AMENDMENT NOTICE:This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.The solicitation number is 0040154104 and is issued as an invitation for bids (IFB), unless otherwise indicated herein.The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2005-75. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 115310 with a small business size standard of $7.00M.This requirement is a [ Small Business ] set-aside and only qualified offerors may submit bids.The solicitation pricing on www.FedBid.com will start on the date this solicitation is posted and will end on 2014-07-24 11:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com.FOB Destination shall be Ripley, TN 38063 The DOI Fish & Wildlife Service requires the following items, Meet or Exceed, to the following: LI 001: Underplanting 93,700 Tree Seedlings, 1, Fee; Solicitation and Buy Attachments ***Question Submission: Interested offerors must submit any questions concerning the solicitation at the earliest time possible to enable the Buyer to respond. Questions must be submitted by using the 'Submit a Question' feature at www.fedbid.com. Questions not received within a reasonable time prior to close of the solicitation may not be considered.*** For this solicitation, DOI Fish & Wildlife Service intends to conduct an online competitive reverse auction to be facilitated by the third-party reverse auction provider, FedBid, Inc. FedBid has developed an online, anonymous, browser based application to conduct the reverse auction. An Offeror may submit a series of pricing bids, which descend in price during the specified period of time for the aforementioned reverse auction. DOI Fish & Wildlife Service is taking this action in an effort to improve both vendor access and awareness of requests and the agency's ability to gather multiple, competed, real-time bids.All responsible Offerors that respond to this solicitation MUST submit the pricing portion of their bid using the online exchange located at www.FedBid.com. There is no cost to register, review procurement data or make a bid on www.FedBid.com.Offerors that are not currently registered to use www.FedBid.com should proceed to www.FedBid.com to complete their free registration. Offerors that require special considerations or assistance may contact the FedBid Helpdesk at 877-9FEDBID (877-933-3243) or via email at
[email protected]. Offerors may not artificially manipulate the price of a transaction on www.FedBid.com by any means. It is unacceptable to place bad faith bids, to use decoys in the www.FedBid.com process or to collude with the intent or effect of hampering the competitive www.FedBid.com process.Should offerors require additional clarification, notify the point of contact or FedBid at 877-9FEDBID (877-933-3243) or
[email protected] of FedBid: Buyers and Sellers agree to conduct this transaction through FedBid in compliance with the FedBid Terms of Use. Failure to comply with the below terms and conditions may result in offer being determined as non-responsive. The offeror must provide within its offer the number of days required to make delivery after it receives a purchase order from the buyer. This solicitation requires registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to award, pursuant to applicable regulations and guidelines. Registration information can be found at www.sam.gov. Bid MUST be good for 30 calendar days after close of Buy. POP: 01/01/2015 to 03/31/2015 See attached PWS. Contractors are cautioned that a Warranted Contracting Officer is the only authorized Government representative to make any contractual changes once an award is made. The award decision is based on Lowest Price and Past Performance. The contractor's past performance will be reviewed. Companies that have negative past performance shall not be awarded the contract. The price will bill be determined fair and reasonable IAW FAR Part 13.106-3. Please see attachment for all applicable clauses and provisions that applies to this solicitation. Invoices shall be submitted IAW Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements - Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) (April 2013). No payments will be made for any unauthorized supplies and/or services or for any unauthorized changes to the work specified herein. This includes any services performed by the Contractor of their own volition or at the request of an individual other than a duly appointed Contracting Officer. The anticipated award date is July 22, 2014. Please do not request award status prior to this date. Any modifications or extensions to the delivery date shall be approved by the Contracting Officer and coordinated with the Contractor. Award decision will be made without discussions. Therefore, each offeror is encouraged to provide the Government with all of the information necessary to evaluate its quote under the evaluation factors stated above. Offerors that fail to submit all the information necessary to evaluate their quote with their initial quote bear the risk that their quotes will be rejected without discussions. In the performance of this contract, the Contractor shall comply with the requirements of U.S. Department of Labor wage determination number WD 2005-2495 (Rev.-16). The wage determination is incorporated and made a part of this order. To view applicable rates, please visit the following web address: http://www.wdol.gov. A full text copy will be provided upon request. The Contractor is responsible for quality control and management actions to meet the performance requirements and terms of the Contract. The Contractor shall prepare, submit, and implement a written quality control plan (QCP) as described below. The Contractor shall ensure that the required services specified in this contract, meet the quality standards outlined in this contract an ensure that the services are performed in accordance with commonly accepted commercial practices. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. As a minimum the Contractor shall develop quality control procedures addressing the areas identified in the performance requirements summary. The Quality Control Plan shall include, as a minimum: 1. How the Contractor will control quality of supplies and services. 2. How project management, inspections, plan implementation, process improvement changes, correction of deficiencies, and green cleaning compliance will be accomplished. 3. An inspection plan or checklist tailored to the specific area(s) being cleaned and serviced under this contract. The inspection plan or checklist shall detail how services at the work site shall be inspected to ensure that the outcome of the work meets all the quality standards set forth in the Contract and shall include, but is not limited to: ?Date of inspection performed ?Location of inspection ?Description of findings ?Description of action(s) taken (if necessary) ?Signature and date of completion 4. A training program to ensure that Contractor employees are capable of successfully accomplishing all work task(s) under this contract. 5. A Strike Contingency Plan for separation of employees and employee absence. 6. How Contractor shall monitor deficiencies of work output in relation to the performance standards, methods of informing employees of deficiencies in their area(s) of responsibility, and a process to ensure that the deficiencies are corrected and do not reoccur. 7. Emergency Service calls and how they shall be monitored and responded to in a timely manner. 1. Are we responsible for keeping all 93,000 trees in a cooler upon arrival? No, we are responsible for seedling storage. 2. Do you have a cooler we can use? The solicitation states we need to be able to accept PO#?s, what type of system does that require? Invoices must be submitted electronically through www.ipp.gov. 3. Can you tell me about the 300 acres and provide maps? What is the topography and understory/midstory vegetation like? The wood are mostly open this time of year; however, there is enough ground cover that the tree planters will need to work as a group and the last row on each pass will need to be marked with flagging to be seen on the return pass. 4. Will we have trouble moving due to briars and vines, or are we in open woods? What is access like to the planting sites? Can we get to them with a pickup truck or will we have to hike in or transport trees with a UTV? The planting area(s) could be up to 2 mile from Barr Rd. Refuge staff will transport seedlings to the site.