RFP 462892 Letter.pdf

Rev. 2.13 Jul 2024 Page 1 of 10

Procurement & Property Management Division

Building 902B P.O. Box 5000 Upton, NY 11973-5000 Phone 631-344-4070 bfurlow@bnl.gov

Managed by Brookhaven Science Associates for the U.S. Department of Energy www.bnl.gov

06/24/2025 Interested Offerors

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) NO. 462892; UNIFORM RENTAL

SERVICES

Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC (BSA), under a Prime Contract for the operation of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), herewith solicits your proposal for uniform rental, maintenance, and laundering services at BNL.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The successful Offeror shall furnish the goods and services necessary to provide weekly rental, weekly laundering, and weekly maintenance of garments as required at BNL.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK (SOW)

The Offeror shall furnish all labor, services, materials and equipment in accordance with the draft contract, Enclosure 1, including the Statement of Work attached thereto.

3.0 GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

3.1 Schedule

BSA has established the following schedule for achieving evaluation, selection, approval, and award.

MILESTONE DATE

Issuance of the RFP June 24, 2025 Proposal Due July 23, 2025 Award (Estimated) November 15, 2025

3.1.1 Proposals shall remain firm for 180 days after due date to allow time for review, selection, and award in case of delays.

3.2 Form of Proposal and Manner of Submission

3.2.1 A complete written proposal must be received by BSA no later than the due date noted herein. Award is estimated to be made on or about the date as noted herein.

Proposals, including their withdrawal or modification, received after the closing date shall be considered late. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this solicitation, such responses may be considered for award if the PPM Manager or designee determines that the award is in BSA’s best interest. Proposals will be opened in private.

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3.2.2 The Offeror will be required to submit a technical proposal (Volume 1) and a Business/Price Proposal (Volume 2), including Enclosure (2), Proposal Pricing sheet. One copy of the technical proposal and one copy of the business and price proposal are to be submitted via email. The technical and business/price proposals shall be submitted as separate volumes. Both volumes of the proposal are to be submitted in English only. All proposals shall be submitted electronically via email to Ben Furlow at bfurlow@bnl.gov. The phone number for Mr. Furlow is 631-344-4070.

3.2.3 Proposals must be complete in all respects. Failure to respond or follow the instructions regarding the organization, content, layout, or format of the proposal may result in the Offeror’s proposal being deemed non-responsive. Proposals that are incomplete or partial in any material respect affecting the responsiveness of the proposal may not be considered. BSA reserves the right to postpone the date of submission, and to amend this request as it considers necessary. Proposals may be withdrawn by email request, at the address noted above, received prior to the time fixed for receipt of the proposal. Modifications to proposals previously submitted must be in written hardcopy in the same number required in 3.2.2 above and received prior to the time fixed for receipt.

3.3 Explanation of Proposal Documents

Should an Offeror find any discrepancies in, or omissions from, any of the documents, or be in doubt as to the meaning of any document, it should immediately advise BSA in writing, or by email to bfurlow@bnl.gov, no later than five business days prior to the proposal due date in order to allow time for responses to be received by all prospective Offerors. Oral explanations or instructions given before the award of a contract are discouraged and will not be binding. Any information given to a prospective Offeror concerning this solicitation will be furnished to all other prospective Offerors as an amendment to the solicitation if that information is deemed necessary by BSA to submitting proposals or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to other prospective Offerors.

4.0 CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL

4.1 General Information

The proposal shall be concise and clear in every instance and restricted to relevant information only. The response shall clearly and fully demonstrate the Offeror’s capability, knowledge, and experience with regard to the technical requirements described herein. Stating that the Offeror understands and will comply with the technical requirements is not sufficient, nor is a simple affirmative restatement of the requirements.

Similarly, phrases such as “standard procedures will be employed,” or “well-known techniques will be used,” without explanatory detail will be considered inadequate.

