RECOVERY GREEN ROOF BENEFITS & CHALLENGES STUDY

This is a combined synopsis solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FARsubpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This annoucement constitutes only the solicitation, quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be used. Statement of Work For Green Roof Benefits & Challenges Study 1.0 STATEMENT OF NEED The US General Services Administration Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB) has a need to acquire consultant services and subject matter experts (SME) to produce a report for Congress and internal GSA use on the impact of planting vegetated or "green" roofs on GSA owned and leased construction properties within the National Capital Region (NCR). 2.0 BACKGROUND GSA has embraced green roofs for many years and is an important advocate for the development of the green roof industry in America. Green roof technology has the potential to generate a significant number of green jobs and provides an opportunity for the federal government to lead by example with its own facilities. As with every technology that GSA uses, it is critically important to understand the costs and benefits, challenges and opportunities presented by the use of green roofs. Although advocates of green roofs point to numerous environmental, social and economic benefits, these have not been fully and critically documented and analyzed. In order to define the business case for green roofs and to expand their use in federal facilities, Congress required GSA to conduct a study to identify the benefits and challenges of green roofs. The Joint Explanatory Statement for the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-8) , states: GSA shall conduct a study of the measurable benefits and challenges associated with the use of green roofs in GSA's diverse owned and leased inventory, using the National Capital Region as an example. The study shall address, among other things, the practical, environmental, and aesthetic benefits of green roofs, including the reduction of storm water runoff. It shall include examples of existing or planned GSA green roofs. It should analyze building life-cycle cost, return on investment, energy savings, historic preservation considerations, and factors such as the size of the roof, structural capability, building age, and what, if any, sustainable design features might be important to justify the costs associated with green roofs . ( HR: 110-920: 69 & J.E.S.: 985). 3.0 STATEMENT OF WORK T he Contractor shall be responsible for carrying out the following tasks: 3.1. Review and Analysis of Existing Research on Green Roofs The contractor shall convene a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts to identify and review existing studies published in scholarly journals, professional conferences, and case studies of specific buildings. The subject matter experts are expected to include both technical and research expertise in water, energy, botany, architecture, economics and other disciplines as they relate to the topic of this study. The research and case studies on green roofs will not be limited to the Washington DC area. Although the intent of the report is to provide information relevant to the NCR and GSA in general, it must of necessity take a broader perspective in order to understand the unique challenges and opportunities posed by different climatic regions and different building types, as well as to take advantage of the range of relevant research conducted to date on a product that is still relatively new to the U.S. market. The review shall assess, to the extent possible, the major factors that influence environmental and economic performance of green roofs, and translate this performance into economic terms where possible, including identifying return on investment associated with the use of this technology. 3.2 Report on the Costs and Benefits of Green Roofs and Their Application to Federal Buildings in Washington, DC The green roof report shall focus its recommendations and guidance on green roofs on Federal buildings in Washington DC, but should be designed so that future versions can be adapted to other climate zones. The report shall: •· Summarize and analyze current findings that answer the questions listed above •· Identify critical data gaps •· Develop estimates where reasonable and appropriate that may answer key remaining questions •· Identify and prioritize additional research needed GSA will provide gross square footage data and other information on its green roofs in Washington DC and other locations and will assist with estimating the overall roof area from available information. The contractor shall provide an analysis to the GSA COR which shall include but not be limited to the following: The report shall take into consideration challenges and synergies regarding the use of green roofs and factors including: •· Building age •· Structural integrity •· Historic preservation •· Roof size The report shall also identify and estimate the benefits and costs of green roofs on critical environmental and economic criteria including: •· Storm water runoff •· Greenhouse gas emissions •· The urban heat island effect •· Life cycle costs and return on investment •· Green job generation 3.3. Oversee an External Review of the Report The contractor shall convene a team of external experts, including personnel at other Federal agencies (such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy), who will be charged with: •· Reviewing the report's findings and recommendations •· Identifying additional data that should be included in the report •· Identifying subject areas in which gaps exist that require further study. The review team shall provide a written analysis. The study team shall revise the green roof report based upon feedback from the review team. If there are disagreements about the reviewers' comments, these should be discussed in the report. 3.4. Provide recommendations for future studies . The contractor shall provide a framework and plan for addressing the critical gaps in knowledge regarding the benefits and costs of green roofs. The recommendations should include a rationale for why the research is important, how it will further address the Congressional requirements stated previously, and what the benefits of additional research are relative to the costs (in dollars and time) of conducting the research. 