Northern Nevada Combined Synop Solic - FINAL.pdf

National Resource Inventory 12FPC420R0007

Northern Nevada

12FPC420R0007 Northern Nevada NRI

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

This acquisition for commercial items will be conducted using simplified procedures under FAR Part 13.

FAR Part 12 is also applicable to this procurement.

(1) This solicitation number 12FPC420R0007 is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP).

This requirement will be issued as a Firm-Fixed Price contract with a base period (FY20 measuring season) and two option periods (FY21 and FY22 measuring seasons).

Reference Attachment 1 Statement of Work for additional information. The Government intends to make award without exchanges or negotiations.

(2) This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-04, dated 01/15/2020.

(3) This is a 100% SMALL BUSINESS SET ASIDE and the applicable NAICS code is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. The size standard for this NAICS code is $14 million. Only proposals from small businesses will be considered. A size standard is the largest that a concern can be and still qualify as a small business for Federal Government programs. Size standards are the average annual receipts of a firm. How to calculate average annual receipts of a firm can be found in 13 CFR § 121.104. For more information on these size standards, please visit http://www.sba.gov/size

(4) It shall be the obligation of the offeror to exercise due diligence to discover and to bring to the attention of the Government any ambiguities, inconsistencies, or concerns regarding the information in the RFP. All questions/concerns regarding this RFP shall be submitted in writing to the Government POC identified in item (7) below. No questions concerning this solicitation will be responded to after 2:00 pm Central Time 12 March 2020.

(5) Contracting Office Address Department of Agriculture, Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, 4405 Bland Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609

(6) Proposals are due by 08:00 a.m. Central Time, 23 March 2020 (Attn: Howard Stover). Proposals may be submitted via email only. Hard copy proposals will not be considered.

(7) Contact Howard Stover, Contract Specialist, via e-mail Howard.Stover@usda.gov for information regarding this solicitation.

(8) Description

General:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, is seeking contractor(s) to provide services for the collection of data on selected sample points for the National Resources Inventory (NRI), Grazinglands Field Study in Northern Nevada. The intent of the Agency is to solicit the most efficient and effective manner to complete the requirements set forth in this document. To achieve this goal, the Government reserves the right to make award without negotiations.

The Government will award to the responsive and responsible contractor whose proposal meets the requirements of the solicitation, price and other factors considered (see below).

The Government intends to award one base period and two option options, with a period of performance estimated to be April 1, 2020 and concluding September 30, 2022.

Background:

http://www.sba.gov/size

NRCS is mandated (through Rural Development Act of 1972, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977, and other supporting legislation) to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the National Non-Federal lands. Resources inventory legislative authorities, NRCS policy, and responsibilities for conducting the NRI are contained in NRCS General Manual 290, Part 400.

Objective/Scope:

The general data categories include: soil and landscape information; ecological site information; rangeland health indicators; invasive/noxious plant presence; disturbance indicators; conservation practices and resource concerns; plant composition and patterns; and plant production, cover, density, and height.

All data will be collected in accordance with National Resource Inventory Handbook of Instructions for Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection.

Interested firms should carefully review all the documentation made a part of this solicitation. Please note the following:

• Data point locations will be finalized each season upon release by the NRI authority. Within-scope changes to the option quantities may be necessary, and subsequently modified, each year.

• The Government will only pay, upon Government acceptance, for those deliverables submitted in accordance with the requirements of the SOW.

• The Government will not secure access permission from private landowners. This task is a required task of the contractor.

• No data point substitution will be authorized.

• Historical data on 2019 season quantities for the Nevada NRI program has been provided as a reference.

This historical data does not constitute the Government’s need or the availability of quantities in 2020 or subsequent years and shall not be construed as such.

(9) Date and Place of Delivery/Acceptance: See Attachment 1 Statement of Work

(10) The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors—Commercial, applies to this acquisition. The following addenda also apply. Offerors must read and follow these additional instructions to receive consideration.

1. System for Award Management (SAM) Registration In order to comply with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, all Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management, or SAM (formerly Central Contractor Registration (CCR)) and Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA)) prior to award of a Federal Contract.

