Pre-solicitation_Notice_Pentagon_Mail_and_Parcel_Screening.pdf

Pentagon Mail and Parcel Screening Presolicitation Notice

This is a Pre-Solicitation notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. Pursuant to FAR Subpart 5.2 – Synopsis of Proposed Contract Actions, this is a pre-solicitation notice of a proposed contract action for a competitive 8(a) requirement for Screening of Department of Defense Mail and Parcels for Evidence of Chemical Biological Radiological and Explosive (CBRE) Hazards.

The intended procurement is classified under NAICS Code 561210 Facilities Support Services with a dollar threshold amount of $38.5M.

Statutory Authority – This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19.805 Contracting with the Small Business Administration, The 8(a) Program, Competitive 8(a). The competition is limited to eligible 8(a) participants

ONLY.

Contractor personnel performing work under this contract must have an interim or SECRET Clearance at time of the proposal submission, and must maintain a SECRET Clearance for the life of the contract. The prime contractor for this requirement must have a SECRET facility clearance at time of proposal submission.

BACKGROUND

Following the October 2001 confirmation of anthrax in official government mail, a series of screening processes were implemented to safeguard the Pentagon and other Pentagon delegated facilities from biological hazards that might be transported through mail and parcels. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) assumed this screening mission in 2005. Since that time, PFPA has evolved the screening process to encompass assessments for a broad spectrum of potentially hazardous items and suspicious materials.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

Provide mail and parcel screening operations for the Pentagon and other delegated Pentagon facilities. Screening operations shall ensure that mail and parcels are free of chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive (CBRE) hazards, hoax/suspicious material, contraband, threatening or suspicious communication, other security violations before custody is transferred to follow-on recipients.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

The following requirements are required to successfully accomplish screening of approximately 800,000 mail and 75,000 commercial parcels annually:

• Provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, tools, materials, supervision, and non-personal services.

• Maintain custody of mail and parcel deliveries using an electronic custody tracking system; as needed, generate hard-copy chain of custody documentation for delivery sources.

• Perform explosive trace testing and support x-ray analysis by loading and unloading x-ray machines.

• Monitor and report radiation and chemical hazard alarms; properly react to hazardous or suspicious items.

• Segregate and consolidate mis-sent mail and parcels.

• Open mail and parcels without damaging addressing or barcode information; inspect exterior and inner contents of mail and parcels for the presence of hazardous or suspicious material, contraband, security violations, and suspicious or threatening communication; photo-document and report flagged items.

• Maintain the integrity of inspected mail and parcels when repacking the contents back in its original container; re-seal mail and parcels and apply a security stamp to each mail and parcel.

• Ensure all mail and parcels have undergone the entire screening process prior to storing in a holding area.

• Store mail and parcels identified as being classified in a GSA approved safe.

• Segregate, photo-document and report all mail and parcels that have been identified as containing hazardous or suspicious material, contraband, security violations, and suspicious or threatening communication.

• Assist with a Government quality assurance inspection of mail and parcels once cleared for hazards; following Government approval, transfer custody of mail/parcels to authorized couriers.

• Hold all inspected mail and parcels until approved for release/transfer of custody by the Government.

• Collect samples from screening stations and deliver to a laboratory located on the Pentagon reservation for biological hazard analysis; approximately 14 samples are collected on a daily basis.

• Provide metric data on volume and type of material screened.

• Maintain a quality control (QC) and medical surveillance program to ensure services are performed in accordance with the applicable OSHA regulations and Government approved SOPs; implement procedures to identify, prevent and ensure non-recurrence of defective services.

• Maintain and follow a series of SOPs that cover all aspects of the screening operations; as needed, generate new SOPs if new processes are implemented.

• Maintain and certify approximately ten (10) Class II, Type A, biological safety cabinets (BSC) to the current NSF/ANSI Standard 49 on a semiannual basis.

ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The anticipated period of performance includes a base year plus four (4) option years. The base year is expected to begin on July 1, 2018.

OTHER IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

The screening facility, explosive trace detection system (not including associated consumables), chemical detection system, radiation detection system, x-ray machines, BSCs, bio-sample collection supplies, and security stamps will be provided by the government.

The screening facility will either be located on the Pentagon Reservation or at a facility within six (6) miles of the Pentagon Reservation. If the screening location changes, both facilities may need to be partially staffed during a transition period.

The screening facility will be equipped with ten screening stations; each can typically accommodate two (2) screeners.

Unless authorized by the government, all mail and parcel will be screened on the same day as received. Screening operation hours are Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, from 0730-1700 hours.

At points within the screening operation, personnel will be required to wear various levels of personal protection equipment (PPE). This PPE includes latex or nitrile gloves, full-length smock, disposable Tyvek coveralls with feet, Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) with hood.

Besides PPE, consumables necessary to accomplish screening operations include packing tape, scissors, box cutters, letter openers, stamp ink, duct tape, paper towels; bleach, alcohol and 2-gallon pump sprayers used to sanitize screening equipment and the exterior of PPE.

SOLICITATION

This synopsis is not a request for competitive proposals. The Government anticipates issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) with the intent of awarding a Firm-Fixed Price contract for the Mail Screening Services. This acquisition is being set-aside for 8(a) participants only.

The RFP is estimated to be issued mid-March 2018. The RFP will be issued on the Government Point of Entry known as FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov). The estimated due date for proposals will be on or about mid-April 2018. Once issued, the RFP will identify a firm due date/time for receipt of proposals.

BE ADVISED THAT THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE DELAYED, CANCELLED OR

REVISED AT ANY TIME DURING THE PRE-SOLICITATION PROCESS.