1.0 Description The General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), General Supplies and Services (GSS) Portfolio and Internal and Emergency Acquisition Division (IEAD) in accordance with its Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) with the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA or FEMA), is seeking information related to how interested contractors could provide Self-Help Tarps on behalf of FEMA during Stafford level events (emergency situations only) throughout the Contiguous United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S Territories. Ideally the Contractor would be responsible for delivering products within 7 days after receipt of order. The “Ship To” location would be provided in individual purchase orders for the Tarps. To achieve the aforementioned end goal in an economically viable way, GSA is issuing this RFI to engage our vendor partners in garnering their experience, capability, recommendations and interest. This RFI is meant to achieve the following goals: 1. Gain feedback from industry and any other relevant stakeholders on the feasibility of this concept. 2. Identify concerns and potential barriers to full implementation of this concept. The potential scope and description is identified below. Specific business rules will be established if a solicitation is developed pursuant to this RFI. As detailed in the questions for industry, GSA is seeking industry feedback on this scope and other aspects of the potential supplies, including: ● Sourcing tarps that will meet the customer’s functional needs. ● Ability to provide TAA or Non-TAA compliant tarps if requested within 7 days from award. ● Responding to discrepancies issued by the government to include any data identifying the vendor, contract, type of discrepancy, etc. ● The contractor will be responsible for the creation and application of supply and shipping documentation, shipping labels, and package markings that will meet customer requirements. ● Meeting a delivery standard of 7 days to locations inUnited States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S Territories. ● Interface with GSA order processing systems in order to receive and process customer orders and support shipment and billing of orders. ● Each tarp must meet the following characteristics: Self-Help Tarps Specification Dimension: 20’ x 25’ Fabric: Woven polyethylene, 800 Denier Thickness: Preferred thickness is 5-6 millimeters. However, various thicknesses from 5-10 millimeters are acceptable Frame: UV Resistance - 80% after 200 hr per ASTM D7238-06, FR Tested - IAW Class A ASTM E84-11 Standard, Non-corrosive grommets at corners and minimum of 3’ on center, Hems folded over, Corners reinforced, Color - Medium blue, Each Tarp must be packaged in a cardboard box with two (2) 100’ lengths of 550pound test parachute cord. 2.0 Requested Information: Industry 2.1 Questions for Industry: Proposed Services a) Does your company have any feedback on the tarps as stated above? b) How many tarps can be provided within a 7 calendar day timeframe? 2.2 Questions for Industry: Vendor Pricing Methodology a) What are the shipping costs if they were sent via barge or air transport? What is the transit time? 2.3 Questions for Industry: General Company Information a) Provide a brief introduction of your company. b) Provide the primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code that your company utilizes for providing the required self help tarps solution.Changed content. c) Identify any other government contract vehicle which your company currently holds an award. 3.0 R esponses 3.1 Responses to this RFI are due by 10:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time (EST) on February 13, 2020 and can be emailed to Contracting Officer Heidi McFall (
[email protected]) and Contract Specialist Michael Sheckels (
[email protected]).Added Heidi and myself 3.2 All responses to the RFI must be submitted electronically. Each response must be single-spaced and typewritten in 12-point Times New Roman font and in the English language. Each response must be in .doc or .docx format with every page of the response separately numbered. Also, each response must be no more than fifteen (15) 8½” by 11” pages in total (excluding applicable diagrams and charts) and all pages must be combined as one attachment. 3.3 Section 1 of the response shall provide administrative information, and shall include the following: 3.3.1. Name, mailing address, phone number, and email of designated point of contact. 3.3.2. Business type (large business, small business, etc.) based upon the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s) you identify in Section 2,3 of this RFI. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for additional information on Small Business Size Standards. 4.0 Questions Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to Contracting Officer Heidi McFall (
[email protected]) and Contract Specialist Michael Sheckels (
[email protected]) no later Added Heidi and myself than 10:00 AM, EST on January 28, 2020. The government anticipates a question response time of two weeks. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered by posting answers to the website where the RFI has been posted; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary information. No questions received after 10:00 AM, EST on January 28, 2020 will be answered. 5.0 Vendor Meetings Upon receipt of responses, the government may or may not schedule informal informational sessions with vendors. Meetings may be held in-person or via teleconference. 6.0 Summary THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY related to providing tarps in United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and U.S Territories in response to emergency response events. This announcement is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quote (RFQ). The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding to the government. GSA has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and respondents are advised that the U.S. government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. All submissions become government property and will not be returned. This RFI does not constitute a solicitation for bids, proposals or quote and is not to be construed as a commitment by the government to issue a request for proposal/quote or award of a contract as a result of this request. Furthermore, the GSA is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the solicitation website(s) such as FedBizOpps, where a potential solicitation of a future requirement may be published. Any document submitted in response to this RFI that contains confidential information must be marked on the outside as containing confidential information. Each page upon which confidential information appears must be marked as containing confidential information. The confidential information must be clearly identifiable to the reader wherever it appears. All other information will not be treated as confidential. All information marked confidential in RFI responses is only for the government’s planning use. Confidential information may be reviewed by contractors; subject to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) including, but not limited to, commercial or financial data obtained by the respondent’s submitted documents. Otherwise, no information marked confidential included in this document or in conversations connected to it may be disclosed to any other party outside of the government. 7.0 Clauses FAR Subpart 52-215(3)--Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997) (a) The government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of obtaining information from vendors on its ability to source and deliver products within 7 days after receipt of order.