36C78618Q9551-003.docx

B.3 STATEMENT OF WORK

1.0 Background

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), National Cemetery Administration (NCA) furnishes headstones, markers and niche covers (monuments) for deceased veterans worldwide. Memorial monuments are also furnished to memorialize veterans whose remains are non-recoverable.

2.0 Purpose

The purpose of this contract is to obtain inscriptions on government furnished blank marble niche covers (type E1) for subsequent installation at Arlington National Cemetery.

3.0 General

Contractor shall provide all labor, materials, packaging and transportation necessary to perform off-site inscriptions on government furnished monuments.

3.1 Government Furnished Property

The contractor shall be responsible for the security and protection of Government Furnished Property provided to the contractor in connection with this contract. All niche covers that do not meet the specifications following inscription will be considered scrap and the quantity will need to be reported to the cemetery and to MPS. The contractor is responsible for disposing of niche covers scrapped at the contractor’s location.

3.2 Performance Period

The period of performance is one base year with 4 option years, if exercised.

Base Period - October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019 Option Year One - October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020 Option Year Two – October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021 Option Year Three – October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022 Option Year Four – October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023 The contractor shall have 10 business days, excluding federal holidays, as counted from the date following the day an order is sent to the contractor, until the monuments are produced and made available to the cemetery.

3.3 Unit Price

The overall unit price includes pickup of blank niche covers from the cemetery and the return of inscribed niche covers. The unit price is all-inclusive and covers the complete inscription ordered, regardless of the total number of lines or characters. The unit price will be the total price paid for each niche cover inscribed by the contractor, delivered FOB Destination.

4.0 Item #1 Description: Inscription for Niche Covers, Marble

4.1 Product Code: E1

4.2 Technical Contract Drawing(s):

· A-E1-sheets 1-3 , July 23-31, 2014 Niche Cover and Inscription Scenarios

· A-LFN&OC sheets 1-3, Rev. A, June 13, 2016, Letters, Fonts, Numbers, & Other Characters

· A-EM sheets 1-4, December 23, 2017, A-EM Cover Page & A-EM -5; June 28, 2018 Emblems of Belief

5.0 Scope of Work

5.1 Contract Period

This contract covers the period from October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019 with four one-year options (if exercised) to extend the term of the contract through September 30, 2023.

5.2 Contractor Services

This service includes all labor and materials necessary to provide and deliver, FOB Destination, inscriptions on government furnished, blank marble niche covers. The contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, and materials necessary to pick up government-furnished niche covers and deliver completed covers to the cemetery. The contractor shall use covers provided by the cemetery for the purpose of this contract. The contractor is responsible for pick-up, packaging to prevent damage during shipment, palletizing if necessary, handling, and returning niche covers to the cemetery. The cemetery is responsible only for making blank niche covers available to the contractor and is not responsible for packaging the blank niche covers. The contractor shall regularly pickup blanks from the cemetery to ensure work is completed within the required performance period. The contractor is not responsible for unwrapping, uncrating, or installing completed niche covers.

The contractor shall give the Cemetery Director or his/her designated representative at least 24 hours advanced notice prior to arriving at the cemetery for either picking-up blanks or delivering inscribed niche covers.

If a contractor has multiple cemetery contracts, it is essential that the blank niche covers for each cemetery are segregated, and the inscriber use the appropriate segregated stock intended solely for that cemetery.

5.3 Workmanship

Inscribed niche covers shall be free from defects due to broken or blown out lettering. Repairs or patching of any such defects are not allowed and will be cause for rejection. Inscribed niche covers shall be free of oils, glue, crayon marks, direct, adhesives and dust.

Inscriptions shall be made using an air blast abrasion method with a grit suited for providing crisply inscribed edges. The inscription shall have a depths consistent with that shown in technical drawing A-LFN&OC and shall conform to the dimensions of letters and inscriptions as shown on the drawings (ALFN&OC sheets 1-3). The layout of the letters, numbers and emblems shall conform to scenarios in the drawings (A-E sheets 2-3 and A-EM sheets 1-5).

Any inscribed niche covers that are delivered broken to the cemetery shall be replaced at contractor expense and re-delivered to the cemetery within five (5) calendar days from the date the contractor receives, by email, the notification of damage from the contracting officers representative (COR). The contractor shall provide tracking information to the Contracting Officers delegated Representative (COR) regarding the replacements for damaged niche covers.

