RFQ - Bus Tour 2023 - Final.docx

Request for Quotes - 2023 Secretary of Education Bus Tour

U.S. Department of Education 2023 Secretary of Education’s Bus Tour Request for Quote ED-2023-BUS

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. The solicitation for commercial services is being conducted in conjunction with FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through FAC Number/Effective Date: 2023-04/ 06/02/2023. The NAICS Code is 485510, Charter Bus Industry, and the size standard is $19M.

The U.S. Department of Education has a requirement for motorcoach/provost transportation for a multi-city bus tour by the Secretary of Education. In addition, the tour bus shall be wrapped in a Department-approved design. The complete requirements, including driver requirements, preferred bus layout, etc. are included in the attached Statement of Work.

This is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for information on bus transportation and related services. The entity selected to receive an offer from ED is required to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) and to maintain active registration during the life of the purchase order. SAM can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov. Quoters shall include their SAM Unique Entity ID (UEI) number in their quote. If the quoter does not have a UEI , it should contact the entity designated at www.sam.gov for UEI establishment directly to obtain one. The quoter should indicate that it is an offeror for a government contract when contacting the entity designated at www.sam.gov for establishing the UEI. The quoter selected for an offer from the Department will need to provide Offeror Representations and Certifications prior to any award.

Organization and Content of the Quote The quote must contain all necessary information to meet the technical requirements presented in this RFQ and SOW. A final schedule will be provided to contractor by September 5, 2023. For quote preparation purposes, see the Draft Bus Route with estimated Drive Miles and Estimated Drive Times at the end of this RFQ.

The quote must be organized into the following parts:

Volume I – Technical Quote Volume II – Price Quote

Volume I – Technical Quote (Technical Approach & Corporate Capability)

1. Technical Approach – The offeror shall provide a brief narrative demonstrating its understanding of the scope of work and the requirements set forth in the RFQ. The technical approach shall address the offeror’s:

a. Understanding of the technical requirements

b. Detailed approach to fulfilling the technical aspects of the required services. Contractor shall provide a minimum of four bus options with photos that show all exterior sides of the bus, the bus’s interior, and the bus’s compliance with the RFQ specifications in the statement of work, such as table/work area, private room, bathroom, etc. The offeror SHALL only propose for ED’s consideration buses that are/will be available for the contracted period. ED will select the specific bus option in terms of year/make/model and interior configuration/layout from the options provided prior to contract award and that vehicle configuration will be listed in the contract. No substitutions for the exact vehicle configuration specified in the contract will be allowed without prior written approval from ED. The quote shall briefly discuss the contractor’s plan for handling a disabled bus.

c. Offeror shall briefly discuss how it will manage wrapping the bus in an ED-approved design. Offeror shall also indicate any restrictions/guidelines and/or insurance requirements for wrapping the proposed bus. If a subcontract is required to wrap the bus, the offeror shall provide the subcontractor name, email, phone number and a point of contact in its quote as well as briefly discuss the reason for selection, proof of experience wrapping the same or like bus, and briefly describe subcontract management plans.

2. Past Experience - The Offeror shall provide a brief narrative demonstrating its experience in performing work in areas comparable to those outlined in the RFQ. The narrative shall include information on at least two (2) ‘bus tours’ their firm has completed within the past five (5) years which were similar in scope and size to the requirement in this RFQ. This information shall also be provided for any subcontractors proposed in relation to the work they would perform. The corporate capability and experience shall address the Offeror’s experience:

a. Managing contracts and fulfilling the technical requirements of similar size and scope to that specified in the solicitation.

b. Reference information shall be provided for each relevant contract included in the Past Experience section. The reference information shall include:

i. Name of the Contracting Agency

ii. Contract Number

iii. Contract Type

iv. Period of Performance

v. Total Contract Value

vi. Description of the Services Performed

vii. Reference Point of Contact, Telephone Number and Email Address

Volume II - Price Quote

Again, for quote preparation purposes, see the Draft Bus Route with estimated Drive Miles and Estimated Drive Times at the end of this RFQ.

The price quote shall include:

· An itemized spread sheet quoting a fixed price for the requirements and covering the following (if applicable): labor, meals for drivers, gratuity, meetings, materials and production, and advance shipping. Also include any insurance fees expected to be covered by the government. Please also include a per mile price if stops are added or a leg of the bus route is extended. The contractor can assume they will not be required to go more than 100 miles outside of the pre-existing schedule. Contractor is to provide itemized pricing for bus wrap production requirements. As stated in the SOW, the contractor shall provide driver meals and hotel accommodations.

· Contractor shall bill parking fees, tolls and other fees at cost. Fuel shall be billed as a direct cost. Quote shall include any fuel surcharge that will be applied to fuel charges as well as the formula that will be used to calculate any fuel surcharge.

· Note: ED will provide a separate Contract Line Item (CLIN) with a firm-fixed-price amount for food and beverage. This CLIN will be funded with non-appropriated funds.

Evaluation of Quotes:

Evaluation Criteria: The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible contractor whose quote conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Although price is an important factor, technical merit is significantly more important than price. As technical merit becomes more equal, price will become a more significant factor. The Contracting Officer will determine whether any difference in technical merit is worth the difference in price. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

· Ability to meet the solicitation requirements and tour schedule.

