36C24620R0144_1.docx

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER

2. TYPE OF SOLICITATION

3. DATE ISSUED

PAGE OF PAGES

4. CONTRACT NUMBER

5. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER

6. PROJECT NUMBER

7. ISSUED BY

CODE

8. ADDRESS OFFER TO

a. NAME

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) (NO COLLECT CALLS)

10. THE GOVERNMENT REQUIRES PERFORMANCE OF THE WORK DESCRIBED IN THESE DOCUMENTS (Title, identifying number, date) 12a. THE CONTRACTOR MUST FURNISH ANY REQUIRED PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BONDS?

(If "YES," indicate within how many calendar days after award in Item 12B.)

12b. CALENDAR DAYS

13. ADDITIONAL SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS:

STANDARD FORM 1442 (REV. 8/2014)

STANDARD FORM 1442

Prescribed by GSA-FAR (48 CFR) 52.236-1(d)

SOLICITATION, OFFER,

AND AWARD

(Construction, Alteration, or Repair)

SOLICITATION

SOLICITATION

IMPORTANT - The "offer" section on the reverse must be fully completed by offeror.

9. FOR INFORMATION

CALL:

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

11. The Contractor shall begin performance within ____________ calendar days and complete it within calendar days after receiving award, notice to proceed. This performance period is mandatory negotiable. (See _____________________________).

YES

NO

a.

Sealed offers in original and ___________________copies to perform the work required are due at the place specified in Item 8 by _____________ (hour) local time _____________________ (date). If this is a sealed bid solicitation, offers must be publicly opened at that time. Sealed envelopes containing offers shall be marked to show the offeror's name and address, the solicitation number, the date and time offers are due.

b.

An offer guarantee is, is not required.

c.

All offers are subject to the (1) work requirements, and (2) other provisions and clauses incorporated in the solicitation in full text or by reference.

d.

Offers providing less than _______________________ calendar days for Government acceptance after the date offers are due will not be considered and will be rejected.

36C24620R0144 X 11-17-2020 558-19-211 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg 4 - 006 Fayetteville NC 28301 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg 4 - 006 Fayetteville NC 28301 Wayne H. Goodmond

(910) 482-5112 Award is subject to the availability of funds.

Issue Date: November 17, 2020 Site Visit Date: November 25, 2020 10:00 AM - Bldg. 6 RFI Receipt Date: December 2, 2020 Proposals Due: December 17, 2020

X X 52.211-10 X

3:00 PM

EST

12-17-2020 X

14. NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR

15. TELEPHONE NUMBER

16. REMITTANCE ADDRESS

CODE

FACILITY CODE

17. The offeror agrees to perform the work required at the prices specified below in strict accordance with the terms of the solicitation, if this offer is accepted by the Government in writing within __________ calendar days after the date offers are due.

AMOUNTS

18. The offeror agrees to furnish any required performance and payment bonds.

19. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

AMENDMENT

NUMBER

DATE.

20a. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER 20b. SIGNATURE 20c. OFFER DATE

21. ITEMS ACCEPTED:

22. AMOUNT

23. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

24. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

ITEM

25. OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION PURSUANT TO

10 U.S.C. 2304(c)( 41 U.S.C. 3304(a) (

26. ADMINISTERED BY

27. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

PHONE:

FAX:

28. NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT

29. AWARD

Your Contractor agrees offer on this solicitation is hereby accepted as to the items listed. This to furnish and deliver all items or perform all work requirements identified award consummates the contract, which consists of (a) the Government on this form and any continuation sheets for the consideration stated in solicitation and your offer, and (b) this contract award. No further cont-this contract. The rights and obligations of the parties to this contract ractual document is necessary.

shall be governed by (a) this contract award, (b) the solicitation, and (c) the clauses, representations, certifications, and specifications incorporated by reference in or attached to this contract.

