Helium to National Weather Service in Tucson, AZ

AMENDMENT 1

This amendment to the solicitation does the following:

• Extends the response deadline from July 25, 2023 to August 7, 2023 at 9:00 pm Mountain Daylight Time. 
• Changes the set-aside from Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business to Total Small Business.
• Adds a clarification at the beginning of the Description regarding what must be submitted with the quote. Establishes page limits to quotes. 

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION
Helium gas supplied to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office located in Tucson, AZ.

PLEASE BE SURE TO SUBMIT WITH YOUR QUOTE THE FOLLOWING:

• Pricing. Be sure to indicate whether pack rent is per day or per month. 1 to 2 pages. 
• References. At least 3 references, no more than 5. 1 to 2 pages. Include Business Name, concise nature of the job/project, point of contact name, and phone number. Email address is not a suitable substitute for the reference's phone number, but may be included in addition. If you do not have references because we would be your business's first contract, provide a statement to this effect. 
• Capabilities statement demonstrating your ability to meet this mission critical requirement. 1 to 2 pages. 
• Do not submit additional documents or pages not asked for above. Total quote package must be 3 to 6 pages. (Reps and Certs do not count toward page limits, but only need to be submitted if your Reps and Certs for this opportunity need to be marked differently than what is in sam.gov). 

The following information is provided in accordance with FAR 5.207(c):

1. A National Stock Number is not assigned.
2. This requirement is for commercial helium gas. There is not a qualification requirement for this product. 
3. There is no specific manufacturer or part number for this product. 
4. The helium must be provided in manifolded cradles/packs, with the number of cylinders per cradle determined by the Contractor. Each cylinder within the pack must contain between 197 cubic feet (CF) and 330 CF of helium. The helium is used to fill latex weather balloons sufficiently to lift the balloons to around 100,000 ft.
5. The predominant material is helium gas.
6. The quantity to be delivered is 49,000 CF, delivered incrementally every two to four weeks, depending on the amount of gas provided per cradle. There is an option to increase quantity by up to 3,000 CF. This option is not a separately priced line item and the price is limited to no higher than the initial requirement of the line item that it is exercised against.
7. The Unit of issue is LOT.
8. F.O.B. Destination to National Weather Service, 520 North Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719. The Contractor is responsible for loading/unloading. The delivery point is paved, within a commercial garage, but there is no lifting equipment (forklift) on site.
9. The delivery schedule is approximately every two to four weeks, varying based on the amount of gas contained in each cradle.
10. The duration of the contract is 12 months. There are no options to extend the term of the contract.
11. This requirement does not include any sustainable acquisition requirements. 
12. The procedures to be used in awarding the contract is through a request for quote. The anticipated award date is August 8, 2023.
13. This is not an Architect-Engineer project.
14. This acquisition is not subject to Free Trade Agreements. See exception at FAR 25.401(a)(1).
15. This acquisition is not non-competitive.
16. All responsible sources may submit a quote, which shall be considered by the agency.

The following information is provided in accordance with FAR 12.603 (c)(2)

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice and in accordance with the simplified acquisition procedures authorized in FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) This solicitation number is 1333MH23QNWWT0023 and is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ).  A firm-fixed price with economic price adjustment contract is anticipated to result from this RFQ. 

(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-04, June 2, 2023.

(iv) This solicitation is being issued as a total small business set-aside.  The associated NAICS code is 325120.  The small business size standard is 1,200 employees.  Limitations on Subcontracting and the Non-Manufacturer Rule do not apply to this acquisition. 

(v) The line item numbers, items, quantities, and units of measure, including options, are as follows:

• Line Item: 0001    Item Description: Base period. Helium gas, 49,000 cubic feet, delivered incrementally, approximately every two to four weeks. Includes delivery and hazmat fees, cradle rent, and any additional fees.     Quantity: 1    Unit of Measure: LO
• Line Item: N/A     Item Description: Option to increase quantity to not more than 50% of the base contract quantity, to include delivery and hazmat fees, cylinder rent, and any additional fees. This is not a separately priced line item.     Quantity: 1    Unit of Measure: LO

(vi) A description of requirements for the items to be acquired is provided in the attached Statement of Need. 

(vii) Dates and places of delivery and acceptance and FOB point: 

Deliveries will occur approximately every two to three weeks throughout the period of performance, as scheduled with the requiring office. The period of performance is as follows:

•    Base Period: August 10, 2023 through July 31, 2024

Delivery and acceptance for all deliveries will be at the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office at 520 North Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719. The FOB point is destination.

(viii)  FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (MAR 2023), applies to this acquisition. This is a Best Value acquisition and requires a capability statement and references to be provided with the quote. References must include at a minimum a valid name and phone number. If there is no relevant past performance history, affirmatively state that there is no relevant past performance history; references for other work performed are still required.

Quotes may be submitted on the provided pricing sheet, if preferred, but is not required. Quotes must include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Quotes that fail to furnish required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. All quotes must include business contact information (business name, phone number and email address) and pricing for all separately-priced line items in order to be considered responsive. 

(ix) FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2021) applies. The specific evaluation criteria to be used in paragraph (a) are: past performance, price, and compliance with solicitation requirements. 

(x) FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (DEC 2022), must be completed and included with the quote.

(xi) FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (DEC 2022), applies to this acquisition.

(xii) FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (JUN 2023)(Deviation 2023-03) (Dec 2022) (Deviation 2021-06) (Sept 2021) (Deviation 2017-05)(Sept 2017) applies to this acquisition. The following additional FAR clauses cited in (b) of the clause are applicable to the acquisition:

• 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Award (Jun 2020) (Pub. L. 109-282)(31 U.S.C. 6101 note).
• 52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application (Jun 2023) (Section 102 of Division R of Pub. L. 117-328)
• 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Nov 2021) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).
• 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Oct 2022)
• 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Mar 2023) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2))
• 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755)
• 52.222-19, Child Labor--Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Dec 2022) (E.O. 13126).
• 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)
• 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sept 2016) (E.O. 11246)
• 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 2020) (29 U.S.C. 793)
• 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2021) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627)
• 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Jun 2020) (E.O. 13513)
• 52.225-1, Buy American—Supplies (Oct 2022) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83)
• 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Feb 2021) (E.O.’s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury)
• 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management (Oct 2018) (31 U.S.C. 3332)

(xiii) Additional terms and conditions.

Additional contract requirements and terms and conditions that apply to this acquisition are provided in the attached Clauses and Provisions.

(xiv) Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating do not apply.

(xv) Quotes are due to the contracting office no later than 9:00 pm Mountain Daylight Time on Monday, August 7, 2023.  All quotes must be emailed to the attention of Jen Brown, email address is jen.brown@noaa.gov. 

A fax machine is not readily available to receive quotes. If you need to send your quote by fax rather than by email, please contact Jen Brown at 385-258-1061 in advance to make fax arrangements. 

(xvi) For information regarding this solicitation, contact Jen Brown, E-mail address: jen.brown@noaa.gov, Phone: 385-258-1061.