36C78625Q50026 - Combined Synopsis - Sewage Treatment.docx

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Bridgeville, PA. 15017

Attachments: A. Statement of Work B. Past Performance Questionnaire C. Wage Determination – 2015-4257, Rev 27, Dated: 12-30-2024 D. Price/Cost Schedule of Services

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 36C78625Q50026.

This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2025-03 (eff. 01/17/2025).

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE:

The (NAICS) code for this procurement is 562219 The business size standard number of employees is $47.0 million dollars.

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 a single award of a Firm Fixed Priced (FFP) contract for base year and 4-one year option, with the Government’s discretion to exercise. This Firm Fixed Priced (FFP) contract t is for Sewage Treatment Services to be performed at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies (NCOTA) located at 1158 Morgan Rd, Bridgeville, PA. 15017.

DIGNITY CLAUSE:

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. Critically important is the awareness required of the Contractor 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.

Contractor personnel 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.

Contractor 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 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 CO for guidance or resolution.

The Contractor 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.

Contractor Site Supervisor will ensure that no Contractor 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 no 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.

If you plan to attend a site visit / inspection of National Cemetery of the Alleghenies (NCOTA) located at 1158 Morgan Rd, Bridgeville, PA. 15017. YOU MUST CONTACT one of the following personnel to make arrangements:

· Edward Hajduk, Director……………………………… (724) 746-4363

· Laura Renk, Office Administrator……...........................(724) 746-4363

· William Webb, Cemetery Supervisor…..………………(724) 746-4363

Site Visits will be on 23 April 2025 and will not be rescheduled.

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ): Quotes are due to the Contract Specialist no later than 10:00AM EST on May 6, 2025. The Government intends to make award without discussions, however, if deemed necessary by the Contracting Officer. 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 all amendments or additional information concerning this announcement.

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS:

All questions regarding this solicitation are to be submitted to the Administrative Contract Specialist, via email, no later than close of business, April 30, 2025. Questions pertaining to this announcement shall be sent by email to: Hugh.ONeil@va.gov Administrative Contract Specialist. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Associated answers to questions submitted will be provided via a solicitation amendment. Should an amendment not be endorsed by the interested Offeror, the quote will be considered Non-Responsive.

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS:

Interested Offerors MUST be registered with the System of Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov and must compete the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) at http://www.sam.gov prior to the solicitation closing date. Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered Non-Responsive.

Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) socio-economic category concerns MUST have an active/current registration with 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 or certified as a Veterans 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 Administrative Contract Specialist, via email at Hugh.ONeil@va.gov and CC Contracting Officer: Jose Roman at Joselito.Roman@va.gov no later than 10:00AM EST on May 6, 2025.

TIERED EVALUATION: This procurement is set-aside based on an order of priority as established in 38 U.S.C. 8127.

TIERED EVALUATION INCLUDING SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS: This solicitation is being issued as a tiered evaluation with the following tiers, that follow the same order of precedence: (1) SDVOSB concerns, (2) VOSB concerns, (3) small business concerns with HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants having priority. If award cannot be made, the solicitation will be cancelled, and the requirement resolicited.

EVALUATION PROCESS

The Government intends to award a Firm Price contract resulting from this Solicitation to the responsible Offeror who offer provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Offerors 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. Past Performance and Technical Capabilities are more important than price.

INFORMATION REGARDING SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL:

Offers will be considered only from Interested Offerors who are regularly established in the business called for and who are financially responsible and have the necessary equipment and personnel to furnish the supplies and services required under this contract. Offers will be only accepted electronically via email to Hugh O’Neil (Contracting Specialist) at Hugh.ONeil@va.gov and cc Joselito.Roman@va.gov (Contracting Officer) no later than May 6, 2025, at 10AM Eastern Standard Time (EST). Offerors shall submit Volume A through C and Volume D. Offerors who fail to submit the four (4) separate .pdf documents will be considered non-responsive. If one document is submitted the offeror may be considered non-responsive. Volume A through D must be separate pdf file.

QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Offerors shall submit Volume A through C in three (3) separate Adobe Acrobat (pdf.) and Volume D as an Excel Spreadsheet (xlsx). Interested Offerors who fail to submit the four (4) separate documents as directed may be considered Non-Responsive. In the event an Interested Offeror must notify the Contracting Officer of the impending issue via electronic correspondence. The subject header shall be titled Submittal Issues and shall include the RFQ number. Interested Offerors must ensure that they have a read and delivery receipt on their email to provide proof if necessary. Failure to notify the Contracting Officer of such issues may constitute the submittal as Non-Responsive.

Note: The Contracting Officer may or may not respond to your submittal therefore it is crucial that a copy of the email correspondence be provided. Additionally, failure to provide all Volumes within the Solicitation’s response time may also constitute an Interested Offeror as Non-Responsive.

OFFER CONTENTS INSTRUCTIONS:

Each Volume will be identified as follows:

1. Company Information (Volume A)

2. Technical Proposal (Volume B)

a. Company relevant experience descriptions

b. Managerial & Technical Qualifications of Key Personal to include Resumes

c. Work Plan/Staffing Plan to accomplish the required services to be used, licenses, permits, and insurance information.

3. Past Performance (Volume C)

4. Pricing (Volume D)

Company Information (Volume A) The following information shall be included in Volume A:

· Legal Business/Company Name (as listed in www.sam.gov). Should Legal Business/Company Name not coincide with what is listed in the Government’s website HYPERLINK http://www.sam.gov the Interested Offeror will be considered non-responsive

· Complete Company Address (No P.O. Boxes). Should an Interested Offeror submit the Company’s address as a P.O. Box, the Interested Offeror will be considered non-responsive.

· SAM Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

· Company Point of Contract Name and Title

· Telephone Number

· Email Address

· Company Capabilities Statement

· Solicitation Amendments acknowledgement. Interested Offerors will acknowledge all amendments by either providing a signed copy of the Amendment(s). Failure to acknowledge all subsequent Amendments as directed will result in Interested Offeror being considered non-responsive.

· One (1) Copy of completed FAR Clause 52.223-3 “Hazardous Material Identification and Material Safety Data” (if applicable). Failure to provide a copy of the company’s annual Certifications and Representations or failure to indicate that a completed annual Certifications and Representations has been updated in HYPERLINK http://www.sam.gov will result in the Interested Offeror being considered non-responsive.

· 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). Failure to provide a copy of the company’s annual Certifications and Representations or failure to indicate that a completed annual Certifications and Representations has been updated in www.sam.gov will result in the Interested Offeror being considered non-responsive.

· 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) signed 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:

· Company relevant experience descriptions in providing subsurface sewage disposal treatment services. Sewage disposal treatment services is defined as the Offeror having the required license as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). See Statement of Work (SOW) to fully gauge what sewage disposal treatment services entails.

· Managerial & Technical Qualifications of Key Personal to include Resumes. Contractor shall demonstrate a Management Team that have the necessary experience in performing sewage disposal treatment services.

· Work Plan/Staffing Plan to accomplish the required services to include man hours, methodology, list of equipment/vehicles to be used, licenses, permits and insurance information.

a. Man hours: Contractor must provide an estimate as to the total amount of labor hours required in the performance of this service. Failure to provide man hours will result in the Contractor being considered non-responsive.

b. Methodology: Contractor’s system of methods and principles in providing the service. Failure to provide a Methodology will result in the Contractor being considered non-responsive.

c. List of equipment: Specialized equipment necessary for the testing and maintenance of the sewage system. Equipment must comply with all DEP and EPA regulations in performing maintenance and sampling. Equipment must adhere to the terms and conditions of effluent limitations outlined in NPDES Permit No. PA G046344 and WQM Part II Permit No. WQG0161140. See SOW for additional information.

d. Licenses, permits and, Insurance information: Licenses/permits and Insurance must be up to date and meet Local/State and DEP and EPA regulations. Contractor must provide copies of any Licenses, permits and Insurance. Failure to provide copies of applicable Licenses/permits and Insurance will result in the Contractor being considered non-responsive.

