RFQ-CSU-22-010-JJP amended.pdf

RFQ-CSU-22-010-JJP

The Billings Area Indian Health Service/Crow Service Unit, Indian Health Service (IHS) is requesting proposals in response to RFQ-CSU-22-010-JJP for Food and Dietary/Kitchen Supplies for the Crow Service Unit, Crow Agency, MT.

The CSU/IHS will be awarding a firm fixed price contract for the Food and Dietary Supplies as provided in the scope of work.

The procurement is conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Offerors are requested to propose an all-inclusive cost when submitting a quotation. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Circular FAC 2022-04. The NAICS code for this solicitation is 311999 and the small business size standard is 500 employees.

Food and Dietary/Kitchen Supplies:

The Billings Area Indian Health Service/Crow Service Unit intends to award a Firm Fixed Price contract to ONE (1) Contractor in response to solicitation RFQ-CSU-22-010-JJP. This solicitation will be awarded as a Firm Fixed Price contract for the supplies/services specified and effective for the period stated in the delivery schedule. If the Governments requirements do not result in orders for the listed items in the schedule, the fact shall not constitute the basis for an equitable price adjustment. The Government shall order on an as needed basis in order to fulfill the Service Units dietary requirements of the patients. The Governments requirements may not result in orders for each line item.

See attached excel spreadsheet for Pricing. Price quotes are for evaluation purposes only.

PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT:

The purpose of this contract is to obtain a supplier for food, dietary, and kitchen supplies for the Crow Service Unit (CSU). The CSU is a 24-bed hospital that provides healthcare for the service population on the Crow Indian Reservation located in Southeast Montana.

SCOPE OF WORK:

Major Duties: The contractor shall:

A. Provide a Five week cycle menu (3 meals per day with an evening snack) to include: nutrient evaluation for the meals & snacks; recipes for 25, 50, 75, 100 & 125 servings except for pureed & slurry recipes which are for 5, 10, 15, 20, & 25 servings; the Critical Control Point (CCP) for the recipes; pan size, serving size, cooking temperature & serving utensil to be used for the recipes. Electronically modifiable menu substitutions which includes recipes for substituted menu items & various serving sizes with the above criteria in #10; Nutrient evaluation to include: calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, saturated fat, cholesterol, total dietary fiber, iron, calcium, zinc, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B 6.

B. Fulfill orders placed by the CSU for items listed, but not limited to, the attached excel spreadsheet in a timely manner.

C. Provide and maintain sufficient inventories (SKUs) to minimize the need for substitutes and/or “special orders.” When inventory is temporarily unavailable substitutions or appropriate (like) products shall be offered to the customer within the ordering process. Customer may pre-select appropriate substitutions if possible. Substituted items must be of equal or higher quality (ie. Same or better grade, nutritional value, pack size ect.) and equal or lower in price if possible.

Inventory that has been permanently discontinued shall be communicated.

D. Have a process in place with product manufacture/supplier for timely and complete reporting of any product quality or safety problems. Recall procedures of any recalled product must be clear and easily acted upon and communicated by the vendor to the Service Unit.

E. Have product descriptions including nutrition and ingredients for the products, within the vendors product catalog, the catalog must provide characteristic details, be accurate, and current to product numbers and inventory. Any products received by customers that do not comply with the product description will be returned for credit and/or replaced.

F. Ensure that products have adequate shelf life upon delivery to customers as described herein. Products with limited shelf life requirements such as refrigerated products, fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, bases, ect. must have at least half of their normal shelf life, at least four days must be remaining upon delivery.

Other food items shall have at least thirty days of remaining shelf life upon delivery except for the nationally contracted supplements and tube feedings, which must have at least sixty days of shelf life remaining at the time of delivery to the service unit. Products with less than expected shelf life remaining may be acceptable to meet an urgent need.

G. Have a monitoring system to track product shelf life including checking time of order.

H. Provide an electronic means of ordering that includes products information, purchase history, invoice history, and pricing.

I. Carry a full commercial product catalog with detailed product descriptions and enough diversity and inventory to meet the healthcare needs.

J. Training & technical support for software systems.

Knowledge Required:

The vendor shall have industry standard knowledge to fulfill orders for the following diets:

• Cardiac

• Mechanical Soft

• Puree

• Low fat/low cholesterol

• Vegetarian

• Reduced concentrated sweets

• Finger food

• Gluten free

• 1,200 calorie

• 1,800 calorie

• 1,800 calorie, 2 gram sodium

• 1,500 calorie diabetic

• 2,00 calorie diabetic

• Renal

• Soft

A good working knowledge of the system used to track product shelf life as well as a system to electronically place orders to include product information, purchase history, invoice history, and pricing.

