B02 COMBINED SYNOPSIS_SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS.pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

SOLICITATION NO. 12314424Q0125

MRL Specialty Crop Quick Reference Sheets

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Procurement Operations Division

(1) Action Code- This is a combined synopsis and solicitation procedure IAW FAR 12.603 for commercial items.

(2) Date: 08/19/2024

(3) Year: 2024

(4) Contracting Office ZIP Code: 80521

(5) Product or Service Code: B504

(6) Contracting Office Address: 301 S. Howes St., Suite 321 Fort Collins, CO 80521-2795

(7) Subject: MRL Specialty Crop Quick Reference Sheets

(8) Proposed Solicitation Number: 12314424Q0125

(9) Closing Response Date: August 29, 2024

(10) Contact Point or Contracting Officer: Elizabeth Lanum, Contract Specialist

(11) Contract Award and Solicitation Number: Contract Award to be assigned at time of award.

Solicitation number is 12314424Q0125.

(12) Contract Award Dollar Amount: To be negotiated

(13) Line Item Numbers: 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001

(14) Contract Award Date: On or before September 16, 2024

(15) Contractor: TBD

(16) Description.

i. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in subpart 12.6, 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.

ii. Solicitation number 12314424Q0125 is issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ).

iii. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-05.

iv. This requirement is a Full and Open competition. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541690.

v. Line Items

CLIN Description Period of Performance 0001 Base Year 12 months

1001 Option Year 1 12 months

2001 Option Year 2 12 months

3001 Option Year 3 12 months

4001 Option Year 4 12 months

vi. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is seeking to procure access to up-to-date, comprehensive information on pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs) / import tolerances for U.S. specialty crop exports for different international markets. This contract will produce and maintain a total of sixty (60) commodity-specific informational MRL Quick Reference Sheets (QRS) for U.S. specialty crops with information on MRLs approved in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, and additional export markets.

vii. Performance will occur at Contractor Facility. Inspection and acceptance will be coordinated with a USDA FAS Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) within the Period of Performance dates in paragraph v above.

viii. The provision at 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this acquisition.

ix. The Government will award one contract as a result of this RFQ. This will be a technical/price tradeoff. Technical is more important than price. Evaluation factors and procedures to be use may be found in Section 4 of the Solicitation.

x. Quoters must include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Products and Commercial Services, with its quote.

xi. The clause at 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2023) applies to this acquisition.

xii. The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-12#FAR_Subpart_12_6 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.212-3 this acquisition. The following additional FAR clauses cited in this clause are also applicable to this acquisition:

▪ 52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights

▪ 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements (Jan 2017)

▪ 52.204-23, Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab Covered Entities (Dec 2023)

▪ 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment. (Nov 2021)

▪ 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Nov 2015)

▪ 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors

(MAR 2023)

▪ 52.233-3, Protest After Award (Aug 1996)

▪ 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (Oct 2004)

▪ 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (June 2020), with Alternate I (Nov 2021)

▪ 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jun 2020)

▪ 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Oct 2016)

▪ 52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application (JUN 2023)

▪ 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Nov 2021)

▪ 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Oct 2018)

▪ 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2022) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer)

▪ 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (FEB 2024)

▪ 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Sep 2023)

▪ 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages-Subcontracting Plan (Sep 2021)

▪ 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (FEB 2024)

▪ 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)

▪ 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016)

▪ 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Jun 2020)

▪ 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 2020)

▪ 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Jun 2020)

▪ 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010)

▪ 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2021)

▪ 52.226-8, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (May 2024)

▪ 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (Oct 2018)

▪ 52.242-5, Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Jan 2017)

▪ 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services-Requirements (May 2014)

xiii. Reserved

xiv. There are no Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) ratings applicable to this acquisition.

xv. Quotes must be submitted on or prior to 12pm ET, August 29, 2024. USDA will not accept quotes received by fax or mail. Vendors are to submit quotes electronically via email to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist.

xvi. Point of Contract for information regarding this solicitation is below:

