FAA Low Carbon Pilot- Low Carbon Initiative (Construction, Materials, Furniture)

SOURCES SOUGHT/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) LOW CARBON I. CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY Name: FAA Low Carbon Pilot- Low Carbon Initiative (Construction, Materials, Furniture). Notice ID: 6920-23-R-FAALowCarbonPilot Related Notice: N/A Department/Ind. Agency: TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF Sub-tier: 6920 FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Office: 6920 FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION II. CLASSIFICATION Original Set Aside: None Product Service Code: Construction – buildings, roads, bridges, aviation facilities, etc. (Product Service Code: Y1xx) Construction – architect and engineering services (Product Service Code: C1xx) Materials – construction and building operation and maintenance (Product Service Code: 56xx) Furniture – office (Product Service Code:71xx) NAICS Code: 23 – Construction 5413 – Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 337 - Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing Place of Performance: United States III. DESCRIPTION The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) for for general fact-gathering purpose only. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI. The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred in preparing vendor responses to this market survey. Therefore, any cost associated with a market survey submission is solely at the interested vendor’s expense. Note: The FAR references cited in SAM.gov are not applicable to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the FAA has its own policies and guidance referenced in the Acquisition Management System (AMS). IV. Background On September 15, 2022, in accordance with the Federal Sustainability Plan and Executive Order 14057, President Biden announced new actions under its Buy Clean Initiative to promote use of low-carbon construction materials. Through Buy Clean, the United States Federal Government as a whole will, for the first time, prioritize the use of American-made, lower-carbon construction materials in Federal procurement and Federally funded projects. Per Section 303 of Executive Order (EO) 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs through Federal Sustainability and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-22-06, the Federal government is required to implement efforts to drive development and adoption of lower carbon (LC) materials. The Federal government has set aggressive goals for carbon dioxide emission reductions. While there are known strategies for meeting some of the goals, innovation is critical for meeting the most aggressive goals reducing their scope 1, 2 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by at least 50% within 10 years. V. Purpose This RFI seeks to gather information from manufacturers on the current availability of construction materials and products (concrete, steel, asphalt, glass, aluminum, insulation, roofing materials, gypsum board, and structural engineering wood). The Federal Government has focused on reducing operational energy use and emissions associated with buildings and facilities under the following product service codes: Construction – buildings, roads, bridges, aviation facilities, etc. (Product Service Code: Y1xx) Construction – architect and engineering services (Product Service Code: C1xx) Materials – construction and building operation and maintenance (Product Service Code: 56xx) Furniture – office (Product Service Code:71xx) This RFI will help build understanding of the impacts of the government’s material and product sustainability initiatives on American manufacturers, small businesses, and underserved or disadvantaged communities. Growing the market for more sustainable construction material and products may help the U.S. move toward a cleaner and more competitive industrial sector. VI. Definitions “Construction materials and products” means materials and products used to assemble, update, and improve structures such as buildings, roads, and bridges. “Buy Clean” is a procurement policy to promote the purchase of construction materials and products with lower embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, taking into account the life-cycle emissions associated with the production of those materials. An “environmental product declaration” (EPD) is like a Nutrition Facts food label but focuses on a material’s environmental and sustainable attributes. It reflects a life cycle analysis of multiple environmental impacts, including GHG emissions at all stages of production. Like the nutrition label, the information in the EPD is to inform the consumer. “Lower embodied carbon” refers to the amount of GHG emissions associated with the extraction, production, transport, and manufacturing of material. Low embodied carbon materials have less climate impact associated with mining, manufacturing and transportation compared to estimated industry averages of similar materials or products. VII. Questions You are not required to answer all the questions, however it is highly encouraged to answer as many questions as possible. Answers to the questions will allow the FAA to better understand the lower embodied carbon construction product and services available in today’s market. It is request that interested vendors submit feedback (no more than 5 pages in length, single spaced, 12 point font