U.S. Army Awards $9.4 Million Performance-Based Acquisition Task Order for Environmental Remediation Services at Fort Belvoir, Va.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 14, 2009, the U.S. Army awarded a $9.4 million performance-based task order to Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Monroeville, Pa., for environmental remediation services at Fort Belvoir, Va. The task order was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District on the Multiple Award Military Munitions Services contract.
The Fort Belvoir award is a five-year contract that includes achieving a Remedial Investigation at six Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) sites and achieving Remedy in Place at two MMRP sites. At one of the MMRP sites, munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) removal will be completed in required areas. At a second site, MEC Response Actions will be performed during construction activities. Lastly, the task order includes performing Remedial Action Operations/Long-Term Management at four Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites and five Compliance-Related Cleanup sites.
The Army has two restoration programs under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) for active/operating Army installations, the IRP and MMRP. The IRP is a comprehensive program to identify, investigate and clean up hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants resulting from past Department of Defense (DOD) operations and activities. The MMRP addresses the potential explosives safety, health, and environmental issues caused by past DOD munitions-related activities. Congress established the MMRP under DERP to address unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions and munitions constituents located on other than operational ranges on current and former defense sites.
Use of the performance-based acquisition approach requires clearly defined objectives to be achieved, measurable performance standards in terms of quality, timeliness, and quantity, and the method of assessing contractor performance against performance standards. The Army has found awarding performance-based contracts for environmental remediation services is a very effective means of accomplishing its cleanup objectives and benefits all involved.
Under a performance-based contract, the Army states the desired end result, and it's up to the contractor to take the necessary steps to get there. Contractors must still seek approval from the Army and regulators before implementing final cleanup remedies, and the Army still has the ultimate responsibility for the cleanup of its installations.
By providing clear definitions of performance expectations and government oversight criteria, there is a better likelihood that expectations will be reached to all parties' satisfaction. Linking payments to milestones provides incentives to develop and implement an effective and efficient approach to achieving contract requirements.
For more information on the Army's performance-based acquisition program, see http://aec.army.mil/usaec/cleanup/pba00.html or call (410) 436-2556.