LA-39 Marsh Island Vegetative Planting

The Louisiana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) located in Alexandria, LA, is hereby seeking Request for Proposals (RFP) for a single award firm fixed-price contract to grow, transport, and plant various species of coastal wetland plants for the LA-39 Marsh Island Vegetative Planting Project located in Iberia Parish, LA as more fully provided in the plans and specifications attached and made a part hereof. Proposals received in response to this solicitation shall be evaluated in accordance with procedures outlined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15. This is a Total Small Business Set Aside under NAICS Code 115112. The estimated magnitude is between $25,000 and $100,000. The Offeror is required to provide a detailed technical and cost proposal outlining their methodology, labor and equipment to complete the work identified in the attached plans and specifications. The technical and cost proposals shall provide for the following: 1. The source(s) of all plants to include the number and type of plants to be supplied (nursery name, mailing and physical address, phone number, name of nursery contact person) to be utilized by the contractor in performance of work under this contract. The contractor shall not change the selected source(s) of plants after award of the contract without receiving prior written approval from the CO. If any of the required plants are to be grown/produced in ponds with a direct hydrologic connection to a natural intermediate, brackish or saline wetland ecosystem, a map indicating the location and boundaries of the growing site(s) shall also be provided. 2. A legible copy of a current state nursery license and/or permit issued to the specified nursery (or nurseries) to be utilized by the contractor under this contract. 3. Certification that plant material of all required genera and species, and if specified, variety or cultivar or ecotype, is on the premises of the specified nursery (or nurseries) responsible for growing operations in an amount sufficient to propagate the required number of vegetative bareroot (plug) or containerized (potted) transplants identified in the plans and specifications. 4. A detailed planting sequence of all shoreline and shallow-water planting sites. 5. A detailed work plan with timeline which addresses the transportation, staging, planting locations, configurations, the method for locating correct plant position and the sequencing of planting operations including mobilization and demobilization. 6. Describe the credentials and qualifications of your proposed personnel to show experience and knowledge performing the requirements of the plans and specifications. 7. Explain the makeup of your crews and personnel for completion of the work identified in the plans and specifications to include information on the planting crew size and production rate (the projected number of plants to be installed per work day) for planting. 8. List of proposed equipment to be utilized during the planting operations and methods of digging holes and placement of plants. 9. List and explain the proposed subcontractors and their responsibilities relative to the completion of the work identified in the plans and specifications. 10. The Offeror shall submit information on contracts considered most relevant in demonstrating the Offeror's ability to perform the proposed effort. The Offeror shall submit a list of contracts either currently being performed or that have been completed within the last five (5) years. Explain in detail the site conditions, mobilization efforts and the specific plantings completed to include number and type, planting locations, difficulties encountered, etc. For each relevant contract, the Offeror shall provide the name, contract number, address and telephone number of the contact. In addition, each Offeror shall provide a brief summary of the type of work completed and the site conditions where the work was performed. 11. If subcontractors will be used for more than 50% of the work, then include a summary of their work experience and at least five of their most recent jobs performed for similar type work, with name, address, POC, telephone number of owner or prime contractor. 12. Schedule B - Supplies/Services/Prices 13. Schedule K - Certifications and Representations Evaluation Criteria: (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: 1. Price - The costs will be evaluated upon the Offeror's ability to demonstrate associated costs with the project in order for the Government to determine reasonableness of price. A comparison of the proposed prices, government estimate and/or market values will be used. Cost realism of the proposed man-hours, materials and other costs to accomplish the proposed effort may be conducted. The Government will evaluate whether costs reflect a clear understanding of the program requirements and are reasonable and consistent with the various elements of the offer/quote. Offerors are put on notice that any offer/quote that is unrealistic in terms of technical commitment or unrealistically low in price will be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of technical competence or indicative of failure to comprehend the complexity of contract requirements and may be grounds for rejection of the offer/quote. In addition, the offeror must meet the requirement for responsibility as defined in FAR 9.104. 2. Technical Capability - The Government will evaluate an Offeror's technical capability to determine an offeror's ability to meet the requirements identified in the plans and specifications. The merit of the offeror's proposed approach to accomplish the work identified in the plans and specifications will be assessed. This includes the reasonableness of the proposed work plan, scheduling and necessary certifications for achieving the project objectives. For an offer to be considered technically acceptable, the offeror must demonstrate a clear understanding of all requirements and demonstrate that, as a contractor, they have the technical capabilities identified above. The Technical Capability focuses on strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies in the Offeror's proposal. Offerors are advised that any strengths accepted by the Government may be incorporated into the contract as the minimum performance requirement. For the purposes of the proposal, a deficiency is defined as a "failure of a offeror to meet the Government requirement". The technical capabilities will be evaluated against the Offeror's ability to provide for sufficient staff and personnel with sufficient expertise to accomplish the contract requirements. The technical capabilities will be evaluated to assess the Offeror's ability to plan, control and integrate personnel necessary for successful contract performance. 3. Past Performance - The offer/quote will be evaluated to assess the Offeror's relevancy and quality of past experience in performing the work described in the plans and specifications. Where the relevant present and past performance record indicates performance problems, the Government will consider the number and severity of problems and the appropriateness and effectiveness of any corrective actions taken, not just planned or promised action. If the Offeror clearly demonstrates that management actions employed in overcoming problems resulted in improvements achieved or problems rectified, this may allow the Offeror to be rated higher than might otherwise be indicated. All offerors will be given an opportunity to respond to any adverse past performance information obtained by the evaluation team for which the Offeror did not previously have an opportunity to address. Adverse past performance information is defined as information that supports a less than satisfactory rating on any evaluation element in past performance or contained in Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) and Past Performance Information System (PPIRS) or any less than satisfactory comments received from sources without a formal rating system. Offerors without a record of relevant present and past performance, or for whom information on present and past performance is not available, will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on present and past performance but will receive an "unknown" rating for the past performance factor. 4. Technical and past performance, when combined, are equal to price. Telephone, written, facsimile or email requestys for the solicitation package will not be honored. Potential Offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for the release of any subsequent amendments. Offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). You may request an application via phone at 866-606-8220 or register online at https://sam.gov. The technical and cost proposal is due no later than Monday, October 29, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time.