Inactive Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)

**THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PAY NOR REIMBURSE ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST. THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONT... **THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PAY NOR REIMBURSE ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST. THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.** The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a qualified Architect-Engineering (AE) firm to provide Schematics, Design Development, Construction Documents, Technical Specifications, Construction Period Services, Site Visits, Cost Estimates, As-Built Documentation, and all other related information for Project 561A4-18-119 Upgrade Audiology and Eye Clinic - Bldg. 3. This Project will be to provide survey, evaluation and design for project 561-18-119 to Upgrade Audiology and Eye Clinic - Bldg. 3 at the VA NJ Health Care System, Lyons, New Jersey 07939. This requirement is being procured in accordance with the Brooks Act as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. Applicable NAICS code is 541310 and small business size standard of $8 Million. Magnitude of Construction is between $100,000.00 and $250,000.00. This is a 100% Service- Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set Aside. The anticipated award date of the proposed A-E Contract is on or before September 30, 2020 Potential contractors must be registered in SAM (www.sam.gov ) and visible/certified in Vet Biz (https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov ) at time of submission of their qualifications in order to be considered for an award. As a prospective offeror or bidder for this Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set aside, you are verifying your company meets the status requirements of a SDVOSB concern as established by VAAR 852.219-10. NOTE - Offerors are referred to 852.219-10 (d)(1) Services. In the case of a contract for services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs. In order to assure compliance with this clause, all firms submitting a SF330 for this Sources Sought Notice are required to indicate what percentage of the cost of contract performance will be expended by the concerns employees and in which discipline(s) and percentage of cost of contract performance to be expended (and in what disciplines) by any other subcontracted or otherwise used small or large business entity(s). Any subcontracted or otherwise business entity(s) used must be identified by name, office location and size/type of business (i.e. SDVOSB, VOSB, 8(a), large, etc). SCOPE OF SERVICE REQUIRED 561A4-18-119 Upgrade Audiology and Eye Clinic - Bldg. 3 LOCATION VA NJ Health Care System (Lyons Campus) 151 Knollcroft Road Lyons, NJ, 07939 COST RANGE Estimated Construction Cost Range: Between $100,000.00 and $250,000.00 TYPE OF CONTRACT CONTEMPLATED The Department of Veterans Affairs is contemplating awarding a firm fixed price contract. ESTIMATED START AND COMPLETION DATES The Department of Veterans Affairs requires design and contract support services. The estimated start and end dates for the design and start and end dates for the construction are as follows: ITEM DATE Receive Notice to Proceed from (NTP) TBD Deliver 100% Schematic Design 60 calendar days from NTP Review 100% Schematic Design 70 calendar days from NTP Deliver 65% Working Drawings 115 calendar days from NTP Review 65% Working Drawings 125 calendar days from NTP Deliver 95% Working Drawings and Construction Documents 155 calendar days from NTP Review 95% Working Drawings and Construction Documents 165 calendar days from NTP Deliver 100% Working Drawings and Construction Documents 185 calendar days from NTP Review 100% Working Drawings and Construction Documents 195 calendar days from NTP Deliver Final Bid Package 210 calendar days from NTP The A/E shall perform the work required within the limits of the following schedule. Professional architects, engineers and related design disciplines familiar with the work shall be provided, as directed by the Contracting Officer, to attend the VA reviews. Construction: Number of calendar days to complete construction is to be determined by the AE firm after the design is complete. SELECTION CRITERIA The Department of Veterans Affairs shall evaluate each potential contractor in terms of the following: Selection Criteria Weight Professional qualifications and disciplines of staff proposed for the satisfactory performance of required services. 20% Examples of specialized experience and technical competence in various disciplines required for specific project. 20% Capacity to Accomplish the work in the required time 10 % Past experience and performance on government contracts. 5% Proximity of firm or working office providing professional services to the facility. 10% The extent to which potential contractors identify and commit to the use of service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses, Veteran-owned small businesses, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors. 10% Experience in construction period services to include professional field inspections during the construction period, review of construction submittals, support in answering requests for information during the construction period, and support of construction contract changes to include drafting statements of work, and cost estimates shall be included as an evaluation criterion when construction period services is included in the statement of work for A-E services. 