ personnel in a majority or all of the disciplines listed above will be given more consideration. (b) Firms should demonstrate that they have successfully managed at least 3 construction projects valued between $500k and $25M each year for 5 consecutive years within the past 10 years through self-performance, via a joint venture or partnership relationship, or with the assistance of subcontractors. Firms shall state whether the projects successfully managed were self-performed or through a joint venture or partnership relationship. (c) The Government will evaluate the management capability of each firm to establish its ability to mobilize a construction management/quality assurance workforce to multiple field sites simultaneously and accomplish the assigned work in a timely manner. Of particular interest will be the firm's ability to supply the required disciplines within expedited time periods and for potential long durations (9-12 months). The Government will consider information concerning management and execution plans, staffing plans, and subcontracting capabilities, including the use of local labor and subcontractors. This information should be included in Section H of the Standard Form 330. (d) Past performance on DoD and other contracts with respect to cost control, quality of work and compliance with performance schedules, as determined from PPIRS and other sources. (e) Firms shall demonstrate its capability to subcontract with Local Nationals from countries within the CENTCOM AOR and Third Country Nationals. (f) Experience in and knowledge of U.S. Government contracting processes, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TAM construction management requirements. In particular, experience with the Corps of Engineers Financial Management System (CEFMS) and the Resource Management System (RMS) is desired. (g) Experience in TAM's AOR, within the last 5 years, with emphasis on the CENTCOM AOR will be given greater consideration than experience only in the United States or other areas of the world. 4. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Interested firms having the capabilities to perform this work must submit two copies of Standard Form 330 Part I and II copies of Standard Form 330 Part II for the prime firm, all consultants/joint ventures and groups of firms to the following address no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 17 April 2012: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District, Attention: Mr. Benjamin Williams, 201 Prince Frederick Drive, Winchester, VA 22602. The SF 330 Part I shall not exceed 50 pages (8.5" x 11"), including no more than 5 pages for Section H. Each side of the sheet of paper is a page. Use no smaller than 12 font type. Include the firm's DUNS number in SF 330, Part I, Section H. In SF 330, Part I Section H, describe owned or leased equipment that will be used to perform this contract. In section H, describe the firm's overall quality management plan. A project-specific quality control plan must be prepared and approved by the Government as a condition of contract award, but is not required with this submission. In Section H, indicate the estimated percentage involvement of each firm on the proposed team (if applicable). Solicitation packages are not provided and no additional project information will be given to firms during the announcement period. This is not a request for proposal.

DELAY IN ISSUING SYNOPSES ON FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
UPDATE - Feb. 29, 2012

The Architect-Engineer synopses will not be posted on the FBO website on Feb. 29. The Middle East District anticipates posting them between mid- and late-March.


The full announcement can be viewed at http://www.tam.usace.army.mil/MED12-02-06.asp.

Winchester, Va. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District is looking for architect-engineer firms to provide professional services of an architectural and engineering nature.

The Middle East District will issue solicitations for two separate architect-engineer indefinite delivery contract (A-E IDC) actions with postings on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website (www.fbo.gov) scheduled for Feb. 29, 2012. Interested firms must follow the submission requirements outlined in the FBO announcements. Look for:
Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Contract (A-E IDC) for Architect-Engineer Design Services using NAICS code 541330, Engineering Services
Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Contract (A-E IDC) for Construction Phase Support Services using NAICS code 541330, Engineering Services

The contracts will be solicited under the Brooks Act (Public Law 92-582), which establishes the procurement process by which federal agencies select A-E firms, and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations. The government selects and negotiates A-E contracts based on firms' professional qualifications, specialized experience, and capacity to accomplish the work in the required time at a fair and reasonable price.

Specific requirements for the A-E IDC for architect-engineer design services include:
1) The award of between two and six indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, single award task order contracts (SATOCs).
2) Issuance of firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and labor-hour task orders.
3) A capacity of up to $240 million for all contracts awarded under this action; the capacity of each individual SATOC will be based on the number of contracts awarded and the government's requirements.
4) A performance period of one year, with four additional one-year option periods for a total of five years.
5) These types of actions: field investigations, as-built drawings research and field verification, topographical and geotechnical surveys, preparation of design documents to be used in future construction projects, utility surveys, site plans, technical reviews, cost estimations, scheduling, contract specifications, and preparation of project planning and programming documentation.
6) A small business subcontracting plan.

Specific requirements for the A-E IDC for construction phase support services include:
1) The award of one construction phase support services contract.
2) Issuance of firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and labor-hour task orders.
3) A capacity of up to $90 million.
4) A performance period of one year, with four additional one-year option periods for a total of five years.
5) These types of actions: Quality assurance tasks, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) commissioning of completed construction projects, and data management services.
6) A small business subcontracting plan.
7) The provision of local national, third country national and/or U.S. citizens as project engineers and quality assurance representatives to perform construction phase support services. These subject matter experts will report information back to the U.S. government, which retains final decision-making authority on contractor performance.

These contracts will replace six A-E IDCs awarded in December 2008 and June 2009. The new contracts are expected to be awarded this summer.

Qualified firms must submit their qualification statements on Standard Form 330 in accordance with the synopsis requirements. Firms may compete for both A-E IDC acquisitions.

For additional information, see Frequently Asked Questions at www.tam.usace.army.mil/contracting/FAQ-SC.pdf.

Firms may submit additional questions via the Bidder Inquiry in ProjNet at www.projnet.org/projnet. See instructions below for accessing this acquisition in ProjNet.

