**STATEMENT OF WORK**

**Environmental Innovations: SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT**

The Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation (OPEI) is the primary
policy arm of the EPA. OPEI provides critical analysis and management
support in three broad areas: regulatory management, economic analyses
and innovative approaches. Within OPEI is the Office of Cross Media
Programs (OCMP). This office is responsible for building and fostering
systems and approaches that promote improved environmental performance
by business and by communities. OCMP conducts programs and develops
policies, strategies and tools in several areas including, industrial
sectors, small businesses, recognition of top environmental performers,
and the environmental impacts of development policy and practice. These
efforts are designed to motivate communities and facilities to function
in an environmentally preferable manner. Housed in OCMP, the
Development, Community and Environment Division (DCED) is home to EPA's
Smart Growth and Green Building program. DCED works with states and
communities to find ways to grow more sustainably in a way that
minimizes environmental and health impacts. Smart growth development
approaches have clear environmental benefits, including improved air and
water quality, increased wetlands preservation, more clean-up and re-use
of brownfield sites, and increased preservation of open spaces. Green
building development approaches also have clear environmental benefits,
including improved energy efficiency, improved indoor air quality, and
reduced consumption of and waste associated with materials used in
construction. To achieve its goal of more communities implementing
sustainable approaches to development, DCED:

-   Provides tools and technical assistance to help states and
    communities build capacity to make smart growth and green building
    happen.

-   Works with sector, community, and government leaders to raise
    awareness of the relationship between development decisions and
    their impact on environmental quality (including air, water, and
    climate effects).

-   Identifies, researches, and develops new policy initiatives to
    improve environmental quality by supporting smart growth and green
    building.

-   Engages the architecture, transportation, construction, residential
    and commercial real estate, mortgage lending, and insurance
    industries to identify and remove barriers to smart growth, green
    building and related environmental activities.

-   Facilitates cooperation and communication between various smart
    growth stakeholders, including participation in the Smart Growth
    Network, a partnership program that develops and distributes
    information on smart growth policies, issues and tools.

-   Evaluates the environmental consequences of various patterns of and
    community and industry strategies for development.

-   Coordinates the EPA programs working on green building related
    issues, and provides leadership in the development of green building
    standards.

The purpose of the contract(s) is to provide DCED with technical support
in the areas of a) Research and Policy Analysis, b) Technical
Assistance, and c) Communications and Outreach, all of which are related
to:

1)  the impacts of current development patterns,

2)  alternative forms of development,

3)  the policy and regulatory framework that supports or hinders smart
    growth,

4)  the development of mechanisms that encourage smart growth, green
    building, and related environmental practices,

5)  improved management of community resources and growth, and

6)  green building standards, practices, and products.

For this statement of work the term "development" means the current and
future built environment which includes but is not limited to:
residential, commercial, civic, industrial, and multi-use projects, as
well as existing projects, new projects, redevelopment and changes in
uses.

The Contractor(s) will need to be familiar with a range of legislation,
rules, regulations, codes and ordinances in order to successfully
conduct work under this contract. At the federal level this includes but
is not limited to:

-   The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

-   Clean Water Act (CWA) and critical components such as the National
    Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

-   Clean Air Act (CAA) and crtical components such as the National
    Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and Transportation Conformity
    rules

-   Previous Federal Highway Trust Fund reauthorization acts (ISTEA,
    TEA-21 SAFETEA_LU) and critical implementation mechanisms such as
    the State and Metropolitan Planning rules and FTA New Starts Program

-   Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
    Act (CERCLA/Superfund)

-   Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA)

-   Federal Housing Act (FHA)

-   Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA)

-   Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

-   Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)

-   Endangered Species Act (ESA)

-   Pollution Prevention Act (PPA)

At the state and local level key areas include: enabling legislation for
planning and zoning, zoning laws, building codes and ordinances, housing
and urban development programs (e.g., state brownfields initiatives).
Additionally, familiarity with emerging state and local, laws or
agreements related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also be
important. Finally, familiarity with other state and local statutes with
a direct or indirect bearing on development, infrastructure,
transportation, and planning will be a key area of expertise needed for
the contract(s).

**I. BACKGROUND**

**Smart Growth**

Current development patterns and practices have a variety of associated
environmental impacts including rapid consumption of open spaces and the
resulting loss of valuable riparian and ground water recharge areas, and
increased reliance on auto travel which increases energy consumption,
and air and water pollution. They impact local and state economies when
demands for new infrastructure in outlying areas override the needs for
repairs and maintenance on infrastructure in existing areas. They impact
public health as evidenced in increased rates of childhood asthma and
obesity, and declining opportunities for physical activity through
walking or biking. Additionally, the pattern of abandoning existing
areas of our communities has environmental implications associated with
brownfields and impervious ground cover. Federal, state, and local
policies as well as private sector decisions each play a role in
determining development patterns and practices.

