Inactive

This is a sources sought notice only. This notice does not constitute a request for proposal, request for quote, or invitation for bid. No formal solicitation document exists currently. Market Researc... This is a sources sought notice only. This notice does not constitute a request for proposal, request for quote, or invitation for bid. No formal solicitation document exists currently. Market Research is being conducted to Service-Disabled Veteran owned small business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, 8(a), Woman Owned Small Business or Hub zone interests. The Salisbury, North Carolina Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is trying to determine whether to set aside the acquisition to lease for one base year with 4 option yrs thereafter the below mentioned items. QUANTITY ITEM / DESCRIPTION 9116B019AA 1 imagePRESS C10000VP Digital Press 12 MO 15372.0800 7999B014AA 2 imagePRESS C800 Series Main Engine 12 MO 5215.7500 8116B032AC 3 VARIOPRINT 120 12 MO 4893.5000 SCOPE OF WORK (SOW) 659-21-1-5034-0001 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: W. G. Hefner Medical Center, 1601 Brenner Ave. Salisbury, NC 28144 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: ELECTRONIC SPECIFICATIONS AND DRAWINGS: There are no drawings or specifications required. SPECIFICATIONS FOR GUARANTEE PERIOD SERVICES: [Planned service of pick up to be performed during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday)]. M-F 8-4 SECURITY: The C&A requirements do not apply. This acquisition does not require services that involve connection of one or more contractor-owned IT devices (such as a laptop computer or remote connection from a contractor system) to a VA internal trusted (i.e., non-public) network. A Security Accreditation Package is not required. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: The contractor shall detail and itemize all expenses included in the fixed lease cost with mandatory inclusion of the following: monthly copy/print clicks, maintenance service, customer service calls, training support, supplies and toner. The contractor shall provide three separate units including 1 medium color for primary use, 1 medium color for back-up use and 1 black and white unit. Both color units will need to have the same engine components. The contractor shall provide a cloud-based system for bidirectional communication of the units and must outline the details of how it works in writing. The system must allow for functions such as sharing to email or internal folders and must grant access to local VA OI&T. The contractor shall offer a minimum of 270,000 clicks per month with end user ability to transfer any number of clicks to any of the three units as needed without imposing additional cost each month. A detailed fixed flat rate proposal will be considered but must show cost savings as opposed to requested monthly clicks. 180,000 185,000 clicks are currently being utilized each month. The contractor shall define one click as follows: One click is equal to all the processes associated with the job of one single sheet of paper including but not limited to; print of, folding of, stapling of, stuffing in envelope, etc. For example: A single sided memo folded in half and mailed to patients with a print job of 1,000 memos would include the processes of printing, folding and stuffing an envelope. These three processes define the job of a single sheet of paper and therefore the entire print job would use 1,000 clicks. The contractor shall provide one table top paper folder that will fold and stuff images into an envelope. We will consider other table top paper folders that also include a sealer function. The contractor shall present options for including a laser / hydraulic cutter as an accessory. Regarding Specifications of Units: General Requirements: The contractor shall offer a minimum of 270,000 clicks each month. The contractor shall specify click price per click to include cost for overages on color vs black and white and whether the click price is based on oversized paper or not. Documents Input: The contractor shall provide for all three units the ability to support walk-up copying of two-sided hardcopy documents. The contractor shall provide for all three units an automatic document feeder that supports at least 100 sheet capacity. The contractor shall provide for all three units the ability to scan job(s) to an internal shared folder on the VA network. The contractor shall provide for all three units a Command Fiery Workstation with postscript point capability and connect all units together with one license that supports two users. Additionally, must allow more users to be added as needed. Speed / Throughput: The contractor shall provide two units; (1) primary color and (1) back-up color that will produce a minimum rated print/copy speed of 70 (8.5x11) images per minute. The contractor shall provide a black and white unit that produces a minimum rated print/copy speed of 110 (8.5x11) images per minute. The contractor shall provide three units that support media sheet sizes up to 11x17 and paper weights up to 216 gsm. The contractor shall provide three units that each have a minimum of four paper sources to accommodate multi-media job printing/copying. Image Quality: The contractor shall provide for all three units the ability to print at 1200 dpi resolution or higher. The contractor shall print 10 copies each of (3) supplied PDF files as a sample displaying the walk-up copy function and the electronic print function. A disclosure must accompany the printed copies stating which proposed unit they were printed on and which method was used for each set of 10 prints. The contractor shall provide three units that maintain an image registration front to back of plus or minus 0.5mm. Finishing: The contractor shall provide for all three units the ability for saddle stitch booklet making in line. The contractor shall provide three units that will perform multi-position stapling. The contractor