Approach to Providing Services

1.2 APPROACH TO PROVIDING SERVICES (RFP SECTION IV.B.3)

1.2.1 Introduction

Environmental Engineering, Inc. (EEI) is an independent professional engineering corporation in Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia and Class A Contractor. EEI is in its eighth year of operation and members of our staff have extensively worked with various DEQ regions (WCRO, SWRO, PRO, and SCRO) on over 100 projects related to the Virginia Petroleum Storage Tank Program (VPSTP). During this time frame, we have successfully addressed petroleum pollution complaints for clients ranging from residential property owners to large-scale fuel/gasoline dispensing and bulk storage facilities. Regulatory compliance for such a broad clientele base has required extensive corroboration and efforts among the members of our experienced staff, as well as operation/maintenance of complex equipment in support of performed services. We believe our credentials, experience, and operating protocols are well tailored to manage all, and perform most of the technical services required under this RFP. A select group of subcontractors has also been assembled for this response in order to enable a complete offering for requested services. The following sections of this proposal and attached appendices presents all applicable information and demonstrates a complete offering of services that were specifically requested in Section III of the RFP (Statement of Needs).
 

1.2.2 Geographic Location and Responding to Services in Multiple Regions
 

EEI has prepared this response to offer services to the following regions: 1) WCRO/SWRO; 2) SCRO and; 3) VRO. As requested, a separate pricing schedule is attached for each geographical region. Our corporate office is located in Blacksburg, Virginia. This location is centrally situated in the WCRO/SWRO province, and most areas positioned within the confinements of the SCRO and VRO boundaries are geographically located within a 125-mile radius of our operating facilities. Most of our listed subcontractors also operate offices in the same geographic region as EEI and some maintain offices in one or more of the other noted regions.
 

1.2.3 Equipment

In addition to our corporate office location, EEI maintains a separate field operations facility (total floor space in excess of 2,000 square feet) in Montgomery County, Virginia. This facility is located within two miles of our corporate office, and ensures effective, accurate, and timely field operation services. Pertinent items that are stored and maintained at this facility when not in use include: 1) 416 backhoe, flatbed trailer, and 8 cubic-yard dump truck; 2) trailer mounted, hollow stem/air rotary drill rig; 3) truck mounted, hollow-stem auger drill rig; 4) six mobile, trailer enclosed DPE systems; 5) two mobile, trailer enclosed total fluids recovery systems; 6) analytical/monitoring equipment [interface probes, photo ionization detectors (PIDs), combustible gas detectors (CGIs), organic vapor analyzers (OVAs), pH meters, etc.] and; 7) an enclosed/mobile, 24-hour emergency response trailer that is always equipped with sorbent materials, containment drums and over pack containers, blowers, containment equipment, liquid recovery pumps (trash, diaphragm, liquid-ring, etc.), and various hand tooling. In addition to the referenced items, EEI also maintains a well stock media sampling room at this facility, which includes equipment/materials that are necessary for on-going and short-term request sampling events. Comprehensive inventory spreadsheets for all items listed and/or referred to in this paragraph are available upon request.
This warehouse also contains a decontamination area that is utilized to clean all applicable equipment between operations at environmentally impacted or potentially impacted sites. Standard decontamination protocol is in place for all analytical instrumentation (I-probes, PIDs, CGIs, etc.) and reusable hard goods (stainless steel bailers, bucket augers, etc.). Each piece of applicable equipment has a Decontamination and Sign Off Check Sheet that must be completed after each use at an impacted or potentially impacted site. This protocol is incorporated to minimize cross contamination and personnel exposure, and are reviewed and kept on file under the supervision of the Field Operations Manager, Mr. Christopher Lalli. An example check sheet is available upon request.
EEI prides itself on the quality and condition of its field analytical equipment. All our equipment is maintained on a regular and frequent basis at our storage facility to ensure operability and accuracy. Obsolete or un-repairable equipment is decommissioned and replaced. Maintenance, repair, calibration, and documentation logs are kept and maintained for all analytical instrumentation. EEI also maintains a separate e-mail account that is strictly utilized to notify appropriate personnel when equipment repairs and/or maintenance are necessary. This allows us “catch” routine maintenance requirements or problems as they occur, which translates to maintaining our equipment in proper working accord.
All field analytical instruments routinely used during the course of investigating releases and performing release response and corrective action at leaking storage tank sites are calibrated and checked for proper operation on a monthly basis or more frequently in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. In addition to e-mail notification procedures, each piece of field equipment that requires periodic calibration has a Field Instrument Calibration and Operation Check Sheet. The referenced documentation depicts up to date information in regards to calibration and activities related to operational stability monitoring and routine maintenance. These procedures ensure accurate and timely data collection that is vital for proper assessment under any required phase of work. Field Instrument Calibration and Operation Check Sheets and are kept with the Field Operations Manager and are available upon request.
EEI also maintains an electronic scheduling/status file (shared file) on our corporate computer server. This file facilitates equipment scheduling as dedicated personnel are assigned equipment prior to performing requested work. This avoids scheduling conflicts and ensures that field personnel respond to each pre-planned visit with all applicable equipment. It also allows us to denote equipment that is under routine maintenance or repair, which prevents the use of inoperable or malfunctioning equipment. This spreadsheet is maintained on a daily basis and is under the direct supervision of EEI’s Field Operations Manager.

