R -- INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICAL SUPPORT

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to determine the availability and capability of small businesses (including certified 8(a), Small Disadvantaged, and HUBZone firms; veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and women-owned small businesses. This notice is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposals, Solicitation, Request for Quotes, or an indication the Government will contract for the items contained herein. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted as a result of this notice. The Government does not reimburse respondents for any cost associated with submission of the information being requested or reimburse expenses incurred to interested parties for responses to this sources sought. Any responses received will not be used as a proposal. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking to identify any sources with capabilities or prior experience that can provide International Logistics Support in accordance with the following statement of work. This is a potential Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), firm-fixed price contract with a base period and four option years. The previous source for this requirement was Courtesy Associates, Inc. STATMENT OF WORK: The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, materials and facilities for the arrangement of international and domestic travel, escorts, interpreters and/or translators, conference and hotel accommodations, as well as conference arrangements for selected participants in the health exchange programs between the U.S. and various foreign countries and with multilateral organizations. The contractor shall provide transportation and subsistence allowance in accordance with levels specified in the contract. The contractor shall provide rapid response services to FDA requirements (e.g. provide ground transportation within 1 hour of notice) or arrange an escort, lodging and per diem within 3 hours of notice. Document translation is often needed on an emergency basis, and document translation shall be provided on a routine basis within five (5) business days of receipt of any such request, as well as on an expedited basis, as needed, within 48 hours of receipt of such a request. Interpretation services shall be provided within 10-business days notice. In addition, the contractor shall provide all requisite support services during evening hours and weekends. The contractor shall be responsible for the following: A. TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS, including but not limited to the following services: 1. Development of detailed travel itineraries; 2. Making complex travel arrangements, utilizing a variety of modes of transportation, as dictated by the needs of a given project and budget; 3. Purchase of economy airfare or other tickets in conformance with Federal Travel Regulations for domestic and international travel; 4. Purchase of ground transportation as required. 5. Honoraria, as appropriate ($300 per day is the minimum). B. ACCOMMODATION ARRANGEMENTS: 1. Make hotel arrangements and pay lodging costs directly to the hotel for foreign participants 2. Make hotel arrangements only (without payment to hotel) for either foreign or domestic participants 3. Seek best available rate, and/or government rate for all travelers, for all accommodations. C. ESCORT SERVICES AND OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION: 1. Arrange to meet incoming participants upon their arrival in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia or other cities, or conference locations; 2. Provide qualified escorts to accompany participants for all or a portion of their visit; 3. Provide interpreters; 4. Provide transportation to and from airports, hotels, meetings, etc. Although a written itinerary shall be provided to the contractor as far in advance as possible, the contractor must be able to provide a rapid response to changes in programs an unanticipated events. Changes are often required on weekends. 5. Arrange for and pay for rental car service and drivers for ranking delegations; six. Provide FDA's Project Officer with advice on the most economical modes of transportation that will appropriately meet he needs of the specific traveler or event. D. OTHER SERVICES FOR PARTICIPANTS: 1. Provide foreign and U.S. participants the appropriate daily allowance, if applicable. The subsistence allowance shall be at the official government rate for "meals and incidental expenses" in accordance with current DOD Joint Travel Regulations. 2. The contractor shall deliver subsistence allowance, appropriate orientation materials/instructions to travelers on a timely basis. Subsistence shall be delivered via wire transfer or check in the currency of the individual's country, or if on-site, cash in the currency of that country. 3. Arrange for attendance at conferences, seminars and training sessions. 4. Provide the participant(s) with an information package upon his/her arrival, which shall include his/her itinerary, a letter indicating who is sponsoring his/her travel, how hotel bills are to be handled, the purpose of the subsistence allowance, and other pertinent information as directed. Note: The only U.S. participants allowed to travel and receive lodging and subsistence allowance under this contract shall be those individuals identified by the Project Officer. The contractor will receive instructions in writing, except in instances when verbal communication is necessary. E. MEETING SUPPORT: 1. The contractor shall provide the services of a conference/meeting manager or other support services as necessary to assist with the arrangements, including preparations for the meeting and support services throughout the meeting; examples include, but are not limited to; on-site assistance with changes in travel arrangements, coordination of transportation, and secretarial support, if necessary. [Note: Entertainment Shall Not be paid by the contractor] 2. Duplicating and distribution of meeting materials to participants 3. Hotel arrangements, including direct payment of hotels for accommodations and meeting rooms 4. Provision of interpretation and translation services 5. Typing and duplication of documents 6. Payment of honoraria for designated speakers 7. Provision of on-site logistical support 8. Transcription of meeting proceedings and/or preparation of typed transcript F. OTHER SERVICES: Domestic and international courier and messenger services G. PROGRAM DATABASE AND ACCOUNTING SYSTEM: The contractor shall establish and maintain a database or information system to keep the Project Officer apprised at any time of: a. The status of arrangements for any