Inactive Partial Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

This notice is a Request for Qualifications only. The Government may award to design teams led by either an Architectural or an Engineering firm. The request for qualifications will be conducted in ac... This notice is a Request for Qualifications only. The Government may award to design teams led by either an Architectural or an Engineering firm. The request for qualifications will be conducted in accordance with FAR Part 36, construction and architect-engineer contracts. This contract will result in multiple, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to provide the “States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan” with Architecture and Engineering (AE/EA) services led by either an architectural or an engineering firm. These services are to be consistent with the Guiding Principles of GSA's Design Excellence program for a variety of project types across a wide range of project budgets. Assembled teams should be well rounded and clearly identify relevant concentrated areas of expertise. Architectural and Engineering (AE/EA) Services will be rendered for projects primarily managed by GSA’s Northern Service Center Operations Division (NSCOD). This is an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide professional Architecture and Engineering (AE/EA) services for projects on or within federal properties and facilities, owned and/or leased, in GSA Region 5 NSCOD. This IDIQ contract will be broken out between two (2) distinct zones: Zone 1 contracts will cover the entire States of Minnesota and Wisconsin and Zone 2 contracts will cover the entire State of Michigan. However, both zones 1 and 2 will be required to cover Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Firms submitting qualifications in each zone will be evaluated independent of the other zone using the same evaluation factors. If a firm is planning to submit qualifications for both zones, they must have a production office in each zone and meet the business size standard identified for that zone. Additionally, if a firm plans to submit qualifications for both zones, that firm will need to prepare two packages, one for each zone. The NAICS codes are 541310 - Architectural Services, with a small business size standard of $12.5 million and 541330 - Engineering Services, with a small business size standard of $25.5 million. This procurement is a “Partial Small Business Set-Aside” open to both large and small businesses. The lead firm must have an existing active production office within the planned geographic zone previously defined so as to minimize direct travel costs on resulting task orders. Most work orders will be executed for repair and alteration projects within existing buildings. The estimated cost of construction at award (ECCA) can range from $2,000 to approximately $3,613,000 (or the current Prospectus Project Threshold), however it is anticipated that the majority of projects will have an ECCA between $50,000 and $500,000. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.404-4(c)(4)(i)(B), fees for design services cannot exceed 6% of the ECCA. For general guidance describing included and excluded services, in regards to the 6% fee limitation, see PIB 13-04 Attachment (1). A broad range of services potentially requested under this IDIQ contract may include but are not limited to the following: Feasibility, pre-design, and project development studies Field investigation, Site surveys Concept design, Design development and Construction document development (both engineering and architectural) Estimating Constructability review and evaluation Submittal and shop drawing review Historic Preservation MEP services Mechanical system assessments and design Mechanical component assessments and designs (such as pumps, fans, air handlers, water distribution systems) Air distribution assessment and design Post Construction Contract Services (PCCS) Management and inspection (M&I) services during construction Record and close-out documents Master planning Façade evaluation and remediation design Structural evaluation and design Historic building assessment, materials review and repair solution/ remediation Building condition survey evaluation reports (exterior and interior) Fire and Life Safety evaluation and design Existing conditions surveys Building standard documents Interior design including FFE Temperature control assessment and design BAS system assessment and integration Building and system commissioning Water infiltration investigation and mitigation design Architectural and engineering disciplines and other specialized expertise that may be required to accomplish the scopes of the task orders include but are not limited to: Architecture Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Structural & Civil Engineering Plumbing Fire Protection Life Safety Security Seismic & Blast Vertical Transportation Space Planning & Workplace Interior Architecture Real Estate Market Analysis Historic Preservation Cost Estimating Scheduling Master Planning Report writing Quality control review Surveying Sustainability & LEED Certification Building Information Modeling 3-D rendering Code Compliance Environmental Services The duration of the base period will be one (1) year. The contract will include a clause for four (4) one-year options, each of which could extend the contract for an additional one (1) year period and may be exercised at the option of the Government. The maximum order limitation is $3,613,000 for each one-year period. The minimum guarantee for this contract is $2,000 for the base year only. The selected firms must negotiate overhead, profit and hourly rates for major anticipated disciplines to be used in negotiating fixed price task orders in phase II as described below. The AE/EA may be expected to handle multiple projects simultaneously, without compromising timeliness and quality of service to GSA. Professional services for task orders shall be overseen or performed by individuals licensed in the relevant discipline, with a current registration in the state in which the project's construction will occur. Joint ventures and/or consulting arrangements will be considered and evaluated on the demonstrated interdependency of the team members to provide a cohesive quality design effort. In order to encourage participation in this request for qualifications, a virtual pre-submission meeting has been tentatively scheduled for October 16, 2023. The meeting will commence at 11:00 AM EST. Attendance is completely voluntary and will not positively or negatively impact a team’s evaluation. The purpose of the meeting is to answer any industry questions regarding this procurement. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to Daniel Nitu, Contracting Officer, at daniel.nitu@gsa.gov. In the e-mail, please provide the names and email address of those wishing to attend no later than October 13, 2023 by 3:00 PM (EST). The link to the meeting will be provided in your RSVP reply. TEAM SELECTION: Team selection is executed through a two-step process where the first step is qualification based and the second step is fee based. This notice is a Request for Qualifications only. No fee information is requested at this time. STEP I: In the first step, teams will submit qualification based on the criteria identified below. A source selection board will review each team’s qualifications and establish a shortlist of firms. The shortlist may be composed of architect-led OR engineering-led teams OR a combination of both. The Government reserves the right to hold interviews with each of the short-listed firms to clarify and confirm submitted information. EVALUATION FACTORS: I. Specialized Experience and Technical Competence (45%): Provide no more than ten (10) example projects. Examples should demonstrate a range of repair and alterations work of similar budgets and complexities as anticipated for the task orders off of the IDIQ contracts. Teams must demonstrate that they are adept at solving a variety of issues and note where their specialized experience is evident, highlighting concentrated areas of expertise such as, work in occupied buildings, building system upgrades, historical preservation, workplace design strategies, low carbon and sustainable initiatives, Electric Vehicle Systems Equipment or other (previously noted in this solicitation). Teams must demonstrate success in appropriately addressing a variety of complex as well as routine design issues that seamlessly incorporate architecture and engineering. Each example may be supplemented with photographs, sketches and drawings, or additional information not to exceed 2 double-sided pages. Each example should highlight the firm contribution to the project and the roles of the team members being submitted under this contract. Excellence in architecture and engineering should be addressed through problem solving within existing buildings and achieving creative solutions considering function, scale, image, engineering, and community context, under the constraints of budget, schedule etc. Examples of using emerging, or innovative design and construction processes must be demonstrated. II. Management Plan, Team Structure and Quality Control (30%): Teams must demonstrate a clear and efficient management plan and team structure (which includes sub-consultants) that addresses roles and responsibilities, lines of authority, coordination and communication. Assembled teams should be well rounded and clearly identify relevant concentrated areas of expertise. The management plan should clearly describe: The team’s overall design approach. The team’s ability to staff and manage task orders on an as-needed basis; accounting for the unpredictable issuance of task orders in terms of number, size, importance and urgency. The team’s plan for designing within a negotiated fee in accordance with the 6% fee limitation. Additional consideration will be given to teams that demonstrate a wide range of experience levels, in multiple disciplines, proving the ability to flexibly staff projects based on complexity, budget constraints and location. Team must demonstrate processes for quality control and commitment to quality control standards while designing within the project’s budget and schedule limitations. The plan should specifically address coordination efforts with sub-consultants. III. Professional Qualifications (15%) Key Personnel must possess the education, qualifications and project experience that will provide the best opportunity for the successful completion of task orders under this contract. Team’s design philosophy should be balanced and their intent/involvement for accomplishing task orders under this contract should be appropriate. IV. Past Performance (10%) Teams must be able to demonstrate successful past performance on example projects. This can be from the point of view of the client, professional peers and project teammates. Demonstrated success at collaborative relationships with consultants will be positively considered. The Government has the right to use corporate knowledge when evaluating this factor. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS for QUALIFICATION SUBMISSION: The Request for Qualifications due date and time has been extended from Monday, November 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET to Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET. All qualifications must be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer at daniel.nitu@gsa.gov; faxed and mailed proposals are not acceptable. The maximum size capacity for electronic transmissions to GSA is 25 MB. Therefore, all submittal information for each email must be within the 25 MB limitation. Offerors may break proposal materials into separate emails to avoid exceeding the limitation. When separating materials into separate emails please ensure that the email’s subject line states how many emails are to be expected. The subject line must also contain the solicitation number and firm name. Interested firms having the qualifications to meet these requirements are invited to submit one (1) electronic version, which should include the PDF copies of all the required documents including the Standard Form 330 along with a letter of interest. Additionally, please provide only the information requested supplemental information will not be evaluated. Required form 330 information/instructions: https://www.gsa.gov/forms-library/architect-engineer-qualifications The SF330 is available as an attachment to this notice and via the GSA Forms Library at the address identified above. Section C: Do not modify the form by providing more than six proposed team members. Prioritize team members and provide those that are the most important to creating the most well rounded team or show your concentrated areas of expertise. It is recommended that firms responsible for the majority of the work submitted in section F be included. Section E: Do not provide any more than 6 key personnel. You will have to prioritize and provide those that best represent your ability to accomplish the requirements of this contract. CEOs and other executive personnel should not be submitted unless they will have direct responsibility for accomplishing the task orders under this contract. It is required that you include the Lead Architectural/Engineering Designer and the Primary Point of Contact that would be responsible for managing this contract and assigning task orders. It is recommended that the Key Personnel directly responsible for work submitted in section F should also be included. Section F: Form can be modified. Each example project should be no more than 3 single sided pages. Photographs, sketches and drawings are strongly encouraged. Only provide 10 total example projects. Projects should demonstrate ability to successfully accomplish a wide range of project types, sizes and budgets. Majority of projects should be constructed; all should be designed within the last 5 years. 3 out of the 10 have to be directly attributable to the Key Designer or Engineer. Section G: Only indicate that Key personnel participated in example projects when they will be performing the exact same role on this contract. Section H: 1. Management Plan (not to exceed 3 single-sided pages) to include the team's overall Management Philosophy and Intent including project assignment, communication, roles and responsibilities, etc. 2. Quality Control Plan (not to exceed 5 single-sided pages) - providing services within the negotiated fee in compliance with the Brooks Act (see attachment PBS Procurement Instructional Bulletin PIB 13-04), meeting design schedule, designing a project within budget, plan for managing and scheduling the Government’s unpredictable issuance of task orders in terms of number, size and urgency, plan for efficiently covering the entire NSCOD area including locations where work will be accomplished. Plans should be tailored directly to this procurement. 3. Past Performance Documentation (for each sample project submitted in section F): Provide copies of any performance evaluations or owner review of firms performance, provide an accessible owner point of contact including name, title, address and current phone number, provide copies (or listing) of awards, provide copies of letters of appreciation/commendations 4. Teams Design Philosophy and Design Intent (not to exceed 2 single-sided pages) All responsive offers will be considered. This is not a request for proposal. The government intends to award multiple contracts from this notice but reserves the right to vary that number based on number and quality of submissions. The prime contractor must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov). STEP II – Please note, these documents are not required at this time; they will be requested at a later date, if necessary. After the interviews are complete, firms on the short-list will be required to submit the following documents: Labor rates for all pertinent categories/job titles (base rates only, not loaded) for the firm and all subcontractors (to be submitted on a GSA Form 2630). Current report from payroll accounting system to include: explanation of pay period and a list to include employee name, corresponding labor category and salary or hourly rate for those employees that will be working on the Contract (base rates only, not loaded). Overhead rates (to be submitted on a GSA Form 2630). Financial reports that outline the direct and indirect expenses of the firm. The report should allow GSA to determine what expenses are classified as direct or indirect and used in the computation of the overhead rate. The report shall cover the firm’s last completed fiscal year and shall illustrate how you have computed your overhead rate.