NIH Architect Engineering (A/E) Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC)
ALL INFORMATION NEEDED FOR INTERESTED PARTIES TO SUBMIT A STANDARD FORM 330, ARCHITECT ENGINEER QUALIFICATIONS IS CONTAINED HEREIN.
A. INTRODUCTION
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Research Facilities (ORF) intends to enter into multiple award, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for professional Architect Engineering (A/E) services procured in accordance with the Brooks A/E Act, Public Law 92-582, as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 36.6.
This is a notice to request qualifications from A/E firms. This is not a request for proposal (RFP). No solicitation package will be issued until after an evaluation has been conducted on the submitted SF 330s. A written solicitation will not be posted. Firms will be selected for negotiations based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work as described below. Any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response.
B. CONTRACT INFORMATION
The A/E Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) will be awarded using full and open competition while utilizing reserves for small business. ORF anticipates the award of ten (10) IDIQ contract inclusive of six (6) awards reserved for small business. Of the six (6) awards reserved for small business, one (1) will be reserved for a local small business geographically located near RTP and one (1) will be reserved for a local small business geographically located near RML. "Local" is defined as follows and requires a physical presence of some key personnel:
• Within 100 miles from Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC
• Within 200 miles from Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), Hamilton, MT
The North American Industry Classification System Codes (NAICS) for this acquisition are Architect or Architect/Engineer firms with an approved NAICS code of 541310 Architectural Services, with a small business size standard of $7,500,000.00 in average annual receipts and 541330 Engineering Services, with a small business size standard of $15,000,000.00 in average annual receipts.
The contracts will have an effective/ordering period of six (6) years. Each award will have a minimum guarantee of $1,000 and the Contractors' maximum order obligation will be $30 million for a single order. The total contract ceiling cumulative of all MATOC awards when combined, shall be $400 million.
All work and services will be ordered by issuance of individual firm-fixed-price (FFP) task orders. Per FAR 16.505(b)(1), ORF will comply with the order level requirement to provide fair opportunity consideration. Notwithstanding the fair opportunity requirements set forth in 41U.S.C. 4106(c), ORF reserves the right to consider set-asides on an order-by-order basis as allowed in FAR 19.502-4(c). ORF may compete any orders solely amongst all the small businesses. ORF may issue orders directly to one IDIQ holder to meet the minimum guarantee. Small business awardees may compete against other-than-small business awardees for an order that is not set aside. Task order awards will follow the Brooks Act Procedures outlined in FAR Part 36.602.
Orders set aside for small business shall have limitations on subcontracting as follows - By submission of an offer and execution of a contract, the Offeror/Contractor agrees that it will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. "Similarly situated entity," as used in this MATOC, means a first-tier subcontractor, including an independent contractor, that has the same small business program status as that which qualified the prime contractor for the award; and is considered small for the NAICS code the prime contractor assigned to the subcontract the subcontractor will perform. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count towards the 50 percent subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. A joint venture agrees that, in the performance of the contract, the applicable 50 percentage specified in the paragraph above will be performed by the aggregate of the joint venture participants.
Other-than-small-businesses shall negotiate a small business subcontracting plan, acceptable by the government, prior to being awarded an IDIQ Contract.
Contract holders are expected, in good faith, to participate in task order competitions and, if successful, to deliver quality project on time and on cost, to include management and supervision of subcontractors. If for any reason, a contractor cannot participate in a competition, the contractor shall provide written notice of the reason(s) for non-participation prior to the proposal due date. Failure to participate in good faith and/or an overall performance CPAR rating of Marginal or Unsatisfactory may result in the contractor being off-ramped from the MATOC.
In the event contractor(s) are off-ramped within 24 months of initial contract award, the government reserves the right to on-ramp contractor(s) to maintain a pool of contractors. On-ramp contractors will be selected from the list of Most Highly Qualified Firms as determined during the initial evaluation of offers and awarded an IDIQ contract after negotiations in accordance with The Brooks Act, Public Law 92-582, as implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 36.6.
