THIS SOLICITATION IS EXTENDED FROM MAY 24, 2007 TO JUNE 1, 2007 at 1:00 PM EST. (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial supplies prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12.6, and supplemental information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This combined synopsis/solicitation will result in a firm fixed price commercial supplies contract. (ii) Simplified procurement procedures will be used for this acquisition per Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. This requirement is 100% set aside for small business. The NAICS code is 333111. The small business size standard is 500 employees, or less. (iii) This requirement is for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS), Cotton Program. (iv) The reference number for this effort is AG-4740-S-07-0008 and this combined synopsis/solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). (v) The provisions and clauses incorporated into this solicitation document are those in effect at the time of publication. Provisions and clauses incorporated by reference have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. The full text of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.arnet.gov/far/ (vi) REQUIREMENTS AND QUANTITIES: This requirement consists of four (4) line item: CLIN 01-Disassembly and removal of the existing bale press and associated material; CLIN 02 ? Full Eject Bale Press (Qty. 1); CLIN 03 ? Bale Packaging System (Qty. 1); CLIN 04 ? Installation of a Full Eject Bale Press as described in the specifications below; CLIN 05 ? Training by a manufacturer?s representative as described in the specifications below. The Contractor shall supply the quantity of line items listed above, and in accordance with the technical specifications outlined in this combined synopsis/solicitation and in the attachments. (vii) In accordance with FAR 52.216-27, this request for quote may result in multiple contract awards and in any combination of line items. The Government reserves the right to award any combination of line items and may award multiple line items to the same offeror, and will make award decisions based on the most advantageous offer to the Government. (viii) The PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE for this contract is from date of award through September 30, 2007. (ix) TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: Each quote at a minimum must meet the technical specifications as follows in order to be technically acceptable: DEFINITIONS: Contractor - as referred to in this document shall designate the company awarded the contract for providing the services as required by this document.Full Eject Bale Press ? a bale press that compresses cotton into a specified dimension and then ejects the compressed and tied bale before accumulating more cotton for the next bale. Bale Packaging System - as referred to in this document describes a conveyance system that incorporates a chute for the purpose of bagging a tied bale while the bale is moving and then placing the bale upright for removal. PROCESS DESCRIBED: The cotton classing office in Macon, Georgia provides a service of cotton testing to the cotton industry on more than one million bales per year. A 10 ounce sample is obtained from a bale of cotton and tested on instrumentation. The 10 ounce sample is discarded into a belt conveyor system that operates beneath the floor in an enclosed trench. The sample is conveyed back to the bale press on the conveyor belt to an incline conveyor that utilizes two belt conveyors to squeeze the sample and convey it to the chute that drops through a sample buster into the bale press. The office can provide testing information on approximately 30,000 samples per day. The bale press capability should be 1,500 pounds per hour of loose cotton for the bale press to compress, tie and package. The press box shall be accessible for the operator to tie the bale easily and safely. The bale shall be automatically ejected from the bale press onto a material handling system that shall remove the bale from the end of the press, package the bale and place the bale upright on the floor. SPECIFICATIONS: Bale Press and Bale-Packaging System Specifications: The bale press box shall be 54? x 24? with a bale thickness of 36? which corresponds to the dimensions of a modified flat bale press at a minimum weight of 480 pounds. It shall utilize six 10?3? steel ties and be compliant with the National Cotton Council bale packaging and ties requirements at the following website: http://www.cotton.org/tech/bale/specs/upload/2006-BP-Specs.pdf. The electrical requirements shall be 460 volt 3-phase which is currently provided. The controls shall interlock with the existing conveyor system. The startup sequencing shall be controlled in the following order. 1. Bale press; 2. Sample buster; 3. Conveyor. The bale press and the bale packaging system shall be automatically controlled by a PLC that determines the cycle of the ram, completed bale size (as determined by the hydraulic pressure, which shall also be adjustable) and the door opening and closure for the full eject of the completed bale prior to the start of another bale. All exterior bare metal on both the bale press and bale packaging system shall be powder-coated or painted with industrial enamel. It is preferable that both be the same color. Color shall be approved by USDA Engineering personnel. STATEMENT OF WORK: The following outlines the statement of work regarding the job requirements. The disassembly and removal of the existing bale press and associated material. Installation of: 1. A full eject bale press; 2. Required modifications to the existing chute to provide an equal distribution of cotton into the new bale press; 3. A bale packaging system that will transfer the cotton clear of the bale press to a chute where the bale is bagged and placed upright for sealing the bag; 4. Necessary railing to restrict access to hazardous areas (must meet all local and OSHA safety codes); 5. An operator?s control panel that is labeled and easily understood for simple operation. The contractor shall be responsible for making the necessary modifications to the existing cotton transport chute to deliver samples into the newly installed bale press. All potential modifications that interfere with existing building structure or the existing catwalk must be approved by USDA engineering personnel. The contractor shall provide startup and training by a manufacturer?s representative and demonstrate proper bale press operation on a maximum of 10 bales or until USDA representatives on site are satisfied. The USDA shall verify the operation procedures of the bale press and bale packaging system, bale dimensions, and bale weight. The USDA shall provide all of the necessary loose cotton and labor to supply the cotton to the bale press. A punch list shall be developed at this time which shall be satisfied by the contractor prior to final acceptance. A drawing is attached to provide general information about the bale press room and the location of the current bale press. A site visit will be held the week of May 14. The exact date and time for the site visit will be posted as an amendment to this synopsis on this website (www.fedbizopps.com). Please contact the contracting officer to arrange a site visit at