30a. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTOR OR PERSON AUTHORIZED 31a. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

TO SIGN

30b. SIGNATURE 30c. DATE 31b. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 31c. AWARD DATE

BY

OFFER

AWARD

STANDARD FORM 1442 (REV. 8/2014) BACK

(Include ZIP Code) (Include area code) (Include only if different than Item 14.)

(Insert any number equal to or greater than the minimum requirement stated in Item 13d. Failure to insert any number means the offeror accepts the minimum in Item 13d.)

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the solicitation -- give number and date of each) (Type or print) (4 copies unless otherwise specified) (Type or print) (Type or print) (Contractor is required to sign this document and return _______ copies to issuing office.)

(Contractor is not required to sign this document.)

(Must be fully completed by offeror) (To be completed by Government)

CONTRACTING OFFICER WILL COMPLETE ITEM 28 OR 29 AS APPLICABLE

See Proposal Items Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville NC 28301 Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center P.O. Box 149971 Austin TX 78714-9971

Overhead Paging System Project No: 558-19-211

STATEMENT OF WORK

PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to provide a new In-Building Mass Notification system for the Durham VAMC that will cover buildings 1 & 23 in order to facilitate public and code blue announcements. The system shall allow for later expansion in order to expand coverage to those areas, and to other buildings on campus. Paging zones for the system will be assigned based on existing building wings. The emergency and psychology departments will only have speakers at the nurses’ stations and will not have speakers in the corridors. The rest of the facility will have speakers in the corridors and select meeting rooms.

The Fire Alarm system will take precedence over all Nurse Call system and Mass Notification System announcements as follows:

· Interface of the In-Building Mass Notification system to the Fire Alarm system will be done via contact closure controlled by the Fire Alarm system. The contact closure will be active during any active audio message from either internal pre-recorded message or fire alarm microphone. When the contact is active, the In-Building Mass Notification system will immediately suspend all audio distribution until the contact closure returns to a non- emergency state.

· Nurse Call System to interface with the new In-Building Mass Notification system. The In-Building Mass Notification system takes all interfaces from the Nurse Call System and allows for all code messages to be recalled/played from the nurse station or head end board interface. This allows the roaming nurses to take the paging station with them to make pages, trigger an alarm, or trigger a recorded message. It will also enable text to speech messaging as part of the system.

There is no existing PAMNS system on campus, except for an addition on building 23, and there are no existing fiber runs that can be utilized. This system will add new fiber runs between the amplifiers and equipment locations and the system head-end equipment location. The existing system in the addition made to building 23 will be connected to the new system to be installed as part of this project. Apogee will utilize existing conditioned rooms in order to avoid adding a mechanical/HVAC component to this project.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS DESIGN ELEMENTS

Design Parameters & Reference Data

1. Department of Veterans Affairs: Electrical Design Manual, December 2015

2. Department of Veterans Affairs: Office of Information & Technology, Design Guide, February 2011

3. Department of Veterans Affairs: Fire Protection Design Manual, December 2015

4. NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2017

5. NFPA 72, Chapter 24, National Fire Alarm Code, 2019

6. NFPA 99, Health Care Facility Code, 2018

7. NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, 2018

8. ANSI/TIA/EIA 568, Commercial Building Cabling Standards, 2016

9. ANSI/TIA/EIA 569-B, Commercial Building Standards for Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces, 2013

10. BICSI, Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual, 2014

11. Department of Veterans Affairs: Telecommunications and Special Telecommunications Systems Design Manual, February 2016

12. Department of Veterans Affairs Standard Details and Specifications

13. All applicable Federal, State, City, and Local Codes; Regulations, Ordinances, Publications, and Manuals.

In-Building Mass Notification System (PAMNS)

New head-end equipment and amplifiers installed shall be provided with UPS units and will be installed in floor mount 2-post data racks or in wall-mount data racks. New single mode fiber runs will be installed, and will utilize either LC type connectors, or connectors as selected by the VA. All system data cabling shall be run in minimum 3/4" conduit. All head end equipment and system data switches will be provided and installed by the contractor. New receptacles & circuit breakers will be added to existing critical branch emergency power panels as needed to power the new paging system head end equipment. New 20-amp receptacles shall be fed from 20- amp circuit breaker in a critical branch emergency panel and will consist of 12 AWG conductors in 3/4" conduit. New 30-amp receptacles shall be fed from a 30-amp circuit breaker in a critical branch emergency panel and will consist of 10 AWG conductors in 3/4" conduit.