25% Total 100% SELECTION CRITERIA DESCRIPTIONS The selection criteria descriptions are provided below. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE OF REQUIRED SERVICES. Provide brief resumes of proposed team members who will specifically serve as the Project Managers and Designers of Record. The Designers of Record shall perform and direct the design within their respective discipline and shall sign and seal the drawings. All Designers of Record must be professionally registered in their discipline. Each resume shall include a minimum of two (2) specific completed projects that best illustrate the individual team members experience relevant to this contract scope; SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCE Specialized experience and technical competence required for this specific project, including, where appropriate, experience in energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, and the use of recovered materials. CAPACITY This factor evaluates the ability of the firm, given their current projected workload and the availability of their key personnel, to accomplish the possible myriad of design projects in the required time. The general workload and staffing capacity of the design office will be evaluated. List current projects with a design fee of greater than $20,000 being designed in the firms office. Indicate the firms present workload and the availability of the project team (including sub-consultants) for the specified contract performance period; Describe experience in successfully delivering projects per performance schedule, providing timely construction support, and successfully completing multiple projects with similar delivery dates PAST PERFORMANCE: VISN2 will evaluate past performance on recent and relevant contracts with government agencies (emphasis on VA work) and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, compliance with performance schedules and a record of significant claims against the firm due to improper or incomplete engineering services (references required). Recent is defined as performance occurring within 5 years of the date of this Sources Sought, except that ongoing projects must have begun no less than one (1) year prior to the issuance of this Sources Sought. Relevancy is defined as performance of work on projects that are similar in scope to the types of projects anticipated under the resultant contracts. Respondents with no previous past performance shall state this when addressing the selection criteria. Where there is no record of past performance, the proposal will be evaluated neither favorably nor unfavorably. Superior performance ratings on relevant projects may be considered more favorably in the evaluation. Submission Requirements: Submit a minimal of three (3) references; any of the following evaluations are acceptable: Contractor Performance Assessment Report System (CPARS), or Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) evaluation for each project submitted under Criterion 2. If a completed CPARS evaluation is available, it shall be submitted with the completed SF330 package. If there is not a completed CPARS evaluation, the PPQ included with this notice is provided for the Offeror or its team members to submit for each project included in criterion (2). If a PPQ is submitted, but an official CPARS evaluation is found for that project in government databases, the official evaluation will take precedence. If a CPARS evaluation is not available, ensure correct phone numbers and email addresses are provided for each contract customer/reference. Completed PPQs should be submitted with your SF330. If the A-E is unable to obtain a completed PPQ from a contract customer/reference for a project before the response date set forth in this notice, the A-E should complete and submit with their response the first page of the PPQ (Attachment #1), including contract and point of contact information for the respective projects. A-Es should follow-up with references to ensure timely submittal of questionnaires. At the reference s request, questionnaires may be submitted directly to the Governments point of contact, Lisa Lake, Contract Specialist via email at lisa.lake2@va.gov , prior to the response date. A-Es shall not incorporate by references into their response CPARS or PPQ evaluations previously submitted in response to other A-E services procurements. However, this does not preclude the Government from utilizing previously submitted PPQ information in the past performance evaluation. Submitted CPARS and PPQ evaluations will not be counted as part of the 30 page limitation and shall be attached to the SF330, behind the SF330 Part II document LOCATION The A/E Firm proximity to the Lyons VAMC is an evaluation criteria. This distance is determined according to http://maps.google.com/ This factor evaluates the distance the AE firm's design office or offices lies from the location of work. Please provide the address (es) and distance of your closest office to the address listed below. The extent to which potential contractors identify and commit to the use of service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses, Veteran-owned small businesses, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors. Experience in construction period services to include professional