B12_Misc___Notice_to_Quoters.doc

United States Department of the Interior

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Joint Administrative Operations

Acquisitions & Property Operations-Goods and Services

2608 141Q Ave NW B170 Alexander, ND 58831 701-339-3829

NOTICE TO QUOTERS

THIS ACQUISITION WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESS

RFQ NO: 140F0622Q0152

QUOTE DUE DATE: 5:00 PM Eastern Time, August 26, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

CONTACT: Darla Freyholtz Ballard

EMAIL: darla_freyholtzballard@fws.gov

PHONE: 701-339-3829

TITLE: Woody Brush and Invasive Tree Control-Quivera National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Stafford, KS DESCRIPTION: The contractor shall provide services to control various woody brush and invasive tree species on the Quivera NWR. A statement of work, photos, maps, and a wage determinations are attached to the solicitation.

LOCATION: Quivera NWR, Stafford, KS

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS:

The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) number for this requirement is 561730 Landscaping Services-Shrub Services and the small business size standard is $8M.

Vendors interested in submitting a proposal are highly encouraged to attend a pre-bid site visit with the FWS Project Team where services are to be performed to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award. The government will not pay for any costs associated with attending a site visit. Vendor interested in setting up a pre-bid shall contact Mike Oldham at 620-405-0140 or mike_oldham@fws.gov.

Submission of Offers

Proposals must be submitted in two separate volumes as outlined below. Technical proposals received that include pricing information will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered further for award.

Offeror Questions Regarding the Proposal

All questions shall be submitted to darla_freyholtzballard@fws.gov. Please be advised that the government reserves the right to transmit those questions and answers of common interest to all competing schedule contractors. Should any question or comment be received by the government after the prescribed timeframe, the Government reserves the right to respond per its discretion.

Price Proposal The Government intends to issue a fixed-price contract as a result of this RFQ. Interested parties shall submit a price proposal that includes the vendor SAM UEI number, point of contact email and phone number, estimated number of hours, and cost/hour for each unit taking into account the applicable wage determinations, equipment costs, chemical costs, fuel costs, mobilization costs, and incidental expenses. In addition, all provisions on pages 8-28 of the solicitation shall be completed and submitted with the quote.

Offerors shall quote for the base year and provide estimates for the option years. The government recognizes that fully burdened hourly rates for the option years are subject to change depending upon the market conditions at the time. The government reserves the right to negotiate hourly rates prior to exercising option years.

Email offers will be accepted and are preferred over fax or USPS mail.

Technical Proposal

The offeror shall provide one (1) copy of the technical proposal. The technical proposal should be prepared simply and economically providing straight forward, concise delineation of capabilities. The information provided shall be factual and complete. Proposals that merely offer to provide services as described in the SOW will not receive further consideration for award. The proposal shall also include references using the attached Past Experience and References form.

Technical Experience

The Contractor will be selected based on a competitive bid and the contractor’s comprehension of the requirements, the contractor’s ability to complete the assessments, and the experience of the contractor with contracts of similar complexity, as demonstrated in the contractor’s proposal. Contractors are requested to provide a technical approach and costs for controlling/treating invasive plants at the Central Unit (priority), and South, Northwest, and Northeast Units (optional), as follows:

1. Identify the equipment that will be used for treatment/control within the priority and optional areas.

2. Identify the methods of mechanical control (mowing, mulching, pulling, etc).

3. Identify the treatment method (i.e., Foliar, girdling, cut stump, basal, etc.) if needed, and timing of application. Note: Chemical treatment requested as a follow-up if mowing dogwood. Chemical treatment requested for locust species, Siberian elm, Russian olive, and salt cedar where the roots cannot be successfully pulled up using mechanical methods.

4. Identify the chemicals (including surfactants) to be used and formulations.

5. Identify any follow-up treatment needed to ensure restoration of native habitat and provide separate cost estimates for each option year.

6. Identify the recommended time frame(s) for treatments assuming the contract will be awarded in the fall, 2022. Close planning will need to occur with the Refuge Manager as some areas are sensitive to disturbance during the waterbird migration period.

7. Identify a method to document areas treated, and how success will be determined.

8. Please provide hour and cost/hour estimates for each treatment unit (priority and optional units) separately and include any savings from treating multiple sites.

9. Document certifications, insurance, licenses, etc. that are required by the State of Kansas to perform such services, if required.

10. Exhibit and document past experience related specifically to contracts providing similar invasive species control services.

11. Provide references from other similar projects that they have performed.

The factors listed above will be evaluated equally and considered significantly more important than price during the evaluation phase. Award will be made on a firm-fixed price basis. Due to time constraints, the government anticipates awarding this order based on initial proposals. Contractors are strongly encouraged to propose their 'best and final' pricing with the initial proposal.

An award will be made from this RFQ to the company that submits a proposal that conforms to the technical specifications, and who, based on the decision of the government, offers the best value to include technical experience, technical approach, past performance, delivery timeframe, and price. The Government reserves the right to award a contract to any other than the lowest priced offer if, in its judgment, the technical superiority outweighs the cost difference.

In order to be eligible for award, it is mandatory that the offeror complete registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) website (https://www.sam.gov) and that the offeror is listed in SAM as an active vendor. (Note: SAM is a FREE website and there is never a cost to complete registration.)

Note: Following receipt of an Award, payment requests for all new awards must be submitted electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). Following receipt of an award, the awardee must use the IPP website to register, access, and use IPP for submitting requests for payment. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov (Note: IPP is a FREE website and there is never a cost to complete registration.)

Bid proposals shall be submitted by 5:00 PM ET on August 26, 2022 via email to the POC listed above. Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.