Overhead paging system will be provided in buildings 1 & 23, the paging system will house the amplifiers and all related equipment. Paging station will be provided in the police center, executive offices, and call center per previous VA requests. Speakers will be located about 16 feet on center in the corridors, as well as in large rooms, specified offices, and conference rooms. Mechanical rooms will have horn type speakers to be set at 4 watts based on the room ambient noise level. Standard wall and ceiling mounted speakers will be multiple tap transformer coils typically set at 1/2 watt. Speakers in lay-in ceiling areas will be 2x2 lay in speakers, and gypsum board ceilings will have 8” round speakers. Cabling to speakers from head-end equipment shall be 18 gauge stranded shielded cable. Speakers and horns shall be adjusted at installation to provide a volume of 5 dB above ambient volume.

Installation Requirements: Competent, experienced, licensed or certified workers shall perform crafts requiring specialized skills. All work shall be performed in full accordance with applicable local and Federal regulations. All equipment and installation shall conform to the VA master specifications. All equipment and installation shall conform to the recommendations of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), including the National Electrical Code (NEC). The Supplier shall use good safety practices while working. All hardware should be installed in such a manner to minimize damage and maximize patient and employee safety. All equipment and procedures shall conform to OSHA, NEMA, and ANSI Standards and conform to the Standard Building Code and the Standard Mechanical Code. All installations for the Durham VAMC shall conform to VAR and FAR standards.

Normal working hours shall be 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday – Federal Holidays or any other Holiday designated by the President of the United States excluded. For working outside the “normal working hours” as defined in this contract, the vendor shall give 3-day notice to the Contracting Officer so that arrangements can be provided for the employees. This notice is separate from any notices required for utility shutdown described later in this section. No photography of VA premises is allowed without written permission of the Contracting Officer.

Execute work to interfere as little as possible with normal functioning of Medical Center, including operations of utility services, fire protection systems and any existing equipment, and with work being done by others. Use of equipment and tools that transmit vibrations and noises through the building structure, are not permitted in buildings that are occupied jointly by patients or medical personnel, and Contractor’s personnel, except as permitted by COR where required by limited working space.

No utility service such as water, gas, steam sewers or electricity, or fire protection systems and communications systems may be interrupted without prior approval of COR. Electrical work shall be accomplished with all affected circuits or equipment de energized. When an electrical outage cannot be accomplished, work on any energized circuits or equipment shall not commence without the Medical Center Director’s prior knowledge and written approval. The vendor shall submit a request to interrupt any such services to COR, in writing, 48 hours in advance of proposed interruption. Request shall state reason, date, exact time of, and approximate duration of such interruption.

VA reserves the right to close or shut down the project site and order the vendor’s employees off the premises in the event of a national emergency. The vendor may return to the site only with the written approval of the Contracting Officer.

Site and Building Access: Maintain free and unobstructed access to facility emergency services and for fire, police and other emergency response forces in accordance with NFPA 241.

Means of Egress: Do not block exiting for occupied buildings, including paths from exits to roads. Minimize disruptions and coordinate with COR.

Hot Work: Perform and safeguard hot work operations in accordance with NFPA 241 and NFPA 51B. Coordinate with COR. Obtain permits from facility Safety Manager at least 24 hours in advance.

The contractor shall maintain neat and orderly work areas and shall clean area of debris and rubbish daily and dispose of waste materials offsite per hospital policies. The contractor shall provide a dumpster if it is determined to be necessary, and shall work with the COR in advance for a spot-on site to establish the dumpster. Space on campus is limited and a dumpster location is not guaranteed.

