RFQ - Precipitation Accumulators.docx

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ)

1305M223QNWWG0189

Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) Precipitation Accumulators

U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Eastern Acquisition Division (EAD) 200 Granby Street, Suite 815 Norfolk, VA 23510

July 26, 2023

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION

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. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The government intends to award a single-award firm fixed price indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract from this solicitation.

The Request for Quotation (RFQ) document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-02; Effective 03/16/2023.

This requirement is for the acquisition of commercial supply of Precipitation Accumulators as specified in this solicitation for the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) for use by the National Weather Service (NWS).

The RFQ number for this acquisition is 1305M223QNWWG0189 and shall be used to reference any written quotation provided under this RFQ.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this project is 334519 with a size standard of 500 employees.

This acquisition has an unrestricted set-aside.

This acquisition will be competed using a written RFQ. All interested parties must provide a quotation package by the time specified below to the Government in order to be considered for award. Quotation packages shall include all data and information requested and shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions found in "Instructions to Offeror" (FAR 52.212-1 and Addendum to 52.212-1). Non-conformance with the instructions may result in quotation considered non-responsive and ineligible for award.

The provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition.

The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition.

The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, applies to this acquisition.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS: All prospective awardees are required to register at the System for Award Management (SAM) and to maintain active registration during the life of the contract. SAM can be accessed at sam.gov.

DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT

The Government intends to award a single-award firm-fixed-price indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with five (5) one (1) year ordering periods. Delivery orders will be issued after award off the base IDIQ as requirements are identified and as funding becomes available.

During the contract lifecycle, the Government shall place delivery orders totaling a minimum of $10,000.00. The amount of all delivery orders shall not exceed $7,033,900.00, or Contractor’s total proposed price, whichever is higher.

The contract lifecycle shall be from September 15, 2023 through September 14, 2028 (or five years from date of award). The Price Schedule shall reflect the quantity in a term of 1 Lot. Pricing per unit of issue per ordering period shall be written in the CLIN Description. Each delivery order created off the established IDIQ from this RFQ shall have an exact quantity ordered multiplied by the price per unit per ordering period listed in the IDIQ formulated from this RFQ.

Ordering Period 1: 15 Sep 23 – 14 Sep 24 Price per Precipitation Accumulator $________

Ordering Period 2: 15 Sep 24 – 14 Sep 25 Price per Precipitation Accumulator $________

Ordering Period 3: 15 Sep 25 – 14 Sep 26 Price per Precipitation Accumulator $________

Ordering Period 4: 15 Sep 26 – 14 Sep 27 Price per Precipitation Accumulator $________

Ordering Period 5: 15 Sep 27 – 14 Sep 28 Price per Precipitation Accumulator $________

*Note, if price per Precipitation Accumulator for all ordering periods are the same, they will be combined into one (1) five (5) year ordering period.

**In addition, the total contract value or total amount of all delivery orders shall not to exceed (NTE) $7,033,900.00, or Contractor’s total proposed price, whichever is higher.

DELIVERY LOCATION:

NOAA National Logistics and Reconditioning Center (NLRC) 14200 Merritt Rd Grandview, Missouri 64030

52.212-1, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS - COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (Addendum)

QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. This is a competitive simplified acquisition selection conducted in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Contracts awarded under FAR 13 are not subject to FAR 15.3 procedures. Accordingly, award of a contract under this RFQ, should an award be made, shall follow the procedures outlined in FAR 13, as supplemented.

2. The quotation submitted in response to this RFQ must be in compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the RFQ and attachments. All claimed capabilities to meet the requirements shall be fully documented and are subject to verification by the Government. Non-conformance with these instructions may result in rejection of the quotation or an unfavorable quotation evaluation or being deemed ineligible for award. The Contracting Officer (CO) will select the best value submission which conforms to the RFQ requirements (to include all stated terms, conditions, representations, certifications, and all other information required by the submission instructions).

3. Vendors must clearly identify any exception to RFQ terms and conditions and must provide complete supporting rationale. The Government reserves the right to determine any such exceptions unacceptable. Any exception determined unacceptable by the Government may result in the Vendor’s quotation being determined unacceptable and ineligible for award.

4. The quotation shall be clear, concise, and shall include sufficient detail for effective evaluation and for substantiating the validity of stated claims. The quotation should not simply rephrase or restate the Government's requirements but, rather, shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Vendor intends to meet these requirements. Vendors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their facilities or experience and will base its evaluation on the information presented in the Vendor's quotation.

5. Discrepancies: If a Vendor believes that the requirements in these instructions contain an error, omission, or are otherwise unsound, the Vendor shall immediately notify the CO in writing with supporting rationale as well as the remedies the Vendor is asking the CO to consider as related to the omission or error. This notification shall be before the solicitation Question submission period specified in Paragraph #10 in this section.

6. Specific Instructions: The Vendor agrees to hold the prices in its offer for 90 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers. Complete the necessary fill-ins and certifications in provisions incorporated into the solicitation by full text and return along with the quotation.