Selected on-ramp contractors will be subject to a performance validation review. On-ramp contractor(s) must be active in the System of Award Management (SAM) and otherwise in compliance with the original multiple award solicitation. If found complaint, on-ramp contractors may be offered a bilateral IDIQ contract with the original guaranteed minimum and considered for task order projects.
After 24 months, the Government reserves the right to determine whether it would be appropriate to announce a new competition for the purpose of adding additional IDIQ holders. Periodically, the Government will assess the quality of performance by each IDIQ holder, the number, value and complexity of work awarded to each holder, and the amount of effective competition achieved by the current MATOC awardee pool. In addition, the government will assess the internal transaction cost for issuing each task order and the amount of small business participation. Based on these criteria, if it is in the best interest of the Government, the MATOC Contracting Officer may announce a new competition to add additional IDIQ holders into the reserve and/or full-and-open category. The Government reserves the right to limit rolling admissions to only small business concerns.
The original effective period for contract holders is six (6) years from original MATOC establishment; no contract will extend beyond this limitation regardless of when a basic contract is awarded.
Travel for performance under this contract will not be reimbursed unless otherwise stated at the task order level or authorized in advance by the Contracting Officer.
C. PROJECT INFORMATION
ORF is the steward of NIH facilities and is responsible for the planning, design, construction, acquisition, maintenance and operation of NIH owned and leased facilities, which include campuses in:
• Bethesda, Maryland
• Frederick, Maryland
• Poolesville, Maryland
• Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
• The Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana
It is anticipated that most of the work under the MATOC will be located on the NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, MD.
As a part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the Federal government's primary biomedical research agency. The NIH's mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. Composed of 27 Institutes and Centers, the NIH provides leadership and financial support to researchers in every state and throughout the world.
ORF's mission is to provide high quality, safe, state-of-the-art laboratory, clinical, animal and supporting facilities in response to NIH's 27 institutes and centers current and emerging scientific goals and objectives consistent with the HHS Strategic Plan. Primary drivers to support this include existing, new and expanding science program requirements and the availability and suitability of facilities that comply with The Joint Commission (TJC), the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), the College of American Pathologists (CAP), other applicable codes and standards and guidelines.
The A/E firm or team shall have capability and proficiency to support all architectural and engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP), fire protection, civil, and structural engineering design. The A/E firm or team shall include licensed or registered professional engineers, architects, as well as other specialties requiring certifications, as applicable by industry standards.
The A/E firm or team shall have proficiency and experience performing A/E services in support of renovation, repair, modification, alteration and/or new construction of the following types of facilities and/or utility infrastructure projects:
• Laboratories (Labs):
o Bio-Medical Research Labs (including Biosafety Levels 2, 3 and 4)
o Animal Research Facilities (including vivariums and Animal Biosafety Levels 2, 3 and 4)
o Aquatics Facilities
o Aseptic Production Facilities (APF)
• Hospitals / Healthcare Facilities / Clinical Facilities
• Offices / Administrative
• Public Buildings and Spaces
• Data Centers
• Building Utilities Infrastructure
• Site Infrastructure Utilities
• Central Utility Plants
• Site and Grounds Improvements
• Building Envelope Systems
The A/E firm or team shall have proficiency and relevant experience in performing basic A/E services during the three (3) general phases of a project:
1) Pre-Design Phase
• Program of Requirements (POR) / Validation of PORs (For both NIH-owned and leased facilities)
• Special Studies
2) Design Phase
• Schematic Design
• Design Development, not limited to:
o Design Intent Documents
o Design Development
o Bridging Documents
• Construction Documentation
3) Post-Design Phase
• Bidding / Negotiation
• Construction Administration, not limited to:
o Equitable Adjustments
o Commissioning (CX)
o Construction Quality Management (CQM)
Only A/E firms or teams demonstrating the above capabilities and experience to perform the required contract services should respond.
All A/E services under this requirement shall be consistent with ORF's applicable policies, guidelines and/or procedures for the design and construction of NIH facilities and infrastructure. At a minimum, the planning and design of facilities / infrastructure under this contract shall be in compliance with all applicable Federal Regulations; incorporate the Guiding Principles for Federal Buildings in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings (as defined in Executive Order 13834); and, follow the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals", the NIH Design Requirements Manual (DRM) (latest edition), the HHS Facilities Program Manual, and the "AIA Guidelines for the Planning and Design of Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities"(https://www.aia.org).
