NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Request for Qualified Contractors
[33 Pa.B. 4466]
Retention of a Surveying/Engineering Firm
Project Reference No. FDC-500-903 The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Department) will retain two surveying firms or surveying/engineering firm for a contract for various engineering surveys located throughout this Commonwealth. The services will encompass topographic and cross-sectional surveys of construction sites at various State parks and/or State forests to supply the design and engineering staff of the Bureau of Facility Design and Construction the data needed to construct or repair various buildings, roadways, bridges and other structures.
Other services may encompass surveys of new or existing State forest or State park boundary lines. These services will include courthouse research of adjoining ownerships, preliminary field surveys, computation of final lines and corners, establishment or reestablishment of monuments and marking boundary.
General Requirements and Information Letters of interest for this project will only be accepted from individuals, firms or corporations duly authorized to engage in the practice of surveying.
The surveying and/or engineering firms shall have the capability of providing survey crews of either two or three persons when requested by the Department. Survey crews shall report to project sites within 7 days of notification by the Department. Firms will be responsible for providing their own survey instruments, such as transits, levels, electronic distance measuring devices and all necessary support equipment. Also, all materials such as stakes, markers, field books, and the like, will be furnished by the selected firms.
Information Concerning Socially and Economically Restricted Businesses (SERBs)
SERBs are small businesses whose economic growth and development have been restricted based on social and economic bias. These small businesses are Bureau of Contract Administration and Business Development (BCABD)-certified minority- and women-owned businesses, other disadvantaged businesses and businesses whose development has been impeded because their primary or headquarters facilities are physically located in areas designated by the Commonwealth as being Designated Enterprise Zones. A small business will not be considered socially/economically restricted if it has gross annual revenues of $8 million ($18 million for those businesses in the information technology sales or services business) or more, is dominant in its field of operation or employs more than 100 persons.
A company and its affiliates have achieved success and are graduated from this State-sponsored program when its gross annual revenues are $8 million ($18 million for those businesses in the information technology sales or service business) or more. Other small business in which an owner of the graduated firm has a financial interest or control over, either directly or through family members, will not qualify for SERB status. Control is defined as the power, whether or not exercised, to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a firm, whether through the ownership of voting shares, by contract or otherwise, or through the making of day-to-day as well as major decisions in matters of policy, management and operations. A determination of control shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following factors: capital investment and all other financial, property, acquisition, contract negotiation and legal matters; officer-director-employee selection and comprehensive hiring, operating responsibility, cost-control matters and income and dividend matters; financial transactions; and rights of other shareholders or joint partners.
Contractors and others seeking to identify businesses for joint venture and subcontracting opportunities are encouraged to contact the Department of General Services, Bureau of Contract Administration and Business Development, Room 613, North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17125, (717) 787-6708, fax (717) 772-0021, gs-cabdinternet@state.pa.us, website www.dgs.state.pa.us, DGS Keyword ''BCABD.''
SERB Information
To receive credit for being a SERB, entering into a joint venture agreement with a SERB or subcontracting to a SERB (including purchasing supplies and/or services through a purchase agreement), a company must include proof of SERB qualification in the SERB portion of the proposal:
1. SERBs qualifying as a result of MBE/WBE certification from BCABD must provide their BCABD certification number or a photocopy of their BCABD certificate.
2. SERBs qualifying as a result of having their headquarters located in an enterprise Zone must provide proof of this status, including proof of the location of their headquarters (such as a lease or deed) and confirmation of the enterprise zone in which they are located (obtained from their local enterprise zone office). More information on the locations of enterprise zones can be obtained by calling the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), (717) 720-7409, fax (717) 787-4088, akartorie@state.pa.us.
3. SERBs qualifying as disadvantaged businesses certified by the Small Business Administration must submit proof of Small Business Administration Certification.
4. Companies claiming SERB status, whether as a result of BCABD certification, Small Business Administration certification as a disadvantaged business or the location of their headquarters in an enterprise zone, must submit proof that their gross annual revenues are less than $8 million ($18 million for those businesses in the information technology sales or services business). This can be accomplished by including a recent tax or audited financial statement.
In addition to these verifications, the SERB portion of the proposal should include the following information:
1. The name and telephone number of the project contact person for SERBs.
2. The company name, address and telephone number of the prime contact person for each specific SERB business included in the proposal. The SERB businesses to which commitments are made must be specified. Credit will not be received by stating a SERB will be found after the contract is awarded or by listing several companies and stating one will be selected later.
3. The specific work, goods, or services the SERBs will perform or provide.
4. The location where the SERBs will perform these services.
5. The timeframe for the SERBs to provide or deliver the goods or services.
6. The amount of capital, if any, the SERB will be expected to provide.
7. The form and amount of compensation each SERB will receive. In the SERB information portion of the proposal, provide the estimated dollar value of the contract to each SERB.
8. The percent of the total value of services or products purchased/subcontracted under the proposal that will be provided by the SERBs.
9. In the case of a joint venture agreement, a copy of the agreement, signed by all parties, must be included in the SERB portion of the proposal. If subcontracting, a signed subcontract or letter of intent must be included in the SERB portion of the proposal.
The SERB portion of the proposal must be identified as SERB information and bound and sealed separately from the remainder of the proposal. Only one copy of the SERB section is needed.
The dollar value ratio designated for SERB commitment should be placed in a separate sealed envelope and stapled to the SERB section of the proposal or included in the bound and sealed envelope.
