THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought Notice only and is issued to conduct market research and gain knowledge of current market capabilities. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or a guarantee to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. This announcement is based on the best information available at this time and is subject to future amendment. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 4, is conducting a market survey to identify potential sources to perform a firm fixed price contract for procurement of maintenance services of aviaries and aquariums for Coatesville VA Medical Center: DRAFT DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT Background The Coatesville VA Medical Center Recreation Therapy Services oversees the maintenance services for the aquarium and aviaries throughout the Coatesville VA Medical Center. The purpose of this procurement is to obtain a contractor to provide maintenance services for Coatesville s aviaries and aquariums as indicated in this Statement of Work. Scope of Work The contractor shall clean and maintain seven aquariums and two aviaries located at the Coatesville VA Medical Center campus. The contractor shall service all aquariums and aviaries every other week. Regular service to aquariums includes cleaning of tanks, inspection of fixtures, removal of algae, cleaning the gravel, maintaining appropriate water levels and chemical (PH) levels to sustain the tank, replacement of fish if needed, and adding filter media (i.e., foam and charcoal). *WORK NOT INCLUDED IN SCOPE: Additional aquarium maintenance that may be needed occasionally as identified during regular service visits or by VA Staff, including light, filter, air pump, motor, lid, and heaters replacement, are not included within the scope of this contract. Service to aviaries includes disinfecting the aviary walls, changing the bedding, and cleaning the water and food sources, and replacement of lights as needed. Aviary maintenance includes bird husbandry (trimming of beaks, wings, and nails), replacement and repacking of nesting materials and replacing birds as needed. *WORK NOT INCLUDED IN SCOPE: Additional aviary maintenance that may be needed occasionally as identified during regular service visits or by VA Staff, including acrylic repair, and replacement of aspect feeders, tube feeders, waterers, manzanita branches, locks, and fixtures, are not included within the scope of this contract. The contractor shall refill all food for both aviary and aquarium animals at the time of service. Additionally, the contractor shall ensure that VA has appropriate food supply to use until the next contractor service date. VA Staff shall ensure that animals are fed daily between contactor service visits. The contractor shall maintain a tidy work area when providing services to protect the safety of VA patients and staff and avoid negative interactions with VA patients and staff. The Contractor should limit social interaction with VA patients they encounter to only general greetings and conversations related to the aquariums and aviaries. The Contractor must never discuss patient medical information, bring in any items or purchase items at a patient s request. Acceptance Criteria Services are deemed acceptable when all maintenance items are completed, cleaning is provided, food items are restocked, and any necessary fish or bird removal or replacements are completed. Schedule and Reporting The contractor shall provide regular services every other week, as coordinated with the program point of contact, and communicate any deviation from that schedule at least one business day in advance. Additionally, the contractor shall be available to field VA phone or email requests to address concerns or issues that arise between regularly scheduled services. The contractor shall provide a report after each regular service of services completed and any items that need further attention outside the general maintenance of the aviaries and aquariums. The contractor shall also communicate any concerns or adverse issues that occur during service to the program point of contact after each service. Place of Performance Services will be performed at the Coatesville VA Medical Center, 1400 Black Horse Hill Road Coatesville, PA 19320. The facility currently has two aviaries and seven aquariums located in multiple buildings and floors on the Medical Center campus. The aviaries are in Building 138. The aquariums are in Building 138 (4 tanks; on 3 units), Building 59 (1 tanks) and Building 39 (2 tanks; 2 separate floors). Additional Requirements The contractor shall follow VA security and badge requirements (including completing finger printing, completing background checks, providing necessary documents to achieve this requirement). The contractor must sign in at the operator desk in Building 1, 1st floor prior to each service. The contractor must comply with all VA infection control and masking guidelines. In accordance with COVID 19 protocols, contractors shall wear a facemask and practice hand hygiene prior to handling aquarium and aviaries until further notice. The contractor shall immediately communicate to the program point of contact any potential COVID-19 exposure resulting from a positive COVID-19 test by contractor staff. Capabilities Statement and Documentation: Companies are invited to provide their capabilities, experience, and knowledge in the provision of aviary and aquarium maintenance services. Sources are asked to provide information to demonstrate their answers to the following items of information: 1. General information about your company to include: Company Name: Company Address: Socioeconomic Status: GSA Contract Number covering these services and Expiration Date (if applicable): Company DUNS: Company NAICS Code(s): Point of Contact Name: Point of Contact Phone Number: Point of Contact Email Address: Company Website (if available): 2. The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) is 712130, (Aquariums; Aviaries), and the Small Business Size Standard is $30 million. 3. Based on market response, the following clauses may be included in a resulting solicitation, should one be issued: VAAR 852.219-10, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside VAAR 852.219-11, VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside Accordingly, prospective contractors will be required at time of solicitation response to certify to the applicable limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 125.6, with reference to the appropriate set-aside. Please include in the response to this sources sought notice your ability or inability to certify to the clause applicable to your organization. 4. Provide a summary of your firm s ability to provide the services described in this announcement. In addition to a Capability Statement, submissions can include specifications, brochures, and manuals as attachments. Submit responses via email to Contract Specialist Theresa Murray at
[email protected] later than 2:00 PM EST, 11/30/2021, with Sources Sought number 36C24422Q0131 in the subject line. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. The government will not provide feedback in response to vendor questions about the requirement at this time. If you identify ambiguities or have concerns about anything in the description of the requirement, however, please include them with your response. Confirming receipt of the response is the responsibility of the contractor. Contact the contract specialist if the government does not confirm receipt of the sources sought response within 2 business days. Prospective Contractors are reminded that in accordance with FAR 4.11 they shall be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database and shall complete electronic annual representations and certifications in SAM prior to award of a contract. SAM is located at https://sam.gov/SAM/ and consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. There is NO cost to use SAM. No solicitation document is available at this time; this notice is to acquire information only.