2420--Grounds Maintenance/Cemetery equipment for North Atlantic and South East District.

Document Type: Combined Synopsis Solicitation Solicitation Number: 36C78620Q0256 Post Date: 09/17/2020 Response Date: 10/17/2020 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time Name of Commodity Reoccurring Ground Maintenance/Cemetery Equipment to include accessories/attachments Applicable NAICS: 333112 Classification Code: Various Set Aside Type Tiered Evaluations (1) Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), (2) Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), (3) Small Business. Period of Performance: Date of Award through November 1, 2025 Delivery Requirement: 60 Days after Receipt of Award unless otherwise agreed. This includes manufactured equipment. Attachments: Equipment Cemetery Map Past Performance Questionnaire Issuing Contracting Office: Joselito Roman This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 12.603 and 13.303 and supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ), solicitation number 36C78620Q0256. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2020-08 NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE: The (NAICS) code for this procurement is 333112. The business size standard number of employees is 1500 Number of Employees 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. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation: quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, anticipates the award of a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Ground Maintenance Equipment to include accessories/attachments for power lawn equipment, garden equipment, as required, for the following National Cemetery Administration Districts: North Atlantic District (NAD) South East District (SED) Please see attachment named Cemetery Map in order to identify the various National Cemeteries throughout both Districts. TIER EVALUATION: This Procurement is set-aside based on an order of priority as established in 38 U.S.C. § 8127(i). TIERED EVALUATIONS INCLUDING SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS: This solicitation is being issued as a tiered evaluation for SDVOSB concerns, if no offers were submitted by SDVOSB concerns, or if none of the offers would result in award at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States, the SDVOSB set-aside will be withdrawn and the Contracting Officer will proceed to the set-aside for VOSB concerns. If no offers were submitted by VOSB concerns, or if none of the offers would result in award at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States, the VOSB set-aside will be withdrawn and the Contracting Officer will proceed to the set-aside for other small business concerns. If no offers were submitted by other small business concerns, of if none of the offers would result in award at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States, the solicitation will be canceled. RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ): Responses to this Request for Quotation (RFQ) are due to the Contracting Officer no later than October 19, 2020 at 12:00 PM. Responses to this announcement will result in a multiple award BPA for Ground Maintenance. 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. Offerors are responsible for obtaining any and all amendments or additional information concerning this announcement at https://beta.sam.gov. Prospective offerors must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) website and complete representations and certifications at https://www.sam.gov. SOLICITATION QUESTIONS: All questions regarding this solicitation are to be submitted to the Contracting Officer, via email, no later than close of business, October 1, 2020. Questions pertaining to this announcement shall be sent by email to: contact@example.gov. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. PRICE SCHEDULE: ITEM INFORMATION: Accessories, add-ons, extended warranty considerations, and FOB destination for the purpose of this BPA shall be included as part of the overall price. Upon award the schedule will require specific CLINs for each accessory, add-on, warranty considerations, maintenance availability, and FOB destination cost. POP: Date of Award through 1 November, 2025 CLIN DESCRIPTON OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES EST. QTY UNIT OF ISSUE UNIT PRICE TOTAL PRICE 00001 Ground Maintenance Equipment, with destination cost. Other related equipment. To include accessories, add-ons, warranty considerations, maintenance availability and FOB destination shipping. See Paragraph titled Description of Agreement for equipment requirements. TBD TBD $ $ Grand Total $ BPA TERMS AND CONDITIONS SERVICES SUPPLY TO BE PROVIDED: The National Cemetery Administration is awarding a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for recurring equipment requirements for the North Atlantic District (NAD) and the South East District (SED). All orders placed against this BPA will adhere to the terms and conditions as provide in accordance with FAR 13.303 Blanket Purchase Agreement. This is a multiple award BPA therefore each awardee will be provided a fair opportunity to be considered for orders exceeding the micro purchase threshold. The Contracting Officer need not contact each of the multiple awardees under the contract before selecting an order awardee if information is available ensuring each awardee is provided a fair opportunity. DESCRIPTION OF AGREEMENT: The supplier shall furnish per task orders, a minimum of one