Combined Synopsis Solicitation.pdf

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Document Type: Combined Synopsis Solicitation

Solicitation Number: 36C78624Q50115

Post Date: 03/12/2024

Original Response Date: 03/26/2024

Applicable NAICS: 562998

Classification Code: S222

Set Aside Type: 100% Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) “Tiered Evaluation”

Period of Performance: Base plus 4 if exercised.

Issuing Contracting Office: Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration, Contract Services 18434 Joplin Road Triangle, VA 22172

Place of Performance: Sarasota National Cemetery 9810 State Rd 72 Sarasota, FL 34241

Attachments: A. Schedule B. Statement of Work C. Past Performance Questionnaire D. Services Wage Determination

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.603 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ), solicitation number 36C78624Q50115.

This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-03. Eff. 2/23/2024

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE:

The (NAICS) code for this procurement is 562998. The business size standard number of employees is $16.5 Million.

This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach.

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, anticipates the award of a Firm-Fixed Price Contract.

This synopsis will involve a tiered evaluation (cascading) in accordance with Procurement Policy Memorandum 2018-04 5(b). This solicitation is being issued as a tiered evaluation for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) concerns, or in the alternative, a tiered evaluation for Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) concerns, or in the alternative, a set‐aside for other Small Business (SB) concerns with HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants having priority. If award cannot be made, the solicitation will be cancelled, and the requirement resolicited. Prospective offerors must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) website and complete representations and certifications at https://www.sam.gov.

SDVOSB offerors must be verified with the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) to participate under the Veterans First Contracting Program at the time of the response to this announcement at the following website: Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov). See VAAR clause 852.219-10 VA Notice of Total Service- Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Set-Aside for additional information on the Veterans First Contracting Program requirements. Offers received from companies not registered in Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov) will not be considered and ineligible for award.

SITE VISIT:

Offerors are urged and expected to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award. All contractors and attendees shall follow CDC guidelines for COVID-19 on government premises and must practice safe social distancing as directed. If you plan to conduct a site visit / inspection of Sarasota National Cemetery, YOU MUST CONTACT the following personnel to make arrangements:

Richard Wallace, Director, richard.wallace1@va.gov Ron Cobb, COR, ron.cobb@va.gov Please cc Contract Specialist Charnell Cunningham at Charnell.Cunningham@va.gov.

Site Visit will be held on 03/15/2024 from 11:00am to 1:00pm and will not be rescheduled.

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ): Quotes are due to the Contracting officer no later than 10:00 AM Eastern on 03/22/2024. Responses to this announcement will result in a FFP Contract. The Government intends to make award without discussions. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information provided nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided for the Government. Offerors are responsible for obtaining any and all amendments or additional information concerning this announcement at SAM.gov.

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS:

All questions regarding this solicitation are to be submitted to the Contract Specialist, via email, no later than 4:00 PM Eastern on, March 21, 2024. Questions pertaining to this announcement shall be sent by email to: Charnell.Cunningham@va.gov and cc Larry.Curtis@va.gov. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Associated answers to questions submitted will be provided via a solicitation amendment.

Should an amendment not be endorsed by the interested Offeror, the quote will be considered Non- Responsive.

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS:

Interested Offerors MUST be registered with the System of Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov and must compete the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) at http://www.sam.gov prior to the solicitation closing date. Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered Non-Responsive.

Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) socio-economic category concerns MUST have an active/current registration with Veterans Small Business Certification (VetCert) program at Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov). Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered Non-Responsive.

Interested Offerors who do not have a current/active Sam account registration or who are not certified in Veteran SBA.gov website provided upon solicitation close date will be considered Non-Responsive.

QUOTATION PREPARATON INSTRUCTIONS: Offerors shall submit quotes in five (5) separate Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) documents identifying each .pdf as Volumes A through E.

Interested Offerors who fail to submit the five (5) separate .pdf documents may be considered non-responsive.

Company Information (Volume A)

The following information shall be included in Volume A:

Legal Business/Company Name (as listed in www.sam.gov)

Complete Company Address (No P.O. Boxes)

UEI

Duns Number Company Point of Contract Name and Title

Telephone Number

Email Address

Company Capabilities Statement

One (1) Signed Copy of all Solicitation Amendments (if applicable) One (1) Copy of Completed FAR Clause 52.223-3 “Hazardous Material Identification and

Material Safety Data” (if applicable).

One (1) copy of Completed FAR Provisions 52.212-3 “Certifications and Representations” or indicate whether contractor has completed the annual representation and certifications electronically at www.sam.gov (copy of current SAM status)

In accordance with Public Law 116-183 a Small Business claiming Veterans First Status, Service Disable Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), or Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), must certify in writing that their firm are performing 50 percent of the work. Therefore, Interested Offerors who claim SDVOSB or VOSB status shall provide (1) document stating their compliance with PL 116-183. Failure to provide such document will result in the Interested Offeror being considered Non-Responsive. Should award be made to an SDVOSB or a VOSB who is suspected of violating PL 116-183 this Agency will refer suspected violators to its department’s inspector general for investigation and possible fines, suspensions, or debarments.

NOTE: The offeror is required to provide (1) unredacted copy of technical and (1) redacted copy technical without the names (i.e., company, key personnel, etc.). Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered Non-Responsive.

Unredacted Technical Proposal (Volume B)

The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s technical submission, Volume B:

A technical quote that clearly and concisely describes how the offeror shall provide the required services without plagiarize back each section of the statement of work.

Company relevant experience descriptions

Managerial & Technical Qualifications of Key Personal to include Resumes.

Work Plan/Staffing Plan to accomplish the required services to include man hours, methodology, list of equipment/vehicles to be used, licenses, permits and insurance information.