D. SELECTION PROCESS
In accordance with FAR 36.702(b), the SF330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications, Part I and II will be evaluated by the evaluation board using the evaluation factors identified in this announcement. After SF330s have been evaluated, interviews will be held with approximately 15 of the most highly qualified firms. After interviews conclude, the evaluation board will evaluate the qualifications taking into consideration both the SF330 submission and subsequent interviews, to select the most highly qualified firms. Negotiations will then begin with the most highly qualified firms.
E. SELECTION CRITERIA
The "Prime Contractor" for this requirement may be an architecture firm, an architecture and engineering firm, or an engineering firm. Thus an "A/E" or an "E/A" is an acceptable Prime-Subcontractor relationship for this requirement. For the purposes of this requirement, the use "A/E" herein shall apply to the Prime contractor - the Government's professional services contractor responsible for performing Architectural and/or Engineering services by contract.
The term "A/E Team" shall be defined as the Prime Contractor and their subcontractors and specialty consultants, and joint venture (JV) partners, if applicable. JV relationships are not assumed IAW 13 C.F.R. 121.103(h). Therefore, Offerors shall identify whether they are bidding as JVs, and if so, the organization of the relationship. Offeror shall include as an attachment any written JV agreements. All written contract teaming arrangements (JV and/or subcontracting agreements) and/or letters of intent shall be signed by all parties. JVs shall submit a JV Agreement. Failure to submit a signed copy of the JV agreement will result in the JV's submission being excluded from consideration. Subcontractors shall submit either a signed copy of the subcontract agreement(s) or signed copy of the letter(s) of intent. Failure to submit a signed copy of the subcontracting agreement(s) or signed copy of the letter(s) of intent will result in the Offeror's submission being excluded from consideration. Place all supporting documents in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents.
If the Offeror's proposed partnership is as a Small Business Administration (SBA) Mentor/Protégé or JV, Agreements require SBA approval prior to award of this effort. It is imperative that Offerors intending to perform as a SBA Mentor/Protégé or SBA JV submit their SBA approved Mentor/Protégé or JV Agreement upon, or as soon as possible after, submission of their proposal. At the time of award, the Government will notify all Offerors who have declared their intent to apply for SBA approval of a SBA Mentor/Protégé or SBA JV that they must submit their approved Agreement. An Offeror's response to this solicitation does not, in any way, imply that the Government will make award to any particular Offeror. The Government will not withhold award of this effort pending receipt of any Offeror's approved SBA Mentor/Protégé or SBA JV Agreement beyond the three-day notice period.
Prospective A-E firms/teams will be evaluated based on their demonstrated competence and qualifications for the type of professional services required. The Agency will evaluate each potential A/E firm/team in terms of each of the criterion listed below. Awards will be made to firms/teams that are determined to be most highly qualified. Evaluation Criteria 1 and 2 are of equal importance. All other criteria are listed in descending order of importance. Evaluation Criteria include:
Go/No-Go Criteria - Proof of Firm's Registration/Licenses
In accordance with FAR 36.601-4(b), to be eligible for award, the A-E firm shall be a registered/licensed architectural and/or engineering firm in each state where they intend to be eligible to perform work for NIH (NC, MD, and/or MT). Provide proof that the firm is permitted by law to practice the professions of architecture or engineering. Failure to submit the required proof could result in a firm's elimination from consideration. Place all supporting documents in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents.
Criterion 1 - Specialized experience and technical competence in the type of work required
Offerors will be evaluated on their demonstrated capability and proficiency to support the different architectural and engineering disciplines.
Offerors will be evaluated on their demonstrated proficiency and experience performing A/E services for facilities and/or utility infrastructure projects similar to those listed under Section C - Project Information.
Greater consideration for proficiency and experience will be given in evaluation of Work Type A (see table below) than Work Type B. Greater consideration for proficiency and experience will be given in evaluation of Work Type B than Work Type C.
