71--Office Desk Chairs

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. THE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. SOURCES SOUGHT DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a sources sought synopsis only. The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 337214 (size standard of 1,000 Employees). Responses to this synopsis will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought synopsis, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 22 Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources that can provide Office Chair that at a minimum meet the following salient characteristics for the VA San Diego Healthcare System: Manufacturer Description QY Steelcase Inc 46216179S - Leap; Chair, Upholstered, Adjustable seat depth Sewn PLASTIC: 6249 PLATINUM SOLID UPHLSTRY: 5999 MISC FABRIC Ultra Fabrics Purchaser: VENDOR Pattern: PROMESSA -363 Color: WOODPECKER -3462 Direction: HORIZONTAL CASTERS: *OPT:CASTERS SOFT CST: SOFT CASTERS ARMS: *OPT:ARM OPTIONS LEAP H/W/P/D: STD:H/W/P/D ARMS LUMB OPT: *OPT:LUMBAR OPTION LUMBAR: STD:LUMBAR SEAT HGT: *OPT:BASE ASSY HEIGHT RANGE 5" RANGE: STD:5" PNEU SEAT HEIGHT RANGE OPT ACC: *OPT:OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES STEELCAS 60 Steelcase Inc 46216179S - Leap; Chair, Upholstered, Adjustable seat depth, Sewn PLASTIC: 6249 PLATINUM SOLID UPHLSTRY: 5999 MISC FABRIC Ultra Fabrics Purchaser: VENDOR Pattern: PROMESSA -363 Color: WOODPECKER -3462 Direction: HORIZONTAL CASTERS: *OPT:CASTERS HARD CST: STD:HARD CASTERS ARMS: *OPT:ARM OPTIONS LEAP H/W/P/D: STD:H/W/P/D ARMS LUMB OPT: *OPT:LUMBAR OPTION LUMBAR: STD:LUMBAR SEAT HGT: *OPT:BASE ASSY HEIGHT RANGE 5" RANGE: STD:5" PNEU SEAT HEIGHT RANGE OPT ACC: *OPT:OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES STEELCAS 40 SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS For Brand Name or EQUAL 1. Warranty Requirements Manufacturer must offer a lifetime warranty that product is free from defects in materials and workmanship (includes shipping, parts and labor for the repair or replacement of defective item.) The following lifetime warranty exceptions are allowed: Mechanisms, pneumatic cylinders, arm caps, foam, glides and casters shall have a minimum 12-year warranty. A selection of textiles shall have a minimum 12-year warranty. Product line must be warranted for users up to 300lbs minimum. 2. Testing, Technical Specification and Code Requirement Shall meet or exceed ANSI/BIFMA X5.1-2002 General-Purpose Office Chairs requirements (tested for 225 lb. user). Shall meet or exceed Can/CGSB-44.232 (Canadian) and EN 1335 (European) Task Chair requirements. Chair padding and fabric must comply with BIFMA First Generation Voluntary Upholstered Flammability Standard. Chair padding and fabric must comply with the State of California Technical Information Bulletin 117. FCS (Fire Code Seating) models shall be available to meet State of California Home Furnishing Technical Bulletin (Cal TB) 133. Testing of fabric abrasion, stain resistance and durability must be documented and available upon request. Shall have proven health and productivity benefits by independent research (SC item #03-0003716). Shall meet all ergonomic guidelines by ANSI/HFES 2007 Requirements-Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations. 3. Environmental Features Material Chemistry: Must be constructed free of environmentally hazardous materials such as PVC, CFC, solvent-based adhesives, heavy metals (chrome, lead and mercury) and benzene. Shall be constructed free of environmentally hazardous processes such as those that produce VOC s and deplete ozone. Painted components must be coated with powder coat paint, which results in minimal waste, consumes less energy and requires no solvents, compared to traditional wet paint processes. Upholstery fabrics shall be available, which meet MBDC Cradle-to-Cradle Gold sustainable design certification. These fabrics contain less than 100 parts per million of any heavy metals of concern, which includes antimony, which is traditionally found in polyester fabrics. Life Cycle and Recycled Content and Recyclability: Shall have certification of environmentally intelligent product design from a third party, such as MBDC Cradle-to-Cradle Certification. Plastic base chairs shall be constructed of up to 15% recycled content: 12% post consumer content; 3% pre consumer content Aluminum base chairs shall be constructed of up to 32% recycled content; 28% post consumer content; 4% pre consumer content. Chair must be up to 94% recyclable at end of life. Certifications: Product must be certified to meet the emissions requirements of the California DPH Standard Practice for the Testing of Volatile Organic Emissions from Various Sources-2004 (CA Section 01350) and ANSI/BIFMA X7.1 Standard for Formaldehyde and TVOC Emissions of Low-emitting Office Furniture Systems and Seating using either the open plan or private office exposure scenarios defined in ANSI/BIFMA M7.1 Standard Test Method for Determining VOC Emissions from Office Furniture Systems, Components, and Seating. Testing must be conducted in accordance with ANSI/BIFMA M7.1. Certification must be provided by an organization independent of the manufacturer as well as from the testing laboratory, in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 65 General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems. The above requirement is covered by SCS IndoorAdvantage Gold Certification for indoor air quality. Product shall be at least Level 2 Certified with the BIFMA e3-2008 Furniture Sustainability Standards to meet or exceed the most current environmental standards in the furniture industry. 