36C77623R0009 - 2-16-23.pdf

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.

1 - 85

36C77623R0009

X

02-16-2023

657-21-701JB

36C776

Thomas Council Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

Thomas Council Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contract Activity Central 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

Thomas Council 216-447-8300

In accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 8127 (Public Law 109-461), this project is a competitive Service-Disabled Veteran - Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside.

The contractor shall provide all tools, equipment, materials, labor, supervision, personnel, and shall do all things necessary that will result in the completion of the EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades construction project, in accordance with the attached Specifications and Drawings.

The project is located at the:

St. Louis VA Medical Center 1 Jefferson Barracks Dr.

St. Louis, MO 63125

VAAR Magnitude of Construction: $20,000,000 to $50,000,000

For instructions concerning the organized Site Visit - see Attachment 45 - Site Visit Instructions

The Certification and Accreditation (C&A) does not apply, a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

10 (TEN) 730

X X 52.211-10

X 10 (TEN)

0 (ZERO) 1:00 PM EDT

03-28-2023

X

90 (NINETY)

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 Price Schedule

00076

Department of Veterans Affairs Department of Veterans Affairs

6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

VAFSC

Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center Invoices to be Submitted Electronically https://www.fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp e-Invoice Setup Info Phone 877-489-6135 877-353-9791 512-460-5429

Donald A. Marsh III

PCAC15L3-1697

Table of Contents

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION A - SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

A.1 SF 1442 SOLICITATION, OFFER, AND AWARD (Construction, Alteration, or Repair)

A.2 SF 1442 SOLICITATION, OFFER, AND AWARD (CONSTRUCTION,

ALTERATION, OR REPAIR)– BACK

A.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

INFORMATION REGARDING BIDDING MATERIAL, BID GUARANTEE AND BONDS

1.1 PROPOSAL MATERIAL:

1.2 BID GUARANTEE:

1.3 PAYMENT & PERFORMANCE BONDS:

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS TO BIDDERS/OFFERORS

2.1 AVAILABILITY OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

2.2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:

2.3 SDVOSB SET-ASIDE

2.4 PRE-PROPOSAL SITE VISIT:

2.5 TECHNICAL QUESTIONS:

2.6 AMENDMENTS

2.7 PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

2.8 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

2.9 DETERMINATION OF RESPONSIBILITY

2.10 VETS 4212

2.11 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM)

2.12 REVIEW REQUIRED REGISTRATION WITH CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE

ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM (CPARS)

2.13 BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS AND SPECIAL AGREEMENT CHECKS

2.14 REFERENCES TO VA ENGINEER, RESIDENT ENGINEER, OR PROJECT

MANAGER

2.15 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

2.16 52.222-5 CONSTRUCTION WAGE RATE REQUIREMENTS—SECONDARY

SITE OF THE WORK (MAY 2014)

2.17 52.222-23 NOTICE OF REQUIREMENT FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO

ENSURE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSTRUCTION (FEB 1999)

2.18 52.225-12 NOTICE OF BUY AMERICAN REQUIREMENT—CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS UNDER TRADE AGREEMENTS (MAY 2014)

2.19 52.228-1 BID GUARANTEE (SEP 1996)

2.20 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

2.21 52.236-27 SITE VISIT (CONSTRUCTION) (FEB 1995) ALTERNATE I (FEB

1995)

2.22 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

(FEB 1998)

2.23 VAAR 852.233-70 PROTEST CONTENT/ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE

RESOLUTION (OCT 2018)

2.24 VAAR 852.233-71 ALTERNATE PROTEST PROCEDURE (OCT 2018)

REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

3.1 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (DEC 2022) ... 24

3.2 52.204-24 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (NOV 2021)

3.3 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (OCT 2018)

3.4 52.209-13 VIOLATION OF ARMS CONTROL TREATIES OR AGREEMENTS—

CERTIFICATION (NOV 2021)

3.5 52.229-11 TAX ON CERTAIN FOREIGN PROCUREMENTS—NOTICE AND

REPRESENTATION (JUN 2020)

