Vermont Department of Health

Sealed Bid

Request for Proposals

Project Title: Radiochemical Analyses for the Vermont Department of Health

Contract Period: March 31, 2014 –March 31, 2016

Date RFP Issued: December 30, 2013

Date of Bid Closing: January 15, 2014

Date of Bid Opening: January 16, 2014

Single Point of Contact: Kerry Winger

Contact Address: Vermont Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health 108 Cherry Street P.O. Box 70, Drawer 30 Burlington, Vermont 05402

Phone: 802-951-1220 Email: [email protected] 1. Overview

1.1 Requests for Proposals

The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is seeking proposals for a contract laboratory to perform and report radiochemistry analysis on multiple matrices: water (surface, ground, drinking), soils, sediments, mixed wastes and biota. Radiochemical analyses requested may include, but are not limited to: gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, gamma spectroscopy, alpha spectroscopy, and hard-to-detect radionuclide analyses: strontium-90 (Sr-90), nickel-63 (Ni-63), and iron-55 (Fe-55).

Water, soil, and mixed waste (containing both radioactive and hazardous material) samples may contain elevated levels of tritium and nuclear power plant related radionuclides.

Some water samples may be preserved with nitric acid, others may not have been preserved. Samples may be shipped from the Vermont Department of Health or Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station.

Environmental samples will be shipped for initial, follow-up or confirmatory analyses. Routine analyses are to be requested for the following types of samples:  fish (edible and inedible portions)  sediments  soil  waters

Sampling and analytical requests may change rapidly.

Samples may be received by the Laboratory outside of the standard 6 month holding time for radiochemistry and data may be qualified as such. Sample collection containers will be provided by the Vermont Department of Health or Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station.

Anticipated contract period will be April 30, 2014 through April 30, 2015, with option to renew for two consecutive one year periods.

1.2 Background

The Vermont Department of Health Laboratory has the capacity and capability to perform laboratory testing on water, air, soil, sediments and biota samples for some radionuclides such as gross alpha/beta, tritium and gamma. This proposal is to secure additional laboratory testing services for hard-to-detect radionuclides or to handle additional sample workload.

The VDH has maintained a routine environmental surveillance program for the Vermont

2 Yankee Nuclear Power Station for nearly 40 years. To meet the objectives of this program, samples of water, air, soil, vegetation sediment and other materials are obtained for radiochemical analysis. This RFP will help address an increased number of routine sample sites/types and increased need for additional types of radiochemical tests.

All of the funding for radiochemical analysis for environmental surveillance around the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station is provided by a grant to the State of Vermont from Entergy Corporation, owner of the station. This is the source of funding for the contract to be awarded to the successful bidder to this RFP. Radiological environmental surveillance will be a priority for the VDH until all radioactive materials from Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station operations have been removed from the site. This may be for many decades after the operating license expires because the plant may be put into SAFSTOR for up to 60 years until final decontamination and complete decommissioning.

2. Scope of Work

Product/Service Description: To provide radiochemistry laboratory analyses ( which may include tests for gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, gamma spectroscopy, alpha spectroscopy, and hard-to-detect radionuclide analyses: Sr-90, Ni-63, and Fe-55) in various environmental matrices, including waters, soils, sediments, mixed wastes (containing both radioactive and hazardous material) and biota, for the Vermont Department of Health.

The following specifications must be provided in proposal by bidder. SOPs or other documents may be sent in response to specifications. A single document may cover multiple specifications and should be identified as such.

General:

1.) Describe business relationship, if any, with Entergy Corporation (Nuclear) in the past 5 years.

2.) Describe business relationship, if any, with Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in the past 5 years.

3.) Provide copy of current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), or Agreement State License

Specifications:

1. Must have trained personnel capable of performing requested analyses and Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).

Describe the education, training and experience of the key personnel that supervise and perform radiochemistry analyses and personnel that oversee laboratory quality assurance operations. Include the QA Officer, Radiochemist(s), Radiochemistry Supervisor/Manager, Project Manager, Data Review Staff, IT Manager, and RSO.

