NOTICES
Retention of Firm for a Feasibility Study; State Parks Municipal Sewage/Water Facility Integration Project; Reference No. FDC-500-805
[44 Pa.B. 7187]
[Saturday, November 15, 2014]The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Department) will retain a firm for the purpose of conducting a feasibility study, including cost/benefit analysis, concerning opportunities or options for integration of water or sewage treatment at various State Parks with other area authorities or entities.
The Department owns and operates many small scale sewage and water treatment facilities for its 120 State Parks across this Commonwealth. Some of these facilities require the employment of certified operators, continuous maintenance and periodic upgrade to maintain compliance within the regulatory requirements set forth by local, State and Federal regulatory agencies. They include National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitted point discharges and surface water treatment facilities for potable water. It may be feasible to integrate some of these facilities with neighboring systems so that the Department may become a customer of the nearby system as the end user.
It is anticipated that considered options will include the following:
For sewage treatment/conveyance:
• Fully funding connection to existing nearby sewage collection systems.
• Cost sharing with interested parties in the extension of municipal sewage collection and conveyance systems.
• Sale or lease of sewage treatment, collection or conveyance systems to municipal or other entities, or both.
For water treatment/conveyance:
• Fully funding connection to existing nearby potable water distribution systems.
• Cost sharing with interested parties in the extension of potable water distribution systems.
• Sale or lease of potable water treatment, distribution or storage systems to municipal or other entities, or both.
Feasibility studies must include but not be limited to:
• Project scope to clearly define the problem or opportunity, or both, to be addressed.
• Analysis to define and understand the current system infrastructure and method of operation.
• Definition of requirements.
• Approach to the recommended solution or course of action to satisfy the requirements.
• Evaluation examining the cost/benefit of the approach selected.
• Assembly of all of the preceding elements into a report format including formal review/presentation.
Letters of Interest for this project will only be accepted from individuals, firms or corporations duly authorized to engage in the practice of engineering in this Commonwealth. If an individual, firm or corporation not authorized to engage in the practice of engineering wishes to submit a Letter of Interest, the individual, firm or corporation may do so as part of a joint venture with an individual, firm or corporation which is permitted under State law to engage in the practice of engineering.
PART I
GENERAL REQUIREMENTSI-1. Specific Requirements. The firm may be required to perform any or all of the following duties: attend site visits and meetings; prepare minutes; perform necessary field surveys; compile and inventory existing infrastructure; research and compile local information regarding local systems and Act 537 planning; review and compile park management plan information; plot topography or prepare mapping, or both; and evaluate alternatives using cost/benefit analysis.
The sewage or water system, or both, at the following State Parks may be included in this study: Bald Eagle (Centre County), Black Moshannon (Centre County), Hills Creek (Tioga County), Nockamixon (Bucks County), Promised Land (Pike County), Canoe Creek (Blair County), Shawnee (Bedford County), Gifford Pinchot (York County), Moraine (Butler County), MK Goddard (Mercer County), Yellow Creek (Indiana County) and Raccoon Creek (Beaver County) with additions or subtractions as determined by the Department.
I-2. Addenda to the Request for Proposals (RFP). If the Department deems it necessary to revise any part of this RFP before the proposal response date, the Issuing Office will post an addendum to the Department web site at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us. It is the Offeror's responsibility to periodically check the web site for any new information or addenda to the RFP. Answers to the questions asked during the Questions & Answers period also will be posted, as necessary, to the web site as an addendum to the RFP.
I-3. Small Diverse Business (SDB) Information. The Department encourages participation by small diverse businesses as prime contractors and encourages all prime contractors to make a significant commitment to use small diverse businesses as subcontractors and suppliers.
A SDB is a Department of General Services (DGS) verified minority-owned business, woman-owned business, veteran-owned business or service-disabled veteran-owned business.
A small business is a business in the United States which is independently owned, not dominant in its field of operation, employs no more than 100 full-time or full-time equivalent employees, and earns less than $7 million in gross annual revenues for building design, $20 million in gross annual revenues for sales and services and $25 million in gross annual revenues for those businesses in the information technology sales or service business.
Questions regarding this program can be directed to the Department of General Services, Bureau of Small Business Opportunities, Room 611, North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17125, (717) 783-3119, fax (717) 787-7052, gs-bsbo@pa.gov.
The DGS' directory of Bureau of Small Business Owner (BSBO) verified minority, women, veteran and service disabled veteran-owned businesses can be accessed by searching for ''Small Diverse Businesses'' at www.dgs.state.pa.us.
I-4. Notification of Selection. Offerors whose proposals are not selected will be notified when contract negotiations have been successfully completed and the Department has received the final negotiated contract signed by the selected Offeror.
I-5. Type of Contract. The type of contract as a result of this RFP shall be an open end, requirements contract. Work shall be assigned on an as-needed basis as determined by the Department. The initial term of the agreement shall be 1 year and renewable for up to 4 subsequent years. Reimbursement for services shall be based upon hours of service and qualifying expenses. The work shall be reviewed by the staff of the Bureau of Facility Design and Construction and when applicable, approved by same staff.