EPA uses the term "smart growth" to describe its range of policy,
planning, and design alternatives to conventional development. DCED
helped create the Smart Growth Network \-- a diverse group of partners
including developers, business and industrial groups, citizen activists,
financiers, and government officials and others involved in development
and environmental protection \-- more than a decade ago. DCED continues
to work with these Network partners to demonstrate the effectiveness of
collaboration, educate the public, develop analytical and policy tools,
and encourage environmentally-friendly development that yields improved
environmental outcomes for the entire community.

Smart growth links the location, design, and quality of the built
environment to environmental, natural resource, economic and quality of
life concerns. Smart growth is using land efficiently. It is development
that integrates development types such as housing, office, retail, and
other commercial uses at a pedestrian scale. It minimizes environmental
impacts by consuming less land and reducing impervious surfaces and
vehicle travel. It offers transportation and housing choices. It cleans
up and redevelops brownfields and other abandoned and under utilized
properties. Smart growth communities reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases that result from heating and cooling of buildings, and their
transportation related emissions. The goal of smart growth is to build
communities that offer a high quality of life for their citizens while
protecting natural features and important ecological functions, making
better use of limited fiscal and natural resources, promoting human
health, mitigating the effects of development on the climate, and
encouraging economic efficiency.

**Green Building**

DCED is charged with coordinating EPA green building programs and
advancing EPA's goal of facilitating the mainstream adoption of
effective green building practices. An outline of EPA's green building
strategy is below.

Despite the rapidly growing interest in green building, there is no
widely accepted definition of what this term really means. Nor are there
widely accepted standards for measuring, verifying and evaluating green
building products and practices. As a science-based agency, EPA has the
expertise and credibility to help fill these gaps. EPA's green building
strategy commits EPA to strengthening the scientific, technical,
economic and institutional foundations of green building. This includes
working with other organizations and interested stakeholders to
continually advance green building standards and metrics. Recognizing
that much of the green building progress, to date, has been built upon
breakthroughs in technology, practice, or understanding, EPA also will
enhance the Agency's support for green building research and
development. This research is needed to ensure green building product
quality and reliability, advance knowledge of environmental and health
issues associated with buildings, and increase understanding of the
economic costs and benefits of green building. EPA will support research
through our own programs and laboratories and through collaboration with
other academic, governmental and research organizations.

As the nation's leading environmental agency, EPA has a unique platform
for communicating with the public, other government agencies, and key
stakeholders. EPA will increasingly use that platform to help raise
awareness about the environmental impacts and opportunities associated
with buildings, so that consumers and other organizations can make
better informed decisions when purchasing building-related products or
services. Recognizing that most of the attention to green building, to
date, has focused on new commercial and public buildings, EPA will
increase its focus on untapped opportunities for greening existing
buildings and homes, which comprise the majority of the U.S. building
market. In particular, the Agency will focus on providing green building
information and opportunities to homeowners seeking to upgrade or
renovate their homes, or otherwise improve their energy efficiency.
While surveys suggest that many people would like to reduce the
environmental impacts of their homes, many either do not know where to
start or are overwhelmed by the breadth of information available. One
way in which EPA will raise awareness is by continuing to advance the
greening of our own facilities.

The *EPA* *Green Building Strategy* addresses a major sector of the
economy that presents significant opportunities for improving
environmental and public health protection. By working with others who
share EPA's interests and by strategically coordinating the Agency's own
building-related programs, EPA will play an important role in bringing
about the widespread adoption of effective, high-performance green
buildings for the benefit of this and future generations.

**II. Subject Matter Expertise Needed for Work Areas**

This statement of work requires an inter-disciplinary approach to
assess, develop, and evaluate issues related to development and their
impacts on the environment, human health, economy, and social
well-being. This may require the Contractor(s) to conduct qualitative
research, quantitative analysis, modeling and database management;
outreach and education; technical assistance; and development and
analysis of policy options on subject areas that include, but are not
limited to, the following areas:

1.  **[Environmental Impacts]{.underline}**

-   Environmental impacts (air, water, climate, land) of various
    development patterns

-   Environmental impacts (air, water, climate, land) of different
    transportation systems

-   Environmental impacts (air, water, climate, land) of infrastructure
    alternatives (water, sewer, septic, stormwater, roads, sidewalks,
    etc.,)

-   Environmental impacts (air, water, climate, land) of construction
    techniques and practices

-   Environmental impacts (air, water, climate, land) of land
    preservation strategies

-   Impact of environmental regulation and planning practices of local,
    regional, and state governments

-   Stormwater impacts of development at the site, community, regional
    and watershed levels

-   Energy efficiency and climate impacts of building technologies and
    design, community design, infrastructure, and transportation systems

-   Environmentally responsible infrastructure and transportation system
    designs

-   Strategies for climate protection and their associated requirements
    on building, planning, and funding for all aspects of development

-   Strategies for improving water quality and their associated
    requirements on building, planning, and funding for all aspects of
    development

-   Water quality and quantity impacts of development, infrastructure,
    and transportation options

-   Strategies for improving air quality and their associated
    requirements on building, planning, and funding for all aspects of
    development

-   Local, regional, and state transportation planning processes

-   Community environmental performance indicators across all media
    associated with different development approaches.