particular delegation or visitor b. The costs attributable to a particular delegation or visitor, both projected costs and the final actual costs. The contractor shall establish and maintain a system whereby charges are clearly segregated and billed according to the work order. H. COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTING: a. The contractor will be advised in writing of all work requirements, including meeting/conference requirements, delegation visits, visits by ranking officials, requirements for translation or interpretation services, or any other activity covered by this contract. However, in some instances, due to time constraints, the initial request may be by telephone, in all cases, the initial request will be followed by a written work order. b. The contractor shall provide the Project Officer written confirmation upon receipt of each work order. Upon completion of each individual work order, the contractor shall provide the Project Officer with a comprehensive written accounting of the actual costs and charges for the work. c. The contractor shall only take requests for services/instructions from the Project Officer, Alternate Project Officer, Contracting Officer, or other designee authorized in the contract. d. The contractor shall only accept changes in a program or services from the Project Officer, Alternate Project Officer, Contracting Officer, or other designee authorized in the contract. The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person, and an alternate or alternates, who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent, shall be designated in writing (technical proposal key personnel) to the Contracting Officer. The contract manager or alternate(s) shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The contract manager or alternate(s) shall be available during normal business hours, as well as evenings and weekends. The contract manager and alternate(s) shall be able to read, write, speak, and understand English. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Work shall be performed at the Contractor's normal place of business, or as specified in the individual task order. Companies are encouraged to respond if they have the capability and capacity to provide the identified services with little or no disruption of services to the current users at the FDA. Interested small business potential offerors are encouraged to respond to this notice. However, be advised that generic capability statements are not sufficient for effective evaluation of respondents' capacity and capability to perform the specific work as required. Responses must directly demonstrate the company's capability, experience, and/or ability to marshal resources to effectively and efficiently perform each of the tasks described above at a sufficient level of detail to allow definitive numerical evaluation; and evidence that the contractor can satisfy the minimum requirements listed above wile in compliance with FAR 52.219-14 ("Limitations on Subcontracting"). Failure to definitively address each of these factors will result in a finding that respondent lacks capability to perform the work. Responses to this notice shall be limited to 15 pages, and must include: 1. Company name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers, website address (if available), and the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a point of contact having the authority and knowledge to clarify responses with Government representatives. 2. Name, title, telephone number, and e-mail addresses of individuals who can verify the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses. 3. Business size for NAICS 561920 with size limitation standards of $6.5M and status, if qualified as an 8(a) firm (must be certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA), Woman-Owned Small Business, HUBZone firm (must be certified by SBA), and/or Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (must be listed in the VetBiz Vendor Information Pages). 4. DUNS number, CAGE Code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc). Companies also must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at www.ccr.gov to be considered as potential sources. 5. Identification of the firm's GSA Schedule contract(s) by Schedule number and contract number and SINs that are applicable to this potential requirement are also requested. 6. If the company has a Government approved accounting system, please identify the agency that approved the system. Please submit copies of any documentation, such as letters or certificates to indicate the firm's status (see item #3 above). Teaming arrangements are acceptable, and the information required above on the company responding to this announcement shall also be provided for each entity expected to be teammates of the respondent for performance of this work. To the maximum extent possible, please submit non-proprietary information. Any proprietary information submitted should be identified as such and will be properly protected from disclosure. Interested offerors should submit their capability statement not exceeding fifteen (15) pages in length, excluding standard brochures. SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE no later than 5:00pm, Eastern Time, March 21, 2008. The capabilities response shall be e-mailed to: kimberly.davila@fda.hhs.gov. All information received in response to this notice that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the notice will not be returned, nor will there be any ensuing discussions or debriefings of any responses. Information provided in response to this notice will be used to assess alternatives available for determining how to proceed in the acquisition process. This notice is part of Government Market Research, a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the commercial status of the industry with respect to their current and near-term abilities. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. The FDA will use the information submitted in response to this notice at its discretion and will not provide comments to any submission; however, the content of any responses to this notice may be reflected in subsequent solicitation. FDA reserves the right to contact any respondent to this notice for the sole purpose of enhancing FDA's understanding of the notice submission. This announcement is Government market research, and may result in revisions in both its requirements and its acquisition strategy based on industry responses. It is emphasized that this is a notice for planning and information purposes only and is not be construed as a commitment by the government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the government pay for information solicited.