PART II
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTSOfferors must submit their proposals in the format, including heading descriptions, outlined as follows. To be considered, the proposal must respond to all requirements in this part of the RFP. Offerors should provide any other information thought to be relevant, but not applicable to the enumerated categories, as an appendix to the Proposal.
II-1. Letter of Interest. Each Letter of Interest must include the firm's Federal identification number and the project reference number. The Letter of Interest shall also include a description of the firm's three most recently completed projects similar to the project proposed. The description shall include the client, contact person and phone number, the estimated or actual construction cost of the portion of the work which the firm designed, the project manager, and the names of all personnel who made major contributions to the project. The Letter of Interest shall indicate the firm's understanding of the Department's needs. A standard DGS Form 150-ASP must accompany the Letter of Interest and shall indicate the individual in charge. The Form 150-ASP is available by downloading from the DGS web site at http://www.dgs.state.pa.us (choose ''Construction and Public Works,'' then ''Project Administration,'' then ''Professional Selections,'' then ''ASP-150 (Rev. 05/14) Instructions'').
II-2. Number of Copies. Two copies of the small diverse business participation section bound and sealed separately from the remainder of the proposal and six copies of the complete set consisting of the Letter of Interest and the required forms must be received no later than 4 p.m. on December 17, 2014. The six copies shall be submitted in six complete sets that shall be spiral bound or in folders or secured by binder clips. The assignment and services will be made to one or more of the firms responding to this notice. However, the Department reserves the right to reject all Letters of Interest submitted, cancel the solicitation requested under this notice or readvertise solicitation for this service, or both.
II-3. SDB Participation Submittal.
A. To receive credit for being a SDB or for subcontracting with a SDB, an Offeror must include proof of SDB qualification in the SDB participation submittal of the proposal, as follows:
A SDB verified by BSBO as a SDB must provide a photocopy of their verification letter.
B. In addition to the verification letter, the Offeror must include in the SDBs participation submittal of the proposal the following information:
1. All Offerors must include a numerical percentage which represents the total percentage of work to be performed by the Offeror and not by subconsultants.
2. All Offerors must include a numerical percentage which represents the total percentage of work that the Offeror commits to the SDB as subconsultants. To support its total SDB commitment, the Offeror must also include:
a. Percentage of each subcontract commitment to an SDB.
b. The name of each SDB. The Offeror will not receive credit for stating that after the contract is awarded it will find an SDB.
c. The services each SDB will provide.
d. The location where each SDB will perform services.
e. The time frame for each SDB to provide or deliver the goods or services.
f. A subcontract or Letter of Intent signed by the Offeror and the SDB for each SDB identified in the SDB Submittal. The subcontract or Letter of Intent must identify the specific work, or services the SDB will perform, how the work or services relates to the Project, and the specific time frame during the term of the contract and any option or renewal periods when the work, good or service will be performed or provided.
g. The name, address and telephone number of the primary contact person for each SDB.
3. Each SDB subconsultant commitment will become contractual obligations once the contract is fully excuted.
4. The name and telephone number of the Offeror's project (contact) person for the SDB information.
C. The Offeror is required to submit two copies of its SDB participation submittal. The submittal shall be clearly identified as SDB information and sealed in its own envelope, separate from the remainder of the proposal.
D. A SDB can be included as a subconsultant with as many prime consultants as it choose.
E. An Offeror that qualifies as a SDB and submits a proposal as a prime contractor is not prohibited from being included a subconsultant in separate proposals submitted by other Offerors.
F. Refer to Appendix A for sample SDB letter of intent.
II-4. Contract Requirements—SDB Participation.
All contracts containing SDB participation must also include a provision requiring the selected contractor to meet and maintain those commitments made to SDB at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation, unless a change in the commitment is approved by the BSBO. All contracts containing SDB participation must include a provision requiring SDB subcontractors to perform at least 50% of the subcontracted work.
The selected contractor's commitments to SDB made at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation shall, to the extent so provided in the commitment, be maintained throughout the term of the contract and through any renewal or extension of the contract. Any proposed change must be submitted to the BSBO, which will make a recommendation to the Contracting Officer regarding a course of action.
If a contract is assigned to another contractor, the new contractor must maintain the SDB participation of the original contract.
The selected contractor shall complete the Prime Contractor's Quarterly Utilization Report (or similar type document containing the same information) and submit it to the contracting officer of the Issuing Office within 10 workdays at the end of each quarter the contract is in force. This information will be used to determine the actual dollar amount paid to SDB subcontractors and suppliers. Also, this information will serve as a record of fulfillment of the commitment the selected contractor made and for which is received SDB participation points. If there was no activity during the quarter then the form must be completed by stating ''No activity in this quarter.''
Note: Equal employment opportunity and contract compliance statements referring to company equal employment opportunity policies or past contract compliance practices do not constitute proof of SDB status or entitle an Offeror to receive credit for SDB utilization.
II-5. Debriefing. The Department will not offer a debriefing session to the unsuccessful firms. The Department disclaims any liability whatsoever to its review of the proposal submitted and in formulating a recommendation for selections. Recommendations made by the Department shall be final.