Contract Specialist: Elizabeth Lanum Phone Number: 904-299-3191 Email: Elizabeth.Lanum@usda.gov

Contracting Officer: Nnenna Njoku Phone Number: 202-260-9121 Email: Nnenna.Njoku@usda.gov

Solicitation Contents:

Section 1: Solicitation Information, Dates, and Deadlines

Section 2: Overview of Solicitation

Section 3: Submission Instructions

Section 4: Award Criteria

Section 5: Attachments

Section 1: Solicitation Information, Dates, and Deadlines

1.1 Solicitation Amendment History

Amendment Action Date 0 Solicitation Issued 08/19/2024

1.2 Point(s) of Contact / Contract Administration

Points of Contact: The following points of contact are to be used to communicate with the

Government during the delivery order duration. During solicitation through award, the Contract

Specialist shall be the primary point of contact:

Contract Specialist (CS):

Name: Elizabeth Lanum Email: Elizabeth.Lanum@usda.gov Phone: 904-299-3191

Contracting Officer (CO):

Name: Nnenna Njoku Email: Nnenna.Njoku@usda.gov Phone: 202-260-9121

1.3 Solicitation Due Date and Delivery

Quotes must be submitted on or prior to 12pm ET, August 29, 2024. USDA will not accept quotes received by fax or mail. Offerors are to submit quotes electronically via email to the Contracting

Specialist listed above.

Subject line of the submittal email shall be formatted as follows: MRL Specialty Crop QRS, RFQ

12314424Q0125, and Vendor Name.

Volumes I and II of the vendors quotes must be in separate volumes. All volumes are to be delivered by the closing date and time as stated above.

1.4 Questions

Questions are due 12pm ET on August 22, 2024. Questions are to be submitted electronically using

Attachment 4, Vendor Questions Matrix, via email to the CS listed above. Please be advised that the

Government reserves the right to transmit those questions and answers of a common interest to all prospective offerors. They will be posted through an amendment to the RFQ on SAM.gov.

Subject line of the questions submittal email shall be formatted as follows: MRL Specialty Crop QRS, RFQ 12314424Q0125 Questions, and Vendor Name.

Section 2: Overview of Solicitation

2.1 Acquisition Details / Type of Contract

▪ This solicitation is a Request for Quote (RFQ) being issued to SAM.gov.

▪ This is a FAR Subpart 12.603 competitive acquisition.

▪ This acquisition will result in a single open market award.

▪ The order will be Firm Fixed Price contract.

▪ This is an Open Market RFQ

2.2 Period of Performance

Period of Performance for this task order is anticipated to be a Base year plus four (4) Option years.

Section 3: Quote submittal instructions Quotes shall be neat, indexed and assembled in an orderly manner. Please try and mirror the requirements document as much as possible so a stated fact or reference may be directly attributed to a requirement. Each volume shall stand alone.

ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS SOLICITATION PACKAGE SHALL BE

IDENTIFIED ON A SEPARATE PAGE WITHIN THE COVER LETTER SUBMISSION. EXCEPTIONS MAY

DISQUALIFY YOUR SUBMITTAL FOR AWARD CONSIDERATION.

Company must be based out of The United States of America to submit a quote. This will be verified in the vendors SAM.gov registration. If the company is not US based, they will be removed from competition.

Vendor is required to be registered in SAM.gov with an active registration at the time of RFQ closing.

3.1 Formatting

Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches with one-inch margins. Pages shall be numbered consecutively. The font size shall be 12-point, Times New Roman, with single-line spacing. 10-point font size is allowable only for tables and graphics. Offerors shall include a cover letter as described below. Tabs, table of contents, and cover page are not included in the page count. Quote pages exceeding the page limits shall not be evaluated.

If the Vendor uses a different format (font size, margin, etc.), the Government reserves the right to adjust the quote to fit the parameters of the format as stated in the RFQ. And if this results in the quote exceeding the page limitations in any one area, the Government will not evaluate those excess pages.