Place of Performance: Tasks will be performed at the VA Medical Center Durham, VA. Work will be around an occupied healthcare facility in operation 24 hours a day. This work will require appropriate personal protective equipment and proper infection control measures. Work will be phased to minimize disruption to clinic and medical center operations.

Period of Performance: Period of performance shall be 180 days.

LIST OF PROPOSAL ITEMS

OVERHEAD PAGING SYSTEM

PROJECT NO: 558-19-211

Offerors shall affix prices for each of the following proposal items. Failure to do so shall be grounds for rejection of the proposal as non-responsive.

Prices for each proposal item shall be expressed as the total price for all work in accordance with the drawings and specifications.

Proposal Item 1: BLDG. 01

Sub Total: $ ____________________

0003: Special Construction and Demolition $ ____________________

Proposal Item 2: BLDG. 23

Sub Total: $ ____________________

0006: Special Construction and Demolition $ ____________________

Proposal Total (Line Items 0001 through 0006) $ ____________________

Table of Contents

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS TO BIDDERS/OFFERORS

OFFICE ISSUING THIS REQUEST:

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office (NCO) 6 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville, NC 28301

Point of Contact: Wayne H. Goodmond Email: wayne.goodmond@va.gov

SUBMISSION OF BIDS

All references to “Bid” or “Bidder” shall be understood to mean “Offer” or “Offeror”.

The bidder shall submit the following in response to this Request for Proposal per the following:

The offer shall consist of three (3) separate volumes:

The technical proposal shall be limited to no more than twenty (20) pages total.

Format as follows:

TAB A: General Information

TAB B: TECHNICAL FACTOR

2. VOLUME II – PAST PERFORMANCE - Submit electronic PDF document(s) by email.

TAB A: General Information

TAB B: PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

TAB A: General Information

TAB B: Offer, Guarantee, and Certifications

All Bidders/Offerors shall submit the following information pertaining to their past Safety and Environmental record with their bid.

1) A self-certification on company letterhead that the bidder has no more than three (3) serious, or one (1) repeat or one (1) willful OSHA or any EPA violation(s) in the past three years. Bidders shall submit copies of their OSHA logs (OSHA Form 300A) for the past three (3) years with their bid. If the firm has been in business for less than three years, they shall submit copies of their OSHA logs for the period of time they have been in business.

2) Information regarding their current Experience Modification Rate (EMR) equal to or less than 1.0. This information shall be obtained from the bidder’s/offeror’s insurance company and be furnished on the insurance carrier’s letterhead.

Self-insured contractors or other contractors that cannot provide their EMR rating on insurance letterhead must obtain a rating from the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI) by completing/submitting form ERM-6 and providing the rating on letterhead from NCCI. Note: Self-insured contractors or other contractors that cannot provide EMR rating on insurance letterhead from the states or territories of CA, DE, MI, NJ, ND, OH, PA, WA, WY, and PR shall obtain their EMR rating from their state-run worker’s compensation insurance rating bureau.

Format for proposal Volumes I & II shall be as follows:

All potential bidders, subcontractors, and suppliers are strongly encouraged to attend this pre-bid conference.

NOTE: QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS SOLICITATION MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL (wayne.goodmond@va.gov ); NO TELEPHONE QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. CUT OFF FOR QUESTIONS IS 3:00 p.m. (EST), Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

BID RESPONSES: Due Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. (EST), at the Network Contracting Office 6, 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006, ATTN: Wayne H. Goodmond, Fayetteville, NC 28301.

All proposals must be delivered to arrive not later than Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. (EST), at the following address:

Network Contracting Office 6 C/O Wayne H. Goodmond, Contracting Officer 2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006 Fayetteville, NC 28301

LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING-- MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN 2011)

This solicitation includes VAAR 852.219-74 VA Notice of Total Service- Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include this clause. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to contractor's offices where the contractor's business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the contractor's compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an “Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement” to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement.