-   More sustainable, community-based environmental practices

-   Development, transportation and infrastructure impacts on the
    preservation and restoration of habitats, streams, watersheds,
    forest, farmland and other green space

-   Environmental impacts of changes associated with climate change and
    impact on development, such as rising sea levels and their
    implications for coastal development practices

2.  **[Housing and Community Design]{.underline}**

-   Smart growth community design, including New Urban and Traditional
    Neighborhood Design, Mixed-use Development, Transit Oriented
    Development

-   Conventional community design

-   The impact of rural, suburban and urban design contexts on enabling
    policy and enforcement frameworks

-   Conservation design, riparian zone protection, habitat management,
    stormwater infiltration strategies and/or best practices

-   Site planning including the use of planned unit developments and
    cluster zoning

-   Energy efficient design, including green building and sustainable
    design

-   Healthy community design, including active aging and active living
    design

-   Natural disaster and hazard planning, resiliency, recovery, and
    adaptation strategies

-   Local planning, zoning processes, and land development regulations

-   State planning and zoning enabling legislation

-   Community engagement and stakeholder involvement in development
    planning and implementation

-   Community engagement and stakeholder involvement in design and
    planning efforts to achieve environmental protection (e.g. land
    trusts, climate protection strategies, watershed protection efforts)

-   Innovative local planning and zoning methods including Form-Based
    Codes, the Smart Code, and Sustainability Codes

-   Innovative community participation programs for planning

-   Housing incentives such as density bonuses, low income housing tax
    credits, and housing trust funds and other state local affordable
    housing programs

-   Inclusionary zoning policies

-   Community green infrastructure design, including low-impact
    development

-   Military base closures, expansions, and redevelopments

-   The impact of water quality/source water protection on site design

-   Community-wide or regional environmental management planning and
    practices

-   Urban growth boundaries and annexation policies

-   School, park, and other civic use location, design and function

-   Coastal and waterfront design and building

-   Building codes (including green building standards) that encourage
    sustainable approaches to development and construction

-   Zoning and planning for different housing types

-   Planning for and prioritizing open space protection, including
    acquisition, easements, agricultural reserves, and zoning

3.  **[Infrastructure and Transportation Systems]{.underline}**

-   Impacts of infrastructure investments (water, sewer, utilities, and
    transportation networks) on development patterns, and vice versa

-   Local, regional, and state infrastructure (water, sewer, utilities,
    and transportation networks) planning, policies, and processes

-   Financing different infrastructure approaches (water, sewer,
    utilities, and transportation networks)

-   Federal funding, policies and processes for supporting (or
    inhibiting improved investments in) infrastructure (water, sewer,
    utilities, and transportation networks).

-   The impact of different development patterns on transportation
    outcomes and other infrastructure needs

-   Optimizing transportation and infrastructure resources, through
    fix-it-first policies, multimodal corridor planning, location
    efficient housing, and improving jobs/housing balance at the
    community and regional scale

-   Parking, community design and walkability, including alternative
    parking standards

-   Street design, street networks, streetscape design and
    transportation choice, including alternative street standards

-   Street and infrastructure alternatives, including "green streets"
    and "complete streets"

-   Commercial corridor redevelopment, including streetcar system
    planning

-   Impacts of development, design and intensity on viable
    transportation choice

-   Community design impacts on household and government transportation
    spending

-   Regional and state transportation planning policies and processes

-   Transportation funding, policies, and processes at federal, state,
    and community level

-   Resiliency and adaptation in infrastructure (water, sewer,
    utilities, and transportation networks) to changes associated with
    climate change

-   Disaster recovery and mitigation (to natural or other large-scale
    incidents), including changes for infrastructure and transportation
    planning and funding

-   Energy impacts of infrastructure (water, sewer, utilities, and
    transportation networks) options

-   Impact of demographic trends on transportation patterns, housing
    preferences and business location decisions

-   Impact of energy costs on transportation patterns, housing
    preferences and business location decisions

-   Freight transportation systems design and effectiveness, including
    ports, overland travel, and their impacts on communities

-   Transportation system design and the provision of emergency services

4.  **[Health]{.underline}**

-   Health impacts of various community design patterns, such as
    transit-oriented development, conventional suburban development, and
    compact mixed-use infill development.

