Solicitation_Amendment_SGE50014R0021A001.pdf

SOLICITATION AMENDMENT

DOCUMENT

European Logistical Support Office (ELSO), for Expedited Logistics Program

(ELP), Antwerp, Belgium

Electrical Household Appliances

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American Consulate General Regional Procurement Support Office

Giessener Strasse 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main Germany

Continuation to Block 14 – Description of Amendment 001, Solicitation SGE50014R0021

This solicitation is hereby amended to extend the proposal due date and incorporate solicitation questions and answers as set forth below:

PROPOSAL DUE DATE

The proposal due date of September 08, 2014, 16:00 hours Central European Time (C.E.T.) in Section 3.1 ( Instruction to the Offerors ) of the solicitation document is herewith changed to September 15, 2014, 16:00 hours Central European Time (C.E.T.) .

SOLICITATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Q&A)

This Amendment incorporates Questions and Answers (Q&A) a) through s) as follows:

GENERAL PRODUCT QUESTIONS

a) QUESTION:

Schuko plug: does the unit have to come with power cord ending with Schuko plug, or are adapter plugs acceptable (e.g. British plug with adapter British-to-Schuko)?

ANSWER:

Schuko plugs are required. No adapters will be accepted for items 1-3, 6, 7 and 10-11.

For the electric range ( item 4 ), a suitable cord for the higher amperage output and for hard-wiring must be provided. The same requirement applies also to clothes dryer ( item 8 ) and stacked dryer ( part of item 9 ) . The Government understands a schuko plug will not have sufficient amperage for these three items.

b) QUESTION:

Country of origin: are there requirements or restrictions regarding the product origin? If not, is there a preferential treatment for product originating in the USA and in the EU?

ANSWER:

As these supplies are for use outside of the US, the Buy American Act does not apply. Per FAR 25.402, the WTO GPA and all other FTAs noted in FAR 25 do apply. Therefore, FAR

25.502 dictates the evaluation of foreign offerors. Per 25.502(b)(1), the Government is required to consider only offers of US-made or TAA designated country end products, unless no offers of such end product are received. Products originating in the USA or EU will not receive preference over other TAA-designated countries. However, products of non-TAA-designated countries will not be considered unless there are no offers of US- or TAA-designated origins.

c) QUESTION:

Approvals: does unit have to carry CE mark? What other approvals are required?

ANSWER:

Appliances must be safety-tested and certified by an internationally-recognized testing association. For the purpose of Government’s evaluation CE markings alone may not be are not a sufficient approval as they are vendor’s self-assertion of compliance with general standards and not the result of safety and compliance tests by external, independent agencies.

d) QUESTION:

There is no Energy Rating listed for some US manufactured product. Does it mean that these US (North American) products are not required to have energy efficiency rating ( for example, there are no Energy Star guidelines for electric ranges.) ?

ANSWER:

No US energy efficiency rating is required for those US products for which Energy Star rating does not exist. For EU products which are subject to the EU energy efficiency rating, an A-level (or equivalent) will be evaluated higher than a lower EU energy efficiency level.

e) QUESTION:

New EU Energy Guidelines will take effect starting 9/1/14. What if no label is available ( as, for example, for vacuum cleaners ) by the time quote needs to be submitted (it might be difficult to research and confirm with the manufacturer whether unit offered has EU Level A)

ANSWER:

Regarding EU Energy Guidelines, draft guidelines and standardization mandate were already made public on 18 July 2014 for the regulation having taken effect 1 September 2014.

ITEM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:

f) (DISHWASHER - item 1)

QUESTION:

Specs say “under-the-counter or freestanding” – does the unit have to have a worktop (included with the freestanding models only)?

ANSWER:

A detachable worktop is required ( freestanding model )

g) (REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER - Item 3)

QUESTION:

Are there dimensions restrictions (e.g. max width or height) for the product?

ANSWER:

There are no specified dimension restrictions for this product. The Government is requesting a refrigerator/freezer within the capacity range stated in the solicitation.

QUESTION:

What standards for Gross Capacity are to be used (e.g. ISO, AHAM)?

ANSWER:

There is no specific standard required, although Offerors may propose a capacity according to a given standard.

h) (ELECTRIC RANGE - item 4 ) QUESTION: Is there width requirement/preference for the unit (24” vs 30”)?

ANSWER: The Government does not have a preference; so long as the range meets the stated capacity.

i) (GAS RANGE - item 5) QUESTION: Is the cordless type the only option considered?

ANSWER: Yes, the gas range must be cordless.

QUESTION:

Cordless ranges (battery or match spark) cannot be self-cleaning. Which feature is more important: battery-spark or self-cleaning?

ANSWER: Standard or Self-cleaning may be acceptable. The cordless range is required.

j) (MICROWAVE - item 6)

QUESTION: Is stainless steel interior required, or only exterior?

ANSWER: Stainless steel is required for interior and exterior.

k) (WASHER - item 7 )

QUESTION:

Among US-Style washing machines only no-agitator HE top loaders have Energy Star rating.

