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: 140FS223Q0161

QUOTE DUE DATE: 7:00 PM Eastern Time, August 8, 2023

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

CONTACT: Darla Freyholtz Ballard

EMAIL: darla_freyholtzballard@fws.gov

PHONE: 701-339-3829

TITLE: Cultural Resource Survey on Charles M. Russel (CMR) NWR for the MT Fire Zone, Lewistown, MT DESCRIPTION: The contractor shall provide a cultural resource survey on CMR NWR for the MT Fire Zone, Lewistown, MT.

A statement of work and a past experience/reference form is attached to the solicitation.

LOCATION: CMR NWR, MT Fire Zone, Lewistown, MT

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS:

The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) number for this requirement is 541720 Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities and the small business size standard is $28.0M.

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 and itemizes, at a minimum, the cost per hour for each labor category needed to perform consultation/communication services, cost of equipment, fuel costs, travel costs, printing costs, and incidental expenses for each of the project areas outlined in the SOW. Ultimately, quotes shall be submitted in a cost per acre format and vendors shall provide pricing for the base year and all option years. In addition, all provisions on pages 16-21 of the solicitation shall be completed and submitted with the quote. Offerors are advised to provide their best and final pricing, including any proposed discounts, upon initial submission. 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 supplies as described in the SOW will not receive further consideration for award. The proposal shall also include references. All technical proposals must address the following evaluation factors:

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.

1. The successful contractor must meet requirements as outlined Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines (SISG) for Archaeology and Historic Preservation published in the Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61. In conjunction with meeting the SISG, offerors must meet requirements outlined by the Montana State Historic Preservation Office (MT SHPO).

2. The successful contractor shall exhibit and demonstrate their ability to complete projects on time and within budget.

3. The successful contractor shall be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).

Past Performance

The successful contractor shall exhibit and document past experience in cultural resource investigations that have resulted in report submissions to the Montana State Historic Preservation Office.

Delivery Timeframe A delivery timeframe has been outlined in the SOW. If the offeror cannot meet that timeline, they shall propose a project timeline of tasks and anticipated delivery timeframes.

Price

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, 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 7:00 PM ET on August 8, 2023 via email to the POC listed above. Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.