AMENDMENT NO. TWO (2): The purpose of this amendment is to reopen the solicitation and extend the solicitation due date. All quotations having been submitted to this RFQ prior to the original closing date will be evaluated and considered for award, unless a given quoter submits a revised quotation. The closing date of this solicitation is extended until April 19, 2024, at 3:00PM, ET. All other terms and provisions remain unchanged. --END--

AMENDMENT NUMBER 1: The purpose of this Amendment is to release answers to quetions received from industry sources. Please see the attached Q&A document for further information. All other terms and provisions remain unchanged. --END--

Request for Quotations No. NIST-RFQ-24-7300809
Scientific and Engineering Technical Report Preparation Support for National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Investigations and Related Studies

This is a Combined Synopsis / Solicitation for Commercial Items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 – Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation of Commercial Items – as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The solicitation is issued using simplified acquisition procedures under the authority of FAR Part 13.5.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT (i.e., STANDARD FORM) WILL NOT BE ISSUED.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-03 dated February 23, 2024.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541690 – Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. The small business size standard is $19.0 Million. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Both large and small businesses are eligible to respond.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS

Background:
On February 21, 2018, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director approved the investigation of the impacts of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico under the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act. Three additional projects on Hurricane Maria are being conducted as part of a research study under the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP). The NCST investigation and the NWIRP research study of Hurricane Maria also include consideration of aspects of Hurricane Fiona. On June 30, 2021, the NIST Director approved the investigation of the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, FL under the NCST Act. NIST is also conducting a research study on the effects of Hurricane Ian in Florida under the NWIRP Act. The NCST Act requires the issuance of a public report for each investigation, which includes the following:

1. An analysis of the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure investigated.
2. Any technical recommendations for changes to or the establishment of evacuation and emergency response procedures.
3. Any recommended specific improvements to building standards, codes, and practices.
4. Recommendations for research and other appropriate actions needed to help prevent future building failures.

NIST will be producing multiple technical reports to document the findings of the Hurricane Maria NCST investigation and NWIRP study, including aspects of Hurricane Fiona, the Champlain Towers South NCST investigation, and the Hurricane Ian NWIRP study. NIST will require scientific and engineering technical report preparation, technical content editing, layout, and graphics support to publish professional reports and documents with a logical flow and a consistent, professional layout.

Purpose/Objective:
The purpose of this contract is to provide the Engineering Laboratory (EL) at NIST with contractor services to provide scientific and engineering technical writing support, including scientific and engineering content editing, engineering graphic visualization, report layout assistance, and proofreading in both English and Spanish for the Hurricane Maria NCST investigation and NWIRP study, including aspects of Hurricane Fiona. NIST will provide the contractor with the report content and the contractor shall perform services including editing the content for technical consistency and uniform overall voice. NIST does not require substantial development or changes to the content but does require detailed content editing support.

The contractor shall assist NIST in creating professional grade reports and other materials documenting the studies, findings, and recommendations, as described below. Requirements similar to the tasks associated with the Hurricane Maria NCST investigation and NWIRP study will be included as optional requirements, which may or may not be exercised, for the Champlain Towers South NCST investigation and the Hurricane Ian NWIRP study.

Scope of Work & Specific Tasks
Please see the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) for further details.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
The period of performance shall be 26 months from date of award. Optional tasks, if exercised, shall extend the period of performance by 10 months, from 26 months to 36 months.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
The primary place of performance is expected to be the Contractor’s facility. No travel shall be required.

CONTRACT TYPE & PAYMENT TERMS
A Firm-Fixed Price purchase order is anticipated. Payment will be made on a NET30 basis using milestone payments following inspection and acceptance of individual deliverables.

APPLICABLE PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES
Please see the attached document for applicable provisions and clauses.

QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD
CAR 1352.215-73 INQUIRIES (APR 2010):

Quoters must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing electronically to Mr. Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, at hunter.tjugum@nist.gov. Questions must be received by or before March 25, 2024, at 3:00 PM ET. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract. (End of Provision).

DUE DATE FOR QUOTATIONS
All quotations must be submitted via email to Mr. Hunter Tjugum, Contract Specialist, at hunter.tjugum@nist.gov. Submission must be received not later than April 5, 2024, at 3:00 PM ET.

Note: Quoters must have an active registration at www.SAM.gov at time of quote submission to be considered for award.