GENERAL CONDITIONS

4.1 52.204-21 BASIC SAFEGUARDING OF COVERED CONTRACTOR

INFORMATION SYSTEMS (NOV 2021)

4.2 52.211-10 COMMENCEMENT, PROSECUTION, AND COMPLETION OF WORK

(APR 1984)

4.3 52.219-28 POST-AWARD SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REREPRESENTATION

(OCT 2022)

4.4 52.222-34 PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT (MAY 2010)

4.5 52.223-2 AFFIRMATIVE PROCUREMENT OF BIOBASED PRODUCTS UNDER

SERVICE AND CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS (SEP 2013)

4.6 52.223-9 ESTIMATE OF PERCENTAGE OF RECOVERED MATERIAL CONTENT

FOR EPA-DESIGNATED ITEMS (MAY 2008)

4.7 52.223-20 AEROSOLS (JUN 2016)

4.8 52.223-21 FOAMS (JUN 2016)

4.9 52.225-11 BUY AMERICAN—CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS UNDER TRADE

AGREEMENTS (DEC 2022)

4.10 52.228-5 INSURANCE—WORK ON A GOVERNMENT INSTALLATION (JAN

1997)

4.11 52.228-12 PROSPECTIVE SUBCONTRACTOR REQUESTS FOR BONDS (DEC

2022)

4.12 52.244-6 SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (DEC 2022)

4.13 SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

4.14 52.236-4 PHYSICAL DATA (APR 1984)

4.15 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

4.16 VAAR 852.203-70 COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING (MAY 2018)

4.17 VAAR 852.204-70 PERSONAL IDENTITY VERIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR

PERSONNEL (MAY 2020)

4.18 VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SET-ASIDE FOR VERIFIED SERVICE-

DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES (NOV 2022)

4.19 VAAR 852.219-75 VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING —

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SERVICES AND CONSTRUCTION

4.20 VAAR 852.223-71 SAFETY AND HEALTH (SEP 2019)

4.21 VAAR 852.228-70 BOND PREMIUM ADJUSTMENT (JAN 2008)

4.22 VAAR 852.228-72 ASSISTING SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED AND

VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES IN OBTAINING BONDS (DEC 2009)

4.23 VAAR 852.232-71 PAYMENTS UNDER FIXED-PRICE CONSTRUCTION

CONTRACTS (INCLUDING NAS– CPM) (NOV 2018)

4.24 VAAR 852.232-72 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS (NOV

2018)

4.25 VAAR 852.236-71 SPECIFICATIONS AND DRAWINGS FOR CONSTRUCTION

(APR 2019)

4.26 VAAR 852.236-79 CONTRACTOR PRODUCTION REPORT (APR 2019)

4.27 VAAR 852.236-80 SUBCONTRACTS AND WORK COORDINATION (APR 2019)

4.28 VAAR 852.242-70 GOVERNMENT CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT

ADMINISTRATION (OCT 2020)

4.29 VAAR 852.242-71 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICER (OCT 2020) .. 71

4.30 VAAR 852.243-70 CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT CHANGES—SUPPLEMENT

(SEP 2019)

4.31 VAAR 852.201-70 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (DEC 2022)

4.32 IT CONTRACT SECURITY

4.33 MANDATORY WRITTEN DISCLOSURES

4.34 LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

A.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

ITEM

NUMBER

DESCRIPTION OF

SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

1.00 JB

ITEM I, GENERAL CONDITIONS: Work includes all general, safety and management requirements depicted in the contract documents.

All work shall be completed in accordance with the attached specifications and drawings.

The contractor shall complete the entire project, concerning Line Items 0001 - 0007, no later than 730 calendar days after the contractor receives the NOTICE TO PROCEED.

ITEM II, GENERAL CONSTRUCTION: Work includes general constructions, alterations, and selective demolition depicted in the contract documents. All work shall be completed in accordance with the attached specifications and drawings.

ITEM III, ELECTRICAL WORK: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the required electrical construction work on this project depicted in the contract documents. All work shall be completed in accordance with the attached specifications and drawings.

