S208--Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery (955)| Grounds Maintenance | AMENDMENT A0001 | Response to Questions/Answers. No Solicitation extension. Solicitation Closes: August 17, 2020.

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RFQ FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Document Type: Combined Synopsis Solicitation

Solicitation Number: 36C78620Q0298

Issue Date of Solicitation: July 27, 2020

Response Due Date: August 17, 2020 at 6:00 pm (Central)

Requested Services Grounds Maintenance Services - Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery

Place of Performance: Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery

162 Goode Road

Anniston, AL 36205

Applicable NAICS: 561730 | Landscaping Services

Classification Code: S208 | Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping

Set Aside Type: 100% Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)

Period of Performance: September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2021 with (4) 1-Year Options through August 31, 2025.

Issuing Contracting Office: Department of Veterans Affairs

National Cemetery Administration, Contracting Services

18434 Joplin Road

Triangle, VA 22172

Attachments: (A) Department of Labor Wage Determination #2015-5588, Revision #13 dated June 18, 2020, Calhoun County, AL.

(B) Statement/Scope of Work

(C) Price/Cost Schedule (Contract Line Items or CLINs)

(D) Past Performance Questionnaire

(E) - Past Performance List of References

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; Quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ), Solicitation Number: 36C78620Q0298.

This is a 100% set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

The applicable North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 561730, Landscaping Services with a business size standard in dollars of $8 million dollars.

This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. In accordance with FAR 19.502-4, the Government reserves the right to make multiple contract awards to more than one responsible SDVOSB concern.

Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, Contracting Service (43C1), is the only activity authorized to issue orders under this contract.

In accordance with Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) Clause 852.219-10 (July 2019), Quoters understand that at least 51 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance will be spent for employees of your business concern or employees of other eligible Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small business concerns. Quoters must demonstrate in their Technical Proposal volume, a detailed plan of action on how compliance with this mandate will be met and maintained for the duration of this contract.

NON-PERSONAL SERVICES CONTRACT

The services provided in the contract will involve non-personal services. The personnel rendering the services of the contract are not subject, either by contract terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control usually prevailing in relationships between the Government and its employees.

SITE VISITS: Offerors are urged and expected to inspect all sites where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance. In no event shall failure to inspect one or all sites constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

If your company plans to conduct a site visit of the Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery, you must do so during the designated date and times below only. No site visits will be scheduled or arranged after August 6, 2020 pertaining to this requirement.

Site Visit Dates: August 4, 5, 6, 2020 ONLY.

Time: Between hours or 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Central Time Zone).

Site Visit Location: Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery, 162 Goode Road, Anniston, AL 36205.

IMPORTANT:  ALL INTERESTED OFFERORS MUST CONTACT Herman Watkins, Administrative Officer at 205-665-9039 to set up a Site Visit appointment. An appointment must be made in advance prior to visit.  No exceptions.  No site visits will be scheduled or arranged after August 6, 2020.

PRICE SCHEDULE:

Contractor shall provide all labor, supervision, material, equipment, tools and supplies to provide complete general Grounds Maintenance services for the Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery following applicable federal, state and/or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards.

Units and services shall be in accordance with Statement or Scope of Work, Technical Specifications, Performance Incentives/Disincentives (e.g., Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, if applicable), and all other terms and conditions contained in this Solicitation.

Quoter is to understand that the quantities stated in the schedule are estimates for pricing purposes only.

The schedule price provided shall be all-inclusive, including all labor, equipment, materials, and supplies to complete the Contract Line Items (CLINs). Quoters shall enter unit price and total amounts for each CLIN as indicated in the schedule. In the event there is a difference between a unit price and the extended total amount, the unit price will be held to be the intended proposed price and the total of the CLINs will be recomputed accordingly.

CLIN

No.

Supplies/Services

Est. Qty

Unit

Unit Price

Total Price

0001

Description

$_________

$___________

SEE ATTACHMENT C - PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

Total

$___________

Total Estimated Price Base and all Option periods

$______________

SCOPE: The Quoter shall be responsible for providing complete Grounds Maintenance services as

designated September 1, 2020 through August 31, 2021 with (4) 1-Year Options through August 31,

2025, at the Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery.

Services to be Provided: See Attachment B Statement/Scope of Work.

INSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS:

Prospective awardees MUST have a current and active registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov PRIOR TO AWARD and through final payment, and must complete annual Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) at http://www.sam.gov prior to award and through final payment. CONTRACT WILL NOT BE AWARDED TO COMPANIES THAT DO NOT HAVE A CURRENT/ACTIVE SAM ACCOUNT REGISTRATION.

SDVOSB and VOSB socio-economic eligible category concerns SHALL also have an active/current registration with the Vendor Information Pages (VIP) and the Verification Case Management System (VCMS) via www.vip.vetbiz.gov (VetBiz.Gov) certifying a current SDVOSB status AT TIME OF AWARD.

