Inactive

Page 1 of 10 The following is a Sources Sought/Request for Information notice. This posted notice is not a Pre- Solicitation or Solicitation document. The government is not currently soliciting bids, ... Page 1 of 10 The following is a Sources Sought/Request for Information notice. This posted notice is not a Pre- Solicitation or Solicitation document. The government is not currently soliciting bids, quotes or proposals at this time; however, reserves the right to do so at a later date. The James E Van Zandt VAMC in Altoona, PA 16602 is seeking potential sources to provide Dairy and Iced Tea products for an IDIQ firm fixed price 5-year contract. The quantities listed in the Schedule found on page xx are estimated requirements for the Nutrition and Food Services at the facility. ITEMS TO BE DELIVERED TO THE FOLLOWING LOCATION: James E. Van Zandt VAMC 2907 Pleasant Valley Blvd Altoona, PA 16602 ALL INTERESTED PARTIES MUST ALSO HAVE AN ACTIVE REGISTRATION IN THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) DATABASE. TO REGISTER, PLEASE VISIT WWW.SAM.GOV. Responses to this notice shall include: Company Name Address Point of Contact Phone Number Email Address UEI Number CAGE Code Tax ID Number ** Note: In accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding Kingdomware, service disabled veteran owned (SDVOSB) and veteran owned (VOSB), who are interested in this procurement and consider themselves to have the resources and capabilities necessary to provide these services shall be verified in Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) as follows to be considered: https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/ Process in 38 U.S.C. 8127(d) whereby a contracting officer of the Department shall award contracts on the basis of competition restricted to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans, if the contracting officer has a reasonable expectation that two or more small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans will submit offers, and that the award can be made at a fair and reasonable price that offers the best value to the United States. For purposes of this VA specific rule, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) or a veteran-owned small business (VOSB), must meet the eligibility requirements in 38 U.S.C. 8127(e), (f) and VAAR subpart 819.7003 and be listed as verified in the VetCert. Please provide answers to all questions below regarding your firm s Socio-Economic status pursuant to North American Industrial Classification Code (NAICS) 811310: 1. Is your business a small business under NAICS 811310? YES ______ NO ______ 2. Is your firm a Veteran-Owned Small Business? YES ______ NO ______ 3. Is your firm a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business? YES ______ NO ______ 4. Is you firm a certified HUB Zone firm? YES ______ NO ______ 5. Is your firm a Woman Owned business? YES ______ NO ______ 6. Is your firm a Large Business? YES ______ NO ______ 7. Do you have a GSA/FSS schedule for these items? YES______ NO______ Schedule Number: ___________________ Expiration Date: _____________________ Please provide a capability statement as well as any relevant literature addressing your organizations ability to supply the required items. Also, please include a point of contact name, phone number and email address. Note: Questions regarding this notice should be addressed to Benjamin Villasenor via email only. Please submit all responses to this notice via e-mail to: Benjamin Villasenor Contracting Officer Benjamin Villasenor@va.gov Responses to this Sources Sought Notice are required by no later than Wednesday, October 15, 2024 at 3:00 pm EST. 1. SCOPE A. General: The scope of this requirement involves providing dairy products which conform to the specifications outlined and referenced herein to the VA s Nutrition & Food Service, located at the address shown in paragraph 1 above. B. Quantities: The quantities listed in the attached Pricing List represent the estimated quantities that will be ordered over the base period and option years. The actual quantity ordered may vary from this estimate but shall not exceed the total estimated quantities without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer. ***Please provide pricing information based on the items and estimated yearly facility quantities on the tables below*** VISN 4 Dairy and Juice Product List: Altoona   Deliveries Monday thru Friday between 7am and 2pm   Whole Milk 1/2 pt 5000 2% Milk 1/2 pt 24700 Chocolate Milk 1/2 pt 2000 Skim Milk 1/2 pt 5100 Lactaid 1/2 pt 300 Cottage Cheese 5 lb 128 Eggnog 1/2 gal 4 Regular Iced Tea 1/2 pt 2000 Diet Iced Tea 1/2 pt 6000 2. RECOGNIZED FEDERAL HOLIDAYS: January New Year s Day January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day February Presidents Day May Memorial Day June Juneteenth National Independence Day July Independence Day September Labor Day October Columbus Day November Veterans Day November Thanksgiving December Christmas Day Vendor shall not be required to deliver products on national holidays as listed above and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday. If one of the holidays falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as the legal holiday. If one of the holidays falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed as the legal holiday. 4. DISASTERS / EMERGENCIES The vendor must be able to always ensure delivery to the VA, inclusive of disasters, and/or any other emergency condition. The VA may place a special order in preparation for, or in response to, a disaster or emergency. For anticipatory situations, such orders will be placed 24 hours or less in advance. In an emergency, the vendor will be notified with the amount and type of products required by the VA that shall be delivered within 24 hours of order placement. The order may be placed for larger quantities than the normal weekly order. The Vendor shall provide both the Contracting Officer and the POC with its designated point of contact and contact information for emergency orders. 5. SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS A. The delivered products shall meet the specification as listed in the attached Pricing Schedule document and comply with all applicable Federal and State mandatory requirements and regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, and sales of the products with the commercial marketplace. All deliveries shall conform in every respect to the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic ACO and regulations, promulgated hereunder. B. Quality Assurance. All raw milk for pasteurization, condensed and dried milk, finished products and the plant in which the products are processed shall comply with all applicable requirements of the "Grade A pasteurized Milk Ordinance - 1978 Recommendations of the United States Public Health Service" or latest revision thereof, or regulations substantially equivalent thereto. The raw milk for pasteurization, milk plant, and pasteurized milk and milk products each shall have a compliance rating of 90 or more as certified by the State Milk Sanitation Rating Officer and shall be listed in the "Sanitation Compliance and Enforcement Ratings of Interstate Milk Shippers." Milk laboratories approved by Federal and State agencies and listed in the previously mentioned document shall do all testing. C. Vendor's Certification. By submitting an offer, the vendor certifies that the product offered meets the specified salient characteristics and requirements of the Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide; conforms to the producer's own specifications and standards, including product characteristics, manufacturing procedures, quality control procedures, and storage and handling territories, or possessions; and is sold in the commercial market. The Government reserves the right to determine proof of such conformance prior to the first delivery from point of origin and any time thereafter, up to and including, delivery at final destination as may be necessary to determine conformance with the terms of the contract. D. Alternate Items. Offers on items not listed above (alternate items) will only be considered if acceptable bids on required items are not available or an offer is not received. Offerors must clearly identify any items that are not exact and specify the exceptions which differ from the required item. E. If the vendor needs to offer a substitute product on rare occurrence, the substitute product must be comparable and acceptable to the facility and available at the same contract price. If no available comparable substitution is available, the facility (s) shall be notified at a minimum of 24 hours prior to any deliveries. If the facility (s) have to seek alternate methods due to the vendor being unable to provide the needed products outside of the contract from other sources, the vendor will be responsible for any costs above our contracted pricing. F. Quotes will be considered only from vendors who in the judgment of the Contracting officer are financially responsible and able to show evidence of their reliability, ability, experience, equipment, facilities, and personnel directly employed or supervised by them to render prompt and satisfactory service in the volume called for under this contract. The VA reserves the right to thoroughly inspect and investigate the establishment, facilities, equipment, business reputation, and other qualifications of any offeror and to reject any offeror, irrespective of price, that shall be administratively determined lacking in any of the essentials necessary to assure acceptable standards of performance. 6. SANITATION AND WORKMANSHIP A. All products furnished shall be prepared, processed, and packed under sanitary conditions and in accordance with good commercial practice. All containers shall be clean, sound and securely covered or sealed to provide adequate protection from dirt, filth, and all other contamination. Chilled and frozen items shall be maintained at temperatures necessary for the preservation of the product according to the standards established by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). B. The VA Contracting Offeror or his/her designee reserves the right to inspect the Offeror's premises at any time during the life of the contract. A pre-award, on-site visit to inspect the manufacturing plant, personnel, process and packaging equipment and premises to verify compliance with all applicable Federal and State mandatory requirements and regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, labeling storage, distribution, and sales of the products with the commercial marketplace may be performed by the government prior to contract award. If the plant of the apparent low Offeror does not meet specification or is not acceptable, the quote will be rejected. 7. FRESHNESS REQUIREMENT FOR DAIRY PRODUCTS A. Fluid dairy products and other dairy products shall have sufficient remaining shelf life commensurate with good commercial practice at a minimum: (1) Milk must be delivered a minimum of 7 days prior to the expiration date and within 72 hours after pasteurization. (2) Cottage cheese, cultures, normal shelf life must be delivered within 4 days after date of packing, cottage cheese, acidified, normal shelf life, must be delivered within 5 days after date of packaging, cottage cheese, culture or acidified, extended shelf life, must be delivered a minimum of 14 days prior to the expiration date. 8. PACKAGING, PACKING, AND LABELING A. Unless otherwise specified, preservation, packaging, and packing shall be to a degree of protection to preclude damage to containers and/or contents thereof under normal shipping conditions, handling, etc., shall conform to normal commercial practices and applicable carrier rules and regulations, involving shipment from the vendor to the receiving acclivity for storage. Shipping containers shall be in compliance with national Motor Freight Classification and Uniform Freight classification (issue in effect at time of shipment). NOTE: (a) Gallon Containers Acceptable packaging = plastic containers (b) ½ pint Containers Acceptable packaging = ½ PT Cardboard Containers measuring 4-1/2" x 2-1/3" OR ½ PT Cardboard Containers measuring 2-7/8" x 3" B. All packaging and packing shall be in accordance with good commercial practice. Labeling shall be in accordance with commercial labeling, complying with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic ACO and regulations promulgated there under. C. All fluid milk products will have a pull date (date stamped on container) that is a minimum of seven (7) days before expiration on the date of delivery. Expiration dates shall be legible on each product. Cottage Cheese and yogurt will have a minimum expiration date of fourteen (14) days after delivery. Failure to comply with this requirement will render a contract in default and be grounds for termination. D. If it is determined that a significant number of products are leaking, spoiled, or otherwise found to not be in accordance with the specifications contained herein, the vendor will be notified to exchange the products for ones that are in accordance with these specifications within two hours of notification. If the number of such products is determined to be insignificant in number, they may be held for pick up by the vendor at the next scheduled delivery. 