shall provide three units that will support in line 2-3 hole punching. The contractor shall state whether the proposed units have other multi-folding capabilities (in addition to saddle stitching), and if so, specify. Maintenance Coverage: The contractor shall provide overall maintenance coverage of 90,000 clicks for each unit totaling 270,000 clicks each month. The contractor shall state the overage rate for images exceeding 270,000 clicks each month. The contractor shall provide a detailed list of all printing supplies included in the lease rate apart from paper. At a minimum printing supplies will include toners, developer, drums and staples. The contractor shall clearly define if upgrades, retrofits to the hardware, firmware and other support is included in the maintenance agreement at no extra cost and/or if the expense is included in the lease cost. Technology: The contractor shall provide units that operate without the use of fuser oil to prevent streaking. The contractor shall provide units with digital front end supports Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE). The contractor shall provide units that only use eco-friendly toner as regulated by the Environmental Protection Society (EPS). Regarding Service & Support: The contractor shall provide full service and maintenance support as required by manufacturer certified technicians adhering to the Work Hours section below and specify the following; (1) hours of operation for telephone support service, and (2) whether the service call center is located outside of the U.S. The contractor shall provide same day service on-site and/or via telephone within a 3hr distance/response time with manufacturer certified technicians and must disclose the address of the nearest manufacturer certified technicians. The contractor shall provide units that allow VA press operators to change toner, fuser assembly, remove waste bottles, etc. without the need of a service technician. A detailed list of services the VA operator can/cannot perform is required. The contractor shall provide on-site parts inventory of consumable components and a full preventative maintenance kit for each unit and replenish monthly and/or upon consumption; whichever occurs first. The contractor shall provide a means of convenient ordering of parts and supplies via an online website and/or call center that will be accessible during the Work Hours stated below. The contractor shall include a replacement guarantee program within the lease that swaps current unit(s) with the same or newer equipment in the event VA Medical Center is not satisfied with the performance of the equipment and/or the vendor cannot maintain the equipment in good working order. Regarding training support: The contractor shall provide at a minimum 40hrs of in person training for two operators within 24hrs of installation of equipment. The contractor shall provide aforementioned training within 5 business days of request for all new employees assigned to the Print Shop area. The contractor shall produce a summary of training instructions upon completion of training in written format along with any user manuals offered for each unit. The contractor shall continue to provide training support via phone or other agreed upon method as needed by the operators with a response time of no more than 48hrs to schedule support. The contractor shall provide an end user service training program for replacement of routine maintenance components for each unit. The contractor shall provide an on-site analyst for Fiery printer setup to include but not limited to: job workflow setup, color calibration, spectrophotometer, customer training, and up to 8hrs of analyst support and include this cost in the lease rate. PAYMENTS: Payments will be made in arrears following the receipt of the invoice and the monthly summary report thru IPPS B.5 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 1.0 KEY PERSONNEL Key personnel will be identified in the proposal and shall be considered key personnel essential for the successful completion of the work performed under the contract. The contractor agrees that such personnel shall not be removed, diverted or replaced from the work without prior written approval of the Contracting Officer. The contractor shall submit written notice of proposed personnel changes to the Contracting Officer for approval at least thirty (30) business days in advance. 2.0 WORK HOURS The services covered by this contract shall be furnished by the contractor as defined herein. The contractor shall not be required, except in case of emergency, to furnish such services on a Federal Holiday or during off duty hours as described below. The following terms have the following meanings:  (1) Normal working hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays. (2) Federal Holidays: The 10 holidays observed by the Federal Government are: New Year s Day Martin Luther King s Day President s Day Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Christmas  Any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a federal holiday. When one of the holidays falls on Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a Federal Holiday. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a Federal Holiday. 3.0 FSS RFQ INTRODUCTORY LANGUAGE The terms and conditions of the contractor's FSS contract (including any contract modifications) apply to all Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) and task or delivery orders issued under the contract as a result of this RFQ. When a lower price has been established, or when the delivery terms, FOB terms, or ordering requirements have been modified by the BPA or task/delivery order, those modified terms will apply to all purchases made pursuant to it and take precedence over the FSS contract. Any unique terms and conditions of a BPA or order issued under the contract that are not a part of the applicable FSS contract will govern. In the event of an inconsistency between the terms and conditions of a BPA or task/delivery order and the Contractor's FSS terms, other than those identified above, the terms of the FSS contract will take precedence. 