Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF AUGUST 02, 2012 FBO #3904
SOLICITATION NOTICE

R -- Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) Support Services and On-Line Tools - synopsis/solicitation document

Notice Date

7/31/2012
 

Notice Type

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
 

NAICS

611430 — Professional and Management Development Training
 

Contracting Office

Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Virginia State Office, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 209, Richmond, Virginia, 23229-5014
 

ZIP Code

23229-5014
 

Solicitation Number

AG-33A7-S-12-0007
 

Archive Date

9/30/2012
 

Point of Contact

Denise Burruss, Phone: 804-287-1630, Twyla W Gendron, Phone: 804-287-1628
 

E-Mail Address

denise.burruss@va.usda.gov, twyla.gendron@va.usda.gov
(denise.burruss@va.usda.gov, twyla.gendron@va.usda.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (PDF version to print) This is a COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; PROPOSALS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. Solicitation number AG-33A7-S-12-0007 is being issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP). Responses are due by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, August 10, 2012, at USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (Attn: Denise Burruss), 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 209, Richmond, Virginia 23229. PROPOSALS MAY BE SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL to denise.burruss@va.usda.gov OR BY FAX TO (804) 287-1734. Contact Denise Burruss, Contracting Officer, via telephone at (804) 287-1630 or by e-mail at denise.burruss@va.usda.gov for information regarding the solicitation. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-60. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR) clauses and provisions referenced in this solicitation can be found respectively in full text format at http://www.arnet.gov/far and http://www.da.usda.gov/procurement/policy/agar_x/agar04.pdf. This requirement is unrestricted in regard to business size. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 611430. The small business size standard is $7.0 million. Registration in CCR and ORCA is required prior to award. Website: https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/ This RFP is for Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) support services and on-line tools and resources to meet the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW) below. Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose proposal is responsive to the terms of the RFP and is more advantageous to the government. The estimated commencement date of the Order is August 20, 2012. Description of Items/Services: Statement of Work - Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) 1. GENERAL 1.1 Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, and supplies, except as specified herein as Government furnished, to provide access to a network of CPI subject matter experts. The scope of this effort includes all NRCS CPI activities. The objectives are as follows: 1.1.1: The contractor shall provide a basket of CPI services to include access to subject matter experts, CPI electronic learning tools, Leadership assessments, and various survey tools. 1.2 Background: 1.2.1 NRCS Agency: The Natural Resources Conservation Service is within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provides financial and technical assistance to private landowners and managers in voluntary conservation of natural resources. NRCS operates under the direction of the USDA Under-Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. The NRCS mission is carried out across 4 Regions, which cover all 50 states, the Caribbean and Pacific Basin Areas, 3 National Technology Support Centers, and 9 National centers. NRCS is a line and staff organization from field office through state office to the Chief. Five deputy areas support agency operations and report directly to the Chief: Management, Strategic Planning and Accountability, Soil Survey and Resource and Assessment, Programs, and Science and Technology. In these times of decreasing federal budgets NRCS recognizes the need to deliver these services in the most effective and efficient manner possible. 2. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES 2.1 Personnel: The Government will provide the services of a COR for technical direction, interpretation and inspection to assure quality in the performance of this order. 3. CONTRACTOR-FURNISHED ITEMS - N/A 4. SPECIFIC TASKS 4.1 The contractor shall provide access to a wide network of Subject Matter Experts (SME's) in CPI skills and philosophy in an effort to meet NRCS strategic goals (see Paragraph 7 of this SOW for strategic goals). The NRCS SME access shall not exceed 100 hours of access for the Agency per year. Responses to NRCS requests shall be within 24 hours of the request. 4.2 The contractor shall provide access to an online training portal that has CPI training and case studies. The contractor shall provide up to 100 accounts for NRCS green or black belt candidates. Access shall be provided 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 4.3 The contractor shall provide access to survey creation tools and the ability to send them to NRCS employees. The contractor shall provide the ability to build unlimited amounts of surveys. 4.4 The contractor shall provide access to different leadership development assessments (DISC, Kolb, Emotional Intelligence, etc.). The contractor shall provide up to 50 assessments per year. Access is defined as on-line or via email or telephone. 5. Ordering period: The anticipated period of performance is one year from date of award with three option years. 6. