36C25619Q0109-0001005.pdf

RFI Concerns

• P.3, (iv) – I may be misunderstanding the use of the term “open market” but could you please clarify how an SDVOSB set-aside can be put out to the open market for bidding?

The term “open market” in this case refers to (i.e. not available from required sources of supply, such as GSA, and MAS contracts, as outlined in FAR Subpart 8.002. wherein “open market” refers to the announcement vehicle, (“FBO”).

Going open market has no correlations to a requirement being set aside. On June 16, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that consistent with Public Law 109-461 (38 U.S.C.

8127 and 8128), the VA shall award contracts based upon competition restricted to SDVOSBs or VOSBs when a contracting officer has a reasonable expectation, based on market research, that two or more firms listed as verified in Vendor Information Pages database are likely to submit offers and an award can be made at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States. This is known as the “VA Rule of Two.”

• P.4, Price Schedule o Could you please explain exactly what you are looking for in “Price Break Cost

Required”?

The break support identified the cost for supporting each facility. The information is used to support a Price Analysis: ( i.g. Certified Cost or Pricing Data are NOT required, To complement Cost Analysis or Cost/Price Realism to verify that overall price is fair and reasonable Sealed Bidding Commercial Items, Competitive Environments) o The Period of Performance start date is only ten business days post-submittal. This is an unreasonable period of time to conduct the launch meeting with the CO/COR, order, deliver and install this many containers, coordinate service times, and commence the work. Will you be adjusting the start of the work to a later date? Please keep in mind that it is typical to have 3-4 weeks minimum from the date of award to start of service.

Unfortunately, this is an urgent requirement; FAR 12 /13 support the quick turnaround. The governments requirement is not based on the vendors availability and open schedule.

o The count for the Hot Springs CBOC does not match the count listed on page 12, please confirm which is correct.

See amendment 01: Items corrected in REVISED PWS o The frequency of service for the COBCs does not match that listed on p.13C.1., please confirm which is correct.

See amendment 01: Items corrected in REVISED PWS o If the servicing for the CBOCs is “monthly” as listed in the Price Schedule, could that be changed to 4 weeks? An every-four-weeks servicing schedule is more efficient and creates less confusion for the client since there will be a couple of times each year where the length of time between the “4th Wednesday” is greater than usual.

The unit description will remain, the vendor and the COR can work together on a better schedule. There is not guarantee of changes; the governments requirement is not based on the vendors availability and open scheduling.

• P.11, B.1 mentions “media destruction.” Could you please elaborate on this?

o Please describe the types and quantities of media that will need destruction and frequency of service for media.

o Please confirm that media will be sorted and presented in dedicated containers, what size those containers will be, and if the count in the solicitation will be adjusted to include those.

o Some types of media storage items (everything except CDs) must be shredded separately from paper – will there be a separate CLIN added for pricing the destruction of media material? Note: media items, when shredded with paper, contaminate the shredded paper and therefore the shredded paper is rendered unrecyclable and must be landfilled, contrary to VA policy. Additionally, most of the contaminating items must be shredded off site, so a thorough description of the media destruction needs is essential in order to price this category.

Items removed in REVISED PWS o If there is not a separate CLIN line added for media will this service be an on-call service handled with contract modifications?

o Items removed in REVISED PWS

P.14, ,2. mentions “collection points.”

o Is the contractor responsible for collecting bins or will VA employees centrally locate the bins? 1. Contractor responsible for collecting bins o Across how many buildings will the containers at the Little Rock and North Little Rock main campuses be spread? How far apart are those buildings? In other words how many times will the truck need to move to easily access containers in all campus locations?

1. Truck will not need to move in LR

2. Outer buildings in NLR will need service by shred truck.

o For both the campuses and smaller locations, will there be any bins located above the ground floor? If there will be, are freight elevators available to move the bins to/from ground level?

o 1. Yes at both locations

2. Freight elevators are located at both facilities.

o Is there sufficient parking for our truck at each location/building for the time it will take to retrieve containers, shred the contents and return the containers?

1. Yes

• P.20, Past Performance – where is the attachment that contains the “three-project identified at Factor 02 Experience”?

See amendment 01

• P.21 Price Reasonableness o Is it safe to assume if an offeror bids a per container price for this solicitation that has been accepted as fair and reasonable per the GSA Schedule, and that the VA has recently awarded in other shredding contracts – that said price per container will be considered inherently fair and reasonable and therefore competitive?

GSA is no longer a mandatory source therefore all associated assumption would be void. However, those with a GSA schedule are still encouraged to quote. If the lowest priced technically acceptable quote as that of a GSA bidder, then the government would be bound by the terms and condition of the base (GSA) contract.

o For any SDVOSB contract over the micro-purchase level threshold ($10,000), the contractor must adhere to the Limitations on Subcontracting rules and therefore cannot pay a non-similarly situated subcontractor more than 50% of the contract value (yet must still compensate the subcontractor fairly). What consideration will be given to evaluating pricing submitted by SDVOSBs against a non-SDVOSB incumbent or other non-SDVOSB companies evaluated in the IGCE?

This requirements set-aside for SDVOSB. Full consideration will be provided to SDVOSB’s. We have no expectations of a lack of SDVOSB support.

o Is there a current contract for the work being solicited? If so, please provide that awarded contract number (NOT the incumbent GSA contractor number). Also, please provide the name of the incumbent contractor and the contract amount.

All Shred incorporation- A Shred Contract #: GS-25F-00035R

The solicitation states that the contractor shall pick up on designated days, i.e. every Tuesday, or the 4th Wednesday of every month. Is it possible to pick up different facilities on different days of the week in an effort to space it out?

The schedules are flexible and can be worked out between the facility and the contractor after award.

Is the level of effort being performed under the current contract fundamentally the same as what will be required to fulfill #36C25619Q0109?

That would be left up to one’s interpretation, as each project stands on it on.