· Quality of the vehicles and amenities offered. Quality of bus will be evaluated in terms of overall condition and functionality of interior layout/configuration.

· Past experience providing bus service for a ‘cross-country’ type bus tour with stops in multiple cities and states, overnights, etc.

· Past experience providing bus wrap production services

· Price.

Note to all quoters: In responding to this RFQ, it is the contractor’s responsibility to provide current, relevant, complete, and accurate information in their quotation. The following Education Department Acquisition Regulations (EDAR) clauses shall apply to any resulting order:

1. FAR 52.252-2 -- Clauses Incorporated by Reference (February 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): Education Department Acquisition Regulation (EDAR) provisions can be reviewed at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/pdf/2011-4660.pdf. Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions and clauses can be reviewed at: https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=browsefar

2. FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (DEC 2022)

3. FAR 52.212-4 -- Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (DEC 2022)

4. FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (JUN 2023)

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

X (4) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jul 2013) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

X (8) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Aug 2013) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

X (14)(i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

X (16) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (May 2014) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

X (22) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

X (25) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755).

X (27) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999).

X (28) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246).

X (30) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

X (40) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (AUG 2011) (E.O. 13513).

X (41) 52.225-1, Buy American-Supplies (May 2014) X (44) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (June 2008) (E.O.'s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

X (50) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

5. EDAR 3452.201-70 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) (MAY 2011) (a) The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) is responsible for the technical aspects of the project, technical liaison with the contractor, and any other responsibilities that are specified in the contract. These responsibilities include inspecting all deliverables, including reports, and recommending acceptance or rejection to the contracting officer. (b) The COR is not authorized to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government or authorize any changes that affect the contract price, terms, or conditions. Any contractor requests for changes shall be submitted in writing directly to the contracting officer or through the COR. No such changes shall be made without the written authorization of the contracting officer. (c) The COR’s name and contact information: (TBD at Award). (d) The COR may be changed by the Government at any time, but notification of the change, including the name and address of the successor COR, will be provided to the contractor by the contracting officer in writing.

6. EDAR 3452.224-70 Release of information under the Freedom of Information Act (MAY 2011)

7. EDAR 3452.227-71 Advertising of Awards (MAY 2011)

8. EDAR 3452.242-73 Accessibility of Meetings, Conferences, and Seminars to Persons with Disabilities (MAY 2011)

9. 306-1c: Invoice and Contract Financing Requests Submission - IPP (MAY 2018)

Payments shall be rendered in accordance with the identified payment schedule(s), and any other incorporated payment clause(s), specified rates, and/or fixed price amounts.

The Contractor shall submit invoices electronically by means of the web-based system, Invoice Processing Platform (IPP), which can be accessed at http://www.ipp.gov/. All submitted invoices must be accompanied by supporting documentation in accordance with the contract's terms and conditions. The supporting documentation shall be submitted in the following formats: Adobe Acrobat (pdf), Microsoft Word (doc), Pictures (jpeg), Microsoft Excel (excel), or Microsoft Outlook message (msg).

Invoice Number Format - The format for the invoice shall be the contract number followed by the invoice number. The invoice number shall have no spaces, dashes, or other special characters. The invoice number cannot exceed 21 characters. An example of an acceptable invoice number format follows:

IPP Invoice No.: 91990018C000115897126 (Note that the last three digits ["341"] from the Contractor's invoice number were removed due to the 21 character limitation.)

If the Contractor has not already established an IPP account that is active, an IPP account will be automatically created on behalf of the Contractor. The automatically created IPP account will be issued to the Designated Primary Administrator, which will be the individual that has been identified in the "Accounts Receivable POC" section of the Contractor's System for Award Management (SAM) registration located at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.

Within ten (10) business days of the Contractor entering or updating the Accounts Receivable POC information within the Contractor's SAM registration, the Designated Primary Administrator will receive an email from the IPP Customer Support Team containing the Designated Primary Administrator's IPP username. Within 24 hours of receiving the initial email, the Designated Primary Administrator will receive a second email containing their IPP password. Once both emails have been received, the Designated Primary Administrator must log into IPP and complete the registration process.

The Contractor's Designated Primary Administrator will be authorized to further designate other administrators under the Contractor's IPP account who may submit invoices on behalf of the Contractor.

The Contractor must ensure that the "Accounts Receivable POC" section of its SAM registration is accurate and up to date.

In the event that an invoice is rejected, the Contractor shall make the necessary corrections and resubmit the invoice by means of IPP. Any questions, concerns, or issues regarding the use of IPP should be directed to the IPP Customer Support Team, as identified at http://www.ipp.gov/.

Quote Due Date:

Please email questions to Gary Weaver (Gary.Weaver@ed.gov) by 10am on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The offeror must submit an electronic copy of both volumes of the quote via email to Gary Weaver, Contracting Officer, at Gary.Weaver@ed.gov not later than 12:00 PM EST on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. Late quotes will not be considered.

Draft Bus Route Estimated Drive Miles and Estimated Drive Times for Quote Preparation Purposes

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Notes:

1. Estimated Drive Times and Drive Miles obtained from Google Maps “Directions” feature

2. Driving hours only – does not include time spent at "events", overnights, etc.