1.2.4 Communication

1.2.4.1 Standard Communication Procedures and Appurtenances

Issuance of state lead required work by the appropriate Virginia Department of Environmental (DEQ) office/case coordinator would be directed through EEI’s Director of Environmental Services, Mr. Andrew A. Alden. Upon receiving project notification, he would assign management to one off EEI’s dedicated project managers. Project managers would handle all correspondence with DEQ, and work with the EEI Field Operations Manager to schedule and implement all activities outlined on a DEQ approved Activity Authorization Form (AAF). Project managers would also handle all arrangements with subcontractors that are participating in this proposal submission. A detailed discussion of project manager responsibilities in terms of qualifications and logistical considerations will be addressed in later sections of this proposal. Please note that all personnel employed by EEI are assigned company electronic mailing addresses and most have dedicated telephone lines at our corporate office. All upper level management personnel, as well as our project managers, are assigned dedicated cellular telephones to facilitate correspondence when they are not in attendance of our corporate office. General office contact can be achieved by utilizing our toll free office number and/or administration electronic mailing account. Appropriate contact information would be submitted to appropriate DEQ personnel upon request
All motor vehicles owned and operated by EEI contain cellular phones. EEI also maintains additional mobile phones to account for situations that do not involve the use of company vehicles. In most situations, this allows communication between field and office personnel; however, adequate cellular phone signals are not always present in remote settings. In these situations, a pager is assigned to enable correspondence between office and dedicated field personnel. Upon receiving a text and/or numerical page, field personnel can typically contact the office/applicable paging party by locating a landline and utilizing our toll-free corporate telephone number.
 

1.2.4.2 Emergency Response Communication Procedures and Appurtenances

Emergency situations arising under this contract would either be abated by EEI personnel, or the listed subcontractor (LCM Corporation). Initial notification would be achieved by utilizing EEI’s, 24-hour emergency/spill response telephone service. A representative of our company attends this service 24-hours per day, seven days per week. Upon receiving verbal approval for required activities; EEI would either activate our response crew, or utilize LCM’s 24-hour per day response hotline to request and dispatch their emergency response services. The company selection or utilization decision for emergency response services will be at the discretion of EEI’s Emergency Response Coordinator (Mr. Robert Speiden) and based upon the scope-of-services requested for each emergency response situation.
 

