Attch A - A-E Evaluation Project.pdf

SELECTION CRITERIA

A/E SELECTION PROCESS:

The agency has convened an evaluation board for the evaluation of responses to this notice. Responses will be evaluated in accordance with the Selection of Architects and Engineers Statute (Public Law 92-

582), formerly known as the Brooks Act, and implemented in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

36.6. Specifically, A-E Firm qualification package submissions will be evaluated to identify the most highly qualified firms, using the selection criteria identified below. Discussions will be held with at least three (3) of the most highly qualified firms. Interviews may be conducted. The processes at FAR

36.602-4 and FAR 36.606 will then be followed. Selected firms will be notified by telephone or email of selection and provided further instructions.

Evaluating past performance and experience may include information provided by the firm, customer inquiries, Government databases, and publicly available sources. Failure to provide requested data, accessible points of contact or valid phone numbers could result in a firm being considered less qualified.

All projects provided in the A-E Firm qualification package must be completed by the office/branch/ individual team member actually performing the work under this contract.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Evaluation and selection of firms will be based on submissions and direct responses to the following criteria which are numbered in descending order of importance:

(1) Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services;

Provide brief resumes of proposed team members who will specifically serve as the Project Managers and

Designers of Record. The Designers of Record shall perform and direct the design within their respective discipline and shall sign and seal the drawings. All Designers of Record must be professionally registered in their discipline. Each resume shall include a minimum of two (2) specific completed projects that best illustrate the individual team members experience relevant to this contract scope and demonstrate each team member having more than 5 years of experience;

(2) Specialized experience and technical competence in the type of work required, including, where appropriate, experience in energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, and the use of recovered materials;

(3) Capacity to accomplish the work in the required time;

This factor evaluates the ability of the firm, given their current projected workload and the availability of their key personnel, to accomplish the possible myriad of design projects in the required time.

The general workload and staffing capacity of the design office will be evaluated.

I. List current projects with a design fee of greater than $20,000 being designed in the firms’ office.

II. Indicate the firms’ present workload and the availability of the project team (including sub-consultants) for the specified contract performance period;

III. Describe experience in successfully delivering projects per performance schedule, providing timely construction support, and successfully completing multiple projects with similar delivery dates

IV. Volume of VA contract awards in the last 12 months.

(4) Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules;

NCO 6 will evaluate past performance on recent and relevant contracts with government agencies

(emphasis on VA work) and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, compliance with performance schedules and a record of significant claims against the firm due to improper or incomplete engineering services (references required).

Submission Requirements:

i. Submit a minimal of three (3) references; any of the following evaluations are acceptable:

a. Contractor Performance Assessment Report System (CPARS), or

b. Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) evaluation for each project submitted under Criterion 2.

ii. If a completed CPARS evaluation is available, it shall be submitted with the completed SF330 package. If there is not a completed CPARS evaluation, the PPQ included with this notice is provided for the Offeror or its team members to submit for each project included in criterion (2). If a PPQ is submitted, but an official CPARS evaluation is found for that project in government databases, the official evaluation will take precedence. If a CPARS evaluation is not available, ensure correct phone numbers and email addresses are provided for each contract customer/reference. Completed PPQs should be submitted with your SF330. If the A-E is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a contract customer/reference for a project before the response date set forth in this notice, the A-E should complete and submit with their response the first page of the PPQ (Attachment C), including contract and point of contact information for the respective projects.

iii. A-Es should follow-up with references to ensure timely submittal of questionnaires. At the reference’s request, questionnaires may be submitted directly to the Governments point of contact, Network Contracting Office 06 Attn: Guy K. Brooks, via email at guy.brooks@va.gov, prior to the response date. A-Es shall not incorporate by references into their response CPARS or PPQ evaluations previously submitted in response to other A-E services procurements. However, this does not preclude the Government from utilizing previously submitted PPQ information in the past performance evaluation.

Submitted CPARS and PPQ evaluations will not be counted as part of the 30-page limitation and shall be attached to the A-E Firm qualification package.

NOTE:

Recent is defined as performance occurring within 5 years of the date of this Sources Sought, except that ongoing projects must have begun no less than one (1) year prior to the issuance of this Sources Sought.

Relevancy is defined as performance of work on projects that are similar in scope to the types of projects anticipated under the resultant contracts.

Respondents with no previous past performance shall state this when addressing the selection criteria.

Where there is no record of past performance, the proposal will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Superior performance ratings on relevant projects may be considered more favorably in the evaluation.

Reputation and standing of the firm and its principal officials with respect to professional performance, general management, and cooperativeness. (Awards, Outstanding Merits, Recommendations)

Record of significant claims against the firm because of improper or incomplete architectural and engineering services.

(5) Location in the general geographical area of the project; and

The A/E Firm proximity to the VA Medical Center, is an evaluation criterion

➢ This distance is determined according to http://maps.google.com/

➢ This factor evaluates the distance the AE firm's design office or offices lies from the location of work. Please provide the address (es) and distance of your closest office to the address listed below.

I. Knowledge of the Locality. This criterion will be evaluated on the firm’s knowledge of the local conditions pertaining to topographic features, geological features, climate conditions, and other laws or regulations that are unusual or unique to the locale.

The area of consideration for offers is a 300-mile driving radius between offeror principal business location and the Hampton VA Medical Center located at 100 Emancipation Dr., Hampton, VA 23667. Offers outside the 300-mile radius will not be considered. (Determination of mileage eligibility will be based on http://maps.google.com/).

