AMENDED PRESOLICITATION NOTICE The following was revised: It is anticipated that the solicitation will be available on or after September 22, 2025, at https://www.fedconnect.net and https://www.sam.gov. Anticipated award date of the resultant contract(s) is no later than February 1, 2026. The point of contact is Angela Lower at (513)-487-2036 or
[email protected]. 68HERC23R0326 Scientific, Technical and Regulatory Support for Development and Implementation of Ecological, Human Health and Other Environmental Criteria and Standards THIS IS A PRESOLICITATION NOTICE ONLY. THE ACTUAL SOLICITATION SHALL BE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON OR AFTER August 2, 2024, AT https://www.fedconnect.net AND https://www.sam.gov. The solicitation numbered SOL 68HERC23R0326 will be available for downloading at FedConnect® located at the following internet address: www.fedconnect.net/. Questions relating to the solicitation are required to be submitted electronically through FedConnect®. ONLY those questions posted through FedConnect® will be accepted. All responses to questions will be released on FedConnect®. At this site, you will be able to register with FedConnect®, enabling you to download the solicitation once released, join the mailing list, and submit questions. If you need technical assistance in registering, or for any other FedConnect® function, call the FedConnect® Help Desk at (800) 899-6665, or e-mail
[email protected]. Contractor registration in the Government’s System for Award Management (SAM) is required in order to be eligible for contract award. Registration may be completed, and information regarding the registration process may be obtained, at http://www.sam.gov. Once issued, solicitation documents will be available electronically for download at https://www.fedconnect.net. Hard copies of the solicitation package will not be distributed. Electronic copies of responses will be required and must be submitted via FedConnect® (https://www.fedconnect.net). The proposed contract requires that the contractor provide support to the Office of Water (OW), Office of Science and Technology (OST), National Water Programs and other OW offices, including the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW), and the Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) by providing professional services to develop, revise, and implement ecological criteria for the protection of water quality on a national, state, and site-specific basis. Under specific task orders, the contractor will be required to provide technical and regulatory support which requires experience in aquatic toxicology, aquatic chemistry, sediment toxicology, ecotoxicology, statistics, bioaccumulation, nutrients and nutrification, biological assessment, biocriteria, aquatic biology, wildlife toxicology, suspended and bedded sediments, biosolids risk assessment, fate and effects and transport modeling, geochemical speciation modeling, aquatic life criteria development, and other human health and ecological criteria development derivation procedures. Specific tasks may include conducting toxicological reviews, national and site-specific ecological hazard assessments, and national and site-specific ecological risk assessments; evaluating national and site-specific methods for ecological criteria development, national and site-specific ecological impacts of pollutants, and national and site-specific risk assessment measurement endpoints; analyzing tissue, surface water, sediment, biosolids, and effluent samples for chemicals, microorganisms and nutrients; performing statistical analyses and population modeling of chemical impacts on aquatic or aquatic-dependent species; conducting laboratory toxicity tests and field studies, biological assessments and laboratory taxonomic identifications, toxicity tests in water and sediment, GIS and other mapping, and remote sensing; developing and supporting use of bioavailability, chemical fate, and transport and effect and population models and data bases; evaluating bioaccumulation potential, trophic transfer, and calculating and applying bioaccumulation factors; sampling ambient waters, effluents, organism tissues, and biosolids for chemical analysis; conducting literature and technical data reviews: performing analyses and summarizing findings; investigating, interpreting, and addressing experimental and emerging science and contaminants including genomics, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, nanotechnology, immunosuppressants, etc.; planning and conducting Quality Assurance/Quality Control support activities; and implementing knowledge and experience in the use and application of EPA national and site-specific guidance methodologies for the development of water quality criteria, water quality standards, NPDES Permits and other programs. Documentation support may include preparing national and site-specific ecological criteria documents in standard EPA format, national and site-specific technical information documents, national and site-specific technical support documents for methods, criteria, and regulations, index of references for proposed and final regulations, and publications, presentation materials, public outreach documents, brochures, and fliers; organizing and summarizing comments on proposed regulations and other publications; arranging and conducting workshops; performing technical writing; providing Water Quality Standard (WQS) Academy instruction and technical presentations; developing non-technical summaries of documents for the general public, and non-technical and technical briefing materials for senior managers; organizing literature reviews and references in an alphabetized or chronological or subject area order; and compiling and summarizing public and peer review comments on proposed regulations and technical documents. The solicitation and resulting contract shall contain the custom local provision Disclosure Requirements for Organizational Conflicts of Interest (EPA-L-09-102). Paragraph (c) of the clause shall read as follows: (c) The Agency has determined that firms directly engaged in the business or which have a business or financial relationship with firms involved in the activities described in paragraph (a) above (further referred to as "these activities") may have significant potential organizational conflict of interest in relation to the requirements of this solicitation. In addition, a potential organizational conflict of interest may exist with firms that provide consulting and/or technical services related to these activities. Paragraph (a), as referenced above in Paragraph (c), shall read as follows: (a) The proposed contract requires that the contractor provide professional services in conducting toxicological reviews, national and site-specific ecological hazard assessments, and national and site-specific ecological risk assessments; evaluating national and site-specific methods for ecological criteria development, national and site-specific ecological impacts of pollutants, and national and site-specific risk assessment measurement endpoints; analyzing tissue, surface water, sediment, biosolids, and effluent samples for chemicals, microorganisms and nutrients; performing statistical analyses and population modeling of chemical impacts on aquatic or aquatic-dependent species; conducting laboratory toxicity tests and field studies, biological assessments and laboratory taxonomic identifications, toxicity tests in water and sediment, GIS and other mapping, and remote sensing; developing and supporting use of bioavailability, chemical fate, and transport and effect and population models and data bases; evaluating bioaccumulation potential, trophic transfer, and calculating and applying bioaccumulation factors; sampling