Superfund Technical and Analytical Services

This contract represents the continuation of EMS's unbroken support to EPA's Superfund Program since 1991. The contract has an estimated value of $29.4 million over six years if all options are exercised. Under this contract, EMS's team is supporting all of EPA's headquarters and regional offices by researching and evaluating scientific, technological, economic, community outreach, and human and ecological health issues associated with Superfund sites and by providing logistical and administrative support for conferences, recordkeeping, and data management related to the Superfund Program.

To date, EMS has responded to 84 work assignments estimated at 210,200 professional hours, involving numerous consultants and subcontractors. Key projects include continued support to the Superfund Community Involvement (CI) Program, including organizing logistics and managing annual Agency-wide CI Conferences (in August, EMS arranged EPA's 11th consecutive conference, each of which attracts more than 400 people) with fact sheets, agendas, calls for presenters, and on-site logistics, exhibits, and graphics; designing, developing, and analyzing national surveys of citizens to determine the impact of the CI Program; support to the Technical Assistance Grants Program, including facilitating meetings and focus groups, and developing national guidance for Regions and grantees; developing a CI handbook and toolkit of resources for Regional staff to use with citizens; ongoing support to the Institutional Controls (IC) program, which affects all OSWER activities; development of a compendium of information and a web site to support the new Superfund Asbestos Framework; continuing support to the Superfund Risk Assessment Program; support to the enhancement of the nation’s radiation-laboratory capacity by developing guidance, training, and assessments of state, federal, and commercial laboratories; support to the Abandoned Mine Lands Team, including the preparation of fact sheets, training, and conferences; supporting dozens of other EPA meetings and conferences around the country; designing and conducting independent peer reviews of EPA technical publications; supporting Superfund's planning, budgeting, and evaluation activities; and preparing EPA's 2007 and 2008 Superfund Annual Reports. In addition, EMS continues to operate and maintain the Clean-Up Information Technology website (http://www.clu-in.org), including such companion sites as the Training Exchange (http://www.trainex.org), State Coalition for Remediation of Drycleaners (http://www.drycleancoalition.org/), and many more (see list), and researches emerging and innovative remediation technologies for the Superfund Program. EMS recently produced EPA's "Green Remediation: Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites." In October 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded EMS the highest possible marks—straight "5s"—in our formal performance evaluation spanning the initial two years of the contract. EMS received "outstanding" performance evaluations in all four categories of review: Quality of Product or Service; Cost Control; Timeliness of Performance; and Business Relations. Coming within one month of EPA's similar evaluation of our Brownfields Contract (see Brownfields description below), this assessment continues to demonstrate EMS's deep commitments to quality and customer satisfaction in everything we do.

Brownfields Technical, Analytical, and Administrative Support Services

This contract, awarded in May 2007, is EMS's second consecutive prime contract with EPA's Brownfields Program, and continues a relationship with the program that began in 1994. The contract, which has an estimated value of $16.6 million over five years if all options are exercised.Major areas of the contract include Technical Research and Analytical Support; Program Evaluation Support, Communications Outreach; Data Analysis, Survey, Distribution; Guidance Support; Training Support; Program Planning; Legislative and Regulatory Analysis and Development; Meeting, Workshop and Conference Support; and Program Implementation Support. The preliminary emphasis continues to be intensive support for the annual Brownfields Grants application process, ongoing support in implementing the All Appropriate Inquiries rule through sector training, and revitalization of RCRA and other facilities. In addition, EMS is assessing the benefits to the Nation's environment and redeveloping brownfields, supporting agency-wide land revitalization efforts, and supporting enhanced job-training and cleanup/assessment initiatives as part of the 2009 stimulus law. EMS developed the Brownfields Technology Primer on Vapor Intrusion. EMS is a principal supporter to EPA's new "Area-wide" Brownfields Program, targeting multiple sites in socially depressed communities. To date, 32 work assignments have been issued, involving more than 52,250 hours. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded EMS the highest possible marks—straight "5s"— in our formal performance evaluation. EMS received "outstanding" performance evaluations in all four categories of review: Quality of Product or Service; Cost Control; Timeliness of Performance; and Business Relations. This assessment demonstrates both EMS's commitments to quality and customer satisfaction as well as our client's recognition of them.

Technical Assistance in support of Chemical effects in response to Generic Safety Issue (GSI) 191

EMS is providing technical expertise in support of NRC’s review of licensee response to Generic Letter 2004-02, “Potential Impact of Debris Blockage on Emergency Recirculation During Design Basis Accidents at Pressurized-Water Reactors” in the program areas of licensing actions, other licensing tasks, and regulatory improvement activities. The areas of review will focus on licensee actions taken to mitigate chemical effects or provide engineered designs to mitigate migration of debris and gels to the containment sump screens.