36C24626B0002 - Instructions to Offerors.pdf

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS FOR BID PREPARATION

THIS SECTION IS FOR SOLICITATION PURPOSES ONLY. A COMPLETE BID SHALL

CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING

(a) GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Award will be made to the responsible bidder whose bid is deemed responsive to the terms of this invitation for bid and is deemed most advantageous to the Government.

2. All Bid preparation cost will be the sole responsibility of the Offeror. The Government will not reimburse any interested party for their bid preparation expenses (costs) or any expenses (costs) associated with their Pre-Bid Site Visit attendance.

(b) BID OPENING INFORMATION: A VIRTUAL bid opening has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 11:00 AM EST, at the following location:

Microsoft Teams meeting Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/226821662451507?p=eCgZeTrHssISe0HyUI Meeting ID: 226 821 662 451 507 Passcode: rm9is9Uz

(c) SUBMISSION OF BIDS:

1. Electronic Bids Authorized – IAW (RFO) FAR 14.209(e), The Contracting Officer has authorized Electronic Submission of Bids via email. However, should an Offeror elect to submit their Bid electronically, it will be the sole responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that the bid is received, in its entirety, no later than 10:00 AM EST Tuesday, September 08, 2026, to the established Bid Opening Date identified. Bids received electronically that conform to this requirement shall be deemed responsive and read aloud during the Bid Opening. Electronic bids received after the aforementioned date & time (4:30 PM EST, September 11, 2026, prior to Bid Opening) will be deemed nonresponsive. Any offeror who elects to submit their Bid Electronically, accepts this term without prejudice. The Contracting Officer may, after the date set for bid opening, request the apparently successful offeror to provide the complete, original signed bid. Offers must be submitted via email to the Contract Specialist, Mark Griffin at mark.griffin2@va.gov and Contracting Officer Sean Cosby at Sean.cosby@va.gov no later than 10:00 AM EST Tuesday, September 08, 2026, prior to the established Bid Opening Date identified.

Multiple emails may be required to submit all attachments.

2.

Format for Electronic submission (email) shall be as follows:

IFB Number, Offeror Name, Email 1 of XX

Additionally, the Email must contain the list of attachments for each email submitted.

Electronic documents must be submitted in .pdf, .doc, or .xls and restricted to emails of less than 10MB as that is maximum single email size allowable. Communication containing documents in any other format may be blocked or stripped by the Government's https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/226821662451507?p=eCgZeTrHssISe0HyUI mailto:mark.griffin2@va.gov mailto:Sean.cosby@va.gov server and may not be received by this office. Files in .zip format or file(s) exceeding 10MB may not be received by this office. It is the contractor’s responsibility to verify that all submissions are received.

3. Offerors are not permitted to submit bids by mail or in person. All bids must be submitted electronically through the method specified in the solicitation. Bids submitted through any other means will not be accepted.

4. In accordance with (RFO) FAR 14.301, Bidders are responsible for submitting bids, and any modifications or withdrawals, so as to reach the Government office designated by the exact time specified for receipt of bids in the applicable instructions contained herein. Any bid, modification, or withdrawal of a bid received at the Government office designated in the IFB after the exact time specified for receipt of bids is "late" and will not be considered.

Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the Government installation includes the time/date stamp of that installation on the bid wrapper, other documentary evidence of receipt maintained by the installation, or oral testimony or statements of Government personnel.

5. To assure timely and equitable evaluation of bids, Offerors must follow the instructions contained herein. Offerors are required to meet all solicitation requirements, including terms and conditions, representations and certifications, and technical requirements.

Failure to meet all requirements will result in an offer being deemed non-responsive.

Offerors must clearly identify any exception to the solicitation terms and conditions and provide complete accompanying rationale for consideration.

(d) SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS – A COMPLETE BID MUST CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING

1. TAB A: General Information

a. Cover page with Solicitation Number and Project Title

b. Table of Contents

c. Company information to include: SAM Unique Entry ID, Cage Code, Tax ID Number, Principal points of contact with addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

2. TAB B: Offer, Guarantee, and Certifications

a. Complete the SF 1442, Blocks 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20A, 20B, 20C. An official having the authority to bind your company contractually must sign and date the SF 1442 Block 20A-C. One copy of the SF 1442 must bear an original, authorized signature. In doing so, the Offeror accedes to the contract terms and conditions as written in the IFB. All sections of the IFB, excluding Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures Sections, constitute the model contract. SF1442 Block 19 Acknowledgement of Amendments (as applicable) – Interested Parties need to acknowledge all amendments that were posted to SAM.gov prior to Bid Closing.

b. Bid Bond/Offer/Guarantee IAW FAR Provision 52.228-1.

c. Proof of SDVOSB certification in the SBA certification database at https://search.certifications.sba.gov/

d. Complete the following Clauses and Provisions and certify when necessary.

https://search.certifications.sba.gov/

i. 52.204-7 System for Award Management - Registration (DEVIATION NOV 2025)

ii. 52.209-13 Violation of Arms Control Treaties or Agreements – Certification

(DEVIATION NOV 2025)

iii. 52.219-28 – Post award Small Business Program Representation (JAN 2025)

Complete Sections (h)(1) through (h)(9) and certify by signing and dating “Contractor to sign and date and insert authorized signer's name and title.”

iv. 52.225-9 Buy American-Construction Materials (Oct 2022) complete section (d) or mark as Not Applicable by annotating “N/A” within the chart

v. 52.240-90 Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Representations and Certifications

(DEVIATION NOV 2025)

vi. 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting – Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) Paragraph (d) requires certification to be completed, signed, and returned with bid.

INFORMATION REGARDING BID GUARANTEE AND BONDS

If the bid/offer exceeds $150,000, a bid guarantee is required in an amount not less than twenty

(20) percent of the bid/offer price or $3M, whichever is less.

Bidders are reminded that an acceptable Bid Guarantee MUST be received with the bid/offer before the bid opening. Failure to furnish the required bid guarantee in the proper form and amount, by the time set for opening of bids/offers, will require rejection of the bid/offer in all cases except those listed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 28.101-4, and may be cause for rejection even then. For guidance, Bidders/Offerors are referred to FAR provision 52.228-1, BID GUARANTEE (SEP 1996) in the solicitation, FAR Part 28.101 Bid Guarantees, and FAR Part

28.2 Sureties and Other Security for Bonds. Corporate sureties offered for bonds must appear on the list contained in the Department of Treasury Circular 570, Department of the Treasury's Listing of Companies Holding Certificates of Authority

If the contract will exceed $30,000 but will not exceed $150,000, the bidder/offeror to whom award is made will be required to furnish a Payment Bond, Standard Form 25A, or alternative payment protection.

If the contract will exceed $150,000, the bidder/offeror to whom award is made shall be required to furnish a Payment Bond, Standard Form 25A, and a Performance Bond, Standard Form 25.

Copies of the Standard Forms 25A and 25 may be obtained upon application to the Issuing Office.

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreports/ref/suretyBnd/c570.htm https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreports/ref/suretyBnd/c570.htm