This Sources Sought / Request for Information Notice is being released pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 10: Market Research.

This notice is issued solely for informational, acquisition planning and market research purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation. This request for information shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract. The information provided in this notice and any future changes to this notice are not binding on the Government. Participation in this sources sought/request for information notice is strictly voluntary. Any submitted documentation, upon delivery, becomes the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned. Further, the Government will not provide reimbursement of costs associated with any documentation or communication submittal in response to this notice.

Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be issued via either the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov) or eBuy (www.ebuy.gsa.gov) depending on the Government's acquisition strategy. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these websites for any information that may pertain to this notice or a future solicitation.

Background

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines as well as licensing hydropower projects.

FERC is organized into eleven offices, one of which is the Office of Energy Projects (OEP). The mission of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP) is to foster economic and environmental benefits for the nation through certification of natural gas pipelines and storage facilities, authorization of LNG facilities, authorization of certain electric transmission facilities located within corridors identified by the Department of Energy, and licensing and oversight of jurisdictional hydroelectric projects, as well as instituting policies and procedures that ensure the safety and reliability of current and future infrastructure.

Contractor Support

OEP contracts with the private sector for engineering and environmental services in support of OEP's mission. The current contract was awarded to Stebbing & Associates, Inc. of Signal Mountain, TN on March 20, 2009. The contract includes one base year and four option years. The contract is currently in the fourth option year which is due to expire on March 19, 2014.

FERC intends to award the follow-on contract prior to the expiration of the current contract. As of the date of the release of this notice, the government has not finalized the acquisition strategy for this procurement; however, currently the government anticipates that the procurement will be a Firm Fixed Price contract or BPA with a base year and four option years, awarded on a competitive basis to the offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the Government. The Commission anticipates a single award but reserves the right to award multiple contracts or not to award a contract at all.

The current schedule for the follow-on acquisition is as follows:

• Release the Request for Proposals: October 2013
• Proposals due: November 2013
• Contract award: February 2014

The acquisition strategy and schedule is subject to change without notice based on information the government gains during the acquisition planning phase, including but not limited to information gained as a result of this Notice.

Work description for follow-up contract

The statement of work (SOW) for the follow-on procurement has not been finalized; however, OEP anticipates that the contractor will be required to provide technical evaluation services on:

• the process design and hazard review, and the operation and maintenance practices of new or expanded LNG facilities filed before the FERC ; and
• post-authorization process design reviews and field inspections during construction and operation and maintenance of the new and existing facilities including minor facility modifications at a facility since the previous inspection.

The technical evaluations of the contractor should examine the overall LNG system reliability and safety of new, expanded, or existing LNG facilities based on professional experience, good engineering practices, federal regulations, industry standards, FERC guidance documents, historical or recent industrial incidents, and problems uncovered during FERC staff inspections. The knowledge gained from these reviews and/or field inspections is used to generate data requests, provide recommendations, complete a Cryogenic Design and Pre-Certificate Manual during the cryogenic review for a new or expanded facility, or to update the Cryogenic Design and Inspection Manual after the inspection of an existing LNG plant.

Special Contract Requirements

The work under this contract requires that the contractor be given access to confidential or proprietary engineering design information belonging to the government or other companies. The contractor must be able to treat such information as confidential and agree not to appropriate such information to its own use or to disclose such information to third parties.

Sources sought / request for information

FERC is interested in hearing from sources within the market that have capabilities and experience similar to or of greater complexity to the work identified in work description above. The purpose of the request is to identify capable, experienced sources interested in the procurement, and to verify there is sufficient competition available in the market.

FERC requests that interested parties submit the following information:

Name and address of the company
Point of contact
Name
E-mail
Phone Number
Size and type of ownership
Anticipated North American Industry Classification Standard (NAICS) code for this acquisition and your company's related small business size standard, if applicable.
Data Universal Numbering (DUNS)
System for Award Management (SAM) number
Federal Cage Code number
Marketing information describing the company's capability and experience similar to or of greater complexity to the work identified in the work description section of this notice
GSA schedule contract number, if applicable

Please limit the information to not more than 3 pages.

FERC requests that interested parties submit responses to this notice in electronic format not later than August 8, 2013 to Valerie Bostick at [email protected]. Questions or comments regarding this notice should be addressed to the contract specialist, Valerie Bostick. Interested parties should not contact the program office (OEP) regarding this notice or acquisition.