ITEM IV, MECHANICAL WORK: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the required mechanical construction work on this project depicted in the contract

ITEM V, TELECOMMUNICATION WORK: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the required telecommunication construction work on this project depicted in the contract documents. All work shall be completed in accordance with the attached specifications and drawings.

ITEM VI, SITE AND CIVIL WORK: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the required civil site construction work on this project depicted in the contract documents.

All work shall be completed in accordance with the attached specifications and drawings.

ITEM VII, ENVIRONMENTAL WORK: Work includes all labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform the required environmental work on this project depicted in the contract

GRAND TOTAL

NOTICE

1. Line Items (0001 - 0007) contains all the work for this project.

2. Offerors must provide a lump sum price for Line Items (0001 - 0007). Failure to do so may render their proposal as unacceptable.

3. Award will be made on Grand Total (Line Items 0001 - 0007).

4. Pricing shall be submitted in whole dollar values. Please do NOT include pricing in cents.

5. Contractor is required to fill in their Unique Entity Identifier number associate with SAM.gov in Block No. 14 on Standard Form (SF) 1442.

6. PLEASE NOTE: The Contractor agrees to attend any Post Award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 42.5.

INFORMATION REGARDING BIDDING MATERIAL, BID GUARANTEE

AND BONDS

1.1 PROPOSAL MATERIAL:

Proposal materials consisting of the statement of work, specifications, other attachments, and contract forms are included and/or attached as part of this Request for Proposal (RFP). The VA will not provide printed copies of the specifications or solicitation documents. It is the responsibility of the offeror to obtain the proposal materials in a time and manner sufficient to respond to this solicitation by the specified due date.

1.2 BID GUARANTEE:

A Bid Guarantee, Standard Form (SF 24), is required in an amount not less than 20 percent of the proposal price but shall not exceed $3,000,000. Failure to furnish the required bid (proposal) guarantee in the proper form and amount, by the time set for receipt of proposals, may result in the rejection of the proposal. Copies of the SF 24 may be obtained from http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP.

1.3 PAYMENT & PERFORMANCE BONDS:

The offeror to whom award is made will be required to furnish two bonds. A Payment Bond shall be provided on Standard Form 25A (SF 25A) and a Performance Bond shall be provided on Standard Form 25 (SF 25). Both bonds shall be submitted in accordance with FAR 52.228-15 Performance and Payment Bonds - Construction, which can be located under FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference. Copies of SFs 25A and 25 may be obtained from http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP.

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS TO

BIDDERS/OFFERORS

2.1 AVAILABILITY OF SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS

All solicitation-related documents will be published to Contract Opportunities at https://sam.gov/.

2.2 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) in accordance with FAR Part 15. Award will be made to the offeror whose proposal represents the “best value” to the Government Utilizing the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) method of evaluation. In order to receive consideration for award, a rating of ACCEPTABLE must be achieved for both Factor 1 Technical Approach (Technical) and Factor 2 Project Challenges (Technical). A responsibility determination will be made in accordance with FAR 9.1, Responsible Prospective Contractors. All proposals shall be subject to evaluation by a team of Government personnel. The Government reserves the right to award without discussions based upon the initial evaluation of the proposals.

Evaluations will be based on the following evaluation factors:

1. Technical Approach (Technical)

2. Project Challenges (Technical)

3. Price

2.3 SDVOSB SET-ASIDE

This procurement is a 100% set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) concerns. Offers received from other than SDVOSB concerns will not be considered.

All SDVOSBs must be listed as “verified” by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert). Offerors must be verified and visible in the SBA VetCert database (Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov)) at TIME OF SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS AND TIME OF AWARD. Failure to be BOTH visible and verified at the time of proposal submission and time of award will result in the offeror’s proposal being deemed unacceptable and ineligible for award.

