6835--Liquid Nitrogen Delivery - VA Boston (REVISED DUE DATE OF 22 SEPTEMBER)

Combined Synopsis Solicitation VA Boston Healthcare System Liquid Nitrogen Delivery (i) 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; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation number is 36C24123Q1042 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). (iii) A statement that the solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2020-04. (iv) This requirement is being issued as an open market, full and open solicitation. The associated NAICS code is 325120 Industrial Gas Manufacturing. (v) The Government intends to award a firm-fixed price award for a Liquid Nitrogen Delivery Services throughout the VA s Dermatology Section. Please see the attached Statement of Work for full requirement details. Please complete the Price Schedule below and submit with the quote submission. (vi) The Contractor shall provide all resources necessary to provide storage tanks and liquid nitrogen delivery IAW the attached Statement of Work. Please see the attached SOW for full requirement details. (vii) The Place of Performance is at three Campuses at VA s Boston Healthcare System including Boston, Brockton and West Roxbury as described per the SOW. (viii) Provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial, applies to this acquisition in addition to the following addenda s to the provision: 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (MAR 2023); 52.204-7 System for Award Management (OCT 2018); 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020); 852.252-70 Solicitation Provisions or Clauses Incorporated by Reference (JAN 2008); 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (JUL 1990) (ix) Provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial Items, and FAR 52.219-4 Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns, applies to this requirement. Submission of Quotes: (1) Quotes shall be received on or before the date and time specified in Section (xv) of this solicitation. Note: Offers received after the due date and time shall not be considered. (2) Offerors shall submit their quotes electronically via email to joshua.davis5@va.gov. (3) Questions: Questions shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer in writing via e-mail. Oral questions are not acceptable. The cut-off date and time for receipt of questions is 13 September 2023 at 12:00 PM EST. Questions received after this date and time may not be answered. Questions shall be answered in a formal amendment to the solicitation so all interested parties can see the answers. (4) Quote Format: The submission should be clearly indexed and logically assembled in order of the evaluation criteria below. All pages of the quote shall be appropriately numbered and identified by the complete company name, date and solicitation number in the header and/or footer. Evaluation Process: Award shall be made to the best value, as determined to be the most beneficial to the Government. Please read each section below carefully for the submittals and information required as part of the evaluation. Failure to provide the requested information below shall be considered non-compliant and your quote could be removed from the evaluation process. Offeror quotes shall be evaluated under FAR Part 13.106-2(b) -- Evaluation of Quotations or Offers. Therefore, the Government is not obligated to determine a competitive range, conduct discussions with all contractors, solicit final revised quotes, and use other techniques associated with FAR Part 15. The Government shall award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation shall be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Price (Follow these instructions): Offeror shall complete Attachment 1 - Price Schedule, with offerors proposed contract line item prices inserted in appropriate spaces. Past Performance: Offeror should utilize Attachment 2 Past Performance Worksheet to provide at least one (1) but no more than (3) references of work, similar in scope and size with the requirement detailed in the SOW. References may be checked by the Contracting Officer to ensure your company is capable of performing the Statement of Work. The Government also reserves the right to obtain information for use in the evaluation of past performance from any and all sources. SAM: Interested parties shall be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) as prescribed in FAR Clause 52.232-33. SAM information can be obtained by accessing the internet at www.sam.gov or by calling 1-866-606-8220. Interested parties not registered in SAM in sufficient time to meet the VA s requirement will be ineligible to receive a government contract. This determination will be at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. VISTA: The VA utilizes VISTA to issue a purchase order and liquidate invoices. Failure to register in VISTA may result in exclusion from the issuance of a VA contract. This determination will be at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. Interested parties with no prior VA contracts can request a Form 10091 at any time. (x) Please include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, with your offer via the SAM.gov website or a written copy. (xi) Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items (OCT 2018), applies to this acquisition in addition to the following addenda s to the clause: 52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (JUL 2016); 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside; 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (DEC 2013); 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (MAY 2008); 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2018) Subcontracting Commitments - Monitoring and Compliance This solicitation includes VAAR 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors, and VAAR 852.215-71, Evaluation Factor Commitments. