Peanut Verification Services for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Specialty Crops Program (SCP)
SOLICITATION INFORMATION, QUOTATION EVALUATION CRITERIA, INSTRUCTIONS & KEY DATES: This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) to establish a firm fixed-price, five (5) year contract for non-p... SOLICITATION INFORMATION, QUOTATION EVALUATION CRITERIA, INSTRUCTIONS & KEY DATES: This solicitation is a Request for Quotations (RFQ) to establish a firm fixed-price, five (5) year contract for non-personal peanut verification services for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Specialty Crops Program (SCP). Services may be required nationwide, but primarily in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. This solicitation is issued as full and open (no set-aside used) under NAICS code 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services, with a Size Standard of $19.0 Million in annual sales. Other Than Small Businesses are encouraged to submit a quote, which must include a Subcontracting Plan (See technical evaluation factors). All relevant documents (services requirements, locations, terms and conditions, etc.) are included as an attachment to this notice. Interested vendors should thoroughly read and complete all requested documents to confirm their ability to provide the services as required. Questions are due Thursday, July 11, 2024, at Noon Central Time. All questions/inquiries must be submitted via email to the Contract Specialist, Matthew Phillips, at Matthew.Phillips3@usda.gov. Inquiries submitted via telephone will be redirected to an e-mail submission. Questions will be answered by USDA and responses will be distributed to Vendors via amendment of the solicitation posting within SAM.gov prior to the due date for quotations. Late questions will be answered at the discretion of the Contract Specialist. Vendors must submit their quotation package in its entirety to the Contract Specialist, Matthew Phillips, via e-mail at Matthew.Phillips3@usda.gov. Vendors who fail to complete and submit their quotation in accordance with the requirements of this solicitation may be considered non-responsive. Quotations received prior to the solicitation closing date and time, Monday, July 24, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time will be considered by USDA. Incomplete quotations will not be considered. Award will be made to the responsible Vendor whose quotation is determined to provide the best value to the Government, per FAR 52.212-2. Trade-off analysis of price or technical factors will be used in the award determination. After evaluation of quotations is completed, the Government will make an award to the responsible Vendor whose quotation (technical and price) conforms to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the Government, price and technical factors identified within this solicitation considered. For this solicitation, all evaluation factors other than price, when combined, are significantly more important than price. As quotations become more equal in their technical merit, the evaluation of price becomes more important. The Government will not make an award to any Vendor whose quoted prices are not considered to be fair and reasonable. A COMPLETE QUOTE MUST INCLUDE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: The company name, address, phone number, contact person, and SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) within Block 17a. on page 1 of the attached Standard Form 1449. A Technical Quotation that addresses the Technical Quotation Evaluation Factors as provided below. A Price Quotation using Attachment 1 – Vendor Quotation Form attached to this solicitation. The Vendor must only fill in the blue-shaded areas of the pricing template to be considered for award. The quoted firm fixed-price must be inclusive of all management, supervision, labor, materials, supplies, tools, equipment, travel, and subcontracts necessary to provide peanut verification services as described in this Statement of Work. Note: The Government may use various price analysis techniques and procedures to evaluate price. Consistent with FAR 52.217-5, the total evaluated price will be calculated by adding the total price for Standard Services for the base and option periods combined in accordance with the pricing template submitted by the Vendor. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). TECHNICAL QUOTATION EVALUATION FACTORS AND INSTRUCTIONS: Factor 1 – Technical Approach Narrative: The Vendor must provide a narrative to demonstrate an understanding of this requirement and detail how the Vendor will accomplish all of the peanut standards verification services required. Factor 1 (Technical Approach Narrative) Quotation Submission Instructions: The Technical Approach Narrative submitted with the Vendor’s quotation must address the objectives and demonstrate a clear understanding of the requirements of this Statement of Work. At a minimum, the Technical Approach Narrative must: Demonstrate a firm understanding of the peanut industry. Demonstrate a clear understanding of aflatoxin testing and U.S. Grade Standards requirements under the Minimum Quality and Handling Standards for Domestic and Imported Peanuts Marketed in the United States (“the Standards”), as established in 2002 and further modified in 2003, 2005, 2016, and 2018. Demonstrate that the Vendor has knowledge of the work to be accomplished under the outgoing quality standards of “the Standards” and that the Vendor demonstrates the expertise to successfully perform the services and to provide the deliverables required. Factor 2 - Key Personnel: This Factor considers the Key Personnel proposed by the Vendor; consideration will be given to the demonstrated experience and qualifications of the proposed Key Personnel on relevant projects of similar nature to the services required in this solicitation. Proposed Key Personnel will be evaluated as to qualifications and experience in all areas necessary to effectively perform the required work. It is expected that the proposed Key Personnel will be the individuals who perform work under this contract. Any changes to the proposed Key Personnel after award MUST be approved by the USDA Technical Point of Contact and will only be approved upon demonstration of as good