NETL ANNOUNCES THREE MARKET SURVEYS FOR NEW SUPPORT CONTRACTS

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
5/3/13

The National Energy Technology Laboratory began moving forward this week with a new procurement for a set of support services contracts, launching a market research survey effort to identify companies that could potentially perform the work. The Department of Energy-operated lab issued a trio of ‘sources sought’ notices calling on eligible companies to submit letters stating capability and interest for potential upcoming contracts related to NETL’s R&D implementation, mission execution and strategic energy research support.

The largest market survey called for responses from companies with around 500 employees that are interested in providing R&D implementation and support services for the lab. The potential contract, valued at an expected “magnitude” of $53 million or more per year, would center on providing NETL staff with personnel, materials and services to “support, implement and conduct assigned basic, applied and technology development-based energy research, development and demonstrations,” according to the document. “The successful offeror will actively perform and provide support for fundamental and applied research efforts and may include cooperative work with industry, universities and other external entities, in addition to interdisciplinary, collaborative research and development with federal in-house technical staff,” the notice states. DOE said it will be accepting letters of interest through June 5.

Mission Execution Support

The second market survey notice calls exclusively for small businesses with a size standard of $35.5 million in average annual receipts to submit letters of interest for mission execution support services at the lab. NETL said it anticipated issuing a Performance-Based Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for issuance of cost-plus award fee, cost-plus fixed fee, firm fixed price and fixed price incentives task orders, with an estimated magnitude of $20 million or more per year. That notice also included a June 5 response deadline.

DOE said the contracts would be for support activities for all of the lab’s facilities. “NETL anticipates issuing a solicitation for [mission execution] services that provide quality and timely technical and associated administrative support services for program and project planning, execution, monitoring, and assessment,” the notice states. “In general, these services are comprised of identifying, compiling, reducing and reporting energy-related information; preparing, facilitating, and reporting out on various types of meetings; maintaining, enhancing, populating, and exercising systems and databases; and conducting limited analyses and evaluations, e.g., market penetration assessments.”

Strategic Energy Research Support

The third and smallest notice was for strategic energy research support, with an expected magnitude of $16 million or more annually. DOE said it was looking for potential contracting businesses with a size standard of 500 employees that could provide the lab with analyses looking into process and cost engineering, financial, life cycle, economic, market, regulatory and technology deployment, among other issues. “The anticipated work requires world class expertise in the application of scientific, engineering, business, economic, energy market and policy-related disciplines that result in highly credible study results,” the notice states. “Required technical expertise encompasses high level scientific and engineering disciplines appropriate to address the changing U.S. energy outlook, as well as technology and system-specific expertise required for expert analysis of alternatives.” DOE said the contractors’ work would help support NETL’s RD&D program areas, including its Strategic Center for Coal. Responses for that survey are also due June 5, NETL said.