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS (Addendum to FAR 52.212-1)

The Quoter’s quotation shall be submitted electronically via email and shall consist of two volumes as detailed below. Each quotation volume shall include the Quoter’s name, UEI number, and point of contact information in a cover page, header/footer, or other easily identified location. The Contracting Officer intends to award a purchase order without discussions but reserves the right to enter into discussions if in the best interest of the Government.

Volume 1: Technical Response
This volume shall contain the Quoter’s technical response. The technical response (not including table of contents, figures, schematics, key personnel resumes, certificates, or past performance information) shall not exceed twenty-five (25) single-spaced, single-sided pages or fifty (50) double-spaced, single sided pages. Text shall be no less than 12-point font in read-only Microsoft Word or searchable Adobe PDF format. Tables and graphics are an exception to the 12-point font requirement and shall be no less than 10-point font. Any pages beyond the limit will not be reviewed. The page limit is only applicable to Volume 1: Technical Response. The content from Volume 2: Price Quotation and Small Business Subcontracting Plan will not count toward the 25-page limit of the Technical Response.

The technical response shall include the name, title, phone number, and email address of the Quoter’s primary point of contact and the individual authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Quoter (if negotiations are determined to be necessary).

The technical response shall include:
1. A narrative of the Quoter’s relevant technical capabilities and the proposed approach to executing the PWS. If subcontractors will be used, the Quoter shall provide the names of the companies or organizations and their expected roles. The following items should be included in the technical approach narrative:
a. Proposed methods to successfully complete the PWS requirements.
b. A summary of the relevant technical capabilities, personnel, software tools, and proposed approach, to include but not limited to, the following scope requirements:
i. Review and editing of scientific and engineering content to ensure technical consistency and uniform overall voice, including review and editing of Spanish-language content, as described in the PWS.
ii. Design and production of graphics for visualization of scientific and engineering data, as described in the PWS.
iii. Development and implementation templates for multiple report volumes to maintain clear, consistent, and professional formatting and layout of technical content, including text and graphics, as described in the PWS.

2. Key Personnel Resumes: The resumes of the proposed key personnel which demonstrate qualifications and expertise, including years of experience in each role and any professional certifications. Quoters shall clearly identify the individual(s) being proposed as key personnel and the positions for which they are proposed. Quoters shall clearly map their proposed candidates to each of the required key personnel position titles detailed in the “Key Personnel Requirements” section of the PWS.

3. Past performance: Past performance information to include information on at least three (3) purchase orders or contracts in which the Quoter performed work similar to the scope of this requirement. Past performance information provided shall be for work completed or substantially completed within the past five (5) years. Past performance shall include the following information:

1. Name of the Organization Supported
2. Organization Point of Contact with Current Phone Number and Email Address
3. Contract Number
4. Period of Performance
5. Dollar Value of the Contract
6. Narrative describing the services performed. The narrative should make clear similarities to the scope of work outlined in this solicitation.

3. Management Approach: A narrative of the Quoter’s management approach for the requirement. The management approach shall outline responsibilities of key individuals, consultants or sub-contractors, communications plans, project administration and reporting, operational procedures, interactions between the tasks outlined in the PWS, and procedures to monitor and assure progress to meet the project schedule.

4. Completed provision responses, from the provisions attached to this solicitation. Provisions requiring response are highlighted in yellow.

5. A list of assumptions and/or exceptions made in preparing the quotation.

Volume 2: Price Quotation and Small Business Subcontracting Plan
This volume shall contain the Quoter’s price quotation and Small Business Subcontracting Plan (SBSP) in read-only Microsoft Excel format, or in searchable PDF format. All figures must be rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Price Quotation:
Price quotations shall be submitted on a firm fixed price basis in accordance with the contract line item numbering structure provided in this solicitation. Quotations shall be valid for 90 days after solicitation close.

Quoters may provide additional pricing documentation, to include at minimum the information referenced in the following two paragraphs.

To assist the Government in evaluating firm fixed price quotations, the Quoter shall provide a breakdown of the proposed labor and materials costs per task identified in the PWS. The proposed labor breakdown shall include proposed labor categories and estimated hours per labor category.

Quoters shall also include a proposed fixed price payment schedule based on requirement milestones/deliverables in relation to the deliverables table in the PWS. Quoters may propose alternate payment schedules.