ambient waters, effluents, organism tissues, and biosolids for chemical analysis; conducting literature and technical data reviews: performing analyses and summarizing findings; investigating, interpreting, and addressing experimental and emerging science and contaminants including genomics, endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, nanotechnology, immunosuppressants, etc.; planning and conducting Quality Assurance/Quality Control support activities; and implementing knowledge and experience in the use and application of EPA national and site-specific guidance methodologies for the development of water quality criteria, water quality standards, NPDES Permits and other programs . Each offeror shall specifically disclose whether it is directly engaged in or if it has a business or financial relationship(s) with: • Entities that work with those discharging wastewater, such as involved with natural resource extraction or production, energy generation, industrial or chemical manufacture/production activities, or wastewater treatment activities. • Entities that manufacture or sell water treatment technologies and/or consult to wastewater dischargers about water and/or wastewater treatment. • Entities that are subject to or have financial interest through a contractual relationship with a firm subject to regulations directly related to EPA Water Programs. • Entities that own, operate or have a contractual relationship with clients that discharge wastewater, processed water, or provide treatment of wastewater or drinking water. • Entities that provide technical support as required for developing and approving water quality standards and criteria by designating the use or uses of water bodies, setting criteria necessary to protect the uses and preventing degradation of water quality. • Entities that provide technical support to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit holders or dischargers to NPDES dischargers. • Entities that manufacture/sell/import or have a contractual relationship with clients that manufacture/sell/import water treatment chemicals and/or equipment (including point-of-use/point-of-entry treatment devices). • Entities that provide advisory and/or technical services relating to waste minimization, waste management, and wastewater treatment and control. • Entities acting in a consulting, advisory, or legal capacity with, or for, organizations trying to overturn or circumvent the regulations which are the intended outcome of this contract. • Entities that own or operate industrial and/or community water systems or that provide technical support to such entities. • Entities that are developers, suppliers, or manufacturers of pesticides, agricultural chemicals, or products indigenous to animal feed lot operations, regardless of size, and/or that provide technical support to these entities. • Entities that own, operate, or construct facilities or products which use water as a coolant for the absorption of heat, regardless of source or purpose, where those waters, once used, are released, discharged, or otherwise returned to aquifers, ground water, or source waters, and/or entities that provide technical support to these entities. The solicitation and resulting contract shall also contain the clause, “Limitation of Future Contracting.” The text of the clause will track identically with Limitation of Future Contracting Alternate V (Headquarters Support), EPAAR 1552.209-74 (APR 2004), except for paragraph (c). Paragraph (c) of the clause shall read as follows: (c) Under that clause in paragraph C, the contractor and any subcontractors will be ineligible to enter into a business or financial relationships with entities that work with or discharge wastewater; entities that manufacture or sell water treatment technologies and/or consult to wastewater dischargers about water and/or wastewater treatment, and entities with business or financial relationships with entities that work with water treatment technology entities; entities that are subject to, or that have a business or financial relationship with, a firm subject to regulations directly related to EPA Water Programs; entities that own or, operate facilities that discharge wastewater or processed water, entities that own or operate facilities that provide treatment of wastewater or drinking water, or entities that have a business or financial contractual relationship with facilities clients that discharge wastewater, processed water, or that provide treatment of wastewater or drinking water; entities that provide technical support as required for developing and approving water quality standards criteria, and other protective aquatic life values by designating the use or uses of water bodies, setting criteria necessary to protect the uses and preventing degradation of water quality; entities that provide technical support to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit holders or dischargers to NPDES dischargers; entities that manufacture/sell/import water treatment chemicals and/or equipment (including point-of-use/point-of-entry treatment devices) or that have a business or financial contractual relationship with entitiesclients that manufacture/sell/import water treatment chemicals and/or equipment (including point-of-use/point-of-entry treatment devices; entities that provide advisory and/or technical services relating to waste minimization, waste management, and wastewater treatment and control; entities acting in a consulting, advisory, or legal capacity with, or for, organizations trying to overturn or circumvent the regulations which are the intended outcome of this contract; entities that own or operate industrial and/or community water systems or that provide technical support to such entities; entities that are developers, suppliers, or manufacturers of pesticides, agricultural chemicals, or products indigenous typical to animal feed lot operations , regardless of size, and/or that provide technical support to these entities; and entities that own, operate, or construct facilities or products which use water as a coolant for the absorption of heat, regardless of source or purpose, where those waters, once used, are released, discharged, or otherwise returned to aquifers, ground water, or source waters, and/or entities that provide technical support to these entities The restriction shall be in effect during the life of the contract, and it shall remain in effect for a period of three years after the completion of work under the contract. The Government anticipates single award IDIQ contract with a five-year ordering period allowing for both Firm-Fixed-price and Cost Plus fixed Fee task orders with a maximum ordering value of $17,000,000. The solicitation will be issued on a 100% small business set-aside. The applicable NAICS code is 541620 with a size standard of $19 million. It is anticipated that the solicitation will be available on or after September 22, 2025, at https://www.fedconnect.net and https://www.fbo.gov. Anticipated award date of the resultant contract(s) is no later than February 1, 2026. Interested parties are expected to download the solicitation and any subsequent amendments and to monitor the status of the solicitation for changes or updates. A Performance Work Statement (PWS) document will accompany this Presolicitation Notice via separate attachment. Be advised that changes to any or all documentation is possible when the final Request for Proposal (RFP) is released. No hard copies will be available. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency in accordance with the official RFP. Contract award will be made in accordance with FAR Part 15, Contracting by Negotiation. The point of contact is Angela Lower at (513)-487-2036 or
[email protected].