Redacted Technical Proposal (Volume C)

The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s technical submission, Volume C:

Redacted technical quote that clearly and concisely describes how the offeror shall provide the required services without plagiarize back each section of the statement of work.

Redacted company relevant experience descriptions

Redacted Managerial & Technical Qualifications of Key Personal to include Resumes.

Work Plan/Staffing Plan to accomplish the required services to include man hours, methodology, list of equipment/vehicles to be used, licenses, permits and insurance information.

Past Performance (Volume D)

The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s Past Performance submission, Volume D:

Past performance Questionnaire (Attachment D) from at least three (3) references in the last five

(5) years. Past Performance information provided must be similar or somewhat similar to the required service(s). Interested Offeror shall list any National Cemetery Administration (NCA) contracts currently working or previously worked first followed by Non-NCA contracts.

Pricing (Volume E)

The following information shall be included in Volume E:

Proposed pricing shall be submitted on the Price/Cost Schedule of Services (Attachment A) and will be evaluated for price reasonableness.

EVALUATION PROCESS: The Government intends to award a firm-fixed price contract resulting from this Solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose Offer/Quote provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Quotations/Offers will be evaluated by performing a comparative evaluation in accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3) to determine which response represents the “best” as a whole. A tiered evaluation process will be used. The Contracting Officer (CO) shall award a firm fixed price contract to the responsive responsible offeror whom the Technical Evaluation Team determines conforms to the solicitation, is fair and reasonable and offers the best overall value to the Government, all factors considered. The Government reserves the right to accept other than the lowest priced offer or to reject all offers.

Quotations/Offerors will be evaluated by performing a direct comparison of one Quotation/Offer with another in a uniform manner to determine which Quotation/Offer provides the government with its needs, as identified in the RFQ. The government reserves the right to consider a response that Quotes or Offers more than the minimum and select that response if it provides a benefit to the government. The government has the discretion to accept other than the lowest priced Quoter/Offer that provides additional benefits. The government also has the discretion to make an award based on whether the lowest priced of the Quotation/Offer having the highest past performance rating possible represents the best benefit to the government.

Technical Approach and Understanding of the Work:

Offer shall be evaluated in accordance with the criteria contained in the Statement of Work and on how well the technical approach meets the Government requirements. Technical approach will be evaluated for the following:

1. Demonstrate experience in performing this requirement.

2. Demonstrate Key Personal managerial and technical qualifications in performing this requirement.

3. Discuss procedures for Lake Management Services, Wetland Management Services, and Fish Kill

Services.

4. Demonstrate Work Plan/Staffing Plan is suitable in performing this service. Plan must include man hours, methodology, list of equipment/vehicles to be used, licenses, permits and insurance information.

We’re concerned about the vendors’ documentation and reporting to the Army Corps of Engineers and Southwest Florida Water Management as well as the overall quality of the services and the appearance of our lakes, ponds and wetland areas. The overall size of one of our lakes has increased, due to the latest expansion of our cemetery.

Past Performance:

Past performance shall be evaluated based on the Offer’s technical qualifications on projects within the last 5 years that are comparable in size, complexity, and scope. Past Performance information shall be obtained by the following methods.

1. The Contracting Officer’s knowledge of previous experience with the supply or service being acquired.

2. Customer past performance questionnaire replies.

3. The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) at https://www.cpars.gov;

or

4. Any other reasonable basis.

Price: Proposed price will be evaluated for Reasonableness

Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2023)

Addendum to FAR 52.212-4 - Show FAR clauses followed by VAAR clauses in numeric order. List all clauses incorporated by reference in numeric order under 52.252-2 (see below), starting first with FAR and followed by VAAR.

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html (FAR) and https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp (VAAR)

FAR Clauses

52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights (NOV 2023)

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999) 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contact (MAR 2000) 52.222-54 Employment Eligibility Verification (OCT 2015) 52.223-99 Ensuring Adequate COVID19 Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (OCT 2021) 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (DEC 2013) 52.237-3 Continuity of Services (JAN 1991)

VAAR Clauses 852.201-70 Contracting Officer’s Representative (DEC 2022) 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (MAY 2018) 852.219-73 VA Notice to Total Set-Aside for Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (JAN 2023) 852.237-75 Key Personnel (OCT 2019) 852.242-71 Administrative Contracting Officer (OCT 2020)

(End of Addendum to 52.212-4)

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-

Commercial Products and Commercial Services (FEB 2024)

52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights (Nov 2023)

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)

52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (NOV 2020)

52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (MAR 2020)

52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (FEB 2024)

52.219-32, Orders Issued Directly Under Small Business Reserves (MAR 2020)

52.222-3, Convict Labor (JUN 2003)

52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (JUN 2020)

52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUN 2020)

52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (NOV 2021)

52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (MAY 2022)

52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (FEB 2021)

52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - System for Award Management (OCT 2018)

52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (AUG 2018)

52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards - Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (AUG 2018)

(Addendum to FAR 52.212-1) - Show full text FAR provisions followed by VAAR provisions in numeric order. List all provisions incorporated by reference in numeric order under 52.252-1 (see below), starting first with FAR and followed by VAAR.

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html (FAR) and http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp (VAAR)

52.204-6 Unique Entity Identifier (OCT 2016) 52.204-7 System for Award Management (OCT 2018) 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020) 52.216-1 Type of Contract (APR 1984)

VAAR Provisions 852.209-70 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCT 2020) 852.252-70 Solicitation Provisions or Clauses Incorporated by Reference (JAN 2008) 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (OCT 2014) Refer to Section above – Evaluation Process 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial

Services (FEB 2024)

End of Document

See Attached Document A See Attached Document B See Attached Document C See Attached Document D