36C25222Q0001 0001.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7.

ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF

PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE

OF YOUR

ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERE

D CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES

SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendmen t, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED

STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF

CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF

SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) 8-12-2021 695-22-1-6093-0001 36C252 Department of Veterans Affairs Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC) 115 S 84th Street, Suite 101 Milwaukee WI 53214-1476 36C252 Department of Veterans Affairs Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC) 115 S 84th Street, Suite 101 Milwaukee WI 53214-1476 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C25222Q0001 08-12-2021

X

X REFERENCE SOLICITATION 36C25222Q0001 FOR SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES AT THE MILWAUKEE VAMC AND AMEND TO RELECT THE FOLLOWING:

Provide answers to questions submitted by interested vendors (see pages 2-of this amendment).

ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF

THE SOLICITATION REMAIN THE SAME.

SOLICITATION CLOSE REMAINS AUGUST 16, 2022 AT 11:00 AM LOCAL.

CC: COR; FILE

SUSAN PASHOLK

CONTRACTING OFFICER

Solicitation 36C25222Q0001Snow Removal Services MILW VAMC – Questions submitted by potential offerors:

Is there an area where we can store salt for the ice removal? If yes, where is it and how large of an area? See Solicitation Section 2.3. No salt for use under the snow removal contract shall be stored on the VA grounds. No area for salt storage is provided.

Who is the incumbent and what was the previous contract number for this service at the Milwaukee VAMC ? Most recent contract was #36C25221P0008 and was awarded to Advance Lawn Service Company LLC.

Once the contract is awarded, will you accept a defensive driving certificate? It looks like the class takes 4 hours online as described in the SOW, and this means that we'll have to pay an employee for 4 hours of online training before our bid is even accepted. This seems like an expense and requirement that should be acceptable once an award is provided. Would that be acceptable? See Solicitation Section 5.4. Offerors must provide certification with quote submission as proof that they have enough qualified staff to perform the services as required under this contract.

In Liew of a Past Performance report, will you accept a CPARS reports that we will include in our bid from other VA facilities that we provide snow removal for? CPARS will be used in addition to Past Performance Questionnaires to determine past performance rating. Offerors will not be penalized for not having Past Performance Questionnaires submitted on their behalf.

Does all of the snow need to be removed for the hospital site after each snowstorm, regardless of the amount of snow fall? See Solicitation Section 2.5 Page 11 paragraph 2.2 says that we can't use dump trucks to provide service. Since the contract is asking for snow to be removed off site, dump trucks are a primary way to removed snow from parking lots. Does the statement mean that the hospital does not want dump trucks to provide snow plowing services, but would be allowed to remove snow off site? Dump trucks are not permitted to be used for snow plowing service but are permitted to be used for hauling snow off of the VA facility grounds.

Does all the snow have to be removed from the top deck of the parking structure, or can it be pushed into corners of the top deck without pushing it over the side of the deck? All snow shall be removed from the parking structures at time of service; Parking structures are equipped with snow shoots. See Solicitation Section 2.4.I. regarding haul off from snow shoot areas.

Would we be allowed to keep a skid steer on the top deck to load up snow onto our trucks? See Attachment A – LOT INFORMATION; Pick-up trucks with poly or rubber blade only shall be used on parking structures. No equipment shall be stored on or in the parking structures.

Would be allowed to bring up heaters to melt the snow off the top deck so that it drains off? See Solicitation Section 2.3.D. Snow melt equipment is not permitted to be used on VA facility property.

What was the total price of the last full option year? Most recent contract was #36C25221P0008 and was awarded to Advance Lawn Service Company LLC. Award was made in amount of $319,800.00.

How much insurance coverage is required? See Clause C.7 SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS In accordance with FAR 28.307-2 and FAR 52.228-5, the following minimum coverage shall apply to this contract:

(a) Workers' compensation and employer’s liability: Contractors are required to comply with applicable Federal and State workers' compensation and occupational disease statutes. If occupational diseases are not compensable under those statutes, they shall be covered under the employer's liability section of the insurance policy, except when contract operations are so commingled with a Contractor's commercial operations that it would not be practical to require this coverage. Employer's liability coverage of at least $100,000 is required, except in States with exclusive or monopolistic funds that do not permit workers' compensation to be written by private carriers.

(b) General Liability: $500,000.00 per occurrences.

(c) Automobile liability: $200,000.00 per person; $500,000.00 per occurrence and $20,000.00 property damage.

(d) The successful bidder must present to the Contracting Officer, prior to award, evidence of general liability insurance without any exclusionary clauses for asbestos that would void the general liability coverage.

(End of Clause)

Lot 1A : Will VA employees be able to park in this lot when it snows? Lot 1A is for our Handicapped patients, not VA employees. We can’t move the vehicles that are parked there, so snow would need to be removed via shovel or snow blower between the cars.