-   "Healthy community" programs, including active aging and active
    living programs

-   Development patterns and demographic changes, including aging
    populations, immigration patterns, and household size

-   Community design and children's health

-   Mental health and open space

-   Building material health impacts

-   Health impacts of different infrastructure and transportation
    alternatives

-   Public health impacts of transportation and community design

-   Indoor air quality

-   Public health impacts of different transportation systems, including
    freight traffic and port expansion

-   Health impact assessments

5.  **[Real Estate Finance and Development]{.underline}**

-   Brownfield and infill development, land acquisition, clean up,
    design, finance, marketing, leasing and sales well as fiscal,
    economic and environmental impacts.

-   Traditional neighborhood development design, finance, marketing,
    leasing and sales, as well as fiscal, economic and environmental
    impacts.

-   Transit-oriented development design, finance, marketing, leasing and
    sales, as well as fiscal, economic and environmental impacts.

-   Real estate finance, investment and lending markets and their
    impacts on alternative community designs

-   Insurance and appraisal practices and impacts on development

-   Real estate marketing and rating criteria and impact on development

-   Private, public, or quasi-public markets for financing energy
    efficiency or climate protection, such as regional cap and trade
    programs

-   Standards for certification of green building practices and
    materials (for new and existing construction, communities, and other
    applications)

-   Financial or policy support for affordable housing and impacts on
    development

-   Trends in commercial and residential tenant location decisions

-   Trends in residential, office and retail development and tenanting

-   Impacts of demographic trends on development industry

-   Alternative financing for compact, mixed-use or infill development

-   Industry standards that create disincentives/incentives for
    alternative community design and green building

-   Innovative programs of community involvement in development planning
    and stakeholder involvement processes

-   Development review and approval processes and their impact on
    development patterns and practices, including streamlining policies,
    innovations, and techniques

-   Smart growth audits and water quality audits

-   Tax, economic development, agricultural policies which impact
    development patterns and practices

-   Financial barriers to green building

-   Green building incentive programs, including rebates, tax waivers,
    and others

6.  **[Public Sector Finance / Fiscal Impacts of
    Development]{.underline}**

-   Fiscal impacts (at local, regional, state and federal levels) ---
    revenue and costs\--of different development types

-   Fiscal impacts (at local, regional, state and federal levels) ---
    revenue and costs\--of different approaches to infrastructure and
    transportation

-   Fiscal impacts (at local, regional, state and federal levels) ---
    revenue and costs\--of different construction techniques and
    practices

-   Fiscal impacts (at local, regional, state and federal levels) ---
    revenue and costs\--of different land preservation strategies

-   Municipal fiscal performance measures and how they are affected by
    different types and patterns of development

-   Fiscal impacts of different environmental outcomes from development,
    and their mitigation and/or reduction

-   Fiscal zoning

-   Federal, state and local regulatory and fiscal incentives and
    disincentives for smart growth and green building

-   Impact of fiscal policy on development

-   Municipal, regional and state economic and community development
    strategies that support or undermine smart growth activities and
    green building

**III. WORK AREAS**

The Contractor(s) shall provide technical support in the following
areas: a) Research and Policy Analysis, b) Technical Assistance, and c)
Communication and Outreach. All policy options or recommendations
developed by the Contractor shall be subject to Agency review and
approval. The Agency will have the final determination regarding any
recommendations developed by the Contractor(s).

**III. A. RESEARCH AND POLICY ANALYSIS**

The research and policy analysis needs of EPA fall generally into the
following two subcategories, which are described in detail below: 1)
Qualitative Research, Quantitative Analysis, Modeling, and Database
Management, and 2) Development and Analysis of Policy Options.

**III.A.1. Qualitative Research, Quantitative Analysis, Modeling, and
Database Management**

The Contractor(s) shall conduct research/analysis, collect and present
data, regarding the substantive topics described in "*Section II,
Subject Areas of Research, Data Gathering, Analysis, Communications and
Outreach, and Technical Assistance*." Briefly, this includes but is not
limited to the following activities:

-   Gathering and presenting data

-   Gathering qualitative information on best practices

-   Quantitative analysis and modeling

-   Spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

-   Survey research (consistent with OMB guidelines)

-   Building and managing databases

a\) The Contractor(s) shall collect both qualitative information (e.g.
best practices case studies) and data related to the topic areas
identified under Section II of this Statement of Work. Examples include
but are not limited to:

-   Successful, alternatives to low-density, auto dependent, single-use,
    greenfield development that improve environmental performance of
    communities. This includes more sustainable community-based
    environmental practices by the public and private sectors;

-   Development and transportation planning programs that engage a broad
    base of stakeholders and achieve truly integrated approaches to
    planning;

-   Innovative financing and development of smart growth communities,
    including transit-oriented, mixed-use projects built to green
    building standards;

-   Programs and policies that address the development, infrastructure,
    and transportation sectors' impact on air and water quality at the
    regional, airshed, and watershed levels;

-   Polices, programs, projects that improve health outcomes for
    residents from a variety of demographic backgrounds;

-   Innovative community engagement and input;

-   Open space, working lands and habitat restoration and preservation;

-   Coastal development in the face of rising sea levels caused by
    climate change;

-   Green products and materials data;

-   Market share data on green buildings and green products;

-   Programs and policies designed to incentivize green building; and

-   Other examples of successful and unsuccessful policies, programs and
    projects.

b\) Quantitative Analysis and Modeling. The Contractor(s) shall use
tools and techniques which are commonly accepted in the fields of data
analysis, econometrics and statistics to perform analyses related to the
topics listed in *Section II, "Subject Matter Expertise Needed for Work
Areas."* Examples of potential topics of such data analysis and modeling
include, but are not limited to, discerning the relationships between
different forms of development (e.g., conventional suburban development
or infill), different construction practices (LEED-certifiable or
conventional), and corresponding infrastructure or transportation
systems, and the different outcomes associated with those options (e.g.,
a particular indicator of environmental, fiscal, or economic impacts).
Modeling shall also be used in some cases to support projects listed
below, under *III.A.2.* *Development and Analysis of Policy Options*.

Data shall be derived from the housing, commercial, industrial, real
estate market, transportation, environmental, and other sectors, from
public or private sources. The copyright or proprietary nature of such
data shall be adhered to at all times. The contract may require the use
of the following tools and techniques:

-   Development of simple *spreadsheet based analytical tools*. (may
    include programming of macros in Microsoft Excel)

-   *Economic analysis*: decision analysis, revealed preference and
    contingent valuation techniques;

-   *Real estate analysis*: market studies, hedonic price/property value
    models financial investment models and pro forma analysis.

-   *Fiscal analysis*: local government fiscal impact models, capital
    project cost estimation, revenue forecasting, financial analysis for
    public revenue or general obligation bonds;

-   Other *multivariate statistical analysis*: nested choice models,
    cluster analysis, factor analysis, or other

-   *Environmental impact modeling:* evaluating the impact of
    development on specific indicators of environmental quality, such as
    air quality, water quality, emissions, climate protection, loss of
    open space, habitat fragmentation, etc.;

-   *Health impact models:* evaluating the impact of development on
    indicators of public and community health, including asthma,
    obesity, cardio-respiratory incidents, etc.;

-   *Cost benefit or cost effectiveness analysis* of government laws,
    rules, regulations and programs, including brownfields cleanup and
    redevelopment; and

-   *Payback period* *analysis* for investments in green building
    components (products and techniques), green infrastructure systems,
    and/or other sustainable approaches to development and construction.

c\) Spatial Analysis/Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The
Contractor(s) shall use GIS either to provide spatial
statistics/variables for analyses described above, use other techniques
unique to spatial analysis (overlays, area/distance/network
calculations, etc.), or create maps summarizing critical information
(e.g. developable parcels in a station area, location of critical
natural resources, etc.). The Contractor(s) shall obtain available
sources of demographic, socio-economic, environmental, health,
business/industry sector, and real estate data, and code/map it via GIS
(if necessary) at the county, city, census tract and block levels of
resolution to show impacts of prevailing and alternative patterns of
development and planning on communities. The Contractor(s) shall create
GIS models or maps in such a way that data and/or outputs may be
aggregated or disaggregated, and may be presented on a sector-specific
basis (e.g., housing data separate from industry data).

d\) Surveys. The Contractor(s) shall provide capacity to carry out
surveys. This includes planning, designing, conducting, analyzing, and
presenting the results of surveys, and assisting DCED, and other offices
and regions in EPA, in how to design, conduct and analyze surveys.

*Note: Surveys for more than nine non-federal respondents require
approval from the Office of Management and Budget, and follow the
parameters as described here:*
[www.epa.gov/customerservice/icr/1711ss03.htm](http://www.epa.gov/customerservice/icr/1711ss03.htm).

e\) Database Management. As specified by work assignments, the
Contractor(s) shall create, manage and update spreadsheets or databases
relevant to substantive issues listed in *Section II, "Subject Matter
Expertise Needed for Work Areas*" or to support analyses listed under
"Development and Analysis of Policy Options." The Contractor(s) shall
provide databases with capabilities for database linkage and easy
updating, revision, and transfer of data. Such spreadsheets or databases
shall be developed for wide distribution or use by DCED, OCMP, OPEI,
other EPA offices and regions, the general public, and other partners.

