Inactive

AMENDMENT 1 The purpose of this amendment is two-fold: To extend the quotation due date from 1:00PM EST September 8, 2023 to 2:00PM EST September 15, 2023. To direct that Past Performance information ... AMENDMENT 1 The purpose of this amendment is two-fold: To extend the quotation due date from 1:00PM EST September 8, 2023 to 2:00PM EST September 15, 2023. To direct that Past Performance information (which shall include references for at least three (3) past projects with federal, state or local governments and/or commercial customers for coal or coke materials that were similar in scope, size, and complexity to the work defined in the Statement of Requirements), be submitted in advance of the quotation due date, no later than 2:00PM EST on September 12, 2023. END OF AMENDMENT. ____________________________________________________________ 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 2023-04 effective June 2, 2023 The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 325998 - All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 500 employees. This acquisition is being procured using full and open competition. 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 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has two (2) lined drums containing approximately 172 kg (378 lb) of bituminous coal divided into a total of 17 bags each containing between 7.3 kg and 11 kg. The material is sized at 250 µm (60 mesh). Since the material is from the same bulk material used to produce RM 8499 Trace Elements in Coal (Bituminous), proper blending should result in bottled material that meets the NIST homogeneity criteria. The contents of all the bags need to be mixed and bottled for production of SRM 1632f. The intention is to issue the bottled coal material as a NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM). This project requires the entire contents of the bagged coal material to be mixed and divided into sublots by spin-riffling into approximately 2800 to 3100 NIST-provided amber glass bottles each containing a mean mass of between 51 g and 55 g within a range of approximately 50 g and 58 g of the coal. Preparation of a bottled material with negligible heterogeneity (within the inherent limitations of heterogeneity in the processed coal matrix) is an important requirement. 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. 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 (SOR).: BASE LINE ITEMS: CLIN 0001: (Quantity 1) Bottling of SRM1632f, in accordance with the SOR. OPTION LINE ITEMS: CLIN 0002: (Quantity 1) Option to air-dry the coal for ten (10) calendar days instead of three (3) calendar days, in accordance with the SOR. 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. INSTRUCTIONS: All quotations must be submitted, via e-mail, to Sadaf Afkhami, Contract Specialist, at Sadaf.Afkhami@nist.gov, with a carbon copy to Donald Graham, Contracting Officer, at Donald.Graham@nist.gov. Submissions must be received no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 8, 2023 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, with a carbon copy to Donald Graham at Donald.Graham@nist.gov no later than 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on August 30, 2023. QUOTATION PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS All quoters shall submit three (3) separate volumes in response to this solicitation. These submissions shall include the following: Volume 1: Technical Quotation Volume 2: Price Quotation Volume 3: Completed Provisions and Clauses Each volume shall be a separate electronic file. Incomplete quotations may be considered non-compliant and removed from further consideration. Quotations shall be clearly and concisely written as well as being neat, indexed (cross-indexed as appropriate) and logically assembled. All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered and identified with the name of the quoter, the date, and the solicitation number. Each quotation shall be on 8.5” x 11” paper, in a commercially standard font, not smaller than 12-point font. Each page in the quotation shall be separately numbered. The quotation shall be limited to twenty-five (25) single-sided, single-spaced pages. The contents of each volume shall include the following: Volume 1: Technical Quotation NIST will evaluate quotations, based on the information submitted in support of the following factors: Factor 1: Technical Approach As part of the Technical Approach, the quoter shall provide a two-part submission, which shall consist of 1.) a general overview of their technical approach and 2.) a preliminary bottling plan, as detailed below: The general overview of the technical approach shall demonstrate the Quoter’s ability to satisfy the requirements in the Statement of Requirements (SoR), ensure work quality, ensure negligible heterogeneity, and execute on-time completion of tasks and deliverables. The preliminary bottling plan shall address everything in the “Preliminary Bottling Plan” attachment, provided with the solicitation. The preliminary bottling plan shall discuss the steps for blending into sublots, the plan for bottling that includes a procedure for tracking each bottle throughout the bottling and packaging process and monitoring the fill mass until all bottles are sealed in shipping containers, the procedures for acceptance testing, and the exact number of bottles that will be filled. Factor 2: Experience The Quoter shall provide documentation to demonstrate experience with coal or coke materials over the entire course of the past four (4) years in the following areas: Dividing and blending into sublots, and spin-riffling into bottles; Analyzing (in-house or by subcontractor) chemical constituents, including moisture, ash and sulfur, in a contained sample; and, Evaluating the results of the chemical analysis to determine conformance to specifications for coal or coke samples. The submitted documentation must demonstrate that the Quoter has performed such preparation on at least four (4) discrete lots of coal or coke material within the past four (4) years. If the Quoter is utilizing a subcontractor for any work, the same information must be provided for the subcontractor relevant to the work the subcontractor will perform. The Quoter shall not