B05-73351023Q0313-RFI-Portable Loan Outreach Centers.docx

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI), ONLY, issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR Part 52.215-3, Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (FAR) 15.201(e), for the purpose of conducting market research.

(FAR) 15.201 (e). RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. There is no required format for RFIs.

This RFI constitutes neither a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quote (RFQ) nor a promise to issue an RFP or RFQ in the future, and it does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service described herein. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is not, at this time, seeking proposals or quotes and therefore, will not accept, review, or evaluate unsolicited proposals or quotes received in response hereto. Please be advised that the U.S. Government will not reimburse Respondents for any costs incurred in the preparation and/or submission of responses to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will solely be at the Respondent’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future Solicitation, if issued. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary; however, any information received shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the Respondent. Interested parties are responsible for adequately and clearly marking proprietary, restricted, or competition sensitive information contained in their response.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is issuing this RFI to determine Contractors’ capabilities, estimated pricing, business size and socioeconomic category to adhere to the requirements described below.

BACKGROUND:

The Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience (ODR&R), provides federally coordinated disaster response, recovery, and economic resilience to support natural, and economic, disaster survivors, and disaster-impacted communities in the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories. ODR&R provides support for disaster survivors via delivery of SBA’s disaster lending programs which provides access to low interest loans for the purpose of rebuilding their homes and/or businesses. ODR&R leverages interagency and community coordination, and a whole-of-Agency approach deploying all SBA programs to enhance opportunities to business’s after being impacted by a disaster. The goal of the program is to allow survivors to resume their normal lives and/or operations as soon as possible in the aftermath of a disaster(s).

The Portable Loan Outreach Center (PLOC) will provide FOCs the capability to independently establish DLOCs/BRCs during disaster operations when infrastructure is severely damaged and no-cost space is not available. The PLOC also gives FOCs the flexibility and mobility to provide enhanced customer service by establishing “Pop-Up” application intake centers and provides the capability to conduct targeted outreach/customer service in underserved communities.

The PLOC’s must be able accommodate the following:

· Staff 4 customer service representatives (CSR’s)

· Modular (capability to expand)

· Light-weight and deployable that can fit in a mid-size SUV or van

· Mobile (flexible employment options)

· Organic Satellite Communications

· Organic Power Generations

Design and Components

The PLOC is a modular system comprised of several components which include a tent (shelter), solar generators, satellite internet, satellite phone, up to 4 computers (MELA and TL Laptops), printer/scan/copiers, foldable tables, and chairs.

· The shelter is a 14x9ft fire, wind, and weather-resistant frame tent (canopy) with detachable side walls which allows for multiple tents to be joined together if needed. The single tent with sidewalls weighs approximately 200lbs. Each tent comes equipped with interior LED lights, a fan (blower), heater, flooring, and anchor weights (total 4x60lbs). Total weight for the assembled tent is approximately 500 lbs. The tent and accessories are shipped from the manufacturer in multiple containers. SBA would purchase aftermarket storage/shipping containers (Contigo, Pelican) for the tent and other components.

· Solar Generation: The solar generator. SBA needs a generator that comes with solar panels and a backup battery that can power components of the PLOC for up to 10 - 12 hours on a single charge.

· Internet connectivity: The SBA needs a portable Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network land portable satellite terminal. It should be able to provide the PLOC with high-speed internet and video streaming for conference calls as identified below:

Additional capabilities needed:

Supports up to 11 devices (Laptops, Smartphones, Tablets) simultaneously.

Fully encrypted and meets government requirements.

Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network that supports the following end-user activities and applications:

· High quality video broadcasting

· Broadband internet access

· Email, web mail, web browsing

· Skype, Twitter

· Virtual Private Network (VPN)

· File Transfer

· Video Conferencing

· Video Streaming

· Intranet, E-commerce

· Video streaming

· Intranet, E-commerce

· Inmarsat Satellite Phone Communications:

· Fast network registration

· 8 hours of talk time and up to 160 hours standby

· High voice quality

· Other Accessories - Tables/Chairs: 4’ fold in half adjustable tables x 6; 10 folding chairs

Deployment/Transport The PLOC is designed to be deployed to a disaster site via ground transportations. The concept for CONUS deployment is to use organic SBA government owned vehicles (GOVs) to transport the systems to stateside disaster sites. If SBA is required to respond to disasters in multiple regions simultaneously, the use of government leased vehicles (GLVs) will be required. The plan for transporting systems that are located OCONUS in PR and USVI is to use GLVs. The vehicles will serve a dual purpose as they will also be used to store and secure the PLOCs when the systems are deployed but not in use. Minimum cargo space required for transport of one system is 142-149 Cubic Feet (Minivan) L 84 x W 66 x H 59 with hauling capacity of 1000lbs.

