GKC Industry Day – Home

A 3-D numerical model was utilized in a multi-aquifer system at the Puchack Well Field Superfund site to evaluate the impact of dynamic pumping from nearby supply wells on the groundwater regime and its implications for in situ remedial design. The model was used to project groundwater gradient directions, plume migration, and amendment distribution under multiple pumping forecasts to inform injection strategy and areas where additional treatment may be needed.

Presented by: Ben Yezuita, CDM Smith

The way leaders and employees engage in an organization’s culture is paramount, particularly during a time in history when building and maintaining culture is quite complex. This session explores how we have attained success by shaping and reinforcing our culture, while embracing how and where our people work. (i.e. The caliber of talent at a firm shapes its culture. Individuals support each other to achieve maximum whole-person well-being, which elevates employee and client satisfaction. Relationships among employees, clients, and the community are critical and fosters extending these relationships. As the world shifts, the company evolves. etc…) In this session, you’ll learn about the evolution of Olsson’s flexible work environment program; understand how empowering employees to own their development and responsibilities drives culture; and explore the utilization of employee engagement data to shape the employee experience.

Presented by: Nick Weander, Olsson, Inc.   Co-Presenter:    Megan Lilley, Olsson, Inc.

Wildfires are devastating natural disasters that can occur unexpectedly within a community, which may not have plans in place to mitigate or respond to both the direct impacts from a fire as well as the numerous hazards following a fire. Wildfire Ready Watersheds is both a strategy and program developed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board that provides a proactive approach to address post wildfire impacts. This presentation will discuss the framework to provide guidance for local communities and stakeholders on how to perform more detailed susceptibility evaluations at watershed scales. It serves as a guide for best planning practices in advance of a wildfire and supports pre- and post-fire mitigation strategies.

Impacts are defined as risks posed by post fire hazards to community values such as water supplies, life and property, and transportation corridors. Common post fire hazards include increased runoff, debris flows, hillslope erosion, water quality impairments, flooding, and associated erosion and deposition. The mission of Wildfire Ready Watersheds is to assess the susceptibility of Colorado’s water resources, communities, and critical infrastructure to post-wildfire impacts and advance a framework for communities to plan and implement mitigation strategies to minimize these impacts – before wildfires occur.

The Wildfire Ready Watersheds program has a two-part focus:
(1) a statewide post-fire susceptibility analysis and
(2) a framework that communities can use to perform watershed scale planning to address post-fire hazards.

The susceptibility analysis consisted of several phases: data collection, data development, analysis, mapping, and reporting. This effort relied on existing and new statewide datasets for wildfire hazards, critical water supplies, populations at risk, and other infrastructure layers. The data was used to perform a susceptibility analysis that intersects post fire hazards with known values/assets at risk to determine impacts to life safety, infrastructure, and property. The results, displayed on the Statewide Post-Fire Susceptibility Explorer, further an understanding of which watersheds will be most susceptible to post wildfire impacts and where community stakeholders should focus their efforts in their wildfire mitigation efforts. Planning efforts will identify projects that can be implemented before and after wildfires.

Web link:  www.wildfirereadywatersheds.com

Presented by: Jeff Sickles, Olsson, Inc.

The federal government spent almost $800 billion in 2023 on federal contract and over a quarter of that went to small businesses (~$200 billion). There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses in the government marketplace. They include set-aside prime contract, subcontracting goals, and various socio-economic programs. We’ll discuss those opportunities and overcoming the barriers to entry.