NOTE: As of January 1, 2023, all SDVOSBs that were previously verified by the VA Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) are automatically granted certification by the SBA for the remainder of the firm’s eligibility period. The SBA intends to grant a one-time, one-year extension of certification to current SDVOSBs verified by the VA as of the transfer date on January 1, 2023. This additional year will be added to the existing eligibility period of a current participant. New applicants certified by SBA after January 1, 2023, will receive the standard three-year certification period. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA 2021) grants a one-year grace period for self-certified SDVOSBs until January 1, 2024. During the grace period, self-certified businesses have one year to file an application for SDVOSB certification and may continue to rely on their self-certification to compete for non-VA SDVOSB set-aside contracts. Self-certified SDVOSBs that apply before January 1, 2024, will maintain their eligibility through the expiration of the grace period until SBA issues a final eligibility decision.

https://sam.gov/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fveterans.certify.sba.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8e7e79ec26e24b76315a08dafed3d7c1%7Ce95f1b23abaf45ee821db7ab251ab3bf%7C0%7C0%7C638102483047735633%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=A6miKyttg2IAFGmDSciek4gm%2FPoHYc%2F0Uqk6dvC9Wlg%3D&reserved=0

2.4 PRE-PROPOSAL SITE VISIT:

A formal site visit has been scheduled for this project. This will be the only opportunity for potential offerors to visit the site. All potential offerors, subcontractors, and suppliers are strongly encouraged to attend this site visit. See FAR 52.236-27 of this solicitation for further information.

NOTE: Although not required, it is highly recommended that those who attend the pre-proposal site visit for this project, review the drawings ahead of time. Due to the continued care of our veterans, there may be areas that cannot be accessed during the pre-proposal site visit. Any questions regarding these areas can be addressed during the technical question period of the solicitation.

2.5 TECHNICAL QUESTIONS:

Questions of a technical nature must be provided in writing and shall be submitted by the prospective offerors to Thomas Council. Questions shall be submitted only via e-mail to:

thomas.council@va.gov. The subject line must read: Jefferson Barracks - EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades - Technical Questions. Oral questions of a technical nature are not acceptable due to the possibility of misunderstanding or misinterpretation. THE CUT-OFF DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF QUESTIONS IS March 10, 2023 at 1:00 PM (ET).

2.6 AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this solicitation will be posted at https://sam.gov/. Paper copies of the amendments will NOT be individually mailed. No other notification of amendments will be provided. Potential offerors are advised that they are responsible for obtaining and acknowledging any amendments to the solicitation. Failure to acknowledge an amendment may result in your proposal being considered unacceptable.

2.7 PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS

The Government will not pay for any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of proposals.

2.8 PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

A. General:

1. Proposal Submission: Offerors shall submit their proposals via email to:

thomas.council@va.gov. Proposals shall be based on solicitation document issued for RFP number 36C77623R0009. Proposals will be in the format stipulated in this document. Proposals shall be received on or before the date and time specified in Block 13 of the SF 1442. There will be no public opening of the proposals. Only e-mail proposals will be accepted. Hard-copy proposals will not be accepted.

B. Proposal Format:

1. Technical, Price and Administrative sections of the Offerors proposals will be evaluated independently; therefore, the Offeror shall submit the proposal in three

(3) Volumes: Volume I Technical, Volume II Price and Volume III Administrative.

In order that the Volume I Technical may be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, the contractor shall include NO price information in Volume I.

Offeror shall separate Volumes I, II and III. Each volume must be labeled with the Offeror's organization, business address, and VA Solicitation Number. The volumes shall be submitted in electronic format as searchable PDF documents.

The proposal, in its entirety, shall not exceed three (3) emails (one email for each mailto:thomas.council@va.gov mailto:thomas.council@va.gov volume) of 5MB each. Include page numbers and the company name in the header or footer of each page.

2. Volume I Technical: Offerors shall format the Volume I Technical proposal as listed below. The specific evaluation criteria and methodology for Volume I is contained in Sections C(1), (2) and Section E.

a. The offer, including title page, detailed table of contents, preface shall be submitted in one (1) PDF document for Volume I Technical and shall not exceed a total of TWENTY (20) pages (title page, table of contents and preface are excluded from the page limits) in Microsoft Times New Roman 12 font. The Offeror shall not include any price or price related material in the Volume I proposal. Use graphic presentations where such use will contribute to the compactness and clarity of the proposal.

b. A page is defined as each face of an 8.5 X 11-inch sheet of paper with 1-inch margins around the page perimeter containing information. All information (except for document numbers, page numbers, etc.) shall be provided in an image area of 7 X 9 inches.