4.0 Green Roof Team Qualifications The contractor shall convene an interdisciplinary team with recognized expertise in their particular fields. The expertise should include research on topics relevant to green roofs or actual applied research on green roofs (which may be in the form of case studies for organizations or published research in scholarly journals). Team members should have experience in research methods, critical analysis, and statistics. Team members should be able to communicate effectively with audiences of different backgrounds and levels of expertise. The final report for this study will be of interest to researchers, policy makers, legislators, designers, and a general lay audience. •5.0 DELIVERABLES Deliverable 1. Draft Report on the Costs and Benefits of Green Roofs and Their Application to Federal Buildings in Washington, DC Deliverable 2. Reviewers comments on the report and the contractor's response, including incorporation into the draft report. Deliverable 3 . Completed Report. The contractor shall provide 30 bound color copies of the final report for distribution to members of Congress and GSA delivered to the Contracting Officer Representative. The contractor shall also provide a fully editable and interactive electronic copy of final report, formatted according to Federal and GSA web standards, including all copyrights and license agreements. GSA intends to post the Green Roof Report on the GSA website and to utilize information for GSA's use in publications, presentations, and other promotional material. Contractor is free to use the report for their purposes as long as GSA is credited. Copyrighted images or information provided by GSA is excluded from use by the contractor. 6.0 DELIVERABLE DUE DATES The anticipated schedule of deliverables is as follows: Description Dates Deliverable 1: Draft review of green roof report. January 4, 2011, (GSA will review within seven business days, or the draft will be accepted as final) Deliverable 2. Response to reviewers comments February 4, 2011 Deliverable 2: Final report for distribution February 28, 2011 In addition to these formal deliverables, the research team will have regular progress calls with the GSA project manager. •6.1 TRAVEL Travel is anticipated as a result of this requirement. The contractor shall travel to Washington, DC to conduct research and prepare the report in accordance with the statement of work. Travel shall be reimbursable with a total not to exceed the Government's estimated amount of travel in accordance with the Government Travel Regulations, (GTR). All travel must be pre-approved by the GSA COR. Travel will be domestic and includes 6 to 8 roundtrips to Washington, DC and no more than twenty-four (24) hotel nights. •7 PROPOSAL The Proposal shall provide sufficient information to allow GSA to evaluate the Contractor's approach, experience, staff and availability. The offeror shall: 7.1). Limit their proposal to 10 double-sided pages, including graphics. A letter of introduction and resumes are not included in this limit. The proposal must contain the following components: •· A brief overview of current understanding on green roof research to demonstrate the offerer's knowledge of the field. •· Identification of the study team and their areas of expertise and experience with green roof or closely related research. •· Identification of the members of the external review team and their areas of expertise. •· A work plan that identifies specific tasks, how each will be carried out, a time frame for task completion, discussion of how the team will be organized and managed (especially through virtual means), and the amount of time that will be devoted to each task. 7.2). Have the proposal signed by an officer of the proposing firm with the authority to commit the firm. 7.3). Provide an organization chart for managing and executing this contract with clear designation of key personnel to manage the report. Provide a list of the peers as part of the organization chart. 7.4). Provide resumes for key staff and their roles in the project.. 7.5). Provide a firm fixed price cost to accomplish the work as described in this document. . 7.6). Provide a statement of offeror's liability insurance coverage (type, and dollar amount of coverage). 8.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT AND MISC OTHER 8.1 Building Plans and other Drawings, if determined necessary. 8.2 GSA Guides and Specifications as applicable 8.3 The Contractor may receive access to other data and information necessary to perform this work only if determined and facilitated by GSA and upon GSA's discretionary rights, resolve and approval. 9.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. 9.1 The period of performance shall be October 1, 2010 through February 28, 2011. 10.0 ADMINISTRATION 10.1 The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) is responsible for the administration of this delivery order, review/acceptance of all deliverables, and technical direction. This individual will serve as the point of contact concerning information exchange, submission review, and payment. Nothing said by the COR shall be construed to change contract requirements unless supported in writing by the CO. CO - Ms. Diane P. Taylor COR - Mr. Ken Sandler GSA-OGP, Room 3140 GSA-MG, Room 7202 1800 F Street, NW 1800 F Street, NW Washington , DC 20405 Washington, DC 20405 [email protected] [email protected] Tel: (202) 208-1822 Tel: (202) 219-1121 11.0 PAYMENTS . 