US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONG ® Keys to a Successful AE Contract David Yankey, PE Chief, Army and Air Force Section Engineering Management Branch Louisville District 25 Jan 11

BUILDING STRONG ® 2 In-house vs. Contract  Contract 100% of construction & remediation  Military Design ► In-house~20%A/E contract ~80%  Civil Works Design ► In-house ~ 65%A/E contract ~ 35%  Environmental Study/Design ► In-house ~ 10%A/E contract ~ 90%

BUILDING STRONG ® 3 Federal Design Work based on Brooks Act  "The Congress hereby declares it to be the policy of the Federal Government to publicly announce..., and to negotiate contracts for architectural and engineering services on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification..., and at fair and reasonable prices.“ * Public Law

BUILDING STRONG ® 4 Selection Success  Address all requirements in your proposal  Don’t ignore weaknesses  Perform an independent quality check of submittal  Make it easy on the reviewers – mirror the solicitation  Develop a strong team

BUILDING STRONG ® 5 A/E Evaluation Boards  Composed of licensed/registered personnel with experience in engineering, architecture, construction and acquisition  Using agency invited  Compare firms' qualifications using criteria in the synopsis  Must be rational, consistent and fair  May be a two step process

BUILDING STRONG ® 6 Ask for a debrief  Must be requested in writing or electronically  We will provide debrief within 14 days of request  Based on preselection/selection board report  Discuss significant weak or deficient qualifications  We will not discuss other firms  Listen and learn  Recognize the strength of your competition

BUILDING STRONG ® 7 “Selection” for a Task Order  The decision on which contract to use will be based on: ► Performance and quality of deliverables under the current ID/IQs ► Current capacity to accomplish the order in the required time ► Uniquely specialized experience ► Equitable distribution of work  Price is not a consideration in deciding which ID/IQ to use for AE services.

BUILDING STRONG ® 8 Negotiating  Base contract ► database of wage rates for all disciplines  Task orders ► Cost based on anticipated level of effort ► Document all your assumptions ► Bring back-up materials  “Fair and Reasonable” is our guide

BUILDING STRONG ® 9 After Task Order Award  If expectations are not clear, ask.  Be responsive; answer communication promptly; meet or beat all schedule commitments.  Inform the COR immediately if you’ve been asked to perform outside your contract’s scope.  Don’t discuss the project with any government representatives unless your primary CoE contact is involved.  Produce acceptable products every time.

BUILDING STRONG ® 10 QA/QC  AEs: Quality Control  Corps: Quality Assurance Construction Cost Estimating  Apply knowledge of economy, locality, etc.  Design to Cost from preliminary through final design

BUILDING STRONG ® 11 AE Evaluations - ACASS Primary Objectives Support Best Value Source Selection Decisions – Awards for Proven Performers (FAR 15 & 36) Provide Up-To-Date Documentation of Contractor’s Ability to Meet Requirements (FAR 36) Motivate Improved Performance Facilitate Government - Contractor Communication

BUILDING STRONG ® 12 Evaluation Areas  Quality of A-E Services by Discipline  Design Phase or Engineering Services  Construction Phase

BUILDING STRONG ® 13 Interim Evaluation  Overall performance is unsatisfactory  Required Annually if Performance Period Exceeds 18 Months (EFARS (S-102))  Interim Evaluation Required if a Project is Deferred More Than 3 Months if a Substantial Portion of the Work Has Been Completed (EP ) Final Evaluation  Final Acceptance of A-E Work  Completion of Construction Project  Contract Termination Note: Replaces Prior Interim or Final Evaluation  If “Amended” is Required, Another Final Evaluation is Completed

BUILDING STRONG ® 14 ACASS Workflow Contract Registration Enter Proposed Ratings Validate Proposed Ratings Review Contractor Comments Reviewing Official Comments Contractor Comments

BUILDING STRONG ® 15 Where do I find opportunities?  District’s Annual Open House  Society of American Military Engineers (SAME)  KP-SAME Annual Small Business Workshop  SAME Industry Days  District contacts  FedBizOps!

BUILDING STRONG ® 16 Useful Websites  (s  (search on W912QR)  Louisville District homepage  ID/IQ contracts list: => How do I contract with the Corps => ID/IQ Contracts => LRL

BUILDING STRONG ® 17 Contacts for Contracts  Upcoming Projects ► Russ Boyd (Military) ► Linda Murphy (CW)  Contracting ► Mark Yates,  Small Business Office ► Jacque Gee,  Environmental Contracts ► Chris Karem,  A/E Contracts (CW and Military) ► Rosemary Gilbertson

BUILDING STRONG ® Questions?