RECOVERY Z--RECOVERY ACT - PROJECT # 657-09-117AO -- CORRECT SECONDARY POWER DEFICIENCIES - PHASE II

RECOVERY ACT SPECIAL NOTICE The Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Heartland Network 15, intends to issue a Solicitation for Construction Services for Approved Recovery Act Project 657-09-117AO, Correct Secondary Power Deficiencies, Phase II, which is located at Jefferson Barracks Division, St. Louis, MO, VA Medical Center. SCOPE OF WORK: The general scope of work includes, but is not limited to: Replacement of obsolete electrical components, which are past their life expectancy and used in critical patient care. At this time, no PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE is planned for this Solicitation. If the Government does elect to hold a Pre-Solicitation Conference, either the Pre-Solicitation Synopsis, or the resulting issued Solicitation, will be adjusted accordingly. At this time, no ORGANIZED SITE VISIT is planned for this Solicitation. If the government does elect to schedule an organized site visit, the details will be included in the resulting issued Solicitation. At this time, no OPTIONS AND/OR ALTERNATES have been identified for this project. If the Price Schedule is changed to include Options, prior to the release of the Solicitation, then the Pre-Solicitation Synopsis will be modified accordingly. If the Price Schedule is changed to include Options, after the resulting Solicitation has been issued, then the Solicitation will be Amended accordingly. In accordance with FAR 36.204 and VAAR 836.204, the estimated magnitude of this construction project is: (f) "Between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000." The resulting Solicitation will be issued as a REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) which will result in the award of a Single Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Construction Contract. The estimated performance period for completion of construction is ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY (180) calendar days from Notice to Proceed (NTP). If the performance period is changed prior to the release of the Solicitation, the resulting Solicitation will establish the official performance period under the FAR Clause 52.211-10 -- Commencement, Prosecution, and Completion of Work. If the performance period is changed after release of the Solicitation, the Solicitation will be Amended accordingly. SCHEDULED OPENING & CLOSING DATES. This Solicitation will be available, on or about, 08-10-2009 and the Proposals will be due, on or about, 09-09-2009. The issued Solicitation, including any Amendments, shall establish the official opening and closing dates and times. Proposals received in response to this Solicitation will be evaluated in accordance with procedures outlined in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 15 for the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Offer (LPTA). The following significant evaluation factors have been identified as the basis for award: FACTOR 1: PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. To be technically acceptable, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Construction Firms who submit an offer must provide evidence that they have already performed at least one construction project that involved: (a) Work as a Prime Contractor under the same NAICS code as this project (238210 -- Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors); and (b) Work of a dollar amount that falls within the exact same estimated magnitude of this project, which is between $1,000,00 and $2,000,000 (as listed above). FACTOR 2: TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS. To be technically acceptable, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Construction Firms who submit an offer must provide information regarding the technical qualifications of the proposed project staff, to include the individuals who will be responsible for: (a) Project Management; (b) Quality Control; and (c) Safety Compliance. A brief resume of each key individual will be evaluated to determine if they meet the technical requirements for a project of this nature. It is acceptable for a single individual to perform more than one of these functions, as long as the proposal identifies which function(s) the individual will be performing. FACTOR 3: PRICE. As a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) Source Selection, award will be made on the basis of the lowest evaluated price of proposals meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-cost factors. Note that offers that are not Technically Acceptable cannot be selected, regardless of Price. NOTE: The actual issued Solicitation will include a detailed list of all evaluation factors, including any subfactors or elements, and will provide instructions for proposal requirements and the basis for award. Any changes to evaluation factors may only be issued by amendment. NAICS CODE & SBA SIZE STANDARD: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this