Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

AMENDMENT I to RFQ# 1333ND21QNB640553: The purpose of this Amendment is two-fold: 1.) to provide responses to timely submitted clarification questions; and 2.) to provide a revised Statement of Requir... AMENDMENT I to RFQ# 1333ND21QNB640553: The purpose of this Amendment is two-fold: 1.) to provide responses to timely submitted clarification questions; and 2.) to provide a revised Statement of Requirements. The RFQ is amended as follows: Clarification Question: Question: For the Data Storage System do you have a preference for a specific form factor? I understand the requirement says, "These systems will be inserted into existing cabinets and use existing connection infrastructure, so equipment racks and cabling are not included in this requirement." Just wanted to make sure quoting a specific form-factor for the data storage system was not required. Answer: Per the Statement of Requirement, it states that the systems must fit in standard 19-inch racks. This is the only requirement on the form factor. Question: Given the extreme shortages of certain IT products and major shipping and other supply line issues, most contracting officials agree that holding a hard requirement of a 30 day delivery is not always reasonable. All vendors large and small are having to deal with these same product availability problems…Can you extend the delivery timeline with allowances for the possibility of further backorder delay of delivery? Answer: NIST has extended the delivery timeline to account for possible shortages. Please see revised Statement of Requirement dated 8/31/21 for new delivery timeline. 2. Revised Stateent of Requirement: A revised Statement of Requirements dated 8/31/21 with revisions highlighted in yellow has been attached. END OF AMENDMENT 1. DESCRIPTION THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF FAR PARTS 12 AND 13. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) FAC 2021-06 effective July 12, 2021. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334118 - Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1000 Employees. This acquisition is being procured as a Total Small Business Set Aside. Quoters must possess an ACTIVE registration in the System for Award Management system, www.SAM.gov, when submitting a quotation and shall continue to be registered until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. The Contracting Officer will confirm that quoters have an “active” registration at the www.sam.gov website upon receipt of the quotation. If the SAM.Gov registration is not active, the quotation will not be considered for award. The Materials Science and Engineering Division's Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials Science operates a computational cluster, for which additional storage and computational capacity is required. The current acquisition will enhance the capability of this cluster by increasing the storage and computational resources available to users for scientific computing. The requirement consists of a number of storage computer systems and a number of high-performance computer systems suitable for integration into a resource-managed cluster computing system, and interconnection infrastructure for these systems. NIST requires two (2) data storage systems, and eleven (11) high-performance computer systems, with options for one additional storage system, and up to five additional high-performance computer systems. The objective of this solicitation is to establish a Firm-Fixed-Price purchase order based on the specifications described in the attached Statement of Requirements (SOR). SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS Responsible quoters shall provide a quotation for the following Contract Line Items (CLINs), in accordance with the specifications outlined in the attached Statement of Requirement. All equipment must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award.: BASE LINE ITEMS: Line Item 0001: (Quantity 2 Each) Data storage computer systems, inclusive of warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements. Line Item 0002: (Quantity 11 Each) High-performance computer systems, inclusive of warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements. SEPERATELY PRICED OPTION LINE ITEMS: Line Item 0003: (Quantity 1 Each) One additional data storage computer system, inclusive of warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements. Line Item 0004: (Quantity 5 Each) Up to five additional high-performance computer system(s), inclusive of warranty, in accordance with the Statement of Requirements. DELIVERY TERMS Delivery terms shall be FOB Destination. The Contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. EVALUATION CRITERIA & BASIS FOR AWARD: The Government intends to award a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible Contractor whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, provides the lowest priced, technically acceptable quote. Technically acceptable means that the quote: Meets or exceeds the minimum equipment specifications listed within the Statement of Requirements; Meets warranty requirements as applicable; and Meets the required delivery schedule. Price: The price evaluation will determine whether the quoted prices are fair and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Quoted prices must be entirely compatible with the technical quotation. INSTRUCTIONS: Completed Solicitation Provisions A completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached provisions/clauses document – required submissions highlighted in blue). Due Date for Quotations and Questions All quotations must be submitted, via e-mail, to Sadaf Afkhami, Contract Specialist, at Sadaf.Afkhami@nist.gov. Submissions must be received no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 9, 2021. FAX quotations will not be accepted. Quoters must reference the RFQ number in the subject line of the e-mail submission. Quotes shall not be deemed received by the Government until the quotation has entered the e-mail inbox of the individual(s) set forth above. Questions: All questions regarding this notice must be submitted via e-mail to Sadaf Afkhami, at Sadaf.Afkhami@nist.gov, no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 31, 2021. Quotation Preparation Instructions Each quotation shall consist of two (2) separate electronic files: (1) Technical Quotation and (2) Pricing Quotation. Technical Quotation: (1) Technical description and/or product literature. Quoters shall include the manufacturer, make and model of the product, manufacturer sales literature or other product literature which CLEARLY DOCUMENTS that the offered products meet or exceed all minimum specifications outlined in the statement of requirements. It is the responsibility of the quoter to ensure that submitted documentation clearly addresses all specifications and requirements. (2) If product literature does not address any given specification, the Contractor must provide a discussion of how the Contractor will meet or exceed that required specification. Any modifications must be discussed. It is the responsibility of the quoter to ensure that the discussion clearly addresses the modification and how the required specification(s) will be met with the quoted modification. (3) The quoted delivery timeline for the deliverables. (4) A description of the quoted warranty. Price Quotation: (1) All Quoters shall submit a firm fixed price, FOB Destination, price quotation for the base line items and each separately priced option line items. The quotation must include a unit price and the aggregate price for all line items. (2) The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information: The solicitation number 1333ND21QNB640553. The name and address, of the Quoter. The name, phone number, and email address of the Quoter’s point of contact. DUNS # for Quoter’s active SAM.Gov registration. Any applicable discount terms. A statement that the Contractor agrees to all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. If the Contractor objects to any of the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation, the Contractor shall state “The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:” [Contractor shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s)]. It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to identify in their quote any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. A statement that the quotation is valid for a minimum of 60 days from the response deadline of this solicitation. Please note that this procurement IS NOT being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If a contractor submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the contractor’s FSS or GWAC contract. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The provisions and clauses applicable to this solicitation are identified in Attachment 2 titled “Applicable Clauses & Provisions”. The full text of a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provision or clause may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a Department of Commerce Acquisition Regulation (CAR) provision or clause may be accessed electronically at or http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/. ATTACHMENTS: The following attachments apply to this solicitation: 1. Statement of Requirements 2. Applicable Clauses & Provisions