Grounds Maintenance Services

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR 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. The solicitation number is 464-12MR-2934 and is issued as a request for proposals. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2005-56. This is a total small business set aside with an associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code of 561730, Landscaping Services with a small business size standard of $7.0 million. COST/PRICE SCHEDULE CLIN ITEM DESCRIPTION QTY.UNIT UNIT PRICE TOTAL Base Period (April 16, 2012 - April 15, 2013) 001 Grounds Maintenance 26 EA $ $ Services Option Period 1 (April 16, 2013 - April 15, 2014) 1-001 Grounds Maintenance 26 EA $ $ Services Option Period 2 (April 16, 2014 - April 15, 2015) 2-001 Grounds Maintenance 26 EA $ $ Services Option Period 3 (April 16, 2015 - April 15, 2016) 3-001 Grounds Maintenance 26 EA $ $ Services Option Period 4 (April 16, 2016 - April 15, 2017) 4-001 Grounds Maintenance 26 EA $ $ Services A site visit is scheduled at the Approval & Certification Center for Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Offerors are urged and expected to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award. Performance Work Statement Grounds Maintenance Services at the Mine Safety & Health's Approval & Certification Center Triadelphia, WV Introduction: The U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is seeking grounds maintenance services to maintain the facilities at its Approval and Certification Center located at 765 Technology Drive, Triadelphia, WV, 26059. The Approval and Certification Center, located in Ohio County, West Virginia, is approximately 55 miles from Pittsburgh, PA, 60 miles from Morgantown, WV, and 10 miles from Wheeling, WV. This requirement defines the services that will be required on the campus of the Approval & Certification Center located at 765 Technology Drive, Triadelphia, WV. The schedule for mowing activities is included but may vary depending upon conditions. The government will provide notice to the contractor if such variation is necessary and the subsequent impact to the remainder of the schedule. Mine Safety & Health Administration Approval & Certification Center 765 Technology Drive Triadelphia, WV 26059 1. CONTRACT PERIODS 1.1. The contract period will consist of one (1) base year and four (4) option years. The government anticipates the following period of performance: Base Year: April 16, 2012 - April 15, 2013 Option Year 1: April 16, 2013 - April 15, 2014 Option Year 2: April 16, 2014 - April 15, 2015 Option Year 3: April 16, 2015 - April 15, 2016 Option Year 4: April 16, 2016 - April 15, 2017 1..2. Mowing operations will preferably be conducted during the days of Friday through Sunday, weather permitting. Mowing/Trimming operations can begin as early as 7:00AM and continue to 8:30 PM Monday - Friday and begin as early as 8:00AM and continue to 3:00PM Saturday - Sunday when safe conditions exist. The exact mowing limits will be clarified at the pre-work conference. 1.3. The contractor is required to attend a pre-work conference prior to the commencement of work for each contract option year. The purpose of the meeting will be to review the contract, review safety requirements, and schedule equipment inspections. Insurance requirement will be verified upon award. The meeting will be held prior to the commencement of the first spring mowing cycle and shall take place at the Approval & Certification Center at a time mutually agreeable to the contractor and the COR or his/her representative. 2. SCOPE OF WORK 2.1. The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, materials, supplies (including Personal Protective Equipment - PPE), equipment, fuel, vehicles, management, and quality assurance for the mowing services at the Approval & Certification Center for areas designated during the pre-work conference. 2.2. The schedule for mowing services is defined below and on the schedule identified as Attachment A. The schedule provided reflects the anticipated mowing cycles required. The Government reserves the right to adjust the schedule based upon the effect of local weather and water conditions on grass growth. Notification of schedule adjustments will be verbally at least three (3) days prior to the beginning of a mowing cycle. Schedule adjustments may result in an increase or a reduction in quantities, see Section 9. 2.3 Mowing and trimming areas shall be performed in one continual operation. The order of areas to be mowed will be dependent on safe working conditions pertaining to wet grass and/or employee foot/vehicle traffic. 2.4. Should inclement weather or other circumstances delay the onset or the completion of mowing requirements, the contractor shall contact the Operations Manager to determine the priorities of mowing areas or rescheduling possibilities. In most circumstances the government will prefer rescheduling to complete the work. No payment will be made to the contractor for uncompleted work due to rain or other circumstances either within or outside the contractor's control. Areas partially mowed or not meeting the specification may be paid on a percent-completed basis. The government shall estimate percentage completed. 