AMENDMENT NOTICE:This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, in conjunction with FAR 13.5, as applicable, and as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; bids are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.The solicitation number is HSSCCG-11-Q-00760 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 2005-53. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 813410 with a small business size standard of $7.00M.This requirement is unrestricted 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 2011-09-19 13:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com.FOB Destination shall be Multiple shipping information. The DHS Citizenship and Immigration Services requires the following items, Meet or Exceed, to the following: LI 001, Base Period - Workshops in accordance with the attached Statement of Work., 2, EA; LI 002, Base Period - Other Direct Costs - Travel Costs in accordance with Section 7 of the Statement of Work. This line item will cover both training workshops in the base period. The Contractor should quote the maximum amount they anticipate requiring for travel costs to cover both sessions., 1, LOT; LI 003, Option Period - Workshops in accordance with the attached Statement of Work dates to be determined and mutually agreed upon after award., 2, EA; LI 004, Option Period - Other Direct Costs - Travel Costs in accordance with Section 7 of the Statement of Work. This line item will cover both training workshops in the option period. The Contractor should quote the maximum amount they anticipate requiring for travel costs to cover both sessions., 1, LOT; 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, DHS Citizenship and Immigration Services 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. DHS Citizenship and Immigration Services 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. In addition to providing pricing at www.FedBid.com for this solicitation, each offeror must provide any required, NON-PRICING responses (e.g. technical proposal, representations and certifications, etc.) directly to the point of contact in the FBO notice, so that they are received at that email address no later than the closing date and time for this solicitation. The selected Offeror must comply with the following commercial item 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 in paragraph (b) of FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, will apply: 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.225-13, 52.232-34. The full text of a FAR clause may be accessed electronically at http://www.acqnet.gov/far. CCR Requirement - Company must be registered on Central Contractor Registration (CCR) before an award could be made to them. If company is not registered in CCR, they may do so by going to CCR web site at http://www.ccr.gov. FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated By Reference (FEB 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address: http://www.arnet.gov/far. Clauses included by reference are: FAR 52.222-50 ? Combating Trafficking in Persons (FEB 2009)FAR 52.233-3 ? Protest After Award (AUG 1996)FAR 52.233-4 ? Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (a) If an item in this solicitation is identified as "brand name or equal," the purchase description reflects the characteristics and level of quality that will satisfy the Government's needs. The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that "equal" products must meet are specified in the solicitation. (b) To be considered for award, offers of "equal" products, including "equal" products of the brand name manufacturer, must: (1) Meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation; (2) Clearly identify the item by: (i) Brand name, if any; and (ii) Make or model number; (3) Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or a clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information available to the Contracting Officer; and (4) Clearly describe any modifications the offeror plans to make in a product to make it conform to the solicitation requirements. Mark any descriptive material to clearly show the modifications. (c) The Contracting Officer will evaluate "equal" products on the basis of information furnished by the offeror or identified in the offer and reasonably available to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the offer. (d) Unless the offeror clearly indicates in its offer that the product being offered is an "equal" product, the offeror shall provide the brand name product referenced in the solicitation. (End of provision) This procurement will be awarded to the offeror submitting the lowest price technically compliant quote for all CLIN's listed. Technical compliance/acceptability is determined by conformance with the Statement of Work, delivery schedule and an acceptable level of past performance. Past performance will be evaluated using Government-wide and agency-wide databases, and/or other DHS Component Procurement or Program Office resources to obtain relevant past performance information. If no relevant past performance information is obtainable through these methods a neutral rating will be assigned.