The background color of each page of the submission shall be white or ivory stock only and each page shall count as one (1) page.

Excess pages will not be evaluated. Text lines will be single-spaced, and proposals shall be submitted using Times New Roman, with font no smaller than 12 point with normal proportional spacing. A smaller font size for any graphics presented in a proposal is permitted as long as the information is legible to the human eye.

Fonts other than Times New Roman are permissible in the presentation of graphic material only.

c. The Offeror’s responses shall clearly address each evaluation factor listed in this solicitation. Failure to submit in the format required and clearly address those factors may result in this offer being rated unacceptable.

3. Volume II Price: Offerors shall format the Volume II Price proposal as listed below. The specific evaluation criteria and methodology for Volume II is contained in Sections D and E.

a. Volume II Price shall not exceed a total of TWENTY (20) pages in Times New Roman size 12 font.

b. Offerors shall complete the Price Schedule in part A of this solicitation.

c. Offerors shall ensure the Signed Standard Form (SF) 1442 is provided.

Offerors shall acknowledge receiving amendments by filling out section 19 of the SF 1442.

d. In addition to the Price Schedule, offerors shall submit a complete breakdown of the Division Pricing for Line Items (0001 - 0007).

e. Bid Guarantee: The Offeror shall furnish a bid guarantee as stipulated in the solicitation (see FAR 52.228-1). Pricing shall be Firm Fixed Price.

The bid guarantee shall be provided on Standard Form 24. The bid bond shall be submitted as part of the electronic submission and the original hard copy of the bid bond shall be mailed to:

Program Contracting Activity Central ATTN: Thomas Council 6100 Oak Tree Blvd. Suite 490 Independence, Ohio 44131

Failure to furnish the required bid guarantee on the proper form and for the proper amount by the time specified in Block 13 of SF 1442, may result in rejection of the proposal.

4. Volume III Administrative Information: Offerors shall include the following in Volume III. Information concerning Items b. through i. must be provided. An Offeror may be considered unacceptable if Items b. through i. are not provided in the proposal. Please be advised that the submission of Item a. Project Labor Agreement is not mandatory.

a. Project Labor Agreement: The Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects (PLAs): Offerors may submit proposals with or without the use of PLAs. The PLAs shall fully conform to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 22.5 “Project Labor Agreement for Federal Projects.” No additional credit will be assigned to proposals submitted with a PLA. PLA proposals will not be given additional credit toward selection of a proposal for award. Offeror(s) who choose to provide a proposal including PLAs shall do so in compliance with the applicable solicitation requirements. FAR 52.222- 34 “Project Labor Agreement” has been included in this solicitation.

b. Representations & Certifications:

As the provision at FAR 52.204-7 is included in the solicitation, FAR 52.204-8 (d) applies and the fill-in for FAR 52.204-8 (b)(2) does not need to be completed. The offeror is required to complete the annual representations and certifications electronically at https://www.sam.gov.

c. Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.204-24 (d) Representation.

d. Information Regarding Responsibility Matters:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.209-7 (b) Information Regarding Responsibility Matters.

e. Violation of Arms Controls Treaties or Agreements:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.209-13 (b) Violation of Arms Controls Treaties or Agreements.

f. Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements – Notice and Representation:

The offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.229-11 (d).

g. Post Award Small Business Program Representations:

Offeror shall provide their response to FAR 52.219-28 (h), if applicable.

h. Limitations on Subcontracting:

The offeror shall complete and sign the VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting - Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction required in VAAR 852.219-75 and return it with their proposal submission as a separate document (see attachment Limitations on Subcontracting - Construction). The completed and signed form will become part of the official award documentation.

i. Experience Modification Rate:

https://www.sam.gov/

The Offeror shall include the Safety of Environmental Violations and Experience Modification Rating (EMR) Information, including filling out the attached document (see attachment Contractor Safety - Environmental Form).