item up to a maximum total order of $6.5M Ground Maintenance Equipment to include accessories/attachments/manuals for power lawn, garden equipment, from the following manufactures, submitted in no particular order: See attachment titled equipment. The Total price for all the equipment will then be placed incorporated in the Price Schedule provided. See above. Brand Name or Equal: In accordance with FAR 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal, if an item is identified as brand name or equal, the purchase description shall reflect the characteristics and level of quality that will satisfy the Government s needs. Equipment must meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified and shall be clearly identified by Brand name and make or model number. Descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information shall be provided as required to the Contracting Officer. Any modifications made to a product in order to make it conform to the requirement shall be clearly identified. Evaluating Equipment Identified as Equal: The Contracting Officer/Specialist will evaluate equipment identified as equal based on information furnished by the offeror or identified in the offer and reasonably available. The Contacting Officer/Specialist is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the offer. Unless the offeror clearly indicates in its offer that the equipment being offered is an equal product, the offeror shall provide the brand name product referenced or the offeror maybe considered non-responsive. BPA Administration: The Contractor shall contact the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to administrations. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to make commitments or issue changes that will affect the price, quantity or delivery terms of the contract. The following individuals will handle all contract administration matters: Contractor: Contract Officer: Joselito Roman Deputy Director of Contracting Service contact@example.gov The BPA holder shall provide written notice to the NCA Contract Service BPA Government points of contact (See section B.1, BPA Administration Data) of any changes to its contracts specifically related to any items on the resultant BPA. Changes include, but are not limited to price decreases, product deletions, and expiration of FSS contract, and/or change in Vendor company information, including contract administrator, company name, address and phone number. EXTENT OF OBLIGATION: The Government is obligated only to the extent of authorized purchases made under the BPA. This agreement may be terminated upon 30 days written notice by either party. Cancellation: The cancellation will take effect on the 30th calendar day. Discontinuing or modifying this BPA shall not affect any prior order within the 30-day period. BPA cancellation does not release the contractor from the duty to continue BPA call performance. Ongoing orders continue in accordance with their own period of performance, even if the BPA is cancelled. PURCHASE LIMITATION: In accordance with FAR 13.303-5, the dollar limit for each individual purchase under this BPA shall not exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT). The Government does not guarantee that it will place any orders under this agreement. ORDERING: The Government does not guarantee that it will place any order under this agreement. When an order is placed, Contractor shall give a written acceptance which includes the delivery date. If the contractor cannot be reached or does not respond within (3) three days, then purchase will be made with a different Contractor. Upon the second time the Contractor does not respond on time or cannot be reached, Contractor will be removed from the BPA. If the contractor is not able to meet the time and date needed, Contractor shall provide a notification to the government which specifically states that the order request is declined. If Contractor does not provide the items in the order as requested to include by the delivery date, Government may cancel the order and at no cost to the Government. Government may also accept and pay for partial orders. After two incidents of non-delivery per the order the Government may remove the contractor from the BPA. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The Period of Performance (POP) will be a (5) Five Year contract that will commence upon award. The POP will be Date of Award to November 1, 2025. The Government may elect to exercise its unilateral right to purchase additional equipment called for by the contract or may elect to extend the term of the contract. INDIVIDUALS AUTHORIZED TO PURCHASE UNDER THIS BPA: Upon award, the contracting officer will provide a list of individuals authorized to place orders under this agreement. Only the NCA Contract Service Office is authorized to place orders against this BPA. Point of Contact Information will be provided on each individual order. DELIVERY TICKETS: All shipments under this agreement shall be accompanied by delivery tickets or sales slips that shall contain the following minimum information: Name of supplier. BPA number. Date of purchase. Purchase number. Itemized list of supplies or services furnished. Quantity, unit price, and extension of each item, less applicable discounts (unit prices and extensions need not be shown when incompatible with the use of automated systems, provided that the invoice is itemized to show this information). Date of delivery or shipment. Delivery Requirements: All delivery orders shall be made