The selected contractor's SERB commitment amount, name of SERB and services to be provided including timeframe for performing services will be included as a contractual obligation when the contract is executed.
SERB Participation
The following options will be considered as part of the final criteria for selection:
Priority Rank 1. Proposals submitted by SERBs. Priority Rank 2. Proposals submitted from a joint venture with a Commonwealth-
approved SERB as a joint venture partner.Priority Rank 3. Proposals submitted with subcontracting commitments to SERBs. Each proposal will be rated for its approach to enhancing the utilization of SERBs. Each approach will be evaluated, with option number one receiving the greatest value and the succeeding options receiving values in accordance with the listed priority ranking.
SERB Contract Requirements
Contracts containing SERB participation must also include a provision requiring the contractor to meet and maintain those commitments made to SERBs at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation, unless a change in the commitment is approved by the contracting Commonwealth agency upon recommendation by the BCABD. Contracts containing SERB participation must include a provision requiring SERB contractors and SERBs in a joint venture to incur at least 50% of the cost of the subcontract or SERB portion of the joint venture, not including materials.
Commitments to SERBs made at the time of proposal submittal or contract negotiation must be maintained throughout the term of the contract. Any proposed change must be submitted to the BCABD, which will make a recommendation as to a course of action to the contracting officer.
If a contract is assigned to another contractor, the new contractor must maintain the SERB participation of the original contract.
The contractor will 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 agency that awarded the contract and the Bureau of Contract Administration and Business Development within 10 workdays at the end of each quarter the contract is in force. If there was no activity, the form must also be completed stating ''No activity in this quarter.'' This information will be used to determine the actual dollar amount paid to SERB subcontractors, suppliers and joint ventures. Also, it is a record of fulfillment of the commitment the firm made and for which it received SERB points.
Equal Employment Opportunity and contract compliance statements referring to company Equal Employment Opportunity policies or past contract compliance practices do not constitute proof of SERB status or entitle a proposer to receive credit for SERB utilization.
Additional Information and Requirements The selected firms must gather site data sufficient to prepare drawings with contour intervals as small as 1 foot. Field data will be gathered by use of electronic data collects. Data will be in AutoCAD format when turned over to the Department. Submission of digital point data will also be required.
Boundary work will typically be closed loop traverse with lineal accuracy of 1 foot to 5,000 feet or better and an angular accuracy of 30 seconds (30") times the square root of the number of setups or 8 seconds (8") per setup, whichever is less. Courthouse research will entail gathering information on adjoining landowners sufficient to accurately locate boundary on the ground. The Commonwealth's ownership and prior survey data will be provided by the Department. Preliminary work may be subject to review by the Department. Final boundaries will be marked to Department specifications. All information on the project, including field notes, computations, survey map and research information, shall be turned over to the Department at the conclusion of each project. Firms will meet with a representative of the Department at the conclusion of the project to familiarize the Department's representative with the location of the new boundary.
A standard Department of General Services (DGS) Form 150-ASP must accompany the proposal and shall indicate the individual in charge of the firm's survey operations. Form 150-ASP is available by downloading from the DGS website at http://www.dgs.state.pa.us under ''Forms,'' ''Professional Selections.'' Form 150-ASP may also be obtained in hard copy or on disk (in Word '97 format only) by contacting the Selections Committee, Department of General Services, Room 104, 18th and Herr Streets, Harrisburg, PA 17125, pbianchi@exec.gsinc.state.pa.us.
Prospective firms should submit the following:
1. A letter of intent indicating the firm's approach to completing the project.
2. A standard DGS Form 150-ASP.
3. SERB information in a separate sealed envelope.
Travel subsistence payment will be in accordance with the Commonwealth's Travel and Subsistence Reimbursement Rules and Regulations, as amended.
Each proposal must include the firm's Federal identification number and the project reference number. Length of contract will be 1 year, with a renewal option of up to 3 additional years. Proposals will be subject to review by a Technical Review Committee.
The following factors will be considered during evaluation of the firm's proposal. Maximum weights for each major criterion have been established by the Department. The subparagraphs shown within this notice are for the guidance of the readers only and are not to be assigned quantitative weight.
Criteria evaluated by the Technical Review Committee will include:
1. Professional's understanding of the problem as demonstrated in letter of interest.
2. Qualifications of firm.
3. Professional personnel in firm.
4. Soundness of approach as demonstrated in letter of interest.
5. Equitable distribution of contracts.
6. Geographic proximity.
7. SERB participation (evaluated by DGS).
Proposers shall relate their proposals to the previous criteria.
Firms interested in performing the required services for this project are invited to submit letters of interest to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Attention: Eugene J. Comoss, Director, Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, 8th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8451. Contact Duane Carson at (717) 783-7945 for general information concerning the work.
One copy of the SERB 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 by 12 p.m. on September 26, 2003. The six copies shall be submitted in six complete sets that shall be spiral bound in folders or secured by binder clips.
It is the intent of the Department to select one firm in the eastern part of this Commonwealth and one firm in the western part of this Commonwealth to assign these services. However, the Department reserves the right to reject all proposals submitted, cancel the solicitation requested under this notice and/or readvertise solicitation for this service.
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 selec-tions. Recommendations made by the Department will be final.
MICHAEL F. DIBERARDINIS,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 03-1748. Filed for public inspection September 5, 2003, 9:00 a.m.]
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