4.0 BILLING AND PAYMENT Invoices shall be submitted monthly, in arrears, and shall include at a minimum: Date of invoice, Contract Number, Purchase Order Number, Vendor Name, Invoice Number CLIN & Date of service. All Invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests. The contractor shall submit payment requests in electronic form via VA s Electronic Invoice Presentment & Payment System. See Web site at http://www.fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp 5.0 CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM (CPARS) (a) FAR 42.1502 direct all Federal agencies to collect past performance information on contracts. The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented use of the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) to comply with this regulation. One or more past performance evaluations will be conducted in order to record your contract performance as required by FAR 42.15. (b) The past performance evaluation process is a totally paperless process using CPARS. CPARS is a web-based system that allows for electronic processing of the performance evaluation report. Once the report is processed, it is available in the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) for Government use in evaluating past performance as part of a source selection action. (c) Please furnish the Contracting Officer with the name, position title, phone number, and email address for each person designated to have access to your firm s past performance evaluation(s) for the contract no later than 30 days after award. Each person granted access will have the ability to provide comments in the Contractor portion of the report and state whether or not the Contractor agrees with the evaluation, before returning the report to the Assessing Official. The report information must be protected as source selection sensitive information not releasable to the public. (d) When your Contractor Representative(s) (Past Performance Points of Contact) are registered in CPARS, they will receive an automatically-generated email with detailed login instructions. Further details, system requirements, and training information for CPARS are available at www.cpars.gov. The CPARS User Manual, registration for online training for Contractor Representatives may be found at this site. (e) Within 60 days after the end of a performance period, the Contracting Officer will complete an interim or final past performance evaluation and the report will be accessible at www.cpars.gov Contractor Representatives may then provide comments in response to the evaluation, or return the evaluation without comment. Comments are limited to the space provided in Block 22. Your comments should focus on objective facts in the Assessing Official s narrative and should provide your views on the causes and ramifications of the assessed performance. In addition to the ratings and supporting narratives, blocks 1-17 should be reviewed for accuracy, as these include key fields that will be used by the Government to identify your firm in future source selection evaluations. If you elect not to provide comments, please acknowledge receipt of the evaluation by indicating, No Comment in Block 22, and then signing and dating Block 23 of the form. Without a statement in Block 22, you will be unable to sign and submit the evaluation back to the Government. If you do not sign and submit the CPAR within 30 days, it will automatically be returned to the Government and will be annotated: The report was delivered/received by the contractor on (date). The contractor neither signed nor offered comment in response to this assessment. Your response is due within 30 calendar days after receipt of the CPAR. (f) The following guidelines apply concerning your use of the past performance evaluation: (1) Protect the evaluation as source selection information. After review, transit the evaluation by completing and submitting the form through CPARS. If for some reason you are unable to view and/or submit the form through CPARS, contact the Contracting Officer for instructions. (2) Strictly control access to the evaluation within your organization. Ensure the evaluation is never released to persons or entities outside of your control. (3) Prohibit the use of or reference to evaluation data for advertising, promotional material, pre-award surveys, responsibility determination, production readiness reviews, or other similar purposes. (g) If you wish to discuss a past performance evaluation, you should request a meeting in writing to the Contracting Officer no later than seven days following your receipt of the evaluation. The meeting will be held in person or via telephone or other means during your 30-day review period. (h) A copy of the completed past performance evaluation will be available in CPARS for your viewing and for Government use supporting source selection actions after it has been completed. 6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION Notwithstanding the Contractor's responsibility for total management during the performance of this contract, the administration of the contract will require maximum coordination between the Government and the Contractor. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements of this contract. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to make commitments or issue changes that shall affect price, quantity or quality of performance of this contract. The COR shall be responsible for the overall technical administration of this contract as outlined in the COR Delegation of Authority. In the event the Contractor effects any such change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer without authority, no adjustment shall be made in the contract price to cover an increase in costs incurred as a result thereof POINTS OF CONTACT Contracting Officer (CO) John Walker; john.walker2@va.gov