Responses to this Request for Quotation (RFQ) are due to the Contracting Officer no later than 6:00 p.m. (Central) on August 17, 2020. Responses to this announcement will result in an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The Government intends to make award without discussions.

All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information provided nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided for the Government. Quoters are responsible for obtaining any and all amendments or additional information concerning this announcement at https://fbo.gov.

Questions: All questions regarding this solicitation are to be submitted to the Contracting Officer, via email, no later than August 10, 2020 4:00 p.m., (Central).

All questions should be consolidated and sent via email to tene.becknell@va.gov. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions will not be addressed after the designated Questions deadline has expired.

To maintain procurement integrity compliance, please do not contact the Ft. McClellan Post Cemetery, Alabama National Cemetery or Southeast District personnel directly with any questions pertaining to this Solicitation. All questions must be forwarded to the Contracting Officer by the designated Questions deadline date.

QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Quotation Format and Submission Information:

Quotations must be submitted on company letterhead. Commercial format is encouraged. All Quotation documents must be submitted in four (4) SEPARATE volumes and in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format No MS Word documents please unless specifically requested.

Quotations and all supporting documentation shall be submitted via email in Adobe .pdf format, to the following email address: tene.becknell@va.gov by the designated deadline date/time.

The Quoter, not the Contracting Officer, shall be responsible for ensuring that a complete proposal and all Volumes have been received by the Contracting Officer by the designated deadline date. Quotation packages that do not contain all the above materials will be rejected as non-responsive.

All Quoters shall include the following information as part of their Quotation in the following four (4) VOLUMES:

Company Information (VOLUME A)

The following information shall be included in Volume A:

Legal Business/Company Name (as listed in www.sam.gov)

Complete Company Address (No PO Boxes)

DUNS Number

Company Point of Contact Name & Title

Telephone number

Email Address

Company Capabilities Statement

Proof of current System for Award Management (SAM) account

For SDVOSB and VOSB concerns, proof of active/current Vendor Information Pages (VIP) certification (CVE letter is acceptable).

One (1) signed copy all Solicitation Amendments

One (1) copy of Completed FAR Clause 52.223-3 Hazardous Material Identification and Material Safety Data (if applicable)

One (1) copy of Completed FAR Provision 52.212-3 Certifications and Representations or indicate whether contractor has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at www.sam.gov (copy of current SAM status)

Technical Proposal (VOLUME B)

The following information shall be included in Volume B:

One (1) copy of Technical Proposal. The following shall also be included as part of the Quoter s technical submission:

Company relevant experience descriptions.

Managerial & Technical Qualifications of key personnel

Identification of all Subcontractors anticipated to perform work under this contract and approximate percentage of work subcontractors will perform.

Relevant work qualifications of proposed sub-contractors.

Employee resumes, CV s, additional experience related information, etc.,

Limitations on Subcontracting plan of compliance (IAW Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) Clause 852.219-10).

Past Performance (VOLUME C)

The following information shall be included in Volume C:

Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment D) from at least three (3) past performance or current references pertaining to related Grounds Maintenance services work performed.

In addition to the past performance questionnaires, the Quoter is responsible for providing a completed copy of at least (3) references on the List of References (Attachment E) to the Contracting Officer. The completed list of references shall be included in Volume C of the Quoter s proposal submission.

Pricing (VOLUME D)

The following information shall be included in Volume D:

Proposed pricing shall be submitted on the Price/Cost Schedule of Services (Attachment C).

One (1) copy of Price Offer/Quote for all items in the schedule this should be a separate document in .pdf format**. Pricing shall be submitted in the Price/Cost Schedule of Supplies/Services CLINs format only as outlined in Attachment C.

**NOTE: Attachment C is provided in MS Word format for ease of Quoter completion. Finalized proposed quote costs provided in Volume D must be in .pdf format.

Evaluation Process:

The Government intends to award an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Requirements contract resulting from this Solicitation to the responsible Quoter whose Quotation provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Quotations will be evaluated by performing a comparative evaluation in accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3) to determine which response represents the best as a whole.

Quotations will be evaluated by performing a direct comparison of one Quotation with another in a uniform manner to determine which Quotation provides the government with its needs, as identified in the RFQ. The government reserves the right to consider a response that Quotations more than the minimum and select that response if it provides a benefit to the government. The government has the discretion to accept other than the lowest priced Quoter that provides additional benefits. The government also has the has the discretion to make an award based on whether the lowest priced of the quotations/Quotations having the highest past performance rating possible represents the best benefit to the government.

BASIS FOR CONTRACT AWARD

In accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3), the quotes will undergo a comparative evaluation to determine which vendor provides the best value to the Government in terms of the information provided in response to the non-priced factors while also providing a competitive price.

Comparative Evaluations is the act of comparing two or more Quotations or proposal in response to the RFQ. Quotations will be evaluated by performing a direct comparison of one Quotation with another in a uniform manner to determine which provides the government with is needed, as identified in the RFQ. The comparison also performed to compare each Quoter to one another to determine which provides the best benefit to the government.