(1) Provide offeror’s information pertaining to their past Safety and Environmental record. The information must contain a certification that the offeror 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. If such certification cannot be made, a Offeror shall explain why and submit as much information as possible regarding the circumstances of its past safety and environmental record, including the number of EPA violations and/or the number of serious, repeat, and/or willful OSHA violations, along with a detailed description of those violations.

(2) Provide offeror’s information regarding their current EMR. This information shall be obtained from the Offeror’s insurance carrier and be furnished on the insurance carrier’s letterhead. If an Offeror’s EMR is above 1.0, Offeror must submit a written explanation of the EMR from its insurance carrier furnished on the insurance carrier’s letterhead, describing the reasons for the elevated EMR and the anticipated date the EMR may be reduced to 1.0 or below.

(3) 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.

(4) If the NCCI cannot issue an EMR because the Offeror lacks insurance history, Offeror shall submit a letter indicating so from its insurance carrier furnished on the insurance carrier’s letterhead, and include a letter from the NCCI indicating that is has assigned Offeror a Unity Rating of 1.0.

(5) The above information, along with other information obtained from Government systems, such as the OSHA and EPA online inspection history databases, will be used to make an initial Determination of Responsibility.

(6) This requirement is applicable to all subcontracting tiers, and prospective prime contractors are responsible for determining the responsibility of their prospective subcontractors.

(7) Failure to provide the above EMR documentation, may result in a determination that an Offerors proposal is unacceptable.

C. Technical Proposal Requirements: The proposal shall address the following submission requirements for Factor 1 Technical Approach (Technical) & Factor 2 Project Challenges (Technical).

1. Factor 1, Technical Approach (Technical):

The offeror shall provide a detailed technical approach (thought process) to accomplishing the construction of the Electronic Healthcare Record Management (EHRM) Infrastructure Upgrades project. The narrative will detail how the contractor intends to prepare the site, handle phasing, construct the new telecom rooms, renovate the existing telecom rooms, renovate the existing Main Computer Room (MCR), and complete the project within the specified time limits.

Such details shall include, at a minimum:

• The contractor explaining how the project is to be managed

• Anticipated construction hazards and safety measures to mitigate hazards.

• Alternate course(s) of action in the event items become non-conforming, whether it be material or time.

• How the work in the New Telecommunications Room spaces will take place without disrupting Network Connectivity.

• Ensure Network security measures are in place while actively working on a Telecommunications Room space.

2. Factor 2, Project Challenges (Technical):

Offerors must clearly demonstrate their understanding of the challenges that are involved with this project, mitigation plan, and how to properly phase the project.

Simply restating the requirements (copying and pasting from the solicitation) is not considered to be a demonstration of complete understanding of the challenges and phasing requirements. Rather, Offerors must show that they have analyzed the requirements, considered the environment, and demonstrate the extent to which they understand the requirements across the body of the proposal.

Each Offeror's anticipated challenges must address the following at a minimum:

• Order of work elements to include project phasing, submittals, mobilization, excavation, construction/remodeling, punch list, de-mobilization.

• Identification of long lead time materials.

• Clear identification of concurrent tasks needed for successful completion of project within the POP.

• Identification of significant milestones due to winter work conditions.

• Current bottlenecks due to the impacts of Covid and shipping/material availability delays.

• The VA’s review and approval of requests for information (RFI), submittals and other pertinent documents.

• Interruption of VA facilities utilities, VA OIT time to swap network gear during scheduled switchovers, rough-in drawings, project phasing and any other specification requirements.

D. Volume II – Price Proposal Requirements

a. Carefully follow “Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors”. Standard form (SF) 1442 Solicitation Offer and Award (Construction, Alteration, or Repair) and the Pricing Schedule located on PAGE 6 when submitting price offers. Submit a bid guarantee as stipulated in the solicitation.

b. In addition to the pricing schedule, Offerors shall submit a complete Breakdown of the Division Pricing for Line Items (0001 - 0007). The Division Pricing will be used to determine price reasonableness. The Government also reserves the right to use this Division Pricing breakdown as part of discussions during the competitive range, if they are required.

c. The prices shall be Firm Fixed Price. The Offeror shall take care not to include remarks that take exception to the Government’s Specifications/Drawings or pricing requirements or otherwise preclude the Government from evaluating the offer, which will render the offer unacceptable.

