Questions in Response to RFQ.pdf

The questions made in response to the aforementioned solicitation, as well as the answers are as follows:

1- Question: Is subcontracting permitted in this solicitation?

Answer: Subcontracting is permitted, so long as the limitation of subcontracting as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.219-14 is complied with. For services, this FAR clause states that a vendor “will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Any work that a similarly situated entity further subcontracts will count towards the prime contractor's 50 percent subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded”. It is worth mentioning that this solicitation was set-aside for Small Businesses.

Therefore, Small Business (of any socio-economic category) subcontracting another Small Business (of any socio-economic category), counts as being similarly situated.

2- Question: Is this a new requirement, of a follow-on contract?

Answer: This solicitation will result in a follow-on contract, since there is currently a contract for Window Cleaning at the Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) Admin Building. The current contract is contract no. 36C24820C0019, which is set to expire on 10/31/2024. Details for that contract can be seen in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). If a vendor wants additional information of that contract that is not publicly available in FPDS, they must submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

3- Question: Can you provide the total value of the current Admin Building Window Cleaning Contract?

Answer: General information of such contract to include the amount for each modification awarded under such contract can be seen in FPDS.

4- Question: Will there be a site visit for this solicitation?

Answer: Yes. There will be a site visit conducted at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS), on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 1:00 PM. We will meet outside of the hospital’s main entrance, which leads to the main lobby at that time. The address for the VACHS is the following:

VA Caribbean Healthcare System 10 Casia Street San Juan, PR

00921-3201

5- Question: How would you like the quotes to be submitted?

Answer: As stated in the solicitation’s description in sam.gov, under Contract Opportunities, as well as in the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 (Instructions to Offerors): “The quoter shall submit a PDF version of the quote to the Government”.

6- Question: What is the service frequency?

Answer: In the contract resulting from this solicitation, the VACHS Admin Building Windows shall be cleaned in the interior and exterior four (4) times per year, as is stated in the solicitation’s Schedule of Prices.

7- Question: How many employees does the current Contractor have on site to perform the services?

Answer: The current contract and the contract that will result from the current solicitation is a performance-based services contract. This means that the Government states in general terms what services are required, and the Contractor has the flexibility to perform the services with the amount of employees and use of technology as they see fit. If you want specific information in regards to the current contract, you can submit a FOIA request. However, the amount of employees the current Contractor uses to provide these services is not stated in the contract, since it is a performance-based services contract.

8- Question: What is the name of the current Contractor?

Answer: This information can be seen by searching for the current contract number (36C24820C0019) in

FPDS.

9- Question: Will the Government be tax exempt for this solicitation?

Answer: The Government is exempt from paying taxes in the contract that results from this solicitation.

This means that interested vendors cannot apply any form of tax in their quotes.

10- Question: Are there any special requirements to access the facility?

Answer: Access to the facility shall be coordinated by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), prior to the performance of services.

11- Question: Is this solicitation only for Small Businesses that are certified via the Small Business Administration (SBA)? Or can a Small Business that is self-certified via sam.gov qualify to submit a quote?

Answer: SBA certifies Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs), Hub-Zone Small Businesses, Woman-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB), and 8(a) Small Businesses. Small Businesses without the previously mentioned socio-economic categories are self-certifiable in sam.gov. Therefore, a self-certified Small Business can submit a quote to this solicitation, as well as any of the aforementioned types of Small Businesses.

12- Question: What does “horizontal concrete overhang in all south elevation windows” in section 2.1 of this solicitation’s Performance Work Statement (PWS) mean?

Answer: The concrete around the window (refer to the picture below).

13- Question: We understand that the area identified in section as "glass roofing structure” by the entrance to the "rotunda" in section 2.1 of this solicitation’s PWS refers to the "skylight". In order to clean that skylight, a certification of load weight per square foot is required. Does the VACHS have this certification?

Answer: VA doesn’t have any specification about the skylight roof weight load. The requirement is to clean this roof (seen in the answer to question 16) with an extension or other method, to prevent walking and putting a load directly on it.

14- Question: What area is referred in section 2.1 of this solicitation’s PWS referring to (semi-transparent awning like panels that cover the walkway from the admin building entrance to the main entrance of the hospital)?

Answer: The hallway interior and exterior of the administrative building (see picture below).

15- Question: In order to clean this area either by any of the methods suspend scaffold or rope descent, certified anchor points are required. Load certification to 5,000 lbs. plus annual visual inspections in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 1910.27. Does the VACHS have this certification?

Answer: We will confirm if these load certifications and visual inspections are required, and if they have been performed. Following this confirmation, we will provide an update with this information in another amendment to the solicitation.

16- Question: What is being referred to as “skylight”, in section 5.1 of the PWS?

Answer: Ceiling glass at the entrance of the admin building (see picture below).

17- Question: When is the contract resultant from this solicitation scheduled to begin?

Answer: The contract resulting from this solicitation is estimated to begin on December 1, 2024. The resulting contract will be for one (1) twelve (12) month base period, plus four (4) twelve (12) month option periods. Therefore, the estimated dates for the base period are 12/01/2024 – 11/30/2025.

18- Question: Does a Vendor that does not use rope descent (e.g., drones, scaffolding, etc.) also need to be certified by the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA)?

Answer: Yes. The IWCA provides training and certifies vendors not only in window cleaning using rope descent, but also with the utilization of drones, scaffolding, etc. Therefore, regardless of the method an interested vendor is proposing to use, in order to be determined capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirement, such vendor must be IWCA certified.