K--QW VAN OUTFITTING

The contract involves the outfitting and modification of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van into a mobile water-quality sampling laboratory for the Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, with performance centered in Fort Worth, TX. The work includes installing a 6500W generator, rooftop air conditioning, electrical systems, sinks with counters, storage cabinets, insulation, new flooring, tubing ports, and a trailer hitch receiver, all designed to prevent contamination and ensure operational efficiency. The solicitation, numbered 140G0126Q0061 and issued by the USGS OAG Reston Acquisition Branch under the Department of the Interior, is a small business set-aside open to women-owned, economically disadvantaged women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and HUBZone small businesses under NAICS code 811121. Proposals must be submitted electronically by March 23, 2026, to Mindie Dixon at mindie_dixon@ios.doi.gov and structured into four distinct tabs: Offer Form, Itemized Pricing, Certifications and Representations, and Responses to Technical Capability and Past Performance, with a strict three-page limit on the technical evaluation component. Evaluation is based on a trade-off process where technical merit and past performance are significantly more important than price, and the award will not follow a lowest price technically acceptable approach. The contract incorporates numerous Federal Acquisition Regulation clauses governing commercial item procedures, payment terms, cybersecurity, supply chain security, labor standards, and ethical conduct. Key clauses include 52.212-4 and 52.212-5 for commercial item terms, 52.204-23 and 52.204-25 prohibiting Kasperky Lab and covered telecommunications equipment, 52.204-27 banning ByteDance applications, and 52.204-30 enforcing Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act restrictions. Contractors must comply with wage determinations under GS1440, implement paid sick leave requirements, and adhere to whistleblower protections. Payment will be processed exclusively through the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform, and delivery is F.O.B. Destination, meaning the contractor retains responsibility for loss or damage until the van is received at the consignee’s facility. Offerors must complete representations under FAR 52.212-3, certifying their size status, ownership structure, adherence to Buy American requirements, and any joint venture participation,