SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Research and Consultant Services
- Notice Date
- 11/7/2002
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Adp Hardware Management Section, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Nw, Washington, DC 20460
- ZIP Code
- 20460
- Solicitation Number
- RFQ-DC-03-00039
- Archive Date
- 12/14/2002
- Point of Contact
- Point of Contact, Beverly Hemsley, Purchasing Agent, Phone (202) 564-4727
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(hemsley.beverly@epa.gov)
- Description
- NAICS Code: 54171 The Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Office in Washington DC is presently interested in soliciting request for quotes (RFQ) from vendors to analyze the operations of the U.S.-Canada International Joint Commission (IJC) to determine where and to what extent those operations constitute a useful precedent for improvements in the institutional arrangements governing water management in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Particular attention will be paid to the management of water in the U.S.-Mexico border region in the face of global change (e.g., climate variability and change; land-use change). Other transboundary river systems will also be examined. II. Background More than 10 million people live in 14 sister cities in the U.S - Mexico border region. Unreliable potable water supplies and the discharge of untreated wastewater are persistent environmental and public health problems. Efforts to manage and protect the resources along the border date back decades, yet problems persist. International treaties and binational institutions were established in North America decades ago to administer transboundary water resources. But new conditions have arisen in the border regions, threatening the shared water resources. Population and economic growth, new demands on water resources, and inefficient water consumption patterns have all helped to increase the gap between water supply and water demand in some areas and led to higher pollution of water resources in others. Due to the urgent environmental infrastructure needs in the U.S.-Mexico border region, Presidents Bush and Fox directed a binational working group to hold a series of discussions with states, communities, and other stakeholders in the border region to develop recommendations designed to strengthen the performance of the North American Development Bank (NADBank) and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC). The border between the United States and Canada is similarly crossed by numerous rivers and some of the largest lakes in the world. The International Joint Commission assists governments in finding solutions to problems in these waters. The 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty established the Commission, which has six members. Three are appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and approval of the Senate, and three are appointed by the Governor in Council of Canada, on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Commissioners must follow the Treaty as they try to prevent or resolve disputes. They must act impartially, in reviewing problems and deciding on issues, rather than representing the views of their respective governments. The Commission has set up more that 20 boards, made up of experts from the United States and Canada, to help it carry out its responsibilities. Of particular relevance to this project is the Great Lakes Water Quality Board, which is responsible for implementing the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Annex 2 of the 1978 Agreement identifies specific "beneficial uses" that are to be protected through remedial Action Plans and Lake-wide Management Plans. Most recently, the Water Quality Board has been charged by the IJC Board of Commissioners with assessing the potential impacts of climate change on the beneficial uses and potential adaptation strategies. This project is particularly timely given the high-level attention being paid to the shortage of water in the U.S.-Mexico border region and in particular to Mexico's water debt to the U.S. under the 1944 Treaty. Existing institutions with water-related responsibilities in the border region ? including the International Boundary and Water Commission, the Border Environment Cooperation Commission, the North American Development Bank, Mexico's National Water Commission, and U.S. state and local water authorities ? need to do a far better job in prioritizing uses of scarce water resources, encouraging water conservation investments, and planning for the future in anticipation of global change. Public and private sector experts on both sides of the border have identified watershed management councils as an important tool to achieve these goals. As the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation recognized at its recent Council meeting in Ottawa, the IJC provides an interesting model for the U.S.-Mexico border institutions not only because of its creation of watershed management councils, but also because it has taken a more integrated approach to water quality and water quantity issues than its sister institutions to the south. The one limitation it shares with those institutions is the need to get public support from stakeholders and increased resources from governments to achieve its objectives. Accordingly, the project will also examine the IJC's successes and failures in obtaining that support and those resources and relevant lessons for the U.S.-Mexico border. Scope of Work The Contractor shall conduct the following tasks in accomplishing the objective of this purchase order: Task 1. The contractor shall initially prepare a Request for Quotation (RFQ) that includes the proposed firm fixed price, with an indication of the breakdown of the level of effort and other items that comprise the FFP proposed. The contractor must address in their proposal how they are going to consider the use of secondary data to carry out this purchase order. Secondary data is defined as the review or use of someone else?s environmental or health data that were developed for a different purpose. This includes the data used from citations from the literature searches from hard copies and computer data bases. Task 2. The Contractor shall consult with the CEC, the BECC, or representatives of EPA's Region 6 to ensure that the work envisioned would be useful and welcomed. The Contractor shall revise the initial statement of work to reflect the needs of the CEC, BECC, or Region 6 representatives. The Contractor shall present the Technical Project Officer (TPO) with a letter or email from at least one of the representatives attesting to the usefulness of the project. Task 3. Research into the structure and operations of Transboundary Organizations. The Contractor shall investigate the institutional structure and operations of the Mexico Border organizations with responsibility for water issues and into the IJC and the operations of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. This work shall include discussions (not surveys) with key CEC, BECC, and IJC personnel. The research shall focus on the entire scope of the IJC's border responsibilities, not just the management of the Lakes. The Contractor shall also investigate the management structure and operations of at least one other international river system with riparians of different economic and political power (e.g., the Danube, draining half of Europe and flowing through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, etc.). The Contractor shall prepare a draft report of the findings and submit the report (in MS Word or WordPerfect 9) to the EPA TPO for review and approval. Task 4. The Contractor shall convene a small workshop or teleconference of government and private sector experts to discuss and refine the draft. The workshop participants should have expertise in the issues surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border and the U.S.-Canada border. The Contractor shall record the comments on the draft report and make adjustments to the draft as needed. The Contractor shall maintain a record of all comments and how they were addressed. This record shall be submitted (in MS Word, WordPerfect 9, or Excel) to the EPA TPO along with the revised draft report. EPA TPO will review the comments and the revised draft and give approval or further comments. Once EPA approval is received, the Contractor shall proceed to Task 5. Task 5. Completion and submission of a final report to EPA TPO. Two hard copies of the report and an electronic copy (on diskette or CD) shall be submitted. Schedule of Deliverables Task 1: RFQ to be delivered to EPA Contracting Officer within the time specified in the RFQ. Task 2: Letter or Email from representative of Mexico Border group along with plan. (Within ten (10) days of receipt of awarded Purchase Order.) Task 3: Draft report due within 4 weeks of submission of plan. Task 4: Plan the workshop/teleconference in consultation with the EPA TPO. The comments should be cataloged and submitted to the EPA TPO within two weeks of the workshop/teleconference. Task 5: Final report with revisions responding to comments due within two weeks completion of Task 4. V. TECHNICAL EVALUATION FACTORS The award will be made to the entity whose offer provides the greatest value to the government in terms of price, quality and delivery. The contractor will be evacuated based on the following factors: * Technical comprehension of statement of work * Key personnel and availability during time period. * Demonstrated experience * Cost If you have any questions or need clarification, please forward your questions to Melissa Revely-Brown@EPA.GOV. All responses must be addressed in writing to US EPA, Beverly Hemsley (3803R), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460, or to facsimile number (202/565-2559, Attn: Beverly Hemsley, or email to Hemsley.Beverly@EPA.GOV. Responses to this notice must be submitted in writing no later than November 11, 2002. Please include your name, point of contact, address, area code and telephone number, facsimile number, tax ID number, indicate whether you are a small or large business; woman or minority owned; 8(a), GSA Schedule, or open market. Telephone requests or inquiries will not be accepted.
- Record
- SN00201939-W 20021109/021107213836 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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