S205--VACHS Solid Waste Collection Services (Tiered Evaluation)

Amendment A00001 is issued to provide answers to Contractors questions concerning Solicitation No. 36C24822Q0102, to remove FAR 52.223-99 and Section 24 of the Performance Work Statement (PWS), and to add Section 4.13 to the PWS.

Answers to questions made regarding Solicitation No. 36C24822Q0102 can be seen below:

Question: What is an estimated tonnage for compactors and dumpsters?

Answer: Estimated tonnages per pick-up and per month can be seen in the table below:

Question: Will the Government consider directly selecting the recycling company that will receive the recyclable waste collected by this Contractor, in order to arrange the terms and conditions of waste acceptability directly with the recycling company?

Answer: In order to lighten the burden on the Contractor for having to pay for additional disposition fees, Section 4.13 of the PWS has been added, which states that in the case where there are additional charges to dispose of the collected waste due to its contamination on behalf of the Government (e.g. waste from another stream), the Contractor may charge an additional disposition fee to the Government, equal to the amount the Contractor is charged by the waste disposition site, provided that supporting documentation of such charge is given to the Government .

Question: Can the Government arrange for payments with the recycling company directly?

Answer: No. The Contractor providing waste collection services is responsible of depositing the checks at the VACHS Agent Cashier, since it is such Contractor that would be under contract with VACHS.

Revised contract clauses and provisions, as well as a revised PWS can be seen attached to this amendment.

As a reminder, submission of your response shall be received not later than 10:00 AM Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on December 17, 2021 at wilfredo.perez3@va.gov.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (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; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued.

The solicitation number 36C24822Q0102 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The incorporated provisions and clauses in this document are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2022-01, effective on 12-06-2021.

This solicitation is being procured as a tiered evaluation set-aside for Small-Business (SBs). In the case that an award cannot be made to a SB at a fair and reasonable price to the Government, the SB set-aside will be dissolved, and it shall be competed among Large Businesses.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 562111, with a small business size standard of $41.5 Million. The PSC is S205.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office - 8 located at VA Caribbean Health System (VACHS), 10 Casia Street, Admin Building Suite 4M440, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00921 is seeking for a Contractor to provide collection, transporting, and disposition services for non-hazardous Solid Waste at the VA Caribbean Health System (VACHS). These services will be provided at the VACHS main facility, the Mayaguez Out-patient Clinic (MOPC), and the VA Carolina Warehouse.

Detailed specifications and requirements are provided in the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) Instructions to Offerors, Price/Cost Schedule, Clauses and Provisions.

The contract period of performance is expected to be one (1) 12-month base period, starting on 01/01/2022, with four (4) 12-month option periods.

Place of Performance/Place of Delivery

Address: VA Caribbean Healthcare System: 10 Casia Street, San Juan, PR 00921

The full text of FAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

The following solicitation provisions apply to this acquisition:

1. FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items (Addendum attached)

2. FAR 52.212-3, Offerors Representations and Certifications Commercial Items

(www.sam.gov registration is required to be active at time of submission of response)

Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ in accordance with FAR 52.212-3, Offerors Representations and Certifications Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

The following contract clauses apply to this acquisition:

1. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items (OCT 2018) (Addendum attached)

2. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders (OCT 2019)

This solicitation is being issued as tiered evaluation with the following tiers: (1) Small Business concerns with HUBZone small business concerns and 8(a) participants having priority; and (2) Large Business concerns. If award cannot be made, the solicitation will be canceled, and the requirement resolicited.

Award will be based upon a comparative evaluation of quotes in accordance with the Simplified Acquisition Procedures of FAR 13. Comparative evaluation is the side by side pairwise comparison of quotes based on factors resulting in a Contracting Officer decision for the quote most favorable to the Government. Options will be evaluated at time of award.

The award will be made to the response most advantageous to the Government. Responses should contain your best terms, conditions. To facilitate the award process, all quotes must include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows:

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition."

OR

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:"

Quoters shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s), if any.

Questions submission shall be received not later than 12:00 PM Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on December 9, 2021 at wilfredo.perez3@va.gov.

Submission of your response shall be received not later than 10:00 AM AST on December 17, 2021 at wilfredo.perez3@va.gov.

The quoter shall submit a PDF version of the quote to the Government. Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f). Omission of any one item MAY result in a quoter package being deemed not technically acceptable.

Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Point of Contact listed below.

Point of Contact

Wilfredo Perez, Contracting Officer, 787-641-7582 Ext. 134980 and email wilfredo.perez3@va.gov.