Issue 112 - 10 Aug 98
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THE NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMAND (NAVFAC) AWARDS FOUR ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIAL ACTION CONTRACTS (RAC)
NAVFAC successfully awarded four contracts having a combined value of $1 billion under one solicitation for RAC services across four regions using the newly established Two-Phase Design-Build Selection Procedures prescribed in FAR 36.3. The two-phase process was enhanced by NAVFAC's use of a national team approach to the source selection. NAVFAC assembled evaluation boards consisting of representatives from each region to serve as voting members of the board for each phase of the procurement. All four boards were centrally managed by NAVFAC Headquarters. This was the first centrally managed solicitation covering four regions is NAVFAC history.
NAVFAC's innovative approach to this procurement sets the standard for future procurements. This process provided a streamlined approach to the procurement while leveraging the expertise of its field commands. NAVFAC's approach drastically reduced the historical procurement action lead-time (PALT) from 16 months to approximately four and one-half months. Industry feedback indicates proposal preparation costs were reduced by more than 60%. Factors contributing to such cost savings included limiting the Phase I proposals to 45 pages and selecting only the three most highly rated firms in each region to proceed to Phase II. Evaluators found that the data submitted was more than sufficient to make intelligent business decisions despite the page limitation.
Phase I of NAVFAC's procurement was designed to evaluate each offeror's past performance and experience, financial and management systems, key personnel, and small business subcontracting commitment. Only the three most highly rated firms for these factors were selected to proceed to Phase II of the process. Phase II primarily consisted of oral presentations by each short-listed firm outlining its technical and management approach to the contract. Oral presentations were incorporated as a significant evaluation factor for the award under this procurement. This is the first time an environmental program of this size and nature utilized oral presentations. Price was evaluated in Phase II of the procurement and it was weighed significantly less than technical factors. Firms, which were eliminated from competition as a result of Phase I, were provided an open and frank debriefing prior to the second phase. Each debriefed firm was provided a copy of the actual board report, which summarized the team's evaluation of the Phase I factors. All unsuccessful offeror's in Phase II were provided similar debriefings.
The following NAVFAC regions participated in this procurement: Southern Division (SOUTHDIV), Charleston, South Carolina , Southwest Division (SOUTHWESTDIV), San Diego, California; Engineering Field Activity West (EFA WEST), San Bruno, California; and Pacific Division (PACDIV), Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The request for proposals and all amendments were issued via the Internet. Each of the contracts resulted a cost plus award fee, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity type contract with a total contract ceiling of $250 million for the base period and six, one-year option periods. The base contract period is 01 October 1998 through 30 September 1999. The four contracts were awarded to the following firms: International Technology Corporation, Monroeville, Pennsylvania for the EFA West and PACDIV regions; one contract was awarded to Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation, Livingston, New Jersey, for the SOUTHWESTDIV region; and one contract was awarded to CH2M Hill Constructors, Incorporated, Greenwood Village, Colorado for the SOUTHDIV region. These firms will provide various remedial action services at environmentally contaminated sites predominantly located at Navy and Marine Corps installations and other government agencies.