4.1.1 Disclosure of Proposals

Proposals provided to BSA in response to this RFP will not be disclosed except to appropriate BSA personnel and BSA contractor consultants involved in reviewing responses to this RFP, and/or U.S. Government personnel.

Offerors that include in their proposals data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by BSA except for evaluation purposes shall:

mailto:bfurlow@bnl.gov mailto:bfurlow@bnl.gov

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(1) Mark the title page with the following legend:

“This proposal includes data that shall not be disclosed except to appropriate BSA personnel, its subcontractor consultants involved in reviewing responses to the RFP, and/or U.S. Government personnel and shall not be disclosed, in whole or in part, for any purpose other than to evaluate this proposal. If, however, a contract is awarded to this Offeror as a result of/or in connection with the submission of this data, BSA shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit BSA’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]”;

and

(2) Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend:

“Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.”

4.2 Technical Proposal – Volume 1

Provide one electronic copy of the technical portion of your proposal and any amendments thereto. Do not include the Business Proposal in this volume. Volume 1 shall contain technical information only and shall be legible, clear, coherent, and individually tabbed (by section) in accordance with the sections noted below. Each proposal will be evaluated and point-scored in accordance with the associated categories and their points as noted herein. Offerors must provide specific detailed descriptions and capabilities for the main and sub-categories which support how the Offeror plans to perform the SOW.

4.2.1 Tab 1 – General Overall Summary

The Offeror shall discuss, in general terms, how it plans to accomplish the requirements of the SOW. This submission will not be evaluated or scored as part of the evaluation criteria.

Note: Offerors who do not have the capability or experience to accomplish any facet of the SOW must mention it here, briefly describing a course of action.

Detail is to be provided in the appropriate section of the proposal.

4.2.2 Tab 2 – SOW Compliance Matrix

Instruction: The Offeror shall provide a paragraph-by-paragraph compliance matrix for each section of the Statement of Work that clearly shows the Offeror’s acceptance.

The Offeror shall list each section of the SOW by number and explain how each area will be achieved.

Any exceptions shall be clearly documented and the Offeror shall provide a detailed explanation why the exception is being taken and any alternative recommendations. The compliance matrices will not be scored.

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4.2.3 Tab 3 – Types of Uniforms

A. Flame-Resistant Uniforms: (10 Points)

Instruction: The Offeror shall expound upon its rental offerings of flame-resistant (FR) uniforms, providing a detailed, paragraph-by-paragraph response for meeting the requirements of ASTM F1506 and ASTM F1959/F1959M [NFPA 70E - 2021 Standard]. Clothing sizing, options for men and women, and acceptable brands shall be addressed. In addition, the Offeror shall provide its procedure for laundering, maintenance, and repairs of FR clothing in accordance with ASTM F1449 Standard Guide for Industrial Laundering of Flame, Thermal and Arc Resistant Clothing.

B. Emergency Services Uniforms: (10 Points)

Instruction: The Offeror shall expound upon its rental offerings of emergency services uniforms, providing a detailed, paragraph-by-paragraph response for meeting the requirements of NFPA 1975 “Standard on Emergency Services Work Clothing Elements”. Clothing sizing, color, options for men and women, uniform embellishments, and preferred brands shall be addressed. In addition, the Offeror shall provide its procedure for laundering, maintenance, and repairs in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

C. Non-Flame-Resistant Uniforms: (10 Points)

Instruction: The Offeror shall expound upon its rental offerings of non-flame-resistant uniforms, providing a detailed paragraph-by-paragraph response, describing clothing styles, sizing, options for men and women, and preferred brands. Offeror shall provide its procedure for laundering, maintenance, and repairs of non-flame-resistant clothing, as well.

