syn_sol.pdf

Request for Quotation Number SB1341-15-RQ-0469 Combined Synopsis/Solicitation

THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH

THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR

COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND

A WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THIS SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED

USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR SUBPART 13.5 TEST

PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition

Circular 2005-82 effective May 7, 2015.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325120 with a small business size standard of 1000 employees. This acquisition is being procured 100% set-aside for small business. Simplified acquisition procedures will be utilized. The small business size standard for a concern which submits a quotation in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item which it did not itself manufacture, is 500 employees.

Liquid helium (LHe) is used for cryogenic applications in over 35 programs across the

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, (including standards development and dissemination, initiatives, Innovations in Measurement Science

(IMS) projects, and other agency projects). LHe has several unique properties, including an extremely low boiling point and its non-reactivity, so it cannot be replaced by other gases easily. NIST Gaithersburg purchases and consumes significant quantities of LHe each year (approximately 105,000 and up to 130,000 liters per year).

Helium is a non-renewable resource that is only found naturally in some natural gas deposits. Therefore, the LHe supply is limited, both in quantity and location. LHe is volatile and must be used within a narrow window of time from delivery, typically within one to two weeks before significant loss of product.

In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.208-8 Required Sources for

Helium and Helium Usage Data, Contractors must purchase major helium requirements from

Federal Helium Suppliers (FHS), to the extent that supplies are available. “Federal helium supplier” means a private helium vendor that has an in-kind crude helium sales contract with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and that is on the BLM Amarillo Field

Office’s Authorized List of Federal Helium Suppliers available via the Internet at http://blm.gov/8pjd.

In September of 2014, NIST executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Under this MOU, the BLM agreed to allocate (not transfer or sell) in-kind helium to the federal helium supplier that is awarded any competitive contract awarded by NIST, in the month the helium is required to be delivered. The intent of the MOU is to encourage FHSs to respond to solicitations for helium solicited by NIST.

Historically, FHSs haven’t responded to solicitations for helium contracts because they were already allocating their other customers and do not receive their allocation of in-kind helium from the BLM until about six months after delivery.

This requirement and FAR 52.208-8 shall flow-down to all subcontractors under the contract.

http://blm.gov/8pjd

OPTION LINE ITEMS

Line items 0003, 0004, 0005, 0006, 0007, 0008, 0009, and 0010 are option line items.

Quoters must provide a firm-fixed price for all option line items. Prices for option line items shall remain valid in accordance with the following:

Line Items 0003 and 0004, Option Period I, one year from September 18, 2015;

Line Items 0005 and 0006, Option Period II, two years from September 18, 2015;

Line Items 0007 and 0008, Option Period III, three years from September 18, 2015;

Line Items 0009 and 0010, Option Period IV, four years from September 18, 2015.

The period of performance for all option line items shall be one year. The Government may exercise option line items, at its discretion, at any time prior to the expiration date of the period of performance of the base period or any option period. Options will be exercised by the issuance of a modification (Standard Form 30).

Responsible quoters shall provide pricing for all of the following line items.

LINE ITEM 0001 – BASE PERIOD: Quantity 105,000 Liters.

The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to supply liquid helium in 30, 60, 100, and 250 liter Contractor-owned dewars in accordance with the statement of work.

LINE ITEM 0002 – BASE PERIOD: Quantity 12 Months.

Dewar Rental in accordance with the statement of work.

LINE ITEM 0003 – OPTION PERIOD I: Quantity 105,000 Liters.

LINE ITEM 0004 – OPTION PERIOD I: Quantity 12 Months.

LINE ITEM 0005 – OPTION PERIOD II: Quantity 105,000 Liters.

LINE ITEM 0006 – OPTION PERIOD II: Quantity 12 Months.

LINE ITEM 0007 – OPTION PERIOD III: Quantity 105,000 Liters.

LINE ITEM 0008 – OPTION PERIOD III: Quantity 12 Months.

LINE ITEM 0009 – OPTION PERIOD IV: Quantity 105,000 Liters.

