S217--Live Plant Maintenance Contract at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (JBVAMC) Chicago, IL and Adam Benjamin Jr. Outpatient Clinic (ABJOPC)

Sources Sought Notice Live Plant Maintenance Contract at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (JBVAMC) Chicago, IL and Adam Benjamin Jr. Outpatient Clinic (ABJOPC) This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes to determine availability of qualified vendors and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Please note that this is not a request for quotes; the Government is seeking information for market research purposes only. Information received because of this Notice will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement and whether a small business set-aside will be used. No solicitation document is available currently. All responses to this Notice are subject to 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (JBVAMC) and Adam Benjamin Jr. Outpatient Clinic (ABJOPC), requires a local business to provide weekly watering and fertilization of existing interior plants. Contract requirements will include the following: a. Maintain all interior plants at JBVAMC and ABJOPC that are called out on the list below. Maintenance includes watering, pruning, fertilizing, replacement, guarantee free from pests, and dusting of foliage. 1) Service includes the rotation of 61 bromeliads (7 times a yr.) at JBVAMC and shall provide all food and necessary additives. There is a total of 36 plant containers with 38 non-rotated plants and 61 rotated bromeliads at JBVAMC. Plant total at JBVAMC is 99. 2) Service includes the rotation of 6 orchids (6 times a yr.) at ABJOPC and shall provide all food and necessary additives. There is a total of 40 plant containers with a total of 34 non-rotated plants and 6 rotated orchids at ABJOPC. Plant total at ABJOPC is 40. 3) Contractor shall provide needed service on a weekly basis at both locations. 4) Contractor shall provide a weekly service report stating the date and exact type of service performed. 5) Contractor shall replace a damaged or dying plant, at no additional cost within 2 weeks of its approval and documentation on the weekly service report. If plant material is a special order or is unavailable vendor will replace it with a mutually agreed upon variety. 6) A contractor supervisor shall perform a quarterly on-site review of the account. 7) The contractor shall respond to a call within 24 hrs. Contractor will either return the call or a personal visit will be made. 8) Contractor shall provide blooming plant program assuring that that there will always be a flowering or colorful plant that is exchanged as the bloom fades. Orchids at ABJOPC and bromeliads at JBVAMC. Hours of Operation: Normal hours of coverage are Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm CST, excluding holidays. All services will be performed during normal hours of coverage unless requested or approved by COR or designee. Holidays include: New Years' Day Martin Luther King Day Presidents' Day Memorial Day Independence Day Juneteenth Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans' Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day And any other day specifically designated as a national holiday by the President of the United States. Places of Performance: Jesse Brown VA Medical Center 820 S. Damen Ave Chicago, IL 60612-3728 Adam Benjamin, Jr. Outpatient Clinic 9301 S. Madison St. Crown Point, IN 46307 Period of Performance: Base Year: 1 April 2022 through 31 March 2023 Option Year One: 1 April 2023 through 31 March 2024 Option Year Two: 1 April 2024 through 31 March 2025 Option Year Three: 1 April 2025 through 31 March 2026 Option Year Four: 1 April 2026 through 31 March 2027 Note: A detailed Performance Work Statement will be part of each solicitation; these requirements are an overview. Interested companies may e-mail a brief statement of interest and experience, to contact@example.gov. Each company shall also identify whether it is a large or small business; if a small business, whether it is an SDVOSB or a VOSB. Small businesses shall take notice and strictly comply with the Small Business Subcontracting Limitations set forth below: Small Business Subcontracting Limitations 13 C.F.R. § 125.6 What are the prime contractor s limitations on subcontracting? (a) General. In order to be awarded a full or partial small business set-aside contract . . . a small business concern must agree that: (1) In the case of a contract for services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms not similarly situated. Any work that a similarly situated subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the 50% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. (Emphasis added.) *** (h) Penalties. Whoever violates the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) of this section shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in 15 U.S.C. § 645(d), except that a fine shall be treated as the greater of $500,000 or the dollar amount spent, in excess of permitted levels, by the entity on subcontractors. A party s failure to comply with the spirit and intent of a subcontract with a similarly situated entity may be considered a basis for debarment on the grounds, including but not limited to, that the parties have violated the terms of a Government contract or subcontract pursuant to FAR 9.406-2(b)(1)(i) (48 C.F.R. § 9.406-2(b)(1)(i)). (Emphasis added.) 15 U.S.C. § 645 Offenses and Penalties. (d)(2) Any person who violates paragraph (1) shall (A) be punished by a fine . . . or by imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or both; (B) be subject to the administrative remedies prescribed by the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986 (31 U.S.C. §§ 3801-3812); (C) be subject to suspension and debarment as specified in subpart 9.4 of Title 48, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation); and (D) be ineligible for participation in any program or activity conducted under this authority of this chapter or the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. § 661 et seq.) for a period not to exceed 3 years. (Emphasis added.) Any business that represents itself as a small business and fails to completely follow the requirements set forth under this paragraph is subject to investigation and possible prosecution: Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Fraud Scheme Involving Over $260 Million in Small Business Contracts | USAO-EDWI | Department of Justice Business Owner Sentenced for Fraud Scheme | USAO-WDMO | Department of Justice Four Sentenced for Bribery and Scheme to Defraud VA and SBA | USAO-AK | Department of Justice Federal jury convicts two Texas men on federal fraud and false statements charges | USAO-NM | Department of Justice