Helium and Nitrogen Gases

Contracting Office Address Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Office of Acquisition, TSA-25, 701 South 12th Street, Arlington, VA 22202 United States Description 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. The solicitation is issued as a request for proposal. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-31 effective March 19, 2009. The requirement will be Set Aside for Small Business if two (2) or more qualified Small Businesses submit quotes. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 325120, which has a Small Business Size Standard of 1,000 employees and shall remain open for responsible sources to respond. Contractors are required to identify their company's business size. TSA plans to establish a single no cost BPA to fulfill this requirement; however, the Government reserves the right to not award any BPA and does not guarantee any order placements. The resultant Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) award will be three (3) years in duration with a not to exceed ceiling amount of $130,000.00. The firm fixed price will be determined based on a breakdown of all costs and delivery to Atlantic City, NJ. The Government is obligated only to the extent of the authorized purchases made under the BPA. BACKGROUND The Helium and Nitrogen gases are used to operate the DART system which is located in the Canine Explosives Branch's chemistry laboratory. The DART is a Mass Spectrometer system that is used to analyze trace amounts of substances. The DART cannot operate without these two gases. The gas cylinders must be 9 (diameter) x 56 (height) because the cage and hookups for these gases were specifically configured to fit this cylinder size. The Helium gas purity grade MUST be UHP Plus 99.999%. The Nitrogen gas purity MUST be Ultra Hi Purity 99.999%. These purity grades must be used to eliminate interference with unknown samples and to reduce contamination. The contractor is required to deliver the specified amount of gas cylinders required and pick up the empty gas cylinders that have been consumed. The amount of gases consumed per month depends on how frequently the DART is used by the chemist. II. CONTRACT LINE ITEM STRUCTURE: The resultant contract award will contain two (2) contract line item number (CLINs) per year for a total of six (6) CLINS. III. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) provisions and clauses incorporated by reference or in full text apply to this solicitation and will be applicable to the resultant contract. FAR clauses and provisions are available in full text by accessing the following website m http://www.arnet.gov/far/ 52.202-1 Definitions (July 2004) 52.203-5 Covenant Against Contingent Fees (Apr 1984) 52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006) 52.203-7 Anti-Kickback Procedures (Jul 1995) 52.211-5 Material Requirements (Aug 2000) 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (Feb 2009) 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items (Oct 2008) 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items (Feb 2009) 52.216-24 Limitation of Government Liability (Apr 1984) 52.216-25 Contract Definitization. (See Note 1.) (Oct 1997) 52.223-13 Certification of Toxic Chemical Release Reporting (Aug 2003) 52.223-14 Toxic Chemical Release Reporting (Aug 2003) 52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Aug 2008) 52.225-18 Place of Manufacture (Sept 2006) 52.232-1 Payments (Apr 1984) 52.233-2 Service of Protest (Aug 2006) 52.233-3 Protest after Award (Aug 1996) 52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (Oct 2004) 52.243-1 Changed-Fixed Price (Aug 1987) 52.244-6 Subcontracts for Commerical Items (Feb 2009) IV. DELIVERY TERMS: FAR Clause 52.247-34 --F.O.B. DESTINATION (Nov 1991) V. CONTRACT PERIOD/TERM Base Period - June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010 ITEM NO. Schedule of Supplies or Services Fixed Unit Price CLIN 0001 Cylinder: 9'x56 Helium Purity 99.999% CLIN 0002 Cylinder: 9'x56 Nitrogen Purity 99.999% Option Year 1 - June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011 ITEM NO. Schedule of Supplies or Services Fixed Unit Price CLIN 0001a Cylinder: 9'x56 Helium Purity 99.999% CLIN 0002a Cylinder: 9'x56 Nitrogen Purity 99.999% Option Year 2 - June 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012 ITEM NO. Schedule of Supplies or Services Fixed Unit Price CLIN 0001b Cylinder: 9'x56 Helium Purity 99.999% CLIN 0002b Cylinder: 9'x56 Nitrogen Purity 99.999% ***Special Note: Task Orders will be provided at least three (3) weeks before delivery is to be made. The contractor is required to deliver the specified amount of gas cylinders required and pick up empty gas cylinders that have been consumed. VI. CONTRACT ADMINSTRATION DATA o Contract Administration Data Contracting Officer (CO): Michael Derrios Phone: 571-227-1573 FAX: 571-227-2913 Email: Mike.Derrios@dhs.gov Contract Specialist Audrey Taylor Phone: 571-227-1582 FAX: 571-227-2913 Email: audrey.taylor@dhs.gov o SUBMISSION OF INVOICES (FEB 2006) (a) The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) partners with the United States Coast Guard Finance Center for financial services in support of TSA operations, including the payment of contractor invoices. Therefore, all contractor invoices must be submitted to, and will be paid by, the U.S. Coast Guard Finance Center (FinCen). (b) Invoices may be submitted via U.S. Mail, electronic mail, or facsimile. Contractors shall utilize ONLY