Selected firms will be required to support all projects managed by the Middle East District. The Middle East District provides engineering, construction and related services in the Middle East, Central Asia and other areas. Its work includes designing and constructing facilities for use by U.S. forces, performing engineering activities for other U.S. government and foreign agencies, and providing operations and maintenance services for various customers. In addition, the District provides project management, engineering, contracting and support services to USACE districts in Afghanistan.


ProjNet Bidder Inquiry Instructions

To submit and review bid inquiry items, bidders need to be registered. Those new to the system can self-register by going to www.projnet.org/projnet and clicking on the Bid tab.

Select Bidder Inquiry, select agency USACE, enter the Bidder Inquiry Key for the solicitation listed below, enter your email address, and then click Login.

Fill in all required information and click Create User. Verify that information on the next screen is correct and click Continue.

From this page, you may view all bidder inquiries or add a new inquiry.

Offerors will receive an acknowledgement of their question via email, followed by an answer to the question after it has been processed by the Middle East District's technical team.

Note that offerors may submit only one question per inquiry. All inquiries containing multiple questions will be rejected.

The project name is: A-E SATOC - Design & Construction Phase Support Svcs, TAM AOR

The Bidder Inquiry Key is: FFN75J-KIMLBW

The Bidder Inquiry System will be unavailable for new inquiries after Feb. 17, 2012, to ensure adequate time is allotted to respond to inquiries.


For additional information, please see http://www.tam.usace.army.mil/MED12-02-06.asp or view the press release on the Middle East district website.

.S. Army Corps of Engineers Will Award Multiple Architect-Engineer
Services Contracts for Use in the Middle East and Other Areas

Winchester, Va. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District is looking for architect-engineer firms to provide professional services of an architectural and engineering nature.

The Middle East District will issue solicitations for two separate architect-engineer indefinite delivery contract (A-E IDC) actions with postings on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website (www.fbo.gov) scheduled for Feb. 29, 2012. Interested firms must follow the submission requirements outlined in the FBO announcements. Look for:
Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Contract (A-E IDC) for Architect-Engineer Design Services using NAICS code 541330, Engineering Services
Architect-Engineer Indefinite Delivery Contract (A-E IDC) for Construction Phase Support Services using NAICS code 541330, Engineering Services

The contracts will be solicited under the Brooks Act (Public Law 92-582), which establishes the procurement process by which federal agencies select A-E firms, and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations. The government selects and negotiates A-E contracts based on firms' professional qualifications, specialized experience, and capacity to accomplish the work in the required time at a fair and reasonable price.

Specific requirements for the A-E IDC for architect-engineer design services include:
1) The award of between two and six indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, single award task order contracts (SATOCs).
2) Issuance of firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and labor-hour task orders.
3) A capacity of up to $240 million for all contracts awarded under this action; the capacity of each individual SATOC will be based on the number of contracts awarded and the government's requirements.
4) A performance period of one year, with four additional one-year option periods for a total of five years.
5) These types of actions: field investigations, as-built drawings research and field verification, topographical and geotechnical surveys, preparation of design documents to be used in future construction projects, utility surveys, site plans, technical reviews, cost estimations, scheduling, contract specifications, and preparation of project planning and programming documentation.
6) A small business subcontracting plan.

Specific requirements for the A-E IDC for construction phase support services include:
1) The award of one construction phase support services contract.
2) Issuance of firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and labor-hour task orders.
3) A capacity of up to $90 million.
4) A performance period of one year, with four additional one-year option periods for a total of five years.
5) These types of actions: Quality assurance tasks, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) commissioning of completed construction projects, and data management services.
6) A small business subcontracting plan.
7) The provision of local national, third country national and/or U.S. citizens as project engineers and quality assurance representatives to perform construction phase support services. These subject matter experts will report information back to the U.S. government, which retains final decision-making authority on contractor performance.

These contracts will replace six A-E IDCs awarded in December 2008 and June 2009. The new contracts are expected to be awarded this summer.

Qualified firms must submit their qualification statements on Standard Form 330 in accordance with the synopsis requirements. Firms may compete for both A-E IDC acquisitions.

For additional information, see Frequently Asked Questions at www.tam.usace.army.mil/contracting/FAQ-SC.pdf.

Firms may submit additional questions via the Bidder Inquiry in ProjNet at www.projnet.org/projnet. See instructions below for accessing this acquisition in ProjNet.

Selected firms will be required to support all projects managed by the Middle East District. The Middle East District provides engineering, construction and related services in the Middle East, Central Asia and other areas. Its work includes designing and constructing facilities for use by U.S. forces, performing engineering activities for other U.S. government and foreign agencies, and providing operations and maintenance services for various customers. In addition, the District provides project management, engineering, contracting and support services to USACE districts in Afghanistan.


ProjNet Bidder Inquiry Instructions

To submit and review bid inquiry items, bidders need to be registered. Those new to the system can self-register by going to www.projnet.org/projnet and clicking on the Bid tab.

Select Bidder Inquiry, select agency USACE, enter the Bidder Inquiry Key for the solicitation listed below, enter your email address, and then click Login.

Fill in all required information and click Create User. Verify that information on the next screen is correct and click Continue.

From this page, you may view all bidder inquiries or add a new inquiry.

Offerors will receive an acknowledgement of their question via email, followed by an answer to the question after it has been processed by the Middle East District's technical team.

Note that offerors may submit only one question per inquiry. All inquiries containing multiple questions will be rejected.

The project name is: A-E SATOC - Design & Construction Phase Support Svcs, TAM AOR

The Bidder Inquiry Key is: FFN75J-KIMLBW

The Bidder Inquiry System will be unavailable for new inquiries after Feb. 17, 2012, to ensure adequate time is allotted to respond to inquiries.

For more information, see http://www.tam.usace.army.mil/MED12-02-06.asp