The government reserves the right to consider a response that Quotations more than the minimum and select that response if it provides a benefit to the government. The government has the discretion to accept other than the lowest priced Quoter that provides additional benefits. The government also has the has the discretion to make an award based on whether the lowest priced of the quotations/Quotations having the highest past performance rating possible represents the best benefit to the government.

Moreover, the Government is not assigning weight to the factors or listing them in any order of importance. A comparative evaluation of Quotations will be conducted using the following segments of the contractors quotation: (1) Price, (2) Past Performance, (3) Socio-economic status, and (4) Quality Control Plan. The Government will evaluate for the following:

Price - The Government is evaluating unit pricing and the total overall price to determine price fair and reasonableness. The evaluation will also consider the possibility that FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services can be exercised at any time and can be exercised in increments of one to six months, but for no more than a total of six months during the life of the contract. The evaluation will assume that the prices exercised under FAR 52.217-8 will be at the same rates as those in effect under the contract at the time the option is exercised. This evaluation will not obligate the Government to exercise any option under FAR 52.217-8.

Past Performance - The Government is evaluating the Contractor s past performance to determine is previous experience if both recent and relevant to the needs of the Government as stated in the Performance Work Statement. The Past Performance evaluation will be based on the Contractor having successfully completed verifiable past performance that is similar in scope and nature to that identified in the Performance Work Statement. Past Performance will be deemed acceptable if it is determined that that there is substantial confidence the Contractor can perform the effort based on the submitted past performance documentation.

The Quoter is responsible for providing three (3) references of their choosing. Send a copy of the attached Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment C) for their completion. The completed questionnaire is to be returned to the Contracting Officer for review. The completed questionnaires shall be sent to: tene.becknell@va.gov no later than the solicitation s closing date and time. The references chosen by the Quotation should be selected based on past projects of the same or similar work.

Socio-economic status - The evaluation of Quotations received in response to the solicitation will use proof of current Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Status verification in CVE/Veterans Information Pages (VIP) databases.

Technical Acceptability/ Quality Control Plan

Demonstrated experience performing this requirement

Demonstrated qualifications to perform services

Use of Subcontractors in accordance with VAAR 852.219-74 Limitations on Subcontracting Monitoring and Compliance (Jul 2018)

Quality Control Plan - The Government is evaluating whether the Contractor understands the requirement and has the quality measures in place to insure compliance with the Scope of Work and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (if applicable) throughout the entire performance period of the contract.

Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses

The full text of FAR/VAAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

The following solicitation provisions apply to this acquisition:

FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Quoters Commercial Items (MAR 2020)

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation Commercial Items (OCT 2014)

FAR 52.212-3* Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items (MARÂ 2020)

VAAR 852.270-1 Representatives of Contracting Officers (JAN 2008)

VAAR 852.215-70 VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors (Oct 2019)

VAAR 852.215-71 Evaluation Factor Commitments (Oct 2019)

*Quoters must complete annual representations and certifications on-line at www.sam.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Quoters Representations and Certifications Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

The following solicitation clauses apply to this acquisition:

The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items (Oct 2018) applies to this acquisition.

Addendum to FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items (Oct 2018):

FAR 52.216-27 Single or Multiple Awards (Oct 1995)

FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999) (30 days)

FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar 2000) (30 days) (shall not exceed 5 years and 6 months)

FAR Clause 52.223-3 Hazardous Material Identification and Material Safety Data

FAR 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Dec 2013)

FAR 52.237-3 Continuity of Services (Jan 1991)

VAAR 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (Jan 2008)

VAAR 852.219-10 VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (Jul 2019) (DEVIATION)

VAAR 852.219-74 Limitations on Subcontracting Monitoring and Compliance (Jul 2018)

VAAR 852.219-75 Subcontracting Commitments Monitoring and Compliance (Jul 2018)

VAAR 852.219-76 Subcontracting Plans Monitoring and Compliance (Jul 2018)

VAAR 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payments Requests (Nov 2012)

VAAR 852.237-70 Contractor Responsibilities (Apr 1984)

The clause at 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders (Oct 2018) applies to this acquisition. The following subparagraphs of FAR 52.212-5 are applicable: (b)(4), (b)(18), (b)(22), (b)(25), (b)(26), (b)(27), (b)(28), (b)(30), (b)(33)(i), (b)(42), (b)(49), (b)(55), (c)(2), (c)(8), and (c)(9).

End of Document

See attached document: ATTACHMENT A - DOL Wage Determination - Calhoun County, AL.

See attached document: ATTACHMENT B - Statement or Scope of Work - Grounds Maintenance Services - Ft. McClellan Post.

See attached document: ATTACHMENT C - Price Cost Schedule - Grounds Maintenance Services - Ft. McClellan Post.

See attached document: ATTACHMENT D - Past Performance Questionnaire - Grounds Maintenance Services - Ft. McClellan Post.

See attached document: ATTACHMENT E - List of References - Grounds Maintenance Services - Ft. McClellan Post.

End of Attachments