Title and Closing Services - Cancelled

AG-2B46-S-16-0018 Questions, Answers and Correction

1. Will this solicitation result in a BPA or a contract? Your summary states that it is for a BPA but in the evaluation factors section it states that this will be a contract. There are substantial differences between a BPA and a contract and none of the standard BPA terms are included in this solicitation. Please advise.

The Government anticipates establishing Fixed-Price Five-Year Blanket Purchase Agreement(s)

2. The solicitation contains two different quote sheets. The line items are not consistent between the two. Each quote sheet should have line items for title search/commitment/binder, updated title commitment, closing/legal services, title insurance premium, recording fee, and closing protection letter.

Attachment 2 - Quote Submittal Worksheet, page 1 requires all interested offerors to provide pricing for Years 1-4 for future unidentified requirements; page 2 is the identified requirement for the Base Year (2016) and page 3 is offers to provide pricing for the Base Year. NRCS Technical experts provided the line item descriptions.

3. The delivery dates reflected in Item G. in the statement of work do not match the delivery dates within the individual tasks of the statement of work. For example "title search services must be provided within 15 business days..." yet Item G states that "title commitments must be provided within 30 business days....." There is a similar problem with the closing dates.

The official statement of work document that comes out of the manual which states:

All Preliminary Title Insurance Commitments must be delivered within 30 business days of request.

All easements must be recorded within 60 calendar days of receiving the OGC Preliminary Title Opinion and closing instructions from NRCS.

CORRECTION:

Attachment 1, page 2 of 4, under F. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTOR, paragraph 3 is being corrected-

From:
Title search services must be provided within 15 business days of receiving the request from NRCS. The contractor will be provided with the name and address of the landowner, proposed easement map, Georgia Department of Assessment and Taxation Real Property Data Search Report and a copy of the deed.

To:
Title search services must be provided within 30 business days of receiving the request from NRCS. The contractor will be provided with the name and address of the landowner, proposed easement map, Georgia Department of Assessment and Taxation Real Property Data Search Report and a copy of the deed.

The above noted correction does not impact the Closing Date for responses for this RFQ.

The objective of this contract is to obtain title search, preliminary title commitment, final title policy, and closing services for acquisitions of conservation easements in the State of Georgia on behalf of the United States of America, acting by and through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), pursuant to Title II of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79).

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs (ACEP) authorizes the acquisition of easement rights from willing landowners. NRCS is the lead USDA agency that is charged with administering those programs.

These services are for the State of Georgia. The contract will be administered from Annapolis, Maryland.

All offers should be sent via US mail not later than 2 p.m. Eastern Time to --

DENISE BROOKS - AG-2B46-S-16-0018
USDA NRCS
339 Busch's Frontage Road, Suite 301
Annapolis, MD 21409-5543

EMAIL Copies will not be accepted

This is a 100% set aside for Small Business. The applicable NAICS code is 541191, which has a size standard of $11 million.

Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) to be included in your response - Total of 5 line items MUST be included in quote to include a total for each property so that clear comparisons can be performed. Failure to provide as required below will exclude you from the competition.