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include these clauses. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) to assist in assessing contractor compliance with the subcontracting commitments incorporated into the Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, Obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor compliance with the subcontracting commitments. (xii) Clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and in addition to the following FAR clauses cited, which are also applicable to the acquisition: 52.204-10, 52.209-6, 52.219-6, 52.219-28, 52.222-3, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-36, 52.222-50, 52.223-18, 52.232-33, 52.222-41 (xiii) All contract requirement(s) and/or terms and conditions are stated above. (xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating are not applicable to this requirement. (xv) RFQ responses are due 22 September 2023 by 5:00 PM EST. RFQ responses must be submitted via email to: joshua.davis5@va.gov. Hand deliveries shall not be accepted. (xvi) The POC of this solicitation is Joshua Davis (joshua.davis5@va.gov) ATTACHMENT 1 PRICE SCHEDULE ITEM NUMBER DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT 0001 Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Delivery Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2023 POP End: 21-Sep-2024 3500.00 GAL __________________ __________________ 0002 Rental of LN2 Tanks Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2023 POP End: 21-Sep-2024 3.00 YR __________________ __________________ 0003 Supply and Installation of Telemetry Device per Station Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2023 POP End: 21-Sep-2024 3.00 EA __________________ __________________ 0004 Annual Safety Inspection of the Entire LN2 System Per Station Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2023 POP End: 21-Sep-2024 3.00 JB __________________ __________________ 1001 Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Delivery Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2024 POP End: 21-Sep-2025 3500.00 GAL __________________ __________________ 1002 Rental of LN2 Tanks Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2024 POP End: 21-Sep-2025 3.00 YR __________________ __________________ 1004 Annual Safety Inspection of the Entire LN2 System Per Station Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2024 POP End: 21-Sep-2025 3.00 JB __________________ __________________ 2001 Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Delivery Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2025 POP End: 21-Sep-2026 3500.00 GAL __________________ __________________ 2002 Rental of LN2 Tanks Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2025 POP End: 21-Sep-2026 3.00 YR __________________ __________________ 2004 Annual Safety Inspection of the Entire LN2 System Per Station Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2025 POP End: 21-Sep-2026 3.00 JB __________________ __________________ 3001 Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Delivery Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2026 POP End: 21-Sep-2027 3500.00 GAL __________________ __________________ 3002 Rental of LN2 Tanks Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2026 POP End: 21-Sep-2027 3.00 YR __________________ __________________ 3004 Annual Safety Inspection of the Entire LN2 System Per Station Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2026 POP End: 21-Sep-2027 3.00 JB __________________ __________________ 4001 Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) Delivery Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2027 POP End: 21-Sep-2028 3500.00 GAL __________________ __________________ 4002 Rental of LN2 Tanks Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2027 POP End: 21-Sep-2028 3.00 YR __________________ __________________ 4004 Annual Safety Inspection of the Entire LN2 System Per Station Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 22-Sep-2027 POP End: 21-Sep-2028 3.00 JB __________________ __________________ GRAND TOTAL: __________________ ATTACHMENT 2 PAST PERFORMANCE WORKSHEET 1. Name of Contracting Activity, Government Agency, Commercial Firm or other Organization: 2. Contracting Activity Address: 3. Contract Number: 4. Date of Contract Award: 5. Beginning Date of Contract: 6. Completion Date of Contract: 7. Contract Value: 8. Type of Contract: 9a. Technical Point of Contact: 9b. Contracting Point of Contact: Name: Name: Title: Title: Address: Address: Telephone: Telephone: Email: Email: 10. Place of Performance: 11. Description of Work (Use a continuation sheet if necessary): ATTACHMENT 3 STATEMENT OF WORK GENERAL INFORMATION Title of Project: LN2 Delivery Service Contract Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide and deliver Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) to the VA Boston Dermatology Section at three campuses; Jamaica Plains, West Roxbury, and Brockton. The contractor will provide storage tanks on a lease basis to each site. The contractor will provide all equipment, labor, materials, tools, parts, transportation, supervision, and disposal necessary to distribute and supply LN2 to the Sections. Price should include cost of delivery, delivery charges, and leasing/rental costs of the containers at each campus. The contractor is responsible for dispensing LN2 into the holding tank(s). Frequency of delivery and delivery volumes will ultimately vary and depend on usage, as well as remaining tank volume at time of delivery. A delivery schedule will be agreed upon and set by the VA and the contractor. Deliveries will occur according to the schedule; however, the VA will maintain the right and/or ability to place additional requests when needed. The VA Dermatology Clinic uses Liquid