X -- FACILITIES FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN REGIONS UNIVERSITY TRAINING SESSION

Notice Date

July 26, 2001

Contracting Office

USDA Forest Service, Room 710 N, Procurement & Property, 1720 Peachtree Rd, NW, Atlanta GA 30367-9102

ZIP Code

30367-9102

Solicitation Number

R8-01-15

Response Due

August 31, 2001

Point of Contact

Sherri Jenkins 404-347-2715, Mary Morris 404-347-2597

Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with addition information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation R8-01-015 is issued by the USDA Forest Service as a Request for Proposals. The solicitation documant and incorporated clauses and provisions are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-27. There is no set-aside for this solicitation. SIC 7011. The purpose of the solicitation is to obtain the facilities for the Eastern & Southern Region's University, Forest Service, USDA. Regions 8 & 9 will be holding a large training session during a consecutive two week period. The preferred dates are a consecutive two week period from the first week in February until the third week in March of 2003. The contract will also include provisions permitting the Government to exercise an annual option to extend the contract to cover Calendar Year (CY) 2004, CY 2005, and CY 2006. There will be approximately 600-1000 participants in this event. Region 8 & 9 employees will comprise the majority of the students. Additional students will be from other Forest Service units, other Government Agencies and the private sector. On each weekday of this two week period, there will be 25-30 training sessions taking place simultaneously. The purpose of this contract is to obtain the facilities for the Eastern and Southern Regions University. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, sleeping rooms, classrooms, parlors (i.e. rooms that the Forest Service can use as offices for managing the training) and related services. The contract may also include food service, audio-visual equipment and service, duplicating service and local transportation including transportation to and from an airport. In addition to providing these facilities and services, it shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to manage these facilities and services and to be responsive to Forest Service needs in accordance with the best hotel industry practices. The primary emphasis for selection of a vendor will be on the quantity and quality of available training rooms, quality and proximity of sleeping rooms, and area amenities, in that order. The Contractor shall perform in accordance with both this Statement of Work and the Contractor's proposal to the Government. The Contractor's proposal shall include: (1) the specific ways that the Contractor will meet the Government's requirements; (2) facilities or services that the contractor will provide that are desired but not required by the government; (3) and facilities or services that the Contractor will provide that exceed what is required and desired by the Government. The Contractor's proposal shall become a binding part of the contract. Prime Contractor Responsibilities -- The Contractor shall be responsible for furnishing all required sleeping rooms, classrooms and any other rooms identified herein that will be needed by the Forest Service as offices for managing the University. If facilities owned by the Contractor are not sufficient to meet the requirements identified herein, it shall be the Contractor's responsibility to make arrangements for additional facilities on a subcontract basis. The Forest Service shall have a single, prime Contractor for all required facilities. The prime Contractor shall be responsible for all dealings with subcontractors. Location -- The facility (ies) for the Eastern and Southern Regions University must be within our Regional boundaries, which includes all states east of the Mississippi River and the States of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. Cities must be serviced by major airports. Facilities should be included in the national list of places of public accommodation that meet the fire prevention and control guidelines under the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act. If more than one separate facility is to be used all facilities must be in close proximity and be conducive to the learning and training experience. Reservations -- The Contractor shall accept, coordinate and confirm reservations for all sleeping rooms including those at any subcontracted facilities. Reservations shall be accepted from individual participants. The Contractor shall provide a method of control or identification to insure that only authorized persons make reservations under this contract. Participants shall remain in the same facility throughout their stay when possible. A method of assuring rooms for late arrivals shall be provided. (Late arrivals are those that the Contractor is "expecting" to arrive after some established time (e.g. 6:00 pm) when the Contractor normally would require a guarantee from the person or organization reserving the room.)In addition, the Contractor shall put forth its best efforts to find sleeping rooms for University participants who arrive without reservations, including unexpectedly late or a day or more early. These rooms shall be comparable in quality to the rooms provided to other participants, as close as possible to the other facilities for the University, and at