Master Agreement for Environmental Services
Statewide Environmental
Consulting Program
Technical pre-qualification for Site Investigation and Remediation supporting Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB).
Firm Description: ATC Group Services LLC
- National Institutional Strength: ATC Group Services LLC (dba Atlas Technical Consultants) is a premier national consultancy specializing in environmental services, engineering, and facility assessments. With a broad network of offices across the United States, ATC provides the State of Michigan with access to a deep pool of technical resources, including hydrogeologists, toxicologists, and remedial engineers. The firm is recognized for its ability to manage high-stakes environmental liabilities for public sector clients, particularly in the management of hazardous materials and large-scale site closures.
- Regional Michigan Expertise: ATC maintains a significant operational presence in Michigan, with strategic regional offices in Novi and Bay City. This local infrastructure ensures that the firm can mobilize field crews rapidly for emergency response tasks, site characterization, and long-term monitoring across both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Their Michigan-based staff possesses intimate knowledge of the state's unique geological conditions, including the complex glacial till formations that influence groundwater contaminant migration.
- Professional Personnel Standards: The firm’s technical leadership consists of licensed Professional Engineers (PE), Professional Geologists (PG), and Certified Professional Professionals (CP). In accordance with Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA), all field investigations are overseen by "Environmental Professionals" (EP) who meet federal ASTM E1527 standards. This level of professional accreditation ensures that all data generated under the DTMB contract is legally defensible and meets the rigorous audit standards of the EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy).
- Legacy of State Collaboration: ATC has established a multi-decade track record of successful collaboration with the State of Michigan. This Master Agreement (Contract No. 200000000923) reflects the firm’s continued status as a trusted advisor to the DTMB. By maintaining continuity on complex remediation projects, ATC helps the state avoid the technical friction associated with vendor transitions, ensuring that historical site knowledge is preserved and applied to current remedial challenges.
- Advanced Subsurface Diagnostics: The firm leverages state-of-the-art geophysical and analytical tools to map subsurface contamination. This includes the use of High-Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) technologies, such as Membrane Interface Probes (MIP) and Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF). These tools allow ATC to develop high-fidelity Conceptual Site Models (CSM) that pinpoint "hot spots" of contamination, thereby reducing the volume of soil excavation required and lowering overall project costs for the taxpayers of Michigan.
- Integrated Health and Safety (HASP) Culture: ATC operates under a comprehensive Health and Safety Plan tailored specifically for hazardous waste operations (HAZWOPER). Field activities, particularly those involving leaking underground storage tanks (LUST) and contaminated soil removal, are executed with a "zero-incident" mindset. This commitment to safety protects not only ATC’s personnel but also state employees and the general public during active remedial construction projects at state-owned facilities.
- Administrative Integrity and Fiscal Maturity: As a pre-qualified vendor for the State, ATC has undergone rigorous financial and administrative vetting. The firm utilizes sophisticated project management and cost-accounting software to ensure transparent billing and compliance with Michigan’s prevailing wage and procurement regulations. Their ability to secure bonding for multi-million dollar remedial actions provides the State with a critical layer of financial security for large-scale infrastructure projects.
- Multidisciplinary Technical Resources: Beyond traditional soil and groundwater consulting, ATC offers a breadth of specialized services including industrial hygiene, asbestos and lead-based paint assessments, and building enclosure testing. This multidisciplinary approach allows the DTMB to utilize ATC as a "one-stop" solution for the diverse environmental challenges encountered during the renovation or decommissioning of state-owned buildings and property.
- Regulatory Advocacy and Strategic Liaison: ATC acts as a technical intermediary between the State of Michigan and regulatory bodies like EGLE and the EPA. By providing evidence-based remedial designs and risk-based closures, the firm helps the State navigate complex regulatory hurdles, ensuring that cleanup objectives are achieved in the most efficient timeframe possible while remaining fully compliant with state and federal laws.
- Sustainable Remediation Leadership: ATC is a proponent of "Green Remediation" practices. Whenever possible, the firm evaluates the carbon footprint of remedial alternatives, prioritizing technologies that minimize energy consumption and waste generation. This alignment with broader state sustainability goals ensures that environmental cleanup efforts do not inadvertently contribute to other environmental stressors.
Detailed Scope of Services: Environmental Program
- Phase 1: Comprehensive Site Investigation (Part 201/213): ATC provides professional services to determine the nature, extent, and magnitude of contamination at state-owned or operated properties. This involves the systematic collection of soil, groundwater, and soil vapor samples to identify the presence of hazardous substances. All investigations are designed to meet the requirements of Part 201 (Environmental Remediation) and Part 213 (Leaking Underground Storage Tanks) of the NREPA.
- Phase 2: Hydrogeological Characterization and Plume Mapping: A critical component of the scope involves defining the vertical and horizontal limits of contaminant plumes. ATC installs permanent and temporary monitoring wells to assess groundwater flow direction and velocity. Through advanced modeling, the firm predicts the migration of contaminants toward sensitive receptors such as residential drinking water wells or surface water bodies.