(End of Provision)

If a product is manufactured to metric dimensions and those dimensions exceed the tolerances specified in inch-pound units, a request should be made to the Contracting Officer, in writing, to determine if the product is acceptable. The Contracting Officer, in concert with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), will accept or reject the product.

The C&A requirements do not apply and a Security Accreditation Package is not required. If the contractor opts to use a computer or computer system for processing contract documents, the requirements of FIPS 140-2 for encryption of contract documents must be met.

2.1 52.211-3 AVAILABILITY OF SPECIFICATIONS NOT LISTED IN THE GSA INDEX OF FEDERAL SPECIFICATIONS, STANDARDS AND COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTIONS (JUN 1988) The specifications cited in this solicitation may be obtained from:

Activity: RPO East NCO 6 Complete Address:

2300 Ramsey Street, Bldg. 4 - 006

Telephone Number: 910.482.5112 Person to be Contacted: Wayne Goodmond Time(s) for Viewing: N/A The request should identify the solicitation number and the specification requested by date, title, and number, as cited in the solicitation.

(End of Provision)

2.2 52.215-5 FACSIMILE PROPOSALS (OCT 1997)

(a) Definition. "Facsimile proposal," as used in this provision, means a proposal, revision or modification of a proposal, or withdrawal of a proposal that is transmitted to and received by the Government via facsimile machine.

(b) Offerors may submit facsimile proposals as responses to this solicitation. Facsimile proposals are subject to the same rules as paper proposals.

(c) The telephone number of receiving facsimile equipment is: .

(d) If any portion of a facsimile proposal received by the Contracting Officer is unreadable to the degree that conformance to the essential requirements of the solicitation cannot be ascertained from the document—

(1) The Contracting Officer immediately shall notify the offeror and permit the offeror to resubmit the proposal;

(2) The method and time for resubmission shall be prescribed by the Contracting Officer after consultation with the offeror; and

(3) The resubmission shall be considered as if it were received at the date and time of the original unreadable submission for the purpose of determining timeliness, provided the offeror complies with the time and format requirements for resubmission prescribed by the Contracting Officer.

(e) The Government reserves the right to make award solely on the facsimile proposal. However, if requested to do so by the Contracting Officer, the apparently successful offeror promptly shall submit the complete original signed proposal.

(End of Provision)

2.3 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

The Government contemplates award of a Firm-Fixed-Price contract resulting from this solicitation.

(End of Provision)

2.4 52.222-5 CONSTRUCTION WAGE RATE REQUIREMENTS—SECONDARY SITE OF THE WORK (MAY 2014) (a)(1) The offeror shall notify the Government if the offeror intends to perform work at any secondary site of the work, as defined in paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of the FAR clause at 52.222-6, Construction Wage Rate Requirements, of this solicitation.

(2) If the offeror is unsure if a planned work site satisfies the criteria for a secondary site of the work, the offeror shall request a determination from the Contracting Officer.

(b)(1) If the wage determination provided by the Government for work at the primary site of the work is not applicable to the secondary site of the work, the offeror shall request a wage determination from the Contracting Officer.

(2) The due date for receipt of offers will not be extended as a result of an offeror's request for a wage determination for a secondary site of the work.

(End of Provision)

2.5 52.222-23 NOTICE OF REQUIREMENT FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO ENSURE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSTRUCTION (FEB 1999)

(a) The offeror's attention is called to the Equal Opportunity clause and the Affirmative Action Compliance Requirements for Construction clause of this solicitation.

(b) The goals for minority and female participation, expressed in percentage terms for the Contractor's aggregate workforce in each trade on all construction work in the covered area, are as follows:

These goals are applicable to all the Contractor's construction work performed in the covered area. If the Contractor performs construction work in a geographical area located outside of the covered area, the Contractor shall apply the goals established for the geographical area where the work is actually performed. Goals are published periodically in the Federal Register in notice form, and these notices may be obtained from any Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs office.