LINE ITEM 0010 – OPTION PERIOD IV: Quantity 12 Months.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance shall be for a one year base period with four one year option periods. The period of performance for the base period and each one year option period shall be as follows:

BASE PERIOD: September 18, 2015 – September 17, 2016

OPTION PERIOD I: September 18, 2016 – September 17, 2017

OPTION PERIOD II: September 18, 2017 – September 17, 2018

OPTION PERIOD III: September 18, 2018 – September 17, 2019

OPTION PERIOD IV: September 18, 2019 – September 17, 2020

EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BASIS FOR AWARD

The Government will award a firm fixed price, Requirements type contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible quoter on a technically acceptable/lowest price basis.

Technically acceptable means:

1. The quoter maintains an adequate supply of dewar sizes and dewars are currently available or will be available upon award, to meet NIST’s needs;

2. Dewars are of sufficient quality to meet the requirements of the statement of work;

and

3. The quoter is a Federal Helium supplier or will purchase product from a Federal Helium Supplier; and

4. Helium meets specifications required by the Statement of Work; and

5. Contact procedures exist and will yield appropriate action; and

6. Continuation of service procedures exist and procedures will defend uninterrupted service to the maximum extent practicable; and

7. Quoter is compliant with all requirements of the Statement of Work;

and

8. Notwithstanding a neutral past performance rating, evaluation of past performance results in a satisfactory or better past performance rating based upon information provided by references.

Price will be evaluated to determine that the quoted price includes all technical requirements and is an overall fair and reasonable price. The Government will evaluate quotations for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that quotation is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options does not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

ADDENDUM TO 52.212-1 – INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMMERCIAL ITEMS

(a) General Instructions

Quotations are required to conform to solicitation provisions and be prepared in accordance with this section. To aid in evaluation, the quotation must be clearly and concisely written as well as being neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and logically assembled. All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered and identified with the name of the quoter, the date, and the solicitation number.

Quoters shall submit one original of their quotation, marked as such, and two copies of the technical and price quotations. Only one copy of the business portion of the quotation is required to be submitted.

E-mail quotations are acceptable. E-mail quotations shall be considered received when the e-mail enters into the electronic inbox of Carol Wood. Only one copy of the complete quotation is required for email submissions.

Fax quotations shall not be accepted.

Quotations must be received not later than Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at 3:30 PM Eastern

Time. Only information received on or before the due date and time shall be considered for award. Any quotation, or part thereof, received after the due date and time, shall be deemed late and not considered for award.

(b) Overall Arrangement of the Quotation

Each volume shall be clearly marked by title.

(1) BUSINESS QUOTATION

(A)(i) The Standard Form 1449, must be executed fully and used as the cover sheet

(or first page) of Volume I. Include one (1) originally signed copy of the form in the

Original Volume I. The Standard Form 1449 can be downloaded at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/TOP. Choose the SF1449.

(ii) Acceptance Period - The acceptance period shall not be less than 120 days from the quotation due date.

(iii) Quoters must provide written concurrence with all terms and conditions of the solicitation.

(iv) The Dun and Bradstreet Number for the quoter’s active registration at the

System for Award Management, (www.SAM.Gov) website. Quoters must have an active registration at SAM.Gov to receive an award.

(iv) If the quoter’s representations and certifications do not reflect the

NAICS code governing this solicitation, quoters must submit documentation that they are a small business under the NAICS code governing this solicitation and meet the 500 employee size standard for a non-manufacturer if they are quoting a product that they, themselves, did not manufacture.

(v) The quotation must include a signed written certification as follows –

CERTIFICATION BY OFFERORS REGARDING FEDERAL INCOME TAX FILING AND FEDERAL INCOME TAX

VIOLATIONS. To the best of my knowledge and belief, ---(name of offeror)--- has filed the Federal tax returns required during the three years preceding this certification, has not been convicted of a criminal offense under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and has not, more than 90 days prior to certification, been notified of any unpaid Federal tax assessment for which the liability remains unsatisfied, unless the assessment is the subject of an installment agreement or offer in compromise that has been approved by the

Internal Revenue Service and is not in default, or the assessment is the subject of a non-frivolous administrative or judicial proceeding.

Firm _____________________________________________

Signature _________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________

Title _____________________________________________

Date of execution __________________________________

(vi) Signature Authority - The person signing the form must have the authority to commit the quoter to all of the provisions and clauses of the solicitation, fully http://www.sam.gov/ recognizing that the Government has the right, by terms of the solicitation, to make an award without further discussion if it so elects.