field inspections during the construction period, review of construction submittals, support in answering requests for information during the construction period, and support of construction contract changes to include drafting statements of work, and cost estimates shall be included as an evaluation criterion when construction period services is included in the statement of work for A-E services. PLEASE NOTE: The AE Evaluation Board must be provided with complete and accurate information for ALL seven (7) evaluation factors above in order to rank as qualified and eligible firms. Therefore, the AE firm must expand upon, as it deems necessary, on any evaluation factor not well demonstrated or addressed with Part 1A to Part IG and Part II of the SF330. The AE firm shall use Part IH and/or use additional sheets to supplement/address all evaluation factors to clearly demonstrate its qualifications. LIMITATIONS 852-219-10 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (JULY 2019) (a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, Service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern or SDVSOB: (1) Means a small business concern (i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled Veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled Veterans or eligible surviving spouses (see VAAR 802.201, Surviving Spouse definition); (ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled Veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled Veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such Veteran; (iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document; (iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control pursuant to 38 CFR 74 and is so listed in the Vendor Information Pages database, (https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov); and (v) The business will comply with VAAR subpart 819.70 and Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations regarding small business size and government contracting programs at 13 CFR part 121 and 125, including the nonmanufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 121.406 and 125.6, provided that any reference therein to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (SDVO SBC), is to be construed to apply to a VA verified and VIP-listed SDVOSB. The nonmanufacturer rule and the limitations on subcontracting apply to all SDVOSB and VOSB set-asides and sole source contracts. (2) Service-disabled Veteran means a Veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16). (b) General. (1) Offers are solicited only from eligible service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns. Only VIP-listed service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns (SDVOSBs) may submit offers in response to this solicitation. Offers received from concerns that are not VIP-listed service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered. (2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a VIP-listed service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern that meets the size standard for the applicable NAICS code. (c) Representation. By submitting an offer, the prospective contractor represents that it is an eligible SDVOSB as defined in this clause, 38 CFR part 74, and VAAR subpart 819.70. Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 8127(e), only VIP-listed SDVOSBs are considered eligible. Therefore, any reference in 13 CFR part 121 and 125 to a service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern (SDVOSBC), is to be construed to apply to a VA verified and VIP-listed SDVOSB and only such concern(s) qualify as similarly situated. The offeror must also be eligible at the time of award. (d) Agreement. When awarded a contract (see FAR 2.101, Definitions), including orders under multiple-award contracts, or a subcontract, an SDVOSB agrees that in the performance of the contract, the SDVOSB shall comply with requirements in VAAR subpart 819.70 and SBA regulations on small business size and government contracting programs at 13 CFR part 121 and 125, including the nonmanufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR part 121.406 and 125.6, provided that for purposes of the limitations on subcontracting, only VIP-listed SDVOSBs shall be considered eligible and/or similarly situated (i.e., a firm that has the same small business program status as the prime contractor). An independent contractor shall be considered a subcontractor. An otherwise eligible firm further agrees to the following: (1) Services. In the case of a contract for services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs. (2) Supplies or products. (i) In the case of a contract for supplies or products (other than from a nonmanufacturer of such supplies), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs. (ii) In the case of a contract for supplies from a nonmanufacturer, it will supply the product of a domestic small business manufacturer or processor, unless a waiver is described in 13 CFR 121.406(b)(5) is granted. (3) General construction. In the case of a contract for general construction, it will not pay more than 85% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs. (4) Special trade contractors. In the case of a contract for special trade contractors, it will not pay more than 75% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs. (5) Subcontracting. Any work that a VIP-listed SDVOSB subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the