- Phase 3: Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Management: ATC manages all technical aspects of UST releases. The scope includes initial response actions, such as free-product removal, followed by Site Classification and the development of Final Assessment Reports (FAR). The firm ensures that all tank-related investigations comply with EGLE’s specific petroleum-hazard standards, focusing on risk-based corrective actions.
- Phase 4: Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Engineering: Based on investigation results, ATC develops engineered RAPs to address identified risks. This scope includes the design of mechanical systems (such as Soil Vapor Extraction or Air Sparging), the delineation of soil excavation boundaries, and the selection of appropriate in-situ chemical or biological treatment methods to degrade contaminants in place.
- Phase 5: Operation, Maintenance, and Monitoring (OM&M): For sites with long-term remedial systems, ATC provides ongoing OM&M services. This includes routine system checks, performance sampling, and the adjustment of mechanical components to ensure the system is operating at peak efficiency and meeting all discharge permit requirements.
- Phase 6: Vapor Intrusion (VI) Diagnostic and Mitigation: ATC assesses the risk of contaminant vapors entering buildings from the subsurface. This involves sub-slab vapor sampling, indoor air monitoring, and the design of vapor mitigation systems. The firm’s expertise in building science is utilized to ensure that mitigation systems are integrated seamlessly into existing HVAC and structural components.
- Phase 7: Feasibility Studies and Best Value Analysis: Before implementing a final remedy, ATC conducts feasibility studies to evaluate various cleanup technologies. Each option is weighed against criteria such as long-term effectiveness, short-term risk, implementability, and total lifecycle cost, providing the State with a "Best Value" recommendation.
- Phase 8: Hazardous Waste Characterization and Disposal: The scope includes the management of all "investigation-derived waste" and remedial waste. ATC performs waste profiling to determine if materials meet hazardous or non-hazardous criteria under RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) and coordinates the safe transport and disposal of these materials at licensed facilities.
- Phase 9: Emergency Response and Technical Oversight: ATC provides rapid-response technical support for environmental emergencies. This includes the management of sudden spills, tank ruptures, or the discovery of immediate health threats. The firm provides the DTMB with "on-site" oversight of emergency contractors to ensure that initial abatement actions are effective and compliant.
- Phase 10: Digital Data Management and GIS Visualization: To facilitate informed decision-making, ATC manages all site data in a centralized digital database. The firm utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create high-resolution maps that visualize contaminant trends over time, groundwater contours, and the proximity of contamination to property boundaries.
- Phase 11: Quality Assurance and Laboratory Coordination: ATC implements a project-specific Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). The firm manages the selection of certified laboratories and performs rigorous data validation to ensure that all analytical results used in the report are accurate and meet the "Data Quality Objectives" (DQO) established by the State.
- Phase 12: Public Relations and Regulatory Liaison Support: ATC assists the DTMB in communicating complex technical data to the public and regulatory agencies. This includes preparing graphics for public meetings, drafting responses to EGLE "Notice of Deficiency" letters, and participating in technical workgroups to resolve regulatory disagreements.
- Phase 13: Site Closure and Restrictive Covenant Documentation: Once remedial goals are met, ATC prepares the necessary documentation for site closure. This includes the drafting of Restrictive Covenants (RC) to manage residual contamination through institutional controls and the submission of Closure Reports for EGLE approval.
- Phase 14: Economic Liability and Cost Estimation: For every assigned project, ATC provides a detailed estimate of the State’s future environmental liability. This includes "Rough Order of Magnitude" (ROM) costs for future remedial phases, allowing the State to plan multi-year budgets for environmental cleanup.
- Phase 15: PFAS and Emerging Contaminant Investigations: The scope specifically includes the investigation of emerging contaminants such as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). ATC follows Michigan's evolving sampling protocols to ensure that these complex chemicals are detected and managed in accordance with the latest public health standards.
- Phase 16: Professional Peer Review and Expert Witness: As a pre-qualified expert, ATC provides peer reviews of reports generated by other state consultants. Their senior personnel are also available to provide expert witness testimony in legal proceedings involving environmental liability or cost-recovery actions against third-party polluters.
Technical Evaluation & Criteria
Contractual Performance Metrics
- Technical Competence: Evaluated based on PG/PE licensure.
- EP Status: Requirement for Environmental Professional designation.
- Regional Presence: Offices in Novi and Bay City for rapid response.
- Administrative Grade: Compliance with state reporting/billing.
Value Proposition
This contract represents a "Pre-Qualified Pool" where value is derived through competitive Task Order bids. ATC Group Services provides the State with a high degree of technical certainty, leveraging its national resources to manage local Michigan liabilities effectively and at a competitive scale.
Technical Callouts
DTMB
Department of Technology, Management and Budget. The primary state agency that manages procurement and facility operations.
EGLE
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The regulator that sets the standards for environmental cleanup.
NREPA Part 201
Michigan's primary statute for environmental remediation of soil and groundwater contamination.
RCRA
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Federal law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste.
GAYA CAPITAL
CONTRACT REF: 200000000923