36C78623Q50041 - Combined Synopsis - GMS at Alabama NC - Final.pdf

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Document Type: Combined Synopsis Solicitation

Solicitation Number: 36C78623Q50041

Post Date: 02/01/2023

Original Response Date: 02/24/2023 at 16:00 Eastern Standard Time

Applicable NAICS: 561730

Classification Code: S208

Set Aside Type: SDVOSB

Period of Performance: Base (04/01/2023- 03/01/2023) plus 4 option years if exercised

Issuing Contracting Office: Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration, Contract Services 18434 Joplin Road Triangle, VA 22172

Place of Performance: Alabama National Cemetery 3133 Highway 119 Montevallo, AL 35115

Attachments: Attachment A – Price Schedule Attachment B – SOW - Grounds Maintenance Services, Alabama NC - Attachment C – Service Contract Act WD # 2015-4591 Attachment D – Davis-Bacon Act WD # AL20230096 Attachment E – Past Performance Questionnaire

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.603 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ), solicitation number 36C78623Q50041.

This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2023-01 (eff. 12/30/2022).

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE:

The (NAICS) code for this procurement is 561730. The business size standard number of employees is $8.5 Million.

This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach.

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, anticipates the award of an Firm, Fixed Price, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. IDIQ Contracts does not procure or specify a firm quantity of services (other than a minimum or maximum quantity). The awardee shall be issued via Task Orders (TOs) for the performance of services during the period of the contract. This IDIQ Contract is for Grounds Maintenance Services at Alabama National Cemetery, 3133 Highway 119, Montevallo, AL, 35115.

DIGNITY CLAUSE:

Respect for Headstones and Markers in National Cemeteries; Handling of Markers and Headstones Every action by Offeror 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. Critically important is the awareness required of the Offeror employees of the remains buried in the grounds where the work is performed. The utmost care must be given to these remains and the headstones and flat grave markers that mark those gravesites and memorialize the service of individuals.

Offerors cannot walk, stand, lean, sit or jump on headstones or markers. Nor can they drive over them.

No tools, equipment or other items will be placed or leaned on headstones or markers.

Use care not to scratch or damage markers in any manner.

Offeror shall be responsible for replacing damaged headstones and markers and for restoring turf damaged during performance of this work. Additionally, should any activity result in the exposure and/or damage to any remains, container for remains (e.g., casket or urn), or outer burial container, the Offeror 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 CO for guidance or resolution. The Offeror is required to discuss the guidance with employees and/or subcontractors and have each employee sign a statement of compliance and deliver the signed statement to the COR before work may begin.

Contracted Site Supervisor will ensure that no Offeror personnel work will cause any funeral, ceremony, procession or visitation to be delayed, altered, or otherwise impacted in such a way that the dignity, security, or safety of the event or visit is compromised. A list of scheduled ceremonies will be provided the week prior to the event, and a list of scheduled committal services will be provided on the day of the service. The Site Supervisor shall communicate not less than daily with the COR, to ask questions and ensure he/she and contracted personnel understands the off-limit areas.

SITE VISIT:

Offerors are urged and expected to inspect all sites where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance. In no event shall failure to inspect one or all sites constitute grounds for a claim after contract award. All contractors and attendees shall follow CDC guidelines for COVID-19 on government premises and must practice safe social distancing as directed. If you plan to conduct a site visit / inspection of the Alabama National Cemetery National Cemetery, YOU MUST CONTACT one of the following personnel to make arrangements:

Herman Watkins – Administrative Officer……………………........... (205) 665-9039 Brandon Ervin - Contracting Officers’ Representative.…………...…. (205) 665-9039

Site Visit is scheduled for February 6, 2023, from 8:00AM 1:00PM Central Standard Time.

* Note: Site visit will not be rescheduled.

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS:

All questions regarding this solicitation are to be submitted to the Contracting Officer, via email, no later than 4:00PM EST on 02/13/2023. No questions will be accepted after this time. Questions pertaining to this announcement shall be sent by email to: larry.curtis@va.gov. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Associated answers to questions submitted will be provided via a solicitation amendment no later than 4:00PM EST on 02/17/2023. Should an amendment not be endorsed by the interested Offeror, the quote will be considered Non-Responsive.