2.5. The contractor shall provide daily status reports via phone or email during mowing activities to the Operations Manager or his representative indicating a completion status of mowed facilities. 2.6 Mowing services will be performed according to the schedule located in Attachment A. It is the government's intention for the mowing cycle to begin on the start date identified, but that date may be adjusted by the government if conditions dictate. Regular mowing cycles shall be completed within 4 days of the start of the mowing cycle unless otherwise approved (see Section 3.4). Regular mowings are generally performed in areas as identified during the pre-work conference. Grass shall be cut to a smooth appearance to a height not less than 2 inches and not greater than 3 inches. Edging around fences (10 foot on both sides), buildings, sidewalks, driveways, landscape timbers/stones/masonry, steps, signs, etc will be required. All trimming around directional, informational, traffic control and other signs will be flared where applicable to provide appropriate viewing upon approach. Weed trimmers may be used but care must be taken to avoid damage to trees, shrubs, sign posts, etc as described Section 3.2. Metal cording will not be used. The contractor is responsible for picking up all sticks, litter, driftwood, cans, plastics, rocks, etc in the mowing areas. Under no circumstances will visible thatch be allowed to remain in areas following mowing activities. Thatch shall be collected and removed prior to the contractor's departure from the area. Visible thatch left after mowing in areas will be removed or spread to prevent an unsightly brown appearance. All thatch that is raked or removed will be disposed of as directed by the Operations Manager. All acreages listed as a part of this contract (Attachment B) are estimates and do not include acreages for mowing road berms. All berms must be mowed to no less than 42 inches on each side of access driveways or to the accepted ditch line, whichever is less, entering areas and includes trimming around signs and guard rails where appropriate. 3. GENERAL 3.1. A flail, sickle bar or rotary type mower may be used for mowing as appropriate.Tractor mounted and other rotary type mowers will be equipped with operable guards, safety chains, or other protective devices to prevent flying stones, sticks, etc from striking persons and/or damaging property. Mowers must have slides or wheels which will prevent tearing or plowing into turf; tractors must be operated in a manner that will prevent their wheels from tearing turf on turns. Each mower pass will overlap the previous pass so that no strips or patches of uncut vegetation will result. Mowing with heavier equipment will not be permitted when the ground is so wet that the mowing operations will cause wheel rutting. In areas of wet ground, the contractor will use small push type mowers or weed trimmers. 3.2. Special care will be exercised to avoid damaging trees, shrubs, private property, buildings, or other facilities during the mowing or trimming operations. The contractor will repair or have repaired any damage to government facilities resulting from the contractor's failure to exercise reasonable care in the performance of work. If the contractor fails or refuses to repair any such damage promptly the contracting officer may have the necessary repairs performed and charge the cost thereof to the Contractor. The contractor shall exercise extreme care in the vicinity of all parking areas and protect all employees/visitors from injury and their property from harm and/or damage. The contractor shall coordinate directly with the claimant to resolve such private claims for damage. 3.3. The contractor shall remove ALL grass clippings from paved roadways, pedestrian ways, sidewalks, drainage grates/troughs, and parking lots resulting from mowing activities prior to departing the specific area. All obvious litter within the mowing limits will be picked up by the contractor before mowing and deposited in dumpsters provided at the project. 3.4. The contractor shall maintain an on-site representative with the authority to address daily issues concerning the contract. This person will interact directly with the Contracting Officer's Representative or his designee in matters relating to the day to day administration of the contract. A meeting will take place at the beginning of each mowing cycle to resolve any problems with the past cycle and to review the work schedule for the current cycle. 4. CONTRACTOR PROVIDED MATERIALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 4.1. The Contractor shall provide all fuel, mowing, trimming, and transportation equipment required to perform the services of this contract. All equipment will conform to State and Federal licensing and safety regulations. The government will not furnish any type of transportation, pay transportation related expenses, or pay mileage. 