percent of subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. For supply or construction contracts, cost of materials is excluded and not considered to be subcontracted. For mixed contracts and additional limitations, refer to 13 CFR 125.6. (e) Joint ventures. A joint venture may be considered an SDVOSB if the joint venture is listed in VIP and complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 125.18(b), provided that any reference therein to service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern or SDVO SBC, is to be construed to mean a VIP-listed SDVOSB. A joint venture agrees that, in the performance of the contract, the applicable percentage specified in paragraph (d) of this clause will be performed by the aggregate of the joint venture participants. (f) Precedence. For any inconsistencies between the requirements of the SBA program for service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concerns and the VA Veterans First Contract Program, as defined in VAAR subpart 819.70 and this clause, the VA Veterans First Contracting Program requirements have precedence. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Qualified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms are required to submit two (2) Compact Disc (CD) digital copies and one (1) hard copy of the SF 330 (which can be downloaded from www.gsa.gov/forms. All packages shall be submitted no later than 2:00PM EST Friday, April 17, 2020 including Past Performance (CPARS) evaluations or Questionnaires (attachment 1). All submittals must be sent to the attention of: Mail (1) CD to: Lisa Lake-Contract Specialist RE: 561A4-18-119 Upgrade Audiology and Eye Clinic - Bldg. 3 400 Fort Hill Ave Building 34, Room 146 Canandaigua, NY 14424 Mail (1) CD and (1) Hard Copy to: Nadi Atalla Project Engineer RE: 561A4-18-119 Upgrade Audiology and Eye Clinic - Bldg. 3 151 Knollcroft Road Lyons, NJ, 07939 ____________________________________ The submission must include an insert detailing the following information: 1. Dun & Bradstreet Number; 2. Tax ID Number; 3. The e-mail address and phone number of the Primary Point of Contact and; 4. A copy of the firms CVE verification The Contracting Officer is not responsible for not receiving submissions due to the offeror misaddressing the package or illegibility of the information. NOTE: Any request for assistance with submission or other procedural matters shall be submitted via email only to lisa.lake2@va.gov telephone inquiries will not be honored. **THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PAY NOR REIMBURSE ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST. THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.** ATTACHMENT 1 - PAST PERFORMANCE QUESTIONAIRE AND COVER LETTER Complete one set of letters and forms for at least three projects identified in your firm s SF 330 Section F, Example Projects Which Best Illustrate Proposed Team s Qualifications For This Contract. Additional space or blank sheets may be added to answer any question. Transmittal Letter to Accompany Past Performance Questionnaire FROM: [Insert Company Official Name, Title, and Company Name] SUBJECT: Past Performance Questionnaire for Contract(s): [Insert Company Name] is currently responding to VA New Jersey Health Care System (East Orange Campus) request for SF 330, Architect-Engineer Qualifications for the 561A4-18-119 Upgrade Audiology and Eye Clinic - Bldg. 3 . This Request for SF 330 s requires respondents to identify customers and solicit their response regarding [Insert Company Name] performance. [Insert Company Name] is providing past performance data to VA New Jersey Health Care System (Lyons Campus), relating to our performance on contract [Insert contract name/number] and have identified [Insert name of reference] as the point of contact for this contract. The request for SF 330 instructs that respondents provide customers with the attached questionnaire. Please complete the questionnaire and submit it by Friday, April 17, 2020 directly to the VISN 2/Network Contracting Office (NCO) Contract Specialist. The requested data may be submitted by mail or email to the government representative identified below. If the Past Performance Questionnaire is emailed, DO NOT send a hard copy via mail. Lisa Lake, Contract Specialist VISN 2 Networking Contracting Office (10N2/NCO) Canandaigua VA Medical Center Bldg 34, 1st Floor 400 Fort Hill Ave Canandaigua, NY 14424 Email: lisa.lake2@va.gov The information contained in the completed Past Performance Questionnaire is considered sensitive and cannot be released to [Insert Company Name]. Please direct any questions about the acquisition or the attached questionnaire to the VISN 2 NCO point of contact identified above. Thank you, [Insert Company Official Name and Title] A. GENERAL INFORMATION A-E FIRM TO BE EVALUATED: Firm Name: ________________________ Telephone: __________________________ Address: __________________________ Email address: ________________________ __________________________ Point of Contact: ______________________ __________________________ __________________________ Firm Cage Code: ____________________ Firm Tax ID Number: ________________ Firm DUNS Number: ________________ Project Title: _____________________________________ Description of Project: __________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Description of A-E Firms Responsibilities:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contract