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ):

Quotes are due to the Contracting officer no later than 4:00PM EST on 02/24/2023. Responses to this announcement will result in a firm, fixed-price Contract. The Government intends to make award without discussions. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information provided nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided for the Government. Offerors are responsible for obtaining any and all amendments or additional information concerning this announcement at sam.gov.

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS:

Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) socio-economic category concerns MUST have an active/current registration with HYPERLINK "http://www.verterans.certify.sba.gov" www.veterans.certify.sba.gov . Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered non-Responsive.

Interested Offerors who do not have a current/active Sam account registration or who are not certified as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business in the SBA website (veterans.certify.sba.gov) upon solicitation close date will be considered non-responsive.

All offers are to be submitted to the Contracting Officer, via email at larry.curtis@va.gov and copy (CC) tracy.williams6@va.gov no later than 4:00PM EST on 02/24/2023.

QUOTATION PREPARATON INSTRUCTIONS: Offerors shall submit quotes in four (4) separate Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) documents identifying each .pdf document as Volumes A, Volume B, Volume C, and Volume D. Interested Offerors who fail to submit the four (4) separate .pdf documents will be considered non-responsive.

Company Information (Volume A)

The following information shall be included in Volume A:

• Legal Business/Company Name (as listed in www.sam.gov)

• Complete Company Address (No P.O. Boxes)

• Duns Number

• SAM UID

• Company Point of Contract Name and Title

• Telephone Number

• Email Address

• Company Capabilities Statement

• One (1) Signed Copy of all Solicitation Amendments mailto:larry.curtis@va.gov http://www.verterans.certify.sba.gov/ mailto:larry.curtis@va.gov mailto:tracy.williams6@va.gov http://www.sam.gov/

• One (1) Copy of Completed FAR Clause 52.223-3 “Hazardous Material Identification and Material Safety Data” (if applicable).

• One (1) copy of Completed FAR Provisions 52.212-3 “Certifications and Representations” or indicate whether contractor has completed the annual representation and certifications electronically at www.sam.gov (copy of current SAM status)

• In accordance with Public Law 116-183 a Small Business claiming Veterans First Status, Service Disable Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), or Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), must certify in writing that their firm are performing 50 percent of the work. Therefore, Interested Offerors who claim SDVOSB or VOSB status shall provide (1) document stating their compliance with PL 116-183. Failure to provide such document will result in the Interested Offeror being considered Non-Responsive. Should award be made to an SDVOSB or a VOSB who is suspected of violating PL 116-183 this Agency will refer suspected violators to its department’s inspector general for investigation and possible fines, suspensions, or debarments.

Technical Proposal (Volume B)

The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s technical submission, Volume B:

• The contractor’s capability statement, not to exceed five pages, demonstrating how it will meet the requirements of this solicitation.

• Work Plan/Staffing plan

• Key Personal have the managerial and technical qualifications in performing this requirement.

• GANTT Chart

Past Performance (Volume C)

The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s Past Performance submission, Volume C: Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment D) from at least three (3) references in the last five (5) years.

Past Performance information provided must be similar or somewhat similar to the required service(s).

Pricing (Volume D)

The following information shall be included in Volume D

• Proposed pricing shall be submitted on the Price/Cost Schedule of Services (Attachment A)

Evaluation Process: The Government intends to award a Contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation that provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Quotes will be evaluated by performing a comparative evaluation in accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3) to determine which response represents the “best” as a whole.

Quotes will be evaluated by performing a direct comparison of one offer with another in a uniform manner to determine which quote provides the government with its needs, as identified in the RFQ. The government reserves the right to consider a response that offers more than the minimum and select that response if it provides a benefit to the government. The government has the discretion to accept other than the lowest priced offeror that provides additional benefits. The government also has the has the http://www.sam.gov/ discretion to make an award based on whether the lowest priced of the quotations having the highest past performance rating possible represents the best benefit to the government.

