Combined Synopsis Solicitation Final 02.docx

Combined Synopsis-Solicitation for Commercial Services Description This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, “Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Products and Commercial Services,” as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as an RFQ. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2025-04; May 12, 2025. The most recent Federal Acquisition Circular can be found at Acquisition.gov.

This solicitation is set-aside for Small Business Competition.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325998, All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 650 Employees.

The FSC/PSC is H968, Other Quality Control, Testing, and Inspection – Chemicals and Chemical Products.

The Edward P. Boland Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is seeking a Contractor to perform Boiler Plant Water Chemistry, Testing, Supply and Maintenance.

All interested companies shall provide quotations for the following:

Supplies/Services

Performance Work Statement Boiler Plant Water Chemistry, Testing, Supply and Maintenance Location(s):Edward P. Boland Campus, 421 N Main St, Leeds, MA 01053 Overview General Intent The Contractor shall provide Boiler Plant Water Chemistry services to include all labor, transportation, materials, apparatus, tools, equipment and permits necessary to perform the work in accordance with the contractual requirements.

All work must adhere to VHA, OSHA, EPA, Local laws, and Mass DEP standards Contract Specific Requirements – Boiler Plant Water Chemistry, Testing, Supply and Maintenance After award, but prior to the start of any field work, the contractor shall contact the contract point of contact (POC) (e.g. Contracting Officer’s Representative, COR) to review proposed methods and plans for the completion of the work. All on site work is to be coordinated with the boiler plant supervisor at least seven (7) days prior to performance of services. This Please note the bidding requirements related to this solicitation to ensure the following requirements are met.

The following shall be performed:

1. Monthly visits for:

a. Inventory Management

b. Review of plant test data

c. Training VA personnel (as necessary)

i. The instructions shall cover all aspects of safe chemical handling and safe and accurate testing, and proper chemical feed quantities and methods to suit the plant operating parameters and water treatment performance requirements.

Chemical feed adjustment

ii. Minimum annually for each operator.

d. Auto blown adjustments recommendations and VA personnel training as necessary

e. Monthly Report including:

i. Influent water quality

ii. Condensate return quality and percentage of the return. Report any metals in the return such as iron, copper, etc

iii. Boiler Feed Water

iv. Soft water

v. Monitor and trend each chemical usage to establish a base line. Notify the supervisor of any increase in chemical usage that can not be explained

2. Procedures for recommended dosing and testing for wet layup of boilers

3. Provide all chemicals (e.g. softener consumables, amines, oxygen scavenger, polymer, etc, ), test kits, test reagents, corrosion coupons, and instructional materials as necessary to comply with all contract requirements. Deliver to the boiler plant supervisor or his/her designate.

a. Chemical test Equipment to the greatest extent possible, chemical test results will be electronic or digital in nature. The test results shall not rely on an operator’s interpretation of color or lack of their ability to accurately distinguish colors; quantitative or clear pass fail to the extent possible. Laminated succinct test procedures to be provided.

b. Chelant-based chemicals are not permitted.

c. All chemicals shall be in a liquid state when shipped from the manufacture. The manufacture must be ISO certified with proper quality controls in place to ensure there is no variances in the chemical mixtures straight and or concentration from one run to the next run of the same chemical. Copies of the quality control test sheets will be supplied with each delivery.

d. NO blending of several treatment chemicals into one mixture. Each Chemical treatment must remain separate from the others and feed into the system as an individual chemical. The Blending of Amines are acceptable (Neutralizing and Filming amines)

e. There will be no mixing of chemicals by the operators or in the boiler plant. Test kits/reagents notwithstanding.

f. Furnish on site chemical storage containers with secondary containment. Provide bulk delivery service which delivers the chemicals directly into the onsite storage containers with no assistance necessary from VA employees other than to provide access.

g. Provide chemical metering pumps as required, plus one spare.

h. All existing chemicals, which are suitable for the contract program, will be utilized prior to the use of any new chemicals.

i. However, all containers or related waste from equipment in use or supplied under this contract shall be the contractor’s responsibility to safely dispose of within 30 days of being notified or identified. Waste disposal shall be documented and coordinate with the site GEMS coordinator.

i. Submit SDS sheets for all chemicals utilized during the performance of services under this contract. The SDS sheets will accompany delivery of the chemicals.

j. All chemical containers shall be labeled with complete information on contents and shall be returnable. Containers with missing labels shall be removed from the site. All containers remain the property of the contractor and must be immediately removed from; the site when they are no longer needed at the site

k. Contractor shall replace/replenish chemical containers in their entirety (i.e. SDS and expiration labels must be maintained rather than refill with “similar”.

4. System repairs will be funded on a separate line item not to exceed $20,000 annually and evaluated and funded by the contracting officer on a case-by-case basis prior to executing.

