Prequalification - Mail Transport Equipment Service Center

PRE-QUALIFICATION NOTICE AND REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS. This notice serves as public announcement that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is seeking to pre-qualify sources for participation in future competitive acquisitions for selection of contractors to provide, operate and manage Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers (MTESC). Mail Transport Equipment (MTE) is used to transport mail in and between postal processing facilities. MTE consists of mailbags, various metal containers, plastic and corrugated fiberboard trays and sleeves, canvas hampers, and pallets. The MTESC function is to process and repair MTE and return it to service within the postal system. These sites are designed to provide processing and repair of MTE and are part of an established network formed to ensure that adequate, timely, and high quality MTE is available to USPS Processing and Distribution Centers, Bulk Mail Centers and their customers. Prequalification is the process of up-front identification of top-quality suppliers able to compete for specific types of contract opportunities. Selection of the right suppliers is critical to the Postal Service's success. Having the right suppliers augments the Postal Service's ability to deliver high-quality and innovative services to its customers and reduces operational risks. Pre-qualifying suppliers enhances competition, ensures quality performance, and can also shorten cycle time and strengthen relationships between the Postal Service and its suppliers. The USPS intends to pre-qualify an adequate number of suppliers whose record of performance in the marketplace (commercial or governmental or both) have demonstrated their ability to consistently perform to high standards of quality and reliability. All qualified suppliers need not be placed on the pre-qualified list if the purchase team determines (1) that a smaller group will provide adequate competition or (2) that some suppliers are considerably more qualified than others, thereby precluding purchase opportunities for the less qualified. It is the intent of USPS to use this pre-qualified suppliers list for future solicitations for certain MTESC contracts over, at minimum, a 3 year period following the completion of this prequalification. Pre-qualification Criteria: The USPS will evaluate a firm's pre-qualification submission against each of the Prequalification Evaluation requirements listed in the document titled Prequalification Request/Criteria (Exhibit -1) and the supplemental data and detail included in Exhibits 2-4. Interested parties may download the pre-qualification package from FedBizOpps and must provide responses through the USPS eSourcing tool - Emptoris. All exhibits will also be attached within Emptoris. Pre-qualification responses will be due by 11:59 PM (EST) July 26, 2015, and must be submitted through the Emptoris website. If your company is not already a registered supplier for the USPS, you must register your company in the following logon page: https://uspsesourcing.emptoris.com/sso/jsp/login.jsp This page is also the entry point for currently registered suppliers. For assistance registering, please call the helpdesk hotline: 1-888-791-3069. Upon successful completion of the supplier registration process, interested parties must notify Mohan Sharma at Mohan.D.Sharma@usps.gov and request to be invited to the prequalification event within the Emptoris website. Note: a supplier who is already registered as a Postal Service supplier within Emptoris may just email Mohan Sharma for an invitation without going through the registrations process again. All questions and comments regarding any aspect of this notice or the enclosure must be sent by email to the primary point of contact listed below. Questions and answers will be accepted throughout the prequalification time line, and will be posted to FBO on each Wednesday (7/8, 7/15, 7/22). Pre-qualification does not constitute a contract award. Any interested firms and incumbent suppliers who have previously been pre-qualified must submit a response to this notice in order to be considered for this prequalification opportunity. This announcement does not in any way commit the USPS to the reimbursement of any proposal cost or expense, or otherwise create an obligation on the part of the USPS. The USPS is not obligated to award any contract as a result of this announcement. LIST OF EXHIBITS 1. Pre-Qualification Request / Criteria; 2. Description of the MTESC operational requirements; 3. Estimated Volume for each MTESC site; 4. Estimated Frequency of trips to the customer base in each MTESC location; 5. Provision 4.3 Representations and Certifications. The information contained in this RFI and Sources Sought announcement is considered the most current available information; however the USPS reserves the right to modify any and all provisions of the document contained within. No telephone inquiries will be entertained. All questions or requests for clarification must be in writing to Mohan Sharma via email address: Mohan.D.Sharma@usps.gov. Responses to this RFI are due on or before July 26, 2015 at 11:59PM EST. The Postal Service does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this prequalification activity or to pay for the information requested. Note: Exhibit 1 includes additional detail regarding this prequalification process.