Shuttle Services for the National Institutes of Health

This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice. This is not a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Research Services (ORS), is conducting a market survey to ascertain the availability and potential capability of potential offerors to provide employee and patient shuttle services to support the mission of the NIH. The anticipated period of performance is a one-year base period with four (4) one-year option periods. The Office of Research Services is seeking an organization that has the experience to provide shuttle services. The Contractor is required to provide employee shuttle service around the NIH campus as well as several locations on Executive Boulevard, Rockledge Drive, Mid Pike Plaza and other satellite buildings between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The patient shuttles will provide transportation to and from regional airports, hotels, medical/recreational trips and other locations. Currently, the annual ridership is approximately one million employees and 240,000 patients and their family members. Potential offerors need to be able to demonstrate their ability to provide the above services. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Background: NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability. The goals of the agency are as follows: - Foster fundamental creative discoveries, innovative research strategies, and their applications as a basis to advance significantly the Nation's capacity to protect and improve health - Develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and physical resources that will assure the Nation's capability to prevent disease - Expand the knowledge base in medical and associated sciences in order to enhance the Nation's economic well-being and ensure a continued high return on the public investment in research - Exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science. The Office of Research Services (ORS), which includes the Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS), provides a portfolio of services to the NIH Community that supports its mission of uncovering new knowledge about the prevention, detection, diagnosis, identification and treatment of disease and disability. Those services range from providing animal care and facilities, to library and conference services, to services related to security, safety and transportation (shuttle services). ORS supports all 27 Institutes and Centers (ICs) that operate in multiple locations, including the primary location on the Bethesda campus. Annual shuttle ridership is approximately 1 million employees and 240,000 patients and family members. Purpose: To provide shuttle services to transport employees and patients throughout the NIH campus and to several locations off-campus. In addition, patient shuttle services include transportation to and from regional airports, medical/recreational trips, and other select locations. Goals and Performance Objectives for this Procurement: Overall Goal: Efficient, effective and reliable shuttle services that provide timely, convenient and safe transportation for NIH employees, patients, patients' families, and visitors to and around the various NIH facilities, the District of Columbia Metro area, and the region. Objectives: A. Deliver safe, reliable and convenient shuttle services for NIH employees, patients, patients' families, and visitors, including the disabled. B. Provide superior customer service to all riders. C. Operate an NIH patient shuttle transportation desk that provides reliable information on NIH patient shuttles and arranges taxi transportation for patients. D. Implement a continuous improvement program to identify and implement changes that will increase the operational efficiency and effectiveness with which shuttle services are provided, and where possible, reduce costs while maintaining acceptable performance levels. E. Maintain a robust program management structure that is bolstered by a corporate commitment to deliver superior shuttle services to NIH. Contractor Requirements: Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor will furnish and maintain all necessary services, qualified personnel, equipment, and supplies, not otherwise provided by the Government, to manage and operate employee and patient shuttles. The Contractor shall have and maintain all required permits and registrations to operate shuttle vehicles within the District of Columbia Metro area as well as between the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Reagan National. and Dulles International Airport. The Government has the unilateral right to order services in excess of those specified in Article B for any existing shuttles specified within the scope of performance as well as for any new shuttle runs. The Contractor will be obligated to provide services at the current rate. Overall Performance Requirements: It shall be the Contractor's responsibility to design methods and systems of how best to deliver the services to meet the Government's quality and performance requirements. The requirements to provide shuttle service to the NIH community are perform ance-based with a focus on desired results and outcomes that will lead to reliable and dependable shuttle management and operations. This represents a challenge to the Contractor to develop and apply innovative and efficient approaches to the contract requirements. Performance-based contracting is a result of the overall shift in government management toward commercial business practices. The Contractor will respond to comments and complaints from patrons and the Government Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or representative within 24 hours of notification by the Government, unless Government officials request an immediate response depending on the severity of the incident. In a case of equipment malfunctioning, the Contractor will make every effort to immediately correct the problem to ensure patron satisfaction (i.e. heat/air conditioning, handicap equipment, etc.). If the problem is systemic, the Contractor will submit a plan of correction to the COR. DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION TO INCLUDE IN THE CAPABILITY STATEMENT The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is 485999 (All Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation) with a size standard of $14 million. In light of this project summary, all interested small business concerns are invited to submit a tailored capability statement. The capability statement should reference Sources Sought Number HHS-NIH-OD-OLAO-SBSS-12-003 and should be no longer than 15 pages in length and shall include the following: (1) Name and Address of the Organization, (2) The size and type of business: Small Business; 8(a) Small Business; Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business; HubZone Small Business, as listed under www.ccr.gov, (3) Point of Contact with name, title, voice/telephone, facsimile number, and email address, (4) DUNS number, (5) Contractor's capability statement that addresses the organization's ability, knowledge, experience and personnel to perform the service described in the Performance Work Statement attached (Pamphlets and standard brochures will not be considered responsive to this Sources Sought Notice), and (6) List of organizations to whom similar types of services have been previously provided to include contract number, dollar value, name and phone number of the Contracting Officer. This market survey is being conducted to reach the widest possible audience and to gather current market information. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Responding firms should provide four (4) copies of their capability statement to Sheryn N. Etti (Ref. HHS-NIH-OD-OLAO-SBSS-12-003), National Institutes of Health, Office of Acquisitions, 6011 Executive Blvd., Room 541E, (MSC 7663) Bethesda, MD 20892-7663. (NOTE: If you are using a courier service, Federal Express, or UPS the city, state, and zip code should read ROCKVILLE, MD 20852). Please be aware that the U.S. Postal Service's "Express Mail" DOES NOT deliver to the Rockville, Maryland address AND delivery to the Bethesda, Maryland address will result in a delayed delivery to our office in Rockville, MD (up to 3 - 5 days). ALL INFORMATION SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. THE CLOSING DATE FOR RESPONSES IS Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Email and facsimile copies will not be accepted. All questions and/or comments regarding this sources sought notice must be in writing and may be emailed to Sheryn N. Etti at ettis@mail.nih.gov. Comments and questions will NOT be answered, but may assist in creating a solicitation for this requirement. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).