PART III
CRITERIA FOR SELECTIONIII-1. Selection Criteria. The offering firm will be evaluated upon, but not limited to, the following criteria:
A. Professional's understanding of the problem as demonstrated in Letter of Interest.
B. Qualifications of firm.
C. Professional personnel in firm.
D. Soundness of approach as demonstrated in Letter of Interest, and as stated in their own interpretation of the tasks to be performed.
E. Available manpower to perform the services required.
F. Equitable distribution of contracts.
G. SDB participation (evaluated by DGS). BSBO has established the weight for the SDB participation criterion for the RFP as 20% of the total points. Each SDB participation submittal will be rated for its approach to enhancing the utilization of SDB's in accordance with the following listed priority ranking and subject to the following requirements:
1. A business submitting a proposal as a prime contractor must perform 60% of the total contract value to receive points for this criterion under any priority ranking.
2. To receive credit for an SDB subcontracting commitment, the SDB subcontractor must perform at least 50% of the work subcontracted to it.
3. A significant subcontracting commitment is a minimum of 5% of the estimated total contract value.
4. A subcontracting commitment less than 5% of the total estimated contract value is considered nominal and will receive reduced or no additional SDB points depending on the priority ranking.
Priority Rank 1: Proposals submitted by SDBs as prime Offerors will receive 150 points. In addition, SDB prime Offerors that have significant subcontracting commitments to additional SDBs may receive up to an additional 50 points (200 points total available).
Subcontracting commitments to additional SDBs are evaluated based on the proposal offering the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment. All other Offerors will be scored in proportion to the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment within this ranking. See the following formula.
Priority Rank 2: Proposals submitted by SDBs as prime contractors, with no or nominal subcontracting commitments to additional SDBs will receive 150 points.
Priority Rank 3: Proposals submitted by nonsmall diverse businesses as prime contractors, with significant subcontracting commitments to SDBs, will receive up to 100 points. Proposals submitted with nominal subcontracting commitments to SDBs will receive points equal to the percentage level of their total SDB subcontracting commitment.
SDB subcontracting commitments are evaluated based on the proposal offering the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment. All other Offerors will be scored in proportion to the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment within this ranking. See the following formula.
Priority Rank 4: Proposals by nonsmall diverse businesses as prime contractors with no SDB subcontracting commitments shall receive no points under this criterion.
To the extent that there are multiple SDB Participation submittals in Priority Rank 1 or Priority Rank 3, or both, that offer significant subcontracting commitments to SDBs, the proposal offering the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment shall receive the highest score (or additional points) available in that Priority Rank category and the other proposals in that category shall be scored in proportion to the highest total percentage SDB subcontracting commitment. Proportional scoring is determined by applying the following formula:
SDB % Being Scored x Points/Additional = Awarded/Additional Highest % SDB Commitment Points Available* SDB Points Priority Rank 1 = 50 Additional Points Available Priority Rank 2 = 100 Total Points Available Refer to http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/rfp_scoring_formulas_overview/20124 for an illustrative chart which shows SDB scoring based on a hypothetical situation in which the Commonwealth receives proposals for each Priority Rank.
III-2. Number of Contracts. It is the intent of the Department to select a single firm to perform this work.
PART IV
MAILING AND CONTACT INFORMATIONFirms interested in performing the required services for this project are invited to submit Letters of Interest to Alfred Uzokwe, PE, Director, Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 8th Floor, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8451, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8451. Contact Shawn Beeler at (717) 772-0299 for general information concerning this request for proposal.
ELLEN FERRETTI,
Secretary
Appendix A
SMALL DIVERSE BUSINESS
LETTER OF INTENT[DATE]
[SDB Contact Name
Title
SDB Company Name
Address
City, State, Zip]Dear [SDB Contact Name]:
This letter serves as confirmation of the intent of [Offeror] to utilize [Small Diverse Business (SDB)] on RFP [RFP number and Title] issued by the [Commonwealth agency name].
If [Offeror] is the successful vendor, [SDB] shall provide [identify the specific work, goods or services the SDB will perform, and the specific timeframe during the term of the contract and any option/renewal periods when the work, goods or services will be performed or provided].
These services represent [identify fixed numerical percentage commitment] of the total cost in the [Offeror's] cost submittal for the initial term of the contract. Dependent on final negotiated contact pricing and actual contract usage or volume, it is expected that [SDB] will receive an estimated [identify associated estimated dollar value that the fixed percentage commitment represents] during the initial contract term.
[SDB] represents that it meets the small diverse business requirements set forth in the RFP and all required documentation has been provided to [Offeror] for it SDB submission.
We look forward to the opportunity to serve the [Commonwealth Agency Name] on this project. If you have any questions concerning our small diverse business commitment, please feel free to contact me at the number below.
Sincerely, Acknowledged,
Offeror Name SDB Name
Title Title
Company Company
Phone Number Phone Number
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 14-2365. Filed for public inspection November 14, 2014, 9:00 a.m.]
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