ONE method per invoice submission. The submission information for each of the three methods is as follows: (1) U.S. Mail: United States Coast Guard Finance Center TSA Commercial Invoices P.O. Box 4111 Chesapeake, VA 23327-4111 (2) Electronic Mail: FIN-SMB-TSAINVOICES@USCG.MIL (3) Facsimile: 757-413-7314. Facsimile submissions should be addressed to TSA Invoices. (c) The electronic mail address and facsimile number listed above shall be used by contractors for ORIGINAL invoice submission only. If either electronic mail or facsimile submission is utilized, contractors shall not submit hard copies of invoices via the U.S. mail. It is the responsibility of the contractor to verify that invoices are received, regardless of the method of submission used. Contractors may inquire regarding the receipt of invoices by contacting the U.S. Coast Guard Finance Center via the methods listed in subparagraph (e) of this clause. (d) Upon receipt of contractor invoices, FinCen will electronically route invoices to the appropriate TSA Contracting Officer's Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer for review and approval. Upon approval, the TSA Contracting Officer will electronically route the invoices back to FinCen. Upon receipt of approved invoices from a TSA Contracting Officer, and the subsequent certification by an Authorized Certifying Official, FinCen will initiate payment of the invoices. (e) Payment Status: Contractors may inquire on the payment status of an invoice by any of the following means: (1) Via the internet: https://www.fincen.uscg.mil/secure/PH_menu.htm (2) Contacting the FinCen Customer Service Section via telephone at (757) 523-6940 (Voice Option #1). The hours of operation for the Customer Service line are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. However, the Customer Service line has a voice-mail feature that is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. (3) Via the Payment Inquiry Form https://www.fincen.uscg.mil/secure/payment.htm o PREPARATION OF INVOICES (FEB 2006) (a) Invoices shall include the information required in subparagraph (a) (2) of the Prompt Payment Clause, contained in this Section of the Contract, including EFT banking information, Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and DUNS number. (b) Invoices that fail to provide the information required by the Prompt Payment Clause may be rejected by the Government and returned to the Contractor. Such rejection by the Government does not entitle the Contractor to interest payments from the date of submission of a rejected invoice. Interest payments apply only to proper invoices that are received by the Government. (c) Supplemental Invoice Documentation: Contractors shall submit all supplemental invoice documentation necessary to approve an invoice along with the original invoice. The Contractor invoice must contain the information stated in the Prompt Payment Clause in order to be received and processed by FinCen. Supplemental invoice documentation required for review and approval of invoices may, at the written direction of the Contracting Officer, be submitted directly to either the Contracting Officer, or the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative. o Accounting and Appropriation Data Accounting and appropriation data will be provided with the contract award. VIV. FAR 52.212-1, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS (SEPTEMBER 2006). Offerors are required to submit the following: a written proposal on letterhead or the SF 1449 Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items, signed and dated that contains the requested supplies with unit prices(s), extended price(s), prompt payment terms, remittance address if different than the mailing address, descriptive literature of items being quoted (if applicable), solicitation number, time specified in the solicitation for receipt of proposals, name, address, and telephone number of the offeror, terms of any express warranty. If the proposal is not submitted on the SF 1449, responses shall include a statement specifying the extent of the agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions in this solicitation. Responses that fail to furnish the required representations or information, or reject the terms and conditions of this solicitation may be excluded from consideration. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS: All Offerors shall ensure that their submission includes, at a minimum, the following information in response to this solicitation: 1) Letterhead (See FAR 52.21-1 above), 2) Reps and Certs (See FAR 52.212-3), 3) Technical Narrative and Relevant Supporting Documentation (Volume I) 4) Past Performance Information (Volume II), and 5) Price for each CLIN (0001 - 0002b) TECHNICAL NARRATIVE AND RELEVANT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION: The Offeror shall submit a narrative explaining how the proposed product meets or exceeds the stated minimum requirements of this solicitation. The Offeror shall also submit supporting documentation which may include but is not limited to manufacturer's product information, specifications, laboratory test results, environmental fact sheets, graphic representations of proposed products, etc. The narrative description shall address, but is not limited to the following aspects of their proposed product for evaluation purposes: - Quality, - Durability, - Probable life of the item selected as compared with that of a comparable item, - Warranty considerations, - Maintenance, and - Environmental and energy efficiency considerations. PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION: Past performance will be evaluated as a measure of the Government's confidence in the Offeror's ability to successfully deliver the product proposed. Offerors shall provide a list of not more than five (5) projects/contracts/orders where the offeror has successfully contracted for similar requirements in the past two (2) years. These projects/contracts/orders can include those performed for the federal, state, and local governments, commercial industry and those performed for private organizations. For each project/ contract/order that meets this description, the offeror shall provide the following information: 1. Customer Name (agency, bureau, private organization, etc.) 2. Customers Address 3. Project/Contract/ Order number 4. Period of performance of Project/Contract/Order 5. Point of Contact for Project/Contract/Order 6. Point of Contact's address, Telephone Number, and email address 7. Quantities of the products delivered It is the offeror's responsibility to ensure that all past performance information is accurate, current, and complete. The information provided by the Offeror may not serve as the sole basis of evaluation of past performance. The Government reserves the right to obtain and utilize information from sources other than those identified by the Offeror. PRICE FOR EACH CLIN (0001 - 0002B): Offerors shall provide total firm fixed price per unit for each CLIN. Prices quoted shall be FOB destination and must reflect the total cost to the Government. The Government shall conduct its price analysis using one or more of the techniques specified in FAR 15.404-1(b) in an effort to determine price reasonableness. SOURCE SELECTION: The Government intends to award a competitive Blanket Purchase Agreement to the Contractor whose proposal, conforming to the combined/synopsis, represents the best value solution using a Trade-Off analysis. The Best Value Approach is a method of selecting the proposal that presents the best value to the Government, based on evaluation of each offer in the areas of Technical Narrative, Past Performance, and Cost/Price. The Source Selection Authority (SSA) may determine that a superior solution/approach merits a higher price, and therefore represents the best value to the Government. The SSA, using sound business judgment, will base the selection decision on an integrated assessment of the proposal's relative capability. The Government may: (1) Reject any or all submittals if such action is in the public interest; (2) Accept other than the lowest price submittal; and, (3) Waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received. Proposals that do not respond to all requirements in the solicitation may be rejected without further evaluation, deliberation, or discussion. The Government may reject any proposal that is evaluated to be significantly not compliant with the solicitation requirements, unrealistically high or low in price, or reflects a failure to comprehend the requirement. The Government may award any resulting contract to other than the lowest priced Offeror, or other than the Offeror with the highest non-price rating. The Government reserves the right to award without discussions with Offerors. If the government determines that discussions are necessary, the government reserves the right to establish a competitive range in accordance with FAR 15.306(c). The government reserves the right to limit the competitive range for efficiency. RESPONSE TIME: Submission (Emailed Submissions) Emailed submissions must be received at Audrey.Taylor@dhs.gov no later than May 4, 2009 by 2:00 PM EST. PLEASE NOTE your subject line must read - Gases HSTS02-09-R-CAN355 proposal from (___insert company name____). Emailed submissions for the RFP HSTS02-09-R-CAN355 must be in separate attachments and clearly indicate which volume coincides with which attachment. The Government reserves the right to disregard any additional attachments without notification to the offeror. Offerors shall identify the following: a. Company Name b. Company Address c. Contractual Point of Contact Name, Phone Number, Email Address d. Company Tax Identification Number e. Company DUNS Number f. Major Subcontractor Companies Names and Addresses, if applicable Due to TSA restrictions on the size of email, ensure that all emails submitted are less than 5MB. If the proposal exceeds 5MB, please separate the submission into multiple emails and include in the subject line the solicitation number and # of # emails. Any electronic submission determined to contain a virus will be deleted and not viewed or accepted for consideration under this solicitation. Proposals must be received by the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer no later than the exact time specified in the solicitation to be considered for award. Time of receipt will be determined by the government's email receipt time. It is the quoting firm's responsibility to ensure this is done according to the above restrictions. Question Due Date and Time Questions about the RFP or Statement of Work shall be due to the contracting office not later than April 22, 2009 by 2:00 PM EST. All questions shall be submitted electronically (via email) to Audrey Taylor @ Audrey.Taylor@dhs.gov. Each question submitted shall reference the specific section and paragraph of the RFP or SOW as appropriate. Questions and Answers will be posted on FEDBIZOPS for everyone to view.