E. Evaluation Methodology:

All Offerors are advised that, in the interest of efficiency, the Government reserves the right to conduct the evaluation in the most effective manner.

Specifically, the Government may first evaluate the total proposed price of all Offerors. Thereafter, the Government will evaluate the technical proposal of the lowest priced Offeror only. If the lowest priced Offeror’s technical proposal is determined to be rated as Acceptable, the Government may make award to that Offeror without further evaluation of the remaining Offerors’ technical proposals, provided its price is determined to be fair and reasonable.

If the lowest priced Offeror’s technical proposal is determined to be rated as Unacceptable, then the Government may evaluate the next lowest priced technical proposal, and so forth and so on, until the Government reaches the lowest priced technical proposal that is determined to be rated as acceptable with fair and reasonable pricing. However, the Government reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to evaluate all Offerors’ technical proposals should it desire to conduct discussions, or otherwise determine it to be in the Government’s best interest.

To received consideration for award, a rating of ACCEPTABLE must be achieved for both Factor 1 Technical Approach (Technical) and Factor 2 Project Challenges (Technical).

ACCEPTABLE is defined as: the Offeror demonstrated the ability to meet all of the Government’s minimum requirements as identified in the solicitation.

UNACCEPTABLE is defined as: the Offeror failed to demonstrate the ability to meet all of the Government’s minimum requirements as identified in the solicitation.

Factor 1 Technical Approach (Technical): The minimum requirements for an Acceptable Rating are as follows:

Acceptability is determined when the offeror has demonstrated the ability to prepare, remodel, construct, and complete the construction project within the required amount of time. Acceptability is determined when the offeror demonstrates a technically achievable approach to meeting the Government’s requirements while successfully maintaining security measures and avoiding disruption to Network Connectivity in the Telecommunication Room spaces.

Factor 2 Project Challenges (Technical): The minimum requirements for an Acceptable Rating are as follows:

Acceptability is determined when the offeror identifies their understanding of the challenges involved in the project and provides a feasible and executable phasing plan to succeed in the timely completion of this project. Acceptability is determined when the offeror demonstrates an understanding of the construction requirements by providing an actionable mitigation approach to the project challenges within the period of performance.

Factor 3 Price: The total evaluated price will be determined by the Offeror's price for Line Items (0001 - 0007). The Offeror who provides the lowest price will be determined to be the lowest priced Offeror.

Note: If none of the offerors are within the available funding limitation or is otherwise determined to be other than fair and reasonable, the VA reserves the right to enter into discussions with those offerors who are determined to be within the competitive range, if a competitive range is determined to be in the interest of the VA.

If the Offeror communicates in its proposal any qualifications, exceptions, exclusions, or conditions to the proposed prices in the Offerors proposal documents, the Contracting Officer may reject the proposal and exclude the Offeror from further discussions.

2.9 DETERMINATION OF RESPONSIBILITY

A Determination of Responsibility will be conducted for the apparent successful offeror prior to award of the project. The above information, along with other information obtained from Government systems, such as, but not limited to the OSHA and EPA online inspection history databases, as well as any other information the Contracting Officer has determined to be valid, will be used to make the Determination of Responsibility. NOTE: Any information received by the Government that would be cause for a negative Determination of Responsibility may make the offeror ineligible for award.

2.10 VETS 4212

Title 38, USC Section 4212(d), codified at 41 CFR Section 61-300, requires that federal contractors report, at least annually, the number and category of veterans who are within their workforce. Submission of the VETS-4212 reporting information can be done electronically at:

http://www.dol.gov/vets/vets4212.htm. Award cannot be made unless the awardee has filed their VETS-4212 report. Therefore, all offerors are encouraged to file every year. The Contracting Officer may request a copy of the email confirmation of receipt notification prior to awarding the project.

2.11 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM)

Federal Acquisition Regulations require that federal contractors register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at https://sam.gov/ and enter all mandatory information into the http://www.dol.gov/vets/vets4212.htm system. Offerors are required to be registered in SAM at the time an offer is submitted in order to comply with the annual representations and certifications requirements (see FAR 52.204-7).