However, due to the need to promptly award a contract after receipt of proposals and in accordance with the requirements of FAR 4.1102(a), registration in SAM, to include completion of the 52.212.3, Representations and Certifications and having a status of “Active” is required BEFORE submitting an offer. For information regarding registration visit www.sam.gov. A successful offeror and its employees will also be required to provide a completed/signed NRCS Conservation Cooperator Certification as described in the SOW prior to award of the contract.

2. Proposal Content An offeror shall submit a signed and dated proposal that contains at minimum the following sections and information:

a. Cover Page shall include the following:

* RFP Number

* Name, address, telephone number, and DUNS number of the offeror

* Name, title, phone number, and email address of an authorized official of the offeror

* Statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the RFP.

b. Volume One - Technical Proposal http://www.sam.gov/

Offerors shall submit resumes, curricula vitae, and a written narrative that documents the proposed technical approach to meet the requirements of the Statement of Work, that shows the offeror possesses a sound knowledge and understanding of the technical requirement, and which thoroughly addresses the technical evaluation factors below. The narrative should be supported by evidence that gives credibility to the statements made by the offeror and in turn gives the Government enough information to understand and gain confidence in what the offeror is stating. There is no limit on the length of the narrative, but it should be of a reasonable length and well supported. Volume 1 shall not include any pricing information.

c. Volume Two – Past Performance Information Submit two reference names and contact information who can speak to your organization’s past performance on similar work.

d. Volume Three - Price Proposal Submit unit and extended pricing for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) in the format listed in Attachment 2 Pricing Schedule. Proposed pricing shall be submitted using Attachment 2 Pricing Schedule. Pricing shall be provided for every CLIN. If you do not provide pricing for each CLIN, your proposal will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from the competition.

e. Acknowledgement of all Solicitation Amendments (if applicable).

3. Certification at FAR 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters and the representation at FAR 52.209-11 Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law. The offeror must complete both by reading and checking the appropriate box(s) and submitting with its proposal. A copy of the text of 52.209-7 and 52.209-11 can be found as Attachment 3 to this solicitation.

4. Copies of Proposal Only one copy of the Cover Page, Technical Proposal (Volume One), Past Performance Information (Volume Two), Price Proposal (Volume Three), and Acknowledgement of all Solicitation Amendments (if applicable) are required to be submitted. Proposals shall only be submitted by email. Hard copy proposals will not be considered.

(11) FAR provision 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items applies to this solicitation as follows.

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government will conduct a tradeoff process to determine the offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the Government. The Government may award to other than the lowest-priced proposal or to other than the highest technically-rated proposal. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical Capability/Approach, Past Performance and Price:

(1) Technical Capability/Approach Factor: The Government will evaluate the proposed technical capability/approach to determine the degree to which the proposal demonstrates a sound knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the Statement of Work. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following:

(i) Whether the proposed personnel and data collection teams meet the minimum requirements of the SOW.

(ii) Offeror’s personnel’s experience in the use of:

(A) NRCS Ecological Site Descriptions (ESD) (Technical Guide Sec II; Part F),

(B) Sampling vegetation attributes,

(C) Use of soil survey information and soil identification relative to ESD association,

(D) Apparent rangeland trend,

(E) Rangeland health and health indicators,

(F) Native plant identification,

(G) Noxious weeds and alien/invasive plant identification,

(H) NRCS Conservation Practices (see Scope above),

(I) NRCS Resource Concerns

(J) Rangeland line point transects,

(K) Rangeland line intercept transects,

(L) Vegetation cover density and height measurement,

(M) Species composition by weight

(N) Site reconstruction factors

(M) Allowable species by ESD

(N) Similarity Index (SI) calculations.

(O) Offeror Personnel Education

(ii) Data Collectors’ basic knowledge of the rangeland field study and ability to:

(A) Use Rangeland Field Study instructions and follow data collection protocols.

(B) Use the study equipment and tools to measure and obtain information.

(C) Use data recording instruments and software.

(iii) The Contractor’s knowledge and experience in plant taxonomy in Northern Nevada.