3 2. Must have adequate facilities and instrumentation to perform requested analyses. Provide a brief description of facility. Identify instrumentation available and any redundancy in instrumentation for proposed radiochemistry analyses.

3. Must be able to ensure proper sample acceptance, handling, and chain of custody procedures.

3.1. Must have Sample Acceptance and Internal Chain of Custody Procedures.

3.2. Must have a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to track samples in laboratory.

3.3. Must be able to perform analyses within turnaround times requested (routine).

3.4. Must be able to store samples for 6 months after finalized data package is received by the Vermont Department of Health.

3.5. Must be able to dispose of sample in accordance with appropriate state and federal regulations.

3.6. Must be able to return samples in accordance with appropriate NRC and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, if requested by the Vermont Department of Health.

Subcontracting of Vermont Department of Health samples may be allowed with the written approval of the Vermont Department of Health. If samples are subcontracted to another laboratory, all sample handling procedures must be maintained.

4. Must maintain Laboratory Quality Systems.

4.1. Must be accredited with a National Laboratory Quality System Program (e.g., ISO, NELAP, DOD QSM, AFCEE). Program accreditations should be specified in response. Preference will be given to NELAP and DOECAP accredited programs.

4.2. Must be able to provide a Quality Manual (LQM or equivalent) that addresses, at a minimum:

 Organization and management;  Quality system establishment, audits, essential quality controls and evaluation and data verification;  Equipment and reference materials;  Measurement traceability and calibration;  Records;  Outside support services and supplies; and  Complaint Resolution.

4 5. Must have experience with contaminated environmental samples and have demonstrated through proficiency testing the ability to analyze contaminated samples.

6. Must use EPA accredited, or equivalent methods (e.g. DOE), for the analyses requested. Documentation of method validation may be requested.

7. Must demonstrate ability to meet or exceed method detection limits as specified in 40 CFR part 141, for the approved method as well as meet routine environmental monitoring program requirements.

8. Must provide sample preparation method, analytical method, and applicable data review SOPs upon award of contract. Calculation of minimum detectable activity (MDA) and minimum detectable concentrations (MDCs) and uncertainties must be provided.

9. Must have performance based quality criteria for QC samples (e.g. Laboratory Control Sample (LCS), method/reagent blanks, matrix spikes, duplicate samples and/or instrument performance checks)

10. Must be able to report CLP-equivalent data package via established mechanism (i.e., PDF or CD) to the Vermont Department of Health. Data Deliverable Package (PDF or CD) should include:  case narrative,  results,  non-conformance memos,  chains of custody,  sample and QC sample data (result listing, calculation file, and counting data)  continuing calibration data  initial calibration data.

Additionally, an Electronic Disk Deliverable (EDD) will be required in an excel or comma delimited format. The EDD should contain at a minimum:  Field sample identification number,  laboratory-assigned identification number,  sample receipt date,  sample collection date,  analysis date,  radionuclide,  radionuclide concentration units,  laboratory qualifier for measurement,  aliquant size,  radionuclide concentration at specified date,  combined standard or expanded uncertainty (specify coverage factor),  sample-specific MDC,  analysis batch identification,  quality control sample results,  laboratory instrument identification,  specific analytical parameters (chemical yields, counting times) and

5  analytical reference/procedure used.

EDDs may be transmitted electronically (via e-mail or FTP, for example) or via media such as a CD. EDDs must not require any proprietary mode of transmission, utility or method to acquire.

11. Must be able to annotate or ‘flag’ data with appropriate qualifiers for reported detections, elevated MDCs (due to interferences or other), and any quality control (QC) outages. (non-conformance performance)

12. Must notify the Vermont Department of Health within 48 hours of any QC outages, late data, or significant change in personnel associated with the work.