via Fright on Board (FOB) destination to any Veterans Affairs National Cemetery facility location within the North Atlantic and South East Districts to include the island of Puerto Rico. Deliveries shall be marked and shipped as identified under the delivery order placed against the BPA. Inspection and Acceptance: Please refer to FAR Clause 52.212-4 and VAAR Clause 852.246-71 Inspection (incorporated by reference), for further instructions regarding inspection/acceptance procedures section. Special Shipping Instructions: Prior to shipping, the Contractor shall notify site point of contact (POCs) by telephone and email, of all incoming deliveries including line-by-line details for review of requirements. The Contractor shall coordinate deliveries with POCs before each shipment. All shipments, either single or multiple container deliveries, shall bear the VA s Order number on external shipping labels and associated manifest or packing lists. In the case of multiple container deliveries, a readable statement near the order number will indicate a total number of containers for the complete shipment (ex. Package 1 of 2 ), clearly readable in manifests and external shipping labels. INVOICES: A summary invoice shall be submitted at least monthly or upon expiration of this BPA, whichever occurs first, for all deliveries made during a billing period, identifying the delivery tickets covered therein, stating their total dollar value, and supported by receipt copies of the delivery tickets. Contractor Remittance Address: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with FAR 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer --System for Award Management and FAR 52.232-36 Payment by Third Party. Quarterly Report: A quarterly report shall be submitted to the National Cemetery Administration Contracting Officer managing this BPA for the purpose of obtaining and monitoring BPA pricing, and cost savings obtained on a quarterly basis. The report will be due upon the end of each fiscal quarter. The Contracting Officer contact information is as follows: Joselito Roman Deputy Director of Contracting Service contact@example.gov Invoice submittals: Invoices will be electronically submitted to the Tungsten website http://www.tungsten-network.com/customer-campaigns/veterans-affairs/ Tungsten direct vendor support number is +1 (555) 000-0000 for VA contracts. During Implementation (technical set-up) Tungsten will confirm an awardee s Taxpayer ID Number with the VA-FSC. This process which can take up to 5 days to complete will ensure an awardees invoice is automatically routed to a Certifying Official for approval and payment. In order to successfully submit an invoice to VA-FSC awardee must review How to Create an Invoice within the how to guides. All invoices submitted through Tungsten to the VA-FSC should mirror an awardee s current submission of Invoice, with the following items required. Clarification of additional requirements should be confirmed by the Certifying Official (Awardee s CO or buyer). In accordance with the Prompt Pay Act and Business Requirements the VA-FSC requires the following specific information: 1. The firm s Taxpayer ID Number (TIN) 2. the firm s Remit Address information 3. The VA Purchase Order (PO) number 4. The firm s contact information: (Personal Name, Email, and Phone) 5. The firm s VA point of contact information: (Personal Name, Email, and Phone) 6. The Period of Performance dates (Beginning and Ending) 7. All discount information if applicable (Percent and Date Terms) For additional information, please contact: Tungsten Support Phone: +1 (555) 000-0000 Website: http://www.tungsten-network.com/uk/en/ INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS: Offerors Submission: Submitted quotes that do not meet the following instructions may be determined to be nonresponsive and will not be considered for award. All quotes shall be submitted through the Department of Veteran Affairs Electronic Management System (eCMS) Vendor Portal website at https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov to be considered. See paragraph entitled REGISTRATION WITH VENDOR PORTAL for additional details. Offerors shall submit their quote in PDF format only and shall include the following: Item description as specified. This includes Unit Price/Unit Quantity/Overall Total Pricing. See Schedule. Applicable Shipping/Handling Charges (including set-up if applicable). Provide information in attachment entitled equipment. See attachment titled equipment Proposed delivery dates for each item, i.e. ARO (Days after Receipt of Order). See attachment titled equipment Company Name, address, telephone number, email address of Offeror. See attachment titled equipment. Company Duns Number. See attachment titled equipment. Confirmation of the Offeror s Veterans Information Page (VIP) certified status. To be certified as and SDVOSB or VOSB, VIP Status must be active and current. Proof of current System for Award Management (SAM) registration (Completed copy of FAR 52.204-8, Representation and Certification. Terms and any express warranty (if applicable). See attachment titled equipment. Offerors are hereby advised that any Offeror-imposed terms and conditions which deviate from the Government s material terms and conditions established, may render the Offeror s quote as Non-Responsive, and thus ineligible for award. REGISTRATION WITH VENDOR PORTAL: All Interested Offerors must be registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs eCMS Vendor Portal at https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov . Offerors who require registration shall proceed to the Vendor Portal s Login section and shall click on Request a user account to register. In the event an Offeror is unable to submit a Quote/Proposal through the vendor portal domain, prior to the Quote/Proposal closing date, contact the VAAS helpdesk at +1 (555) 000-0000, or via email at contact@example.gov. If an Offeror is still having difficulties in submitting a proposal via the Vendor Portal the Contracting Officer/Specialist may accept an Offeror s Quote/Proposal via email under the following circumstances: 1. Offeror must provide evidence that an email discussions or verbal discussion with the VAAS helpdesk could not resolve registration issues. 