project is 238210 -- Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors, with a Small Business Size Standard of $14.0 Million. For the purposes of this procurement, a concern is considered a Small Business if its Annual Average Gross Revenue, taken for the last 3 Fiscal Years, does not exceed the Size Standard as stated above. THIS SOLICITATIN WILL BE ISSUED AS A TOTAL SERVICED-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (SDVOSB) SET-ASIDE. Therefore, in accordance with Public Law 109-461, as Codified in 38 U.S.C. Section 8127, all responsible SDVOSB sources, that are properly registered in the VetBizRegistry Vendor Information Pages (VIP) located at www.VetBiz.gov , may submit a proposal, which will be considered by the agency. The applicable SDVOSB qualification standards will be listed in the resulting issued Solicitation. PERFORMANCE OF WORK BY PRIME CONTRACTOR. Because this SDVOSB Set-Aside Solicitation is for Specialty Trade Construction under NAICE Code 238210 -- Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (as described above), at least TWENTY FIVE PERCENT (25%) of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel must be spent on the concerns employees or the employees of other service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. INFORMATION ON HOW TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE SOLICITATION. This Solicitation, with Plans, Specifications, and any Amendments, will be published in electronic format as an Electronic Bid Set (EBS) at the Fed Biz Opps website, http://www.fbo.gov . There will be no printed hard copies or CD-ROM Disks provided by the agency. Interested parties can only access the Solicitation, including any Amendments, at the Federal Business Opportunities website, http://www.fbo.gov . The Government is not responsible for any loss of Internet connectivity or for an offerors inability to access the document at the referenced website. Firms should also register as Plan Holders, at the above Internet Site, in order to receive notification, via email, of any new Amendments to the resulting Solicitation, and/or Special Announcements. INFORMATION ON CCR REQUIREMENTS. All Potential Sources must register in the Central Contractor Registration, (CCR), in order to be eligible to receive a resulting Government Contract Award. To complete the registration, go to the CCR website at http://www.ccr.gov . Vendors can download the CCR Handbook to use as a guide for completing their registration. If assistance is needed with CCR registration, contact the CCR Helpdesk at +1 (555) 000-0000. INFORMATION ON ORCA REQUIREMENTS. There is a Federal initiative called the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). ORCA is a web-based system that centralizes and standardizes the collection, storage, and viewing of most of the Representations and Certifications (Reps & Certs) required by the Federal Acquisition Regulations, which were previously included, in full text, in Construction Solicitations. According to FAR case 2002-024, it has been mandatory for Vendors to use ORCA since 01 January 2005. Therefore, to be eligible for a Contract Award, an Offeror MUST be registered in this database prior to submitting a bid and/or proposal. Register your Representations and Certifications (Reps & Certs) at the ORCA Website, http://orca.bpn.gov . Note that detailed background information, frequently asked questions, and useful instructions can be found by visiting the help section of the ORCA website. INFORMATION FOR ACCESS TO THE "INTERESTED VENDORS LIST" (ILV) AND "WATCH LIST" FUNCTIONS AT FED BIZ OPPS. It should be noted that plan holders lists are no longer maintained at contracting offices, because of changes in Federal Acquisition Regulations to emphasize the utilization of internet/web-based technology. Interested parties should consider registering themselves at the Interested Vendors List (IVL) at Fed Biz Opps. According to the FBO Vendor Guide, interested parties may select the "add/remove me to the interested vendors" button at the web page for the applicable Solicitation, and register as an Interested Vendor. Interested parties may then be able to access and view the list of other registered Interested Vendors, in a similar manner, by selecting the "Interested Vendors List" button at the same Solicitation page. Interested parties can also sign up for the "Watch List" in order to receive automatic email updates regarding any changes impacting the opportunities they added to their target list. This function is similar to the "register to receive notification" function. The link to Federal Business Opportunities is: http://www.fbo.gov . POINTS OF CONTACT. The point-of-contact for Technical questions is Norman W. Goodman, who may be reached by phone at +1 (555) 000-0000, or by email at contact@example.gov. The point-of-contact for Contractual questions is Perry D. Marks, Jr., who may be reached by phone at +1 (555) 000-0000, or by email at contact@example.gov. (END OF SYNOPSIS)