Section 2.2 States that 2 Front End Loaders with 8 and 12 foot (minimum) pushers are required. It is our opinion that skid steers with pushers of the same size would be more practical in the service of these lots as there are many tight quarters and curbs to work around. Would skid steers furnished with these attachments be a suitable substitute for this requirement? Skid steers can be used in addition to the two front end loaders however, two front end loaders are a requirement for this contract.

Are pickup trucks fitted with dump beds and under tailgate salters (i.d. a one ton F-450, F-550, etc.) still be considered a “dump truck” and therefore not eligible for use on site? Trucks of this size are allowed to be used on the lots only.

Is there still a snow dump location allocated at the south end of the contractor parking lot? See Solicitation Section 2.5.a Under emergency conditions and with prior approval from COR, snow can be staged in South End of Contractor Lot for up to a maximum of 48 hours.

Is it possible to store 2 Conex boxes on site?

There was some confusion at the on-site walk thru regarding the use of skid steers in the parking structures. If fitted with rubber or poly bladed plows, is the use of skid steers permitted in these areas? See Attachment A – LOT INFORMATION; Pick-up trucks with poly or rubber blade only shall be used on parking structures.

Can you please provide the current contract number, award amount, and period of performance? Most recent contract was #36C25221P0008 and was awarded to Advance Lawn Service Company LLC. Award was made in amount of $319,800.00.

Has the scope of work for this RFQ changed significantly from the current contract? Scope of work has changed from the most recent contract.

Why is it a requirement to hand-shovel sidewalks? Would we be able to use a UTV to clear any sidewalks that a UTV can access? A UTV, snow blower or shovel may be used.

Can a UTV be used to get around to the different entrances/doorways/stairways that we are to clear? Yes, as long as the damage to grass is minimal and the space allows for it.

Can snow blowers/snow throwers or other small, similar equipment be used to clear sidewalks/doors? Yes, they may.

Are we allowed to utilize more than the 5 pieces of equipment listed under section 2.2 in scope of work? Solicitation Section 2.2 lists minimum equipment the contractor shall have. Additional equipment must meet size constraints. See Attachment A LOT INFORMATION for suggested equipment use.

In Section 2.2 it states no dump trucks, but that is the most efficient, realistic way for snow to be hauled off site, especially the amount of snow that will have to be hauled - in a quad axle. Are we allowed to utilize a quad axle dump truck to haul the snow off site? Yes, dump trucks may be utilized to remove snow off of VA property.

Pickup trucks can hold about 1/7 of the salt that our single axle dump trucks can hold. The salting gets done much more efficiently with a single axle dump truck and also spreads more evenly. They also have a tighter turning radius which makes it much easier to safely get around cars, etc. In attachment A, it says "5-7 yd dump trucks recommended," which is a single axle. Does this mean that quad axle dump trucks which can carry up to 23 yds, are specifically not allowed? Are we allowed to utilize a single axle dump truck to perform a salting service? Yes, you are allowed to use a dump truck for salting service, however NOT in the parking structure. Only a pickup is allowed in the parking structures.

Why are we not able to pre-treat with liquid brine? See solicitation section 2.3. The requirements of this contract prohibit use of liquid deicers.

The crews doing sidewalks and roadways - where does their snow get pushed to? Crews clearing the snow from sidewalks and roadways push snow onto the grassy areas, however, once the snowbank gets to be over 3 feet tall, snow removal is a must.

When they are clearing the sidewalks and roadways, if the snow falls over/gets pushed onto areas we've just cleared, are they going to clean up after themselves? Yes, the VAMC Grounds crew will clean up after themselves.

Are they pushing sidewalk snow over from the sidewalk into the parking spots/areas we clear? No, Snow gets pushed towards the road and cleaned up by the VAMC Grounds crew. The sidewalks that are VAMC’s responsibility are either hand shoveled or plowed with a sidewalk machine that does not push snow into the parking lot.

Under section 2.5 it states "Contractor shall be completely responsible for snow removal and disposal of the snow off of the VA premises and all city property adjacent to the VA campus to include waterways". Can you please expand the underlined statement? All snow removed in performance of this contract shall be removed from the facility grounds. Snow will not be permitted to be stored on city property adjacent to the VA facility. Snow will not be permitted to be dumped in adjacent waterways.

Can we please get a more specific/detailed sidewalk map showing the "connecting sidewalks"? We are unable to produce a more detailed map, please see comment below that was shared during site visit.

The following information was shared during the site visit which took place Tuesday August 10, 2021 at 9:00 AM Local:

Sidewalks adjacent to Lots 14 & 15 are included in this contract.

Awardee will attend a pre-work campus walk through to identify and document any existing damage to areas where snow removal service will be provided under this contract.

Offerors who wish to submit their quotes and related documentation in hard copy may do so by dropping their submissions to address listed in Box 9 of page 1 of Solicitation. Hard copies must be received at the GLAC office by solicitation close date and time.