7. Vendors submitting a quotation in response to this RFQ shall submit a Technical (Part I) and Price (Part II) package. Text shall be single-spaced, on an 8 ½ x 11 sheets with a minimum one inch margin all around. Font shall be no less than Times New Roman 10 pt. Pages shall be numbered consecutively within each part. The page limits prescribed are maximum page limits for each part. When both sides of a sheet display printed material, it shall be counted as two (2) pages. Cover page, tables of contents, cross-reference matrix, tabs, and glossaries shall not be counted against prescribed page limits. Pages submitted more than these limits will not be read or considered in the Government’s evaluation of the quotation. All quotation information shall be submitted in either MS Word or PDF format except for Pricing Information (Part II). Pricing information shall be submitted in MS Excel format. Each part shall be submitted as a separately labeled electronic file. Vendors must ensure that pricing information is only included in Part II. Do NOT include any Pricing information in Part I. All unit and extended prices provided shall be rounded to the nearest dollar. Extended prices must be divisible by the number of units proposed. Submit your quotation electronically in accordance with the table below. All electronic submissions shall reference the complete RFQ number in the subject line.

8. To assure timely and fair evaluation of the quotation, the vendor must follow the instructions contained herein. The quotation must be complete, self-sufficient, and respond directly to the requirements of this solicitation. The response shall consist of the following parts:

COVER LETTER: Vendors submitting a quotation in response to this RFQ shall submit the following or like Cover Letter complete and filled in appropriately. The Cover Letter shall include Vendors’ small business status/categories, company point(s) of contact with email/phone, CAGE Code, UEI number, and a signature of whom is authorized to contractually obligate the company. Signature of the Cover Letter constitutes an understanding that the company understands the requirements specified within this RFQ and will meet the performance standards and requirements therein. In addition, by signing the Cover Letter, the company does not take exception to any of the requirements of this RFQ.

COVER LETTER

(Vendor to complete blocks below)

Contractor/Vendor:

Cage Code:

Telephone Number:

Signature of Contractor/Vendor

Printed Name and Title of Signer

Date Signed

PART I – TECHNICAL: The Technical packet should be specific and complete. Legibility, clarity, and coherence are very important. Your responses will be evaluated against the technical specifications listed in Attachment C – Specification Sheet. By submitting a quotation, you are representing that your firm will perform all the requirements specified in the solicitation. The vendor shall include specific measurable specifications of the Precipitation Accumulator being proposed per metric associated with the Attachment C – Specification Sheet.

The vendor shall submit technical specifications of the Precipitation Accumulator(s) being submitted that meet or exceed the attached Government’s minimums in Attachment C – Specification Sheet. These characteristics are limited to 10 pages. The technical characteristics proposed shall be specific, detailed, and complete to adequately describe how the Precipitation Accumulator(s) comply or exceed the specifications being requested. A technical brochure of the unit being submitted should be included as a reference for all specifications requested but shall not be used as a standalone submission, i.e., the vendor needs to tell the Government specifically how they meet or exceed each required metric within Attachment C – Specification Sheet.

In addition, the vendor shall submit a shipping schedule that includes an estimated delivery time frame after a receipt of a delivery order.

PART II – PRICE: The vendor shall submit pricing information in the format attached in Attachment B - Pricing, to support the completeness and reasonableness of their proposed prices for all CLINs. Prices shall be inserted for proposed unit and extended amount in Attachment B - Pricing. The extended amount must equal the whole dollar unit price multiplied by the estimated quantity for evaluation purposes only. Pricing shall be submitted for each ordering period. Pricing information submitted shall fully support the requirement. Shipping will not be priced tiered separately for delivery expedience. The price of shipping shall be included in the overall unit price of the Precipitation Accumulator and documented as one price when proposed in Attachment B - Pricing.

9. Quotations must be emailed to Paul Thomas at paul.thomas@noaa.gov and be received no later than the quotation closing date of 1600 hours EST on August 9, 2023. Amendments, if issued, must be signed by an authorized company official and submitted. Late quotations will be processed in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(f) “Late submission, modifications, revisions, and withdrawals of offers.”

10. All questions related to this solicitation are due no later than 1600 hours EST on August 2, 2023. Vendors shall email Paul Thomas at paul.thomas@noaa.gov with all questions related to this solicitation. Responses to the questions will be answered and published to SAM.gov.

(End of Addendum)

52.212-2, EVALUATION -- COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021) (addendum)

1. Award will be made in accordance with the procedures specified in the RFQ, to the Vendor whose quotation results are in the best value to the Government. A contract may be awarded to the vendor who is deemed responsible IAW FAR 9.1, as supplemented, whose quotation conforms to the RFQ’s requirements (to include all stated terms, conditions, representations, certifications, and all other information required by the RFQ instructions) and is judged, based on the evaluation factors to represent the best value to the Government.

2. Following receipt of responses to this RFQ, the Government will perform a comparative evaluation (comparing Vendor quotations to one another) in order to select the vendor that is best suited to fulfill the requirements of the RFQ. The comparative evaluation will be based on the Vendor’s responses to the factors outlined in the RFQ, given their stated relative order of importance. As multiple Precipitation Accumulators exist in the commercial market, it is anticipated that vendors will submit multiple quotations for different Precipitation Accumulators and will be treated as separate vendors, if proposed by the same vendor.

