EPA awards $4.9M contract for economic analysis and rulemaking support to ABT GLOBAL LLC

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $4,941,051 ($4.9M)

Contractor: ABT Global LLC

Awarding Agency: Environmental Protection Agency

Start Date: 2023-02-13

End Date: 2027-02-12

Contract Duration: 1,460 days

Daily Burn Rate: $3.4K/day

Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Pricing Type: TIME AND MATERIALS

Sector: Other

Official Description: TITLE: OPPT ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND RULEMAKING SUPPORT

Place of Performance

Location: ROCKVILLE, MONTGOMERY County, MARYLAND, 20852

State: Maryland Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

Environmental Protection Agency obligated $4.9 million to ABT GLOBAL LLC for work described as: TITLE: OPPT ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND RULEMAKING SUPPORT Key points: 1. Contract focuses on administrative management and general management consulting services. 2. Awarded under a Best Practices Agreement (BPA) Call, indicating a pre-negotiated framework. 3. The contract duration is 4 years, aligning with long-term policy development needs. 4. Time and Materials pricing structure may pose cost control challenges if not closely managed. 5. The agency is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a key player in environmental policy. 6. Contractor ABT GLOBAL LLC has secured this award through full and open competition.

Value Assessment

Rating: good

The contract value of approximately $4.9 million over four years suggests a moderate investment for specialized economic analysis and rulemaking support. Benchmarking against similar contracts for consulting services in administrative management and general management is difficult without more specific service details. However, the Time and Materials (T&M) pricing structure, while common, requires diligent oversight to ensure value for money and prevent cost overruns. The absence of a specific task order number or detailed scope within the provided data makes a precise per-unit cost comparison challenging.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: full-and-open

This contract was awarded through full and open competition, indicating that multiple interested parties had the opportunity to bid. The specific number of bidders is not provided, but the competitive nature of the award suggests that the EPA sought the best value from the market. Full and open competition generally leads to more competitive pricing and a wider selection of qualified contractors, which is beneficial for the agency in securing specialized expertise.

Taxpayer Impact: Taxpayers benefit from full and open competition as it typically drives down costs through market forces and ensures that the government receives services at a fair market price. This process also promotes transparency and accountability in federal spending.

Public Impact

The primary beneficiaries are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its various program offices requiring economic analysis for regulatory decisions. Services delivered include economic analysis and rulemaking support, crucial for developing and implementing environmental policies. The geographic impact is national, as EPA regulations affect all states and territories. Workforce implications include the potential for specialized economic consultants to contribute to federal policy development.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

Time and Materials (T&M) pricing can lead to uncontrolled cost growth if not managed rigorously.
Limited details on specific deliverables make it hard to assess the full scope and potential value.
The BPA Call mechanism, while efficient, might limit the depth of competition for specific task orders if not managed carefully.

Positive Signals

Awarded through full and open competition, suggesting a competitive bidding process.
Contract duration of 4 years allows for sustained support on complex economic analyses.
The contractor, ABT GLOBAL LLC, has secured a federal contract, indicating some level of established capability.

Sector Analysis

This contract falls within the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, specifically focusing on management consulting. The market for these services is vast, with numerous firms offering expertise in economic analysis, policy support, and regulatory compliance. The EPA's need for such services is consistent with its mandate to assess the economic impacts of environmental regulations. Comparable spending benchmarks would typically involve analyzing other federal agencies' contracts for similar economic consulting and rulemaking support services, which often range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars annually depending on the scope and duration.

Small Business Impact

The provided data indicates that this contract was not specifically set aside for small businesses (ss: false, sb: false). Therefore, small businesses are unlikely to be direct prime contractors on this award. However, ABT GLOBAL LLC, as the prime contractor, may have opportunities to subcontract portions of the work to small businesses, contributing to the small business ecosystem. The extent of subcontracting to small businesses would depend on the prime contractor's policies and the nature of the services required.

Oversight & Accountability

Oversight for this contract will primarily reside with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contracting officers and program managers. Accountability measures are embedded in the contract terms, including performance standards and reporting requirements. Transparency is facilitated through federal contract databases like FPDS, where basic award information is publicly available. The Inspector General's office of the EPA may conduct audits or investigations if concerns regarding waste, fraud, or abuse arise.