(iv) Geographic location – Firm will be evaluated on geographic location in relation to work sites and knowledge of local ecological sites and soils.

(v) Capacity to accomplish the work – Evaluation will be based upon the number of qualified personnel available, the quantity of existing work under contract, and the proposed schedules for completion of existing work.

2. Past Performance: The Government will conduct a past performance confidence assessment to assess the offeror’s potential for successful performance of the requirements. The Government may 1) assess feedback from the two references provided (see addendum to 52.212- 1 #2), 2) utilize past performance data from the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, and/or 3) utilize any other sources to obtain contractor past performance information. Recent and relevant past performance will have a greater impact on the Government’s evaluation than less recent or relevant performance. Lack of recent or relevant past performance will result in neither a favorable or unfavorable rating, but a strong record of recent or relevant past performance will be considered more advantageous to the Government.

3. Price Factor: The Government will evaluate price proposals to ensure they are complete, realistic, and reasonable. The Government will consider a total evaluated price consisting of a sum of the total prices for all CLINs (base and optional items) in the schedule. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). Note: CLINs 01xx, 02xx, 04xx, 05xx, 07xx, and 08xx are established for price evaluation purposes only. The proposed unit price on CLINs 01xx, 02xx, 04xx, 05xx, 07xx, and 08xx will be the price the Government pays in the event a point is deemed inaccessible in field designation and the required deliverables IAW the Statement of Work are submitted and accepted by the Government.

Pricing that is unrealistically low or unbalanced may be considered an indication that the offeror does not possess adequate understanding of the requirement or the requisite technical capability to successfully perform the work.

(b) The Government intends to make award based on the initial proposal submissions without exchanges or negotiations with offerors. Therefore, offerors are advised to submit initial proposals that are fully and clearly acceptable without additional information. However, the Government reserves the right to hold exchanges or to negotiate with one, some, or all offerors if it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government.

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of a proposal, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are exchanges or negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(12) FAR provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications – Commercial Items applies to this solicitation.

(13) Invoices shall be submitted to:

The "Submit Invoice-to" address for USDA orders is the Department of Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). The contractor must follow the instructions on how to register and submit invoices via IPP as prescribed in the previous communications from USDA and Treasury. All invoices are to be submitted via the electronic Invoice Processing Platform. This is a mandatory requirement initiated by the U.S. Department of Treasury and you can find more information at this website https://www.ipp.gov/index.htm. Please make sure that your company has registered at https://www.ipp.gov/vendors/enrollment-vendors.htm to establish your account.

CONTRACT CLAUSES

The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and there are no addenda.

The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders— Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and the following additional FAR clauses cited in the clause are applicable to this acquisition.

52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41U.S.C. 253g and 10 U.S.C. 2402).

52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Feb 2012) (Pub. L.

109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Dec 2010) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Feb 2012) (41 U.S.C. 2313).

52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (section 740 of Division C of Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Division D of Pub. L. 111-8, and section 745 of Division D of Pub. L. 110- 161).

52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Jan 2011) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)).

52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Re-representation (APR 2009) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUN 2003) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (FEB 1999).

52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (MAR 2007) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Sep 2010) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Sep 2010) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O.

13496).

52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (Jan 2019) 52.222-54 Employment Eligibility Verification (Jul 2012). (Executive Order 12989).

52.222-55 Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2015)

52.222.62 Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (April 2019) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Aug 2011) (E.O.

13513).

52-224-3 Privacy Training (Jan 2017) https://www.ipp.gov/index.htm https://www.ipp.gov/vendors/enrollment-vendors.htm

52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUN 2008) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - Central Contractor Registration (OCT 2003)

52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (Aug 2018) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

Department of Labor Wage determinations are available at https://beta.sam.gov/. Applicable wage determinations will be incorporated into any contract awarded from this solicitation. See Attachment 4 for wage determinations.

