Submission_Requirements_REV1.docx

Submission Requirements – ALB Tree Removal, Ohio Solicitation 12639120R0002

1. Submission Overview Offerors are advised to carefully review the proposal submission requirements specified in this section and the provision 52.212‐2, Evaluation – Commercial Items. This is a best value trade‐off procurement. The Government reserves the right to award to other than the lowest priced offer. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure completeness of the proposal. The Government may evaluate solely on the information provided in the offer and will not assume that any Offeror possesses capabilities that are not specifically identified in the offer. Failure to comply with the requirements of the solicitation may result in a proposal receiving no further consideration for award unless the Contracting Officer decides to hold discussions, and includes the Offeror in the competitive range.

The following items are required to be submitted in order to be eligible for award. Offers shall be submitted electronically in the following format:

a. Cover letter including the following information:

· The solicitation number

· The Offeror’s name, address, telephone and facsimile numbers, and email address

· Names, titles, telephone and facsimile numbers, and email addresses of persons authorized to negotiate on the Offeror’s behalf with the Government in connection with this solicitation

· Name, title, and signature of person authorized to sign the proposal. Proposals signed by an agent shall be accompanied by evidence of that agent’s authority

b. Signed SF1449 and acknowledgement of amendments if applicable

c. Completed Pricing Schedule

d. Responses to all technical evaluation factors as specified in section 4 of this document and in the provision 52.212-2, Evaluation – Commercial Items in solicitation package. The format used for the areas and factors below should be strictly adhered to. All responses in the Offeror’s package must clearly indicate the applicable evaluation factors and subfactors.

e. The following completed representations and certifications and any other relevant certifications as listed in Section 8.0, Solicitation Provisions):

· 52.209‐7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Oct 2018)

f. If applicable, a copy of any Teaming, Joint Venture or Mentor-Protégé Agreement

All pages containing text shall be consecutively numbered, type-written on 8½ x 11 inch paper with margins of at least one inch, and created using a font no smaller than 12.

2. Contractor Representation & Certifications Offerors must register and complete online representations and certifications in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov prior to the solicitation closing date. The Government will review completed Representations and Certifications in SAM following the solicitation closing date. Separate submission of the completed provisions 52.212‐3 and other certifications is required with proposal submissions.

3. Responsibility Determinations In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 9.1, Offerors may be requested to provide additional information in order to assist the Government in making a responsibility determination. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

a. A description of the resources available to demonstrate the firm is capable of complying with the performance requirements of 52.219‐14, Limitations on Subcontracting

b. Financial statements, including balance sheets that identify major categories of assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity, and profit and loss statements for the past three (3) years.

c. A Bank Certification of Financial Capability (line of credit)

This information will be treated as confidential commercial or financial information to the extent permitted by law under exemption 4 to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4). The financial statements should be not over 60 days old. If over 60 days old, a certification should be attached stating that the financial condition of the firm is substantially the same or, if not the same, the changes that have taken place.

4. Mandatory Submission Requirements for Non‐Price Related Evaluation Factors The evaluation factors and significant sub‐factors are listed below. It is intended that proposals be evaluated, and award made, without discussions with the offerors (other than communications conducted for the purpose of minor clarification(s)). If discussions are determined to be necessary, discussions will occur with all offerors unless a competitive range has been established. Failure to submit mandatory information for a factor, indicated by the word shall, will result in a rating of “unacceptable” for that factor, and the offeror will be ineligible for award unless the Contracting Officer decides to hold discussions, and includes the offeror in the competitive range.

4.1 EVALUATION FACTOR: TECHICAL CAPABILITY

Technical Capability includes the following significant subfactors: Technical Approach, Relevant Project Experience, Quality Assurance, and Key Personnel. Offerors shall submit the information specified for each subfactor.

Subfactor #1: Technical Approach Submittal Requirements

1) Management Plan (10 pages maximum). Offers shall include a narrative description of how the offeror plans to utilize resources to execute and manage the project. The Management Plan shall, at minimum, address the following:

· A clear and detailed description of the equipment and personnel that will be used to complete the requirements of this contract.

· An explanation of how the contractor would mobilize personnel and equipment to establish 10 crews working at 15 properties per day and removal of approximately up to 600 trees per week

· A detailed description of the distribution of work being performed by the Offeror and its subcontractors

· Offerors shall provide the names of major subcontractors that will perform a significant portion of the tree removal and restoration work. Major subcontractors are defined as members of an offeror’s overall team who are expected to perform ten (10) percent or more of the proposed effort.

· An explanation of how the contractor will provide Ohio State Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicators as necessary to directly supervise trained service persons for the application of contractually approved herbicide agents to stumps not ground below grade in accordance with the requirements of the contract.

· A graphical representation (organization charts) and a written description of the lines of authority and supervision, including who will directly manage and control the labor force and all other aspects of work performed under this contract on a daily basis.