(2) TECHNICAL QUOTATION

(A) General

(1) The technical quotation consists of the quoter’s technical and management aspects of the acquisition. It must indicate your company's capabilities and the means to be used to satisfy the requirements of the Statement of Work. It will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria and must be specific and complete in every detail. The quotation must be practical and be prepared simply and economically, providing straightforward, concise delineation of what it is the quoter will do to satisfy the requirements of the Statement of Work.

(2) In order that the technical quotation may be evaluated strictly on the merit of the material submitted, no price information shall be included.

(3) The quotation shall not merely offer to perform work in accordance with the statement of work, but shall outline the actual work proposed as specifically as practical. The Statement of Work reflects the problems and objective of the program under consideration; therefore, repeating the Statement of Work without sufficient elaboration will not be acceptable.

(4) The quotation must be typed, on 8-1/2" by 11" paper, not exceeding 15 pages, single sided, single spaced, exclusive of past performance references.

(B) Specific areas to be addressed:

For evaluation of Technical Acceptability, quoters must submit all of the following:

(1) Product specifications for helium;

(2) Documentation that helium is being purchased from a Federal Helium

Supplier. Documentation must clearly show that the helium provider is an FHS;

(3) If the prime Contractor is proposing a subcontractor to perform required work, documentation which shows that the prime Contractor and the proposed subcontractor have an agreement which confirms that the subcontractor has agreed to work with the prime contractor to perform the work the subcontractor has been proposed to perform. Prime

Contractors are reminded that the Government has no privity of contract with subcontractors;

(4) An accounting of the number of dewars otherwise obligated (other than by

NIST), or how many dewars the Contractor is willing to set aside for NIST, for each of the following sizes: 30 L, 60 L, 100 L, and 250 L;

(5) An assessment of the quality level of the dewars identified in #4 above and how the dewar specifications required by the statement of work will be met;

(6) A plan for acquiring the necessary quantity of dewars as well as the time frame for availability. Submission of this plan is at the Contractor’s discretion subject to their accounting;

(7) Procedures for NIST to contact the Contractor outside of normal business hours for an emergency delivery and/or safety hazard. Quoters must identify the timeframe within which NIST will see a response or resolution for an emergency delivery and for a safety hazard;

(7) Confirmation that the Contractor has reviewed and will meet all requirements of the statement of work;

(8) Internal procedures for continuation of service during shortage periods;

(9) Procedure for the return of dewars that do not function or do not conform to the requirements of Section 5 of the Statement of Work.

For evaluation of Past Performance, quoters must submit all of the following:

Past performance information regarding relevant contracts over the past three (3) years with Federal, state, or local governments, or commercial customers.

If the quoter intends to subcontract with another firm(s) for part of this requirement, that firm’s past performance information shall also be provided.

If the quoter has no relevant past performance, it shall include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The Government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the quoter in its quotation.

The description of each contract described in this section shall not exceed one-half page in length.

For each contract, the quoter shall provide the following information:

-Contract number;

-Description and relevance to solicitation requirements include dollar value;

-Period of Performance – indicate by month and year the state and completion (or “ongoing”) dates for the contract;

-Reference Contact – If a non-Government contract, identify the name and address of the client with current telephone number and email address of a point of contact of the client responsible for the contract;

-Contracting Office – If a Government contract (Federal or state), identify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), administrative

Contracting Officer (ACO), and Contracting Officer’s Representative

(COR), and their names, current telephone numbers and email addresses.

-Problems Encountered – include information regarding information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems.

Past performance must be addressed by the Contractor. If the Contractor has no recent and/or relevant past performance performing the required work, the quotation must so state. If past performance is not addressed within the quotation, the Government will determine the quotation technically unacceptable on the basis of being non-responsive.

(3) VOLUME III - PRICE QUOTATION

The price quotation must include:

-The price per liter of helium for the base period and each option period; and

-A flat rate per month for demurrage for the base period and each option period; and

-If applicable, any fee or fees associated with emergency and/or unplanned deliveries.

QUESTIONS

All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to carol.wood@nist.gov not later than five days after release of the solicitation.

PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES

Reference the attached document for all applicable provisions and clauses.

mailto:carol.wood@nist.gov