RFP 24-026R Instructions for Proposal Preparation A.pdf

RFP 24-026R

Instructions for Proposal Preparation

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSAL PREPARATION

1. DESCRIPTION OF PROCUREMENT

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) desires to award one Firm Fixed-Price Subcontract to a qualified firm for the performance of the requirements described in PPPL Statement of Work for “Tritium Area Wall and Floor Painting dated Oct 2023”.

2. ABOUT PRINCETON PLASMA PHYSICS LABORATORY (PPPL)

Princeton University manages and operates PPPL under contract with the US Department of Energy (Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466). Based on its dual status as an accredited institution of higher learning in the State of New Jersey and a US Department of Energy Prime Contractor, PPPL may qualify for academic and/or federal government prices/discounts. Offerors shall specifically identify any discount arrangements offered with their proposals.

3. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE/SITE VISIT

A zoom pre-proposal conference will be scheduled at 1:00 PM on 18 Dec 2023. The job site visit shall be held on 19 Dec 23 at 11:00 AM. Site visit attendees will meet in the Lobby of the Lyman Spitzer Building (LSB) at 100 Stellarator Road, James Forrestal Campus, U.S. Route 1 North, Princeton, NJ.

The agenda includes an introduction, a briefing on the proposed procurement, a tour of the job site; and a question and answer period. Cameras will be permitted. A federal or state Government issued picture ID card will be required for access to the PPPL site (State Picture Driver License will suffice).

A pre-requisite for submission of an offer is a representative of firm must attend the Pre-Proposal Conference/Site Visit.

4. SUBMISSION OF QUESTIONS

Prospective Offerors shall direct all questions concerning this RFP via email to the Procurement Specialist, Jimmy Russell, who can be reached at jrussell@pppl.gov. All questions should be submitted sufficiently in advance of the proposal closing date to allow for review and response by PPPL prior to the closing date. Oral explanations or instructions provided by PPPL will not be binding. Any substantive information will be furnished to all prospective Offerors via a written Amendment to the RFP if determined to be necessary to Offerors in submitting their proposals or if the lack of such information would be prejudicial to uninformed Offerors.

The deadline for submission of questions is .

5. NOTICE OF TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET ASIDE

Proposals under this procurement are solicited only from small business concerns under the Small Business Act. Any Subcontract awarded, in response to this Solicitation, will be to such concern. Proposals received that are not from small business concerns shall be considered to be non-responsive and will be rejected.

The term "small business concern" means a concern including its affiliates, which is independently owned and operated, is not dominant in the field of operation in which it is proposing to work under a government funded contract and can further qualify under the criteria set forth in the regulations of the Small Business Administration (13 CFR 121.3-8).

6. SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARDS

Concerns that perform “overhead traveling crane refurbishment and modernization”, such as required by this RFP are considered to be small business if their total number of annual receipts do not exceed 19 million for North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 238320 – Painting and Wall Covering Contractors.

7. SAMPLE SUBCONTRACT AGREEMENT

It is PPPL's plan to enter into a Firm Fixed Price Subcontract Agreement for this effort. Any Subcontract awarded will be issued as a subcontract between the Awardee and the Trustees of Princeton University under Princeton’s Prime Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

The Subcontract awarded will be substantially the same as the Sample Subcontract set forth in Section II. It is PPPL's intention to incorporate the terms and conditions set forth in the Sample Subcontract in any Subcontract awarded as a result of this RFP.

8. FORMAT AND CONTENT OF PROPOSALS

Prospective Offerors are expected to thoroughly examine all sections of this RFP (including the Sample Subcontract) and to comply with all instructions for preparation and submittal of proposals in response to this RFP. Written proposals must set forth full, accurate, and complete information as required by, or referenced in, this RFP. The proposal must be sufficiently detailed to demonstrate complete compliance with PPPL's requirements.

Offerors shall prepare and submit the following documents which will comprise a complete proposal in response to this RFP. Failure to provide a proposal in the form and with content prescribed by this RFP may result in the proposal being determined to be non-responsive and eliminated from consideration, at PPPL’s sole discretion. Proposals should be structured as requested and bound appropriately. One electronic copy (PDF) of the proposal shall be provided to the Procurement Specialist by the RFP closing time and date.