Presented by: Matthew Moriarty, Schoonover & Moriarty, LLC

The Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) Southern Expansion Project is a highly visible and transformative, 50-acre, $420M program, including horizontal and vertical construction.
Through the leadership of ANC, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration, Arlington County, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Fund, Air Force District of Washington (AFDW), Department of Justice, and others, the Southern Expansion will seamlessly extend the cemetery. This expansion represents its largest expansion since the 1970s, allowing ANC to function as an active military cemetery for decades.
Objectives:

1. Focusing a diverse team for unique solutions: the complexity of the program required a fully integrated and multi-disciplinary team of 40 specialized engineers and consultants. Through a collaborative partnership between industry, USACE Norfolk District and ANC, the team developed a series of design solutions to address the unique requirements for Arlington National Cemetery that will be shared.
2. The following points outline the development of design solutions to simultaneously benefit the client, stakeholders, and the community:
   a. The team coordinated with VDOT and Arlington County on a roadway realignment to maximize the contiguous land available to ANC. Community benefits include a new dedicated pedestrian and bi-directional bicycle path and replacement of over 20 old utilities.
   b. The multimodal corridor connects the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, the proposed Pentagon Memorial Education Center, the Air Force Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery to create a new composition of monuments commemorating sacrifice.
   c. The design of the Air Force Memorial extended into the proposed cemetery expansion site. The team collaborated with AFDW on a new design to integrate the AFM with the cemetery, including a new pedestrian plaza. These changes are anticipated to increase the visitors to the memorial tenfold.
   d. The actions above transformed the site to increase interment 20% over the DD1391.
3. Addressing Inflation:
   a. During the summer of 2022, the construction industry faced record inflationary pressure. With USACE New England District support, the team implemented VE measures, including breaking the project into phases, expanding the bidder pool, maintaining the schedule, and optimizing the project’s general conditions, which saved ANC over $30M.

The project enhances the mission, establishes a development scenario that seamlessly integrates with and expands the existing cemetery, unites the cemetery with the Air Force Memorial, and welcomes the 9/11 Visitor Education Center as a neighbor with the honor and dignity commensurate with our Nation’s most hallowed ground.

Presented by: Gregg Schwieterman, HNTB     Co-Presenter:    Michael Parker, HNTB

The pace of technology change in the components of microgrid systems has been increasing rapidly. New distributed energy resources (DER) technologies are being developed and tested in pilot projects and demonstration projects that could soon become standard equipment for microgrids. The pace of change creates challenges for projects that span several years from concept to execution.

This presentation will explore some of the newer distributed energy resources that are becoming available for energy production and storage, factors impacting the pace of microgrid technology change, the impact of these changes, and areas for discussion about future project specifications and contracting.

Presented by: Brian Hinkle, Schneider Electric

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread in the environment due to their extensive use in thousands of industrial, commercial, and household products impacting surface and groundwater sources of drinking water across the United States. In 2023 after much anticipation, the USEPA proposed a draft drinking water regulation for PFAS. Later, the USEPA published the final rule in April 2024. The rule sets drinking water limits for PFOA and PFOS, as well as four additional analytes tied to adverse health effects. The new maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), represent the U.S. Government’s first enforceable regulatory action to address PFAS. This presentation will break down the requirements and timeline of the USEPA PFAS MCL regulation in terms of monitoring and compliance, as well as its potential implications to drinking water systems. The presentation will include several case studies from water systems that are currently moving forward with different strategies to achieve regulatory compliance.
The new MCLs limits certain PFAS to low part per trillion levels. Treatment of PFAS is challenging due to the complex chemistry and stability and persistence of the carbon-to-fluorine (C-F) bond. Currently, water treatment systems rely on processes that only separate PFAS from the water stream, such as granular activated carbon, ion exchange resin, or reverse osmosis (RO), which have all been successfully applied at full scale. While effective, these technologies generate large quantities of spent waste, which then require careful management, which is becoming increasingly costly as options for disposal become more limited. Alternate technologies are in development to separate PFAS and reduce the volumes of waste, including novel sorbents, foam fractionation, and coagulation. However, these technologies are often more energy intensive with limited applications in the field and at full scale. This presentation will provide a summary of the current developments into the removal, breakdown, and ultimate disposal of PFAS compounds. Also included will be a discussion of emerging PFAS issues and a view into the possible future of PFAS regulations.