Special Instructions Laboratory’s routine quantitation limits in water, soil, and fish are requested for analyses. Additionally QC criteria for LCS, Method Blanks and Matrix Spike/Matrix Spike Duplicate (MS/MSD), and duplicate samples are requested.

3. General Provisions

3.1 Contract Terms The selected contractor will sign a contract with the VDH to carry out the specifications and provide the activities detailed in the proposal. Terms and conditions from this RFP and contractor’s response will become part of the contract. This contract will be subject to review throughout its entire term. The VDH will consider cancellation upon discovery that a contractor is in violation of any portion of the agreement, including an inability by the contractor to provide the products, support and/or service offered in their response.

3.2 Contract Award The VDH may award one or more contracts and reserves the right to make additional awards to the same vendor or other vendors who submitted proposals at any time during the first year of the contract if such award is deemed to be in the best interest of the VDH.

3.3 Ownership of Work Product and Intellectual Capital Except for proprietary or commercial software, the VDH will have all ownership rights to the documentation designed, developed, and/or utilized for this contract. All data, technical information, materials gathered, originated, developed, prepared, used or obtained in the performance of the contract, including, but not limited to, all reports, surveys, plans, charts, literature, brochures, mailings, recordings (video and/or audio), pictures, drawings, analyses, graphic representations, notes and memoranda, and, written procedures and documents, regardless of the state of completion, which are custom developed and/or are the result of the services required under this contract, shall be and remain the property of the VDH and shall be delivered to the VDH upon 30 days notice by the VDH. A vendor shall not sell a work product or deliverable produced under a contract awarded as a result of bids without explicit permission from the VDH.

3.4 Penalties and Retainage

6 Penalties and retainage may be discussed with selected vendor during contract negotiation.

3.5 Subcontractors Any subcontractors hired by the primary contractor must adhere to the same standards and contract provisions applicable to the primary contractor. The primary contractor retains overall responsibility for contract performance. The primary contractor must advise the VDH of intent to hire a subcontractor and provide the name of company, name of president/owner and location of company. The VDH reserves the right to reject the hiring of subcontractor during the term of contract.

3.6 Invoicing All invoices are to be submitted by the Contractor on the Contractor's standard invoice. The invoice must include the following: a signed signature, name and address for remittance of payment by the state, the contract number, the date of performance, and a brief description of the service or product.

3.7 Contractor Staffing Key staff member(s) must be assigned to this contract for the full duration proposed. None of the key staff member(s) may be reassigned or otherwise removed early from this project without explicit written permission of the VDH.

The Contractor must identify staff member(s) who will remain on this project until completion, unless indicated otherwise in the Contractor’s proposal. The Contractor may propose other staff members as “key” if desired. The Contractor will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the early removal of a key staff member has no adverse impact on the successful completion of this project.

3.8 Key Contractor Responsibilities The selected Contractor must assume primary responsibility for the implementation of the contract specifications and activities.

3.8.1 The Contractor will successfully implement the plan to accomplish the tasks described and defined in the Scope of Work.

3.8.2 The Contractor must abide by all State policies, standards and protocols as provided, and defined in this contract.

4. Management Structure and General Information

4.1 Project Management The Contractor will be accountable to the Vermont Department of Health designated project manager and his/her designee(s), and holds responsibility for the project deliverables, schedule and adherence to contract provisions. The Contractor must abide by all VDH standards and protocols as defined by the Vermont Department of Health designated project manager and his/her designee(s).

7 4.2 Status Reports Monthly reports are required as a minimum. Real time reporting and tracking, particularly from an online source is preferred. These reports shall be in print or electronic form and include:  Tasks accomplished by contractor since last report;  The status of current contractor activities;  Other contractor activities for the coming month;  Incomplete, or behind schedule contractor activities with reasons for such and plans to remediate such;  Unresolved contractor issues and the status of contractor remediation activities for these unresolved issues; and  Any pending action items that require VDH attention.