PART I - FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

A. Offeror Information and Pricing Form. Offerors shall complete and submit the Offeror Information and Pricing Form included in Section IV of the RFP and shall include pricing information as described on the form for evaluation by PPPL. Offerors shall also initial the affirmative statement on the Offeror Information and Pricing Form noting their review and acceptance of the terms and conditions set forth in the Sample Subcontract Agreement (RFP Section II).

B. PPPL Representations and Certifications. Offerors shall complete and sign the PPPL Representations and Certifications Booklet included in Section IV of the RFP.

C. E-Verify. Offerors shall provide a copy of the Offeror’s E-Verify profile page. A copy of PPPL’s E-verify profile page is included in RFP Section IV as an example.

PART II – OFFEROR TECHNICAL ACCEPTABILITY INFORMATION

In order to be considered for award, Offerors must possess the following technical requirements:

1. Offerors shall have successfully completed a total of two painting projects of similar scope withing the past 5 years. “Successfully completed” is defined as completion of the project on budget, on schedule, and no safety or environmental violations.

2. Offeror shall demonstrate their understanding of the work requirements with the submission of a proposed work plan.

3. Satisfactory safety record as supported by the Offeror’s Workers Compensation Experience Modifier (EMR). EMR must be 1.0 or lower for the current calendar year and last 2 calendar years. If the Offeror’s EMR exceeds 1.0, Offeror may submit for review their OSHA 300 Logs for the past 3 calendar years to demonstrate a satisfactory safety record. PPPL has the sole discretion in determining if the Offeror’s safety record is satisfactory.

Offerors shall submit a brief description of their firm and evidence that the Offeror meets the technical requirements specified above to include the following

1. At least painting projects completed in the past 5 years of a similar scope specified in the Statement of Work

a. The location and address of the completed projects.

b. The client for whom the Offeror performed the work, the client's Project

Manager's name, current telephone number and email address.

c. The monetary value or construction cost of the completed project.

d. Brief project description.

2. Provide Workers Compensation Experience Modifier (EMR) for calendar years 2016, 2017 and 2018 including backup documentation from an independent source, such as the insurance carrier to verify ratings. If necessary, submit signed copies of OSHA 300 Logs for calendar years 2015, 201 and 2017.

9. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

PPPL will evaluate Offerors’ proposals to 1) ensure the proposal is responsive; 2) the proposal is technically acceptable; and 3) is a “responsible” prospective Subcontractor, as explained below:

RESPONSIVENESS. PPPL will determine the responsiveness of each proposal on a pass/fail basis. A proposal will be determined “responsive” if it meets all the requirements of the RFP. PPPL reserves the right to consider any proposal “unresponsive” and reject in total or in part, with or without prior discussion with the Offeror, if the proposal (a) is not submitted in the format specified in the RFP or does not include all of the information requested by PPPL; (b) is not in accordance with the instructions contained in the RFP; or

(c) contains irregularities of any kind. Proposals determined nonresponsive will be eliminated from further consideration for award.

TECHNICALLY ACCEPTABLE. Responsive proposals from Offerors will then be evaluated for technical acceptability. PPPL will determine the technical acceptability of each proposal on an acceptable/unacceptable basis. A proposal is deemed technically acceptable if all technical requirements listed in Paragraph 8 Part II are evaluated by PPPL to be acceptable. Proposal determined technically unacceptable will be eliminated from further consideration for award.

RESPONSIBILITY. PPPL will determine if an Offeror is a “responsible” prospective subcontractor, as the term is used in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 9.1.

Offerors determined not be to a responsible prospective subcontractor will not be eligible for award.

10. BASIS FOR AWARD

PPPL intends to award a subcontract without discussions with Offerors. Therefore, Offerors’ initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a price, qualification, and technical standpoint. PPPL reserves the right to conduct discussions if PPPL later determines to be in the best interest of PPPL.