> The Contractor(s) shall provide legends and clear labeling of tables
> in data analyses to fully document the data collection and analysis
> methodology/assumptions. As specified in the Work Assignments,
> deliverables (including interim products) shall be given to the
> government in Lotus Notes, Microsoft Excel or Quattro-Pro format (or
> other software compatible with the EPA's systems). The Contractor(s)
> shall convert database files from larger Statistical Analysis Software
> (SAS) or Statistical Product Service Solution (SPSS) models to a
> compatible format (e.g., Quattro Pro or Excel).

**III.A.2. Development and Analysis of Policy Options**

The Contractor(s) shall identify, develop, and evaluate statutory,
policy, or program options, at the federal, state, and local levels as
well as within industry sectors, companies and organizations. These
options may prompt changes in the prevailing incentives for current
development and infrastructure systems and/or provide disincentives or
incentives for smart growth development and, green building, and related
environmental practices. The Contractor(s) shall provide a final product
following such analysis, such as a report, workshop, presentation, or
other work product, as specified in the work assignments. The
Contractor(s) shall analyze and develop policies, programs and other
activities related to the subject areas listed in Section II of this
statement of work. Examples of this work include but are not limited to:

-   Evaluation of federal policies and identification of potential
    policy changes

-   Evaluation of state, local, or industry policies and identification
    of potential policy changes

-   Evaluation of the potential to incorporate development,
    transportation and sustainability considerations into implementation
    of current environmental programs

-   Analysis and development of policies which could be used to support
    greater private-sector financing for compact, mixed-use, walkable,
    development including infill and/or brownfields redevelopment and
    green building

-   Analysis of distributional impacts of current policies, and
    recommendations of policy changes

-   Evaluation of the comparative advantages and disadvantages of
    housing or business location in communities with different
    development patterns, infrastructure choices, and construction
    requirements

-   Evaluation of the impacts government policies have had on the
    structure of the construction, development, infrastructure, and
    transportation industries and how they operate

-   Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of green building practices

-   Evaluation of the performance of green buildings and their systems.

-   Analysis of green building products and practices and barriers to
    market penetration.

a)  Evaluation of federal policies and identification potential policy
    changes. The Contractor(s) shall identify federal policies that act
    as incentives for current development or disincentives for more
    sustainable smart growth and green building development and
    infrastructure, and related environmental practices. This may
    include analysis of policies in taxation, transportation, housing,
    construction, water quality, water supply, water-related
    infrastructure, energy, economic development, environmental
    regulation, utility regulation, or other related sectors, facilities
    or small businesses. The Contractor(s) shall also identify and
    analyze policies that would encourage development of previously
    developed sites, such as infill sites or brownfields. The
    Contractor(s) shall analyze and develop alternative policies and how
    they would be most effective in changing development patterns and
    practices to create more sustainable, healthy and protective
    environments. These results will then be provided to the PO for
    review and approval.

b)  Evaluation of state, local, or industry policies and identification
    of potential policy changes. The Contractor(s) shall identify state,
    local or industry policies, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances,
    conventions or practices which act as incentives for more
    sustainable smart growth and green building development and
    infrastructure, and related environmental practices. The
    Contractor(s) shall analyze different options for changing policies,
    rules, regulations, codes, ordinances, conventions or practices to
    promote smart growth, green building, and related environmental
    activities. Such studies shall focus on one or more specific sites,
    cities, states, regions, or industries as directed by the PO or WAM
    under a specific work assignment. This type of analysis may require
    on-site research and work. The Contractor(s) shall also identify and
    analyze state, local, or industry policies, rules, regulations,
    codes, ordinances, conventions or practices which would discourage
    development of previously developed sites \-- infill sites or
    brownfields, or green building. The Contractor(s) shall analyze and
    develop alternative policies and how they would be most effective in
    changing development patterns and practices. These results will then
    be provided to the PO for review and approval.

c)  Evaluation and development of methods that recognize the benefits of
    more environmentally responsible development in environmental
    programs. An example would be giving credits to municipalities under
    the Clean Air Act for building compact, pedestrian-friendly
    mixed-use developments, built to green building standards, which
    tend to decrease automobile travel and increase energy efficiency.
    Another example would be recognizing the reductions in stormwater
    runoff that result from redeveloping a site that already had
    impervious surface, e.g., a parking lot being redeveloped as
    residences, and representing those benefits in the form of
    supportive policy allowances.

