SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
- Notice Date
- 4/25/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Environmental Protection Agency, Ord Service Center/Nerl, Rtp Procurement Operations Division, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
- ZIP Code
- 27711
- Solicitation Number
- RFQ-RT-03-00176
- Archive Date
- 5/26/2003
- Point of Contact
- Point of Contact, Joy Kimble, Purchasing Agent, Phone (919) 541-2897
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(kimble.joy@epa.gov)
- Description
- NAICS Code: 541990 THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The solicitation number is RFQ-RT-03-00176, and the solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 01-13. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541990 which has a small business size standard of 500 employees, however, it is anticipated that the contract will be awarded as the result of a full and open competition. The purpose of this notice is to inform all interested parties that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Research Triangle Park, NC intends to award a Firm-fixed-price purchase order as a result of this solicitation. Award will be made to a single contractor for all tasks. BACKGROUND: Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) evaluated the sources of particulate matter (PM) impacting personal exposure samples under a previous contract (# OD-5538-NAEX) with Clarkson University for a Particulate Matter Epidemiology-Exposure Study. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and Multilinear Engine (ME) receptor models were used to identify and quantify the sources of particulate matter contributing to personal exposure. A new ME model was developed to evaluate this relatively simple case of having all of the subjects living in a single multi-story facility. This contract will continue the development of receptor models for the evaluation of human exposure data. The models will be evaluated using data from a NERL human exposure study in Research Triangle Park, Raleigh and Chapel Hill that collected data from subjects living in separate homes. In the RTP study, EPA collected 24-hour integrated personal PM2.5 samples on 35 participants living in separate homes for 7 days each in each of four seasons (28 measurements per person). Particulate matter samples were also collected inside and outside of individuals homes during the personal monitoring and at a central community (ambient) site operated throughout the study. Particulate matter samples were analyzed by thermal-optical carbon analysis (organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)), and are currently being analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). In addition, air exchange rates were measured daily, participants maintained a personal activity diary, gaseous pollutants were measured indoor (CO, NO2, 03), and estimates of PM2.5 are available from personal and indoor nephelometers. SCOPE OF WORK: The contractor shall develop receptor models to determine and quantify the sources of PM in the NERL RTP Study samples (community, outdoor home, indoor, and personal). In addition, the infiltration of outdoor sources to indoor shall be determined. A combination of the PMF and the ME receptor models developed under contract OD-5538-NAEX with Clarkson University (source profiles constraints, external and internal factors) shall be used to quantify the sources and infiltration rates. This data may be provided to the contractor upon award. TASKS TO BE COMPLETED: Task 1: Receptor Modeling of the RTP Study Data: Sampling Artifacts and Infiltration: The contractor shall develop receptor models to determine and quantify the sources of PM contributing to personal exposure in RTP Study. Source contributions shall be reported for the community, outdoor home, indoor, and personal samples. This receptor modeling shall be conducted with the PMF and ME receptor models. The contractor shall evaluate organic carbon sampling artifacts by including the organic carbon (OC) evolved in the first peak of the thermal-optical carbon analysis as an estimate of the organic carbon artifact (first peak OC (OC1) and OC - OC1, only OC - OC1). In addition, the contractor shall evaluate the use of air exchange rate data in the models to explain between home variability in infiltration, and indoor and personal source contribution estimates. The contractor shall provide the PMF2 data sets and modeling results. The contractor shall also provide the final ME script, data sets, and modeling results. The contractor shall prepare a report describing the results of this task. The contractor shall provide sample source contributions, source profiles, and data sets in Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft?), figures in Sigma Plot (SPSS), and the report in Word (Microsoft?). OPTIONAL Task 2: Receptor Modeling of the RTP Study Data: Activity Data: The contractor shall continue the model development and data evaluation in Task 1 of this contract by evaluating the use of activity data in the receptor model to further explain variability in personal source impacts (i.e. motor vehicle exhaust contribution and time spent in vehicles) or infiltration (window opening). Source profiles shall be identified by the contractor based on available published source profiles. The contractor shall determine the source contributions from activities and identify issues with using activity data based on modeling results. The contractor shall provide the PMF2 data sets and modeling results. The contractor shall also provide the final ME script, data sets, and modeling results. The contractor shall prepare a report describing the results of this task. The contractor shall provide sample source contribution, source profiles, and data sets in an Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft?). The contractor shall provide sample source contributions, source profiles, and data sets in Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft?), figures in Sigma Plot (SPSS), and the report in Word (Microsoft?). OPTIONAL Task 3: Manuscript describing the Task 1 and Task 2 results and update guidance document: The contractor shall prepare a manuscript describing the results from Task 1 and 2 of this contract. A manuscript (text, tables, and figures) shall be prepared by the contractor for publication in Atmospheric Environment. The "Guidance on the Receptor Modeling of Human Exposure Particulate Matter Data" report shall also be updated by the contractor to include the results from this task and also include recommendations for future analyses. The contractor shall provide final sample source contributions, source profiles, and data sets in Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft?), figures in Sigma Plot (SPSS), and the manuscript and report in Word (Microsoft?). Optional Tasks may be exercised by the government at a later date as funds become available. DELIVERABLES: Task 1: Receptor Modeling of the RTP Study Data: Sampling Artifacts and Infiltration: Provide models and data sets that were used to evaluate the RTP Study data. In addition, provide a report describing the Task 1 results. Deliverable date: Approximately 6 months after providing data and start of performance period. Optional Task 2: Receptor Modeling of the RTP Study Data: Activity Data : Provide models and data sets that were used to evaluate the RTP Study data. In addition, provide a report describing the Task 2 results. Deliverable date: Approximately 12 months after providing data and start of performance period. Optional Task 3: Manuscript describing the Task 1 and Task 2 results and update guidance document: Provide final models and data sets used to evaluate the RTP Study data. In addition, provide a draft manuscript describing the Task 1 and 2 results, and update the"Guidance on the Receptor Modeling of Human Exposure Particulate Matter Data" report prepared under contract number OD-5538-NAEX shall also be updated to include the RTP results and recommendations. Deliveriable date: Approximately 18 months after providing data and start of performance period. PAYMENT: Partial payment will be authorized at the completion of each task. PERFORMANCE PERIOD: 18 months from date of award. The government intends to award a Firm-Fixed Price contract to the responsible offeror whose technically acceptable proposal represents the best overall value to the Government based on evaluation of each criterion, including information which must be included with the proposal. Only offerors submitting technically acceptable proposals shall be considered for award. For the purpose of this best value evaluation, technical qualifications is most important. The applicant must demonstrate his/her expertise (personal skills) by meeting the following minimum skills through previous experience and/or previous projects set forth below. Contacts or references for previous performance should also be provided. Note that more weight in the evaluation will be given to the demonstration of technical expertise than to cost. Technical capability and past performance when combined are significantly more important than price. However, as technical proposals become more equal in merit, cost or price become a significant factor that must be taken into consideration in the source selection process. The Government's primary objective is to obtain the best value based on the requirement and the evaluation factors set forth in the solicitation. The following FAR provisions apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Item; 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Item. Evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of provision 52.212-2 are as follows: TECHNICAL EVALUATION/SPECIAL SKILLS which applicants will be evaluated: 1) Knowledge of the algorithms employed in the software tools Positive Matrix Factorization 2 (PMF2) and the Multi-Linear Engine (ME2); 2) Experience in programming with the ME script language; 3) Development of innovative ME receptor models to determine and quantify the sources of PM (source profile constraints, supplementary variables such as weekend/weekday); 4) Demonstrated experience (peer reviewed publications) in quantifying the sources of particulate matter impacting ambient (community and outdoor), indoor, and personal samples with the PMF and ME receptor models; 5) Past Performance will be used for responsibility determinations and as a factor against which offerors relative rankings will be compared to ensure the best value to the Government. Each offeror submitting a technically acceptable proposal shall be evaluated on performance under existing and prior (within the past 3 years) contracts/subcontracts/orders for services similar to that described in the Statement of Work for this requirement; and 6) Price - Award will be made to the offeror whose offer represents the best value to the Government, inclusive of options. PRICE EACH TASK SEPARATELY. All offerors are to include with their response a completed copy of provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, 52.246-11, Higher Level Contract Quality Requirement, 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items and the following additional FAR clauses which are cited in clauses 52.212-5: 52.222-1, Child Labor; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity, 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, As Amended, and 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer . Any applicable wage determination(s)(if required) will be made a part of the resultant purchase order. Technical questions are to be forwarded via email no later noon, EST, 1 May 2003 to the Contract Specialist at the following email address: kimble.joy@epa.gov. In addition to this Request for Quotation, offerors should check periodically EPAs web site at http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd for additional postings. Arrow down to the REQUEST FOR QUOTATION section and click on the solicitation. Arrow down below that section to COMMERCIAL BUY CLAUSES AND FORMS which are provided for your convenience. Please submit two copies of the technical proposal and two copies of the price proposal to Joy Kimble, Contract Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP-POD, D143-01, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Courier Delivery Address is: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP-POD, D143-01, 4930 Old Page Road, Attn: Joy Kimble, E105-02, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. All offers are due by May 12, 2003, 12:00 p.m. EST. No telephonic or faxed requests or offers will be honored.
- Record
- SN00312613-W 20030427/030425213752 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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