A project manager will be assigned to work with the Vermont Department of Health Toxicological and Radiological Sciences Program. Status of projects will be tracked via bidder's Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and reported via email or online data tracking system. Upon completion of sample delivery groups, the VDH will be notified and receive data packages. The Vermont Department of Health will receive written notification of any data packages that will not meet scheduled turn-around-time. Non-conformance and corrective action reports will be provided upon request to the Vermont Department of Health.

5. Proposal Requirements

5.1 Proposal Guidelines This RFP defines the scope of services required and work/management structure within which the chosen Contractor must operate. In order to be considered for selection, bidders must complete all responses to this RFP in the format described in this document. Proposals not meeting the requirements described in this RFP will not be considered.

5.2 Single Point of Contact Kerry Winger is the sole contact for this proposal. All communications concerning this RFP are to be addressed in writing to the attention of Kerry Winger listed on cover sheet of this proposal. Attempts by bidders to contact any other party could result in the rejection of their proposal as determined by the VDH.

5.3 Question and Answer Period Any bidder requiring clarification of any section of this proposal or wishing to submit questions may do so according to the 5.5 Timetable schedule listed in this section. Questions may be e-mailed to Kerry Winger listed on page 1 of this proposal. Any clarification or questions submitted following the last day of the question period to the

8 RFP are waived.

At the close of the question period a copy of all questions or comments and the State's responses will be posted on the State’s web site http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids. Every effort will be made to have these available soon after the question period ends, contingent on the number and complexity of the questions.

5.4 Bidders Conference Call The VDH will make provisions for a bidder’s conference call should any one bidder request such.

5.5 Timetable The table below presents the VDH schedule for this RFP and contracting process. Please note that the VDH may change this schedule at any point.

RFP published 12/27/13 Written questions due 1/08/14 Response to questions 01/10/14 Proposal due (see Section 5.6 for detailed 01/15/14 by 4 p.m. EST instructions on proposal format and submission instructions) Contract negotiation period 01/27/14-02/07/14 Anticipated “Start Work Date” 03/31/14

The State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. Selected State staff will evaluate proposals. If a proposal is selected, the chosen Contractor will be invited to negotiate a contract for all or part of the activities outlined in this RFP.

5.6 Proposal Submission Bidders must submit an original, (4) hard copies and an electronic version (e.g., CD) of the proposal with a signed cover letter.

The State reserves the right to eliminate from further consideration any proposal deemed to be substantially or materially unresponsive to the requests for information contained herein.

Please note that any and all pages of the bidder’s proposal containing confidential and proprietary information must be clearly marked “Proprietary and Confidential.” After completion of this bid process, all proposal materials are in the public domain. Proposals may not be marked “Proprietary and Confidential” in their entirety.

The proposal must be organized in the order described below. Use the numbering designations outlined.

Providing responses to Response Sections I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X is required. Respond according to Response Section number. The numbering designations will allow evaluators to score areas appropriately. Failure to use number designations may result in scores of zero as reviewers may be unable to find answers that correspond

9 to numbered specifications/requirements.

Bidders will submit their proposal to:

Kerry Winger, Environmental Health Vermont Department of Health 108 Cherry Street, PO Box 70 Burlington, Vermont 05402

The closing date for the receipt of proposals is 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on January 15, 2014. Bid must be delivered to Kerry Winger at the address listed above prior to that time. Proposals or unsolicited amendments submitted after that time will not be accepted and will be returned to the bidder. There are no exceptions to the closing date conditions.

Delivery Methods:

U.S. MAIL: Bidders are cautioned that it is their responsibility to originate the mailing of bids in sufficient time to insure receipt by the State prior to the time of the bid opening.

EXPRESS DELIVERY: If bids are being sent via an express delivery service, be certain that the RFP designation is clearly shown on the outside of the delivery envelope or box.

HAND DELIVERY: Hand carried bids must be delivered to Kerry Winger, Vermont Department of Health, Environmental Health

ELECTRONIC/EMAIL: Electronic bids will not be accepted.