1) Send Original Invoice To: General Services Administration Financial Operations & Disbursement Division PO Box 419279 1500 E Bannister Road Room 1011 Kansas City , MO 64141 Mark Invoice: ORIGINAL POC: Accounts Payable Branch (2) Send (1) Copies to: C OTR - Mr. Ken Sandler GSA-MG, Room 7202 1800 F Street, NW Washington , DC 20405 [email protected] Tel: (202) 219-1121 The following evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the successful offeror: Evaluation Criteria FACTOR 1 - TECHNICAL APPROACH a. Demonstrated understanding of the specified objectives and Statement of Work tasks of this project. b. Description of a technical approach to meeting the goals and objectives of the project that is consistent with the proposed management approach and that adheres to the referenced standards. c. Demonstrated experience in green roof technology and its environmental, social and economic benefits, costs and parameters as applicable to this Statement of Work. d. A team with appropriate balance of skills, including economic analysis, technical understanding of green roof issues, botany, and environmental and energy expertise. e. Initial project plan with milestones and proposed deliverables that is consistent with the proposed technical approach. FACTOR 2 - PAST PERFORMANCE The Government is seeking a company who has done work of similar nature in the past, for Federal or non-Federal clients. Accordingly, the offeror shall describe three projects on which they have performed work of similar scope, size, type and complexity to the requirements of this SOW. The offeror's past performance citations should reflect performance that has either been completed, or is in progress, within the past year and provide the following information: - Project Name - Brief project description and results - Contract Number & Type, POC information for the Government Program Manager and Contracting Officer in charge of each contract (if government contract) - Dollar Value and period of performance - Citations and links to relevant documents produced from project NOTE: Past Performance portion of your proposal shall not exceed two (2) pages. FACTOR 3 - PRICE Price is not a rated factor. However, when technical proposals are equal in quality, price will become a major consideration in selecting the successful offeror. Price will be evaluated for reasonableness. A price /tech trade off will be done to ensure that the government receives the best overall value. Evaluation Methodology and Best Value Technical evaluation (Technical Approach and Past Performance) are significantly more important than price. Award will be made on a best value basis with technical and price being considered in a tradeoff. In the tradeoff however, more importance will go to technical superiority. Factors 1 and 2 will be evaluated using the following ratings: Excellent - Exceptional, innovative, comprehensive methodology proposed. The proposal meets all requirements and in some aspects exceeds many requirements. The company has exceptional experience with projects of the same size and scope as the requirement. Good - Substantial responses, comprehensive, and complete in all details. Meets all requirements and clearly outlines the approach, tools, and techniques for meeting SOW requirements. Exceeds some requirements and shows some evidence of innovation. The company has some relevant experience with projects of the same size and scope as the requirement. Average - Responses are mostly complete, but not detailed. Meets all requirements, but technical and management approaches are not innovative, and merely re-iterates SOW requirements. The personnel proposed have experience in related areas. Although the company has experience with other projects, they are not similar to this requirement or lack relevance or are older projects. Poor - Lacks essential information to substantiate data presented. Requires clarification in some areas. A proposal may receive a rating of Poor for any of the following reasons: Proposal lacks essential information to substantiate claims/data presented Proposal/approach puts the Government at unnecessary risk Proposal lacks an understanding of the requirements and omits required and pertinent information in major areas. With regard to past performance, the cited past performance references are not relevant, recent, or it was work that was performed in a faulty manner. All potential offerors note that the following provisions apply to this acquisition and will be used. 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items (OCT 2008). 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (Jan 1999). See below. 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (FEB 2009). See attached and submit with proposal. 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (Mar 2009) 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (Feb 2009). The following clauses are incorporated by reference in 52.212-5 paragraph (a): 52.233-3, Protest after Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553); 52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004); paragraph (b): 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUN 2003) (E.O. 11755), 52-222-19, Child Labor-Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (FEB 2008), 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (FEB 1999), 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (MAR 2007) (E.O. 11246), 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era and Other Eligible Veterans (SEP 2006) (38 U.S.C. 4212), 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998) (29 U.S.C. 793), 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party(FEB 2010)(31.U.S.C.3332), 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards(Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a), 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era and Other Eligible Veterans (SEP 2006) (38 U.S.C. 4212) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (FEB 2009) (Applies to all contracts) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUN 2008) (E.o.s. proclamations, and statues administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury). This acquisition incorporates the additional FAR clauses: 52.204-7 Central Contractor Registration (APR 2008). 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration (OCT 2003) (31 U.S.C. 3332). 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998), www.arnet.gov and www.acq.osd.mil Additional instructions to the offerors: 1. All quotes must be received via e-mail not later than closing date: 30 September 2010 09:00 AM EST. No extensions will be granted. 2. All responsible business may submit a quote that shall be considered. Submit inquires and quotations to Central Office Contracting Division, E-mail:[email protected]. Contractor must be registered to the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) prior to award. The website address for CCR is www.ccr.gov.