4.2. The contractor shall name a person responsible to provide quality assurance of completed work. It is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure that mowing services are completed in accordance with the specifications. 4.3. The use of on-site fuel storage tanks is permitted at locations determined by the government. If storage tanks are utilized, they must be provided by the Contractor and must be in compliance with Section 9 of EM 385-1-1 (see Section 7. Safety) and all State and Federal requirements. Only above ground storage tanks will be permitted. Storage containers 30 gal or greater must be reported to the State Fire Marshall. Tanks larger than 250 gallons are prohibited. Releases of fuel will be immediately reported to MSHA and WV DEP. 5. GOVERNMENT PROVIDED MATERIALS 5.1. The Government shall provide a designated space within a fenced compound for fuel and equipment storage and for maintaining equipment if desired by the contractor. The storage area will be available to the contractor as long as the area is kept in a clean and neat. Unused equipment will be removed from government property. 5.2 Keys will be provided by the Government for executing the duties of this contract as defined in Section 8. 6. SAFETY 6.1. The contractor shall provide Mine Safety & Health Administration with a written accident prevention plan and activity hazard analysis plan no less than fourteen (14) days prior to commencement of work. All safety plans must be acceptable to the government before work commences. 6.2. The contractor shall abide by all OSHA Regulations and submit all reports required therein to the manager. 6.3. Contractor shall designate an employee responsible for overall supervision of accident prevention activities. Such duties shall include: assuring applicable safety requirements are incorporated in work methods, and inspecting the work to ensure that safety measures and instructions are actually applied. 6.4. All tractors and lawn mowing equipment will meet the seat belt and Roll Over Protection Structures (ROPS) requirements identified by their manufacturer and OSHA standards. 6.5. Equipment to be used at the A&CC by the contractor shall be inspected by Government personnel at the work site prior to the start of each contract year. Any additional or replacement equipment will be inspected by Government personnel before being placed into service. All machinery is to be mechanically sound, in good state of repair, and in compliance with all safety standards. Mower guards are not to be removed from mowing equipment or made inoperable at any time. The Government reserves the right to re-inspect any equipment at any time in the course of the contract. 6.6. Equipment found to be unsafe will be removed from service until appropriate repairs and/or safeguards are instituted. All applicable safety regulations as set forth in all OSHA standards will be required. All injuries to employees/visitors or damages to property, Government or private, will be reported immediately to the COR. 6.7. The contractor shall observe all speed limits and other posted safety signs while operating vehicles and equipment. Trucks or other vehicles will be operated in a safe manner and will not be parked in unsafe positions. 7. SECURITY 7.1. Locks to access gated or secured project facilities will be opened by the Government for execution of this contract. At no time will keys be issued or lent to the contractor. 7.2. Employees. 7.2.1. All contractor employees working on this contract must be citizens of the United States of America, be an alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence as evidenced by an Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form 1-151, or present other evidence from the INS that employment will not affect his/her immigration status. 7.2.2. All persons hired by the contractor during the course of the contract must be at least 16 years of age and must possess a valid driver's license. The contractor shall insure that the on-site representative is able to communicate in the English language. 7.2.3. The contractor and all contract employees shall be subject to the rules and regulations provided in Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 327, during the performance of the contract. 7.2.4. The contractor and employees shall not use or be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at any time while performing the obligations of this contract. During an on duty status, the contractor and contractor representatives must hold themselves to the standard of acceptable behavior expected of the public and to all rules and regulations governing U.S. Department of Labor property and facilities. Unacceptable behavior, deemed so by the Operations Manager, that brings discredit to the Government or the contractor may be grounds for dismissal of the employee or termination of the contract. 8. QUANTITIES 8.1. All quantities listed as part of this contract are estimates and may vary. Variations in estimated quantities shall not be justification for modification of the contract or request for additional payment. 