FAXED BIDS: Faxed bids will not be accepted.

5.7 Proposal Format Proposals should be no longer than 300 pages, excluding staff résumés, the cost proposal (budget pages) and references.

The format of the vendor’s proposal must include, at a minimum the following sections, numbered as follows:

10 5.8 Response Section I: Cover Letter, Vermont Tax Certificate and Insurance Certificate The cover letter must be signed and dated by a person authorized to legally bind the vendor to a contractual relationship, e.g., the President or Executive Director if a corporation, the managing partner if a partnership, or the proprietor if a sole proprietorship. Along with introductory remarks, the cover letter must include by attachment the following information about the vendor and any proposed subcontractors:

 Name, address, principal place of business, telephone number, and fax number/email address of legal entity or individual with whom contract would be written.

 Legal status of the vendor (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc.) and the year the entity was organized to do business, as the entity now substantially exists.

 Location of the facility from which the vendor would operate.

 Number of years experience carrying out the activities of this contract.

 Demonstrate adequate financial resources and be financially sound as proven by furnishing balance sheet/financial statements, showing that the vendor has been in business continually for the last three (3) years.

 Provision of a single point managerial level contact to coordinate all State requirements and to be the point of contact for any problems/questions that may arise.

 Statement showing agreement that vendor’s procedures shall be in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws.

 Insurance Certificate must be included in Response Section I.

 Vermont Tax Certificate must be included in Response Section I.

Note: the information regarding Insurance Certificate and Vermont Tax Certificate can be reviewed in the State of Vermont Contract Template, Attachment C.

11 Response Section II: General Background and Qualifications

Bidder must provide the following information about their company so that the VDH can evaluate the bidder’s stability and ability to support the commitments set forth in response to the RFP. The VDH may require additional documentation to support and/or clarify requested information.

 A brief description of the company, including past history, present status, and if fitting future plans, etc.

 Company size and organization, with biographies of the principal officers of the company.

 Provide a brief description of facility. Identify instrumentation available and any redundancy in instrumentation for proposed radiochemistry analyses.

 Disclose any history of defaults, contract terminations, and bankruptcies.

Response Section III: Ability to Implement the Activities and Specifications of this Contract

The proposal will contain the approach that the vendor will take in implementing the activities and specifications described in this RFP.

Response Section IV: References

In order to validate the highest-ranking proposal, references will be contacted for further input. These clients may be contacted to determine the quality of the work performed and the personnel assigned to the project. The results of the reference calls will be used by the evaluation team in developing its recommendation for awarding the contract.

Bidder must provide at least three (3) references along with the name, title, phone number, and email address of the person who can speak to the bidder’s work and experience.

Response Section V: Staffing

This section should contain the following information about the bidder’s staffing to support the project and also include questions that are pertinent toward the bidder’s ability to carry out the activities and work specifications outlined in the RFP.

12  Has your company ever substituted staff listed in a bid proposal with lesser-qualified staff that subsequently provided the deliverables of the contract? If yes, what was the outcome?

 Does your company have adequate staff time that can be devoted to the Ver- mont Department of Health Radiochemistry Surveillance Project? If no, explain how you propose to obtain adequate staff. If yes, please elaborate.

 The contractor must describe in detail the years experience, the inventory of skills and level of knowledge of trained personnel capable of performing the requested analyses

 The contractor must describe in detail the skills and knowledge of trained personnel to fulfill the role of Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).

 Describe the education, training and experience of the key personnel that will supervise and perform radiochemistry analyses and personnel that oversee laboratory quality assurance operations for the duration of this contract. Include the QA Of- ficer, Radiochemist(s), Radiochemistry Supervisor/Manager, Project Manager, Data Review Staff, IT Manager, and RSO.

Response Section VI: Proposed Work Plan (Response to Requirements)

The proposal will contain full descriptions of the approach that the vendor will take in implementing the activities and specification described in this RFP.