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan The following Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) describes how NRCS will monitor and evaluate contractor performance under this Statement of Work (SOW). This QASP has been prepared to describe the quality assurance strategy for the services provided under this SOW. Key elements of the QASP include: • Surveillance tasks and acceptable quality levels; and • Documentation and reporting 6.1 Role and Responsibilities of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) The designated Contracting Officer's Representative will perform inspection and, when appropriate, acceptance of the deliverables under the SOW. The COR is authorized to represent the contracting officer in interpreting the technical requirements of the SOW. However, the COR is NOT authorized to make any commitments or changes that will affect price, quality, quantity, delivery, or any other term or condition of any schedule contract or order. A COR letter officially designating the COR will be distributed to the successful quoter. This COR letter will provide additional details in regard to the COR's responsibilities. 6.2 Acceptable Quality Levels and Surveillance Task Required Task Performance Outcome Acceptable Quality Level Method of Surveillance 4.1 Access Subject Matter Experts and benchmarking research NRCS obtains SME and benchmarking when needed SME available within 1 week of request ` Routine monitoring by appropriate Government personnel 4.2 & 4.3 Access to various on-line resources Access is available without interruption or delay Resources available 99% of the time 100% government review 4.4 Leadership assessments Assessments are provided as required Assessments available 99% of the time when needed 100% government review 7. Summary of NRCS Strategy NRCS Mission NRCS improves the health of our Nation's natural resources while sustaining and enhancing the productivity of American agriculture. We achieve this by providing voluntary assistance through strong partnerships with private landowners, managers, and communities to protect, restore, and enhance the lands and waters upon which people and the environment depend. NRCS Vision Productive working lands in harmony with a healthy environment. Management Initiative Increase Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Objective Improve quality and accountability to deliver better products and services Strategic Initiatives Maximize conservation assistance by streamlining the Agency's structure and processes Simplify and efficiently deliver conservation assistance to customers Deploy technology, training and equipment to provide more cost-effective service Incorporate continuous performance improvement into the Agency's operations Performance Measures Increase customer satisfaction Increase field office time spent working with customers to 75% Increase the number of technical personnel providing direct service to customers Eliminate 80 percent of the administrative and clerical time associated with program management Decrease time to develop and deploy Farm Bill conservation programs Decrease defects in delivery of conservation to the customer Decrease or eliminate financial management deficiencies Performance Periods: One year from date of award, plus 3 option years Place of performance is: Various NRCS offices in all 50 states, the Caribbean and Pacific Basin Areas, 3 National Technology Support Centers, and 9 National centers and National Headquarters. The provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. FAR provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items shall be completed and submitted with the proposal. The provision at FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and the following evaluation criteria shall be used to evaluate offers: Price and Past Performance. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: FACTOR 1 - Past Performance Past Performance will be evaluated as Acceptable or Not Acceptable. The offeror shall submit three past performance references to support its ability to meet the Government's objectives. Past performance should contain at least three (3) major customers; shall include a point of contact, telephone number and address for contract work performed in similar size, scope and complexity as required herein. This experience must be relevant to the efforts required by this solicitation and gained by the offeror during the last three (3) calendar years from the proposal due date. The offeror's similar experience will also be evaluated based on demonstrated commitment to customer satisfaction and timely delivery of quality services. In accordance with the table below, an offeror's past performance shall be rated Acceptable, Unacceptable or Unknown. For offerors without a record of relevant past performance, or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonable assigned, the offeror shall not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have Unknown past performance. In the context of acceptability/unacceptability, Unknown shall be considered Acceptable. Past Performance will be rated IAW table below. Rating Description Acceptable, Based on the offeror's performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort, or the offeror's performance record is unknown. Unacceptable, Based on the offeror's performance record, the Government has no reasonable expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort. FACTOR 2 - Price Instructions to Offeror: Offeror shall provide a total fixed price per year. Evaluation Criteria - To evaluate offers for award purposes, option year prices will be considered in the evaluation and will be added to the base year price to determine a total evaluated price. These prices will be evaluated to determine reasonableness of the price. A comparison of the proposed prices, government estimate, and/or market values will be used. Offerors are put on notice that any proposals that are unrealistic in terms of technical commitment or unrealistically low in price will be deemed reflective of an inherent lack of technical competence or indicative of failure to comprehend the complexity of contract requirements and may be grounds for rejection of the proposal. Base Year Price $________________ Option Year 1 Price $_______________ Option Year 2 Price $_______________ Option Year 3 Price $_______________ Quoters are allowed to submit up to a maximum of 1 page of supporting information on their price; however, this is not required. Quoters should not include more than 10 total