Contractor may store ladder and other small equipment necessary onsite for convenience near the RO system in a tidy manner, but the VA shall not be responsible in any way for any materials stored.

Table 1- Reference Data Boiler Water

Please note that in 2022 we were operating temporary boilers

Table 2- Reference Data Typical Makeup Water

Chemical performance requirements:

1. Total hardness in feedwater shall be less than one part per million (ppm). Advise VA personnel on proper softener //and reverse osmosis// monitoring and operation.

2. Dissolved oxygen in the feedwater shall be 7 parts per billion (ppb) maximum with oxygen scavenger treatment temporarily suspended. If it exceeds 12 ppb, provide recommendation to boiler plant supervisor that deaerator must be inspected and repaired.

3. Prevent embrittlement of boiler pressure vessels.

4. Condition the boiler sludge to obtain effective bottom blowoff.

5. Boiler residual of sodium sulfite, 30-60 ppm.

6. Boiler phosphate residual, 20-40 ppm.

7. Total dissolved solids (TDS) in boilers as high as possible, but not to exceed 4000 ppm.

8. Total alkalinity in boilers 800 ppm maximum (1/5 x solids TDS).

9. Maximum suspended solids in boilers 350 ppm, maximum silica 250 ppm.

10. Boiler polymer dispersant residual as recommended by supplier.

11. There shall be no “pitting” corrosion.

12. There shall be no scale and deposit formation in the boilers.

13. Moisture content of the steam shall not exceed one percent. Perform condensate conductivity tests at a steam trap near the boiler steam outlet (at a point with no amines) to evaluate the moisture content of the steam. If necessary, utilize an antifoam agent to limit solids carryover in the steam from the boilers and to control boiler priming, foaming, and misting.

14. Control boiler water chemistry to minimize blowdown and thus improve efficiency.

15. Provide steam amine treatment to provide condensate pH of 8.0 – 8.5 at each condensate receiver throughout the facility and in the condensate storage tank in the boiler plant. Feed the amines into the boilers instead of the steam header in order to achieve even dispersal throughout the distribution system.

16. Control corrosion rates. Steel corrosion rates shall be less than 2.0 mils per year. Copper corrosion rates shall be less than 0.2 mils per year

17. Establish layer of magnetic iron oxide (black or dark gray in color) on all steel surfaces as a corrosion barrier. 18. Contractor must ensure, and demonstrate in the required reports, that all water quality parameters are in compliance with specified parameters at least 90% of the time.

General Scope Items The following is a list of general scope considerations:

1. All field work shall be scheduled at least 7 business days in advance with POC/COR.

2. The site shall be left clean of all debris and hazardous materials daily.

3. Coordinate with VA CWM HCS GEMS coordinator for the signing of the waste manifests or management regulation.

4. Submit, to the COR product data and work plan for all materials prior to utilization.

Site Access and Management Requirements The contractor shall be solely responsible for the management, including all associated labor, equipment, materials, shipping, and inspection, to meet the requirements of the project.

The contractor must have the following additional requirements before working on site:

1. Contractor badge, if issued, must be obtained and visibly worn by contractor or representative at all times while on campus.

These requirements are applicable to all contractor employees and subcontractors working in and around campus building unless stated otherwise by COR. The contractor is ultimately responsible for the behavior of employees and subcontractors.

Any waste generated shall be properly disposed of and documented by the contractor.

Questions or concerns shall be addressed with the COR.

Proposed Schedule All on-site work (including cleanup) shall take place during the following times, unless otherwise approved by the COR:

08:00-16:00h Monday through Friday Off-hour work for activities impacting normal operations or scheduling conflicts are generally 17:00-06:00 Monday- Friday and anytime Saturday and Sunday.

Holidays excepted unless other times are arranged in advance and approved in writing by the COR.

Bidding Requirements Contract line items shall be bid as follows for a 1-year period:

1. Monthly service to be awarded at 12 months

2. Annual chemical supply and testing materials cost

3. Non-recurring maintenance and repairs not to exceed $20,000. This shall be a $0 funded if repair proposals are accepted by a contracting officer.

The bidder shall include a detail plan to meet solicitation requirements including but not limited to:

1. One water treatment specialist who has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or the physical sciences from an accredited college or university shall be assigned to this contract. The water treatment specialist must have at least five years successful experience with boiler water treatment programs and shall furnish references from at least three customers who utilize boiler water treatment programs. Credentials to be included in bid

2. The water treatment specialist assigned must be located within 100 miles of the site to enable reasonable response times to request for site visits. Name and location to be included in bid.

