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

NOTICE TO QUOTERS

THIS ACQUISITION WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESS

RFQ NO: 140FS223Q0072

QUOTE DUE DATE: 6:00pm Eastern Time, May 10, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

CONTACT: Dana Arnold EMAIL: dana_arnold@fws.gov TITLE: Timber Stand Improvement – Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Pleasanton, KS DESCRIPTION: The contractor shall provide services to mechanically remove trees, shrubs, and vines on the Marais des Cygnes NWR. Work may be accomplished using small equipment such as a skid-steer with forestry implements, chainsaw, small tractor, or others. In certain locations, much of the work will be done by hand instead of with the use of machinery due to access restrictions.

A statement of work (including map of units), past experiences/reference form, and a wage determination are attached to the solicitation.

LOCATION: Marais des Cygnes (NWR), Pleasanton, KS

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS:

The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) number for this requirement is 115310 Forestry Services and the small business size standard is $34.0 M.

Vendors interested in submitting a proposal are 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. Vendors interested in setting up a pre-bid site visit shall contact Kathryn Brenner at (913) 352-8956 or kathryn_brenner@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 dana_arnold@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 firm 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 people and number of hours/person, and cost/hour for each person taking into account the applicable wage determination, equipment costs, fuel costs, travel costs, mobilization costs, incidental expenses etc. Ultimately, the Government is looking for an estimation of cost/acre. In addition, all provisions on pages 18-25 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.

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 requirement, 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 for completing the requirement.

1. Identify the equipment that will be used.

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

3. Exhibit and document past experience related specifically to contracts providing similar mechanical tree, shrub, or vine removal services.

4. Identify anticipated timeframe to complete the project.

5. Provide references from other similar projects that have been performed.

The factors listed above will be evaluated equally and considered 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.

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

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 6:00pm ET on May 10, 2023 via email to the POC listed above. Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.