Related Government Programs

Economic Impact Analysis
Regulatory Policy Support
Environmental Economics Consulting
Administrative Management Consulting
Federal Rulemaking Process Support

Risk Flags

Potential for cost overruns due to T&M pricing
Lack of detailed scope definition in provided data
Need for robust contract oversight to ensure value

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

Environmental Protection Agency awarded $4.9 million to ABT GLOBAL LLC. TITLE: OPPT ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND RULEMAKING SUPPORT

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is ABT GLOBAL LLC.

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $4.9 million.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2023-02-13. End: 2027-02-12.

What is the specific scope of 'economic analysis and rulemaking support' required under this contract?

The provided data offers limited detail on the specific scope of work. 'Economic analysis and rulemaking support' typically involves tasks such as cost-benefit analyses of proposed regulations, economic modeling, impact assessments on various sectors (e.g., industry, consumers), and providing expert testimony or documentation to support the rulemaking process. For the EPA, this could involve analyzing the economic implications of new environmental standards, emissions controls, or conservation policies. A more detailed statement of work (SOW) would be necessary to fully understand the precise deliverables and analytical methodologies expected from ABT GLOBAL LLC.

How does the Time and Materials (T&M) pricing structure compare to other contract types for similar services?

Time and Materials (T&M) contracts are often used when the scope of work is not clearly defined at the outset or is expected to evolve. They reimburse the contractor for direct labor hours at specified hourly rates and for the actual cost of materials. While flexible, T&M contracts carry a higher risk of cost overruns compared to fixed-price contracts, as the total cost is not predetermined. For services like economic analysis and rulemaking support, where the effort can be variable, T&M is a common choice. However, agencies typically implement strict oversight, labor hour ceilings, and detailed reporting requirements to mitigate cost risks and ensure value for money, often preferring Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contracts when the scope is well-defined.

What is ABT GLOBAL LLC's track record with the EPA or similar agencies for providing economic consulting services?

Information regarding ABT GLOBAL LLC's specific track record with the EPA or similar agencies for economic consulting and rulemaking support is not detailed in the provided data. Federal procurement databases (like FPDS or SAM.gov) would typically contain historical award data for the contractor, including past performance evaluations, previous contracts with the agency, and the types of services rendered. A thorough review of these sources would be necessary to assess their experience, past performance quality, and suitability for this specific task. Without this external data, it's difficult to gauge their established expertise in this domain.

What are the potential risks associated with this contract, and how are they being mitigated?

Key risks include potential cost overruns due to the Time and Materials (T&M) pricing structure, scope creep if the requirements are not well-defined, and ensuring the quality and objectivity of the economic analysis. Mitigation strategies typically involve robust contract management by the EPA, including detailed monitoring of labor hours and costs, clear definition and management of the Statement of Work (SOW), regular performance reviews, and potentially establishing fixed-price task orders within the BPA Call for specific, well-defined deliverables. The full and open competition process also helps mitigate risks by selecting a contractor based on demonstrated capability and competitive pricing.

How does this contract's value compare to historical EPA spending on similar economic analysis and rulemaking support services?

The provided data does not include historical spending patterns for the EPA on similar services, making a direct comparison difficult. However, the $4.9 million award over four years ($1.225 million annually on average) appears to be a moderate investment for specialized consulting. The EPA, as a large regulatory agency, likely engages in numerous contracts for economic analysis, with values varying significantly based on the complexity and duration of the analysis. To establish a benchmark, one would need to examine historical contract awards by the EPA for economic consulting, regulatory impact assessments, and policy analysis over the past several fiscal years.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services › Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services

Product/Service Code: SUPPORT SVCS (PROF, ADMIN, MGMT) › PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Solicitation Procedures: SUBJECT TO MULTIPLE AWARD FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Solicitation ID: PR-OAR-22-01374

Pricing Type: TIME AND MATERIALS (Y)

Evaluated Preference: NONE

Contractor Details

Address: 6130 EXECUTIVE BOULEVARD, ROCKVILLE, MD, 20852

Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Not Designated a Small Business, Special Designations, Subchapter S Corporation, U.S.-Owned Business

Financial Breakdown

Contract Ceiling: $14,025,778

Exercised Options: $11,179,493

Current Obligation: $4,941,051

Actual Outlays: $3,832,814

Subaward Activity

Number of Subawards: 4

Total Subaward Amount: $545,557

Contract Characteristics

Commercial Item: COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES PROCEDURES NOT USED

Parent Contract

Parent Award PIID: 68HERH22A0018

IDV Type: BPA

Timeline