Description
EPA’s Information Technology Acquisition Division (ITAD) located at Research Triangle Park, NC (RTP) has a requirement for continuation of services under the current EPA-RTP Facilities Maintenance and Support Services Contract (O&M) EP-D-15-041 for an anticipated period of six (6) months to allow for completion of on-going proposal evaluation(s) and award of the follow-on contract. The EPA has multiple facilities in the RTP and Chapel Hill, NC area (combined identified as EPA-RTP Facilities). All O&M responsibilities for the EPA-RTP Facilities are performed under contract EP-D-15-041. The EPA’s facilities on the main campus at RTP are 1.2 million square feet of office space, research laboratories, computer center, conference spaces, and child-care facilities. The EPA-RTP facilities are classified as a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Bio-Safety Level II Research Facility and AAALAC (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care) facilities. Wood Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc (Wood) has provided support to the EPA under contract EP-D-15-041 since September 2015. ITAD has issued the now-closed solicitation 68HERD20R001 for these required services and is currently in the proposal evaluation process with the intent to award a contract under competitive procedures by September 2021. The timeline for this acquisition has been significantly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the size, scope, and complexity of this requirement, the Government determined that an on-site preproposal conference was essential to ensure that all prospective vendors had the opportunity to visit the campus prior to submitting a proposal. Therefore, the on-site portion of the conference was delayed by approximately five (5) months until local conditions improved to allow the Government to host the anticipated number of interested vendors in accordance with state and local reopening guidelines, while limiting the number of tours to the greatest extent practicable to ensure fair opportunity and consistent information. Depending on the outcome of the on-going competition, the responsibility for the EPA-RTP requirement may transition to a new contractor in September 2021. Contractor transition for a requirement with the size, scope and complexity of this PWS is complex and places critical Government facilities, assets, research, and systems at increased risk as the incoming contractor becomes fully capable of performing the services required. The continuity of services and personnel is essential to the health of the facility, it’s occupants, and the facility’s role to support the EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. The potential period of performance for the new contract (Base Period plus for potential Option Periods) will make the risk and costs inherent in transitional activities acceptable to the Government. A modification of EP-D-15-041 to allow for continuation of services with the current O&M Contractor (Wood) provides the lowest risk for critical facility and support systems for the six-month time period contemplated. Additional details are below. Wood currently employs a staff of maintenance technicians, supervision, and administrative personnel to support EPA’s O&M requirements at RTP. Contractors generally propose incumbent retention target rates to fulfill personnel requires as part of their technical proposal. There is no assurance that the incumbent staffing retention targets can be achieved during the actual transition phase of the contract. This means the potential for increased costs for training, security clearance processing of employees, uniforms and the overall loss of efficiency as employees become familiar with the facility or the new employer’s approach to the work. These risks and/or associated costs are anticipated, expected, and an inherent cost of doing business when awarding a long-term contract as the Government will receive value and benefit from the investment in the successful offeror and their personnel. Transitional risk and associated costs for a contractor to perform services over a six-month period of performance with the likely additional transition occuring in September 2021 would introduce inefficiency and an unacceptable level of performance risk without the Government receiving benefit from the sustained continuity of those personnel. A short term disruption to the continuity of operations for the maintence and operations of this facility (prior to the new award date of September 2021) would also lead to increased costs due to excess turnover and unacceptable levels of risk exposure to Government assets and facilities in the following: Operations and Maintenance of the Building Automation Systems (BAS), Disruptions to Environmental Conditions impacting Laboratory Research within the bio-level II research facilities which comprise over 300 environmental research laboratories EPA’s National Computer Center Child-care at the First Environments Early Learning Center (FEELC) Endangerment of laboratory animals housed at the campus within the AAALAC certified facility Disruption of the Routine and/or Scheduled Maintenance Program Over 800 different defined procedures on over 11,000 pieces of equipment or systems performed on a fixed price basis The Government is not stating that there are no other contractors who can support this O&M requirement. The Government is instead saying that considering the short period of performance contemplated within this extension that no other contractors could transition this workload from Wood, and efficiently continue performance without potential reduced services, increased costs, and unnecessary risks to the Government. This six-month extension of services is also not an attempt by the Government to limit competition to the incumbent contractor. Proposal evaluation is on-going in response to solicitation 68HERD20R001. Interested contractors will have the opportunity to compete for this long-term work under the re-competed contract. In accordance with FAR Part 5.207(C)(16)(ii), all responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the agency. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the direction of the Government. This six-month extension to contract EP-D-15-041 will be issued via contract modification, therefore no formal solicitation is anticipated for this requirement. EPA-ITAD will issue the request for proposal via formal request letter.