Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

W912EQ-20-S-0005 USACE Memphis District SEED STORAGE AND CLEANING THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. SPECIFICATIONS INCLUDED. RESPONSE DATE: 30 March 2020 NAICS... W912EQ-20-S-0005 USACE Memphis District SEED STORAGE AND CLEANING THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. SPECIFICATIONS INCLUDED. RESPONSE DATE: 30 March 2020 NAICS: 115114 POINT OF CONTACT: Valerie Marshall Responses due NO Later than 10:00 a.m. central standard time Monday, March 30, 2020. This is a Sources Sought Notice / Draft Request for Quotes is for informational purposes only. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, QUOTATIONS OR BIDS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District, requests information concerning its requirement for Seed Storage and Cleaning. The government will consider these responses before issuing a formal solicitation. Responses to this sources sought announcement will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this announcement, if the Government still plans to proceed with the acquisition, and after approval of the associated acquisition strategy, a solicitation announcement will be published in the Federal Business Opportunity. NO SOLICITATION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. All interested offerors will have the opportunity to respond to solicitation announcements at a later time. This notice is to assist the Memphis District, Army Corps of Engineers in determining potential sources and to gauge industry capability. This sources sought announcement is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited. Point of Contact Comments are to be sent either via email to valerie.marshall@.usace.army.mil, or submit hard copy to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 167 N. Main Street B-202, Contracting Division, Room 665, Memphis, TN 38103 no later than 10:00 a.m. central standard time March 30, 2020. NO APPOINTMENTS OR TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Project Description: This is a market survey for providing Seed Storage & Cleaning for USACE, Memphis District, Memphis, TN 38109. Contract will be Firm Fixed Price. Specifications/Performance Work Statement included below. NAICS Code 115114 will apply to this procurement with a size standard of $27.5 million. Vendors not registered in System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to award will not be eligible for award. Vendors may register for SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or register online at http://www.beta.sam.gov. The Government requests capability statements which demonstrate the ability to provide requirements listed in Specifications/Performance Work Statement. Your response should be limited to three (3) pages. Comments will be shared with the government personnel, but otherwise will be held in strict confidence. Comments may be in a format as chosen by each contractor, but must include: Offeror’s full name and address of firm Duns Number and Cage Code Point of contact and phone number; email address Size Status and Socio-economic status In preparing the formal solicitation, the government makes no commitment to retain any of the elements/provisions of this request for information and may include different elements/provisions in the formal solicitation. The responses to this SOURCES SOUGHT synopsis are to be forwarded (by mail, hand delivered or via email (PDF format) to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District, Attn: CEMVM-CT-SS (Valerie Marshall), 167 N. Main Street B-202; or Valerie.marshall@usace.army.mil . Responses must be received no later than Monday, March 30, 2020 by 10:00 A.M., CST. SPECIFICATIONS/PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT The Government is seeking a Certified Seed Cleaning Facility that is qualified and an experienced source capable of providing services to clean, condition and maintain native Arkansas-genotype prairie grass seed for re-establishment of prairie restoration areas. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. If a potential Contractor cannot provide all deliverables/tasks for this solicitation, please provide a statement regarding which deliverables/tasks are available and an itemized cost estimate. This contract requires the contractor to clean, condition and maintain the Grand Prairie Area native seeds of the local ecotype Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) (BBS), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)(LBS), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)(IG), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)(SWG), and various desirable forb species of Grand Prairie Area local ecotype seed if they become available (hereafter referred to collectively as ‘seed’). Each bag of seed stored for the Government must be cleaned, processed, de-bearded (to the extent practical) and tested according to the requirements and standards of the Association of Official Seed Certification Agencies (AOSCA) within the past 24 months. Each seed bag must be labeled per U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards to aid in prairie restoration planning. Seed storage must be consistent with best practices (temperature, humidity, pest prevention, etc.) as determined by the USACE and the Contractor. Contractor shall have seeds cleaned, processed and de-bearded to the extent practical