2. Offerors must meet the time constraints as set forth in the solicitation. Submitted Quotes/proposals via email without set requirements may be considered nonresponsive. All Quote/Proposals transmissions and uploads submitted via the Vendor Portal or via email are due as specified in this solicitation. Late or incomplete Quotes may also be considered nonresponsive. Additionally, prospective offerors must also be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) website and complete representations and certifications at https://www.sam.gov. EVALUATION PROCESS: In accordance with FAR 52.212-2, The Government will award a contract to the responsible offeror whose offer conforms to solicitation requirements and provides the best benefit to the Government, price and other factors considered. Offers will be evaluated by performing a comparative evaluation in accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3). A comparative evaluation is the act of comparing either two or more offers in response to this RFQ. The Government reserves the right to consider a response that offers more than the minimum requirements and select that response if it provides the best benefit to the Government. Additionally, the Government also reserves the right to accept other than the lowest price offeror that provides additional benefits to the Government. TECHNICAL APPROACH: In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(a)(2), a best value determination will be made utilizing Price, Past performance and Technical capabilities. Price: Price will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness. Past Performance: Past performance shall be evaluated in accordance with FAR Part 13.106 and may be based on one or more of the following: The Contracting Officer s knowledge of the contractor s previous experience in providing the required equipment. See Past Performance Questionnaire and fill in accordingly. Interested Offeror will be required to submit at the minimum three (3) past performance questionnaire forms that are similar in size and scope to the current requirement. Contracts must be either completed or current within the last (5) years. The Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System or; Any other reasonable basis. Technical: Quote submittals must meet the required equipment s salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified as brand name or equal . See attachment titled equipment for information on the type of equipment being requested. Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses: 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (Oct 2018) Addendum to FAR 52.212-4- Show FAR clauses followed by VAAR clauses in numeric order 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) FAR Clauses 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (Oct 2018) 52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Jul 2016) 52.211-17 Delivery of Excess Quantities (Sep 1989) 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999) 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Dev 2019-01) 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting (Dev 2019-01) 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Dec 2013) 52.247-34 F.O.B. Destination (Nov 1991) VAAR Clauses 852.211-72 Technical Industry Standards (Nov 2018) 852.212-70 Provisions and Clauses Applicable to VA Acquisition of Commercial Items (APR 2020) 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (May 2020) 852.211-70 Equipment Operation and Maintenance Manuals. (Nov 2018) 852.215-70 Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business (Oct 2019) 852.215-71 Evaluation Factor Commitments (Oct 2019) 852.219-10 VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Dec 2009) (DEV) 852.219-11 VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Dec 2009) (DEV) 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2018) 852.246-71 Rejected Goods (Jan 2008) 852.270-1 Representatives of Contracting Officers (Jan 2008) 852.219-74 Limitations on Subcontracting-Monitoring and Compliance (Jul 2018) (DEV) 852.247-1 Delivery Location (Oct 2018) 852.247-74 Advance Notice of Shipment (Oct 2018) (End of Addendum to 52.212-4) 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (JUL 2020) FAR Provisions 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial items (Mar 2020) 52.252-21 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp 52.204-7 System for Award Management (Oct 2018) 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (JUL 2016) 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal (AUG 1999) 52.216-1 Type of Contract (APR 1984) (End of Addendum to 52.212-1) 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (Oct 2014) 52.212-3 Offeror Reorientations and Certifications-Commercial Items (MAR 2020)