Combined Synopsis Solicitaton - Nashville GM - Revised.docx

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Madison, TN 37115

Attachments:

A. Price/Cost Schedule - Revised

H. NCA Operational Standards and Measures Guidebook - Dec 2023 I. 41 SOP 021 Turfgrass Maintenance in VA National Cemeteries J. Handbook 3120 Interment Area Layout K. Q&A

1. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in 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; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

2. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP), solicitation number 36C78624R50078.

3. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2024-03.

4. This a competitive, open market solicitation that is 100% set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB).

5. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE: The (NAICS) code for this procurement is 567130. The business size standard number of employees is $9.5M.

6. 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. This is an all-or-none requirement, and partial offers will be deemed unresponsive and will not be evaluated.

7. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, anticipates the award of a single award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract for one base year and 4 - one-year options, at the Governments discretion to exercise. IDIQ Contracts does not procure or specify a firm quantity of services (other than a minimum or maximum quantity). The awardee shall be issued via Task Orders (TOs) for the performance of services during the period of the contract.

8. This IDIQ Contract is for Grounds Maintenance Services at Nashville National Cemetery, 1420 Gallatin Pike S, Madison TN 37115.

9. Anticipated Period of Performance:

Base Year: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025 Option Year 1: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 Option Year 2: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 Option Year 3: July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028 Option Year 4: July 1, 2028 – June 30, 2029

DIGNITY CLAUSE:

Respect for Headstones and Markers in National Cemeteries; Handling of Markers and Headstones Every action by Offeror personnel at a national cemetery must be performed with the special care, reverence, dignity, and respect that acknowledges the cemetery as the final resting place that commemorates the service and sacrifice that service members, Veterans and their families made for our Nation. Critically important is the awareness required of the Offeror employees of the remains buried in the grounds where the work is performed. The utmost care must be given to these remains and the headstones and flat grave markers that mark those gravesites and memorialize the service of individuals.

Contractors cannot walk, stand, lean, sit or jump on headstones or markers. Nor can they drive over them. No tools, equipment or other items will be placed or leaned on headstones or markers.

Use care not to scratch or damage markers in any manner.

Contractor shall be responsible for replacing damaged headstones and markers and for restoring turf damaged during performance of this work. Additionally, should any activity result in the exposure and/or damage to any remains, container for remains (e.g., casket or urn), or outer burial container, the Contractor must contact the COR, Director/Assistant Director, or Contracting Officer (CO) for guidance.

Any doubts as to proper procedures shall be brought to the attention of the COR, Director/Assistant Director, or CO for guidance or resolution. The Contractor is required to discuss the guidance with employees and/or subcontractors and have each employee sign a statement of compliance and deliver the signed statement to the COR before work may begin. Contracted Site Supervisor will ensure that no Contractor personnel work will cause any funeral, ceremony, procession, or visitation to be delayed, altered, or otherwise impacted in such a way that the dignity, security, or safety of the event or visit is compromised. A list of scheduled ceremonies will be provided the week prior to the event, and a list of scheduled committal services will be provided on the day of the service. The Site Supervisor shall communicate not less than daily with the COR, to ask questions and ensure he/she and contracted personnel understands the off-limit areas.

SITE VISIT:

Offerors are urged and expected to inspect all sites 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 one or all sites constitute grounds for a claim or request for modification after contract award. Attendance at the site visit is not mandatory, but highly encouraged. If you plan to attend the site visit, YOU MUST CONTACT the contracting officer, Mr. Weston Worsham, at Weston.Worsham@va.gov, with the name of your company and the number of people planning to attend.

Site Visit is scheduled at 10:00 AM CST on 02 April 2024.

Nashville National Cemetery: 1420 Gallatin Pike S, Madison TN 37115. Meeting will start at the office/lodge building.

PAST PERFORMANCE: The Government reserves the right to obtain past performance information from any available source and may contact references other than those identified by the Offeror when determining responsibility.

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP): Proposals are due to the Contracting Officer no later than 10:00 a.m. CST on 04/22/2024. 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. Submission shall be in accordance with the Instructions to Offeror and email to Weston.Worsham@va.gov by the date and time listed.

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS:

All questions regarding this solicitation are to be submitted to the Contracting Officer, via email, no later than close of business on 04/09/2024. Questions pertaining to this announcement shall be sent by email to: Weston.Worsham@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 proposal will be considered non-responsive.