2.12 REVIEW REQUIRED REGISTRATION WITH CONTRACTOR

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM (CPARS)

As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.1502(e), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates contractor past performance on all construction contracts that exceed $750,000 and shares those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement, VA uses an online database, CPARS, which is maintained by the Naval Seal Logistics Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. CPARS is available to all Federal agencies and is the system used to collect and retrieve performance assessment reports used in source selection determinations. CPARS also includes access to the federal awardee performance and integrity information system (FAPIIS). FAPIIS is a web-enabled application accessed via CPARS for contractor responsibility determination information.

Each contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed $750,000 is required to register with CPARS database at the following web address: http://www.cpars.gov/. Help in registering can be obtained by contacting Customer Support Desk @ DSN: 684-1690 or COMM: 207- 438- 1690. Registration should occur no later than thirty days after contract award and must be kept current should there be any change to the contractor’s registered representative.

For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the contractor’s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract, when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the contractor’s designated representative for comment. The contractor representative will have thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer.

Failure to have a current registration in the CPARS database, or to re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer within those thirty days, will result in the Government’s evaluation being placed on file in the database with a statement that the contractor failed to respond.

2.13 BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS AND SPECIAL AGREEMENT

CHECKS

All contractor employees are subject to the same level of investigation as VA employees who have access to VA Sensitive Information. The level of background investigation is commensurate with the level of access needed to perform all work as identified in the solicitation documents. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. As per VA Directive 0710, costs of background investigations will be borne by the contractor. Please be advised that the awardee will need to coordinate with the VA Medical Center concerning badging requirements. If the site requires an investigation, the contractor shall follow VA Directive 0710.

2.14 REFERENCES TO VA ENGINEER, RESIDENT ENGINEER, OR

PROJECT MANAGER

Any reference contained within the solicitation/contract specifications and/or drawings to the “VA Engineer,” “Resident Engineer,” or “Project Manager,” or their abbreviations shall be replaced with “Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).”

http://www.cpars.gov/

2.15 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)

2.16 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)

2.17 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:

Goals for minority participation for each trade

Goals for female participation for each trade

14.7 % 6.9 % 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

St. Louis County, St. Louis, MO

(End of Provision)

2.18 52.225-12 NOTICE OF BUY AMERICAN REQUIREMENT—

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS UNDER TRADE AGREEMENTS (MAY 2014)

(a) Definitions. "Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item," "construction material," "designated country 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 Under Trade Agreements" (Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.225-11).

(b) Requests for determination 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 FAR clause 52.225-11 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 materials, by adding to the offered price the appropriate percentage of the cost of such foreign construction material, as specified in paragraph (b)(4)(i) of FAR clause 52.225-11.

(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 construction material, other than designated country construction material, that is not listed by the Government in this solicitation in paragraph (b)(3) of FAR clause 52.225-11, the offeror also may submit an alternate offer based on use of equivalent domestic or designated country 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 FAR clause 52.225-11 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 FAR clause 52.225-11 does not apply, the Government will evaluate only those offers based on use of the equivalent domestic or designated country construction material, and the offeror shall be required to furnish such domestic or designated country 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)

2.19 52.228-1 BID GUARANTEE (SEP 1996)

(a) Failure to furnish a bid guarantee in the proper form and amount, by the time set for opening of bids, may be cause for rejection of the bid.

(b) The bidder shall furnish a bid guarantee in the form of a firm commitment, e.g., bid bond supported by good and sufficient surety or sureties acceptable to the Government, postal money order, certified check, cashier's check, irrevocable letter of credit, or, under Treasury Department regulations, certain bonds or notes of the United States. The Contracting Officer will return bid guarantees, other than bid bonds—

(1) To unsuccessful bidders as soon as practicable after the opening of bids; and

(2) To the successful bidder upon execution of contractual documents and bonds (including any necessary coinsurance or reinsurance agreements), as required by the bid as accepted.

(c) The amount of the bid guarantee shall be 20 percent of the bid price or…