3. The Government intends to make award based on the initial quotation submissions without conducting discussions. Therefore, each offer should contain the Vendor’s best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to hold discussions if, during the evaluation, it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government. Vendor responses to discussions will be considered in making the award selection decision. Discussions may be conducted with one, some or all vendors as the Government is not required to conduct discussions with any or all Vendors responding to this RFQ.

4. Once the Government determines the Vendor that meets stated evaluation factors, the Government reserves the right to communicate with only that Vendor to address any issues, if necessary, and finalize a contract with that Vendor. If the parties cannot successfully resolve outstanding issues, as determined pertinent at the sole discretion of the Government, the Government may communicate with the next best-suited Vendor, based on the original analysis, and address any necessary issues with that Vendor. If the government begins communications with the next lowest price technically acceptable Vendor, no further communications with the previous Vendor will be entertained until after contract award. This process will continue until an agreement is successfully reached and a contract is awarded.

5. Evaluation factors: All evaluation factors other than price, when combined are more important than price. If any of the technical factors are found unacceptable, the entire quotation will be found unacceptable. Evaluation will be using the comparative evaluation approach. This process allows for a price-benefit analysis between technical factors and price and allows the Government to accept other than the lowest priced quotation or other than the highest technically rated quotation to achieve a best value contract award.

6. Responses to this RFQ will be evaluated against the following factors:

A two phase evaluation will be used for this procurement.

STEP 1: First, the Cover Letter, Part I – Technical, and Part II – Price, shall be evaluated as follows:

COVER LETTER: All vendors have certified in writing that they find no exception to the terms and conditions within this RFQ. A signature and fully complete Cover Letter constitutes an understanding that the company understands the requirements specified within this RFQ and will meet the performance standards and requirements therein. On vendor’s failure to provide a Cover Letter as specified within this RFQ may result in immediate removal from further consideration.

PART I – TECHNICAL: Vendor submitted the technical packet which demonstrates vendor’s capability to provide Precipitation Accumulators IAW the solicitation. The specifications of the proposed Precipitation Accumulators submitted by the offer shall be evaluated on an acceptable or unacceptable basis against the Attachment C – Specification Sheet. To be considered technically acceptable, the proposed Precipitation Accumulator must meet or exceed all of the minimum specifications within Attachment C – Specification Sheet. Any quotation that is non-compliant with any requested submission requirement of this RFQ may immediately be removed from further consideration. A vendor shall state how they meet or exceed each item within the Attachment C – Specification Sheet. Any technical brochures used as part of the technical packet, shall support any statements made by the vendor. However, just a technical brochure with no vendor narrative will be considered nonresponsive, i.e., the vendor needs to tell the Government specifically how they meet or exceed each required metric within Attachment C – Specification Sheet.

PART II – PRICE: Price should support the proposed technical factor and will be evaluated for (1) Total Evaluated Price (TEP), (2) completeness, (3) reasonableness and (4) unbalanced pricing. Vendors whose price is determined to be incomplete or unreasonable will not be considered for award.

STEP 2: Then, only the evaluated quotations found acceptable in Step 1 will be compared to other submitted acceptable quotations via comparative evaluation of both technical and price factors to establish a price-benefit analysis which selects an overall quotation that provides the best value to the Government, considering technical specifications and total evaluated price, with technical factors being more important than price per paragraph 5 of this addendum.

Total Evaluated Price (TEP): The TEP will be calculated using Attachment B – Pricing. The sum of the Vendor’s proposed unit prices shall be multiplied by an estimated 95 quantity each twelve month ordering period (for evaluation purposes only). Then the Extended Amount of each ordering period shall be added together to formulate the TEP.

Completeness: The quotation will be reviewed to determine the extent to which all the price elements have been addressed. The Vendor’s proposed price and other information will be evaluated to ensure continuity and traceability of prices to the technical volume and between the initial quotation and any revisions thereto. The review will determine the adequacy of the Vendor’s quotation in addressing and fulfilling the RFQ requirements.

Reasonableness: For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the Government that a prudent person would pay in the conduct of competitive business. The Government will determine prices fair and reasonable using one or more of the price analysis techniques at FAR 13.106-3(a).

Unbalanced pricing: Vendors are cautioned against submitting an offer that contains unbalanced pricing. Unbalanced pricing may increase performance risk and could result in payment of unreasonably high prices. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one (1) or more contract line items is significantly over or understated. The Government shall analyze offers to determine whether they are unbalanced with respect to separately priced line items or sub-line items. An offer that is determined to be unbalanced may be rejected if the Contracting Officer determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk to the Government.

7. Although past performance may not be used as an evaluation factor, information obtained from other sources available to the Government such as the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) will be used as part of the responsibility determination made IAW FAR 9.104-1. The Government reserves the right to obtain information relative to present and past performance on its own.

(End of Addendum)

(END OF ADDENDUMS)

ATTACHMENTS:

A) Attachment A - Provisions and Clauses B) Attachment B – Pricing C) Attachment C – Specification Document image1.png