a cost no greater than the contract rate for sleeping rooms. Contract Administration -- The Contracting Officer shall designate a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to assist in the administration of this contract. This is the primary person with whom the Contractor shall deal on a day-to-day basis. A small number of additional individuals may be designated to deal with specific areas, e.g., audio-visual equipment, meeting room set-up, transportation, etc. The Contractor shall designate a single, primary contact person with whom the Forest Service can work in the administration of this contract. This shall be the person that the Forest Service can deal with concerning such things as questions, problems, changes, need for services and assistance, coordination with any subcontractors, etc. The Contractor may designate a small number of additional individuals to work directly with the Forest Service in specific areas of responsibility. However, the primary contact person shall have overall responsibility for all aspects of contract performance. Rooms-Sleeping Rooms -The Contractor shall furnish lodging for an estimated 400-500 individuals per week (estimated: 90% single occupancy, 10% double occupancy) during the two-week period. The Forest Service prefers that the lodging accommodations be in one facility. If more than one facility is proposed, they shall be located within a quarter mile of each other. If the required distance can't be met the contractor should provide shuttle service between the two. Please address in your proposal, and include a map showing location of facilities. Guest rooms should have inside access only, no direct street access; doors with peepholes for corridor view; chain and deadbolt lock; keyless entry system preferred; individual controlled air conditioning/heating, desk or table and chair; color TV; telephone, sufficient space to accommodate clothing for a two week stay; lighting to maintain bright room appearance at all times. Training Rooms -The Contractor shall provide an estimated 25-30 training rooms conducive to a learning environment. It is required that 6-7 of these meeting rooms accommodate up to 80 students, 15 rooms for up to 50 students and 10 rooms for up to 25 students, as well as all rooms accommodating a variety of audio-visual equipment. A variety of room set-ups may be used depending on the training to be conducted (i.e. classroom, theatre, U-shape, etc.). It is estimated that each room allow a minimum 18-20 square feet per person. The Contractor shall provide an appropriate sound system (microphones), podiums, tables, chairs and related classroom furniture, including setup, in all training rooms. Each training room must have light dimmer switches to accommodate use of audio-visual equipment. Not later than two weeks before the University begins, the Forest Service shall provide the Contractor with information about how each room should be set up on each day of training. The Forest Service shall have the right to make a reasonable number of changes -- at no additional charge -- up to and including the same day on which the room is to be set up. Executive/Parlor Rooms and Command Center -- Two executive/parlor meeting rooms (minimum 300 square feet) will be required. These parlor rooms shall be available for the two-week duration. The Forest Service will use these as offices to manage the University training. Command Center -- One area, approximately 3,000 square feet, to be used as an administrative site and available for a two-week continuous block, including the weekend. Storage Area -- A storage area will be provided 4 days prior to start of ESRU (minimum of 800 sq. ft.) and the duration of the two-week period. This storage area will be used to house supplies, equipment and other miscellaneous items. It shall have 24-hour access and be restricted for use by designated Forest Service personnel. Parking -- Parking shall be available for approximately 150-200 private vehicles. In your proposal, please address safety, cost, proximity to hotel, and in/out privileges for all University participants, including participants who commute to the University training rather than utilize contracted sleeping facilities. Accessibility -- The contractor shall provide barrier free, accessible guestrooms and facilities in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). Please address accessibility in your proposal including the accessibility of the entrances, guestrooms, restaurants seating, meeting rooms, restrooms, and public elevators connecting all levels. Communications-During the course of training, the Forest Service requires the following communication capability. Training Rooms -- In order to use computers during training, approximately 25% of the training rooms will require a telephone line. The Forest Service shall install additional telephone lines. Approximately 2 weeks before the University begins, the Forest Service will attempt to specify which rooms will require additional telephone lines and when they are needed. Forest Service will order any additional phone lines needed through FTS. Training rooms used for computer-based training (CBT) must be on a continuous block, including weekends. Forest Service will be installing personal computers and additional hardware and will be allowed to accomplish this without additional charge. Sleeping Rooms -- The guests will bring portable computers with modems to call back to their home offices. Sleeping