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS:

Offerors MUST be registered in System of Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov and must complete the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) at http://www.sam.gov at the time of submission. Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered non-responsive.

Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) socio-economic category concerns MUST have an active/current registration with the Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert), https://veterans.certify.sba.gov at the time of submission. Failure to comply will result in the offeror being considered non-responsive.

Offerors who do not have a current/active SAM account registration and who are not certified in VetCert at the time of submission shall be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for award.

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS: Offerors shall submit proposals in three (3) separate Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) documents identifying each .pdf as Volumes A through C. Volume D shall be submitted using the Excel spreadsheet for Price/Cost Schedule (Attachment A). Interested Offerors who fail to submit the four (4) separate documents (3 pdf and 1 Excel) will be considered non-responsive and the submission will not be evaluated.

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)

· Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

· Company Point of Contract Name and Title

· Telephone Number

· Email Address

· Statement of acknowledgement receipt of amendment(s).

· Company Capabilities Statement

· One (1) Signed Copy of all Solicitation Amendments

· 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)

· One (1) copy of Completed VAAR Clause 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting – Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction (JAN 2023)

· Applicable licenses and insurance documentation to provide the services required in the solicitation.

· Identify any proposed subcontractor or joint ventures and what role will they be providing in the contract.

Factor 1: Technical Proposal (Volume B) The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s technical submission, Volume B: For this factor, Offeror’s shall provide a narrative demonstrating their experience providing services as describe in the statement of work, resumes and qualifications of Key Personnel, the proposed work/staffing plan, Gantt chart, and the Offeror’s Quality Control Plan (QCP).

This narrative shall include the following:

· Experience: The Offeror’s relevant experience to the solicitation requirements, specifically to include grounds maintenance, headstone/marker maintenance, and interment services.

· Key Personnel: Managerial & Technical Qualifications of Key Personnel to include resumes to reflect their abilities to provide services required. At a minimum, the Key Personnel shall include site manager, program/operations manager and staff who will perform key functions and shall include years of experience and description of duties previously provided to support their abilities in satisfying the Agency’s requirement.

· Work Plan/Staffing Plan & Gantt Chart: Information to address how services required are to be accomplish. At a minimum include methodology, list of equipment/vehicles to be used, tour of duties for personnel, responsibilities of each position (to include the labor category), examples of task to be performed, and how will non-routine services be managed (constriction CLINs). If the labor category requires a license or certification, a copy must be included in the submission.

· Quality Control Plan (QCP): Offeror shall provide at a minimum:

· Individual(s) responsible for quality control,

· Specific procedures and methods used to ensure compliance with the daily, weekly, and monthly requirements of the Statement of Work.,

· Details about the method(s) of accountability including documentation or reports to be used.

Factor 2: Past Performance (Volume C) The following shall be included as part of the Offeror’s Past Performance submission, Volume C.

This factor shall be used to assess an Offeror’s history of performance on prior contracts for similar and relevant services as required in this solicitation. List National Cemetery Administration (NCA) contracts first followed by non-NCA contracts. For this factor:

· Offerors shall provide at least three (3) references for performance on prior contracts for grounds maintenance, headstone/marker maintenance, and interment services in the past five (5) years. Contracts listed may include those entered into with the Federal Government, State or local agencies, or commercial customers.

· Offeror shall utilize Attachment C – Past Performance Questionnaire for each past performance reference. Offeror shall include a copy of each requested Past Performance Information page with proposal submission. Offeror shall ensure that the Past Performance Questionnaires are received by the Contracting Officer prior to the closed of the submission due date and time. Any late Past Performance Questionnaire received will be considered as a late proposal submission and the Offeror’s submission package may be considered as late and/or incomplete. Therefore, the submission may be excluded from consideration for award.

· Offerors shall provide a description of any material legal proceedings against the Contractor by a Federal or state regulatory agency that might impact a contract for these services.

· The Government reserves the right to obtain past performance information from any available source and may contact customers other than those identified by the Offeror when evaluating past performance.

Factor 3: Pricing (Volume D) The following information shall be included in Volume D

· This factor shall be used to assess the reasonableness of the Offeror’s proposed price. For this factor, Offerors shall submit their price proposal using Attachment A- Price/Cost Schedule.