D. Uniforms: (7 Points)

Instruction: In a detailed paragraph-by-paragraph response, the Offeror shall expound upon its ability to furnish flame-resistant, non-flame resistant, and emergency services clothing; providing multiple styles, colors, sizes, and embellishments. In addition, Offeror shall expound upon its procedure to provide the minimum of clean weekly changes. Also, the Offeror should explain the process for how its uniform tagging and tracking system is implemented and sustained. Moreover, the procedure and timeline for measuring and fitting an employee for uniform rental shall be explained in detail.

4.2.4 Tab 4 – Distribution, Pick-Up, and Maintenance of Uniforms

A. Distribution and Pick-Up of uniforms: (20 Points)

Instruction: The Offeror shall provide a paragraph-by-paragraph response detailing how it plans to meet the criteria for distribution and pick-up of

Rev. 2.11 May 2017 Page 5 of 10 uniforms. The Offeror shall detail the process for laundry drop-off; how clean laundry is sorted and distributed to employees, and how often. In addition, the Offeror shall expound upon its collection pick-up processes for soiled laundry, uniforms requiring repairs, clothing in need of replacement, and how these clothing items are delineated from each other.

B. Maintenance, Repairs, and Inspection of Uniforms (20 Points)

Instruction: The Offeror shall provide a paragraph-by-paragraph response detailing how they plan to meet the following criteria for maintenance and repairs of uniforms:

The Offeror shall describe its laundering process, detailing if this effort is performed internally or is subcontracted.

The Offeror shall describe its mending/repair process, detailing if this effort is performed internally or is subcontracted.

The Offeror shall utilize laundry detergents that are environmentally friendly. Please provide a list of detergents used.

The Offeror shall explain its process for inspecting uniforms in determining if the uniforms need to be repaired or replaced.

The Offeror shall explain its procedure that ensures uniform coverage to employees while repairs are being performed.

4.2.5 Tab 5 – Past Performance

A. The Offeror shall provide details as to their past performance and experience with providing uniform rental, maintenance, and laundering services. (13 Points)

Instruction:

Identify how many years it has been in the uniform rental, maintenance, and laundering business.

Identify any new state-of-the-art technology that may have been incorporated over the last two (2) years.

Describe recent projects (over the previous 5-years) of similar size, scope, and complexity.

Provide a minimum of three (3) customer references for similar programs. References shall include the full name and title of the person(s), organization name, business address, business phone number, and email contact information.

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4.2.6 Tab 6 – Quality Assurance

A. Current Quality System (10 Points)

Instruction:

Describe the current quality system and:

Identify and describe your Quality system within your organization (e.g.

ISO 9000). This may be accomplished through a Quality Management System (QMS) the Quality Department and the POC for Quality Assurance management.

Please explain management’s role in the QMS and how you control the quality for internal and external factors. For example, what criteria or standards exist/are followed to clearly define clean or worn and torn uniforms? Please provide any company standards/guidelines for the processing, identification, and correction of garments that do not meet the established quality standards of the company.

4.3 Business / Price Proposal - Volume 2

Provide an e-mail copy of the business/price portion of your proposal and any amendments thereto. Do not include the Technical Proposal in this volume. Volume 2 should be prepared simply and economically, be legible, clear, coherent, and individually tabbed in accordance with the sections noted below.

4.3.1 Tab A: Corporate Profile and Financial Capability

Provide a corporate profile of your organization. Include your three (3) most recent audited financial statements/yearly reports. Such reports for any parent organization shall also be included. If a joint venture is proposed, the above is required of all parties.

Also, in order to support DOE reporting requirements, BSA requires all its vendors/contractors to be registered in the U. S. Government supplier database entitled System For Award Management (SAM). It is suggested that registration be performed on line at www.sam.gov prior to the submission date of this RFP. If you, in fact, have done so, provide a definitive statement herein that your firm has registered in the U. S. Government supplier database entitled System For Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.

4.3.2 Tab B: Draft Contract with Terms and Conditions

The Draft Contract with Terms and Conditions is provided in Enclosure (1). The

Offeror shall clearly note its acceptance in full. The successful Offeror will be required to execute a Contract in accordance with the provisions of the Draft Contract. Any exceptions shall be noted accordingly, however, the Offeror shall not construe noted exceptions, if any, to be accepted by BSA.

