Longer_Contract_Term_Questionnaire_JFK_Mechanical_2018_10_15.docx

MARKET RESEARCH

Use of Longer Term Contracts (up to 10 years) for Mechanical Maintenance Services

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is gathering information to determine if it is in the Government’s best interest to consider using contract terms of up to 10 years in length for operations and maintenance (O&M) services for fixed building equipment in the John F. Kennedy Federal Building as specified in the Sources Sought Notice. Your responses to the following questions would be appreciated.

Company Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

DUNS Number: _______________________________________________________

Size/Socioeconomic Status:

|_| Small Business |_| WOSB |_| EDWOSB |_| HUBZone |_| 8A

|_| SDVOSB |_| VOSB |_| Other:

1. Does your company currently perform or routinely submit proposals for O&M contracts within the commercial sector that extend beyond a term of 5-years?

2. If the answer to the above question is yes, please give examples of those contracts and provide the name(s) and points of contact of the customers for whom the services are provided.

3. Do you find that the use of longer term contracts is a benefit to your company? If so, please describe the types of benefits, i.e. lower cost, better experienced staff, familiarity with building systems, etc.

4. In your opinion, are there benefits that accrue to the Government when longer term contracts are used for the maintenance of federal facilities? Please describe those benefits.

5. Please indicate if you are in agreement or disagreement with the following statements and provide relevant comments to support your position:

a. Longer term contracts allow the contractor to become knowledgeable about the intricacies of operating and maintaining individual buildings and their various interrelated components. This expertise improves performance, expedites troubleshooting, enhances customer satisfaction and minimizes failures of critical building systems such as HVAC, fire safety and electrical systems and generally reduces long term costs to the customer.

b. Longer term contracts provide an incentive for contractors to recommend the best solutions as they will be tasked with operating and maintaining the solutions they recommend.

c. Longer term contracts stimulate better performance through the avoidance of short term operational fixes that will be costly to the government in the long run and increase the likelihood of service disruptions.

d. Operations and maintenance contractors need time to learn a building and its systems. They are less likely to make improvements in shorter term contracts, especially regarding maintenance and operation of large chiller and boiler plants.

e. Longer term contracts generally allow contractors to recruit and retain higher caliber workers and generally result in reduced employee turnover.

f. It can reasonably be expected that a longer term contract will result in economies of scale and other efficiencies that translate into lower overall costs to the Government.