5.4 Product

The end or limit of each inscribed line shall be indicated on a line-by-line basis in orders that are emailed to the contractor. If questions exist for the formatted inscriptions., contact the COR or alternatively the MPS Program Support Unit at MPSProgSupport@va.gov .

5.4.1 Lettering

Only CAPITAL LETTERS will be used in inscriptions.

Surname letters must be as shown in line L-1 on drawings. All other inscriptions must conform to line L-4 letters.

The dimensions and spacing of the letters and numerals must conform to the drawings.

If a last name cannot be inscribed because its length exceeds usable space on the niche cover, the contractor shall use the L-2 size letters for surname. The contractor shall consult with the COR before work is begun to request a deviation in the normal size lettering.

Small capital letters shall be used, if feasible, in accordance with the contract and drawings in regards to the last name in the following manner: e.g., for “c” in McDONALD, “ac” in MacDONALD and “r” in Jr. The size of the lettering (i.e., “c”) shall be L-2 when used with L-1 letters (refer to drawings).

5.4.2 Emblems

Emblems as shown on the drawings must be incised on niche covers per the ordered formatting. The emblem’s inclusion is considered part of the unit price. The size of the emblems shall be two (2) inches at their largest point-to-point measurement inclusive of the circle for emblems which are encircled.

5.4.3 Replacement In-Kind

Occasionally, requests shall be received for emblems which differ from those shown in the drawings of approved emblems. These emblems shall be considered by the Government on a case-by-case basis. Upon receiving an order for an emblem that differs from the approved drawings, the Contractor shall present the order to the COR for review prior to inscribing. If approved through the COR, the Contractor shall be furnished a drawing or illustration to replicate the emblem as a replacement-in-kind. The intent is to replicate all or part of a pre existing inscription. In-kind replacements must be provided at no additional cost to the government.

5.4.4 Lithichrome Application

Lithichrome shall be applied to inscriptions, unless specific instructions to do otherwise are provided. Whenever lithichrome is not required, “NO LITHICHROME” shall be notated in the order. When lithichrome is applied, it shall be N4 or lower as judged against the Munsell Neutral Value Scale, Matte (31-step scale).

6.0 Submittal by Potential Offerors

All potential offerors must submit, at the contractor’s expense, one marble inscription sample by the closing date of this solicitation. The sample will be used to determine the potential awardees’ ability to perform E1 inscriptions.

Sample Requirements for E1 Inscriptions: One marble inscription sample on a 15-3/4” long by 11-1/4” wide by ¾” thick plaque to be inscribed and packaged to prevent any damage during shipping. The sample should conform to government specifications for lettering, inscription depth, and layout. The sample must be clearly marked on the back with permanent marker to show the: Contractor’s name, physical & e-mail addresses, solicitation number, and name of cemetery for which the sample is provided (Arlington).

The following inscription will be used for this sample submission. Refer to the drawings for special notes, line spacing and dimensions.

Emblem #12

DIAZ-SALVADÓR

JAVIER JR

2ND LT USAF

VIETNAM IRAQ

1952 2013

MARY ELIZABETH

1938 2005

WE MISS YOU

Failure to meet any of the requirements will result in the rejection of the sample. The sample shall establish the minimum acceptable product for all inscriptions under this contract and will be the basis for comparison of all inscription services provided under this contract.

Sample must be received by MPS prior to closing date. If the sample is disapproved by MPS, you will receive notification by the Contracting Officer and you have until the closing date of solicitation to resubmit samples. Once submitted, samples become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

Submit sample to the following address:

Department of Veteran Affairs Memorial Products Service Program Support Unit, Rm 600 1575 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20005

6.1 Full size copies of drawings are available upon request at no additional charge to potential vendors. The request should be e-mailed to the NCA Memorial Products Service (MPS) Program Support Unit at MPSProgSupport@va.gov and should include the contractor’s name, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address and the name and drawing number of the drawing(s) requested. MPS recommends vendors use full size versions for determining work requirements. Potential vendors should e-mail the request for drawings to MPSProgSupport@va.gov with sufficient lead time to allow for mailing and receipt prior to preparing the vendor’s submittal.

7.0 Contract Requirements

7.1 Corrections/Cancellations of Inscription Orders

Corrections/cancellations will be forwarded by e-mail to the contractor only by the COR or MPS Program Support Unit within three (1) calendar days of receiving the order. The contractor is required to respond to each e-mailed request from the COR or MPS Program Support Unit with one workday from the date the request was sent.

7.2 Processing of Orders and Time of Delivery

All niche covers will be inscribed in the order in which received, that is, on a first-in/first-out basis unless the order is flagged for special handling. Orders for normal delivery shall be produced in numerical sequence, by shipment number. Contractors shall provide a single e-mail address for electronically receiving orders. Orders shall be electronically distributed by MPS to the contractor’s e-mail address, Monday thru Friday, excluding federal holidays.

7.3 Accelerated Delivery (Casualties of War)

When the cemetery director or MPS is made aware of a pending burial request for a U.S. casualty of war, either the COR or MPS (Memorial Products Support) will provide the inscription’s format to the contractor. These orders are estimated to be less than 1% of all orders for the life of the contract. The COR or MPS will provide the inscription to the contractor with not less than (2) calendar days advance notification, and advise the contractor when the inscription needs to be completed.

All inscriptions identified as an accelerated delivery shall be provided at no additional cost to the government.

7.4 Weekly Reports

The contractor shall maintain a written inspection system that documents the quality and timeliness of finished products. Weekly reports shall be e-mailed to the COR and MPS Unit (MPSProgSupport@va.gov). The reports shall be due by the close of business on Tuesday of each week. Should this day fall on a holiday, the report shall be submitted the day before the holiday.

Weekly reports shall include:

· Date order received

· Obligation number

· Shipment numbers

· Quantity of items associated with each shipment number

· Date shipped

· Quantity of orders shipped/completed

· Quantity of orders pending

· Estimated ship dates for pending orders

· Number of orders cancelled

· Provide the number of rejected/damaged covers and the reason for rejection (due to blowouts, breakage, changes in inscription, inscription error, etc…)

· The number of usable government furnished blanks remaining in the contractor’s inventory

· If any order is completed late or projected to be completed beyond the contractually required due date, the contractor shall identify the reason(s) for the delinquency, what actions are underway to resolve the tardiness, and the projected future date for completion (projected completion dates which are behind the reporting date are unacceptable). Identify the number of blanks that were scrapped each week

8.0 Cemetery Special Requirements

8.1 Pick Up of Government Blanks

The contractor and cemetery will ensure that APPENDIX B-TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT- FURNISHED HEADSTONES, MARKERS, OR NICHE COVERS is completed, signed and dated, and a copy provided to the cemetery when exchanging possession of blanks.

8.2 Delivery

Specific requirements for delivery to the cemetery are as follows:

· Deliver between 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

· Deliveries will be made to maintenance compound at the back of the cemetery

· The contractor shall ensure pallets of inscribed niche covers are placed at the rear of the delivery vehicle to ensure the ability of the cemetery personnel to offload the pallet using a forklift.

8.3 Conduct at the Cemetery

The following standards and regulations are enforceable under Title 38, U.S. C., Section 218.

· National cemeteries are national shrines; contractor personnel appearance and conduct shall be professional and unobtrusive at all times. All contractor personnel shall wear long pants while on cemetery grounds unless approved in writing by the cemetery director.

· Questions from cemetery visitors shall be politely referred or directed to cemetery personnel.

· Contractor personnel will behave with appropriate decorum, courtesy, and respect while within the cemetery or at its’ perimeter or entrances. Shouting, cursing, use of personal radios, angry outbursts, sleeping, intoxication, spitting, unsafe driving of private or company vehicles, and violence or criminal acts of any kind will not be tolerated and are cause for immediate removal from the cemetery and shall jeopardize any future contract or renewal of current contract.

· The contractor shall ensure all motor vehicles used in this contract meet State Inspection, safety, licensing, registration and insurance requirements. All contact personnel operating vehicles will have a valid driver’s license.

· The contractor shall dispose of all rejected work. Disposal means removed and destroyed so no part of the inscription is legible, removal from cemetery property, and permanently disposed so no part of the monument can be used for any other private or public purpose.