(c) The Contractor's compliance with Executive Order 11246, as amended, and the regulations in 41 CFR 60-4 shall be based on (1) its implementation of the Equal Opportunity clause, (2) specific affirmative action obligations required by the clause entitled "Affirmative Action Compliance Requirements for Construction," and (3) its efforts to meet the goals. The hours of minority and female employment and training must be substantially uniform throughout the length of the contract, and in each trade. The Contractor shall make a good faith effort to employ minorities and women evenly on each of its projects. The transfer of minority or female employees or trainees from Contractor to Contractor, or from project to project, for the sole purpose of meeting the Contractor's goals shall be a violation of the contract, Executive Order 11246, as amended, and the regulations in 41 CFR 60-4. Compliance with the goals will be measured against the total work hours performed.

(d) The Contractor shall provide written notification to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Contract Compliance, U.S. Department of Labor, within 10 working days following award of any construction subcontract in excess of $10,000 at any tier for construction work under the contract resulting from this solicitation. The notification shall list the—

(1) Name, address, and telephone number of the subcontractor;

(2) Employer's identification number of the subcontractor;

(3) Estimated dollar amount of the subcontract;

(4) Estimated starting and completion dates of the subcontract; and

(5) Geographical area in which the subcontract is to be performed.

(e) As used in this Notice, and in any contract resulting from this solicitation, the "covered area" is

(End of Provision)

2.6 52.225-10 NOTICE OF BUY AMERICAN REQUIREMENT—CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS (MAY 2014)

(a) Definitions. "Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item," "construction material," "domestic construction material," and "foreign construction material," as used in this provision, are defined in the clause of this solicitation entitled "Buy American—Construction Materials" (Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.225-9).

(b) Requests for determinations of inapplicability. An offeror requesting a determination regarding the inapplicability of the Buy American statute should submit the request to the Contracting Officer in time to allow a determination before submission of offers. The offeror shall include the information and applicable supporting data required by paragraphs (c) and (d) of the clause at FAR 52.225-9 in the request. If an offeror has not requested a determination regarding the inapplicability of the Buy American statute before submitting its offer, or has not received a response to a previous request, the offeror shall include the information and supporting data in the offer.

(c) Evaluation of offers.

(1) The Government will evaluate an offer requesting exception to the requirements of the Buy American statute, based on claimed unreasonable cost of domestic construction material, by adding to the offered price the appropriate percentage of the cost of such foreign construction material, as specified in paragraph (b)(3)(i) of the clause at FAR 52.225-9.

(2) If evaluation results in a tie between an offeror that requested the substitution of foreign construction material based on unreasonable cost and an offeror that did not request an exception, the Contracting Officer will award to the offeror that did not request an exception based on unreasonable cost.

(d) Alternate offers.

(1) When an offer includes foreign solicitation in paragraph (b)(2) of the clause at FAR 52.225-9, the offeror also may submit an alternate offer based on use of equivalent domestic construction material.

(2) If an alternate offer is submitted, the offeror shall submit a separate Standard Form 1442 for the alternate offer, and a separate price comparison table prepared in accordance with paragraphs (c) and (d) of the clause at FAR 52.225-9 for the offer that is based on the use of any foreign construction material for which the Government has not yet determined an exception applies.

(3) If the Government determines that a particular exception requested in accordance with paragraph (c) of the clause at FAR 52.225-9 does not apply, the Government will evaluate only those offers based on use of the equivalent domestic construction material, and the offeror shall be required to furnish such domestic construction material. An offer based on use of the foreign construction material for which an exception was requested—

(i) Will be rejected as nonresponsive if this acquisition is conducted by sealed bidding; or

(ii) May be accepted if revised during negotiations.

(End of Provision)

2.7 52.228-1 BID GUARANTEE (SEP 1996)

(a) Failure to furnish a bid guarantee in the proper form and amount, by the…