This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS announcement to be used for preliminary market research purposes only. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS SYNOPSIS. The type of solicitation issued in the future will depend upon the responses to this sources sought synopsis. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow up information requests. The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of Small Business community to compete and perform a Service Contract. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is issuing this request for information (RFI) announcement as part of a market survey for a Service Contract for Research and Development. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Environmental Laboratory (EL), Water Quality and Contaminants Modeling Branch (EP-W), Numerical Models for Assessment of Watershed Contaminants and Living Resources Team and the Cognitive Ecology and Ecohydraulics Team require tasks and deliverables for the development and application of predictive mathematical models to solve complex environmental challenges through multi-disciplinary integration of science and engineering. Outcomes of this research are to elucidate the ecological process issues that reduce the contamination of waterways and ground water to protect the environment, fish and wildlife. The potential contract will provide tasks for the Research and Development (R&D) being executed by the teams of the EP-W both at Vicksburg, MS and remote field sites as is applicable. This contract aims at satisfying the Army and DoD requirements by containing specific tasks which include a multi-disciplinary approach to basic and applied environmental research to study the effects on water contaminants for civil works, military projects, and environmental decision analysis. The contractor shall perform research work in all areas previously referenced; be capable of readily performing tasks for related activities; e.g., computational modeling. The contractor shall be responsible for the cost of training needed to complete tasks and deliverables (i.e. security training). Services will include: 1) Enhancements of the Corps Water Management System (CWMS) and Real-Time Simulation program (HEC-RTS); 2) Enhancements of the time series data management system HEC-DSS and HEC-DSSVue to include water quality data and graphical display for the Nutrient Simulation-Module (NSM) and the Contaminant Simulation Module (CSM); 3) Development and enhancements of the next generation hydrologic engineering computer program family to include water quality (NSM) dll libraries, which include a. Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), b. River Analysis System (HEC-RAS), c. Reservoir System Simulation (HEC-ResSim), d. Watershed Analysis Tool (HEC-WAT) and the Flood Risk Analysis Extension (FRA), e. Statistical Software Package (HEC-SSP), f. Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC-EFM) 4) Miscellaneous improvements to other software packages when appropriate The programming language for coding purposes on these projects is done in Java, but portions also include Fortran, C/C++ and Visual Basic .net. The contractor will provide task specific assistance in applied research, engineering analysis, program design, software development, testing, documentation, and training. Software will be developed using a variety of tools such that programs will be compatible to run in a multi-platform Corps field office environment. The software is targeted for multi-user applications in a network environment employing state-of-the-art use of Graphical User Interface (GUI), graphic display, database, visualization, map and animation technology, using object-oriented programming concepts. North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this sources sought is 541712 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology). The Small Business Size Standard for this sources sought is 500 employees. Interested organizations having access to demonstrated research and capabilities in this area are invited to submit literature, which describes the general approach, previous related work, and a response per the submission instructions below. After review of the response submissions, the Government may contact select respondents to further clarify the candidate materials. Responses will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining if this procurement can be accomplished on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Oral communications ARE NOT acceptable in response to this notice. Sources shall include in their information: 1. Contact information: Interested organizations should respond by providing the Government the following information; point of contact, address, telephone number, email address, duns number, cage code and or tax ID number, as well as size category (large, small, small disadvantaged, etc). 2. Business Status: Please indicate the business status of your company (Socio-Economic Factors: 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business, Small Disadvantaged Business etc.).3. Capability Statement: Please include a capability statement not to exceed ten pages. 3. Capabilities Statement: A detailed capabilities statement stating their capabilities in providing the same or similar item described in this notice. If a respondent chooses to utilize the services of sub-tier vendors or subcontractors, those vendors or subcontractors must meet these criteria. Potential Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to conduct business with the Government. Interested parties should register on-line and subscribe to receiving procurement announcements related to this sources sought notice at www.fbo.gov. Any questions related to this notice shall be submitted in writing to the point of contact listed below. This RFI does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract. The U.S. Government is in no way liable to pay for or reimburse any companies or entities that respond to this announcement. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to this announcement will NOT be reimbursed. All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-government personnel and entities. Your interest in this response is appreciated. Interested vendors should provide information regarding this announcement no later than 31 December, 2015 at 1:00 pm CST to: E-mail
[email protected]. Please use RFI Number W912HZ-16-R-C001 in the subject line of the email.