Subcontract award, if any and at PPPL’s sole discretion, will be made to the lowest priced proposal from a qualified and responsible Offeror submitting a responsive and technically acceptable proposal.

PPPL reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal is its sole discretion, in total or in part, with or without prior discussion with the Offeror.

11. CLOSING DATE AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The closing date for receipt of proposals shall be 4:00 PM, 18 Jan 2024.

Offerors are required to submit so as to be received by the Procurement Specialist at one of the addresses listed below by the RFP closing date and time one (1) original, one (1) copy and one (1) electronic copy of the proposal.

Offerors’ Financial and Administrative Information (Part I) shall be separated from Technical Acceptability Information (Part II) and each part shall be enclosed in a separate sealed envelope and labeled accordingly. No pricing information shall be included in Part II.

Proposals shall be submitted via electronic e-mail. Please reference “RFP 24-026R” in the subject line of the e-mail.

Please submit electronic (email) proposals to: jrussell@pppl.gov

12. BID SECURITY, PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BONDS

The Company to whom a subcontract award is made shall furnish for PPPL acceptance, within ten calendar days after Subcontract award, a Performance Bond and a Payment Bond, each in an amount at least equal to one hundred percent of the subcontract price, as security for the faithful performance of this subcontract and for payment of all persons performing labor and furnishing materials in connection with this Subcontract.

Source of Bonds All bonds furnished by the Offeror/Subcontractor must be secured from a company holding Certificates of Authority as acceptable sureties on Federal Bonds and as acceptable Reinsuring Financial Management Service. (A list of acceptable sureties is available through the Internet at https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreports/ref/suretybnd/c570.htm.) The cost of all bonds shall be incurred by the Offeror/Subcontractor and such costs are considered to be in the price proposal.

A copy of bid, performance and payment bond forms is included in Section IV of the RFP.

13. PROPOSAL PREPARATION COSTS

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is not intended and shall not be construed to commit Princeton University to pay any costs incurred in connection with the preparation of any proposal or to procure any items or services.

14. PROPOSAL VALIDITY PERIOD

Proposals are to be firm for a period of 90 days from the closing date specified in this RFP.

15. COST AND PRICING DATA

Offerors are advised that they must be prepared to furnish detailed cost or pricing data to support their proposed price in the event that PPPL deems such information necessary.

16. SCHEDULE OF VALUES

Prior to the execution of a subcontract, the prospective subcontractor will be required to provide detailed construction cost summary (schedule of values). The sum of the individual construction costs contained in the summary will equal the Subcontract price agreed to by the parties. The cost summary will be used as a basis for determining progress payments for completed work.

17. SALES TAX EXEMPTION

Princeton University is exempt from New Jersey Sales Tax (Exemption Certificate No. E-210- 634-501). A copy of PPPL’s sales tax exemption form will be provided upon request.

18. MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the Offeror by written notice if the Procurement Specialist receives such notice prior to the RFP closing date.

19. PRE-AWARD CONFERENCE

PPPL may require the apparent successful Offeror to attend a Pre-Award Conference to review the work requirements to ensure a mutual understanding of the requirements. The Offeror may also be required to show evidence of its ability to perform under the terms of the proposed subcontract.

20. LATE PROPOSALS

Any proposal, including notifications of withdrawal or modification, received by the Procurement Specialist after the closing date specified for this RFP shall be considered to be late. Except as otherwise specifically provided for in this RFP, PPPL may consider in its sole discretion for award such late proposals if it is in the best interest of PPPL.

21. OTHER POST AWARD INFORMATION

Subcontract Agreement. The Subcontract Agreement to be awarded will be substantially in the same form as the Sample Subcontract set forth in RFP Section II.

Insurance. Insurance Certificates, evidencing compliance with General Provisions Clause T4 set forth in the Sample Subcontract at RFP Section II, must be submitted to the Procurement Specialist for review and approval within ten consecutive calendar days after subcontract award and prior to commencement of on-site work.

22. CANCELLATION

PPPL reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel this procurement at any time without making an award and without providing a reason.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSAL PREPARATION