pages of information - five (5) pages for past performance, one (1) page for support pricing information, and four (4) pages will be allowed for miscellaneous information. A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. The clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition, and the following FAR clauses cited in that clause are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6; 52.203-13; 52.204-10, 52.209-6, 52.222-3; 52.222-19; 52.222-21; 52.222-26; 52.222-35; 52.222-36; 52.222-37; 52.222-40; 52-222-54; 52.223-18, 52.225-13; and 52.232-33.. Additional contract requirements(s) or terms and conditions: FAR 52.217-8 -- Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 14 days before the contract expires. [insert the period of time within which the Contracting Officer may exercise the option]. FAR 52.217-9 -- Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 14 days before the contract expires [insert the period of time within which the Contracting Officer may exercise the option]; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 15 days [60 days unless a different number of days is inserted] before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension. (b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause. (c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 4 years. (months)(years). The following FAR provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items apply to this solicitation and shall be completed and submitted with the proposal: OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS (APR 2012) An offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically via https://www.acquisition.gov. If an offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically at the ORCA website, the offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (o) of this provision. (a) Definitions. As used in this provision- "Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern" means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States and who are economically disadvantaged in accordance with 13 CFR part 127. It automatically qualifies as a women-owned small business eligible under the WOSB Program. "Forced or indentured child labor" means all work or service- (1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily; or (2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties. "Inverted domestic corporation", as used in this section, means a foreign incorporated entity which is treated as an inverted domestic corporation under 6 U.S.C. 395(b), i.e., a corporation that used to be incorporated in the United States, or used to be a partnership in the United States, but now is incorporated in a foreign country, or is a subsidiary whose parent corporation is incorporated in a foreign country, that meets the criteria specified in 6 U.S.C. 395(b), applied in accordance with the rules and definitions of 6 U.S.C. 395(c). An inverted domestic corporation as herein defined does not meet the definition of an inverted domestic corporation as defined by the Internal Revenue Code at 26 U.S.C. 7874. "Manufactured end product" means any end product in Federal Supply Classes (FSC) 1000-9999, except- (1) FSC 5510, Lumber and Related Basic Wood Materials; (2) Federal Supply Group (FSG) 87, Agricultural Supplies; (3) FSG 88, Live Animals; (4) FSG 89, Food and Related Consumables; (5) FSC 9410, Crude Grades of Plant Materials; (6) FSC 9430, Miscellaneous Crude Animal Products, Inedible; (7) FSC 9440, Miscellaneous Crude Agricultural and Forestry Products; (8) FSC 9610, Ores; (9) FSC 9620, Minerals, Natural and Synthetic; and (10) FSC 9630, Additive Metal Materials. "Place of manufacture" means the place where an end product is assembled out of components, or otherwise made or processed from raw materials into the finished product that is to be provided to the Government. If a product is disassembled and reassembled, the place of reassembly is not the place of manufacture. "Restricted business operations" means business operations in Sudan that include power production activities, mineral extraction activities, oil-related activities, or the production of military equipment, as those terms are defined in the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-174). Restricted business operations do not include business operations that the person (as that term is defined in Section 2 of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007) conducting the business can demonstrate- (1) Are conducted under contract directly and exclusively with the regional government of southern Sudan; (2) Are conducted pursuant to specific authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the Department of the Treasury, or are expressly exempted under Federal law from the requirement to be conducted under such authorization; (3) Consist of providing goods or services to marginalized populations of Sudan; (4) Consist of providing goods or services to an internationally recognized peacekeeping force or humanitarian organization; (5) Consist of providing goods or services that are used only to promote health or education; or (6) Have been voluntarily suspended. "Sensitive technology"- (1) Means hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, or any other technology that is to be used specifically- (i) To restrict the free flow of unbiased information in Iran; or (ii) To disrupt, monitor, or otherwise restrict speech of the people of Iran; and (2) Does not include information or informational materials the export of which the President does not have the authority to regulate or prohibit pursuant to section 203(b)(3) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(3)). "Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern"- (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; and (ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran. (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). "Small business concern" means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria in 13 CFR Part 121 and size standards in this solicitation. "Subsidiary" means an entity in which more than 50 percent of the entity is owned- (1) Directly by a parent corporation; or (2) Through