(6) Post-award construction services:

Experience in construction period services to include professional field inspections during the construction period, review of construction submittals, support in answering requests for information during the construction period, and support of construction contract changes to include drafting statements of work, and cost estimates shall be included as an evaluation criterion when construction period services is included in the statement of work for A-E services.

(7) The extent to which potential contractors identify and commit to the use of service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses, Veteran-owned small businesses, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors.

The Department of Veterans Affairs shall evaluate each potential contractor in terms of the following as

“M” firm meeting the synopsized selection criterion and "NM" means that the firm did not meet the synopsized selection criterion.:

Selection Criteria

1. Professional qualifications and disciplines of staff proposed for the satisfactory performance of required services.

2. Examples of specialized experience and technical competence in various disciplines required for specific project.

3. Capacity to Accomplish the work in the required time

4. Past experience and performance on government contracts.

http://maps.google.com/

5. Proximity of firm or working office providing professional services to the facility.

6. Post-award construction services

7. The extent to which potential contractors identify and commit to the use of Service-Disabled Veteran-owned

Small Businesses, Veteran-owned Small Businesses, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors.

PLEASE NOTE: The AE Evaluation Board must be provided with complete and accurate information for ALL seven (7) evaluation factors above in order to rank as qualified and eligible firms. Therefore, the

AE firm must expand upon, as it deems necessary, on any evaluation factor not well demonstrated or addressed with the A-E Firm qualification package.

LIMITATIONS

852.219-10 VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside.

As prescribed in 819.7009, insert the following clause:

VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-

ASIDE (JUL 2019) (DEVIATION)

(a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, “Service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern or SDVSOB:”

(1) Means a small business concern–

(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled Veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled Veterans or eligible surviving spouses (see VAAR 802.201, Surviving Spouse definition);

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled Veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled Veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such Veteran;

(iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document;

(iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control pursuant to 38 CFR 74 and is so listed in the Vendor Information Pages database, (https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov); and

(v) The business will comply with VAAR subpart 819.70 and Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations regarding small business size and government contracting programs at 13 CFR part 121 and

125, including the nonmanufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR

121.406 and 125.6, provided that any reference therein to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (SDVO SBC), is to be construed to apply to a VA verified and VIP-listed SDVOSB.

The nonmanufacturer rule and the limitations on subcontracting apply to all SDVOSB and VOSB set-asides and sole source contracts.

(2) “Service-disabled Veteran” means a Veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16).

(b) General.

(1) Offers are solicited only from eligible service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns. Only

VIP-listed service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns (SDVOSBs) may submit offers in response to this solicitation. Offers received from concerns that are not VIP-listed service-disabled

Veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered.

(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a VIP-listed service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern that meets the size standard for the applicable NAICS code.

(c) Representation. By submitting an offer, the prospective contractor represents that it is an eligible

SDVOSB as defined in this clause, 38 CFR part 74, and VAAR subpart 819.70. Pursuant to 38 U.S.C.

8127(e), only VIP-listed SDVOSBs are considered eligible. Therefore, any reference in 13 CFR part 121 and 125 to a service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern (SDVO SBC), is to be construed to apply to a VA verified and VIP-listed SDVOSB and only such concern(s) qualify as similarly situated.

The offeror must also be eligible at the time of award.

(d) Agreement. When awarded a contract (see FAR 2.101, Definitions), including orders under multiple-award contracts, or a subcontract, an SDVOSB agrees that in the performance of the contract, the

SDVOSB shall comply with requirements in VAAR subpart 819.70 and SBA regulations on small business size and government contracting programs at 13 CFR part 121 and 125, including the nonmanufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR part 121.406 and 125.6, provided that for purposes of the limitations on subcontracting, only VIP-listed SDVOSBs shall be considered eligible and/or “similarly situated” (i.e., a firm that has the same small business program status as the prime contractor). An independent contractor shall be considered a subcontractor. An otherwise eligible firm further agrees to the following:

(1) Services. In the case of a contract for services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs.

(2) Supplies or products.

(i) In the case of a contract for supplies or products (other than from a nonmanufacturer of such supplies), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed

SDVOSBs.

(ii) In the case of a contract for supplies from a nonmanufacturer, it will supply the product of a domestic small business manufacturer or processor, unless a waiver is described in 13 CFR 121.406(b)(5) is granted.

(3) General construction. In the case of a contract for general construction, it will not pay more than 85% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs.

(4) Special trade contractors. In the case of a contract for special trade contractors, it will not pay more than 75% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs.

(5) Subcontracting. Any work that a VIP-listed SDVOSB subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the percent of subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. For supply or construction contracts, cost of materials is excluded and not considered to be subcontracted. For mixed contracts and additional limitations, refer to 13 CFR 125.6.

(e) Joint ventures. A joint venture may be considered an SDVOSB if the joint venture is listed in VIP and complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 125.18(b), provided that any reference therein to service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern or SDVO SBC, is to be construed to mean a VIP-listed

SDVOSB. A joint venture agrees that, in the performance of the contract, the applicable percentage specified in paragraph (d) of this clause will be performed by the aggregate of the joint venture participants.

(f) Precedence. For any inconsistencies between the requirements of the SBA program for service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns and the VA Veterans First Contract Program, as defined in VAAR subpart 819.70 and this clause, the VA Veterans First Contracting Program requirements have precedence.