Request Number: 951700-24-R-0014

Reference: 1071-24-IQ-00003 & 1071-24-IQ-00004

Title: Request for Qualifications for potential A/E IDIQ Contracts for U.S. Agency for Global Media

This is a Public Announcement in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 36.6, Architect-Engineer Services (A-E Services). Interested firms shall submit qualifications based on the requirements of this announcement. Upon receipt of qualifications submissions, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Office of Contracts will conduct a technical evaluation in accordance with selection criteria in FAR 36.602.1. If, upon evaluation of these submissions, there are a sufficient number of small businesses with the required demonstrated competence and qualifications, USAGM may consider setting aside for small business, in some capacity, any procurement(s) that stems from this Public Announcement.

This Public Announcement is issued to complete a Brooks Act technical evaluation. It does not constitute a request for proposal (RFP) or a commitment on the part of the U.S. Government to issue an RFP for the A-E Services identified below. Offerors are advised the U. S. Government will not pay for information submitted in response to this Public Announcement for qualifications as articulated in paragraphs (3) through (9) below nor will it compensate Offerors for any costs incurred in the development/submission of its qualifications package.

As noted above, if there is a procurement, the procurement may be set aside, in some capacity, for small businesses. The decision will be based on whether a sufficient number of small business enterprises are determined to possess the required demonstrated competence and qualifications.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Office of Contracts, anticipates awarding at least two indefinite delivery/quantity (IDIQ) contracts to qualified architect-engineer (A/E) firm-led teams (prime or joint-venture) of licensed professional to provide comprehensive architectural and engineering services.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) mission is to provide safe, secure and functional facilities that represent the U.S. government to the host nation and support USAGM¡¯s staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, design, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

This Public Announcement covers A/E services for both new construction and modernization projects at the USAGM¡¯s transmitting stations and facilities worldwide. New construction projects may include office buildings, residences, and support and recreational facilities. Modernization projects may include upgrades, renovation and rehabilitation of existing facilities. The estimated construction cost for each project ranges from $250,000.00 to $5,000,000.00.

The USAGM anticipates that one of more offerors will receive an IDIQ contract for A&E Services if USAGM decides to procure these A-E Services Each contract shall consist of a one-year base period with four one-year option periods. The Government guarantees a minimum of $5,000 in task orders over the life of each contract. The total amount of task orders issued under each contact is not expected to exceed $1,000,000.00 per year.

Task orders issued under any IDIQ contract may include, but are not limited to, the following: architectural and engineering studies; analysis of potential new construction sites; analysis of potential new and existing compounds; site utilization studies and master planning; preliminary planning and due diligence; sustainability reports; conceptual and schematic designs; design development; construction documents and specifications; space planning; space programing; furniture specification; graphics and signage design; food service design; environmental and sustainable design; scheduling, budget assessments; cost estimates; life-cycle cost analysis; value engineering; design intent and peer reviews services; construction phase services; and claims analysis. In addition, the following engineering services shall be provided: electrical, mechanical, plumbing, structural, blast, civil, geotechnical, environmental, seismic, technical and physical security, lighting, acoustical, chemical and biological protection, telecommunication, fire protection, value engineering, cost estimating, and vertical transportation. These services shall be performed by professionals who are licensed, registered, or certified, where applicable. Most projects require A/E teams to travel to the project site and develop effective working relationships with local consultants and government officials.

The selected A/E firms shall provide administrative coordination of the various disciplines involved and shall ascertain and work within the US Governments¡¯ requirements and the applicable laws, codes, and standards at the overseas project sites. Knowledge and experience in the preparation of planning, design, and constructions documents employing alternative delivery methods (e.g., design-bid-build, bridging, and design-build) will be required.

Any successful Offeror(s) shall be required to provide design and drawing files that are produced in or compatible with AutoCAD Release 2018. Any software version other than noted will require approval prior to the start of a project.

USGAM¡¯s A-E Services projects deliver excellence through a comprehensive process that aims to represent the best of American architecture, design, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, maintainability, and construction. A/E firms responding to this notice should demonstrate their ability to produce their best possible product based on their design achievements and portfolio of work of similar complexity.

The following process shall be used to determine the qualification and competence of the offerors who submit qualification statements under this Public Announcement:

The qualification statement submissions should be no more than 160 single-faced or -80 double-sided pages (exclusive of tabbed divider sheets and cover letter) in an 8 ¨ö¡± x 11¡± format. The primary text font size shall not be smaller than 10 pt.; photo titles, subtext, etc. shall not be smaller than 8 pt.

The statement submissions should include the following items, divided into tabbed sections, in the order listed below:

1. COVER LETTER. Provide a cover letter referencing the SAM.gov announcement and briefly describing the A/E team profile, areas of expertise, organizational make-up, noteworthy accomplishments and the proposed team¡¯s experience working together.(Maximum length: 2 pages)


2. STANDARD FORM 330. Proposed team information shall be documented using Standard Form 330, Part I, Sections A through C. Use Sections D through G for information on the proposed team requested in items 7, 8, and 9, below. Block H may be used to supplement, as required. In Part II, Firm, as requested in Box 2A, is defined as the individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association or the legal entity permitted by law to practice the profession of architecture or engineering that will have contractual responsibility for the project design(s), should the proposed Offeror be selected for a contract.


