Synopsis_-_VSCC.docx

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) SUBPART 12.6 “SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS”, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION AND QUOTATIONS ARE HEREBY BEING REQUESTED. A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. This solicitation number is RFQ-RT-16-00008 and the solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) using FAR Part 12 Commercial Items and FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-84, effective October 5, 2015. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) number 423490, Other Professional Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers, applies to this requirement and the small business size standard is 100 employees. A firm fixed-price contract is anticipated to result from award of this solicitation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina has a requirement to purchase of 250 Very Sharp Cut Cyclone (VSCC) PM2.5 Separators with the option to purchase 300 additional Separators (12 Optional increments of 25). PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES: The PM2.5 Federal Reference Method (FRM) sampler includes both design and performance specifications as detailed in Appendix L to 40 CFR 50. One of the design specifications is the use of a second stage separator for obtaining the desired PM2.5 cut-point. From the inception of the PM2.5 monitoring program in 1999, the Well Impactor Ninety Six (WINS) has been used as an approved second stage separator on PM2.5 FRM samplers. In February of 2002, EPA approved the use of the Very Sharp Cut Cyclone (VSCC) on PM2.5 samplers with a designation as a Class II Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) sampler as an alternative second stage separator. This allowed monitoring agencies to run VSCC separators in their routine samplers, but not their quality assurance (QA) programs. With an emerging dataset of collocated PM2.5 data, one sampler using the WINS and the other the VSCC, EPA was able to work with the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committees Ambient Air Monitoring and Methods subcommittee to assess the performance of the VSCC. This led to EPA approving the use of the VSCC as an alternative second stage separator on the FRM in October of 2006[footnoteRef:1]. This step of approving the VSCC as an FRM rather than an FEM was important in that it provided monitoring agencies with the flexibility to now only run PM2.5 FRM samplers with a VSCC in both their QA and routine samplers. As more data has accumulated in EPA’s independent QA program, known as the performance evaluation program (PEP), and some monitoring agencies have continued to run PM2.5 FRMs with WINS (while others use the VSCC), EPA has been able to provide a thorough assessment of the comparability of each of these second stage separators as used across the nation’s monitoring agencies. These results have been presented at national conferences in May of 2012 (Denver, CO[footnoteRef:2]) and in August of 2014 (Atlanta, GA[footnoteRef:3]). These results provide two important conclusions: 1. That in the PM2.5 PEP program, there is no bias between FRMs running the WINS and FRMs running the VSCC; and 2. That in routine monitoring programs, the FRMs run with the WINS have a more negative bias than FRMs run with the VSCC. Aside from performance, another important consideration on use of separators is that the WINS requires cleaning at a substantially higher frequency of at least every 5 sample events while the VSCC is cleaned every 30 events or monthly. Given the improvement in performance of the PM2.5 WINS separator and the added flexibility of not having to clean the separator as often, which will ultimately save resources, EPA is seeking to purchase VSCCs to replace WINS impactors across the nation’s State and local ambient air monitoring programs. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall provide the required VSCC PM2.5 Separators in the quantity referenced below, including delivery via FOB Destination. Specific quantity/destination of separators will be provided to Contractor by Project Officer (PO) after award. Locations for shipments include the PO’s address as well as the ten EPA Regional Offices. EPA will seek a minimum base order, with the option to exercise up to 12 incremental orders of the standard design. [1: ] [2: ] [3: ]