rooms must be identified as being able to use a modem from the room. This requires that there is a modular jack (RJ-11, RJ-45) to connect the modem to the telephone line, and that the PBX is compatible with modem (DTMF) dialing. This shall be provided by the Contractor. Command Center -- We require two phone lines that do not go through a switchboard. If the Contractor requires that calls go through the switchboard the Forest Service must be able to hire the local telephone company to install 2 commercial lines directly to the room. Building Engineer -- One of the Contractors building engineers must be available to work out problems with telephone and data wiring during the two weeks of training. Audio-visual Equipment -- It is desired, but not required, that the Contractor provide a complete array of audio-visual equipment on an as-needed basis. This service shall also include setting up all equipment, taking it down, troubleshooting problems, showing University participants how to operate it, storing it, assuming responsibility for loss or damage and related services. No later than 2 weeks before the University begins, the Forest Service shall provide the Contractor a list of its actual A-V needs. This shall include the day on which and room where each piece of equipment is required. The Forest Service shall have the right to make a reasonable number of changes to its requirements on a daily basis up to and including the same day that the equipment is scheduled to be used at no additional expense. The Forest Service shall only pay for the equipment actually used. Eating Facilities -- There shall be sufficient restaurants or other eating facilities to accommodate all participants available within a "safe and reasonable walking distance" of the facility. This is generally considered to be no more than a mile depending on whether there are highways or other obstacles that are difficult to cross, and whether crime is a problem in the specific area. In addition to the above, it must be possible for all participants (up to 700 or more) to obtain lunch within no more than 1 hour either at the training facility (ies) or within a very short distance of the facility (ies). To fulfill this requirement, the Contractor may provide lunch on a pay as-you-go basis to participants who choose to utilize this service. Transportation -- The Contractor shall provide and/or ensure that suitable transportation (shuttle) service between the nearest major airport and the lodging facilities are available for the University participants. The shuttle service shall be available at both the airport and lodging facilities at least once an hour between 6am and 11pm for the duration of the training period. The shuttle shall be vans, buses, airport limousines, or equivalent. Independent taxi service alone is not suitable unless the Contractor agrees to subsidize the fares. The shuttle service must be accessible to persons with disabilities and wheelchairs. The Contractor's proposal should describe what public transportation is available and/or what shuttle service would be provided. Payment -- Payment shall be made after acceptance by the Government and conclusion of the University and after receipt of the Contractor's invoice itemized in accordance with the Contractor's prices. Individuals will be responsible for payment of their sleeping rooms. The Contractor may allow meals, phone calls or other items to be charged to individual sleeping rooms but must collect all charges from the occupant at time of check-out. The Government or individual shall only pay for the actual number of rooms used per night. Payment shall be at the contract rate and include all taxes payable by the Government. Audio-visual equipment, provided under this proposal, shall be paid for at the contract rate for each day that each piece of equipment was actually used. The Forest Service may supply the audio-visual equipment, or the Forest Service may contract with another equipment supplier for audio-visual needs. If the responder to this proposal does not allow, or restricts, the use of audio-visual equipment from an outside source, it must be stated clearly in the proposal. Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3 Offerors-Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. FAR 52.212-2 carries the following addendum: The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers using a process called Choosing by advantages: technical, past performance and price. Technical and past performance, when combined, are more important than price. Technical factors include the demonstrated capability to meet or exceed the minimum required for both meeting and lodging rooms. Award will be made on a best value basis. FAR 52.212-4 contract Terms and Conditions applies. FAR 52.212-5 contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes of Executive Order-commercial Items applies and includes FAR clauses 52.222-25,52.222-26,52.222-36 and 52.222-37. A copy of the provisions referenced may be obtained upon request by contacting Sherri Jenkins at 404-347-2715 or by fax 404-347-4866. Questions concerning this solicitation should be directed to Sherri Jenkins, at number above. Proposals should be mailed to US Forest Service, Attn: Sherri Jenkins, 1720 Peachtree Road NW, Suite 876 South, Atlanta, GA 30309 Proposals are due by 2:00 P.M. August 31, 2001, local time at place of opening.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010730/XSOL002.HTM (W-207 SN50T0S4)