8.2. The line item quantities provided reflect those anticipated and are not guaranteed. The Government reserves the right to decrease or increase line item quantities based on actual need and funds availability. 8.3. The contractor shall not be reimbursed for services which might be less than originally estimated. Variations in quantities of less than or equal to 50% based on total contract cost will preclude any adjustment in the contract amount. 9. PAYMENT 9.1 Payment for services under this contract will be processed upon receipt of an invoice at the end of each completed cycle summarizing completed activities. No payment will be made for services not provided. All services provided during a mowing cycle will be invoiced for that cycle period. All invoices shall include: Contractor name and address, exactly as it appears on the contract Contract number Date of invoice submission Invoice number Unit Cost Invoice total 9.2. Incorrect invoices will be returned to the Contractor for correction before processing payment. Corrected invoices shall be re-dated to reflect the new submission date. 9.3. Invoices shall be submitted via post-mail and/or electronic mail to the following addresses for payment. Should changes occur to the mailing addresses the Contractor shall be notified of the correct recipient. Invoices will be processed electronically for payment. VIA Post Mail: U.S. DOL MSHA Approval & Certification Center 765 Technology Drive Triadelphia, WV 26059 ATTN: Dave DiegmillerVIA Electronic Mail: contact@example.gov 10. INSPECTIONS, DEDUCTIONS, DEFAULT 10.1 Inspections 10.1.1. At the end of each working day the contractor shall report all work completed. Status report information may be provided via phone, email, or in writing to the contract COR or his designee. This information will be used for quality assurance inspections. 10.1.2. Inspections will be accomplished by Government personnel using a sampling method of inspection based on reported completed mowing. The frequency of inspection will vary from 25 % to 100% of the work accomplished. 10.2. Deductions 10.2.1. All work shall be performed in an orderly manner as directed in the contract. If services are found to be defective in workmanship or otherwise not in conformance with the specifications and requirements, the government will have the right to reject such service. If time permits, the work shall then be re-performed in accordance with contract specifications without additional cost to the Government. 10.2.2. Work which cannot be corrected in a timely fashion will be deducted from the contractor's pay estimate. Deductions for partial work will be made on the basis of work accomplished. Further, the contractor may be responsible for the cost of the Government to perform the service with its personnel and equipment or that of another contractor. 10.2.3. Damage to Government facilities should be avoided. Any damage to Government facilities deemed to have been caused by contractor negligence will be, (1) corrected in a timely fashion by the contractor; (2) Corrected by Government forces or another contractor and deducted from the contractor pay estimate; or (3) settled in an appropriate and timely fashion through the contractor's insurance carrier. 10.3. Default of the contract will be considered for various reasons relating to non performance of the contractual specifications. Following is a partial listing of reasons for which default may be considered. a. Repetitive pay deductions for non performance b. Repetitive safety violations c. Excessive occurrence of damage to Government or private property Acreage Information All acreages are estimates from GIS aerial photography and do not include acreages for mowing road berms. The exact mowing limits will be clarified at the pre-work conference. Grounds Maintenance Services Approval & Certification Center Acreage Area Mowing Class Buildings 1/8 Grounds 10 Regular Building 2 Grounds 2 Regular Buildings 3/5 Grounds 3 Regular Buildings 4/6/7/9/11 Grounds 1 Regular TOTAL REGULAR ACRES 16 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN Task Order Title. Mowing Services, Approval & Certification Center Work Requirements. Section 1.0 Contract Periods Section 2.0 Scope of Work Section 3.0 General Section 6.0 Safety Primary Method of Surveillance. The success of the mowing services shall be determined through field inspection and approval by the COR. The COR, or his authorized representative shall inspect the mowed areas either: (1.) upon the completion of each area or (2.) upon the completion of each cycle. Inspections will be accomplished by Government personnel using a sampling method of inspection at a minimum of 50% of mowed areas up to 100% of the mowed areas to determine that the performance work statement has been met to include: grass mowed to the proper height, all trimming has been completed (including fenceline), berm mowing completed, no clippings on the roadway, parking areas, drainage grates/troughs, and pedestrian walkways/sidewalks, and no remaining thatch. Scope of Performance. The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, materials, supplies, equipment, fuel, vehicles, management, and quality assurance for the mowing services at the Approval & Certification Center, in accordance with the specifications contained herein. Approximately 16 acres are designated as the total area in which mowing services are to be conducted through the implementation of mowing cycles. Areas listed in the inventory represent the maximum possible to be mowed. These areas may be reduced or eliminated per cycle as necessary based on conditions or need. Performance Standards. The mowing cycles shall commence, following the contract award according to the schedule as described in Attachment A of the PWS. Acceptable Quality Level (AQL). The AQL for this project is 95%of all areas mowed within specifications as described in Sections 2.0 and 3.0 Evaluation Method. The success of the mowing services shall be determined through field inspection of at least 50 % of mowed areas up to 100% of the mowed areas and approval by the COR. Based on visual inspection, the inspector will verify that the requirements in the PWS are met to include: grass mowed to the proper height, trimming has been completed, berm mowing completed, no clippings on the roadway,parking areas, and pedestrian walkways/sidewalks, and no remaining thatch. The COR shall inspect the mowing areas either: (1.) upon the completion of each area or (2.) upon the completion of each cycle. Areas not meeting the requirements will be documented and presented for reoccurrence of services. If any deficiencies are noted in the 50% inspection, the remaining 50% will be inspected to insure full compliance. Incentives (Positive and/or Negative) If the mowing services do not result is satisfactory completion of the performance work statement the contractor shall be required to correct the services to the standards as required within the PWS at no additional charge to MSHA. The following positive incentives apply: If requirements are met satisfactorily and timely, the contractor may receive favorable remarks in the Contractor Performance Appraisal Report System (CPARS). The following provisions and clauses apply to this procurement: - 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial (FEB 2012) - 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items (JAN 1999) applies to this acquisition, with the following addendum to paragraph a: (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: A. Technical Capability 1. Experience 2. Understanding of the Requirement B. Past Performance C. Price The non-Price factors combined are significantly more important than Factor C, Price. However, price will become significantly more important as non-price factors approach equality. Offerors are cautioned that the award may not necessarily be made to the lowest price offered. The Government is more concerned with obtaining superior technical features than with making an award at the lowest overall price to the Government. However, the Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to the Government to achieve slightly superior technical features. To receive consideration for award, a rating of no less than "Acceptable" must be achieved for Factor A, and its associated sub-factors. The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial offer should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received. The proposal will be evaluated to determine whether the offeror's methods and approach have adequately and completely considered, defined, and satisfied the requirements specified in the solicitation and whether the offeror's methods and approach to meeting the solicitation requirements provide the Government with a high level of confidence of successful completion within the required schedule. Sub-factor 1: EXPERIENCE - The Government will evaluate the offeror's experience in relation to current or previous work performed in similar size and scope to this requirement, including the experience of key personnel that will be assigned to this requirement. Sub-factor 2: UNDERSTANDING OF THE REQUIREMENT - The Government will evaluate the offeror's understanding of the work to be performed in accordance with the PWS. The offeror shall submit a proposal that demonstrates its understanding of the work described in the PWS and the extent to which potential risks are identified and mitigated. Offerors must demonstrate that they can provide all necessary labor, materials, supplies (including Personal Protective Equipment - PPE), equipment, fuel, vehicles, management, and quality assurance for this requirement. PAST PERFORMANCE: The Government will evaluate past performance of three (3) previous contracts for current relevancy (within 3 years), with at least one (1) previous or current contract with relevancy within the past 12 months based on how well the contractor performed on projects of similar dollar value, scope, and complexity. Offerors are advised that the Government may use past performance information obtained from centralized past performance databases and sources other than those identified by the offeror and the information obtained may be used for both the responsibility determination and the best value decision. The absence of past performance data will