Employment The tent requires a minimum of two people to assemble and can be erected on hard surfaces such as concrete or asphalt as well on soft surfaces such as dirt or grass with the full system being put into operation in 1 hour (actual time will be verified during site visit with vendor). It will accommodate 4 CSRs and up to six disaster survivors at one time. The PLOC is intended for short term use, 24-48 hours and provides flexibility which allows the FOCs to go where their target audience is. With the mobility and flexibility that the PLOC provides, FOCs will have the ability to follow their customers and establish “pop-up” application intake centers when and where needed.

Capabilities The modularity of the PLOC allows the FOCs to scale up or down in size as required and the PLOC’s mobility allows FOCs to establish pop-up centers where needed with no notice and establish disaster recovery centers within hours of a declaration as opposed to days. The organic power generation capability and mobile satellite communications allow CSRs to conduct full disaster recovery center operations (application intake, loan closing, uploading documents, sending reports, video teleconferencing, etc.,)

1. Contractors should express the possibility or impossibility of meeting this requirment in full.

2. The following components are required to complete the requirment:

Technical Requirements:

Please Note that Tents and equipment must be user friendly; SBA staff members must have the ability to set up tents and all other items within a reasonable time frame upon responding to disaster.

Description of Products – Norcross, GA

Portable Solar Generator 3.5W output and 7KW Surge-110V/ 60Hz Mobile - 2 - 120 V AC ports / 1 - 220 V AC

Portable Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network

200W Foldable Solar Panel Briefcase (200W x 4) / stands/* 8 panels per PLOC

Solar Panel Splitter adapter, pair

MC4 x 25 Solar Panel cable and connectors

AGM Deep Cycle Gel Batteries 12V-100ah / Battery Box / Battery cables

AGM battery charger

BGAN Plum Case SA30005 Plum SAT III Iridium 5G-Ready Dual Modem w/PPB

TentFrame 20x10ft (6x3m) / Silver

Tent Roof 20x10ft (6x3m) / Pirontex® -material or similar too/ Color-Navy Blue

Thermal Print Service - Roof(s) per Meter² (10ft2) SBA Logo

Rescue Kit 20x10ft (6x3m) / Light Graybestehend aus Rescue Connection Bar 10ft (3m) / 1: Bar Sidewall 10ft (3m) / Rescue: Door-Window-Screen / Light Gray Rescue Floor 20x10ft (6x3m) / M.1.2020 / Black Rescue Floor Stake / 1: Stake

LED Light Kit / 60W 4-Bars: Dimmable Floodlights / Truss Mount

Ground Anchors / 6-Set

Base Weight 60lbs. (28kg)

Electric Fan / 12in. High Velocity: 120v / Quick Mount / Whit

Electric Heater / Term2000: Infrared 1.5kW 120v / Center Mount / Silver

Sidewall 10ft (3m) / Closed: Divider / Truss Contour + Clips / White

Chairs – Cushion stackable

Table – 8’ fold in half

*Quantities will be provided for each item at the Request for Quotation phase.

Deliverables/Delivery Schedule The SBA is expecting to have all items received within 45 days from the Date of Award (DOA).

RESPONSE:

Interested parties submitting a Capabilities Statement should be brief and concise, and clearly demonstrate the ability to meet the stated requirements. The Capabilities Statement should clearly present evidence that the interested party is fully capable of providing all items required to complete the requirement, and as such may include any information that the interested party feels is relevant. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit questions and comments as soon as they are identified. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.

As part of your RFI response, please also provide the following information:

(1) Item availability: Are tent frames and tent roofing fabric readily available or is each item made to order? Does your company possess the ability to provide the following items: Portable Solar Generator, Portable Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network, 200W Foldable Solar Panel Briefcase, Solar Panel Splitter adapter (pair), MC4 x 25 Solar Panel cable and connectors, AGM Deep Cycle Gel Batteries, and BGAN Plum Case SA30005 Plum SAT III Iridium 5G-Ready Dual Modem w/PPB.

(2) An estimate of costs for: A breakdown of all items identified and priced separately. Please note that this cost is for Market Research purposes only.

(4) If your company can provide the required supplies/services under GSA, SEWP, or other multiple award vehicles, please provide your contract number.

(5) Please disclose the business socioeconomic status of the company.

(7) The page limit for the response is no more than 10 pages, including all documents. Responses should also include the company profile (to include, but not limited to, history, business size and socioeconomic category, applicable North American Industry Classification [NAICS]. *The response should also include a list of all subcontractors and their respective role in the performance of this requirement.

Other:

Your response should clearly mark any information that is proprietary. Faxed copies are not acceptable. Please send your responses or questions to the Contracting Officer, Tracy Lambert, at Tracy.Lambert@sba.gov, and Contracting Specialist, Patrick Ferguson at Patrick.Ferguson@sba.gov regarding this announcement.

Questions are due no later than 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Friday, July 28, 2023.

Responses are due no later than 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.