Traditional top loaders with improved efficiency only meet Department of Energy Minimum Clothes Washer Energy & Water Requirements. Will Government consider non-agitator (e.g.

Whirlpool Cabrio) washers for higher efficiency that have higher maximum RPM than 700?

Please note that no US-style top loading washing machine will meet the EU energy efficiency level A.

ANSWER: The speed shall not exceed 700 RPM.

l) (DRYER – item 8 )

QUESTION:

Please confirm that requested model is exhaust-air, not condensing type. US-style dryers that match top loading washers are only exhaust-air.

ANSWER:

The Government does not have a preference; as long as the dryer is a front loading.

m) ( STACKED WASHER/DRYER - item 9)

QUESTION:

Minimum capacity listed is 6 kg. Is there a maximum?

ANSWER:

There is no specified maximum

QUESTION:

Should washer and dryer match (same manufacturer and styling)?

ANSWER:

The Government expects that a commercially available stacking kit will have the same manufacture/brand for washer and dryer. However, if Offeror offers a stacking kit which uses differing models and complies with all warranty requirements, they shall make this clear in their offer.

QUESTION:

Should dryer be condensing, heat-pump condensing or exhaust air?

ANSWER:

The Government does not have a preference as long as it does not conflict with the stated requirements.

n) ( WATER HEATER - item 11 )

QUESTION:

Plugs and power cords are not provided with water heaters due to high wattage elements (2x 4500W). Please confirm no power cord is acceptable.

ANSWER:

The Government successfully procured schuko plug electric water heaters in the past. If the Offeror is unable or believes this to not be possible, they should clearly document the reason and rationale in their proposal.

QUESTION:

Only Heat Pump Electric Water heaters carry Energy Star rating , or are eligible for EU level A. Standard Tall 50 Gallon Electric Water heaters are available as standard (EF=0.91) or HE (EF>=0.93.) To meet Energy Star a particular unit has to have EF>=2.0. Please clarify the EF factor to be met.

ANSWER:

An Energy Factor of >=0.93 will be sufficient for this requirement.

QUESTION:

Please clarify the type of the water heater requested: short, medium or tall.

ANSWER: The water heater shall be tall model

CONTRACTUAL QUESTIONS

o) QUESTION:

Is it possible to submit a partial quote (not for all line items) or should quote be for all units requested?

ANSWER:

It is possible to provide a quote that does not include all items. As stated, the Government reserves the right to award two or more separate contracts, if doing so is advantageous to the Government.

p) QUESTION:

Delivery requirements specify two locations: Duerne, Belgium or Linden, NJ. Is it up to the offeror to decide on the delivery location, or are there similar guidelines like in recent ELSO bids/buys posted on FedBid (US-made product with delivery to Linden and non-US made product with delivery to Belgium)?

ANSWER:

The Contractor shall specify the delivery address, as stated in Section 1.9.1. For products shipping from Origin within the United States, the US Government’s Despatch Agency in NY is a preferred shipping destination, as the additional cost of shipping of Government supply shipments to Antwerp is more efficient when arranged by the Despatch Agency than can be provided by commercial sources. However, the Government recognizes that shipping to the Despatch Agency in NY would be costly and inefficient if the Origin of the supplies is from Europe or elsewhere in the world. The Offeror may specify different delivery for different items, for this reason.

q) QUESTION:

Maximum delivery time listed is 60 days. Does it apply to all products irrespective of their origin and selected delivery location? If we offer shorter delivery period, will that be considered an advantage or an equal?

ANSWER:

A shorter delivery period will be considered an equal.

r) QUESTION:

Section 1.1 explains that solicitation may result in multiple contracts. Does it mean that Government intends to award the contracts to multiple suppliers?

ANSWER:

As stated, the Government reserves the right to award contracts to two or more offerors, each of the contracts for the supply of some of appliances ( CLINs ). The Government does not intend to award multiple contracts for one and the same appliance (CLIN ).

s) QUESTION:

Solicitation explains that multiple proposals are acceptable. If offeror plans to offer two different models of a dishwasher or a refrigerator, should a complete Proposal package be submitted for every combination, or is it acceptable to offer 1 Proposal and name different options for a particular appliance, for instance “Attachment 1 – Option A, Option B”?

ANSWER:

If offeror plans to offer two different models of a dishwasher or a refrigerator, it is acceptable to offer 1 proposal and name different options for a particular appliance, for instance “Attachment 1 – Option A, Option B”.

In this case, according to the stipulations of the solicitation, the following scenarios are possible:

- All ( two or more ) options are technically acceptable, in which case only the lowest price technically acceptable option will be included in the price evaluation , or

- Some (or all ) options are technically not acceptable and shall be not considered; for the remaining technically acceptable ones the paragraph above applies.

Separate and full proposal packages are not required, although may be submitted if the Offeror so chooses. However, if multiple Proposals are submitted separately, there will be no comparison or combination of the proposals. The Government shall evaluate separately as if provided by separate companies.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remain unchanged and in full force and effect.