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 HSHQDC-11-Q-00241 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 334112 with a small business size standard of 1,000.00 employees.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 2011-08-23 14:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com.FOB Destination shall be Washington, DC 20528 The DHS Office of Procurement Operations requires the following items, Brand Name or Equal, to the following: LI 001, Brand Name or Equal Forensic Recovery of Evidence Device (FRED) DX (Dual Xeon) to include one seat per system in the FRED training and orientation courses "Digital Forensics with FRED" (Manufacturer: Digital Intelligence SKU:F1200), 3, EA; LI 002, Brand Name or Equal UltraKit III + Firewire and Forensic DuplicatorKit and Duplicator ( Manufacturer: Digital Intelligence SKU:W3720), 2, EA; LI 003, Brand Name or Equal FRED Orientation and Training Course "Digital Forensics with FRED", 3, EA; LI 004, Shipping (if applicable), 1, EA; 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 Office of Procurement Operations 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 Office of Procurement Operations 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. New Equipment ONLY; NO remanufactured or "gray market" items. All items must be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Bid MUST be good for 30 calendar days after close of Buy. Shipping must be free on board (FOB) destination CONUS (Continental U.S.), which means that the seller must deliver the goods on its conveyance at the destination specified by the buyer, and the seller is responsible for the cost of shipping and risk of loss prior to actual delivery at the specified destination. Offeror must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database before an award can be made to them. If the offeror is not registered in the CCR, it may do so through the CCR website at http://www.ccr.gov. Delivery must be made within 30 days or less after receipt of order (ARO). The offeror must provide within its offer the number of days - not to exceed 30 - required to make delivery after it receives a purchase order from the buyer. The selected Offeror must comply with the following commercial item terms and conditions, which are incorporated herein by reference: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition; FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items - the selected offeror must submit a completed copy of the listed representations and certifications; FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, paragraph (a) and the following clauses in paragraph (b): 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities, 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity, 52.225-13, Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases, 52.232-1 Payments, 52.225-1 Buy American Act, 52.225-18 Place of Manufacture, 52.243-1 Changes, 52.249-1 Termination for Convenience of the Government, HSAR 3052.225-70: Requirement for Use of Certain Domestic CommoditiesFAR 52.219-6 NOTICE OF TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (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) FAR Clause 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items (JAN 1999)a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical Capability and Past Performance. When combined, the technical evaluation criteria are considered more important than price. In the event that two or more quotes are determined not to have any substantial technical differences (i.e. are technically equivalent), award maybe made to the lower priced quote. It should be noted that award may be made to other than the lowest priced quote if the Government determines that a price premium is warranted due to technical merit. The Government may also award to other than the highest technically rated quotation, if the Government determines that a price premium is not warranted. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer?s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. Please be aware of the following: If quoting an equal product, the government may require that the Quoter submit a sample for testing within five (5) days of notification. The Quoter will be responsible for delivering the product to the government for testing and for arranging for the return of the sample at their own expense. If quoting an equal product, please indicate that the product is equal in the product description.