Past Performance (Volume C)

· Utilizing the Past performance Questionnaire (PPQ), Interested Quoters shall provide at least three (3) past performance references within the last five (5) years that provide similar or somewhat similar work to the required services. PPQs that are more than three (3) years old are not recent. Past performance information that is determined to be "not recent" will be rated Neutral.

· Relevant past performance involves similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities. Non-Relevant past performance is past performance that does not involve similar scope and magnitude of effort and complexities. Should an Interested Offeror lack any Relevant past performance history, the Offeror shall receive a Neutral rating.

· Interested Offerors shall list any National Cemetery Administration (NCA) contracts currently working or previously worked first followed by non-NCA contracts.

· Should an Interested Offeror submit more than the required three (3) references, only the most current three PPQs will be considered.

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 D)

EVALUATION PROCESS: The Government intends to award a Firm Fix Price contract resulting from this Solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose offer provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Proposals 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. Past Performance and Technical are more important than price.

Proposals will be evaluated by performing a direct comparison of one proposal with another in a uniform manner to determine which Offeror provides the best 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 offer that provides additional benefits. The Government also has the discretion to make an award based on whether the lowest priced proposal having the highest past performance rating possible represents the best benefit to the Government.

EVALUATION RESULTS POSTING: In accordance with FAR13.106-3(c) Notification, for acquisitions that do not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold and for which automatic notification is not provided through an electronic commerce method that employs widespread electronic public notice, notification to unsuccessful supplier shall be given only if requested. Additionally, if a supplier request information on an award that was based on factors other than price alone, a brief explanation of the basis for contract award shall be provided. A brief explanation of award is not a debrief and shall not be constituted by the Government as a debrief.

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:

2. Demonstrate experience in performing this requirement.

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

4. 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.

Past Performance:

Past Performance will be evaluated for recent and relevant experience. To demonstrate recency and relevancy, the Quoters shall submit at least two (2) past performance questionnaires from projects they worked on within the last five (5) years. The questionnaires should be for contracts that are similar in size, scope, and complexity. The questionnaires may include the same projects used to demonstrate experience in the technical qualifications section.

The Quoter is to utilize Attachment B - Past Performance Questionnaire and submit copies with their quote. The Government also reserves the right to use past performance information available from other sources, such as Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). It’s at the Government’s discretion to decide whether they confirm the accuracy of the Past Performance questionnaires and/or CPARS; however, if the Government chooses to confirm past performance, it will do so for all Quoters that submitted Past Performance information.

Price: Proposed price will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness

Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Items (NOV 2023) Addendum to FAR 52.212-4 Clauses in corporate by reference in numeric order starting with FAR and followed by VAAR.

The following solicitation clauses apply to this acquisition:

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by References (FEB 1998).

The full text of FAR/VAAR clauses may be accessed electronically at:

https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

FAR CLAUSES

FAR 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018) FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999) FAR 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000)

VAAR CLAUSES

852.201-70 Contracting Officer’s Representative (DEC 2022) 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (MAY 2018) 852.211-72 Technical Industry Standards (NOV 2018) 852.219-73 VA Notice to Total Set-Aside for Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (JAN 2023)(DEVIATION) 852.219-74 VA Notice to Total Set-Aside for Verified Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (JAN 2023)(DEVIATION) 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2018) 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 Statues or Executive Orders- Commercial Items (JAN 2025)(DEVIATION FEB 2025) Applicable Clauses within 52.212-5 are: (b)(2), (b)(3), (b)(4), (b)(23), (b)(25), (b)(32), (b)(34), (b)(35), (b)(36), (b)(39), (b)(55), (b)(59), (c)(1), (c)(7), and (c)(8).

(End of Clause)

FAR PROVISIONS

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (SEP 2023)

(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) 52.204-6 Unique Entity Identifier (OCT 2016) 52.204-7 System for Award Management (NOV 2024) 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020)

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 Item (NOV 2021) 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (MAY 2024)(DEVIATION FEB 2025)