Past performance shall be evaluated based on the Offer’s technical qualifications on projects within the last 5 years that are comparable in size, complexity, and scope. Past Performance information shall be obtained by the following methods. The Contracting Officer’s knowledge of previous experience with the supply or service being acquired.

Customer past performance questionnaire replies the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) at https://www.cpars.gov; or Any other reasonable basis.

Technical Approach and Understanding of the Work:

Offer shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria contained in the Statement of Work and on how well the technical approach meets the Government requirements. Technical approach will be evaluated for the following:

1. Demonstrate experience in performing this requirement.

2. Demonstrate Key Personal have the managerial and technical qualifications in performing this requirement.

3. Demonstrate Work Plan/Staffing Plan is suitable in performing this service. Plan must include man hours, methodology, list of equipment/vehicles to be used, licenses, permits and insurance information.

4. Provide a GANTT Chart that demonstrates the amount of work done or production completed in certain periods of time in relations to the amount planned for those periods.

Past Performance: Quotes must show that the contractor has the experience to complete the project. In accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3)(ii) and FAR 13.106-2(b)(4) the Government shall utilize past performance questionnaires and Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) to obtain past performance ratings.

Price: Price analysis will be conducted to determine a fair and reasonable price.

1. IAW FAR 17.203(b), the basis of evaluation is inclusive of options.

Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Services (DEC 2022)

Addendum to FAR 52.212-4

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html (FAR) and http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp (VAAR)

FAR Clauses

52.203-16 Preventing Personal Conflicts of Interest (JUN 2020) 52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights https://www.cpars.gov/ http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp

52.204-4 Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer Fiber Content Paper (MAY 2011)

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018) 52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (AUG 2020) 52.216-18 Ordering (AUG 2020) 52.216-19 Order Limitations (OCT 1995) 52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity (OCT 1995) 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999) 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000) 52.228-5 Insurance-Work on a Government Installation (JAN 1997) CL-120 Supplemental Insurance Requirements 52.232-18 Availability of Funds (APR 1984) 52.232-19 Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year (APR 1984) 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (NOV 2021)

(DEVIATION AUG 2020)

52.237-3 Continuity of Services (JAN 1991)

VAAR Clauses

852.208-70 Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation

Factors – Orders or BPAs (NOV 2022 852.208-71 Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation

Factor Commitments – Orders and BPAs (NOV 2022 852.211-72 Technical Industry Standards (NOV 2018) 852.212-70 Provisions and Clauses Applicable to VA Acquisition of Commercial Items (APR

2020)

852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business

Evaluation Factors 852.232-72, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

852.233-70, Protest Content/Alternative Dispute Resolution.

852.233-71, Alternate Protest Procedure.

852.201-70 Contracting Officers Representative

852.219-73 VA Notice to Total Set-Aside for Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (NOV 2022) 852.219-74 VA Notice to Total Set-Aside for Verified Veteran-Owned Small Businesses

(NOV 2022)

852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting – Certificate of Compliance for

Services and Construction (NOV 2022) 852.237-75 Key Personnel (OCT 2019) 852.242-71 Administrative Contracting Officer (OCT 2020)

(End of Addendum to 52.212-4)

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive

Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (DEC 2022) https://www.va.gov/oal/docs/business/pps/deviationFarVaar20200807.PDF

FAR Provisions

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV

2021)

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html (FAR) and http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp (VAAR)

52.204-7 System for Award Management (OCT 2018) 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020) 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (OCT 2018) 52.233-2 Service of Protest (SEPT 2006)

VAAR Provisions

852.252-70 Solicitation Provisions or Clauses Incorporated by Reference (JAN 2008)

(End of Addendum to 52.212-1)

52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (NOV 2021)

52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial

Services (DEC 2022)

End of Document

See Attached Attachment A – Price Schedule See Attached Attachment B – SOW - Grounds Maintenance Services at Alabama National Cemetery See Attached Attachment C – Service Contract Act WD # 2015-4591 See Attached Attachment D – Davis-Bacon Act WD # AL20230096 See Attached Attachment E – Past Performance Questionnaire http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp