Unit 1
“Orientation”
NWPP Multiple-Award Technical Support Contract Training (eff. 08/2005)
Unit 1
Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Overview
This unit contains the following information:
• Basics of the National Watershed Protection Program
Multiple-Award Technical Support Contract
• Roles & Responsibilities for Each Participant
• What is Performance-Based Contracting?
• How do I get Started?
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (1)
• In October 2002, the EPA Office of Acquisition
Management (OAM) awarded Technical Support
Contracts for the National Watershed Protection
Program.
• The contracts were part of the Acquisition Plan of the
EPA Office of Water / Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
and Watersheds (OWOW).
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (2)
The contracts support several EPA activities:
• Technical, logistical & administrative support for water
quality monitoring & assessments.
• Economic modeling & cost / benefit analyses.
• Development of technical guidance(s).
• Technical, logistical & administrative support for
workshops & meetings.
• Training on water quality & monitoring.
• Maintenance & enhancement of EPA web sites.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (3)
The contracts support OWOW’s mission to aid States,
Territories, and authorized Tribes in:
• Developing methods to determine water quality.
• Developing methods to identify impaired waterbodies.
• Advancing the protection & restoration of the nation’s
watersheds & waterbodies through the use of point
and nonpoint source pollution controls.
• Providing support for water quality monitoring.
• Developing tools for ecosystem restoration.
• Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development and
implementation.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (4)
The four National Watershed Protection Program
Technical Support Contracts constitute a Multiple-Award
of a single indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)
contract.
• Each contract has a five-year ordering period.
• The total Level-of-Effort in each contract is estimated
to be 750,000 hours over the five-year ordering
period.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (5)
Important Differences from the Traditional EPA
Technical Support Contract Vehicle:
• Work is performed through Task Orders, not through
Work Assignments.
• Work is managed by Task Order Managers, not by
Work Assignment Managers.
• There are no Option Periods.
• A variety of Task Order types can be accommodated:
LOE, Fixed Price, Time & Materials, etc.
• Each Task Order is competed among the four vendors
who participate in the Multiple-Award contract vehicle.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (6)
EPA competes individual Task Orders (one by one) among
the four vendors holding the National Watershed Protection
Program Multiple-Award Technical Support Contracts:
• 68-C-02-108 Tetra Tech, Inc., Fairfax, VA
• 68-C-02-109 The Cadmus Group, Watertown, MA
• 68-C-02-110 Research Triangle Institute,
Research Triangle Park, NC
• 68-C-02-111 Parsons Engineering Science, Inc.,
Fairfax, VA
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Basics (7)
Task Orders under this Contract must
be placed by September 30, 2007.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Roles & Responsibilities (1)
The “Cast of Players”
•
•
•
•
•
•
Task Order Manager (TOM)
TOM’s QA/QC Officer
TOM’s Funds Certifying Officer (FCO)
Project Officer (OWOW / AWPD)
Contracting Officer (OAM / CPOD / Cincinnati)
Office of Chief Financial Officer (OCFO / RTP)
The Roles and Responsibilities of each member of the cast will
vary at different phases of the contract activity. Each unit in this
training package describes the roles and responsibilities for the
activities covered by the unit.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Roles & Responsibilities (2)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop the Task Order Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . TOM & PO
Develop the QA Requirements . . . . . . . . .TOM & QA Officer
Prepare and Issue the Solicitation. . . . . . . . . . . . .CO & TOM
Review the Proposals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CO & TOM
Award the Task Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CO
Fund the Task Order. . . . . . . TOM’s Funds Certifying Officer
Manage the Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TOM
Receive the Invoices from the Contractor . . . . . . . . . . OCFO
Accept Invoices from OCFO & Authorize Payment . . . . TOM
Accept the Deliverable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOM
Close Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CO / OCFO / TOM’s FCO / TOM
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Roles & Responsibilities (3)
Remember:
• Technically speaking, the
TOM is a Task Order Project
Officer (TOPO).
• EPA’s Contracts
Management Manual
(CMM) has a full explanation
of the TOPO’s role and
responsibilities.
• The NWPP Contract
webpage has a link to the
CMM and other useful
procurement tools.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Performance-Based Contracting (1)
Performance-Based Contracting emphasizes the desired
outcome of the work and the associated goals.
This approach benefits both the government and the
contractor.
• The contractor benefits from increased freedom and
flexibility in achieving the project objectives.
• The government benefits as contractors compete to
develop innovative ways to achieve the objectives.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Performance-Based Contracting (2)
Remember:
• The Office of Budget and
Management has identified
Performance-Based
Contracting as a highly efficient
means of procurement. All
agencies of the Federal
Government are encouraged to
adopt Performance-Based
Contracting.
• The NWPP Contract webpage
has a link to useful tools for
Performance Based
Contracting.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Performance-Based Contracting (3)
FAQs
Q.
What’s new about Performance-Based contracting?
A.
The table on the following page presents a comparison
of Performance-Based Task Order Package in the
NWPP Multiple-Award Contract with a Work
Assignment Package in a traditional EPA contract
vehicle.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Performance-Based Contracting (4)
Component
Work
Assignment
PerformanceBased Task
Order
Scope of Work (SOW)
Independent Government Cost Estimate
(IGCE)
Contracting Officer’s Representative
(COR) Certification
Quality Assurance (QA) Review Form
Task Order Review Checklist
CBI
Surveillance Plan (SURV)
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Performance-Based Contracting (5)
FAQs
Q. What is a Surveillance Plan?
A. A Surveillance Plan ensures that “systematic quality
assurance methods” are used to evaluate contractor
performance.
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Performance-Based Contracting (6)
FAQs
Q.
How will I know if the final product is going to
accomplish the objectives of my project?
A.
It will be your responsibility as a Task Order Manager
(TOM) to develop clear and measurable objectives for
the project. Your Performance Standards and
Surveillance Plan will help you evaluate the
performance of the contractor. You can also employ
incentives to encourage greater Contractor efficiency
and performance.
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Examples of many
Surveillance Plans
for Task Orders are
posted on the
NWPP Contract
Web page on the
EPA intranet.
http://intranet.epa.gov/waters/nwpp/directory_of_tos.html
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• On the NWPP
webpage there is a
toolbox for
Performance-Based
Service Acquisition.
There you can find
numerous resources
to assist you in
developing your
Task Order
http://intranet.epa.gov/waters/nwpp/pbsa.html
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
Next Steps
• Complete COR Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .See Unit 2
• Get Familiar the NWPP Webpage . . . . . . . . .EPA Intranet
• Begin Developing a SOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See Unit 2
• Funds Availability?. . . . .See your Funds Certifying Officer
• Determine the QA Requirements. . . . See your QA Officer
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Unit 1 – “Orientation”
If you have a question about the information in this
unit please click on the link below to send an email
to the Project Officer.
Zabawa.Christopher@epamail.epa.gov
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