minimum) to the following questions identified in this request for information. Questions 1. What is your company name, point of contact, telephone number, and email address? Are you a manufacturer of construction materials or products or a general construction vendor? If a manufacturer, are your products available throughout the 50 United States (U.S.) and Washington, DC? If not, please indicate where they are currently available. (locally within one state or metro area; Northeast U.S. Census region; Midwest U.S. Census region; South U.S. Census region; West U.S. Census region; other - please specify) 2. Approximately how many employees does your company currently have? What, if any, SBA small business socio-economic category currently applies to your business? (“8a” Small Disadvantaged Business; Woman-Owned Small Business; Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business; or Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)-Certified Small Business) If you offer lower embodied carbon materials or products, or utilize such products in construction projects, are those made or assembled in the U.S.? Any notable socioeconomic aspects of your operations, such as environmental justice or community engagement initiatives, or reduced impacts on populations historically exposed to externalities such as manufacturing emissions? 3. What strategies have you used to lower the embodied carbon of your products or materials, or of the products or materials used in construction projects? (choosing alternative source materials; buying source materials that have EPDs; improving your plant’s energy efficiency; improving transportation energy efficiency; other- please specify) If a manufacturer, and your company currently produces construction materials or products that are lower in embodied carbon, approximately what percentage of your construction material sales are currently for lower embodied carbon products? 4. Do you currently offer or utilize construction materials or products in the following product categories that are substantially -- and demonstrably -- lower in embodied carbon, compared to industry averages for similar materials or products? Note: Tier 1 includes the most carbon intensive materials that the Federal government purchases, which are the highest priority for Buy Clean. Information gathered on all Tiers will help the government identify additional materials for prioritization. Tier 1 Concrete (including pre-fabricated products) Steel (including structural and rebar) Flat glass (including window assemblies) Asphalt Tier 2 Aluminum (including curtain walls and storefronts) Insulation (including enclosure, equipment, piping, and acoustical) Roofing materials Gypsum board Tier 3 Structural engineered wood (including mass timber and cross-laminated timber) 5. If a manufacturer, does your company currently track GHG emissions from the manufacturing process? If yes, has it developed a product specific EPD for any of your construction materials or products? Which one(s)? If possible, please include a link to one or more of your EPDs. What input data sources do you use, and are there gaps where specific necessary data is unavailable? 6. If a manufacturer, and you do not have an EPD, how do you measure and document lower embodied carbon, compared to industry averages? (certification system (please specify); peer-reviewed study; other report generated by a third party; Other - please specify) 7. How does the cost of lower embodied carbon materials or products your company manufactures or utilize in construction projects compare to that of conventional equivalents used to serve the same purpose? (lower embodied carbon versions are cheaper by 20%+; 10-19% cheaper; 5-9% cheaper; about the same (+/- 4% or less); lower embodied carbon versions are more expensive by 5-9%; 10-19% more expensive; 20%+ more expensive; other - please specify) 8. Does your company participate in industry-wide greenhouse gas emissions benchmarking? If yes, through what organization? If not, are there certain barriers to developing industry-wide benchmarking capacity that you are aware of? 9. If a manufacturer, Is the strength and durability of your products tested using standard methods, such as standards developed through an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process? 10.If a manufacturer or construction vendor, has your company or its customers or users experienced any quality, workability, or durability challenges with lower embodied carbon construction materials and products? If so, please explain. 11. What, if any, are the technical, economic, or regulatory obstacles to reducing the embodied carbon of more of your materials or products or the materials and products used in your construction projects? Please list any resources, information, or actions (e.g. from the public sector, trade associations, or nonprofit organizations) that could help your industry reduce its carbon footprint from manufacturing. Please share any implementation lessons learned or best practices associated with your development, manufacturing, and marketing of lower carbon materials or products. Submittal Instructions All questions and responses to this announcement may be sent electronically to [email protected] no later than March 9, 2023. VII. CONTACT INFORMATION Contracting Office Address: 800 Independence Ave, SW Washington, DC 20591 Primary Point of Contact: Michelle Brune Secondary Point of Contact: Monica Rheinhardt