Posted: Jan. 13, 2014, 5:00 p.m. EST
The National Park Service (NPS), Midwest Regional Office, (MWRO) 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68102, is seeking qualified organizations to provide Architect/Engineer (A/E) services under indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts. This contract will focus on historic preservation projects for cultural landscapes and historic structures primarily in park units in the Midwest Region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota) with the secondary locations being the rest of the United States. The properties and related projects vary in complexity, scale and the matters to be addressed. The properties are located within the National Park Service, Midwest Region units and National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) under a variety of ownerships. The Midwest Region contains nearly sixty individual parks, with over two thousand historic structures, over one thousand cultural landscapes and over four hundred NHLs. The Midwest Region of the NPS includes nationally significant historic sites associated with Indian cultures, the fur trade, the exploration and opening of the American West, Civil War and frontier battles, presidential homes, and important 20th century developments in business, society and civil rights. Additionally there are parks of scenic and natural beauty which include historic structures in cultural landscapes of local significance. The NHLs present in the Midwest Region represent a large cross-section of American history and design. They are among the nations most significant historic places, and while some are units within the National Park system, most are owned by other governmental agencies, non-profits, or private individuals. The diverse NHLs include residences, farms, military, industrial and commercial complexes, designed and vernacular landscapes, monuments and cemeteries. The sites represent the development of the Midwest and include not only vernacular designs but high style examples of French Colonial, Gothic, Queen Anne, Tudor, Classical Revival, Craftsman and Modern. Most of the NPS properties are vernacular in nature. These include: historic institutional or military complexes, such as life-saving stations, lighthouses, schools, and forts; industrial complexes, such as mines and mining town sites, steel producing and shipping districts; agricultural properties, such as those supporting farming, ranching, fishing and logging; historic transportation systems such as canals, railroads, roads, maritime and aviation properties; a large variety of homes and cabins ranging from Mandan-Hidatsa earth lodges, to resorts, to presidential homes, to model and modular houses. Designed or relatively high-style properties include: parks developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, parkways and recreational lodges, cabins and shelter structures; Beaux Arts- inspired landscapes, monuments, and memorials; institutional campuses, cemeteries and military parks; and unique artistic creations such as the Gateway Arch and Mount Rushmore. The scope of work includes Predesign Services which may comprise primary and secondary historical research, field investigation, site survey, physical investigation and materials testing, condition assessment; Schematic Design Services including treatment recommendations, conceptual designs, design guidelines, cost estimates, value analysis, asbestos and lead paint analysis, and other architectural/engineering work; Design Development and Construction Document Services including preparation of construction drawings, specifications, cost estimates and value engineering; and Construction Management such as inspection/ observation, site visits, consultation, review of submittals and shop drawings, and preparation of operation and maintenance manuals and as-built drawings. Required disciplines include historical landscape architecture; historical architecture; architectural history; soil, structural, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical engineering; National Environmental Policy Act compliance (Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements); sustainable design expertise; and certified value analysis experience. Secondary support disciplines include geographic information systems (GIS) expertise, land use planning, materials and art conservation, surveying and dense cloud point mapping, historical research, horticulture of local and vintage plants, ecological restoration specialist, civil, environmental, and geotechnical engineering. Construction work performed in historic buildings, landscapes or sites will require continuous attention to and compliance with historic preservation guidelines. All work will be guided by NPS policies and directives, however historic resources often present unique and unusual conditions and the NPS encourages creativity in the development of preservation methods. Projects will require coordination with various review and planning entities. Prospective firms shall demonstrate past experience with cultural landscapes and historic structures, archaic building and landscape materials and compatible contemporary design. EVALUATION CRITERIA The following criteria in descending order of importance shall be used in the evaluation of the prospective firms: 1. Professional qualifications of the firm and staff proposed for satisfactory performance of desired services; 2.The firm demonstrates substantial specialized experience and technical competence as prime contractor or as a consultant on historic preservation projects for the National Park Service or other public/government or non-profit agencies(such as Historic Structures Reports, Cultural Landscape Reports, Environmental Impact Statements/Environmental Assessments, Landscape Preservation Maintenance Plans, and National Register of Historic Places Nominations). It is preferred that both the prime contractor and sub-contractors have demonstrated past experience with sensitive design within historic properties; 3. Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules. In addition, the A/E firm shall: a. Demonstrate expertise in preparing required compliance documents associated with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), such as Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments, especially past performance with NEPA compliance on cultural resource projects. b. Demonstrate expertise in conducting value analysis (VA) at planning and pre-design stages, as well as the more traditional value engineering (VE) studies. The firm shall also demonstrate expertise in utilization of value methods in decision making e.g. Choosing by Advantages (CBA), functional analysis e.g. FAST diagram, life cycle cost analysis, importance(benefit) to cost graphing or other method of evaluating non-monetary benefits; enabling and assisting the NPS to make benefit cost decisions and comparisons. A/E shall identify facilitator(s) with Certified Value Specialist certification or approved equal, to conduct studies and consult with the prime with regard to decision making methods.; 4. Capacity to accomplish multiple projects within the desired time schedule and to manage multi-faceted projects within schedule. The U.S. Government has adopted sustainable design as the guiding principle for its planning, design and construction projects. Sustainable design utilizes best available solutions within the design tradition and conserves global resources, utilizes energy efficiently, recycles materials and waste, and specifies ecologically responsible methods, practices, and materials in the construction and operations of Government facilities. Accordingly, the selected firm(s) must exhibit current credentials and demonstrated competency in sustainable design certifications and memberships in professionally recognized organizations that promulgate sustainable practices. Sensitivity to NPS values, standards, and sustainable design principles must be demonstrated. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). This announcement is a 100% women owned Small Business Set Aside open to all women owned small business under the North American Industry Classification Systems (NACIS) 541310 or 541320. Small Business Classification Standard is $7M. This contract is being procured in accordance with the Brooks A-E Act, as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. See FedBizOpps numbered note 24 for general information on the A-E selection process. (http://www.fbodaily.com/fbo/notes.html) The National Park Service acknowledges that there are two announcements posted for the same requirement with different set-asides. From the two announcements the Government intends to award three IDIQ contracts with at least one being awarded to a women-owned business. The term of the contract shall be one year with four one-year renewal options. The total fees for the basic year and all option years shall not exceed $3,250,000 per contract with a guaranteed overall minimum of $10,000. Project will be negotiated and awarded under fixed priced task orders. The total of all task orders per contract per year will not exceed $650,000 and no single task order shall exceed $450,000. In order to maximize competition, the National Park Service is encouraging joint venture arrangements as well as prime/subcontractor relationships for this solicitation. The government will not indemnify the firm selected against liability involving asbestos or other hazardous materials; that is, no clause holding the firm harmless will be included in the Contract. SUBMISSIONS: Firms that fully meet the requirements described in this announcement are invited to submit (1 copy) a Letter of Interest, completed Standard Form 330 and an organization chart. The organization chart shall include the names of the key personnel, firms, disciplines, roles and responsibilities and/or technical expertise. Submission of any additional supporting material is encouraged, but only to the extent that it graphically (via drawings and photographs) substantiates the relevant project work specifically described on Standard Form 330. Additional information should not exceed 30 double-sided 8 x 11 pages. It is recommended that submissions be spiral bound and developed and assembled in a manner that chronologically corresponds and addresses the Technical Evaluation Criteria. Submissions received via e-mail or facsimile will NOT be accepted. In support of the sustainable practices of resource conservation and material recycling, submissions should be concise, make wise use of recycled/recyclable paper and other materials, and be organized in such a manner that the recyclable material can be easily removed after evaluation. To the extent possible, printed/copied double-sided paper documents should be submitted. Standard Form 330 may be obtained at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP. Responses must be received before 4:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, February 27, 2014. All questions shall be emailed to tonya_bradley@nps.gov no later than Friday, February 15, 1:00 central time. Note: This is not a Request for Proposals.