4. Dimensions and Features Backrest: Must have backrest height of 25 H. Must have backrest width of 18 W (at narrowest point). Backrest cushion shall be a composite of different density polyurethane foam sheets to provide optimal comfort. Total cushion thickness shall be at least 3/4". Densities shall range between 1.65 and 2.8 lb./cu ft. Adjustable lumbar shall have a height range of 5 between 5-1/4 and 10-1/4 as standard, but may be omitted. Shall have separate adjustments for upper back force and lower back firmness to ensure proper spinal support and to meet user preference. Variable backstop must allow user to set the backrest at five positions within the reclining range; including an upright lock. Design of backrest offers shall have excellent breathability for thermal comfort. Contour of backrest must allow side-to-side motion (avoiding cradling/hammock effect). Design must feature parallel slats in the back shell to provide extensive flexibility to allow back to conform to individual user s spinal motion. Seat: A pneumatic cylinder shall be used to accomplish seat height adjustment range between 15-1/2 H and 20-1/2 H (per HFES 100) accomplished with an optional 17 H to 24 H range for taller users. Stool seat must have adjustments in an 8 range between 22 H and 30 H. Seat cushion shall be molded polyurethane foam at least 2 thick in the center for optimal comfort. Foam density shall be 3.8-lb./cu ft. Seat width of 19-1/4 W and seat depth adjustments in a 3 range between 15-3/4 D to 18-3/4 D. Chair shall swivel 360 degrees. Mechanism: Controls must be visible, labeled with text and tactile Braille designators, and shall be easy to reach from a seated position on both sides of the chair. Shall have recline range of 20 degrees with five back stop locking positions. Angle between seat and back must be 96-120 degrees Chair must have separate upper and lower back tension adjustment to support the unique needs of the upper and lower back Base: Chairs shall feature 65mm (2-1/2 ) diameter dual-wheel casters with a soft wheels option for hard floors. Stool casters shall be 55mm (2-5/32 ) diameter. Chair must have durable 25-1/2 reinforced nylon base with five legs for safety. A polished aluminum base (featuring casters with matching finish bodies) must be available as an option on chairs with arms. Stool base shall be larger for stability. 5. CONSTRUCTION METHODS Backrest: Back frame support must be glass reinforced nylon (or aluminum when polished aluminum package is specified) Outer back shell shall be flexible and durable molded polypropylene Back cushion shall be made up of two polyurethane foam sheets, each 3/8 thick. Foam density shall range between 1.65 and 2.8 lb./cu ft. for optimal comfort Fabric shall be applied tightly to the back cushion/inner back shell with drawstrings. Seat: Seat cushion must be urethane foam (at least 3.8 lbs./cu ft. density) to provide the proper amount of support and prevent the user from bottoming out on the seat. Foam shall be at least 2 thick in the center. Outer seat shell shall be durable molded polypropylene. Base & Casters: Five arm base shall be glass-filled nylon for strength and durability. An aluminum base shall be available as an option on chairs with arms. Pneumatic cylinder must be standard construction and filled with inert gas Caster wheels shall be constructed of durable nylon for smooth and quiet rolling. Wheels shall be available in soft and hard versions. 6. SURFACE MATERIALS Fabric with soil retardant treatment, Fire code (FCS) fabric Back frame & Outer back - must be available in at least 3 plastic finishes (exception: polished aluminum models) Back frame, Base and Casters - (polished aluminum models) must be polished aluminum 200,000 Double Rub, bleach cleanable, polyurethane sustainable fabric minimum requirement. MISCELLANEOUS Overall dimensions of the chair or stool shall not exceed 27 in order to accommodate smaller workstations and conference room applications. Product must have guaranteed availability for order for a minimum of 10 years after first order entry date. Companion Plus Size Task Chair to Accommodate a Minimum of 500 lbs. Optional Companion Stool Height (24 H Seat) for Sit/Stand or Counter Height Work Stations. For purposes of this procurement the following Steelcase Leap Task Chair or EQUAL Quote: BRAND AND MODEL or EQUAL: Leap 46216179 AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Qty: 60 Dual-Wheel Soft Casters Qty: 40 Dual-Wheel Hard Casters Glides Separate Seat and Back Upholstery Polished Aluminum Base BID STANDARD: Leap Chair Upholstered, Adjustable seat depth, sewn UPHOLSTERY: TBD - Exceed minimum fabric/polyurethane Grade 8 (Based on scale of 1-10) or greater required for bid purposes: 5999 Misc. Fabric Ultrafabrics, LLC Purchaser: vendor Pattern: Promessa -363 Color: Woodpecker 3462 Direction: Horizontal FRAME & BASE COLOR: Best Match to Steelcase Graphite 7011 BASE: Plastic 5-Star Dual-Wheel Soft Casters RATING: CTB133 ARMS: Black Urethane Plastic: 6249 Platinum Solid The information identified above is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive and to indicate the quality of the supplies/services that will be satisfactory. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the supplies/services that fulfill the required specifications. If you are interested, and are capable of providing the sought out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Is your business a: Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.? (2) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI? (3) Are you the manufacturer or a distributor of the items being researched above? (4) If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? (5) If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified? (6) Does your company have FSS GSA/NASA SEWP/NAC or any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number. (7) If you are an FSS GSA/NASA SEWP/NAC or federal contract holder, are the items you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract? (8) Please submit your capabilities in regards to the salient characteristics being provided and any information pertaining to equal to items to establish capabilities for planning purposes? *** Submissions addressing Section (8) should show clear, compelling and convincing*** evidence that all equal to items" meet all the salient characteristics. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to contact@example.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than 9AM PST. June 14, 2018. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this source sought. Responses to this sources sought notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. Please reference 36C26218Q9447.