1.2.5 Documentation

EEI's Vice-President, Mr. Andrew Alden, currently serves as the corporate QA/QC manager. The QA/QC manager is responsible for establishing a QA/QC plan and implementation. This process includes, but is not limited to, creation of a written QA/QC plan, corporate assimilation of the plan, creation and control of the QA/QC budget, management of employee training, and assurance of QA/QC through assistance and discipline. The QA/QC program established for project work under this contract would be assembled following the protocol established in the DEQ Storage Tank Program – Quality Assurance Project Plan and guidance set forth in EPA SW-846.
Prior to performing pre-planned field activities, EEI project managers are required to prepare a site-specific work order. Each work order itemizes all defined site visit tasks and denotes pertinent equipment and materials. The Field Operations Manager is responsible for reviewing, approving, and issuing each work order request to all applicable field personnel. Field personnel perform each site visit and record all applicable data according to the scope-of-work set forth in the approved form. Field personnel are also required to record vehicle mileage and incurred expenses in the designated sections of each completed submission. Completed work orders and supporting documentation are submitted for review by appropriate personnel to ensure that all defined activities were properly performed and documented. An example of EEI’s Daily Project Work Order and Report is presented in Appendix D.
Our project management staff maintains detailed records of all formal correspondence that ensues under each individual project. Current documentation protocol requires dated conversation logs for all received/conducted phone correspondence and printed accounts of any e-mail transcriptions. An example communication log is presented in Appendix E.
All EEI employees are required to submit a comprehensive timesheet on a weekly basis. Our staff members are responsible for itemizing their timesheets according to pre-defined project and associated task codes. Completed time sheets are utilized by our project management staff to track budgetary assignments, and prepare monthly invoicing statements for each individual project. An example timesheet is presented in Appendix F. Copies of all completed work orders and supporting information, timesheets, and correspondence documentation are placed in the appropriate case files at our corporate office location in Blacksburg, Virginia. All data and pertinent information is also stored on our computer server, which is backed-up on a daily basis.
 

1.2.6 Training/Health and Safety

EEI's Health and Safety Officer, Mr. Robert Speiden, is responsible for the administration of OHSA required safety training (First Aid, CPR, and HAZWOPER), oversight of an OSHA required medical monitoring program, and creation and implementation of corporate safety plans for all applicable activities (heavy equipment operation, remedial operations, etc.). Mr. Speiden is also responsible for ensuring that all active projects are governed by a site specific Health and Safety Plan.
Applicable certifications, monitoring programs, and safety training practices required by EEI include: 1) OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER certification for all technical staff members; 2) annual 8-hour refresher certification to ensure HAZWOPER compliance for all 40-hour trained personnel; 3) OSHA required medical monitoring program for staff members spending 30 or more days working in areas impacted by petroleum products and/or hazardous substances; 4) CPR and First Aid training for all personnel employed by EEI and 5) Class A Commercial Driver License for all heavy equipment operators, which includes required drug and alcohol testing. Documentation for the medical monitoring program and noted certifications are available upon request.
All EEI field personnel are trained in the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the collection of data, media sampling and laboratory submission, groundwater sampling, boring advancement/monitoring well installation, and various other activities that are typically performed under VPSTP. All EEI field personnel must demonstrate they’re knowledge of the SOPs by signing a signature sheet, and performing the applicable procedures for the first time in the presence of qualified personnel. SOPs that are applicable to activities that may be performed under this project are attached as Appendix G.

1.2.7 Project Management

The project manager is responsible for the timely completion of projects within budgetary and quality constraints. Project managers act as technical, on-site advisors; review and interpret technical data; act as liaisons with clients, vendors, clients, and regulatory agencies; perform geophysical surveys and contaminant fate and transport modeling; and prepare and review regulatory reports. Project managers normally supervise site-specific operations and conduct periodic follow-up visits to sites to address ongoing difficult and critical issues. All project managers at EEI have at least a Bachelors of Science degree in environmental science, geology, or engineering and the majority hold advanced degrees. Pertinent project management experience is demonstrated in applicable resumes and specific project summary examples, which are included in Sections 2.2 and 2.3 of this submittal, respectively.
 

1.2.8 Corporate Structure

EEI has two principals, Mr. Christopher M. Swan, P.E. (President) and Mr. Andrew S. Alden, P.E. (Vice President). The Vice President and Field Operations Manager work directly with Mr. Swan to oversee the operations of Project Mangers, Staff Scientists/Engineers, Technicians, and ancillary staff. The Director of Environmental Services serves as a technical advisor to projects, QA/QC manager, coordinates project assignments to Project Managers, and performs administrative tasks. The Field Operations Manager works with Project Managers to coordinate all field operations and handles administrative tasks related to dedicated field personnel (technicians). Staff Scientists/Engineers and technicians work together under the supervision of Project Managers to plan and complete project tasks. EEI's management structure is illustrated in the figure presented in Section 2.1.2.