Z--FLORIDA NATIONAL CEMETERY- GEOTECHNICAL OVERSIGHT OF THE STABILIZE RETENTION POND SINK HOLE PROJECT

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2005-83, Effective 03 Aug 2015. This combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items and FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for furnishing commercial services. The National Cemetery Administration is soliciting quotes under solicitation number VA786-15-Q-0452 for the following cemetery: Florida National Cemetery 6502 SW 102nd Avenue Bushnell, FL 33513 This procurement is a 100% set-aside for Small Businesses (See Cascading set-aside process) The NAICS Code is 541330, Engineering Services, Size Standard is $15 million. The contractor shall provide all labor, tools, parts, materials, and equipment to perform geotechnical engineering guidance during construction period to oversee the project entitled Sinkhole Stabilization/Remediation (NRM Project 911-NRM15-0007). See attached map for approximate project location (Figure 1). Complete requirements are in the attached Scope of Work. The scope of work includes: CLIN 0001 Monitoring Program " Monitor the compaction grouting activities, " Document injection locations, depths, rate of insertion/extraction, and quantities, and " Recommend modifications in the injection program, as necessary, based on field observations, to include injection rates and quantities. CLIN 0002 Post Remediation Exploration " After a 10-day stabilization period, following completion of the Sinkhole Stabilization/Remediation project, a post-remediation testing (PRT) program shall be performed and shall consist of SPT borings and/or piezocone penetration test (PCPT) soundings to assure effectiveness and acceptance of the grouting/stabilization/remediation program. CLIN 0003 Progress Reporting " Weekly progress reports shall be prepared and submitted to the COR. Contractor Requirements. Contractor shall submit a list of sinkhole stabilization projects undertaken in the past five years along with their proposal. At least three of the sinkhole stabilization projects specified should be of equivalent difficulty and/or scope. The list shall include a description of the project, relative size, and contact person with phone number. Contractor will not be considered acceptable without a minimum of five years of experience in compaction grouting. ? Project Information. 1. Period of Performance. The contractor shall complete all work within 30 calendar days after issuance of Notice to Proceed. Time stated includes final cleanup of the premises. 2. Work Hours. All work shall be performed between the normal business hours of 7:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday thru Friday, excluding Federal Legal holidays. 3. Pre-bid Site Inspection. A pre-bid site inspection is recommended. Contact the Cemetery Director at +1 (555) 000-0000 to make site visit arrangements. 4. Preconstruction Meeting. The contractor shall not commence performance of work until the Contracting Officer has conducted a preconstruction meeting or has advised the contractor that a preconstruction meeting is not required. 5. Detailed Work Plan. The contractor shall provide in writing a detailed work plan which presents the contractor's plan for completing the work. The contractor's plan shall be responsive with the scope of work and describe, in detail, the approach to be used for each task required. For each task, the contractor shall identify all necessary subtasks (if any), associated costs by task, and milestone dates. Four copies of the contractor's work plan shall be provided to the Contracting Officer prior to issuance of the Notice to Proceed. 6. Changes to the Scope of Work. Any changes to the scope of work shall be authorized and approved only by the Contracting Officer. Any costs incurred by the contractor through directions of parties other than the Contracting Officer shall be borne by the contractor. Reference Documents: 1. Forensic Geotechnical Exploration, Data Evaluation, and Sinkhole Remediation/Stabilization Services Report, prepared by KCI Technologies, Inc., dated July, 2014. (Available upon request) All offerors shall include the following information printed on each quotation: " Legal Business/Company Name (as it is indicated in www.sam.gov) " DUNS Number " Point of Contact Name " Telephone number " E-Mail Address " Prime Contractor's socio-economic status (SDVOSB, VOSB, Small Business, etc…) and subcontractor's socio-economic status, if any. " List of sinkhole stabilization projects undertaken in the past five years ? The selected Offeror must comply with the following commercial terms and conditions. FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial, applies to this acquisition. The selected Offeror must submit a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses apply: 52.203-99 (Deviation 2015-02) Prohibition on Contracting With Entities That Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements, 52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel, 52.227-17 Rights in Data-Special Works, 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors, 52.243-1 (Alt. I) Changes - Fixed-Price. The following FAR clauses in paragraph (b) of FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, will apply: 52.204-10, 52.219-6, 52.219-28, 52.222-3, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-36, 52.222-50, 52.223-18, 52.225-13, 52.232-34. 52.222-41, 52.222-42, 52.222-55. The full text of a FAR clause may be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=browsefar. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The following VAAR Clauses will apply: 852.203-70 Commercial Advertising, 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors, 852.215-71, Evaluation Factor Commitments, 852.237-70 Contractor Responsibilities, 852.273-76 Electronic Invoice Submission. The full text of a VAAR clause may be accessed electronically at http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. SERVICE CONTRACT ACT WAGE RATES are in effect and can be found at http://www.wdol.gov/ Wage Determination No.: 2005-2113, Revision No.: 17, Date Of Revision: 07/08/2015 001AL-11-15-A LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING-- MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN 2011) This solicitation includes 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include this clause. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to contractor's offices where the contractor's business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the contractor's compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an "Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement" to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement. (End of Clause) 001AL-11-15-B SUBCONTRACTING COMMITMENTS--MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN 2011) This solicitation includes VAAR 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors, and VAAR 852.215-71, Evaluation Factor Commitments. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include these clauses. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) to assist in assessing contractor compliance with the subcontracting commitments incorporated into the contract. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to the contractor's business records or other proprietary data to review such business records regarding contract compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an "Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement" to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor compliance with the subcontracting commitments. (End of Clause) Prospective offerors must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) website and complete representations and certifications at https://www.sam.gov. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR RESPONSES TO THIS REQUEST FOR QUOTES: 1. All responses must be submitted through the Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Management System (eCMS) Vendor Portal website to be considered. 2. Please go to the VA eCMS Vendor Portal website at https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov to register. Once on the webpage, proceed to the Vendor Portal Login section located on the far left side of the webpage and click on 'Request a user account' to register. 3. In the event an Offeror is unable to submit a response through the Vendor Portal, prior to the closing date and time, contact the VAAS helpdesk at +1 (555) 000-0000, or via email at contact@example.gov. Submission of responses by email will not be accepted. Transmission/uploads must be completed by the date/time specified. Late or incomplete Responses will not be considered. 4. If Offerors are still unable to submit a response through VA eCMS Vendor Portal, the Contracting Officer may elect to accept submission of a CD version of the response package as long as VA eCMS Vendor Portal registration requirements have been fulfilled and Offerors have contacted the VAAS helpdesk for assistance in their submission of a response. A copy of the email correspondence with the VAAS helpdesk will be forwarded to the Contracting Officer, David Dixon, at contact@example.gov as proof of email correspondence. If a phone conversation with the VAAS helpdesk proves unsuccessful in an Offeror's ability to submit a response prior to the closing date via Vendor Portal, the Offeror shall submit to the Contracting Officer correspondence that contains the date, time, and name of helpdesk representative the Offeror contacted to include the reasons why the Offeror could not submit a response via the Portal. This document will be submitted together with the CD version of the response. In the event an Offeror has not requested submission assistance to the VAAS help desk prior to the closing date, nor has submitted correspondence that identifies reasons why the Offeror could not submit a response via Vendor Portal, the Offeror will be considered non-responsive and the CD version of the response will not be accepted. 5. If a CD version of the response will be accepted by the Contracting Officer, the electronic version of the response may be submitted as an MS Word document in .doc or .docx format or Portable Document Format (PDF). Offerors are responsible to ensure responses are received no later than the date and time specified in the solicitation. Late or incomplete Responses will not be considered. Method of Evaluation - Cascade Procedures The Government intends to award a contract resulting from this solicitation using the evaluation method "Lowest Price Technically Acceptable." The Government will make award at the highest possible Tier. The set-aside requirement Tiers will be as follows: 1st Tier: Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) 2nd Tier: Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) 3rd Tier: All small businesses Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran-Owed Small Businesses (VOSB) must be verified for ownership and control and listed in the Vendor Information Pages at https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov prior to the due date for proposals. Award will be made to a responsible offeror on the basis of the lowest evaluated price of proposals meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-price factors; only where adequate/sufficient competition is received at a given Tier. Adequate competition exists if; (1) proposals are received from at least two qualified / technically acceptable responsible offerors; (2) each of whom can satisfy the contract's requirements independently; (3) both contend for a contract which will be won by the offeror who submits the lowest evaluated price meeting or exceeding technical requirement and; (4) price is reasonable as determined in accordance with FAR 19.202-6. If the above is satisfied in Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 proposals will not be considered. If not, Tier 2 will be added to the evaluation process. If no acceptable offers are in Tier 2, Tier 3 will be added to the evaluation process. Evaluation Process for Award The Contracting Officer will evaluate proposals to assess the Offerors' ability to perform the contract successfully. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforms to the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW) sections of the solicitation, which will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Award will be made to the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) Offeror. Award will be made on the basis of the lowest evaluated price of proposals meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-price factors. For evaluation purposes the lowest price will be determined by calculating the total price of Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) in order to determine a total amount. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers on a lowest cost, technically acceptable bases in accordance with FAR 15.101-2: A. Price i. Price analysis will be conducted to determine a fair and reasonable price. The Government may use various price analysis techniques and procedures to ensure a fair and reasonable price. B. Technical Qualifications: Technical capability will be evaluated to determine the extent to which it demonstrates a clear understanding of all features involved in performance of the requirements identified in the SOW. The proposal should not simply restate the Government's requirements, but it should describe, in detail, how the Offeror intends to meet the requirements. Offerors shall provide information for the following sub-factors, which are weighted equally: i. Experience of company and/or subcontractors in performing this type of work: have you done/performed the requirements of the Scope of Work? Please explain. ii. Performance Plan: The contractor shall provide in writing a detailed work plan which presents the contractor's plan for completing the work. The contractor's plan shall be responsive with the scope of work and describe, in detail, the approach to be used for each task required. For each task, the contractor shall identify all necessary subtasks (if any), associated costs by task, and milestone dates. C. Past Performance: Past performance will be evaluated for quality, timeliness (i.e. recent), problem resolution, business relations, customer service and relevance (i.e. experience in providing services similar in size, scope, and complexity as described in the SOW). If no past performance information is readily available, the Offeror's past performance will be evaluated as Neutral. The Government will research information and data bases to aid in establishing contractor's responsibility and ability to perform. The databases include, but are not limited to Experian, PPIRS, EPLS, VetBiz and SBA. Quotes are due at 2:00 P.M. ET on September 14, 2015. Questions pertaining to this solicitation must be sent by e-mail to: contact@example.gov no later than 9:00 am, September 10, 2015. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions received after the specified date and time may not be considered.