d)  Analysis and development of policies that could be used to support
    greater private-sector financing for compact, mixed-use, walkable,
    development, built to green building standards, including infill
    and/or brownfields redevelopment. The Contractor(s) shall evaluate
    the connections between public sector policies and the prevalence of
    private-sector financing of various forms of development, such as
    brownfields or infill. The Contractor(s) shall identify policy
    options to support smart growth and green building development
    options.

e)  Analysis of distributional impacts of current policies, and
    recommendations of policy changes. The Contractor(s) shall evaluate
    distributional impacts of different forms of development. This
    analysis may involve estimates of income effects and willingness to
    pay for more sustainable smart growth and green building development
    and infrastructure, and related environmental practices. This
    requires identification of benefits such as financial, economic,
    fiscal, health, and environmental benefits; stakeholders;
    distributional impacts across demographic groups (such as the
    elderly and young); and geographic entities, as well as an
    assessment of the permanency and magnitude of development impacts.

f)  Evaluation of the comparative advantages and disadvantages of
    housing or business location in communities with more sustainable
    smart growth and green building development and infrastructure, and
    related environmental practices. The Contractor(s) shall quantify
    economics associated with location in more and less densely
    populated areas, areas with differing development patterns, and
    areas with different infrastructure systems. The Contractor(s) shall
    include factors related to population density and the provision of
    government and utility services (e.g., energy, telecommunications,
    water infrastructure), as well as access to commercial markets.

g)  Evaluations of the impact government policies have had on the
    structure of the construction, development, infrastructure, and
    transportation industries and how they operate. The Contractor(s)
    shall evaluate how current and past government policies have
    affected the structure of the construction, development, finance,
    infrastructure, and transportation industries. The Contractor(s)
    shall assess how this structure affects growth patterns, community
    sustainability and the environmental, health, economic and fiscal
    impacts of the development and its associated transportation and
    infrastructure systems. The Contractor(s) shall develop policy
    options to encourage the creation of industry structures or best
    practices to promote more sustainable smart growth and green
    building development and infrastructure, and related environmental
    practices.

h)  Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of green building practices.
    The Contractor(s) shall evaluate green building practices and
    determine at what rate any additional costs in products, building
    techniques, or permitting are recouped through higher building value
    or energy and/or water savings. The Contractor(s) shall assess the
    economic impact of green buildings in terms of reduced environmental
    damage, inhabitant or worker productivity, and other factors.

i)  Evaluation of the performance of green buildings and their systems.
    The Contractor(s) shall assess the performance of green buildings
    and green building features. The assessment shall include a
    determination as to whether the performance of green buildings and
    their features are meeting expectations, identify any unforeseen
    problems or benefits, gauge the level of occupant satisfaction and
    health, and include recommendations for improvement. The assessment
    shall include comparisons of green building practices and types
    using national and international examples.

j)  Analysis of green building products and practices and barriers to
    market penetration. The Contractor(s) shall assess building products
    offering themselves as green in the marketplace and determine the
    validity of such claims. The assessment shall include effectiveness
    of the product and lifecycle assessments to determine whether the
    product's claims are justified. The Contractor(s) shall also
    identify barriers to greater penetration of green products in the
    marketplace and suggest a means to overcome those barriers. In
    addition, the Contractor(s) shall identify barriers to green
    building practices and a means to overcome those barriers. The
    Contractor(s) shall identify barriers, challenges and solutions in
    third party green building standards

**III. B. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE**

The Contractor(s) shall assist DCED staff in supporting technical
assistance programs or projects sponsored by key partners (EPA program
and regional offices, local and state government, industry trade groups
and non-profit organizations). Technical assistance efforts will include
any effort to build capacity in a local, regional or state entity to
implement strategies related to construction, development,
infrastructure (water, sewer, utilities, and transportation networks),
and planning issues that result in improved environmental, health,
economic, fiscal and social impacts. Technical assistance also supports
DCED's ability to more fully explore and understand the implications of
various design and policy options in the real world. The activities
conducted under this task include but are not limited to:

-   Developing and offering options for strengthening leadership
    practices among target audience;

-   Providing technical and administrative support for all meetings and
    events (see *III.C.5. Events*, below);

-   Developing materials in preparation for technical assistance
    efforts, including but not limited to modeling outcomes of different
    development approaches, completing market or economic analyses, or
    developing model code language for discussion;

-   Providing assistance with community engagement; community design
    assistance (including charrettes, visioning exercises, and visual
    preference surveys), and policy development for community
    discussion;

-   Completing financial, environmental, fiscal, health and economic
    analyses to assist with evaluation or implementation of options
    provided by technical assistance efforts.

All work will be done in close coordination with and subject to approval
by WAM and/or PO.