4.3.3 Tab C: Price / Milestone Schedule

The Offeror shall provide pricing information in strict accordance with this RFP.

Any exceptions should be noted accordingly.

http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

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Note: Only pricing in U.S. dollars will be accepted.

4.3.4 Tab D: Small Business Subcontracting Plan

All Offerors certifying that they are other than a “small business or foreign business” and that they expect to submit an offer that will exceed $750,000 must submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan for BSA’s approval prior to contract award. Reference shall be made to FAR 52.219-9 before completing this subcontracting plan. Firms certifying that they are small or foreign businesses need not complete the plan.

The following BSA small business stretch goals are provided as an example for this procurement. Any exceptions to this requirement shall be noted accordingly.

Small Business 49% Small Disadvantaged Business 5% Women-Owned Business 5% Hub Zone 3% Veteran-Owned Business 3% Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business 3%

Note: If the Offeror can certify that there are no subcontracting opportunities in the work to be performed under this contract, they will need to fill out AMS Form-001, entitled “Subcontracting Plan Waiver,” instead of the Small Business Subcontracting Plan, which can be provided upon request.

5.0 PROCUREMENT TYPE, EVALUATION METHODOLOGY AND CRITERIA

5.1 Type of Procurement

This is a “Best Value” procurement. BSA intends to award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsive, responsible Offeror whose proposal represents the best value after evaluation in accordance with the factors, subfactors, and price as noted in this solicitation. The utilization of this procedure is expected to provide the greatest overall benefit to BSA. Best Value employs a trade-off process that permits award to other than the lowest priced offeror or to the highest technically rated offeror. The trade-off process associated with Best Value involves a comparative weighing of the evaluation factors and sub-factors identified in the RFP. Specifically, the trade-off process involves selecting the most advantageous offer based on an integrated assessment of both price and non-price related factors. Price will not be rated or scored, but will be a significant factor in the Best Value analysis.

An award may be made without discussion or negotiation of proposals received;

therefore, proposals should be submitted on the most favorable terms which can be submitted in response to this request. BSA reserves the right to conduct pre-selection site visits to assess the Offerors’ capabilities, to hold fact-finding discussions, and/or to negotiate with any one or all of the Offerors on any aspect of this solicitation prior to making an award; or to make an award without further discussion or negotiation at any time during this process. BSA may request such supplementary information as determined sufficient, in the opinion of BSA, to assure that an Offeror’s technical competence, business and technical organization, facilities, and financial resources are adequate to successfully perform the contemplated work. BSA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or to accept any proposal. BSA will not be obligated to award all or any part of the work solicited, and in any event will not be responsible for the Offeror’s

Rev. 2.11 May 2017 Page 8 of 10 cost of proposal preparation or any other cost incurred in connection with this RFP.

5.2 Methodology

It is the practice of BSA, in making an overall evaluation of proposals received, to establish a Source Selection Board (SSB) that will evaluate the proposals so as to give due consideration to price and non-price related factors. The final evaluation assessment is derived from the composite reviews. As explained in 5.1 above, this procedure is intended to result in selection of the most advantageous proposal, considering price in determining the Best Value trade-off.

5.2.1 Proposals will be initially evaluated on responsiveness to the RFP requirements in all aspects. The technical proposals will be point-scored by technical members of the SSB in accordance with the criteria as set forth in Section 5.3 herein.

5.2.2 If a selection cannot be made and discussions are required, the SSB will then recommend to the Source Selection Official (SSO) which proposals are within the competitive range based on results of scoring and analysis of the technical evaluation criteria, along with the proposed prices. The competitive range determination will then be made by the SSO. Those proposals with a reasonable chance of being selected for award, including those that are acceptable as submitted or that could reasonably be made so after clarifications and correction of deficiencies, will be considered in the “competitive” range. Fact-finding discussions and/or site visits may be held with those Offerors in the competitive range. Best and final offers may be solicited at the conclusion of fact finding.