Nitrogen to therapies for veterans at all three sites. This usage has major impacts on LN2 supply and delivery systems, most notably the increase in demand. Not only will the contractor be responsible for delivering LN2 on a routine basis and as requested, but they will also be responsible for responding to fluctuating (most likely increasing) LN2 demands. The existing tank has a capacity of up to 200 gallons. The Contractor shall install a telemetry device to monitor the LN2 levels. In addition to providing and delivering LN2, the contractor will provide a LN2 expert to physically perform an annual safety inspection of the entire LN2 system. The inspection includes (but is not limited to): external (aka bulk) tank, LN2 line, joints, seals, gaskets, and relief valves. At the conclusion of the inspection, the LN2 expert will provide a summary report detailing any deficiencies and needed corrective actions. The report is to be provided within 5 workdays from the initial physical inspection. Historically, Dermatology section has used an estimated 3 cylinder s worth of Liquid Nitrogen between the three sites. Usage is between 100-150 gallons per site per month. Additional usage will increase during spring to accommodate fellowship program with affiliates. Background: VA Boston Dermatology Section uses LN for cryo-therapy procedures for Veterans. These include cryotherapy, minimally invasive procedure that uses the liquid nitrogen to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. This can be used to treat actinic keratosis, warts, seborrheic keratosis, skin tags, moles, and keloids. Liquid nitrogen can be used as a vasoconstrictor and used to treat spider veins, telangiectasias, and rosacea. Finally, it can be used to promote wound healing by reducing inflammation and swelling. Dermatology section regularly uses LN in its clinical operations. Performance Period: Performance Period shall be 12 months from date of contract award and include 4 (12 month) Option Years. Type of Contract: Firm, Fixed Price 6. Place of Performance: Deliveries will be made to all three campuses VA Boston Healthcare System 150 South Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02130 VA Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 VA Boston Healthcare System 1400 VFW Parkway West Roxbury, MA 02132 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Description of Tasks and Associated Deliverables: The contractor shall provide the specific deliverables described below within the performance period stated in Section A.4 of this SOW. Task/Deliverable One: The contractor shall provide and deliver Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) to the place of performance on per unit basis. Delivery will occur consistent to the schedule presented in Task/Deliverable 1 and/or agreed to after award, or as requested by the VA. The contractor is responsible for dispensing LN2 into the tank. The tank will be filled to capacity each delivery. Task/Deliverable Two: The VA will also maintain the right and/or ability to place orders against the contract in addition to those occurring within the agreed upon delivery schedule. Delivery order conditions are outlined below in section 2. Task/Deliverable Three: The contractor will make deliveries during off hours of the main hospital; any time before 7:00AM and any time after 6:00PM, Monday Friday, unless specified or requested otherwise by the VA. Deliveries will not occur during the hours of 7:00AM -6:00PM, Monday Friday, unless specified or requested otherwise by the VA, because it will impact normal hospital traffic and functions. Task/Deliverable Four: The contractor will be responsible for responding to and accommodating fluctuating demand/need for LN2. The most likely change will be an increase in demand due to the new system and the number of samples that continue to come into the lab daily. The VA will do its best to project out and estimate need, but the contractor will ultimately be responsible for accommodating fluctuations in LN2 need. For example, if the VA needs 2 deliveries in one month and 6 deliveries the next month, and 1 delivery the third month, the contractor must meet this need. Task/Deliverable Five: The contractor will provide a LN2 expert to physically perform an annual safety inspection of the entire LN2 system. The inspection includes (but is not limited to): external (aka bulk) tank, LN2 line, joints, seals, gaskets, and relief valves. At the conclusion of the inspection, the LN2 expert will provide a summary report detailing any deficiencies and needed corrective actions. The report is to be provided within 5 workdays from the initial physical inspection. Delivery Orders: Deliveries will occur as outlined in the delivery schedule. Deliveries will also be made at the request of the VA as outlined in Section B General Requirements. Delivery orders can be placed by email, telephone, and/or fax transmission. Requests for delivery from the VA will be made during regular business hours; Monday Friday, 8am - 4:30pm. Delivery shall be required within one (1) to two (2) calendar days from the time of formal notification by the ordering service. The delivery order shall specify contract item(s), quantity, time(s) of delivery, and applicable VA order number. Deliveries MUST occur off hours of the main hospital; any time before 7:00AM and any time after 6:00PM, Monday Friday, unless specified or requested otherwise by the VA. Deliveries will not occur during the hours of 7:00AM -6:00PM, Monday Friday, unless specified or requested otherwise by the VA, because it will impact normal hospital traffic and functions. Usage: Projected LN2 use for FY24 is 3,000 gallons, which is an estimate based on how much LN2 will be required for current patient volume. Deliveries shall occur approximately every 4 weeks. Frequency of FY24 deliveries is subject to