Document Destruction

Added: Feb 14, 2013 3:34 pm

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
FOR
DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION SERVICES
FOR
THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

(Issued on February 14, 2013)

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the FTC is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Interested parties are advised the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

1.0 Description

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires the services of a document destruction vendor to provide regularly scheduled destruction of paper documents and records in a secure, environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective manner. This vendor may also be required to provide destruction of electronic storage media including hard drives, DVDs, CDs, and other media on an as-needed basis from 3 FTC locations:

• 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580
• 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
• 1800 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

The FTC currently generates approximately 8,000 - 10,000 pounds of documents weekly from the three Washington, DC facilities. This should be considered a typical weekly generation amount based on historic data and may increase or decrease due to FTC operational or program changes.

2.0 Background

The FTC is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1914 to prevent unfair methods of competition in commerce. Over time, the FTC's mission has grown to include: preventing business practices that are anticompetitive, deceptive, or unfair to consumers; enhancing informed consumer choice and public understanding of the competitive process; and accomplishing this without unduly burdening legitimate business activity.

Our current document destruction process involves disposing of confidential, sensitive, and non-public materials (documents) in "burn bags," brown paper bags located in offices and central areas. The bags are secured with staples or tape before being placed in the hallway and collected once a week. The documents are then transported and destroyed using a plant-based service at an off-site location.

The FTC is looking to transition from the use of paper bags to reusable containers. A successful vendor will initially be able to accept materials in bags until the three FTC locations in Washington, DC are equipped with containers. We expect this transition to take no more than 60 days. The vendor is also expected to assist with the distribution of containers and familiarize employees with the destruction process. We are interested in pursuing on-site services, but will consider off-site destruction if vendors can demonstrate the necessary protocols to guarantee the transportation, management, and destruction of documents in a secure manner.

3.0 Specific Requirements

3.1 Certification
• Contractor shall be certified by the National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) and meet all established standards for a secure destruction process including such areas as operational security, employee hiring and screening, the destruction process, responsible disposal, and insurance.
• Employees, and employees of any subcontractors who handle FTC documents, shall be accredited by the NAID as certified secure destruction specialists (CSDS) whenever possible.

3.2 Locale
• Vendor will maintain capability to perform services in the Washington, District of Columbia Metropolitan Area.

4.0 Limitations:
• This RFI is intended to result in a Request for Proposal to be set-aside for small business concerns. "Small business concern" means a concern, including its affiliates, which is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR Part 121.

5.0 Responses

5.1 Interested small businesses are requested to respond to this RFI within one week.

5.2 Capability statements should be in Microsoft Word for Office 2000 compatible format or scanned PDF documents and are due no later than February 21, 2013, 5:00 PM EST. Responses shall be limited to 1 single-spaced page, 8.5"x11" with no smaller than 10 point font, and submitted via e-mail only to mmarkano@ftc.gov.

5.3 The 1 page submittal shall include:

5.3.1. Name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address of designated point of contact.

5.3.2. Recommended contracting strategy; to include suggested North American Industry Classification System NAICS code, under which the offeror will perform.

5.3.3. Small business type (small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon NAICS code 561990 All Other Support Services (Document Destruction). Note: The FTC is intending to solicit this requirement under NAICS code 561990, however alternate NAICS code suggestions will be considered.

5.3.4 Capability Statement

5.4 Additional Requested Information

5.4.1 Statement of NAID Certification as an additional attachment, not included in the one page limitation.

6.0 Questions

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contract Specialist, Mary Kate Markano, at mmarkano@ftc.gov before February 21, 2013 at 5:00 PM EST.