simply state they will meet the requirement; evidence must be provided. Factor 3: Past Performance The Quoter shall describe and provide references for at least three (3) past projects with federal, state or local governments and/or commercial customers for coal or coke materials that were similar in scope, size, and complexity to the work defined in the Statement of Requirements. All projects must have been completed or substantially completed within the past five (5) years of the solicitation closing date. The description of each contract/order shall not exceed one-half (1/2) page in length. For each contract/order, the quoter shall provide the following information: Contract number Client’s name and address and point of contact, including telephone number and e-mail address Dollar value Period of performance Narrative describing the requirement and its relevance to the current requirement Name of contracting officer or point of contact, telephone number and e-mail address If the Quoter intends to subcontract with another firm for part of this requirement, that firm’s past performance information shall also be provided. If the Quoter’s past performance is limited to in-house work of a similar type and scope as the current requirement, information on at least five (5) different sets of in-house work that describes the work performed within the past five (5) years and relevance to solicitation requirements shall be provided. If the Quoter has no relevant past performance, it may include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The Government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the Quoter in its quotation. Volume 2: Price Quotation: (1) All Quoters shall submit a firm fixed price, FOB Destination, price quotation for the contract line items. The quotation must include a total amount for each line item and the aggregate price for all contract line items. Quoters can propose alternate payment terms. (2) The price quotation shall include a cover page with the following information: The solicitation number 1333ND23QNB640626; The name and address, of the Quoter; The name, phone number, and email address of the Quoter’s point of contact; Unique Entity Identifier # 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 90 days from the response deadline of this solicitation. Volume 3: Provisions and Clauses: The Quoter shall submit a completed version of all required solicitation provisions (see attached Provisions and Clauses document) highlighted in blue. The provisions and clauses applicable to this solicitation can be found under Applicable Clauses & Provisions. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at: www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at: http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/. EVALUATION AND BASIS FOR AWARD The Government will award a firm fixed price purchase order resulting from this solicitation that will include the terms and conditions that are set forth herein to the responsible small business whose quotation, conforming to the solicitation, will provide the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government intends to evaluate quotations and award a purchase order without discussions with quoters. Therefore, the quoter's initial quotation should contain the quoter's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following criteria: a) technical approach; b) experience; c) past performance; and d) price. All non-price factors, when combined, shall be approximately equal to price. The evaluation factors that establish the requirements of acceptability are set forth as follows: Factor 1: Technical Approach NIST will evaluate the extent to which the Quoter’s quotation demonstrates their ability to satisfy the requirements in the SoR, ensure work quality, and on-time completion of tasks and deliverables. The preliminary bottling plan will be evaluated to determine overall feasibility and likelihood for success. Factor 2: Experience NIST will evaluate the Quoter’s experience in preparing coal or coke samples to assess the Quoter’s abilities to: 1. Divide and blend into sublots, and spin riffle material into bottles. 2. Analyze (in-house or by sub-contractor) chemical constituents, including moisture, ash, and sulfur, in the contained sample. 3. Evaluate the results of the chemical analysis to determine conformance to specifications for coal or coke samples. The Quoter’s proposed methodology will be evaluated to determine its ability to complete the project successfully to produce a bottled material with negligible heterogeneity. Factor 3 Past Performance Evaluation of past performance will be based on the references provided and/or the Quoter’s recent and relevant procurement history with NIST or its affiliates. Past performance will be evaluated to determine the overall quality of the product/service provided by the Quoter. The Government will evaluate past performance based on Past Performance Questionnaires and by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references, if applicable. If the Quoter intends to subcontract with another firm for technical portions of this requirement, that firm’s past performance information may also be evaluated. The Government reserves the right to consider information available from other sources. In the case of an Quoter without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the Quoter will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Factor 4 Price The Government will evaluate the Quoter’s proposed price for reasonableness, accuracy, and completeness. Price will not be evaluated for quotations that are determined technically unacceptable. 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, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The provisions and clauses applicable to this solicitation can be found under the Applicable Provisions and Clauses attachment. The full text of a FAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov/far. The full text of a CAR provision or clause may be accessed electronically at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/acquistion_management/policy/. ATTACHMENTS: The following attachments apply to this solicitation: The Statement of Requirements Preliminary Bottling Plan Applicable Provisions and Clauses