2) Removal Plans (16 pages maximum). Offers shall include 6 (six) removal plans developed from the sample task information provided in Attachment 1, Sample Properties. Each Removal Plan shall, at minimum, address the following:

· A detailed and clear description of the equipment and crew to perform the work

· Designated parking and staging areas

· A proposed schedule for completing the tree removal and restoration requirements

· Description of plan, alternatives, contingencies, surveillance/quality assurance, and any other pertinent information

· Can include other info listed in Statement of Work Section 3.4.1 Development of Removal Work Plan (RWP)

Subfactor #2: Relevant Project Experience Submittal Requirements Offerors shall provide information to demonstrate the relevant project experience of the offeror and major subcontractors that will perform tree removal work. Relevant project experience is defined as similar tree removal and restoration work, performed in residential/commercial landscaped and/or residential/commercial wooded lots, that is similar in scope and complexity. Work that exclusively involves land clearing and/or logging is not considered relevant. Major subcontractors are defined as members of an offeror’s overall team who are expected to perform ten (10) percent or more of the proposed effort.

The Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 2) included in the solicitation is provided for the offeror to submit to the client for each relevant project the offeror includes in its proposal for this subfactor.

The offeror shall submit a completed Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 2) for each project submitted as an example of relevant experience. A minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) projects total shall be submitted with the Offer for work performed within the last three (3) years from the release date of this solicitation. Projects must be at least 75% complete and performed within the last three (3) years as of the release date of this solicitation.

All points of contact, phone numbers, and email addresses should be verified by the Offeror prior to submission. Points of contact must have first-hand knowledge of the project from a contractual, managerial, and technical perspective. Offerors should follow-up with clients/references to ensure timely submittal of questionnaires. If the offeror is unable to obtain a completed Past Performance Questionnaire form from a client for a project(s) before the proposal closing date, the offeror should complete and submit with the proposal the first page of the Questionnaire, which will provide contract and client information for the respective project(s). If the client requests, questionnaire may be submitted directly to the Government’s point of Contact, Kim Yen Tu, via email at kimyen.n.tu@usda.gov prior to the proposal closing date.

If more than five (5) examples are submitted for a firm (prime contractor and/or major subcontractor), only the five (5) most recent projects will be considered. An assessment of the quality of the work performed for the projects submitted as examples of relevant experience will be evaluated separately under the evaluation factor Past Performance. Changes to firms identified as performing a significant portion of work will require the Contracting Officer’s written consent before making any substitution

Subfactor #3: Quality Assurance/Control Plan Submittal Requirements Offerors shall include a detailed plan (5 page minimum) explaining how they will conduct quality assurance for all the requirements listed in the solicitation, including, but not limited to: contractor surveillance, inspection, deficiency identification and correction, communication/documentation, and personnel roles/responsibilities related to managing the contractor’s quality control plan.

Subfactor #4: Key Personnel Submittal Requirements

1) Resumes. Offers shall include one-page resumes for Key Personnel. Key Personnel are defined as the Project Manager and Project Arborist.

Project Manager. The Project Manager shall have a minimum of three years’ experience overseeing a minimum of three (3) crews working simultaneously on projects.

Project Arborist. The Project Arborist shall have a current certificate from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or equivalent. Submit copy of certificate with proposal.

Note: If key positions are currently vacant, the offeror shall submit the minimum qualifications required for individuals to fulfill these vacancies. If personnel proposed are later replaced, replacement personnel must have equal or better qualifications as those proposed and must be approved by the contracting officer before they can perform work. (See 452.237-74 Key Personnel.)

2) Evidence of personnel with current electrical line clearance tree trimmer certifications in accordance with OSHA 1910.269 and 1910.331, or ability to obtain resources.

4.2 EVALUATION FACTOR: PAST PERFORMANCE

Past performance is a measure of the degree to which an Offeror was successful on previous projects, as measured by the level of past customer satisfaction. It is also a measure of the degree to which an Offeror has complied with Federal, State, and local laws and regulations. Past performance information is one indicator of an Offeror’s ability to perform the contract successfully.

Submittal Requirements There are no separate submittal requirements for this evaluation factor.

The Government’s assessment of past performance will focus mainly on the Offeror’s and major subcontractors’ reputations with customers and other sources. The Government may use information provided by the offeror in its proposal and information obtained from other sources for projects performed within the past three (3) years.

The Government will consider the documented quality assessment results provided with the completed Past Performance Questionnaire. (See “Technical Approach” subfactor # 2, “Relevant Project Experience”). If more than five (5) questionnaires are submitted, only the five most recent projects will be considered.

The Government will consider the currency of past performance information, source of the information, context of the data, and general trends in the contractor’s and major subcontractors’ performance. The Government may contact any or all of the past performance references provided by the Offeror in response to this solicitation, and may also use information obtained from any other sources, including Government files or data obtained through interviews with personnel familiar with the contractor/subcontractor and their current and past performance under previous contracts performed within the past three years. While the Government may elect to consider data from other sources, the burden of providing detailed, current, accurate and complete past performance rests with the Offeror.

In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably provided the offeror certifies that additional relevant project information is not available and provides an acceptable explanation as to why additional past performance is not available.

5. Pricing Proposal Offerors shall complete and submit the price schedule with their proposal and include a price for each line item, including subtotals and totals. Offers must include a price for all items in this solicitation to be eligible for award. The Government will award on an “All or None” basis. A firm must only submit one proposal.

6. Solicitation Questions All questions must be submitted via email to Kim Yen Tu at kimyen.n.tu@usda.gov no later than five (5) days prior to the solicitation closing date. Responses will not be provided to telephonic inquiries.