· Options: The Government will evaluate proposals for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. This includes options under FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which applies to this solicitation. Evaluation of options under FAR 52.217-8 will be accomplished by adding six months of the offeror's price for the last potential period of performance under this contract to the offeror's total price. For example, if the contract includes option periods that are exercisable under FAR 52.217-9, the offeror's total price for the purpose of evaluation will include the base period, all option periods, and an additional six months of the last option period. Offerors must price only the base and option periods specified in the contract line item numbers (CLINs), and shall not submit a price for the potential six-month extension of services under FAR 52.217-8. The Government reserves the right to exercise the option under FAR 52.217-8 before the end of any of the contractor's performance periods and will be exercised at the price and/or rates in effect at the time the clause is exercised. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Items (Nov 2021)

EVALUATION PROCESS: The Government intends to award an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract resulting from this Solicitation to the responsible Offeror whose proposal provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Proposals 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.

Proposals will be evaluated by performing a direct comparison of one proposal with another in a uniform manner to determine which proposal provides the Government with its needs, as identified in the RFP. The Government reserves the right to consider a response that proposes 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 proposal that provides additional benefits. The Government also has the discretion to make an award based on whether the lowest priced of the proposals with the highest past performance rating possible represents the best benefit to the Government.

Technical and past performance, when combined, are more important when compared to price.

Factor 1: Technical Approach and Understanding of the Work:

This factor will be used to assess the Offeror’s approach in executing the requirement and understanding of the services required in the solicitation.

Factor 2: Past Performance:

This factor shall be used to assess the Offeror’s history of performance in providing services that are similar to size and complexity as the solicitation.

Factor 3: Price: This factor shall be used to assess the price reasonableness of the Offeror’s proposed price.

SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES:

IDIQ minimum is $25,000 and the maximum is $5,000,000.00 for the life of the contract.

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Items (NOV 2023) Addendum to FAR 52.212-4 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 52.203-16 Preventing Personal Conflicts of Interest (JUN 2020) 52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights (NOV 2023) 52.204-4 Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer Fiber Content Paper (MAY 2011) 52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (JAN 2011) 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018) 52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (Dec 2014) 52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (AUG 2020) 52.204-21 Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems (Nov 2021) 52.204-23 Prohibition on Contracting for Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab Covered Entities. (Dec 2023) 52.216-18 Ordering (AUG 2020) Note: (a) Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities designated in the Schedule. Such orders may be issued from 01 July 2024 through 31 December 2029.

52.216-19 Order Limitations (OCT 1995) Note: (a) Minimum order. When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less than $2,000.00, the Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies or services under the contract. (b) Maximum order. The Contractor is not obligated to honor- (1) Any order for a single item in excess of $250,000.00; (2) Any order for a combination of items in excess of $1,500,000.00; or (3) A series of orders from the same ordering office within 30 days that together call for quantities exceeding the limitation in paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section.

52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity (OCT 1995) 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999) 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contact (MAR 2000) 52.219-27 Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Oct 2022)

52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) 52.228-5 Insurance-Work on a Government Installation (JAN 1997) CL-120 Supplemental Insurance Requirements

52.232-18 Availability of Funds (APR 1984) 52.232-19 Availability of Funds for the Next Fiscal Year (APR 1984) 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) 852.204-70 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (MAY 2020) 852.211-72 Technical Industry Standards (NOV 2018) 852.219-73 VA Notice to Total Set-Aside for Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting – Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction (JAN 2023)(DEVIATION) 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2018) 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 Items (SEP 2021) (Addendum to FAR 52.212-1)

FAR Provisions 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) 52.204-7 System for Award Management (OCT 2018) 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020) 52.204-24 Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (NOV 2021) 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (OCT 2018) 52.233-2 Service of Protest (SEPT 2006)

VAAR Provisions 852.233-70 Protest Content/Alternative Dispute Resolution 852.233-71 Alternate Protest Procedure 852.252-70 Solicitation Provisions or Clauses Incorporated by Reference (JAN 2008)

(End of Addendum to 52.212-1)

52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (OCT 2014) 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (FEB 2021)

End of Document

See Attached Document A See Attached Document B See Attached Document C See Attached Document D See Attached Document E See Attached Document F See Attached Document G See Attached Document H See Attached Document I See Attached Document J See Attached Document K