9. CERTIFICATIONS: A. Vendor certifies that its company has received, a pasteurized milk rating of 90% or more for the type of product the bidder proposes which will be in accordance with the specifications as found in the Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide. PASTEURIZED MILK RATING _______________ % DATE OF RATING _________________ STATE OF MILK SANITATION RATING AGENCY __________________________ IF RATED BY U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, INDICATE ____________________ B. Bidders are required to submit with their quote a CERTIFICATE from the local or State Health Department that all cattle from which milk is obtained have passed a satisfactory tuberculin test within one year before the date of contract; or that cattle from which milk is obtained are accredited herds as defined in the current requirements of the U.S. Public Health Service Milk Ordinance Code. C. A CERTIFICATE that all persons employed in pasteurizing and bottling plants from which the products are furnished have passed a satisfactory clinical and laboratory examination within one year previous of contract and are free from communicable diseases must also be furnished with the quote. 10. INSPECTION OF PLANTS: An inspection may be made of the premises and employees of the bidders, prior to making an award and conditions found will be considered in awarding a contract. Inspection may also be made at any time during the life of the contract and, if it is found that the vendor is not complying with specifications, deliveries will be rejected, and the products covered by this contract will be procured on the open market. Any excess cost occasioned by this action will be charged against the vendor account. THE VENDOR IS ABLE TO CERTIFIES THAT Within the past six months no inspection of the physical facilities of this plant has been conducted by any agency of the Federal Government. OR An inspection of the physical facilities of the plant was conducted by the ____________________________agency on ___________________ and this plant was ACCEPTED/REJECTED for furnishing its product to the Federal Government. 11. SOURCE OF MANUFACTURE Items supplied under this contract are required to originate from a sanitarily approved source. The supplier must identify the source of manufacture on the primary container or in the accompanying shipping documents. The identification on the primary container may consist of either the manufacturing plant name and address or a manufacturing plant code. When the manufacturing plant is identified on the shipping documents accompanying the delivery, the plant shall be identified by its complete name, address, and plant code. Preference will be given to locally sourced vendors. 12. ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS The vendor should utilize, if possible, recycled materials for containers if they meet the FDA sanitary standards for the specified commodity. List recycled materials for containers if they meet the FDA sanitary standards for the specified commodity. 13. ORDERING A. The facility orders will be placed by the designated facility POC on a bi-weekly basis. Each order will show ship to and bill to addresses and purchase order number (if required). B. Quantities shown on previous pages represent the quantities estimated to be ordered over the delivery period. Quotes will be evaluated based on the estimated quantities. Actual quantities ordered may vary among the line items. C. The items listed in this contract are required subsistence items for the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center at the address listed in paragraph 1 of this document. Products and deliveries are to be in accordance with the terms, conditions, and schedules noted herein. 14. CUSTOMER INQUIRY Upon receipt of any inquiry, the vendor shall provide a response no later than by the close of business the next business day. 15. PACKING LIST There shall be a packing list enclosed with any shipments made under this contract. The packing list shall show the following as a minimum: Vendor s name and address; VA Purchase Order Number (if one is provided); the VA Facility and Service placing the order; the items shipped; and quantity. 16. RETURN POLICY Offerors shall clearly indicate their return policy with their quote. Defective product or incorrect product shipped by Vendor error shall be replaced at no cost to the Government. Product shipped by Government error may be returned subject to the Vendor s normal return policy. Offerors shall provide the above requested single point of contact and telephone number for reporting delivery/product problems for all facilities included on their proposal. 17. UTILIZATION OF CONTRACT Delivery orders will be issued on an as-needed basis. 18. DELIVERIES AND INVOICING A. Deliveries shall occur during the preferred dates and times listed in the above facility pricing tables, excluding federal holidays. Requests for deliveries on different days and/or at a different time shall be submitted to and approved by the Contracting Officer and his/her designee in writing. B. Deliveries and invoicing for the Nutrition and Food Services must be accomplished separately at the Nutrition & Food Services Departments at the respective facilities listed in paragraph 1 of this document. Invoices must contain at a minimum the purchase order and itemized list of products delivered, unit prices, and total price. C. While performing under this contract, all vehicles used by the Vendor shall have temperature tracking systems in place on the refrigerated trucks to ensure they are being maintained in accordance with federal safety & sanitation guidelines. D. Invoices shall be identified with proper delivery order number (purchase order number) and shall reflect all deliveries made against the delivery order. E. Itemized invoices shall be submitted weekly. End of Document