3. Bid to include state (MA or abutting) lab meeting PWS requirements.

Evaluation of bids shall be based on:

1. Completeness and specificity of contractors plan to adhere to all requirements outlined herein and outlined bid documents required. Submitted in writing

2. Evaluation of the unit price of line items 1 and 2.

Parking Parking is rigidly controlled throughout the Medical Center. Contractor parking is only allowed in designated areas (subject to change). Parking in designated patient parking areas is strictly prohibited. Parking on grass is also prohibited. Parking for equipment necessary to perform the work will be authorized in advance of starting the project. Parking passes will be issued by the COR when necessary.

Storage of Equipment and Materials The contractor shall arrange with the COR for allocation of required workspace and for the storage of equipment and material to be used for this project. Storage space is very limited. There are no exclusive areas within the campus that can be given to the contractor for their storage needs. The warehouse CANNOT accept, or store, deliveries associated with a contract and not purchased directly by the VA (i.e. no drop-shipping contract supplies).

Debris Removal The Contractor/Installer shall be required to remove waste materials and debris daily (unless otherwise authorized by COR) from the campus. All waste material and debris shall be removed off the site by the contractor and shall be disposed of in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations.

Site Utilities In the event a shutdown, restriction, or interruption of any utility services is required, a written request must be submitted (at least 14 calendar days in advance) and approved by the VA COR. All utility shutdowns must be reviewed and approved by the VA.

Material and Workmanship Quality All materials and workmanship shall comply with all codes, standards, and requirements of all Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). All work shall be done in accordance with contract terms and conditions and in a professional manner according to the best trade practices and to the satisfaction of the COR. This includes work performed by subcontractors.

-Existing Equipment and Infrastructure There are 3 high pressure boilers delivering 67-70psig distribution for heating and hot water. There is a single surge/condensate tank and DA with a heat recovery steam generator feeding the DA.

The contract period of performance is 08/01/2025 – 07/31/2026.

Place of Performance/Place of Delivery Edward P. Boland Veteran Affairs Medical Center (VAMC)

The full text of FAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

The following solicitation provisions apply to this acquisition:

1. FAR 52.212-1, “Instructions to Offerors–Commercial Products and Commercial Services”

2. FAR 52.212-3, “Offerors Representations and Certifications–Commercial Products and Commercial Services”

Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://sam.gov/ in accordance with FAR 52.212-3, “Offerors Representations and Certifications–Commercial Products and Commercial Services.” If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

The following contract clauses apply to this acquisition:

· FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions–Commercial Products and Commercial Services” (NOV 2023)

· FAR 52.212-5, “Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Products and Commercial Services” (JAN 2025)

· FAR 52.217-9, “Option to Extend the Term of the Contract” (MAR 2000)

The following subparagraphs of FAR 52.212-5 are applicable:

52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation & First-Tier Subcontract Awards (JUN 2020), 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), 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation (FEB 2024), 52.219-33, Nonmanufacturer Rule (SEP 2021), 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUN 2003), 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (SEP 2016), 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUN 2020), 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (JUN 2020), 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (FEB 2021), 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (AUG 2018), All quoters shall submit the following:

1. Questions: Any questions must be submitted in writing no later than Tuesday 24 June 2025 at 17:00 PM EST. Answers to the questions will be posted by the following week.

2. Quote: Offeror shall provide a quote using the Line item 0001 table above. Offerors must also provide all applicable labor rates for the solicited services so they can be compared to the applicable wage determination for compliance with the Service Contract Labor Standards.

All quotes shall be sent to the Contract Specialist, Shawn Lawrence at Shawn.Lawrence@va.gov.

Award will be based upon a comparative evaluation of quotes in accordance with the Simplified Acquisition Procedures of FAR 13. Comparative evaluation is the side by side pairwise comparison of quotes based on factors resulting in a Contracting Officer decision for the quote most favorable to the Government. Options will be evaluated at time of award.

The following are the decision factors:

1. Price: Quotes will be compared by price.

2. Technical: The offeror’s quote shall be evaluated to determine if the organization has the experience and capabilities to provide the requested services IAW the Statement of Work in a timely efficient manner.

a. Contractor shall provide specification sheets for proposed equipment and include within the solicitation response.

The award will be made to the response most advantageous to the Government.

Responses should contain your best terms, conditions.

To facilitate the award process, all quotes must include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows:

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition."

OR

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:"

Quoters shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s), if any.

Submission of your response shall be received not later than 30 June 2025 at 17:00:00 PM EST. All quotes shall be emailed to Shawn Lawrence at Shawn.Lawrence@va.gov.

Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f).

Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Point of Contact listed below.

Point of Contact Shawn Lawrence, Shawn.Lawrence@va.gov Effective Date: 04/18/2025 Revision: 02 image1.jpeg image2.jpeg image3.jpeg image4.jpeg image5.jpeg