52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Act—Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (Aug 2018) 52.245-1 Government Property (Jan 2017) 52.245-9 Use and Charges (Apr 2012)

Additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions (such as contract financing arrangements or warranty requirements) determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary for this acquisition and consistent with customary commercial practices. The following additional Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR) clauses and provisions apply to this solicitation and any resultant contract award. FAR clauses and provisions can be found at https://www.acquisition.gov. AGAR clauses and provisions can be found at http://www.da.usda.gov/procurement/policy/agar.html .

52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (March 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 30 calendar days before the contract expires; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 60 calendar days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 3 years.

(End of clause)

52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires.

In compliance with the Service Contract Labor Standards statute and the regulations of the Secretary of Labor (29 CFR part 4), this clause identifies the classes of service employees expected to be employed under the contract and states the wages and fringe benefits payable to each if they were employed by the contracting agency subject to the provisions of 5 U.S.C.5341 or 5.332.

This Statement is for Information Only: It is not a Wage Determination

Employee Class

Monetary Wage-Fringe Benefits

01420 Survey Worker

$22.75

99660 Surveying Aide

$16.61

29090 Environmental Technician

$28.18

(End of clause)

452.224-70 CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION (FEB 1988)

https://beta.sam.gov/ https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/FARTOCP52.html#wp372482 http://www.da.usda.gov/procurement/policy/agar.html

(a) Confidential information, as used in this clause, means --

(1) information or data of a personal nature, proprietary about an individual, or (2) information or data submitted by or pertaining to an organization.

(b) In addition to the types of confidential information described in (a)(1) and (2) above, information which might require special consideration with regard to the timing of its disclosure may derive from studies or research, during which public disclosure of primarily invalidated findings could create an erroneous conclusion which might threaten public health or safety if acted upon.

(c) The Contracting Officer and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify elsewhere in this contract specific information and/or categories of information which the Government will furnish to the Contractor or that the Contractor is expected to generate which is confidential. Similarly, the Contracting Officer and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify such confidential information from time to time during the performance of the contract. Failure to agree will be settled pursuant to the "Disputes" clause.

(d) If it is established that information to be utilized under this contract is subject to the Privacy Act, the Contractor will follow the rules and procedures of disclosure set forth in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and implementing regulations and policies, with respect to systems of records determined to be subject to the Privacy Act.

(e) Confidential information, as defined in (a)(1) and (2) above, shall not be disclosed without the prior written consent of the individual, institution or organization.

(f) Written advance notice of at least 45 days will be provided to the Contracting Officer of the Contractor's intent to release findings of studies or research, which have the possibility of adverse effects on the public or the Federal agency, as described in (b) above. If the Contracting Officer does not pose any objections in writing within the 45 day period, the Contractor may proceed with disclosure. Disagreements not resolved by the and Contracting Officer will be settled pursuant to the "Disputes" clause.

(g) Whenever the Contractor is uncertain with regard to the proper handling of material under the contract, or if the material in question is subject to the Privacy Act or is confidential information subject to the provisions of this clause, the Contractor shall obtain a written determination from the Contracting Officer prior to any release, disclosure, dissemination, or publication.

(h) The provisions of paragraph (e) of this clause shall not apply when the information is subject to conflicting or overlapping provisions in other Federal, State or local laws.

(End of Clause)

HISTORICAL DATA ON 2019 NEVADA NRI PROGRAM

Description Percentage collected

Percentage deemed inaccessible in field designation

BLM Federal Land Data

Points

76% 23%

OPGL Non-Federal

Land Data Points

31% 12%

* Historical data on 2019 season quantities for the Nevada NRI program is provided as a reference. This historical data does not constitute the Government’s need or the availability of quantities in 2020 and or subsequent years and shall not be construed as such.

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 – Natural Resources Conservation Service Statement of Work for National Resources Inventory

Grazingland Field Study Data Collection Northern Nevada

Attachment 2 – Pricing Schedule (Northern Nevada NRI)

Attachment 3 - Certification at FAR 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters and the

Certification representation at FAR 52.209-11 Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax

Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law

Attachment 4 – Service Contract Labor Standards Wage Determinations

Attachment 5 – Expected NRI Data Collection Periods Across Nevada

END OF SOLICITATION