[email protected] or 202-205-7898. Penalties: The contractor and representatives of the USDA, Cotton Program shall agree to an acceptable date for completion of the installation. Failure to complete installation by the agreed upon date will result in downtime credit to the Government in the maximum amount of $100 per day or the amount of costs incurred by the Cotton Program during the extended time. The downtime credit shall be subtracted from the total amount of the contract for payment. (x) DELIVERY OF LINE ITEMS: Deliverables and acceptance of deliverables will be FOB destination, to the Macon, Georgia Cotton Classing Office. The office is located at the following address: 1100 Parkway Drive, Macon, Georgia 31220. The contractor shall provide delivery of all the line items by January 30, 2006. (xi) The provision at 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial applies to this solicitation. (xiv) The provision at 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to this combined synopsis/solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. A trade off process will be used to evaluate quotes. The Government intends to evaluate offers and award without discussion, however, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions later if determined necessary by the Contracting Officer. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: The selection of source for bale press and bale packaging system will be based upon: 1. Technical Specifications and Operation of the System; 2. Maintenance of the Bale Press; 3. Training, Technical Support, Warranty; 4. Past Performance of distributor/manufacturer; and 5. Price. In order to assess the offeror?s ability to perform the required technical specifications and operation of system, the offeror shall submit with their proposal all drawings, operations and technical manuals that detail the operation and components of the bale press. In order to assess the offeror?s ability to provide maintenance of the bale press, the offoeror must provide information on their ability to demonstrate reliability and ease of maintenance. This should include a narrative of their experience in providing maintenance on the bale press. In order to assess the offeror?s ability to provide training, technical support and warranty of the bale press, the offeror shall include a narrative or other documentation to describe the training to be provided for the bale press as well as the warranty given via the manufacturer and/or the distributor. The offeror shall also include a narrative of their experience in providing technical support for the bale press. Past performance is a measure of the degree to which an offeror has satisfied customers in the past, and complied with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The assessment will consider the firm?s record of conforming to specifications and to standards of good workmanship / customer service, and adherence to contract schedules, terms and conditions. In accordance with FAR 52.212-1 (b) (10) regarding past performance, references are requested. Each offeror must submit three (3) references which are either current or recent customers. Please provide the name, address, phone number, fax and email for each reference. (xv) The provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. The contractor shall either complete the on-line Offeror Representations and Certifications or return a completed copy of the Offeror Representations and Certifications with their quotation. The Online Reps and Certs Application Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) can be found at http://www.bpn.gov., or a hard copy of the provision may be attained from http://www.arnet.gov/far. (xvi) The clause at 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. (xvii) The clause at 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses identified in FAR 52.212-5 are considered checked and are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6 Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government; 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside; 52.219-8 Utilization of Small Business Concerns; 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting; 52.222-3 Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor ? Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies; 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity; 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports; 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.222-25 Affirmative Action Compliance; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.222-35 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.225-1 Buy American Act; 52.225-2 Buy American Certificate; 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer Central Contractor Registration (CCR). To be awarded this contract, the offeror must be registered in the CCR. CCR information may be found at http://www.ccr.gov. (xix) The provision 52.211-6 Name Brand or Equal applies to this acquisition.(xx) Quotations are due to the United States Department of Agriculture, AMS, Cotton Program, Rm. 2639-South Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250 by 1:00 PM EST, May 24, 2007. (xxi) The assigned Contract Specialist is Beverly Brown . Mrs. Brown may be reached at
[email protected], (202) 205-7898. (xxii) A COMPLETE QUOTE WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) Price for each line item, CLINS 01- 05 which provides for each CLIN. 2) Signature of the offeror on the page which lists the price. 3) A detailed narrative addressing the technical specifications as well as the services to be provided as requested above. References as requested above. 5) A completed copy of the provisions at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items or confirmation that this has been completed on-line. If an offerors quote does not contain all of the items listed above, the quote may be considered incomplete for evaluation purposes and no further consideration will be given to the offerors quote, thereby making an offeror ineligible for award.