be rated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Contracts listed may include those entered into with Government agencies or private sectors. For contractors with no relevant corporate past performance, the Government may take into account information regarding the past performance of predecessor companies, key personnel with relevant past performance. The Government will evaluate the Past Performance Elements specified in the Past Performance Questionnaire, Attachment 1. Offeror's shall distribute the questionnaire included in the solicitation as an attachment to their references so the form can be completed and submitted directly to the Government. Performance. Offerors shall provide a specific narrative explanation of each contract listed in Section 1 describing the objectives achieved and detailing how the effort is relevant to the requirements of this solicitation. (a) For any contracts that did not/do not meet original schedule or technical performance requirements, provide a brief explanation of the reason(s) for the shortcomings and any corrective action(s) taken to avoid recurrence. The offerors shall list each time the delivery schedule was revised and provide an explanation of why the revision was necessary. All Requests for Deviation and Requests for Waiver shall be addressed with respect to causes and corrective actions. The offerors shall also provide a copy of any Cure Notices or Show Cause Letters received on each contract listed and a description of any corrective action implemented by the offeror or proposed subcontractor. The offerors shall indicate if any of the contracts listed were terminated and the type and reasons for the termination. New Corporate Entities. New corporate entities may submit data on prior contracts involving its officers and employees. However, in addition to the other requirements in this section, the offeror shall discuss in detail the role performed by such persons in the prior contracts cited. Information should be included in the files described in the sections above. Past Performance Questionnaire. The offeror shall complete Part I of the Past Performance Questionnaire and e-mail the questionnaire to the Government and private sector technical representative responsible for the past/current contract. The POC's shall be instructed to electronically complete Part II of the questionnaire and e-mail the entire questionnaire to the Contract Specialist, contact@example.gov no later than March 29, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. EST. The offeror shall also e-mail to the Contract Specialist a list of all the POC's who were sent a questionnaire. The Government must receive this list no later than March 27, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. EST. The POC List shall be submitted in Word for Windows Table Format to include the following fields: Solicitation Number; Company Name; Contract Number; Government Agency; POC Last Name, First Name; POC Title; POC Telephone Number; POC E-Mail Address; Date E-Mailed to POC (month/day). Please note, that the Past Performance Questionnaire will not be a part of the resultant contract. PRICE. The offeror shall complete Schedule B (Cost/Price Schedule), with pricing for the base and each option period. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total of all CLIN prices, including all options to ensure that pricing is not unbalanced. Price will be evaluated for completeness and reasonableness using the techniques in FAR 15.404-1(b) (2). Price will become significantly more important as technical ratings approach equality. No adjectival ratings will be used to evaluate Price. Adjectival Ratings. Proposals will be adjectivally rated against each of the evaluation factors set forth in this plan and in the solicitation. Adjectival ratings for Factors I, Technical (See Table 1), Adjectival ratings for Factor II (See Table 2), Past Performance will be Low Risk, High Risk, and Unknown Risk. No adjectival ratings will be used to evaluate Factor III, Price. Adjectival Ratings. The following adjectival ratings will be used: Factor A- Technical, will be rated using the following Adjectival Scale ADJECTIVAL DEFINITION Outstanding A proposal that satisfies all of the Government's requirements with extensive detail to indicate feasibility of the approach and shows a thorough understanding of the problems and offers numerous significant strengths, which are not offset by weaknesses, with an overall low degree of risk in meeting the Government's requirements. Good A proposal that satisfies all of the Government's requirements with adequate detail to indicate feasibility of the approach and shows an understanding of the problems and offers some significant strengths or numerous minor strengths, which are not offset by weaknesses, with an overall low to moderate degree of risk in meeting the Government's requirements. Acceptable A proposal that satisfies all of the Government's requirements with minimal detail to indicate feasibility of the approach and shows a minimal understanding of the problems, with an overall moderate to high degree of risk in...