Description
THIS NOTICE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IS DIRECTED TO CONTRACTORS UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ACQUISITION SERVICES DIRECTORATE SMALL BUSINESS MULTIPLE AWARD IDIQ CONTRACTS: 1406-04-06-CT 39357, 39670, 39671, 39672, 39673, AND 39674. Background On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Re-Investment Act (Recovery Act). The Act provides nearly $3 Billion dollars to the Department of the Interior (DOI) for construction related projects. It is expected that this economic stimulus will significantly increase the workload of DOI's acquisition staff in the coming fiscal year and beyond. DOI is considering augmenting their current acquisition staff with contractors during this surge period. Contractors would assist with the dramatic and highly accelerated growth in workload containing stringent reporting requirements and metrics to ensure accountability and transparency of the acquisition process in support of the RECOVERY ACT. Scope In an effort to plan for a potential $3 Billion dollars of RECOVERY ACT funding for DOI's Construction related projects, your response to the following questions would be most appreciated. DOI's construction projects will include new construction, renovation and deferred maintenance, habitat restoration and road maintenance. Specific requirements or estimated quantities for each category are not known at this time. For purposes of this RFI, please assume an estimate of approximately 25 contracting professionals will be required to support the existing DOI acquisition staff in meeting this surge requirement. Proposed candidates must possess strong experience with federal construction contracts and must be capable of providing expert support to assist Government Officials (Contracting Officers, Contract Specialists, Program Managers, Technical Representatives) in preparing contract requirements and solicitation documents. Additionally, support includes preparing award actions and file documentation to point of signature by a contracting officer, and potentially providing administration and quality management assistance. At this point of time, the government is estimating the 25 contracting professionals would consist of 10 positions for new construction and 15 positions for renovation and deferred maintenance for support of projects throughout the United States. Questions 1. Does your firm have the capacity to hire 25 contracting professionals with the appropriate acquisition background as identified above? If yes, how long do you anticipate it would take to hire these individuals? 2. What geographic recommendations do you have regarding this effort? i.e., centralized location or regionalizing support. The government is looking to industry for suggestions and best practices in this area. At this point in time the government cannot identify geographically where the work will occur. 3. Can creative support options such as housing staff at corporate offices or telecommuting options mitigate HSPD-12 and DOI security and clearance requirements? Can your firm find "pre-cleared" candidates holding a position of public trust or secret clearance? 4. There are a multitude of projects required using DOI's projected budget of 3 Billion dollars to be allocated to RECOVERY ACT construction projects. At this time the range is unknown, but it is expected the number can be anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand. More information will be made available as spending decisions are finalized. How would you execute a plan of action to accomplish the acquisition mission to support the end users in definitizing requirements and executing all required acquisition documentation? 5. Are there any other issues, questions, comments or suggestions that you may have which might assist Government Officials with this task? 6. Do you feel that the requested work can be accomplished using a firm-fixed-price task order under the IDIQ?