Revised pages 3-5 15 17 32-35 Seedlings.doc

Bare Root Seedlings

AG-4660-S-09-0004

REVISED 15 JAN 2009

USDA Forest Service - Savannah River

Continuation of SF1449 Block 18: Remittance address; USDA Forest Service, Savannah River

P. O. Box 700

New Ellenton, SC 29809

Block 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24

SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

The Contractor shall furnish labor, supervision, equipment and materials to perform all operations necessary to accomplish the work in accordance with the Solicitation Provisions, Contract Clauses, Statement of Work/Specifications, and task orders issued as a result of this solicitation

Base Period (15 Mar 2009 or date of contract award whichever is later –14 Mar 2010)

Quantity

Total

Base Period Total (Items 1A-1E)$________________________

Option I (15 Mar 2010 –14 Mar 2011)

Quantity

Total

Option I Period Total (Items 2A-2E)$________________________

Option II (15 Mar 2011–14 Mar 2012)

Quantity

Total

Option II Period Total (Items 3A-#E)$________________________

Option III (15 Mar 2012–14 Mar 2013)

Quantity

Total

Option I Period Total (Items 2A-2E)$________________________

Option IV (15 Mar 2013–14 Mar 2014)

Quantity

Total

Option IV Period Total (Items 5A-5E)$________________________

GRAND TOTAL (Items 1A-1E, 2A-2E, 3A-3E, 4A-4E, 5A-5E) $________________________

(M= Thousands)

AGAR 452.216-73 Minimum and Maximum Contract Amounts (FEB 1988) During the period specified in FAR clause 52.216-18, ORDERING, the Government shall place orders totaling a minimum of $25,000.00 for the base and each option period but not in excess of $550,000.00 over the life of this contract.

1) Proposed Work Plan: Provide a description of your approach to accomplishing work tasks as listed in the specifications. Detail how you will accomplish these task in an efficient, effective, manner.

2) Equipment: List the necessary equipment and machinery that will be used to perform this contract. Indicate the nursery space to be used. Describe your standard operating procedures for keeping machinery and equipment operational during planting projects

3) Key Personnel: List the names of the key personnel to be assigned to this contract, including the nursery manager, quality control monitor, forester(s) and any other employees who will perform nursery work. Describe their experience (years) in performing this type work.

4) Nursery Location: Indicate the location of the nursery where the seedlings will be grown. Indicate the length of the growing season. Show the estimated dates for first and last frost and average temperature during the growing season

5) Quality Control Plan: Provide a draft quality control plan addressing how the Contractor will assure quality meets the requirements and specifications of the contract. The plan shall specify how quality will be monitored to assure the performance standards are met; the supervision of crew(s) and work; and the personnel who will be performing the quality control. The plan should also address how the offeror will ensure a quality-culturing regime and safeguard seedling quality and viability.

iv. Past Performance: As part of the evaluation process, the Government will assess each offeror’s past performance. The offeror shall present factual material dealing with contracts held with other Government agencies or with private sector businesses on which the same or similar services were provided. Information requested includes successful execution of contracts, and in problem areas, the steps taken to resolve or correct. For those contracts with less than positive performance, you are encouraged to provide a description of the problems and the efforts made to correct and to prevent future occurrences Offerors are cautioned that the Government will use information provided by the offerors and information obtained from other sources in the development of the performance confidence assessments.

a) Content.

1) Offerors shall provide a list of all seedling contracts similar in size and scope completed or begun during the past three years shall. The list should not exceed more than 15 contracts. Offerors shall submit the list no later than the offer due date and time indicated on Standard Form 1449, Block 8, to USDA Forest Service – EAZ Administration Zone, Attn: Margie Yeaton (803) 725-0239, P.O. Box 700, New Ellenton, SC, 29809 . Include the following information for each contract:

a. Number and type of seedlings provided.

b. Growing methods used (bare root and/or containerized)

c. Contract Number, Total Contract Value.

d. Period of Performance and indicate whether the contracts completed within the given time frames

e. Client’s Name, Address, Telephone, and point of contact

2) Offerors lacking recent and relevant present/past performance experience similar to the services specified may submit information regarding key personnel who have recent and relevant experience. In this case, offerors shall provide the following information, as a minimum, to allow government evaluators to conduct a present/past performance evaluation on those key personnel cited by the offeror.

Name of Key Personnel

Complete Address

Telephone Number

Brief synopsis of relevant experience (a resume may be submitted)

NOTE: “Relevant past performance” is defined as grow and provide seedlings (most relevant being bare root) the same or similar to those in the Statement of Work contained in this solicitation.

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items (JAN 1999)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Price, technical capability, and past performance effort. Changes to the offeror’s existing processes may be necessary in order to achieve contract requirements.

(1) Past performance assessments shall be accomplished for all responsive offerors. A number of past performance references provided by offerors will be selected and investigated. Any derogatory past performance information obtained will be presented to the affected offeror and that offeror will have an opportunity to respond with any mitigating facts. Prior experience or personal knowledge concerning an offeror, on the part of members of the technical evaluation team may only be used in the evaluation of an offeror’s past performance. References will be asked about the offeroer’s past performance regarding the subfactors identified in paragraph 2 (3) below. The final determination of past performance ratings shall rest with the contracting officer.