another subsidiary of a parent corporation. "Veteran-owned small business concern" means a small business concern- (1) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more veterans (as defined at 38 U.S.C. 101(2)) 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 veterans; and (2) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more veterans. "Women-owned business concern" means a concern which is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of its stock is owned by one or more women; and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women. "Women-owned small business concern" means a small business concern- (1) That is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more women; and (2) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women. "Women-owned small business (WOSB) concern eligible under the WOSB Program" (in accordance with 13 CFR part 127), means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States. (b) (1) Annual Representations and Certifications. Any changes provided by the offeror in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision do not automatically change the representations and certifications posted on the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) website. (2) The offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically via the ORCA website accessed through https://www.acquisition.gov. After reviewing the ORCA database information, the offeror verifies by submission of this offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, have been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the NAICS code referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of this offer and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201), except for paragraphs ______________. [Offeror to identify the applicable paragraphs at (c) through (o) of this provision that the offeror has completed for the purposes of this solicitation only, if any. These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer. Any changes provided by the offeror are applicable to this solicitation only, and do not result in an update to the representations and certifications posted electronically on ORCA.] (c) Offerors must complete the following representations when the resulting contract will be performed in the United States or its outlying areas. Check all that apply. (1) Small business concern. The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o is, o is not a small business concern. (2) Veteran-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o is, o is not a veteran-owned small business concern. (3) Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a veteran-owned small business concern in paragraph (c)(2) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it o is, o is not a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern. (4) Small disadvantaged business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents, for general statistical purposes, that it o is, o is not a small disadvantaged business concern as defined in 13 CFR 124.1002. (5) Women-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it o is, o is not a women-owned small business concern. (6) WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a women-owned small business concern in paragraph (c)(5) of this provision.] The offeror represents that- (i) It o is,o is not a WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program, has provided all the required documents to the WOSB Repository, and no change in circumstances or adverse decisions have been issued that affects its eligibility; and (ii) It o is, o is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR part 127, and the representation in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this provision is accurate for each WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program participating in the joint venture. [The offeror shall enter the name or names of the WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program and other small businesses that are participating in the joint venture: __________.] Each WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program participating in the joint venture shall submit a separate signed copy of the WOSB representation. (7) Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a WOSB concern eligible under the WOSB Program in (c)(6) of this provision.] The offeror represents that- (i) It o is, o is not an EDWOSB concern, has provided all the required documents to the WOSB Repository, and no change in circumstances or adverse decisions have been issued that affects its eligibility; and (ii) It o is, o is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR part 127, and the representation in paragraph (c)(7)(i) of this provision is accurate for each EDWOSB concern participating in the joint venture. [The offeror shall enter the name or names of the EDWOSB concern and other small businesses that are participating in the joint venture: __________.] Each EDWOSB concern participating in the joint venture shall submit a separate signed copy of the EDWOSB representation. Note: Complete paragraphs (c)(8) and (c)(9) only if this solicitation is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. (8) Women-owned business concern (other than small business concern). [Complete only if the offeror is a women-owned business concern and did not represent itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it o is a women-owned business concern. (9) Tie bid priority for labor surplus area concerns. If this is an invitation for bid, small business offerors may identify the labor surplus areas in which costs to be incurred on account of manufacturing or production (by offeror or first-tier subcontractors) amount to more than 50 percent of the contract price:____________________________________ (10) [Complete only if the solicitation contains the clause at FAR 52.219-23, Notice of Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns, or FAR 52.219-25, Small Disadvantaged Business Participation Program-Disadvantaged Status and Reporting, and the offeror desires a benefit based on its disadvantaged status.] (i) General. The offeror represents