C--A/E Water Reduction Phase 1

DESCRIPTION: This is a Pre-Solicitation Notice for the following services under project number 442-11-112 - "Water Reduction Phase 1" at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center, Cheyenne Wyoming. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL; NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE WILL BE ISSUED UNTIL AFTER AN EVALUATION HAS BEEN MADE ON THE PROVIDED SF-330. The VA Medical Center is seeking professional architect/engineering firms to assess and design an upgrade of the following items. The major components of this project are broken into several categories with assigned project funding priorities. a) Category 1. Priority one. Lawns, shrubs, planting beds irrigation system i) Survey and map all existing irrigation sprinkler systems. Provide AutoCAD redlines of all existing systems including lines and controls. ii) Rework existing irrigation sprinkler systems as necessary to provide most efficient coverage of lawns, plantings and shrubs. iii) Rework existing irrigation sprinkler systems as necessary to provide coverage to areas that are not currently covered by irrigation sprinklers. iv) Modify all existing systems to take them off of potable "city water" systems and place them on the "purple water" system. v) Include sprinkler control system in areas currently not using remote hand held control devices. vi) Replace or repair all lawn damaged or poor lawn areas. Due to the historical nature of the campus, the replacement grass is to be Kentucky Blue grass b) Category 2. Priority two Cooling towers. i) Design a system to hook up the purple water to the cooling towers on building 1CA. ii) The purple water is a seasonal water supply. The installation of purple water supply lines to the cooling towers will need to be supplemented with domestic potable water system when the purple water is not available. iii) The dates for the cooling tower shut down and the purple water shut will need to be determined to coordinate the water source and availability. c) Category 3. Priority three. Landscaping and plantings. i) Design xeriscaping planting areas around the campus to decrease the need for watering. ii) Investigate the possible use of native drought tolerant plants that will require minimal irrigation and water needs. iii) Design landscaping areas that utilize rock, bark and etc as alternates to lawns in areas around the campus. iv) Investigate and recommend the best use of the large fields at the front of the campus along Pershing Blvd. These recommendations will address water usage and water reduction. (1) Shall we plant drought tolerant coniferous trees. (2) Or shall we plant native drought tolerant and reduced water type native grasses and reduce the Kentucky Blue grass high water usage grasses. (3) Do a comparison and use the best in the overall design. (4) The results of this study to be discussed in the 35% design submission to determine the best alternative for the finale design submission. v) There is to be a large portion of lawns to remain on the campus. These lawns are to remain planted with Kentucky Blue grasses. vi) This property is on the Historical Register. Changes in landscaping grasses and plantings will need to be reviewed by the State Historical Preservation Offices (SHPO). d) Category 4. Priority four. Shelter Belt. i) The shelter belt continues around the perimeter of the campus and includes the front as well as the side areas of the campus. There is a section that belongs to the Credit Union. Determine and designate the boundary location. ii) Installation of the continuation of the Purple Water loop to water the shelter belt. Supply as many access points necessary to irrigate the shelter belt. e) Add alternate number one. Preparation of the ground for drainage and irrigation in the Shelter Belt. f) Add alternate number two. Install a system to irrigate new and existing trees in the Shelter Belt. This is to include controls and electrical wiring. g) Add alternate number three. Plan for new plantings to replace trees that have been removed due to disease or beetle destruction. Research and recommend trees and configurations for replacement. Compare and balance the growth rate, disease and insect resistant species as well as the water requirements and drought resistance when selecting the trees. Determine the number of trees necessary to fill in the shelter belt. This is recommendations and design only. The trees will not be planted in this project. The majority of the work will be landscape architectural including structural, material handling equipment, mechanical plumbing, electrical, concrete work, etc. to support modifications. The AE firm will prepare drawings and specifications in sufficient detail such that qualified outside General Contracting companies can prepare accurate and timely proposals for the desired construction work. The AE firm is responsible for ensuring that the specifications and drawings supplied by the Cheyenne VAMC fully represent all of the work described in the Request for Proposal (RFP). Microsoft Project scheduling and management software will be used by both the A&E and Contractors to allow for regular tracking of schedules and work by the VAMC. Schedules with MS Project will be regularly sent to the COTR upon project initiation and whenever significant changes occur in the schedule. All work must be designed within a construction cost range of less than $680,000. Buildings are considered historic and AE will be required to coordinate with the state historical society. The AE will provide an initial estimate of cost to perform the above work and will design only those items that can be provided within the cost limitation. Submission requirements are the initial estimate and preliminary design submission, a 50% design submission, and a 95% design submission. The Medical Center must remain operational throughout the construction period and a detailed sequence of work will be provided by the AE to minimize impact of the construction. The AE will provide 4 sets of documents at each submission including a cost estimate and will provide a set of AutoCAD drawings and specs in Microsoft Word at the final submission. The AE will provide 10 sets of the final drawings and specifications for the procurement. The NAICS code for this project is 541330. The SF-330 can be downloaded through the GSA Forms Library at: http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/formslibrary.do, type in 330 in the "Find A Form" block and click on search. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL; NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE WILL BE ISSUED UNTIL AFTER AN EVALUATION HAS BEEN MADE ON THE PROVIDED SF-330. Interested firms should submit (2) copies of their current SF 330 no later than February 22, 2011 to contact@example.gov. Important Notice: Apparent successful offerors must apply for and receive verification from the Department of Veteran Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) in accordance with 38 CFR Part 74 and VAAR 819.70 by submission of documentation of Veteran status, ownership and control sufficient to establish appropriate status, prior to receiving an award of a contract under this SDVOSB set- aside. All offerors are urged to contact the CVE and submit the aforementioned required documents to obtain CVE verification of their SDVOSB status if they have not already done so. VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (DEC 2009) (a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, "Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern": (1) Means a small business concern: (i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses); (ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran; (iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document; and (iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control and is so listed in the Vendor Information Pages database, (http://www.VetBiz.gov). (2) "Service-disabled veteran" means a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16). (b) General. (1) Offers are solicited only from service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered. (2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern. (c) Agreement. A service-disabled veteran owned small business concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, in the case of a contract for: (1) Services (except construction), at least 50 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance will be spent for employees of the concern or employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; (2) Supplies (other than acquisition from a non-manufacturer of the supplies), at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing, excluding the cost of materials, will be performed by the concern or other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; (3) General construction, at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern's employees or the employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; or (4) Construction by special trade contractors, at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern's employees or the employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. (d) A joint venture may be considered a service-disabled veteran owned small business concern if- (1) At least one member of the joint venture is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and makes the following representations: That it is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and that it is a small business concern under the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code assigned to the procurement; (2) Each other concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement; and (3) The joint venture meets the requirements of paragraph 7 of the explanation of Affiliates in 19.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (4) The joint venture meets the requirements of 13 CFR 125.15(b). (e) Any service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (non-manufacturer) must meet the requirements in 19.102(f) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit under this program.