change due to fluctuations in usage, as indicated in the B.1 above. Usage and frequency of delivery will change, and the contractor must respond to these changes. Facilities: There are three tanks, one at each location at the VA Boston Healthcare System. The capacity of this tank is 11,000 gallons. The tank is located along the main egress of the hospital; the tank is external to the lab and hospital and accessible from the egress. The tank is in a fixed position located on top of a concrete pad. Deliveries will be made to this tank on a continual basis. The current tank is owned by the VA. Emergency Orders: For an emergency order, delivery shall occur within 24 hours of formal notification by the service. Emergency orders are to be included in the deliverables for that station. Should the emergencies result in additional deliveries being required, the Government will modify the contract to add additional deliveries at the rates identified in that Line Item. Authorized Personnel: All VA Boston Dermatology personnel are authorized to place orders under this agreement provided those orders do not exceed the total line item quantities and total value. The Contractor shall not further orders unless the Contracting Officer has issued a formal modification to increase both the quantity and total price. Any work undertaken outside of the scope of this contract and/or without a formal contract modification signed by both parties shall not be reimbursed. D. SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES 1. The contractor shall complete the Delivery Date for each deliverable specified. 2. Unless otherwise specified, the number of draft copies and the number of final copies shall be the same. 3. If for any reason the scheduled time for a deliverable cannot be met, the contractor is required to explain why (include the original deliverable due date) in writing to the CO, including a firm commitment of when the work shall be completed. This notice to the CO shall cite the reasons for the delay, and the impact on the overall project. The CO will then review the facts and issue a response in accordance with applicable regulations. E. CHANGES TO STATEMENT OF WORK Any changes to this SOW shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the CO. A copy of each change will be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the CO shall be borne by the contractor. F. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 1. The contractor shall provide the Task Order Project Manager (TOPM) with monthly written progress reports. These are due to the TOPM by the second workday following the end of each calendar month throughout the project's duration. 2. The progress report will cover all work completed during the preceding month and will present the work to be accomplished during the subsequent month. This report will also identify any problems that arose and a statement explaining how the problem was resolved. This report will also identify any problems that have arisen but have not been completely resolved with an explanation. G. SECURITY Information System Security The contractor shall ensure adequate LAN/Internet, data, information, and system security in accordance with VA standard operating procedures and standard contract language, conditions laws, and regulations. The contractor s firewall and web server shall meet or exceed the government minimum requirements for security. All government data shall be protected behind an approved firewall. Any security violations or attempted violations shall be reported to the VA project manager and the VBA Headquarters Information Security Officer as soon as possible. The contractor shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification accreditation. Records Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data. Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.]. No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules. Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information. 1. Background Investigation The position sensitivity impact for this effort has been designated as LOW Risk and the level of background investigation is not needed. - O. ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS SECTION 508 The contractor shall comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998. In December 2000, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), pursuant to Section 508(2)(A) of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, established Information Technology accessibility standards for the Federal Government. Section 508(a)(1) requires that when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), they shall ensure that the EIT allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data by other Federal employees. The Section 508 requirement also applies to members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency. Section 508 text is available at: http://www.opm.gov/HTML/508-textOfLaw.htm http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=14 P. CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE It is agreed that: 1. The preliminary and final deliverables and all associated working papers, application source code, and other material deemed relevant by the VA which have been generated by the contractor in the performance of this task order are the exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the CO at the conclusion of the task order. The CO will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, the draft deliverables, the final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this task order. No information shall be released by the contractor. Any request for information relating to this task order presented to the contractor shall be submitted to the CO for response. Press releases, marketing material or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the CO.