that either- (A) It o is, o is not certified by the Small Business Administration as a small disadvantaged business concern and identified, on the date of this representation, as a certified small disadvantaged business concern in the CCR Dynamic Small Business Search database maintained by the Small Business Administration, and that no material change in disadvantaged ownership and control has occurred since its certification, and, where the concern is owned by one or more individuals claiming disadvantaged status, the net worth of each individual upon whom the certification is based does not exceed $750,000 after taking into account the applicable exclusions set forth at 13 CFR 124.104(c)(2); or (B) It o has, o has not submitted a completed application to the Small Business Administration or a Private Certifier to be certified as a small disadvantaged business concern in accordance with 13 CFR 124, Subpart B, and a decision on that application is pending, and that no material change in disadvantaged ownership and control has occurred since its application was submitted. (ii) o Joint Ventures under the Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns. The offeror represents, as part of its offer, that it is a joint venture that complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 124.1002(f) and that the representation in paragraph (c)(10)(i) of this provision is accurate for the small disadvantaged business concern that is participating in the joint venture. [The offeror shall enter the name of the small disadvantaged business concern that is participating in the joint venture: ________________.] (11) HUBZone small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents, as part of its offer, that- (i)It o is, o is not a HUBZone small business concern listed, on the date of this representation, on the List of Qualified HUBZone Small Business Concerns maintained by the Small Business Administration, and no material changes in ownership and control, principal office, or HUBZone employee percentage have occurred since it was certified in accordance with 13 CFR Part 126; and (ii) It o is, o is not a HUBZone joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR Part 126, and the representation in paragraph (c)(11)(i) of this provision is accurate for each HUBZone small business concern participating in the HUBZone joint venture. [The offeror shall enter the names of each of the HUBZone small business concerns participating in the HUBZone joint venture: __________.] Each HUBZone small business concern participating in the HUBZone joint venture shall submit a separate signed copy of the HUBZone representation. (d) Representations required to implement provisions of Executive Order 11246- (1) Previous contracts and compliance. The offeror represents that- (i) It o has, o has not participated in a previous contract or subcontract subject to the Equal Opportunity clause of this solicitation; and (ii) It o has, o has not filed all required compliance reports. (2) Affirmative Action Compliance. The offeror represents that- (i) It o has developed and has on file, o has not developed and does not have on file, at each establishment, affirmative action programs required by rules and regulations of the Secretary of Labor (41 cfr parts 60-1 and 60-2), or (ii) It o has not previously had contracts subject to the written affirmative action programs requirement of the rules and regulations of the Secretary of Labor. (e) Certification Regarding Payments to Influence Federal Transactions (31 U.S.C. 1352). (Applies only if the contract is expected to exceed $150,000.) By submission of its offer, the offeror certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that no Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress or an employee of a Member of Congress on his or her behalf in connection with the award of any resultant contract. If any registrants under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 have made a lobbying contact on behalf of the offeror with respect to this contract, the offeror shall complete and submit, with its offer, OMB Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, to provide the name of the registrants. The offeror need not report regularly employed officers or employees of the offeror to whom payments of reasonable compensation were made. AGAR 452.209-70 REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATIONS REGUARDING AN UNPAID DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A FELONY CONVICTION (DEVIATION 2012-01) (FEB 2012) (a) Awards made under this solicitation are subject to the provisions contained in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. No. 112-55), Division A, Sections 738 and 739 regarding corporate felony convictions and corporate federal tax delinquencies. To comply with these provisions, all offerors must complete paragraph (1) of this representation, and all corporate offers also must complete paragraphs (2) and (3) of this representation. (b) The Offeror represents that - (1) The Offeror is [ ], is not [ ] (check one) an entity that has filed articles of incorporation in one of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or the various territories of the United States including American Samoa, Federal States of Micronesia, Guam, Midway Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, U.S. Virginia Islands. (Note that this includes both for-profit and non-profit organizations.) If the Offeror checked "is" above, the Offeror must complete paragraphs (2) and (3) of the representation. If Offeror checked "is not" above, Offeror may leave the remainder of the representation blank. (2) (i) The Offeror has [ ], has not [ ] (check one) been convicted of a felony criminal violation under the Federal or State law within 24 months preceding the dated of offer. (ii) The Offeror has [ ], has not [ ] (check one) had any officer or agent of Offeror convicted of a felony criminal violation for actions taken on behalf of Offeror under Federal State law in the 24 months preceding the date of offer. (3) The Offeror does [ ], [ ], does not (check one) have any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been accessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability. AGAR 452.209-71 ASSURANCE REGUARDING FELONY CONVICTION OR TAX DELINQUENT STATUS FOR CORPORATE APPLICANTS (FEB 2012) (a) This award is subject to the provisions contained in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012. P.L. No. 112-55, Division A, Sections 738 and 739 regarding the corporate felony convictions and corporate federal tax delinquencies. Accordingly, by accepting this award the contractor acknowledges that it - (1) does not have a tax delinquency, meaning that it is not subject to any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, and (2) has not been convicted (or had any officer or agent acting on its behalf convicted) of a felony criminal violation under Federal or State law within 24 months preceding, the award, unless suspending and debarring the official of the United States Department of Agriculture has considered suspension or debarment of the awardee, or such officer or agent, based on these convictions and/or tax delinquencies and determined that suspension or debarment is not necessary to protect the interest of the Government. (b) If the awardee fails to comply with these provisions NRCS may terminate this contract for default and may recover any funds the awardee has received in violation of sections 738 or 739. The following Agriculture Acquisition Regulations (AGAR) apply to this solicitation: 452.224-70 CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION (FEB 1988) (a) Confidential information, as used in this clause, means - (1) information or data of a personal nature, proprietary about an individual, or (2) information or data submitted by or pertaining to an organization. (b) In addition to the types of confidential information described in (a)(1) and (2) above, information which might require special consideration with regard to the timing of its disclosure may derive from studies or research, during which public disclosure of primarily invalidated findings could create an erroneous conclusion which might threaten public health or safety if acted upon. (c) The Contracting Officer and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify elsewhere in this contract specific information and/or categories of information which the Government will furnish to the Contractor or that the Contractor is expected to generate which is confidential. Similarly, the contracting Officer and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify such confidential information from time to time during the performance of the contract. Failure to agree will be settled pursuant to the "Disputes" clause. (d) If it is established that information to be utilized under this contract is subject to the Privacy Act, the Contractor will follow the rules and procedures of disclosure set forth in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and implementing regulations and policies, with respect to systems of records determined to be subject to the Privacy Act. (e) Confidential information, as defined in (a)(1) and (2) above, shall not be disclosed without the prior written consent of the individual, institution or organization. (f) Written advance notice of at least 45 days will be provided to the Contracting Officer of the Contractor's intent to release findings of studies or research, which have the possibility of adverse effects on the public or the Federal agency, as described in (b) above. If the Contracting Officer does not pose any objections in writing within the 45 day period, the contractor may proceed with disclosure. Disagreements not resolved by the Contractor and Contracting Officer will be settled pursuant to the "Disputes" clause. (g) Whenever the Contractor is uncertain with regard to the proper handling of material under the contract, or if the material in question is subject to the Privacy Act or is confidential information subject to the provisions of this clause, the Contractor shall obtain a written determination from the Contracting Officer prior to any release, disclosure, dissemination, or publication. (h) The provisions of paragraph (e) of this clause shall not apply when the information is subject to conflicting or overlapping provisions in other Federal, State or local laws. 452.237-75 RESTRICTIONS AGAINST DISCLOSURE (FEB 1988) (a) The Contractor agrees, in the performance of this contract, to keep all information contained in source documents or other media furnished by the Government in the strictest confidence. The Contractor also agrees not to publish or otherwise divulge such information in whole or in part in any manner or form, or to authorize or permit others to do so, taking such reasonable measures as are necessary to restrict access to such information while in the Contractor's possession, to those employees needing such information to perform the work provided herein, i.e., on a "need to know" basis. The Contractor agrees to immediately notify in writing, the Contracting Officer, named herein, in the event that the Contractor determines or has reason to suspect a breach of this requirement. (b) The Contractor agrees not to disclose any information concerning the work under this contract to any persons or individual unless prior written approval is obtained from the Contracting Officer. The Contractor agrees to insert the substance of this clause in any consultant agreement or subcontract hereunder. Proposals/quotes are due by 4:00 p.m. EST on August 10, 2012. Facsimile and email quotes are acceptable and preferred. FAX number (804) 287-1734 Email address denise.burruss@va.usda.gov Proposals/Quotes may be submitted by mail to: Denise Burruss USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 209 Richmond, VA 23229 Phone: (804) 287-1630 Furnish proposals/quotes to this POC on or before the closing time listed in this RFP.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USDA/NRCS/VASO/AG-33A7-S-12-0007/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: various, United States
 

Record

SN02821825-W 20120802/120801000420-6700bf5faf059c8ce8d2a522632927cf (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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