Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, Streamlined Proced... This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Products and Commercial Services, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2025-03 (effective 01/17/2025). This solicitation is set-aside for Small Businesses. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 333310 Commercial and Service Industry Machine Manufacturing. The small business size standard of 1,000 employees. The FSC/PSC is 4610 Water Purification Equipment. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 10 (NCO 10), Veterans Integrated Services Network 10 (VISN 10), Chillicothe VA Medical Center located at 17273 State Route 104, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 has a requirement for a commercial brand name or equal water softener and controls for use at boiler plant. This procurement will also include removal of the existing equipment, installation, and training of the newly purchased water softener system. Contractor will make all electrical, drain, supply water, and other utility connections within 5 feet of softener skid. All interested companies shall provide quotes for the following: ITEM DESCRIPTION QTY PRICE 1 Model BK-DS-LWT-3-1200 Twin Alternating Softener 1  2 Installation 1  3 Old unit decommissioned and disposed in specified area at facility 1  4 Training on Use of Equipment and Maintenance   5 Warranty   STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) Contract Title: Boiler Plant Water Softener Background: Building 261, Boiler Plant, Water Softener is a critical part of daily facility-wide heating operations. At this time, the dual-tank softener system is beyond expected serviceable lifespan and becoming unreliable. Furthermore, these units require obsolete replacement parts that are becoming increasingly expensive and hard to procure. Scope: Contractor to remove existing water softener skid and replace with a new unit. All equipment moves and phases of operations will be documented and communicated amongst vendor and VA Boiler Plant staff prior to beginning. Old units and all associated equipment will be placed in gravel area behind Boiler Plant for turn-in to VA Logistics Service for decommissioning/disposal. Vendor will provide, deliver, un-crate, inspect, spot, and install new water softener tanks, stands, brine measuring tank, associated control boxes and cabling, and all other water softener accessories supplies under this contract. Contractor will make all electrical, drain, supply water, and other utility connections within 5 feet of softener skid. Contractor to conduct start-up, performance verification, and commissioning. All components to be covered by a 1-year parts and labor warranty. Specific Tasks 4.1 Task 1 - Removal of existing equipment 4.1.1 Subtask 1 - Removal of existing water softener skid, and all associated components. Contractor shall properly remove existing softener tanks, stands, supply and drain piping to nearest valve or connection to drain manifold; and electrical wiring to existing junction boxes/disconnect panels. 4.2 Task 2 - Receive and Install New Equipment 4.2.1 Subtask 1 - Delivery Contractor shall coordinate with COR for any advance deliveries and storage. Contractor responsible for uncrating any inspection of all components and moving all equipment into the installation area. Removal of existing equipment will not commence until all components of new system are verified as being on-site. All deliveries to be made to: Chillicothe, Ohio Veterans Affairs Medical Center Warehouse 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 4.2.2 Subtask 2 - Installation Installation to include: Placement/installation of softener skid and accessories inside building. Contractor is responsible for coordinating with COR to ensure steps are taken to protect interior and exterior of building from any contamination or damage related to this project. Electrical hookup to existing electric service (to be within 5 feet of equipment) Installation of water supply plumbing to existing valves (to be within 5 feet of equipment Note: Press-fit (Pro-Press, etc.) style fittings are not currently authorized for use in VA facilities. All supply and drain plumbing shall be copper tubing or flexible stainless steel braided lines. Connections shall be soldered or threaded joints. Start up, commissioning, verification of proper system operation Removal of all packaging materials/site cleanup 4.3 Task 3 Provide Staff Training on Equipment 4.3.1 Subtask 1 Vendor to provide staff training on operation of and options included in new water softener. Vendor to furnish VA with site-specific operating and service manuals either digitally or hard copy for equipment. Task 4 - Enterprise Management Controls Subtask 1 - Integration Management Control Planning All work will be coordinated a minimum of 5 working days in advance with the VAMC COR and Maintenance & Operations Supervisor. All contractor personnel will report to Building 21, Engineering to sign into the facility and receive contractor identification as well as any special instructions at the beginning of each workday. Contractor must report to B21, Engineering to sign out and report out at the end of each workday. All work will be performed Monday-Friday (excluding federal holidays) between the hours of 0600-1530. Ideally, work should be scheduled once seasonal plant loads begin to lower (warmer outside). Deliverables: 5.1 Task 1 Twin-tank Alternating Softener PLC-Allen Bradley 1400 to be controlled by PLCs on adjacent RO system, service flow rates per tank of 185 gpm to 230 gpm, backwash flow rate 60 gpm. Two 48 x72 carbon steel resin tanks, 100# non-Code construction, interior holding two-component epoxy, Carboline, Hydroplate 1086 4-10mils. Semi-gloss Finish, off-white, certified to ANSI/NSF 61. Exterior polyamidoamine Epoxy, Tnemec N69F, Satin Finish Safety Blue. Four Point PVC upper distributor, Hub/radial PVC lower distributor. Media (per tank): support gravel 1000lbs, 40 cubic feet resin per tank, 10% crosslinked resin, 1,200,000 grains Capacity per Regeneration, 600lbs Salt per Regeneration. Face Piping, Diaphragm Valve Nest, Aquamatic Series V42 Valves, 3 Service Valves, 1.25 Regeneration Valves, galvanized pipe and fittings, Pressure gauges & Sample cocks, System Control Existing PLC in RO Main Panel, Solenoid Panel for Connection to Existing PLC (Polycarbonate Enclosure). Meter 1x Signet Paddlewheel Flow Sensor w/electronic pick-up, Installation fitting, 3 Iron Saddle. 