F--Assessment of PWS Utility Organizations in North & South Dakota

NAICS Code: 541690 The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII Office, is soliciting quotations from individuals and companies that may have the qualifications to complete several activities for the tribal public water system utility capacity development program within the geographical area of North and South Dakota. If you are interested, please submit the following: (1) A statement of qualifications which should be brief, but should include the resumes of the staff who would be completing the SOW tasks. When listing these qualifications, please identify staff experience in working with public water systems (PWSs), either as a consultant or as a PWS operator. Please also list all relevant degrees that the staff may have. (2) A statement of staff availability. EPA is particularly interested in knowing how much lead time a contractor would need to respond to individual work requests. It is important that those submitting quotations be able to visit a site within two weeks notice. (3) The fully-loaded hourly rate(s) of the staff person(s) who would do the work. Under this contract, billing will be done as hourly rates plus expenses. All indirect costs and administrative costs must be folded into the hourly rate. Expenses are limited to those incurred by the field staff while performing their duties, or in the preparation and delivery of contract reports (such as xeroxing, photo development, and postage) (4) A list of any public water systems that the contractor currently retains as a client. (NOTE: This information will not necessarily disqualify a candidate from consideration). The full package should be no more than 20 pages in length. Please submit this information to Maureen Martin at the address listed below. U. S. EPA, Region VIII (8TMS-G) 999 18th Street, Suite 300 Denver, CO 80202-2466 Price Quotes may also be e-mailed to [email protected] or faxed to (303) 312-6339 or (303) 312-6363. NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Please submit Requests for Quotations by 4 pm on Wednesday, January 15, 2003. Please note that more than one award may be made from this solicitation, based on geographic location. Awards will be made based on price and best value. To determine best value, EPA will evaluate the quotations using the following criteria: (1) Technical expertise (2) Staff experience in evaluation of the technical, managerial, and financial aspects of public water systems utility organizations (3) Geographic location of field staff (4) Familiarity with the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141) (5) Ability to respond to individual work requests in a timely manner (6) The proposed hourly rate and associated expenses (7) Past performance on other similar kinds of work If you have any questions about this proposal, please submit them in writing to Maureen Martin, Contracting Officer, U.S. EPA Region VIII or e-mail to [email protected]. Request for Price Quotes: Hourly Rate plus Expenses STATEMENT OF WORK On-Site Utility Capacity Development for Tribal Public Water Systems in North and South Dakota Purpose The purpose of this contract is to develop the necessary technical, managerial, and financial capacity of tribal public water system (PWS) utility organizations located in North and South Dakota through assessment, training, and technical assistance services. Background The Safe Drinking Water Act (Section 1452(a) and (i) and Section 1420) encourages PWS regulatory agencies to ensure that all new community or non-transient, non-community water systems commencing operation after October 1, 1999 demonstrate technical, managerial, and financial capacity with respect to the national primary drinking water regulations. The tribal PWS regulatory program is implemented by the U. S. EPA Region VIII office in Denver, CO. To help accomplish this goal in Indian Country in EPA Region 8, all drinking water construction projects funded by the EPA Tribal Set-Aside (TSA) program will be included in a capacity assessment or review of assessment, and if needed, capacity development followup. Some PWSs in Indian Country, whether owned by tribal entities or not, are not regulated by EPA, but by the appropriate state agency. There are some general rules for jurisdiction, some specific exceptions, and much more to be determined in the future legally. For the purposes of this Contract, capacity work will be done on all TSA projects, unless otherwise instructed by the Work Assignment Manager. Some TSA projects which need capacity work have been underway or completed for several years. Other TSA projects are in all stages of development and construction. Still others are yet to be funded and started. Generally, the goal of this Contract will be completion of capacity work before completion of construction. Review of existing capacity assessments and previous work will be done by EPA Region 8. Recommendations for additional work in these cases will be give to the Contractor by the Work Assignment Manager. Capacity Assessments will be done according to EPA Region 8 tools, including primarily the Region 8 Tribal Capacity Assessment and Planning Worksheets for Public Water Systems, a copy of which may be obtained from EPA Region 8. Other capacity followup work will be tailored to each case according to specific direction of the Work Assignment Manager using various tools, many of which may be provided by EPA Region 8. The review, assessment, or followup process will usually be initiated by the Work Assignment Manager. In some cases the Contractor may be contacted directly by the PWS owner or operator. In theses cases, the Contractor is expected to inform, and obtain direction from, the Work Assignment Manager before proceeding. In Indian Country, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is usually involved in construction projects. The Contractor is expected to coordinate capacity development efforts with the appropriate IHS personnel. Sometimes other funding agencies may be involved. The Contractor is expected to coordinate with any agencies involved in the construction or operation of the facilities. Responsibilities The Contractor will receive written (FAXed or e-mailed) assignments from the Contract's Work Assignment Manager for the one or both of the following two tasks: (1) Capacity Assessment of PWS utility organizations in North and South Dakota Indian Country. At the start of the contract, the Work Assignment Manager will send the Contractor a list of sites or utility organizations that are expected to need utility assessment during the next year. Contacts, a brief summary of each site, and estimated date will be included. The Work Assignment Manager will provide more information as it is received, and will notify the Contractor when assessment services are required. Generally, at least two weeks advance notice will be given to the Contractor for scheduling purposes. The Contractor shall then schedule the assessment with the PWS owner or utility manager. One month will be allowed for assessment and reporting to EPA by the Contractor, after starting the assessment. Occasionally, the Contractor may be contacted directly by PWS owners, their engineers, or utility managers. The Contractor shall then contact the Work Assignment Manager with the case information and await further instruction on the case. The Contractor shall travel to the site, perform the assessment, communicate with the appropriate owner and agency representatives, and take photos if appropriate. The Contractor shall perform an assessment of the utility organizations identified by the Work Assignment manager using the EPA Region 8 Tribal Capacity Assessment and Planning Worksheets for Public Water Systems. This includes checklists and a spreadsheet to be completed by the Contractor on-site, working and coordinating with the appropriate representatives. The Contractor shall prepare a written report for each assessment. The reports must have the following features: They must include the completed Capacity Assessment and Planning Worksheets for Public Water Systems in WordPerfect and Lotus 123 formats. They must be addressed to the Work Assignment Manager. Email or FAX is the preferred transmission method. They must include a summary narrative including any comments concerning deficiencies, findings, recommendations, and conclusions, and a brief plan to address the deficiencies in capacity. (2) Capacity development followup to address deficiencies noted in the capacity assessment of PWS utility organizations in North and South Dakota Indian Country. At the start of the Contract, the Work Assignment Manager will send a list of probable sites needing capacity development followup during the next year. This will include approximate dates, contacts, and a brief scope of work for each site. The Work Assignment Manager will send further instructions and specific dates when other on-site followup is needed at least two weeks prior to the required date. The Contractor will usually be instructed to follow up at a site where a capacity assessment has been completed. In these cases, the assessment and associated report or recommendations shall be used by the Contractor to complete the followup. In some cases, an assessment may not be completed. In these cases, specific instructions will be given to the Contractor by the Work Assignment Manager. In all cases the followup work will be within the scope of the "Getting Started" list on page 2-1 of the EPA Region 8 Capacity Assessment and Planning Worksheets for Public Water Systems. The Contractor shall travel to the site, perform the needed capacity development activities, communicate with the appropriate tribal, utility organization, and other agency representatives, and take photos. Several site visits to each site may be necessary, over a lengthy time period. Close communication with the Work Assignment Manager is necessary to prioritize work. The contractor shall prepare a brief written report for each site visit. The reports must have the following features: They must use a standardized format specified by the Work Assignment Manager, and they must be provided in a WordPerfect format. Any photos must be in a standard electronic format. They must include goals, obstacles, accomplishments, findings, recommendations, and conclusions. They must be addressed to the Work Assignment Manager. Email or FAX is the preferred transmission method. They must be prepared, sent, and received by EPA within one week of the on-site visit. End of Contract Reporting At the end of the contract period, the Contractor shall prepare a brief report summarizing the tasks completed under both of the areas of responsibility listed above. Additional reporting requirements are specified under specific areas of responsibility. Additional Requirements (1) For all site visits, the Contractor shall inform the PWS owner and utility representatives that they are contract employees (not EPA employees) who have been hired by EPA to provide EPA services. At all times, the Contractor shall be courteous to the PWS and tribal staff and any other personnel involved with the project. (2) If the Contractor observes that a PWS is not complying with any of the drinking water regulations or, if conditions at the facility pose an immediate public health risk, the Contractor will immediately inform the Work Assignment Manager. (3) Some written work requests will require an expedited response within a practical time frame. (4) All work performed by the Contractor shall be done in accordance with pertinent Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements. (5) EPA may require the Contractor to travel to Denver near the beginning of the contract year to meet staff and review files of facilities where construction projects are expected. Duration of contract The contract will be in place from the award date until December 31, 2003 Billing The Contractor shall submit monthly invoices to EPA which list the number of hours and expenses. All hourly charges must be for technical work, or for any activities associated with technical work (such as travel, report preparation, xeroxing, photo development, etc.). Unless prior written approval is obtained by the Work Assignment Manager, this contract will not fund any administrative or indirect charges, including QA review of the reports by anyone other than the technical personnel. All indirect charges must be considered in the proposed hourly rate. All expenses will be itemized and must be in accordance with EPA cost reimbursement policies. All travel and per diem expense charges must be made at the same rates as those allowed EPA personnel.