Individual Small Business Subcontracting Plan:
The quoter shall prepare and propose an Individual Small Business Subcontracting Plan conforming to the content and formatting requirements of FAR 52.219-9. A sample Small Business Subcontracting Plan template that Quoters may use to submit the plan is attached. This template is not mandatory to be used.

CONTRACT LINE ITEM NUMBERING STRUCTURE:
The contract line item numbering (CLIN) structure is contained in Section XV. CONTRACT TYPE in the attached PWS and identifies the required CLIN structure for this Solicitation.

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD (Addendum to FAR 52.212-2)
The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible contractor whose quotation conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous and represents the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. Best value shall be determined using the trade-off evaluation method. Therefore, the Government may award to other than the lowest priced quote or the highest technically rated quoter.

The Government intends to evaluate quotations and issue a purchase order based on the initial quotations received. Therefore, the quoter’s initial quotation should contain the quoter’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. The Government reserves the right to request revised quotations from, or negotiate final purchase order terms with one or more, but not all, quoters if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all quotations if the quotation fails to comply with the requirements of this solicitation.

The factors identified below will be used to evaluate quotations.
Factor A (Technical Factor): Technical Approach/Capability
Factor B (Technical Factor): Key Personnel
Factor C (Technical Factor): Past Performance
Factor D (Technical Factor): Management Approach
Factor E (Non-Technical Factor): Price
Factor F (Non-Technical Factor): SBSP

Technical / non-price factors are listed in descending order of importance. Technical / non-price factors, when combined, are more important than price. However, price will become more important as the degree of equality among technical non-price evaluations increases.

Note that the quoter’s proposed Small Business Subcontracting Plan will be reviewed for compliance with the requirements of this solicitation and with FAR 52.219-9. However, there is no separate technical evaluation factor for the Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

A. Technical Approach/Capability
The Government will evaluate the quoter’s technical approach and capabilities for performing each task in the PWS. The technical volume will be evaluated for the quoter’s overall understanding of and capability to complete the Government requirements, and the realism and expected effectiveness of the proposed approach. Included in the evaluation will be the applicability of the methods, facility resources, any software, and tools proposed to perform each task identified in the PWS. Evaluation will also include review for evidence confirming sufficient planning to show that the work will be accomplished and how it will be accomplished within time and other constraints specified in the PWS or as applicable. Evaluation will also include review for evidence confirming there are available resources for controlling the execution of assigned activities, tasks, sub-tasks, monitoring progress, status reporting, resolving critical issues and/or mitigating risks and fulfilling all delivery requirements described in the PWS.

B. Key Personnel
The Government will evaluate the extent to which the resumes submitted for the quoter’s proposed key personnel demonstrate that the proposed individuals meet or exceed the minimum qualifications detailed in the PWS, and has the appropriate education, qualifications, and experience to efficiently and effectively address requirements in accordance with the PWS.

C. Past Performance
The Quoter’s past performance will be evaluated to determine the extent to which the quoter has past performance relevant to the work described in the PWS. Relevancy shall be considered similar to the current requirement in scope of work, period of performance, and total dollar value. The government will consider past performance on efforts completed or substantially completed within the past five (5) years. The Government prefers past performance that includes: 1) preparation of scientific and engineering reports with technical content related to natural hazards and building failures; 2) production of a set of technical reports with individual reports of at least 250 pages, including multiple chapters or sections, and a total page count of at least 1,000 pages for the set of reports; 3) production of graphics for visualization of scientific and engineering data; 4) preparation of technical reports in both English and Spanish; 5) preparation of reports available to the general public, with hyperlinks to published reports provided by the quoter.

References may be contacted, and the Government may consider past performance information from other sources, such as the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

D. Management Approach
Quotes will be evaluated to determine the expected effectiveness of the proposed management approach which outlines responsibilities of key individuals, consultants or sub-contractors, project administration and reporting, operational procedures, interactions between the tasks and subtasks outlined in the PWS, and procedures to monitor and assure progress to meet or exceed the project schedule for the required tasks. The Government will consider the extent to which the proposed approach will ensure the availability of personnel and resources to successfully complete the work within the required schedule. The Government will evaluate the approach for realism and expected effectiveness, ability to successfully coordinate with multiple multidisciplinary teams for production of post-disaster study reports, as well as for productive communications, schedule adherence or better, and successful performance of tasks.

E. Price
Quoted pricing will be evaluated but not scored. Price evaluation will determine whether the quoted price is complete, fair, and reasonable in relation to the RFQ requirements.

Attachments/Links