REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR A&E FIRMS TO PROVIDE ENGINEERING SERVICES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND/OR VERMONT

The USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Hampshire and Vermont announces a request for SF-330, Architect and Engineer Qualification Statements, from firms interested in Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to provide engineering services for the installation of soil and water conservation practices at various locations in the State of New Hampshire and/or the State of Vermont. Multiple IDIQ contracts may be awarded. Contracts will include one base year, from contract award and up to four one-year renewal option years. Work under these contracts will be subject to the satisfactory negotiation of individual task orders issued on an as-needed basis. The maximum total delivery orders against a contract will be $500,000 for the base year including all option years. The price of any single task order shall be at least $1,000, but shall not exceed $100,000. The guaranteed minimum is $1,000 for the base year only. There shall be no guaranteed minimum for the option years. A&E firms interested in providing these services are to submit four copies of completed form SF-330 to the contracting office at the address shown in this announcement, as well as any information that will assist with their evaluation on selection criteria. The NAICS Code for this procurement is 541330, This procurement is unrestricted, open to all businesses regardless of size. This procurement will be evaluated using Brooks Act procedures. The government reserves the right to negotiate and award a contract up to one year from the receipt date of the SF-330. DESCRIPTION OF WORK Perform engineering planning, engineering surveys, engineering designs, and construction services for conservation practices funded through NRCS program contracts with landowners. The following are examples of typical practices: • The installation of roofed animal barnyards or roofed waste storage areas This work requires the knowledge of roof support structures and concrete slabs. • Design and construction of stream crossing structures including bridges, pipe arch culverts, and embedded culverts. • Design and construction for fish passage structures including fish ladders, dam removal and rock ramps, wetland restoration or creation including both freshwater and coastal wetlands; diversions, earthwork, reinforced concrete structures, rock riprap placement, timber structures, steel structures and structural fabrication; timber, steel and concrete piling; sheet piling and bank stabilization measures. • Other practices to be designed may include compost facilities, access roads, pipelines, grassed waterways, shallow water development, ponds, and other related conservation practices. These practices shall be designed in accordance with Section IV of the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) for the States of New Hampshire and Vermont. The FOTG can be located at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/ ACTIVITIES The A&E services could include performance of any part or all operations necessary to provide solutions to natural resource problems by performing services as required for the preparation of plans, specifications, cost estimates, and related studies for the engineering planning (conceptual designs), engineering surveys, engineering design, and construction inspection services for the installation of soil and water conservation practices at various locations in the States of New Hampshire and/or Vermont. Engineering activities required may consist of, but are not limited to: • Field surveys for the development of plan views and contour maps, • Geologic and soils investigation • Engineering drawings with cross sections, profiles and other details necessary for installation of conservation practices, and needed permits; • Quantities and cost estimates, • Prepare construction specifications • Prepare design documentation folders • On-site construction inspection services to assure installation meets NRCS standards and specifications • As-built drawings of installed practices Construction Services required may consist of, but are not limited to, any part of construction layout, construction inspection, construction quality control (inspection), construction as-built drawings, and certification of completed soil and waters conservation practices including emergency recovery work. Construction services do not include actual construction of the soil and water conservation practices. The firm will be required to interpret geotechnical reports and accurately apply the data to the design of the soil and water conservation practice measures where available. The design work will be civil, agricultural, or environmental. The A&E services may involve direct consultation, inspection of construction for a specific project, including reviews of shop drawings, material selections, and quality control testing such as those associated with concrete placement and earthfill compaction. All drawings will be computer generated in *.dwg format. All reports shall be *doc, *pdf, or *xls formats. All CAD related data shall be generated using the most updated version of AUTOCAD unless specific arrangements are made with NRCS- NH or NRCS -VT engineering staff. Electronic copies and original hard copies are to be furnished to NRCS. SELECTION CRITERIA Firms will be evaluated and ranked using the following selection criteria: (1) Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance. (30%) Evaluation will be based upon the personnel and their knowledge and level of experience, specialized education at the university level, and all other applicable education, training, and certifications, associated with the requirements above, and their availability to perform work on this contract. At least one professional engineer must be registered in the States of New Hampshire and/or Vermont. (2) Specialized experience and technical competence in the type of work required. (25%) Evaluation will be based on the extent of directly related experience in performing engineering planning, engineering surveys, engineering designs, and construction services of the types of projects described. Examples of work shall be documented for review, as well as a description of the type work performed. These work descriptions will be evaluated based on documented complexity of work performed. (3) Capacity to accomplish the work. (20%) Evaluation will be based upon the number of personnel available, the quantity of existing work under contract, the schedules for completion of the existing work, and the capacity to provide personnel for multiple contracts. (4) Past performance on contracts with other government agencies and private industry. (15%) Evaluation will be based upon the firm’s past experience with other government agencies and the private sector in performing the requirements described; the quality and timeliness of performance under previous contracts. References with name and telephone numbers must be provided. (5) Location in the general geographic area and knowledge of the locality and the natural resource concerns. (10%) Evaluation will be based upon the firm’s proximity to the States of New Hampshire and/or Vermont and the knowledge of specific natural resource concerns or conditions that affect conservation practice design. Firms must clearly indicate the office location where the work will be performed. The above evaluation factors are listed in order of importance. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS Firms, which meet the requirements described in this announcement, are invited to submit 4 copies of a Standard Form 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, Part I & II not later than 4:30PM EST on September 3, 2008 to the attention of Patricia Pickett, Contracting Officer at the contracting office address listed in this notice. Only those firms responding by the time listed above will be considered for selection. After an initial evaluation, the most highly rated firms will be selected. Selected firms will then be sent a solicitation to provide their proposals. Interviews for the purpose of discussing prospective firm’s qualifications will be conducted either in person or by teleconference. All firms must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a federal Contract. For information regarding registration, contact the CCR Web Site at www.ccr.gov. This is not a Request for Proposal. POINT OF CONTACT Pat Pickett, Contract Specialist, Phone 802-951-6796 x224, Fax 802-658-0638, Email [email protected].