(2) An offeror with limited or no recent or relevant past performance will receive a rating of Neutral/Unknown Confidence, and will not be rated favorably or unfavorably on past performance.

(3) Past performance shall be evaluated on the basis of the following subfactors of equal importance:

i. Contract Performance in projects of the same size and scope

ii. Quality of Service

iii. Timeliness of Performance

3. TECHNICAL CAPABILITY: Technical capability assessments shall be accomplished using the information submitted for all offerors, and each offeror shall be assigned one of the following ratings:

EXCEPTIONAL (E)

The proposal exceeds the requirements of the RFP and provides an exceptional or outstanding approach that fully satisfies the Government’s requirements.

VERY GOOD (VG): The proposal exceeds the requirements of the RFP and provides a more than satisfactory approach that fully satisfies the Government’s requirements

ACCEPTABLE (A)

The proposal fully satisfies the requirements of the RFP and demonstrates a understanding of the solicitation. The offeror has adequately addressed the Government’s requirements.

MARGINAL (M)

The proposal does not fully meet the requirements of the RFP. Weaknesses are identified which would indicate an insufficient understanding of the Government’s requirements. With minor revisions or clarifications, the proposal has a reasonable chance of becoming technically acceptable.

UNACCEPTABLE (U)

The proposal fails to satisfy requirements of the RFP and the approach contains an unacceptable level of risk to the Government. Major deficiencies have been identified in the proposal which are either not correctable or would require major revision/rewrite to the proposal, without which the proposal doesn't have a reasonable chance of becoming technically acceptable.

Technical capability shall be evaluated on the basis of the following sub factors to determine minimum acceptability and identify any strengths or weaknesses. The contractor’s nursery must be located within a 4 hours drive or approximately 240 miles from the Savannah River Site to be awarded any resultant contract. All sub factors are of equal importance.

(1). Ability to perform in accordance with the contract as outlined in the specifications.

(2) Ability to maintain and operate the necessary equipment to be used.

(3) Key personnel assigned to this contract have the necessary experience for contract performance

(4) Nursery is located within 4 hour drive or approximately 240 mile radius of the Savannah River Site. (Pass or Fail) Offerors whose location is acceptable will receive a higher technical rating for a more favorable growing season.

(5) The quality control plan sufficiently addresses the all areas in addendum to FAR 52.212-1 paragraph (m)1.(2)iii 5).

4. Technical and Past Performance, when combined, are more important than price. Award may be made to other than the low offeror.

ATTACHMENT 2

EXPERIENCE QUESTIONAIRE

Instructions: See Box 13, remarks, if extra space is needed to answer any item below. Mark X in the appropriate boxes.

1. Contractors Name, Address & Telephone No.

2. Type of Business __Company __Co-Partner __Corporation __Individual __Non-profit

3. Nursey Location: Approximate distance from Savannah River Site:

Growing Season Information:

Approximate date for: First Frost: Last Frost:

Average Temperature during growing season:

4. Proposed Work Plan: (Additional sheets can be used)

5. How many years experience do you have in this line of work____Yrs

6. How many years experience as a prime contractor_____ subcontractor___

PAST PERFORMANCE/EXPERIENCE INFORMATION

7. List the projects your business has completed in the last 3 years similar in size and scope.

CONTRACT

NUMBER/

AMOUNT

TYPE OF PROJECT

(Number and Type of Seedlings Provided/Growing Methods)

8. List all of your firms current contract commitments

CONTRACT

NUMBER/

AMOUNT

TYPE OF PROJECT

(Number and Type of Seedlings)

9a. Have you ever failed to complete any work awarded to you? __yes __ no

9b. Has work ever been completed by performance bond? __yes __ no

9. If "yes" to either item 9a or 9b specify location(s) and reason(s) why

Work Force:

10. Work force composition (Nursery Manager, foresters, Quality Control Monitor, etc.) that will be used for this project:

a. Minimum No. of employees: and Maximum No. of employees:

b. Are employees regularly on your payroll: __yes __ no

c. Do you have any partime employees? If so how many?

d. Do you have any seasonal employees? If so how many?

e. How will company recruit and train employees who will be working on this contract..

11.. EQUIPMENT:

a. Specify equipment to be used on this contract:

b. Indicate condition of equipment to be used on this contract.

c. Nursery bed space to be used.

d. Standard operating procedures:

11. KEY PERSONNEL. List the experience of the key personnel (foreman, inspector, operators)performning on this contract and business.

12. QUALITY CONTROL PLAN: Provide a draft quality control plan addressing how the Contractor will assure quality meets the contract specifications. Indicate how quality will be monitored to assure the performance standards are met; the supervision of crew(s) and the work; and personnel who will be performing the quality control. Indicate how the offeror will ensure a quality-culturing regime and safeguard seedling quality and viability. (A separate document should be submitted.):

13. REMARKS: :

CERTIFICATION: I certify that all of the statements made by me are complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and that any persons named as references are authorized to furnish the Forest Service with any information needed to verify my capability to perform this project:

Name:

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