L--618-16-1-6023-0004 Interior Plant Care FY 2016 Annual Maintenance and service of indoor plants and shrubs

Statement of Work- Interior Plant Care Maintenance- FY16 Facility/Location: Veterans Administration Health Care Systems (VAHCS) facility, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55417. Objective: The Contractor shall provide complete plant care for all interior plants and landscape materials located in building seventy (70) of the Minneapolis VAHCS facility. There are approximately two thousand five hundred (2500) biological plants situated amongst three (3) interior atriums, at various raised levels and planters. There are also artificial silk plants that shall require maintenance and care for maintaining a dust free and natural appearance. General Description of Services: Routine maintenance shall occur on a regular basis but no less than weekly and shall include those services that ensure the proper health of the plants and encourage growth, good color and adequate root development. Maintenance shall be performed by or under the supervision of fully-insured personnel with a horticulture degree. Services shall include watering, misting, environmentally friendly and odor-free fertilizer, spraying, cleaning, leaching, aerating, replacement of potting materials and fillers, and plant replacement in accordance with sound horticulture practice. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing and executing a not-less-than monthly maintenance plan, in which the Contractor shall maintain the plants in a healthy, vigorous and attractive condition, as specified in the areas and manners below: (1) Plant Areas: All plants shall present a well-groomed appearance at all times. All planters and planted areas shall be free of all paper, gum, bottles, trash, and other discarded material. Surface soil areas of planters will be kept dressed by Contractor with use of fresh and clean covering material that meets normal commercial standards for florist/interior plantings. (2) Watering: All planted areas (planters) shall show no signs of excess dryness at any time. All areas shall be checked for moisture content on a regular basis. Contractor is responsible for ensuring all areas receive proper water, fertilizer, and pest control application and coverage based on the type of plants provided. (3) Leaves: Areas shall be kept free of fallen leaves. The Contractor shall remove all clippings, trimmings, cuttings, trash, excess soil, and debris from floor and planter areas resulting from work or from normal plant leave droppings. (4) Natural Appearance: All trees and plants shall be shaped to achieve a natural appearance. Trees and plants shall present a neat, well-maintained appearance free of dust, and provide unobstructed access to seating and pedestrian areas at all times. A landscaping professional will accomplish any plant trimming. (5) Pest, Disease, and Weed Control: (A) The Contractor shall furnish all chemicals, including fertilizer and required insecticides necessary to comply with quality requirements (reference paragraph 3B below). All chemicals shall be approved for safe suitable interior use in public buildings by Federal, State, and local regulation. The contractor shall provide Material Safety and Data Sheets to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) prior to use of any such substances. All chemicals specified and used shall comply with EPA regulations. The Contractor shall submit to the COR the names and technical information, including EPA certification, on all chemicals proposed for use. The program and chemical information shall be submitted to the COR one week prior to use. There shall be no evidence of pests or disease in plants provided and maintained by the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible, at their expense, for removing and disposing of any contaminated material from Federal property. (B) The Contractor shall inspect soil and foliage for insects and disease and apply any needed pesticides and fungicides. All spraying or placement of pesticides shall be accomplished by a Minnesota state-licensed applicator. The Contractor shall provide a copy of this license to the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer Representative, prior to the start of the contract. Any updates to licensing of existing or new employees shall be submitted to the COR within 10 business days of issuance or changes. Soil Samples, if required, shall be taken and analyzed at the Contractor's expense by an approved testing laboratory from areas where plant health problems are suspected of occurring. Any costs of any special analysis or treatment shall be incurred at Contractor's expense. (6) Waste and Recycling: The Contractor shall remove all protective materials from items delivered, installed or used under this contract from the building, according to federal sustainability guidelines. Cardboard, metals, and other items shall be recycled, as practiced at the Veterans Administration. The Contractor shall remove all trash refuse cartons, packing and crating materials resulting from installation of new or relocation of existing items. (7) Damages: The Contractor shall be responsible for correcting or replacing damaged plant related furnishings and for plants not in sound horticultural health. This includes plants that are damaged, die, or lose their original form due to natural causes, or negligence or improper maintenance by the Contractor, and such plants shall be replaced in equal kind and size at no expense to the Government. The Contractor shall not he held responsible for replacement of plant materials damaged or killed due to vandalism or extreme environmental conditions beyond the Contractor's control. (8) Manner and Time to Conduct Services: The services including delivery, installation and routine plant maintenance shall occur between the normal business hours of 7:00am and 4:30pm, Central Time, Monday through Friday. Work shall not be performed on government holidays except with prior written approval by the COR. Services such as inventory and inspections with the COR shall occur during normal business hours. (9) Personnel Security Requirements: The Contractor shall comply with all VA requests to obtain identification badges for key personnel whom will be working onsite. The number of key contractor personnel obtaining identification badges shall be sufficient to provide continuous onsite escorts for all phases of the contract requirements. Each person that is a candidate to receive a contractor badge shall complete the requested forms, submit to fingerprinting, and be able to complete the online registration process as provided by the VA. Contract Length: A contract with one (1) base year and four (4) option years is being requested by Facilities Engineering of the Minneapolis VAHCS. BID EVALUATION FACTORS: The evaluation criteria for reviewing the bids are as follows: (1) Past Performance of the contractor. (2) Technical Approach. (3) Interior landscaping