Response Section VII: Quality Control (if applicable)

This section of the proposal must contain a description of the bidder’s data and laboratory quality control procedures.

Data Security Management:

This should contain a description of the physical and electronic safeguards in place to backup, protect and limit access appropriately to data related to this RFP, and should address but not be limited to the following items:

 Network and infrastructure security architecture  Control of access to physical site(s) where data, software and hardware reside  Control of access to applications, data files and other information assets  Data backup schedule, media and longevity of retention  Description of onsite and offsite storage of data backups  Virus protection

13 Laboratory Quality Management:

The Laboratory must be accredited with a National Laboratory Quality System Program (e.g., ISO, NELAP, DOD QSM, AFCEE). Program accreditations should be specified in the response. Preference will be given to NELAP and DOECAP accredited programs.

Must be able to provide a Quality Manual (Laboratory Quality Manual (LQM) or equivalent) that addresses, at a minimum:

Response Section VIII: Cost Proposal

This section of the proposal should include costs for this project, and include MDA/MDCs and anticipated turnaround times for routine environmental samples (water, soil and biota)

Costs will be based on a fee-for-service, for the number of tests and type of analyses performed. . Response Section IX: Exceptions (if applicable)

If the vendor should choose not to address a certain Activity, Deliverable or Condition, the vendor’s proposal must clearly explain why and what the vendor proposes as an alternative.

Response Section X: Bidder’s Review of RFP, State Contract Template, and Insurance Requirements.

Please provide a statement outlining your acceptance of conditions outlined in the RFP and with the State’s contract provisions.

6. Proposal Evaluation The evaluation team will determine if each proposal is sufficiently responsive to the RFP to permit a complete evaluation of the individual/organization and experience. Proposals must comply with the instructions to bidders contained in Section 5: Proposal Requirements. Failure to comply with the instructions shall deem the proposal non- responsive and subject to rejection without further consideration. The State reserves the

14 right to waive irregularities.

6.1 Minimum Requirements Minimum requirements for a proposal to be given consideration are:

 The proposal must have been received by specified date, hour (Eastern Standard Time) and in the number and form of copies specified.

 The proposal must contain the following items in the following order:

o Response Section I: Cover Letter and Insurance Certificate

o Response Section II: General Background and Qualifications

o Response Section III: Ability to Implement the Activities and Specifications of this Contract

o Response Section IV: References

o Response Section V: Staffing

o Response Section VI: Proposed Work Plan

o Response Section VII: Quality Control

o Response Section VIII: Cost Proposal

o Response Section IX: Exceptions

o Response Section X: Acceptance of RFP and State Contract Conditions

6.2 Finalists Presentations (if applicable) Not applicable

6.3 Method of Award The State reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. Upon completion of the evaluation process, Kerry Winger will select one bidder based on the evaluation findings and other criteria deemed relevant for ensuring that the decision made is in the best interest of the VDH. The selected vendor will be requested to enter into negotiation with the State of Vermont on contract specifications, including detailed work plans, deliverables and timetables. In the event the VDH is not successful in negotiating a contract with a selected bidder, the VDH reserves the option of negotiating with another bidder. The contract for is for two years. The contract may be renewed without rebidding for up to two consecutive one year periods based upon successful completion of activities set forth in the contract, availability of funds and approval from the

15 Administration.

6.4 Scoring Information The VDH evaluation review team will evaluate proposals based on the criteria listed in Section 6. Proposals will be assigned points and scored as follows:

Total Points

Response Section II: General Background and Qualifications 10

Response Section III: Ability to Implement the Solution 20 (Response to Requirements)

Response Section V: Staffing 20

Response Section VI: Proposed Work Plan 25

Response Section VII: Quality Control 15

Response Section VIII: Cost Proposal 10

All documents related to this bidding process, including bidders’ proposals and the evaluation review team’s score sheets, are considered public domain and copies may be requested.