The tradeoff process permits tradeoffs among price and non-price factors (i.e.

Technical Factors) and allows BSA to accept other than the lowest priced proposal, or other than the highest technically rated offeror. Under a tradeoff process, the perceived technical benefits of the higher priced proposal shall merit the additional cost in order to receive award. In conducting the tradeoff analysis for this procurement, the non-price related factors, when combined, are more important than price. Offerors are advised, however, that as the range of the overall non-priced scores among Offerors narrows, the more important price will become in making the award decision. An independent estimate, historical pricing data, and competitive pricing will be used in the consideration and analysis of price.

5.3 Non-priced Evaluation Criteria

Each proposal will be evaluated based on how well it meets or exceeds the requirements of this RFP. The proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the following evaluation criteria, listed in order of importance, and more fully explained in Section 4 above:

Tab 3 – Types of Uniforms 37 Points Tab 4 – Distribution, Pick-Up, and Maintenance of Uniforms 40 Points Tab 5 – Past Performance 13 Points Tab 6 - Quality Assurance 10 Points

Each Offeror’s strengths, weaknesses, and deficiencies will be addressed accordingly in each resultant technical evaluation.

To be considered technically responsive to the RFP, each Offeror must score a total of 60 percent of the points of the proposal overall. Any proposal that fails to achieve this parameter shall be deemed technically non-responsive and will be excluded from further evaluation.

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5.4 Final Selection Process

After completion of discussions, if necessary, with Offerors in the final competitive range and receipt of Best and Final offers, if required, the SSB will recommend to the SSO which Offeror the SSB has determined to represent the “Best Value” to BSA based on the evaluation of non-price related factors of the Offerors and the prices being offered. The SSO will subsequently use all Source Evaluation analysis and evaluations as guidelines in making the final selection.

5.5 Basis of Award

Award of the resulting contract(s) will be based on the SSO’s evaluation of the SSB’s recommendation. The SSO will select the Offeror or Offerors whose proposal represents the overall Best Value to BSA/the best combination of non-price related evaluation results and price.

6.0 PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

It is understood that any contract resulting from this request shall be on the basis that the Offeror who undertakes the work represents and guarantees that it possesses the necessary skills, means of performance, and financial resources to complete the effort. Inability to perform, including loss of key personnel or facilities, will not excuse default.

7.0 FAIR LABOR STANDARDS

The anticipated awarded contract will be subject to U.S. Department of Labor Wage Determination No. 2015-4157, Revision No. 28 dated 04/22/2025. The Occupation Codes and corresponding rates established under the Service Contract Act (SCA) shall apply for all positions proposed. However, Section 13(a)(l) of the FLSA provides an exemption from both minimum wage and overtime pay for employees employed as bona fide executive, administrative, or professional employees. Job titles do not determine exempt status. In order for an exemption to apply, an employee's specific job duties and salary must meet all the requirements of the Department's regulations. For additional information, visit the Wage and Hour Division Website:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd and/or call the toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone, 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). When state law differs from the federal FLSA, an employer must comply with the standard most protective to employees. Links to your state labor department can be found at www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/local-offices.

8.0 CLOSURE

BSA believes the information contained herein is sufficient to permit you to prepare a complete and definitive proposal; however, should there be any questions, please contact the undersigned.

All questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail; replies to questions will be provided in writing and, if considered to be of general interest, will be transmitted to all other offerors.

If for any reason you are unable to submit a proposal, kindly reply in writing and return this letter with all of the attachments.

Sincerely, Ben Furlow Sr. Contracts Specialist https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd http://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/local-offices

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Enclosure 1 – BSA Draft Contract Enclosure 2 – Proposal Pricing Sheet

8.0 CLOSURE