Number: ______________________ Dollar Amount: ______________________ Contract Period of Performance: _______________________ The A-E Firm performed as the o Prime Contractor o Sub-Contractor/Consultant/Team Member Percent of work performed by A-E Firm: Other (Please describe) __________________ B. EVALUATOR INFORMATION: Evaluator s Company or Agency Name: ____________________________ Evaluator s Name: _____________________ Address: __________________________ Title of Evaluator: _____________________ __________________________ Telephone: __________________________ __________________________ E-mail: ______________________________ C. SEND COMPLETED QUESTIONAIRE (SECTIONS B through D)TO: Lisa Lake, Contract Specialist VISN 2 Networking Contracting Office (10N2/NCO) Canandaigua VA Medical Center Bldg 34, 1st Floor 400 Fort Hill Ave Canandaigua, NY 14424 Email: lisa.lake2@va.gov D. PERFORMANCE INFORMATION: Choose the appropriate rating that most accurately describes the A/E s performance or situation. PLEASE PROVIDE A NARRATIVE EXPLANATION FOR ALL RATINGS OF Marginal or Unsatisfactory on page 7 under Narrative Summary. Exceptional (5) Very Good (4) Satisfactory (3) Marginal (2) Unsatisfactory (1) N/A -Performance meets or met contractual requirements and exceeds or exceeded many of your company s expectations The contractual performance reflects or reflected few minor problems and corrective actions taken by the contractor appear to be highly effective or corrective actions taken were effective. -Performance meets or met contractual requirements and exceeds or exceeded some of your company s expectations. The contractual performance reflects or reflected some minor problems and corrective actions being taken by the contractor appear to be effective or Corrective actions taken were effective. -Performance meets or met contractual requirements. The contractual performance reflects or reflected some minor problems. Corrective actions being taken by the contractor appear to be effective or Corrective actions taken were effective. -Performance does or did not meet some contractual requirements. The contractual performance reflects or reflected serious problems(s) for which the contractor has not yet identified acceptable corrective actions or did not provide acceptable corrective actions. -Performance does or did not meet most contractual requirements and recovery is not likely or did not occur. The contractual performance contains or contained serious problem (s) for which the contractor s corrective actions appear ineffective or were ineffective. -Not applicable or rater has not observed performance in this area. A-E FIRM S NAME: _______________ PROJECT NAME: _______________ Contract Period of Performance: _______________________ Note: Include this information on each page of the questionnaire form to ensure there is no mix up in information among contracts surveyed for respective primes/subs, etc. Place an X in the appropriate column using the definitions matrix on page 4. Item FACTORS TO BE RATED Exceptional (5) Very Good (4) Satisfactory (3) Marginal (2) Unsatisfactory (1) N/A Design Services: 1. Overall skill level and technical competence of A/E s personnel. 2. A/E s ability to identify and resolve design issues expeditiously. 3. A/E s responsiveness to design review questions. 4. A/E s ability to effectively coordinate, integrate and manage their consultants/subcontractors/team 5. A/E s effectiveness and responsiveness in interfacing with the Client s staff 6. Overall accuracy, completeness and coordination of final design documents. (Quality) 7. A/E s ability to provide detailed, accurate cost estimates. 8. A/E s ability to meet contract schedule. Follow-On Construction Support Services: 9. Thoroughness and timely review of construction submittals. 10. Timely resolution of construction design issues. 11. Overall quality, responsiveness and timeliness of A/E follow-on construction support services. LEED (If Applicable): 12. Overall accuracy, completeness, timeliness and coordination of LEED documentation. 13. A/E s ability and understanding of the overall LEED process. BIM (If Applicable): 14. Overall accuracy, completeness, timeliness and coordination of BIM documentation. 15. A/E s ability and understanding of the overall BIM process. Owner s Representative on Design/Build Projects (If applicable): 16. Overall accuracy, completeness, timeliness and coordination of requirements documents and bridging documents. 17. A/E s ability, thoroughness, timeliness and support as Owner s Representative throughout the project. Overall: 18. How would you rate the A/E s ability to control cost? 19. How would you rate the A/E s overall management performance on this contract? 20. How would you rate the A/E s overall technical/quality performance on this contract? 21. Would you use this A/E again? (If No , please comment in the Narrative Summary) YES NO Number of A/E Design Errors & Omissions on Project: _______________ Increased Project Cost Due to A/E Design Errors & Omissions:_______________ CONTRACTOR S NAME: ___________________ PROJECT NAME ______________________ Contract Period of Performance: _______________________ Note: Include this information on each page of the questionnaire form to ensure there is no mix up in information among contracts surveyed for respective primes/subs, etc. NARRATIVE SUMMARY (Use this section to explain any rating from the previous page) Item COMMENTS