Priority and Work Type
A Laboratories (Labs), includes:
- Bio-Medical Research Labs (including Biosafety Levels 2, 3 and 4)
- Animal Research Facilities (including vivariums and Animal Biosafety Levels 2, 3 and 4)
- Aquatics Facilities
- Aseptic Production Facilities (APF)
A Hospitals / Healthcare Facilities / Clinical Facilities
A Offices / Administrative
B Building Utilities Infrastructure
B Site Infrastructure Utilities
B Central Utility Plants
C Public Buildings and Spaces
C Data Centers
C Site and Grounds Improvements
C Building Envelope Systems
Provide five (5) projects within the past five (5) years, from the date this notice was released, that best illustrate specialized experience of the proposed firm/ team. In lieu of SF 330 Part 1, Section F, Box 24, offerors shall complete the Attachment 2, A-E MATOC Block 24 Form. Box 24 Form within the SF330 shall be left blank. Offerors shall include the following information:
• Contract period of performance
• Contract award value and final contract value
o Explanation for any variance from award value
o If the contractor served as a subcontractor on a project, indicate the values of the work performed and the overall project values
• Summary of the work performed that demonstrates relevance to the specialized experience
o If a project was performed by a joint venture, and not all joint venture partners are on the team proposed for this contract, the offeror/team should specifically address the work performed by the joint venture partner offering/teaming on this contract, rather than the work performed on the project as a whole
o If the Offeror/team member worked as a subcontractor on a project, the description should clearly describe the work performed by the Offeror/team member, rather than the work performed on the project as a whole
o If the project description does not clearly delineate the work performed by the team member/team entity on this contract, the project could be eliminated from consideration
o If the Offeror is a joint venture, project experience shall be submitted by the joint venture entity; however, if there is no past experience or limited past experience available for the joint venture, project experience shall be submitted for all joint venture partners
o For submittal purposes, a Task Order on an IDIQ contract is considered a project. Do not list an IDIQ contract as an example of a completed project. Instead, list relevant completed Task Orders and/or stand-alone contract awards.
Offerors shall complete Section G of the SF330.
Failure to provide requested information and accessible points of contact could result in a firm being rated lower or not evaluated. All information for Criterion 1 should be submitted in Sections F and G of the SF 330, as well as Attachment 2, A-E MATOC Block 24 Form and Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents. The Government WILL NOT consider information submitted by the Offeror in addition to these sections when evaluating Criterion 1.
Criterion 2 - Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of quality of work, schedule performance, effectiveness of management and compliance with regulatory requirements
Evaluating past performance will involve the review of data from the responses to the Attachment 3, A-E MATOC Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) and the Contractor Performance Assessment Rating System (CPARS). The Government may also consider other information available, either favorable or unfavorable, when evaluating past performance. Offerors will be evaluated on their 1) Record of significant claims against the firm because of improper or incomplete architectural and engineering services; 2) Reputation and standing of the firm and its principal officials with respect to professional performance, general management, and cooperativeness; and 3) Cost control, quality of work and compliance with performance schedules. Place all supporting documents in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents.
Offerors are responsible for ensuring the PPQ is completed by a reference, the Project Owner or knowledgeable equivalent, or that there is a completed CPARS for each project provided in the SF 330, Part 1, Section F. If there is a CPARS record, no PPQ is needed. If there is not a CPARS record, then the Offeror shall complete Part 1 of the PPQ. The offeror's references shall complete Part 2 of the PPQ and return the completed form via email to jessica.miller@nih.gov and neha.dhir@nih.gov.
If the Offeror's reference is a member of NIH, then, prior to the closing date of this notice, send the PPQ request to neha.dhir@nih.gov and tim.biggins@nih.com for authentication and processing.
Failure to provide requested information and accessible points of contact could result in a firm being rated lower or not evaluated. All information for Criterion 2 should be submitted in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents. The Government WILL NOT consider information submitted by the Offeror in addition to these sections when evaluating Criterion 2.
Criterion 3 - Professional qualification necessary for satisfactory performance of required services
Offerors shall clearly indicate those required services it intends to self-perform and those it intends to subcontract (Section C and D of the SF 330).