scheme. (4) Key Personnel. Past performance, technical approach and showing a proven organizational support structure to meet all of the required goals and timelines shall be the deciding factor during the bid selection process. Factor 1 - Past Performance: Experience with contracts for interior plant services. Past performance will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of service provided and timeliness of delivery. The past performance should include a description of at least three (3) contracts you have performed within the past 3 years that are similar in size and scope to this requirement. Include all of the following information for the three (3) references in the proposal: a. Name of Agency/Organization b. Contract number c. Contract type d. Total contract value e. Description of contract work f. Contracting officer (or similar representative) name, telephone #, and email address Factor 2 - Technical Approach: Ability to furnish high quality interior plant services. Methodology for plant selection and location (e.g., meeting indoor air quality standards, direct sunlight, pest management program, etc.); plant furnishings selection and use; maintenance and rotation schedule meeting the requirements set forth in this solicitation. Factor 3 - Interior landscaping Design Scheme: Describe interior landscaping design scheme including overall aesthetics and variety of plants and plant furnishings/fillers in the identified planters. The offeror shall provide a complete description of plant care services and the approach that will be taken to ensure that all of the stated goals of this solicitation are successfully met. Factor 4 - Key Personnel: A professional horticulturalist shall be the primary contact to perform/oversee contract requirements. Submit resume of proposed personnel identifying qualifications, experience, certifications, and academic achievements to include horticulture degree and pest applicator certification. SITE VISIT: All bidding contractors shall be required to complete a site visit prior to submitting their bids during the solicitation period. The Contracting Officer will schedule a one-time, same day visit for all bidders to examine the interior plant areas. The COR or designated representative from Facilities Engineering shall be present during the site visit. All bidders shall identify and provide a list of which types of plants are actively present within building seventy (70) of the Minneapolis VAHCS facility. Qualifications and expertise of interior plant care contractor: Contractor shall provide on-site technicians who have no less than one year of experience with plant care. There shall be at least one (1) person with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture, positioned as key personnel for the management of the plant care and oversight of the contract. Any person performing the tasks of applying pesticide products shall be licensed, and maintain a current applicator license, by the State of Minnesota. Quality assurance surveillance plan: 1. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan: The COR or Facilities Engineering Designee shall speak with an onsite technical representative each week, to be updated with all pertinent changes in the care of the interior plants. 2. Government Provided Materials: A. Not applicable. 3. SCHEDULE: A. Contractor shall submit an estimated work schedule within 10 business days of Notice to Proceed. The schedule shall show anticipated work days, times and task agendas for each week. B. REPORTS: A. Assessment of condition and health of plants and provide recommendations for care/replacement with written cost estimates, if any. Reports shall be provided weekly. 2. KEYS AND BADGES: A. The Contractor will be issued keys and badges as needed. Failing to return badges and keys will result in a reduction of the contract in the dollar amounts as follows. (1) Badges - $200.00 for each badge not returned. (2) Keys - $200.00 for each key not returned. Format to submit bid pricing: When submitting the bid, the charges for the work described in the solicitation shall be formatted as separate line items, as outlined below: 1. Guaranteed landscaping maintenance - Contractor shall replace any plant that becomes unhealthy or unsightly, and cannot be corrected to natural health or shape within ten (10) calendar days. The replacement shall be the same type and size of the original plant material, unless otherwise agreed upon by Facilities Engineering. This line item shall be billed as a monthly charge that includes all labor, material and incidentals required to maintain the current healthy condition of the existing plants. 2. Silk plant cleaning- Contractor shall clean all silk plants on a quarterly basis. This line item requires the billing charges to be stated as a cost per cleaning service. A description of which process will be used to clean the plants shall be provided with the bid. Any and all fall protection safety measures that are required by the most modern federal OSHA standards shall be followed for worksite elevations over four (4) feet. 3. New plant material- Any new design plant material, or additional plant material requested, shall be charged separately from regular plant replacement requirements covered under plant warranties. This cost shall be listed as a separate line item. The total cost of this line item shall be initially funded at five thousand dollars ($5,000). The Contractor shall provide a price quote for the proposed plant replacement, at the time of the request. This requirement shall be considered optional and discretionary, with the understanding that some of the funds for this line item may not be expended. Facilities Engineering shall approve any new plant selections that will be charged against this line item. 4. Soil replacement- Contractor shall replace soils that become settled or deteriorated, and refilled to original levels. This cost shall be listed as a separate line item, with a per-unit charge provided on the bid, which shall only be billed on an 'as needed' basis. The total cost of this line shall be initially funded at two thousand dollars ($2,000). This requirement shall be considered optional and discretionary, with the understanding that some of the funds for this line item may not be expended. 5. Blooming Plants- Contractor shall rotate sixty (60) blooming plants every thirty (30) days, for a section of plants located in the "Flag" atrium. The selection for the type of blooming plants shall be approved by Facilities Engineering, before any changes occur. This cost shall be listed as a separate line item on the contract and purchase order. Bidding contractor shall provide a list of potential plants to choose from, along with the charges for each type of plant. This line item shall be billed monthly. Reports and documentation- All reports shall be submitted to: Kevin Schieber- COR contact@example.gov +1 (555) 000-0000 Theodore Steidl- Facility Maintenance Manager contact@example.gov +1 (555) 000-0000