Increments Incremental Quantity Maximum

· D. UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS - EPA approved the use of the Very Sharp Cut Cyclone (VSCC) on PM2.5 samplers with a designation as a Class II Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) sampler as an alternative second stage separator. The proposed VSCC must meet the following minimum specifications: 1) Particle Size Cut PM2.5 at 16.67 LPM; 2) Model VSCCB for use in BGI PQ200 samplers and Model VSCCA for use in all other FRM samplers; 3) U.S. EPA approve PM2.5 separator (40 CFR 50 Appendix L Paragraph 7.3.4; 4) Model (VSCCB) for BGI PQ200 & PQ200A FRM Samplers; 5) U.S. EPA Federal Reference Method Designated (RFPS-0489-116); 6) PM2.5 Separator for ALL Commercial FRM Samplers; 7) PM2.5 Continuous Particulate Monitor Inlet; 8) Speciation and Air Toxic Sampling; 9) Laboratory Aerosol Research Separator; 10) Direct replacement for WINS without tools; and 11) Media Type 47mm. PROVISIONS – FAR provisions and clauses referenced are available online at http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vffara.htm. Solicitation provision FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation – The Government will award a contract 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: Offers ability to meet all the salient characteristics listed and Price. In accordance with FAR 52.204-7(b)(1) System for Award Management (SAM), all prospective awardees shall be registered in the SAM database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract or purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation. All offerors are to include with their offers a completed copy of provision FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representation and Certifications – Commercial Items. The following FAR provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors – Commercial Items; and 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Items. The following additional FAR clauses which are cited in clauses 52.212-5, Contract Terms and conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders – Commercial Items are applicable to the acquisition: 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation; 52.222-3, Convict Labor (E.O. 11755); 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Disabled Veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract; 52.222-50; Combatting Trafficking in Persons; 52.222-52, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Act for Certain Services – Certification; 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.229-3, Federal, State, and Local Taxes; 52.232-1, Payments; 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Fund Transfer-System for Award Management; 52.232-99, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors; 52.233-1, Disputes; 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (5 U.S.C. 3332); 52.247-34, F.O.B. Destination; EPAAR 1552.209-71, Organizational Conflicts of Interest; EPAAR 1552.211-70, Compliance with EPA Policies for Information Resources Management; EPAAR 1552.211-79, Compliance with EPA Policies for Information Resources Management; EPA-H-09-107, Unpaid Federal Tax Liability & Felony Criminal Violation Certification; EPA-H-42-102, Utilization of FedConnect for Contract Administration; EPA-L-15-102, Technical Questions; and EPA-L-15-104, Electronic Submission of Proposals/Bids/Offers/Quotes. Offerors must submit all technical questions/responses concerning this synopsis/solicitation electronically through FedConnect. Notices of any modifications to this FBO procurement announcement will be posted using the FedConnect web portal. FedConnect can be accessed at https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/. The due date for quotes is 12:00 PM Eastern Time on November 30, 2015. Please submit responses to the U.S. EPA, Attn: Antonio L.Leathers (MC AA005), RTP Procurement Operations Division, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 or leathers.antonio@epa.gov. Questions regarding the content of the subject announcement must be submitted through the FedConnect portal. You must register with FedConnect as an interested party to submit questions and to view responses. FedConnect is a web portal that connects agencies and vendors to streamline the process of doing business with the federal government. Through FedConnect contractors will be able to receive, review and respond to contract pre- and post-award actions and documents such as correspondence, request for proposals, tasking instruments and contract modifications. The use of FedConnect also furthers the EPA’s commitment to moving towards a paperless acquisition environment by reducing its carbon footprint and conducting its business in an ecologically friendly manner. There is no charge to use FedConnect. Vendors can register with FedConnect at www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/. For assistance in registering or for other FedConnect technical questions please call the FedConnect Help Desk at (800) 899-6665 or email at support@fedconnect.net. In addition, all vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at: https://www.uscontractorregistration.com/ as this facilitates registration for FedConnect. Please note that vendors MUST have their SAM profile set to “public,” otherwise FedConnect will not be able to access the SAM information required to validate vendor credentials. Registration may be completed and information regarding the registration process may be obtained at http://www.sam.gov . There is no charge for registration in SAM. All responsible sources categorized as a small business under the stated NAICS Code may submit a quote which shall be considered by the Agency. PLEASE NOTE: NO FURTHER SYNOPSIS OR INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED TO FEDBIZOPS. It will be the offeror's responsibility to frequently check the same site where the solicitation is to be posted for any amendments, changes to the RFQ issue and closing date. The Government is not obligated or committed to award any contract as a result of this notice. Hard copies or diskettes will not be available. Telephone and fax requests will not be honored.