3. A/E FIRM DESIGN PORTFOLIO (20 points maximum) Submit a portfolio representative of the A/E firm¡¯s experience on design projects. The portfolio shall include not more than six (6) projects that have been designed and fully constructed in the last ten (10) years (maximum of six pages per project). Projects may be either new construction or modernization or a combination of the two. Offerors shall comment on the relevance of the submitted projects. The submissions shall address the design approach with salient features for each project and explain through narrative, images, and diagrams how the client¡¯s program, image, economic, schedule, maintenance, functional and operational objectives were satisfied by the overall design/planning solution. This section of the submission shall also cite certificates, awards, peer recognition, etc. demonstrating excellence, and provide a client reference contact for each project, including name, title, address, email, and phone number. At a minimum a site plan, representative floor plan, building section, two photographs, and other appropriate drawings and diagrams must be included for each project.

Previous relevant Core Team experience with overseas planning, design, and construction projects; knowledge of foreign building codes, zoning ordinances, and standards, as well as local construction materials and practices; and experience working with local firms shall be demonstrated.

1. LEAD DESIGNER PROFILE(S) (5 points maximum). Submit a biographical sketch (maximum of four pages on two double-sided sheets per person) including education, professional experience, and recognition for design efforts inclusive of the portfolio examples. Identify and describe proposed areas of responsibility and ability to commit to multiple USAGM projects concurrently while ensuring leadership of the team and quality of design.


2. LEAD DESIGNER PORTFOLIO (10 points maximum). Submit a portfolio representative of the Lead Designer(s)¡¯s ability to provide excellence in design. The portfolio must comprise three (3) projects designed and constructed in the last ten (10) years (maximum of six pages printed on three double-sided sheets per project). Only three projects may be submitted regardless of whether the Lead Designer is a single individual or a group of individuals. The narrative shall address the relevance of submitted projects to International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts and the Lead Designer(s)¡¯s participation in each project; the overall design philosophy and salient features of each project; and how the client¡¯s program, image, mission, economic, schedule, maintenance, functional, and operational objectives were satisfied by the overall design/planning solution. Cite any certificates, awards, peer recognition, etc., demonstrating excellence. Where there is duplication A/E Firm Design Portfolio, the Lead Designer(s) shall clearly cite their responsibilities on the project.


3. PHILOSOPHY AND DESIGN INTENT (10 points maximum). The Lead Designer(s)(in a maximum of four (4) pages on two double-sided sheets) shall state the parameters of an overall design philosophy, their approach to the challenge of public architecture and related issues, parameters that may apply in creating an overseas International Broadcasting Bureau presence, and their commitment to integrated and sustainable design.


4. KEY PERSONNEL AND PAST PERFORMANCE (15 points maximum) Offerors shall demonstrate the capabilities of its Core Team through past performance on projects and the qualifications of key personnel. (For the purposes of this evaluation, the Core Team is comprised of the following disciplines: (1) Site and Master Planning; (2) Architecture; (3) Landscape Architecture; (4) Space Planning and Interior Design; (5) Mechanical Engineering; (6) Civil Engineering (7) Structural Engineering; (8) Geotechnical Engineering (9) Electrical Engineering; (10) Sustainability; (11) Physical and Technical Security; (12) Project Management; (13) Cost; and (14) Pre-Construction Management with Construction Phasing. Team members that offer both Core and non-Core functions will only be evaluated on the basis of their Core functions at this stage.) Standard Form 330, Part II shall be used to document the general qualifications for each Core Team discipline by firm name. For each discipline comprising the Core Team, Offerors shall submit:
   
   
   
   1. A profile of the Core Team key personnel that will be performing the services. Cite their personal experience and notable qualifications, including past projects, U.S. licensure and registration, certifications, professional awards, and any other indicator of high quality professional performance.
   
   
   2. Two recent examples of constructed projects, built within the past ten years. Offerors must clearly state the relationship of the examples to the scope, complexity, and other details of a typical International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts project.
   
   
   3. Include any key Core Team personnel disciplines as identified above. Offerors shall note the relationship between the proposed key personnel and the project examples provided.
   
   
   4. Offerors shall identify the significant design features that best demonstrate quality, durability, performance, and innovation following International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Contracts Design Principles. Design approach, context, functionality, and/or other key elements shall be cited. Individual projects may cover more than one discipline.
   