Table 1 –Volume Page Limits

Contract Quote Information Page Limit Format

Cover Letter 1 Pages PDF- Submit with Volume I

Volume I – Technical Quote

▪ Factor 1 – Technical Capability o Appendix A: Mockup

▪ Factor 2 – Staffing Plan

▪ Factor 3 – Prior Experience

8 Pages (Appendix A not included in page count.)

PDF

Volume II – Price Quote No Page Limit Excel

3.2 Volume I

Non-Price Evaluation Factor: Cover letter (1 page), Technical Quote Narratives (5 pages for Factors 1 and 2, and no more than 1 page per example under Factor 3), and Appendix A: Mockup (no page limit)

3.2.1 Cover Letter

Must have the following:

• UEI Number

• Company name and mailing address

• Date submitted

• Business size

• Point of Contact (Name, email, phone) for the representative the Government should contact with questions regarding the quote.

• Clearly label business submission (Joint Venture (JV), teaming arrangement and subcontractors) otherwise the business status is presumed to be standalone standard submission.

• All of the above-cited information for each entity on the proposed team, if a teaming arrangement, JV, or subcontractor is proposed.

3.2.2 Factor 1: Technical Capability

In this section in the Vendor’s quote shall include a narrative which demonstrate its understanding, knowledge, and ability to meet the Government’s objective and perform all PWS requirements. Vendors are discouraged from simply reiterating or rephrasing the PWS.

In addition to the narrative above, the quote shall include a sample/example/mockup of the QRS document to be included in Appendix A. The sample/example/mockup need not contain accurate data but should reasonably demonstrate the look and feel of the final product and be consistent with the specifications in Section 3.2 of the PWS. For quote preparation purposes only, the sample/example/mockup shall include at least ten (10) “chemicals” and the data points for each.

Also, the final product shall include the top three trading partners other than those already specified, the vendor may use any three countries.

3.2.3 Factor 2: Staffing Plan

Provide a narrative that demonstrates the quality and appropriateness of its project team’s experience and expertise relative to the requirements outlined in the PWS. The narrative shall include a description of each team member’s role on the contract, qualifications, summary of work experience relevant to the PWS and level of effort for the project. The vendor’s quote shall also describe the vendor’s plan to source and retain the technical personnel required to perform work on this contract.

3.2.4 Factor 3: Prior Experience

Provide a detailed narrative of three (3) examples of contracts that clearly demonstrate results showing how each prior experience example correlates to the service requirement as described in the PWS. The burden of providing thorough and complete demonstrated prior experience remains with the vendor. Vendors shall provide sufficient information for the Government to determine its level of confidence in the ability of the vendor to perform the requirements of the solicitation. The vendor’s submission shall be clear, concise, and include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. Vendors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the vendor's quote. Evaluators may validate the provided prior experience submission information. The Government reserves the right to verify prior experience with the Vendors reference. Verification from client organization may include a phone interview, survey or any other method in the best interest of the Government at the sole discretion of the Government.

For each example of prior experience provided, the vendor shall, at a minimum document:

▪ Name of project, duration, and dollar value

▪ Name, title, e- mail and phone number for a representative of that client agency that can attest to the work performed and who can confirm level and quality of the Vendor’s demonstrated Prior Experience.

▪ Description of project (enough to establish relevance of experience to this requirement), and role of the company which clearly identifies the level and type of services performed under the contract and the role performed.

▪ Clear demonstration of how each Prior Experience example correlates to the service requirement as described in the PWS with respect to complexity, magnitude, and similarity.

3.3 Volume II, Price

The price quote shall be a separate volume from the technical quote. Vendors shall include in its quote the price for the base and all options. The price quote shall also include a summary of labor categories, hourly rates, discounted rates (if provided), and hours shall be provided for each of the identified tasks. The price quote shall be of sufficient detail to enable the Government to evaluate its quote.