to increase restoration success and allow a thorough accounting of the availability of each species. Also, Contractor shall separate seeds of differing species to the extent practical. A sample of each seed lot must be tested according to the requirements and standards of the AOSCA to ensure uniform testing methods and minimum standards of seed quality within the past 24 months. All seed must be tested for percentage of pure seed, germination, other crops, inert matter, weed seed, hard seed and dormant seed. Any amount of noxious weed seed must be disclosed. Official results from the testing company must be provided. Each seed bag shall be labeled according to the Federal Seed Act requirements and USDA standards to aid in prairie restoration success. Label must include the following information: Seed species, Net weight, Lot number, Date tested and all information required in 6.2. Testing will be conducted by an independent laboratory which must be approved by the Government. Official seed testing results directly from laboratory shall be provided by the Contractor annually. Care, Handling and Storage of Collected Seeds: The contractor shall provide adequate climate controlled storage from the time of acceptance until the time the seeds are in the care of the Government. Contractor will maintain a posted written temperature and inspection log of the refrigerated storage area. Temperatures will be measured and recorded in the temperature log multiple times every week. The temperature and inspection log will be provided to the COR or Government representative during inspections. During temperature checks, all storage areas must be carefully inspected for rodents, pests and evidence of the existence of either. If evidence of rodents or pests is noted, the Government COR must be notified immediately to document the extent of damage to the seed. Care, handling and storage of collected seed shall be in a manner best suited for the type of seeds and protected from excess moisture, desiccation, or other environmental conditions that may cause contamination or increased degradation of seeds. Seed must be protected from rodents and pests. Seed damaged by these factors is not acceptable and payment for those bags which are damaged shall be recouped by the Government. Contractor shall repair or replace broken equipment needed for care, handling, and storage of seeds, such as the refrigeration and seed cleaning equipment, within 5 business days or notify the COR or Government representative of a plan for equivalent measure of care, handling, and storage until repair/replacement is made. Repair/replacement of broken equipment should not exceed 45 calendar days. Temporary equivalent measure of care, handling, and storage will be in a climate controlled area where the air temperature will not exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity will be appropriate for seed storage. The contractor shall: Clean and condition (separate IG, SWG, BBS, and LBS seed from chaff, stems, leaves, and de-beard to the extent practical) bags of seed that are provided by USACE representatives. Separate seeds of different species to the extent practical (e.g. IG from SWG, BBS from LBS, separate out ‘other crops’, as practical). Send representative samples of each lot to be tested for germination rates, purity, noxious weeds etc. Label and maintain bags of seed that are provided by USACE representatives according to best management practices and industry standards. Report annually on the condition of the seeds, testing results, any other pertinent information that would affect the health of the seed or restoration potential for the project. Seed stock from the Grand Prairie must not be contaminated, mixed, or cleaned with other prairie grass seed stock. Quality Control: The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program (QCP) to ensure services are performed in accordance with the final Performance Work Statement. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify defective services, and prevent and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s QCP is the means by which the contractor is assured that their work complies with the requirements of the contract. Contractor shall provide a QCP to the Contracting Officers Representative (COR), in writing, within 30 days of contract award. After acceptance of the quality control plan the contractor shall receive the contracting officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to the contractors QC system. Quality Assurance: The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s). Each seed bag provided should be labeled according to the USDA standards to aid in prairie restoration success. Each bag of seed must have been tested according to the minimum requirements and standards of the AOSCA to ensure uniform testing methods and minimum standards of seed quality within the past 24 months. Testing shall be conducted by an independent laboratory which must be approved by the Government. The contractor shall store and clean the materials listed within 90 days after the contractual award date. Seed must be accessible to Memphis District Personnel upon request. Contractor must submit with their offer, their latest published specifications and advertising literature on the selected materials identified in the list below: Certification for Certified Seed Cleaning Facility Other literature showing experience and quality of work