S217--Saginaw Atrium Plant Service and Maintenance Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center

This Sources Sought/Market Survey Notice is being conducted by Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, 1500 Weiss St., Saginaw, MI 48602 to identify all sources that are capable of providing Atrium Plant Services and Maintenance for the period of January 17, 2025 January 16, 2025 with four option years exercisable solely at the discretion of the Government in strict accordance with all schedules, specifications, terms, conditions and provisions of this contract.

Furnish all labor, supervision, materials, and equipment necessary to maintain the interior landscape in a healthy, vigorous and attractive condition in accordance with the contract specifications. Operations include cultivation, fertilization, watering, foliage cleaning, soil media replenishment, insect and disease control, clean-up/trash removal and replacement of damaged or dead plantings as requested by the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center.

SPECIFICATIONS:

The contractor shall maintain the Bldg. 22 Atrium plants and guarantee the health, vigor, and appearance of all plants in the landscaped areas for the full term of the contract. Services will be provided one (1) time each week, 52 hours per year.

The contractor shall replace, throughout the term of the contract period, any plants that are dead, or are in an unhealthy or unsightly condition due to improper maintenance or any other cause due to contractor negligence. The contractor shall make replacements promptly, at no additional cost to the VAMC, with material that meets or exceeds the original contract specifications. The contractor and the COR will be responsible for identifying those plants that need replacement.

The contractor will notify COR of any plants that are diseased, overgrown or have become unsuitable for the environment. These plants will be removed and replaced with a similar replacement species agreed upon between the contractor and COR. The government will be responsible for the cost of the replacement planting, these costs are excluded from this contract.

Contractor shall keep area clean of all trash, pruning remnants, and other maintenance debris, and shall dust and clean all planter copings at the end of each visit. Trash may be disposed of on site in receptacles designated by the COR.

All materials shall meet or exceed the current NALP standards for Interior Plant Specifications.

Plant quality and size shall be equal to, or surpassing, Foliage No. I grade as described in the Interior Plant Specifications section of A Guide to Specifications for Interior Landscaping, (current edition published by the National Association of Landscape Professionals). Plantings shall be of varieties to create an ascetically pleasing environment, consisting of different textures, species and blooms. The government reserves the right to reject any material.

Foliage shall be visibly free of pests and pathogens, which by their presence could induce or contribute to the decline of the plant. Plants will be removed from service immediately when pests and or pathogens are present and replaced with similar variety during next scheduled service appointment.

Foliage shall be reasonably free of any chlorosis, yellowing, or poor chlorophyll formation; must be turgid and substantially free of blemish resulting from mechanical, chemical, pathological, or pest-induced damage. Foliage shall be free of dust, pesticide, and waterborne residues.

Canes, trunks, stems and branches shall be visibly free of pests and pathogens, which could, by their presence, induce or contribute to the decline of the plants. Canes, trunks, stems and branches shall be visibly free of scars, conspicuous or not, and shall be substantially healed, providing no point of entry of deleterious pathogens or boring insects. There shall be no splitting of canes or trunks at branching points.

Contractor provide and replenish soil media in bedding, wood bark, moss, straw, etc. as appropriate to the species of plant areas as required through entire contract period.

Contractor will at each visit as necessary: check soil moisture prior to and after watering, check soil PH, turn plants according to growth and light conditions, remove old blooms, clean and shine foliage, trim and manage plants for optimal growth, apply/remove bedding materials.

Contractor shall have a minimum of five (5) years of commercial indoor plant maintenance experience.

If this is a service your business can provide, respond to this Sources Sought by Wednesday, July 17, 2024; 3:00 P.M. Eastern time. Responses should include: (1) Business Name and Address (2) Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, and E-mail Address (3) SAM UEI and NAICS code (4) Business Size SMALL or LARGE (5) Type of Business SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN OWNED, VETERAN OWNED, 8A, HUBZone, WOMEN-OWNED etc. (6) Applicable GSA/FSS Contract Number (if applies). All businesses eligible to provide this service are encouraged to reply as this information may be used to determine potential set-asides for the above noted service. E-mail responses to: Alexis Alexander, at Alexis.Alexander1@va.gov. (Note: This is NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE or an announcement of a solicitation.)