**III. C. COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH\
**

As directed by EPA, the Contractor(s) shall create outreach materials
and information related to construction, development, transportation,
infrastructure, and planning issues as well as their related
environmental, health, economic, fiscal and social impacts. The
Contractor(s) shall communicate and disseminate this information across
EPA and to state and local governments, tribes, the public, industry,
local or national environmental groups, small businesses, and other
organizations. Communication efforts may include, but are not limited
to:

-   Publications

-   Reports

-   Multimedia Presentations (including print, video and audio formats)

-   Web development support

-   Events

-   Outreach

1)  Publications: The Contractor(s) shall prepare drafts and then a
    print ready copy of the document in the required format, for
    publication in the Federal Register, professional journals, trade
    press, and/or online as a web page according to the PO and/or the
    WAM's documented technical direction. The Contractor(s) shall
    coordinate with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
    and other identified entities as appropriate to make documents
    available to the public (includes copying materials to go to NTIS if
    needed, keeping track of documents, and delivering materials to NTIS
    and others). When provided a mailing list by the PO and/or the WAM,
    the Contractor(s) shall distribute the specified materials to the
    recipients listed. The Contractor(s) shall develop or expand mailing
    lists as requested by the WAM and PO. Forms of output include, but
    are not limited to, guidance documents, primers, reports, technical
    manuals, outreach pamphlets, brochures, and fact sheets. All
    materials generated by the Contractor(s) for distribution or
    publication must be reviewed by the Agency prior to publication or
    distribution. The Contractor(s) shall also provide EPA with
    logistics support for conducting peer review of documents in
    accordance with EPA Peer Review Policy.

2)  Reports: The Contractor(s) shall provide EPA with various research,
    evaluation and analytical reports; option papers, recommendations,
    and proposals; minutes, summaries, and findings from meetings;
    internet and electronic data base and information inventories.

3)  Multimedia Presentations: The Contractor(s) shall provide video,
    audio, and computer-based production and editing for the
    communication of ideas, studies, analysis developed under other
    parts of this contract, or from other sources of EPA work, in a
    variety of formats. The specific format and deliverables will be
    specified in the work assignments.

4)  Web Development Support: The Contractor(s) shall provide web
    services both on a project-specific basis and to effectively
    communicate smart growth and green building policies, programs and
    projects on a broad scale to states, local governments, industry,
    relevant stakeholders, interested parties and groups, and the
    general public. These web services shall include, but are not
    limited to:

-   Maintain existing web sites and databases, including the design,
    testing, and implementation of enhancements, adding new modules, and
    fixing bugs in a short timeframe.

-   Design and test new web sites and databases to support smart growth
    and related environmental activities. Designs will be tested and
    optimized for different browser conditions and operating
    environments.

-   Assess the functionality of existing green building, smart growth
    and policy development websites to determine needed improvements and
    upgrades.

-   Ensure that all web work is in compliance with Agency and
    Government-wide web policies and requirements.

-   Develop and implement webinars, webcasts, and podcasts, or other
    similar services.

5)  Events: The Contractor(s) shall provide technical and administrative
    support for informational and training events about innovation both
    within the Agency and including others. Events include meetings,
    conferences, workshops, focus groups, public hearings, and other
    public involvement events. These events may be limited to
    participants from within the Agency, include EPA and other
    regulatory agencies, key stakeholder groups, or may be open to the
    general public, and may be national, regional, or local in scope.

-   Technical support includes, but is not limited to, researching and
    preparing background information; facilitating sessions; recording
    sessions and preparing and analyzing minutes, summaries, and
    proceedings. Forms of outputs may include research and technical
    analysis of issues raised by affected or concerned participants. The
    Contractor(s) shall clearly indicate the assumptions made, sources
    used and not used, and methodological choices made both conceptually
    and in data selection. All training material used shall be reviewed
    and approved by EPA prior to their use.

-   Administrative support includes, but is not limited to, preparing
    mailing lists, correspondence, name badges, registration packets,
    developing on-line secured sites, managing registration, and paying
    hotel bills, purchasing conference materials such as notepads and
    folders, producing flyers and agendas, arranging for working meals,
    staffing for the registration desk, distribution of EPA material to
    the general public at booths or other conference-sponsored format,
    and procuring audio-visual equipment.

6)  Outreach: The Contractor(s) shall identify the relevant
    stakeholders, organizations, or constituents to involve in policy
    planning, conferences, workshops, or events regarding policy
    initiatives, as specified in a work assignment. The Contractor(s)
    shall provide support for marketing of products, including providing
    bound and electronic copies for the intended audience, and
    identifying relevant trade, non-profit associations and forums to
    disseminate EPA's publications or pamphlets. Nothing shall be
    distributed without prior EPA review and written approval by the WAM
    and/or PO.