9.0 Government Quality Assurance (QA)

9.1 Site Inspections

Quality assurance (QA) inspections of the contractor’s manufacturing facility and of the completed on-site work at the cemetery may be conducted during the contract period by the designated COR of the Memorial Products Service, Program Support Unit and the designated COR of the cemetery to assure contract performance. Visits to the Contractor and the cemetery will be scheduled at a time so as to ensure inspection of the Contractor’s production. The Government reserves the right to perform quality audit inspections without prior scheduling or notifications to the contractor.

During each QA visit, a complete assessment of the Contractor’s operation will be made, to include the following areas:

· Performance of quality assurance inspections,

· Maintenance of QA records indicating the quality of the inscribed niche covers and,

· Packaging of niche covers to assurance compliance with all contractual requirements.

9.2 Quality Complaints

The contractor is responsible for the performance of all inspections and quality assurance required by this contract. The contractor shall develop and maintain a written inspection system that documents the quality of all finished products resulting from the inscription of government headstones. The government reserves the right to perform any inspections deemed necessary to assure inscribed niche covers are supplied in accordance with the specifications of the contract.

The receipt of a quality complaint or a Quality Audit Inspection indicating non-compliance with the specification/contract will be considered reason for an immediate visit and review of the contractor’s quality assurance program. The Government reserves the right to impose 100% Government Quality Inspection for an indefinite period due to quality problems. Indicative, but not all-inclusive, examples are:

· Nonconforming off-site niche cover inscriptions.

· Completed off-site marble niche cover inscriptions that passed the contractor’s inspection system but fail the Quality Inspection of the designated COR.

· Deficiencies that adversely affect performance of the contract existing in areas such as:

- Inspection system

- Inspection personnel

- Manufacturing process

- Production control

- Planning and scheduling

- Employee training

- Safety

The designated COR or the MPS Program Support Unit will inform the Contractor of the deficiencies during the inspection and will discuss with the contractor what corrective action(s) will be taken.

10.0 Procedures (Administrative and Other)

10.1 Government Responsibilities

Notwithstanding the Contractor’s responsibility for total management during the performance of this contract, the administration of the contract will require coordination between the Government and the Contractor. Contracting Services shall provide, at the time of the contract award, a list of personnel authorized to act as the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

· The COR or MPS shall e-mail formatted orders on weekdays to a contractor’s self-designated e-mail address.

· Within two (2) business days, the COR or MPS will clarify formatting questions regarding ordered items or advise the contractor as to whether extra time is needed to provide a reply. The contractor shall submit questions to the COR or MPSProgSupport@va.gov to obtain needed guidance regarding questionable circumstances.

· Questions or issues regarding processing of order, which cannot be resolved through submission to MPS MPSProgSupport@va.gov, will be routed to the Contracting Officer for resolution.

10.2 Contractor Records and Files

The contractor shall maintain records and files of all documents relating to each order filled under each contract. Such files will minimally contain, manufacturing quality assurance checklists, final inspection and acceptance reports, delivery order numbers, dates completed, date invoiced and tracking documentation. Said files are in addition to any similar information provided to or by the Government and will be available upon request to the designated COR during on-site Quality Assurance inspections.

10.3 Government Headstone, Marker and Niche Cover Drawings

The Contractor shall ensure that copies of all relevant Government-provided drawings for production of headstones/markers/niche covers under each contract are maintained on file and are available to the designated COR, upon request, during on-site Quality Assurance inspections.

10.4 Point of Contact at MPS, Program Support Unit

E-mail MPSProgSupport@va.gov

10.5 Respect for Headstones and Markers in National Cemeteries Handling of Markers and Headstones Every action by contractor personnel at a national cemetery must be performed with the special care, reverence, dignity, and respect that acknowledges the cemetery as the final resting place that commemorates the service and sacrifice that service members, Veterans. and their families made for our Nation.

Should any activity result in the exposure and/or damage to any remains, container for remains (i.e., casket or urn), or outer burial container, the contractor must contact the COR, Director/Assistant Director, or Contracting Officer (CO) for guidance.

Any doubts as to proper procedures shall be brought to the attention of the COR, Director/Assistant Director, or Contracting Officer (CO) for guidance .

[END OF STATEMENT OF WORK/SPECIFICATION]