Section 4: Award Criteria

Trade Off. The Government will award one (1) purchase order (PO) from this solicitation. For purposes of this solicitation, Best value means the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the

Government's estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement. The

Government may elect to award to other than the lowest priced offeror, or to other than the highest technically rated, based on the results of the tradeoff analysis between non-price and price factors.

Offerors should therefore propose their best approach to meeting the requirements of the solicitation. Volume I will be evaluated and Confidence Ratings will be assigned. The Contracting

Officer shall make an assessment of the proposed price and the Confidence ratings and trade one off for the other to determine the best value for the government.

4.1 Basis For Award

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible vendor whose quote, conforming to the solicitation, will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

This is a Technical Price Trade-Off. Technical Capability, Staffing Plan, and Prior Experience, when combined, are more important than price and can be traded off for the best value. Non-price factors relative weighting is as follows: the three technical factors – technical capability, staffing plan, and prior experience – are listed in descending order of importance. Factor 1 is more important than

Factor 2 and 3 combined.

4.2 Volume 1 – Technical

4.2.1 Factor 1 – Technical Capability

The Government will evaluate the Vendor’s demonstrated understanding, knowledge, ability to meet the Government’s objective, and capability to successfully perform the requirements of the PWS. The narrative should describe how the Vendor’s technical capability will be applied under this contract and how its technical capability is beneficial to the Government.

4.2.2 Factor 2 – Staffing Plan

The Government will evaluate the Vendor’s demonstrated quality and appropriateness of its project team and its plan to maintain appropriate staffing and expertise levels that will ensure continual quality and timeliness throughout the period of performance of the contract.

4.2.3 Factor 3 – Prior Experience

Prior Experience will be evaluated with respect to magnitude, complexity and similarity to the work that will be required under the prospective contract. The Government will evaluate the extent to which the quality of its demonstrated recent and relevant experience in performing the PWS requirements.

4.3 Rating Methodology for Non-Price Factors – Confidence Ratings Quotes will be rated utilizing Confidence Ratings. The confidence ratings are defined as follows:

4.4 Volume 2 – Price

4.4.1 The Government shall evaluate all offers by total price. The Government will evaluate pricing

Confidence Rating Definition

High Confidence (Low Risk)

The Government has high confidence the vendor understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with little or no Government intervention.

Some Confidence (Moderate Risk)

The Government has some confidence the vendor understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, and will be successful in performing the contract with some Government intervention.

Low Confidence (High Risk)

The Government has low confidence the vendor understands the requirement, proposes a sound approach, or will be successful in performing the contract even with Government intervention.

utilizing Volume II. The Government will review the price quote for completeness.

4.4.2 An analysis of the Vendors’ price quotes will be made to determine if the quoted price is fair and reasonable for the work to be performed, reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and are consistent with the quote.

4.4.3 The Government will evaluate quotes for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that a quote is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

4.5 On the Spot Consensus

After individual evaluators review and make notes on a submission, the evaluation team chair will assemble members to reach a consensus on the ratings and findings for each submission in accordance with the evaluation factors contained in the solicitation. The team will then read, evaluate, and discuss the next quote. The consensus evaluation report discusses all the submissions and is the record of the evaluation.

4.6 Award on Initial Submissions

The Government intends to award a purchase order from initial responses, without engaging in exchanges with vendors. Vendors are encouraged to submit their best technical solutions and price in response to this RFQ. The Government however reserves the right to engage in exchanges if deemed in its best interest.

4.7 Best Suited Contractor

Once the government determines the vendor that is the best-suited (i.e., the apparent successful contractor), the government reserves the right to directly communicate with that vendor to address any remaining issues, if necessary, and finalize a task order. Issues may include technical and price factors and/or disparities. If the parties cannot successfully address issues, as determined pertinent at the sole discretion of the government, the government reserves the right to communicate with the next best-suited vendor based on the original analysis and address any remaining issues.

Section 5: Attachments Attachment 1: Performance Work Statement

Attachment 2: Clauses and Provisions

Attachment 3: Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)

Attachment 4: Vendor Questions Matrix