SCOPE AND EFFECT:

The purpose of the work is to provide sufficient inventories in order to provide the CSU Dietary program with adequate supplies and physician ordered meals for the patient population.

CONTACTS:

The primary personal contacts are with the CSU Dietary program and the administrative staff of the facility and the Indian Health Service to include telephone, email, and in person contacts.

PURPOSE OF CONTACTS:

The purpose of personal contacts is primarily to deliver quality supplies to the CSU. Factual information is exchanged as well as planning and coordinating issues such as substituted items, inventory or quality issues, recall procedures, etc. Methodological problems and possible solutions are discussed to clarify information wanted to resolve problems. Coordinate the schedule needed in order to meet the CSU Dietary program requirements.

GUIDELINES:

The contractor has available a variety of guidelines including established methodology and instruments, manuals, precedents in work, trade literature, technical references, established guidelines, regulations, policies, and agency practices.

COMPLEXITY:

The work involved consists of distributing nonfood and food products as ordered.

GENERAL QUALITY ASSURANCE:

All products provided by the contractor will be reviewed by the dietary program staff to ensure orders are complete and accurate. The contractor uses initiative in planning and carrying out the delivery of orders in accordance with industry standards. Deliveries are reviews as needed for conformance to policies and regulations, timeliness, and satisfaction of the Supervisor or the supervisor designee. The contractor shall have a process in place with product manufacturer/supplier for timely and complete reporting of any product quality or safety concern. Recall procedures of any problem products must be clear and easily acted upon and communicated by the contractor to the customer.

FAR 52.237-1 Site Visit (APR 1984)

Offerors or quoters are urged and expected to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The performance of this contract shall be twelve months from date of award for 365 days. If the Government exercises the options pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.217-9, Option to extend the Term of the Contract (March 2000), the period of performance shall be extended up to an additional Ninety days while a replacement contract is contemplated.

WORK SCHEDULE:

The Crow Service Unit business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm.

There will only be a once weekly food order, however under certain circumstances, the CSU may require two food deliveries in a week. The Crow Service Unit and the Contractor shall coordinate the established delivery day and times for quality food and supplies. The contractor’s delivery schedule shall be coordinated with the Service Unit staff to ensure sufficient inventory.

HOLIDAYS:

Federal holidays are observed under this contract. Holidays falling on a weekend will be observed the next or preceding day. If the contractors scheduled work day falls on a Federal holiday, the work day will be rescheduled to either the day prior or the day after, the Federal Holiday.

CONTRACTING OFFICER AUTHORITY:

Authority to negotiate changes in the terms, conditions or amounts cited in this contract is reserved for the Contracting Officer.

CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE (COR):

The COR shall be responsible for:

(1) Monitoring the Contractors technical progress, including surveillance and assessment of performance and recommending technical changes;

(2) Interpreting the Statement of Work;

(3) Technical evaluation as required;

(4) Technical inspections and acceptance; and

(5) Assisting the Contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance of this contract.

INVOICE SUBMISSION AND PAYMENT:

Invoices shall be submitted on a Monthly basis through IPP, a secure, web-based electronic invoicing system provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The use of IPP shall take precedence over previously established invoicing procedures in accordance with HHSAR 352.232-71, Electronic Submission and Processing of Payment Requests”. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov. If you require assistance registering or require IPP account access, please contact the IPP Helpdesk at (866) 973-3131 (M-F 8AM to 6PM ET), or IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov. Please send a courtesy copy of the invoice by email to lori.oldbear@ihs.gov Failure to include the required information may delay payment. Payment shall be made by the Billings Area Financial Management Branch, P.O. Box 36600, Billings, Montana 59107. Payments are made in arrears

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 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 addresses:

https://www.acquisition.gov/

FAR

Clause No. Title Date

52.204-4 Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer MAY 2011

Fiber Content Paper

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance OCT 2016

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance JUL 2016

52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and DEC 2014

Certifications

52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic NOV 2015

Corporations

52.213-4 Terms and Conditions—Simplified Acquisitions JAN 2022

(Other Than Commercial Items)

52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Representation JUL 2013

52.223-6 Drug-Free Workplace MAY 2001

52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text AUG 2011

Messaging While Driving

52.237-2 Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment and APR 1984

Vegetation

52.237-3 Continuity of Service JAN 1991

52.242-15 Stop Work Order AUG 1989

52.243-1 Changes – Fixed Price Alternate I (Apr 1984) AUG 1987

52.249-4 Termination for Convenience of the Government APR 1984

(Fixed-Price)(Short Form)

52.249-8 Default (Fixed-Price Supply and Service) APR 1984

SOLICITATION PROVISIONS:

52.204-7 System for Award Management OCT 2016

52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting JUL 2016

CLAUSES IN FULL TEXT

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services NOV 1999

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 10 days before expiration of contract.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACQUISITION

REGULATION (HHSAR) (48 CFR CHAPTER 3) CLAUSES

HHSAR

Clause No. Title Date

352.211-3 Paperwork Reduction Act DEC 2015

352.222-70 Contractor Cooperation in Equal Employment DEC 2015

Opportunity Investigations

352.223-70 Safety and Health DEC 2015

352.232-71 Electronic Submission of Invoice Payments FEB 2022

352.237-75 Key Personnel DEC 2015

352.215-70 Late Proposals and Revisions DEC 2015

352.226-3 Native American Graves Protection and DEC 2015

Repatriation Act

352.237-70 Pro-Children Act DEC 2015

352.237-73 Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Act DEC 2015

352.239-73 Electronic Information and Technology DEC 2015

Accessibility Notice

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS:

Contractors intending to conduct business with the Federal Government must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM replaces the Department of Defense’s Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. SAM is now the primary Government repository, which retains information on Government contractors. You may register via the Internet at www.sam.gov.

All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the Agency. Offers shall be submitted via email to johnna.pryor@ihs.gov no later than 2:00pm MST, July 15, 2022.

The offer may also be submitted in a sealed envelope, addressed to this office, showing the time specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and your company's name and address. Facsimile proposals will not be accepted.

ACCEPTANCE PERIOD:

Your proposal must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFQ.

In addition, it must contain a statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 90 days from the date of receipt by the Government.

1. Evaluation Factors: The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

4.1 Technical = 70 points. Offeror must submit a technical proposal, not to exceed 3 pages, that specifies requirements in the request for quotation.

1.2 Past Performance = 30 Points. Offerors must demonstrate their record of successful performance in past contracts and/or jobs. The Government is seeking to determine whether the Offeror has the experience that will enhance its technical capability to perform the tasks described in the statement of work. The offeror must list at least three contracts/jobs and include the following information. (1) Name of Government agency/Company; (2) Contract number, if applicable; (3) Dates of Service/Employment;

(4) Total contract value/Hourly wage; (5) Description of contract work/Job duties; (6)

Contracting Officer/Company Manager and telephone number; (7) Program Manager and telephone number, if applicable. Each offeror will be evaluated on the following sub-factors:

1.2.1 Subfactor 1: Relevancy of the past performance

1.2.2 Subfactor 2: Quality of the offeror’s past performance

2. Evaluation Methodology: The Dietary Supervisor will evaluate the quotations. The quotations shall be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria and relative weights set forth in the solicitation. The evaluator will read each quotation and describe, in writing, the strengths, weaknesses, and/or deficiencies identified to support the scores given to each proposal. The numerical scores will be consistent with the evaluator’s written narratives; i.e., a high score should be supported by a narrative identifying a significant number of strengths and a minimum number of weaknesses. Any quotation that is unrealistic, in terms of technical approach, schedule commitments, and or costs (high or low) will be deemed unacceptable. The evaluators will use an adjective rating scale of 1 through 0 as follows:

Exceptional 1.0 Good .8 Acceptable .6 Marginal .2 Unacceptable .0

ADJECTIVAL RATING DESCRIPTION

Exceptional Greatly exceeds all minimum requirements of the criteria;

has a high probability of success; contains no weaknesses or deficiencies.

Good Exceeds all the minimum requirements of the criteria; has an above average probability of success; contains no significant weaknesses and only minor, correctable weaknesses exist.

Acceptable Meets all the minimum requirements of the criteria; has an average probability of success; no significant weaknesses and no deficiencies.

Marginal Fails to meet one or more of the minimum requirements of the criteria; low probability of success; major weaknesses and/or significant number of deficiencies exist.

Unacceptable Fails to meet any of the minimum requirements of the criteria; proposal needs major revisions; very low probability of success.

The adjectival ratings require narrative statements to support the determination. The definitions listed below should be used in the narratives to justify the scores given.

• A significant strength is defined as an aspect of the proposal that appreciably increases the likelihood of successful contract performance.

• A strength is defined as an aspect of the proposal that increases the likelihood of successful contract performance.

• A weakness is defined as a flaw in the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

• A significant weakness is a flaw in the proposal that appreciably increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance.

• A deficiency is defined as an aspect of the proposal that fails to meet a

Government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses in the proposal that increases the risk of unsuccessful contract performance to an unacceptable level.

3. Basis for Award: Selection of the successful offeror will be made based on the evaluation criteria. The quotations will be evaluated and a contract awarded under the Best Value Continuum approach to permit tradeoffs among cost or price and non-cost factors. This will allow the Government to consider award to other than the lowest priced offeror or other than the highest technically rated offeror who meets or exceeds the technical acceptability standards established in the factors referenced above. Technical and past performance, when combined, are approximately equal to cost or price.