Key personnel are individuals who will have major contract or project management responsibilities and/or will provide unusual or unique expertise. Resumes (Section E of the SF 330) shall be provided for key personnel (including any key personnel to be supported through consultants and subcontractors, and annotated as such within the SF330). Offerors will be evaluated on the qualifications, competence, and experience of the key personnel proposed. One (1) resume must be provided for all the following positions for IDIQ evaluation:
• Primary Principal
• Senior Structural/Civil Engineer
• Senior Architect
• Senior Mechanical Engineer
• Senior Electrical Engineer
• Senior Plumbing Engineer
Failure to provide requested information could result in a firm being rated lower or not evaluated. All information for Criterion 3 should be submitted in Sections A, B, C, D, and E of the SF 330, as well as in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents. The Government WILL NOT consider information submitted by the Offeror in addition to these sections when evaluating Criterion 3.
Criterion 4 - Capacity to accomplish the work in the required time
The A-E firm/team must be capable of timely responses and timely deliverables while working on multiple task orders concurrently involving multiple A/E disciplines. Offerors will be evaluated in terms of their ability to plan for and manage work under the contract and capacity to accomplish the work in the required time. Offerors shall provide a narrative using the SF 330, Part 1 Section H, describing how the firm/team deals with unanticipated increases in workload to ensure continuity of services and availability of additional staff. Small businesses shall consider impacts on performance when orders are set aside for small business and have limitations on subcontracting.
Failure to provide requested information could result in a firm being rated lower or not evaluated. All information for Criterion 4 should be submitted in Section H of the SF 330, as well as in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents. The Government WILL NOT consider information submitted by the Offeror in addition to these sections when evaluating Criterion 4.
Criterion 5 - Location in the general geographic area of the project and knowledge of the locality of the project
Location will be used as tie-breaker for equivalently evaluated proposals. The firm closer to NIH campuses and capable of fulfilling needs at more than one campus will be given an overall evaluation preference over those that offerors equivalently evaluated under criteria 1 through 4. "Closer" will be defined as physical presence of key personnel.
Failure to provide requested information could result in a firm being rated lower or not evaluated. All information for Criterion 5 should be submitted in Part II of the SF 330, as well as in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents. The Government WILL NOT consider information submitted by the Offeror in addition to these sections when evaluating Criterion 5.
F. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Interested firms/teams seeking qualification under this announcement must submit SF 330s and supplemental information in accordance with Attachment 1, NIH A-E MATOC Notebook Table of Contents.
Please submit all questions via email to jessica.miller@nih.gov and neha.dhir@nih.gov by 12:00 PM ET on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Questions shall be submitted via Excel format in the Attachment 4, A-E MATOC Q&A Template. NIH will not respond to questions if they are not submitted via Attachment 4, A-E MATOC Q&A Template.
Firms shall submit seven (7) hardcopies and one (1) electronic copy via CD ROM. All copies shall be mailed or hand carried to the following address:
NIH A/E MATOC Team
Attn: Jessica N. Miller/ Neha Dhir
9000 Rockville Pike
Building 13 Rm 2E47 MSC 5711
Bethesda, MD 20892
To receive a visitor pass for access to the NIH campus, personnel must possess form(s) of identification in accordance with REAL ID Act, please verify your identification is acceptable, more information can be found at https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information/campus-access-security. Entry to NIH is through the NIH Gateway Center Visitor Gate off Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Avenue (Route 355). Please allow extra time to obtain your pass, as your vehicle will be subject to search. It is highly recommended that visitors arrive at the gate at least one (1) hour prior to the scheduled site visit time. Additional information can be found at NIH Visitor information: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information.
All contractors are advised that registration in System for Award Management (SAM) Database is required prior to award of a contract. Representations and Certification must be completed electronically via this site. Failure to register in the SAM Database may render your firm ineligible for award. For more information, check the SAM website: https://www.sam.gov.
Jessica N. Miller, Contracting Officer, Email jessica.miller@nih.gov - Neha Dhir, Sr. Acquisitions Advisor, Email neha.dhir@nih.gov