or better qualifications when the new individual is compared to the qualifications and experience of the original proposed individual. Key Personnel, and the requisite minimum qualifications and experience for the services required. Factor 2 (Key Personnel) Quotation Submission Instructions: For this evaluation factor, the contractor must provide the names and qualifications of the Key Personnel identified within this Statement of Work and proposed for this requirement in the form of resumes. Resumes for each key team member must include educational qualifications, if applicable. The Vendor must clearly present the separate credentials of each proposed key team member and must provide a concise summary of each proposed key team member’s separate duties and responsibilities as proposed for this requirement for services. The contractor must describe up to three (3) project examples that are all relevant (similar size, scope, and complexity) to the services required by this solicitation demonstrating the experience of each person designated as key personnel. Resumes for all proposed key team members must, at a minimum, demonstrate that the proposed key team member meets the experience outlined and information required for each position as outlined within the Statement of Work. Factor 3 - Experience: The Vendor must submit a minimum of three (3) but no more than five (5) separate projects within the last 5 years (from June 2024) that details experience that is similar to the scope and magnitude of this requirement. Factor 3 (Experience) Quotation Submission Instructions: Vendors must complete Attachment 2 - Vendor Experience & Past Performance Sheet and submit a completed sheet for each project referenced. Factor 4 - Past Performance: Past Performance will be evaluated for the projects submitted for the experience factor. Factor 4 (Past Performance) Quotation Submission Instructions: Vendors must include complete and current contact information for each customer for each project submitted within the Attachment 2 - Vendor Experience & Past Performance Sheet. The government reserves the right to contact references to verify any information provided. Factor 5 – Subcontracting Plan: Vendors that cannot be classified as a Small Business under the NAICS that has been identified as applicable to this solicitation must submit a subcontracting plan. Factor 5 (Subcontracting Plan) Quotation Submission Instructions: Vendors must complete and include Attachment 3 – Small Business Subcontracting Plan. For the purposes of the subcontracting plan, vendors are advised to use the estimated total contract value of $800,000 while calculating the “Goal Total Dollars” and “Goals Percentage” values in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan attachment. Factor 6, Price: The resulting award will be a Firm Fixed Price contract. Price reasonableness will be utilized in the valuation of the Firm-Fixed Price effort. The Government may use various price analysis techniques and procedures to evaluate price. Consistent with FAR 52.217-5, the total evaluated price will be calculated by adding the total price for peanut verification services for the base and option periods combined in accordance with the pricing template submitted by the Vendor. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). NOTE: The awarded option price(s) may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. A price adjustment for supplies, materials, equipment and labor other than prevailing labor rate revisions will not be considered. Factor 6 (Price) Quotation Submission Instructions: The Vendor must use Attachment 1 – Vendor Quotation Form attached to this solicitation to submit the price quotation. The Vendor must only fill in the blue-shaded areas of the pricing template to be considered for award. The quoted firm fixed-price must be inclusive of all management, supervision, labor, materials, supplies, tools, equipment, travel, and subcontracts necessary to provide peanut verification services as described in this Statement of Work. Miscellaneous Documents: This is not an evaluation factor. However, failure to submit completed, required documents may result in the Vendor being considered non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration. Miscellaneous Documents Quotation Submission Instructions: In addition to submitting a Technical Approach Narrative (Factor 1), and completed Attachments 1 (Factor 6), 2 (Factors 3 & 4), and 3 (Factor 5, if applicable) as required for the evaluated factors, the Vendor must submit the following other documents: Standard Form (SF) 1449 (Vendor must complete Blocks 17a., 30a., 30b., and 30c. on page 1 of the SF 1449). Attachment 4 - Vendor Representations for Federal Acquisition Regulation Provisions. Standard Form (SF) 30 (Vendor must acknowledge amendments to the solicitation, if any are issued, by completing Blocks 8., 15A., 15B., and 15C. on page 1 of the SF 30). Award will be made to the responsible Vendor whose quotation is determined to provide the best value to the Government, per FAR 52.212-2. Trade-off analysis of price or technical factors will be used in the award determination. After evaluation of quotations is completed, the Government will make an award to the responsible Vendor whose quotation (technical and price) conforms to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the Government, price and technical factors identified within this solicitation considered. For this solicitation, all evaluation factors other than price, when combined, are significantly more important than price. As quotations become more equal in their technical merit, the evaluation of price becomes more important. The Government will not make an award to any Vendor whose quoted prices are not considered to be fair and reasonable. (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. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND DRAWINGS: Standard Form (SF) 1449 Statement of Work (SOW) Standard Form (SF) 30 (if the solicitation is amended) Attachment 1 – Vendor Quotation Form Attachment 2 – Vendor Experience & Past Performance Sheet Attachment 3 – Small Business Subcontracting Plan Attachment 4 - Vendor Representations for Federal Acquisition Regulation Provisions
Data sourced from SAM.gov.
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