Presented by: Leonel Almanzar, CDM Smith

This presentation will act as an introduction for small businesses who wish to scale their business or diversify their clientele by contracting with the federal government. This course will discuss small business registration requirements, various certifications and designations within the small business environment, programs tailored by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that give preference to certain small businesses, and strategic partnerships like joint ventures and teaming agreements.

Schoonover & Moriarty assists clients with all legal aspects associated with selling goods and services to the United States government. This includes all federal contracting programs, size and affiliation concerns, various teaming methods, bid protests, size and status protests, requests for equitable adjustment, claims and appeals, and more.

Presented by: Tim Laughlin, Schoonover & Moriarty, LLC

In the domain of national infrastructure, energy stands out as both a fundamental thread and a dynamic pattern that shapes the resilience and sustainability of our nation. The engineering community, including designers and equipment vendors, are some of the key players in the sector, diligently applying scientific and technical knowledge to innovate and improve our energy infrastructure. The transformation towards renewable energy is an example of a comprehensive challenge that encompasses not just the adaptation of modern technologies but also the sustainable integration into the current grid systems and local facility energy resiliency microgrids. These renewable sources are increasingly vital to the national energy strategy, driven by climate imperatives, federal agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD), focusing on clean, reliable, and secure energy sources to power their missions and the nation. The DoD is embracing these emerging technologies to ensure mission readiness and operational excellence. Innovative energy solutions must be analyzed through an economic lens to ensure that they are viable and sustainable long-term investments. We will look ahead, at the role of engineering and how shaping the nation’s energy independence and security is more critical than ever. 

Presented by:   Raul Herrera, Black & Veatch   Co-Presenter:    Bill Biehl, Black & Veatch

Cam-Dex will present on emerging technologies that future building designs can accommodate. Indoor Security Drones, Next-Gen intercoms with AI Concierge service, Cameras with visual and audio gun detection, Sensors with AI Analytics for Audio. Access Control Systems with minimal onsite devices. Complying with fed regs: FIPS 201, FIPS 140, FICAM, FedRamp, NDAA, and TAA.

Presented by:  Kevin McEvoy, Cam-Dex Corporation

Although its use goes back more than 150 years, 1,4-dioxane is now considered an emerging contaminant that is increasingly prevalent in groundwater. The EPA considers it to be “likely carcinogenic.” Currently, there is no federal drinking water standard for 1,4-dioxane, despite its widespread presence in drinking water systems. This presentation discusses the prevalence of 1,4-dioxane at military sites undergoing remediation, the challenges of remediation and the future of regulation.

Presented by: Rob Young, TLI Solutions

This presentation delves into the intricate mechanisms through which small businesses and 8(a) entities can effectively secure sole source awards within the framework of relevant rules and regulations. The comprehensive coverage includes an exploration of various types of sole source awards, an analysis of the Department of Defense (DOD) agencies that most frequently grant sole sources, guidance on preparing a compelling sole source justification, advantages for clients, potential drawbacks of this contracting technique, and an examination of the 5% Indian incentive. Furthermore, specific rules governing Alaskan Native Corporations, strategies for effectively selling to the client, success stories and best practices, crucial process milestones, insights into how large businesses can successfully capture sole source awards, the role of joint ventures, and an overview of recent regulatory developments are also presented.
Key Points Covered:

Types of sole source awards
DOD agency with the highest sole source awards
Preparing a sole source justification
Client advantages and downsides of this contracting technique
The 5% Indian incentive
Specific rules for Alaskan Native Corporations
Strategies for selling to the client
Process milestones
Success stories and best practices
Capturing sole source awards for large businesses
Role of joint ventures
Recent regulatory developments

Conclusion:
By shedding light on the nuanced landscape of securing sole source awards, this presentation equips small businesses and 8(a)s with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate the complexities of the procurement process effectively. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into recent developments in regulations, thus enabling attendees to stay abreast of the evolving contracting environment.

Presented by:  Brady Bigelow, North Wind Group