5.1 Task 2 Brine-measuring tank Brine Measuring Tank, 42 x60 polyethylene brine tank assembly, 2x Level Switches, Aquamatic Valves and Fittings, Control Panel for Refill from Existing Outdoor Brine Silo. 5.2 One Year Parts and Labor Warranty All components to include one-year parts and labor warranty 5.3 Freight Vendor to pay freight to a high dock location. Delivery address: Chillicothe, Ohio Veterans Affairs Medical Center Warehouse 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 Vendor shall coordinate with COR for any advance deliveries and storage. Contractor responsible for uncrating any inspection of all components and moving all equipment into the installation area. Removal of existing equipment will not commence until all components of new system are verified as being on-site. 5.4 Installation Installation to include: Placement/installation of softener skid and accessories inside building. Contractor is responsible for coordinating with COR to ensure steps are taken to protect interior and exterior of building from any contamination or damage related to this project. Electrical hookup to existing electric service (to be within 5 feet of equipment) Installation of water supply plumbing to existing valves (to be within 5 feet of equipment Note: Press-fit (Pro-Press, etc.) style fittings are not currently authorized for use in VA facilities. All supply and drain plumbing shall be copper tubing or flexible stainless steel braided lines. Connections shall be soldered or threaded joints. Start up, commissioning, verification of proper system operation Removal of all packaging materials/site cleanup 5.5 Staff Training Vendor to provide staff training on operation of and all options included in new water softerner. Contractor to furnish VA with operating and service manuals either digitally or hard copy for equipment. 5.6 Shop Drawings Shop drawings to include all dimensions of system components. Shop drawings to include technical specifications of all system components including, but not limited to: Unit voltage/amperage requirements Unit plumbing requirements. 6. Performance Monitoring The request is for goods to be delivered, installed and operation verified. When/if the equipment malfunctions, a minimum 1-year warranty will cover service and labor to repair defects of the equipment. VAMC COR will be responsible for overseeing project. Final acceptance of completed and installed unit to be determined by VAMC COR in coordination with Maintenance & Operations Supervisor and Chief, Engineering Service. 7. Security Requirements Contractor will not require access to VA sensitive information to fulfill the terms of the contract. Contractor will require access to the building and the related building service equipment during normal business hours. 8. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI). VAMC Engineering Service to provide suitable electrical disconnect to within five (5) feet of final electrical termination points. VAMC Engineering Service to provide suitable valve for water supply withing five (5) feet of water supply connection point. Lock Out/Tag Out to be coordinated with VA COR prior to start of project. 9. Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations. Vendor responsible for receiving, uncrating, and inspection of all equipment deliveries. Final acceptance of completed and installed unit to be determined by VAMC COR in coordination with the Maintenance & Operations Supervisor and Chief, Engineering Service. Vendor to provide, at a minimum, a warranty of one (1) year parts and one (1) year labor on all components of the completed and assembled unit. a. Packaging, Packing and Shipping Instructions. No unique shipping requirements. Deliver equipment without damage. b. Inspection and Acceptance Criteria. Delivery will be accepted or rejected at the VAMC warehouse. Items will be inspected for defects by Logistics and Engineering personnel in conjunction with Contractor upon delivery prior to installation. No work will begin until all replacement components are onsite and accepted. 9. Risk Control Contractor to adhere to all stipulations determined by the VAMC Infection Control Department, as included in the PCRA/ICRA. The PCRA/ICRA will be furnished by the VAMC COR prior to commencement of the work. 10. Place of Performance. The place of performance Building 261, Boiler Plant, Chillicothe VAMC 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 8. Period of Performance The period of performance shall be no more than 60 days from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed by the Contracting Officer. 9. Delivery Schedule. Contractor responsible for receiving, storage, and uncrating of all equipment deliveries. All deliveries to be coordinated with the VAMC COR. The full text of FAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. The following solicitation provisions apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Products and Commercial Services (SEPT 2023) FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html (FAR) and http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp (VAAR) FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (OCT 2018) FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting (AUG 2020) FAR 52.204-20, Predecessor of Offeror, (AUG 2020) FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Service or Equipment (NOV 2021) FAR 52.204-29, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders Representation and Disclosures (DEC 2023) FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2021) FAR 52.212-3, Offerors Representations and Certifications Commercial Products and Commercial Services (MAY 2024) Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://www.sam.gov/portal in accordance with FAR 52.212-3, Offerors Representations and Certifications Commercial Products and Commercial Services. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required. FAR 52.225-2, Buy American Certificate (OCT 2022) FAR 52.252-1, Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html (FAR) and http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/index.asp (VAAR) VAAR 852.252-70, Solicitation Provisions or Clauses Incorporated by Reference (JAN 2008) VAAR 852.273-70, Late Offers (NOV 2021) (End of Addendum to FAR 52.212-1) The following contract clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Products and Commercial Services (NOV 2023) FAR 52.204-13, System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018) FAR 52.204-18, Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (AUG 2020) FAR 52.225-1, Buy American Supplies (OCT 2022) VAAR 852.203-70, Commercial Advertising (MAY 2018) VAR 852.211-70, Equipment Operation and Maintenance Manuals (NOV 2018) VAAR 852.211-72, Technical Industry Standards (NOV 2018) VAAR 852.232-72, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2018) VAAR 852.242-71, Administrative Contracting Officer (OCT 2020) VAAR 852.246-71, Rejected Goods (OCT 2018) VAAR 852.246-73, Noncompliance with Packaging, Packing, and/or Marking Requirements (OCT 2018) VAAR 852.247-74, Advance Notice of Shipment (OCT 2018) (End of Addendum to FAR 52.212-4) FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Products and Commercial Services (MAY 2024) The following subparagraphs of FAR 52.212-5 are applicable: Subparagraph (a) (1) (7) Subparagraph (b) (4),(9),(12),(18),(31),(32),(33),(34),(36),(39),(48),(51), and (59) All offerors shall submit the following: The offeror shall submit a quote, with sufficient documentation to evaluate the functional and technical specifications compared to Statement of Work, Buy American Act Certificate, Warranty/Extended Warranty details and Delivery/Installation Schedule. All quotes shall be sent to the Contract Specialist, Alice Clark at alice.clark@va.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than March 7, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. EST. Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f). Point of Contact To obtain clarifications and/or additional information concerning the contract requirements or specifications, submit an email to Alice.Clark@va.gov. All inquiries will be responded to as necessary in amendment format which will be posted on http://www.sam.gov The deadline for submission of clarifications and/or additional information concerning this solicitation is February 28, 2025, at 12:00 PM (EST). No questions will be answered after this date/time unless determined to be in the best interest of the Government determined by the Contracting Officer. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or returned. Award will be based upon a comparative evaluation of quotes in accordance with the Simplified Acquisition Procedures of FAR 13. Comparative evaluation is the side by side pairwise comparison of quotes based on factors resulting in a Contracting Officer decision for the quote most favorable to the Government. The following are the decision factors: Price, sufficient documentation to evaluate functional and technical specifications compared to Statement of Work, Buy American Act Certificate, Warranty/Extended Warranty, and Delivery/Installation schedule. The award will be made to the response most advantageous to the Government. Responses should contain your best terms, conditions. To facilitate the award process, all quotes must include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows: "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition." OR "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:" Quoters shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s), if any. ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021) Provisions that are incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date), have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The version of FAR 52.212-1 in the addendum is tailored for Simplified Acquisition Procedures and supersedes the current version of FAR 52.212-1 contained in the FAR. The following provision is incorporated into 52.212-1 as an addendum to this solicitation: FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) (a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code(s) and small business size standard(s) for this acquisition appear elsewhere in the Request for Quote (RFQ). However, the small business size standard for a concern that submits a quote, other than on a construction or service acquisition, but proposes to furnish an end item that it did not itself manufacture, process, or produce is 500 employees if the acquisition Is set aside for small business and has a value above the simplified acquisition threshold; or Uses the HUBZone price evaluation preference regardless of dollar value, unless the quoter waives the price evaluation preference; or Is an 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged women-owned, or women-owned small business set-aside or sole-source award regardless of dollar value. (b) Submission of Quotes. Submit signed and dated quotes to the office specified in this Request for Quote (RFQ) at or before the exact time specified. Quotes may be submitted on letterhead stationery, or as otherwise specified in the RFQ. As a minimum, quotes must show            (1) The solicitation number;            (2) The time specified in the solicitation for receipt of quotations;           (3) The name, address, and telephone number of the quoter; (4) Technical description of the items being quoted in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary;            (5) Terms of any express warranty;            (6) Price and any discount terms;            (7) "Remit to" address, if different than mailing address; (8) A completed copy of the representations and certifications at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the quoter shall complete electronically);            (9) Acknowledgment Request for Quotation amendments; (10) Past performance will not be considered in simplified acquisition procurements. (11) Quote should include a statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Quotes that fail to furnish required representations and certifications, information requested in (1) to (9) and accept the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration. (c) Period for acceptance of Quotes. The quoter agrees to hold the prices in its quote firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of quotes unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation. (d) Product samples. When required by the solicitation, product samples shall be submitted at or prior to the time specified for receipt of quotes. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, these samples shall be submitted at no expense to the Government, and returned at the sender s request and expense, unless they are destroyed during testing. (e) Multiple Quotes. Quoters are encouraged to submit multiple quotes presenting alternative line items (provided that the alternative line items are consistent with FAR subpart 4.10), or alternative commercial products or commercial services for satisfying the requirements of this solicitation. Each quote submitted will be evaluated separately. (f) Late submissions, revisions, and withdrawals of quotes. (1) Quoters are responsible for submitting quotes so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the time specified in the solicitation. If no time is specified in the solicitation, the time for receipt is 4:30 p.m., local time, for the designated Government office on the date that quotes are due. (2) Any quotation received at the Government office designated in the solicitation after the exact time specified for receipt of quotes is "late" and may not be considered unless it is received before purchase order issuance and the Contracting Officer (CO) determines that accepting the late quotation would not unduly delay the acquisition. (3) If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal Government processes so that quotations cannot be received at the Government office designated for receipt of quotes by the exact time specified in the solicitation, and urgent Government requirements preclude a notice of an extension of the closing date, the time specified for receipt of quotes will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in the solicitation on the first work day on which normal Government processes resume. (g) Issuance of Purchase Order. The Government may issue a purchase order to one or more quoters as identified in the Request for Quote (RFQ). Therefore, the quoter s initial quote should contain the best terms from a price and technical standpoint. However, the Government may reject any or all quotes if such action is in the public s best interest. The Contracting Officer (CO) may issue a purchase order to other than the quoter with the lowest priced quotation. (h) Multiple awards. The Government may issue a purchase order for any item or group of items of a quotation, unless the quoter qualifies the quotation by specific limitations. Unless otherwise provided in the Schedule, quotations may not be submitted for quantities less than those specified. The Government reserves the right to issue a purchase order for a quantity less than the quantity quoted, at the unit prices quoted, unless the quoter specifies otherwise in the quotation.       (1) Availability of requirements documents cited in the solicitation. (i) The GSA Index of Federal Specifications, Standards and Commercial Item Descriptions, FPMR Part 101-29, and copies of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained for a fee by submitting a request to- GSA Federal Supply Service Specifications Section Suite 8100 470 East L Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20407 Telephone (202) 619-8925, Facsimile (202) 619-8978. (ii) If the General Services Administration, Department of Agriculture, or Department of Veterans Affairs issued this solicitation, a single copy of specifications, standards, and commercial item descriptions cited in this solicitation may be obtained free of charge by submitting a request to the addressee in paragraph (i)(1)(i) of this provision. Additional copies will be issued for a fee. (2) Most unclassified Defense specifications and standards may be downloaded from the following ASSIST websites:                 (i) ASSIST ( https://assist.dla.mil/online/start/).                 (ii) Quick Search ( http://quicksearch.dla.mil/).           (3) Documents not available from ASSIST may be ordered from the Department of Defense Single Stock Point (DoDSSP) by- (i) Using the ASSIST Shopping Wizard ( https://assist.dla.mil/wizard/index.cfm); (ii) Phoning the DoDSSP Customer Service Desk (215) 697-2179, Mon-Fri, 0730 to 1600 EST; or (iii) Ordering from DoDSSP, Building 4, Section D, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094, Telephone (215) 697-2667/2179, Facsimile (215) 697-1462. (4) Nongovernment (voluntary) standards must be obtained from the organization responsible for their preparation, publication, or maintenance. (j) Unique entity identifier (UEI). Applies to all quotes that exceed the micro-purchase threshold, and quotes at or below the micro-purchase threshold if the solicitation requires the contractor to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).) The quoter must enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its quote, the annotation "Unique Entity Identifier" followed by the unique entity identifier that identifies the quoters name and address. The quoter also must enter its Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) indicator, if applicable. The EFT indicator is a four-character suffix to the UEI. The suffix is assigned at the discretion of the quoter to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative EFT accounts (see FAR subpart 32.11) for the same entity. If the quoter does not have a UEI, it should contact the entity designated at www.sam.gov for UEI establishment directly to obtain one. The quoter should indicate that it is a quoter for a Government contract when contacting the entity designated at www.sam.gov for establishing the UEI. (k) [Reserved] (l) Requests for information. The CO will not notify unsuccessful quoters that responded to this Request for Quotation (RFQ). However, quoters may request information on purchase order(s) resulting from this solicitation with the CO. (End of Provision)