   
   
   


5. TEAM ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN (10 points maximum) Offerors must demonstrate that the Core Team and the management of the Core Team will fully meet the needs of the USAGM. The narrative should describe the work typically performed by the Offeror and the work typically performed by consultants and the Offeror¡¯s approach to managing workload and the means of assuring quality of contract deliverables. The narrative should validate the Core Team¡¯s capacity to successfully manage multiple projects of various scales, costs, complexities, providing their strategic vision on how they will successfully design projects for operations on constrained sites with rigorous local planning controls and requirements.
   
   
   
   1. Provide graphic representation (organizational chart) of the Core Team showing the relationship between the design, project management, technical production, and quality assurance/control team members shall be included (non-core disciplines, if included, should be listed by firm name only.)
   
   
   2. Identify key roles and lines of communication and present the means to integrate client input. Provide infographics or other supporting information clearly describing relationships within the organizational structure while emphasizing the integrated approach to project development and delivery.
   
   
   3. Demonstrate the commitment of the Core Team, including their substantive, leadership role in integrated delivery of a project ensuring cost and quality control, while meeting the project schedule and phasing plans. Identify the physical location of major design and production work, the coordination plan for consultant work, and for work produced in remote offices.
   
   
   4. Demonstrate the capacity of the team to successfully manage multiple concurrent projects. Address the roles that individual team members will play and include their experience and abilities in handling the variety of methodologies employed throughout the design process to achieve IUSAGM¡¯s goals and review USAGM¡¯s design principals.
   
   
   
   


6. DOCUMENTS AND STANDARDS (5 points maximum). Offerors must be able to manage the design process and produce well-coordinated, high-quality designs and construction documents, presentations, phasing plans, construction specifications, standards, and guides.
   
   
   
   1. The Core Team shall provide three (3) recent examples of prior projects documentation, built and/or executed within the past ten (10) years, and identify specific instances that demonstrate their ability to satisfy this requirement.
   
   
   2. Provide specific metrics that demonstrate expertise in managing design, schedule, and cost for each of the projects (e.g. RFIs and change orders during construction, schedule for planned verses actual performance, and A/E design project estimate versus construction award project cost.) Provide a description of the team¡¯s quality control procedures that have been used to manage these documents.
   
   
   
   

SELECTION OF OFFERORS FOR USAGM¡¯s SHORT LIST

Based on the evaluation of the qualifications submissions and the scores assigned to Offerors in each of the categories listed in paragraphs (3) through (9), a short list of Offerors will be developed. Firms on the short list may be invited to make presentations. In its presentation each Offeror should expect to describe its overarching approach to projects, its methodology in achieving excellence across all disciplines, design innovations, experience with technically complex building types, experience with modular construction, and its team¡¯s ability to successfully navigate projects through the approval processes. Specific questions to be answered in the presentations will be provided to the Offerors in advance of the presentations. (The presentations will be worth 25 points maximum.)

The scores from the evaluation of the qualifications submissions and presentations will be combined and firms with the highest combined scores will be recommended for entrance into negotiations with the Contracting Officer.

Copy of the Prohibited Countries List, from which Offerors may not choose design team members, can be obtained from the Contracting Officer listed in the last paragraph of this Public Announcement. Additionally, citizens of Vietnam and China and dual U.S. Vietnamese and dual U.S. Chinese citizens may not be the Lead Designer or a Principal.

All firms that want to be considered qualified for any future USAGM A-E Services awards must meet the definition of a ¡°United States person¡± of P.L. 99-399, Section 402 thereof, as follows: (1) be legally organized in the United States more than five years prior to the issuance of a request for proposal; (2) have its principal place of business in the United States; (3) have performed within the U.S. administrative, technical or professional services similar in complexity, type of construction, and value of the project being solicited; (4) employ U.S. citizens in a least 80 percent of principal management positions in the U.S.; and (5) have existing technical and financial resources in the U.S. to perform the contract. Firms not meeting the ¡°United Sates persons¡± requirement will not be considered.

Offeror(s) must complete and submit one copy as part of its qualification package the pamphlet (bound separately), Certifications Relevant to Public Law 99-399, Statement of Qualifications for Purpose of Section 402 of The Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986. (The pamphlet is attachment B)

This is not a request for proposal nor is it a design competition. The small business size standard North American Industry Classification System code is 541310, $12.5 million average.

Offerors that meet the requirements described in this Public Announcement are invited to submit their qualifications. Interested Offerors are reminded to submit them via email to RPHernandez@usagm.gov with a copy to dwallace@usagm.gov.

ALL ATTACHMENTS MUST BE CLEARLY LABELED AND SENT IN ¡°PDF FORMAT¡± AND INCLUDE THE REQUEST NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TOTAL SIZE OF ALL ATTACHEMNTS MUST NOT EXCEED 23MB.

Offeror¡¯s submissions must clearly indicate request number 951700-24-R-0014. All qualifications (including the statement of qualifications of P.L. 99-399), must be received by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on or before April 30, 2024. Requests for clarification and information must be received, in writing by email, to RPHernandez@usagm.gov with a copy to dwallace@usagm.gov not later than April 11, 2024. Any clarification or information requests by email or phone received after the aforementioned deadline will not be considered.