Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF OCTOBER 04, 2003 FBO #0676
SOLICITATION NOTICE

R -- USDA/REE CHILDCARE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SUPPORT

Notice Date

10/2/2003
 

Notice Type

Solicitation Notice
 

Contracting Office

Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Procurement and Property Division, Procurement and Property Branch (DC), 1280 Maryland Avenue, SW Suite 580C, Washington, DC, 20024-2142
 

ZIP Code

20024-2142
 

Solicitation Number

10-3K06-04
 

Response Due

10/9/2003
 

Archive Date

10/9/2003
 

Point of Contact

Cheryl Coxen, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-720-7479, Fax 202-720-3987, - Linda Fischer, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-720-7684, Fax 202-720-3987,
 

E-Mail Address

ccoxen@ars.usda.gov, lfischer@ars.usda.gov
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Total Small Business
 

Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation #10-3K06-04 is issued as a Request for Quotations (RFQ). This acquisition is being issued as 100% Small Business Set-Aside. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541611. The contractor shall provide support services to the USDA, Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission agencies for the administration of their Child Care Tuition Assistance Program (CCTAP). The duration of the contract/order shall be eleven (11) months from the date of award and the contract/order shall include four (4) 1-year options to be exercise at the sole discretion of the REE mission agencies pursuant to Clause 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract-Mar: 2000. This solicitation and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Circular 01-15. Terms and conditions applicable to this solicitation are FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items-Jul 2002; 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items-Jan 1999; 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items-Jul 2002. Offerors must include a completed copy of this provision with their offer [this form is available on the internet at http://www.arnet.gov/far]; 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items-Feb 2002; 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items-May 2002. Specifically, the following clauses cited are applicable to this solicitation: FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns-Oct 2000; 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 provided, that the Government shall give the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend a least 30 days 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 provision. c) The total duration of this contact, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 59 months; FAR 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities-Feb 1999; FAR 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity-Apr 2002; FAR 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans-Dec 2001; FAR 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities-June 1998; FAR 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans-Dec 2001; FAR 225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases-July 2000; FAR 232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration-May 1999. All quotes are to be sent to the attention of Ms. Cheryl Coxen, USDA, ARS, AFM, PPD, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 0310, Washington, DC 20250-0310. All quotes must be received no later than 3:00 pm on October 9, 2003. Quotes may be e-mailed to ccoxen@ars.usda.gov. Enclosed is Request for Quote (RFQ) no.10-3K06-04 for USDA/REE Child Care Tuition Assistance Program. You are requested to submit a quote in accordance with the following instructions and attachments: This cover letter with Instructions to Quoters. Attachment I - Price schedule, Clauses, Specific terms and conditions Attachment II B Statement of Work (SOW) I. Basic Instructions: Quotes must be prepared in two parts: technical and price. Each of the parts shall be separate and complete in itself so that evaluation of one may be accomplished independently from evaluation of the other. A. Technical Proposal Instructions Quotes must clearly convey an understanding of the requirements as set forth in the Statement of Work. Quoters must submit an original and two copies of a technical proposal. Proposals shall include the following: Section I- a detailed description that demonstrates the approach they will use to provide all the services stated in this statement of work. Section II- information demonstrating they have corporate experience in administering similar programs, in addition to references to contact to determine their past performance in administering the same or similar programs. Evaluation may include telephonic reference verification of the past performance information. B. Price Quote Instructions Quoters must submit an Original and two (2) copies. This section shall consist of the quoters total, firm, fixed price for providing these services. The total price should be broken down to show the individual pricing elements that go into the total fixed price proposed. II.Evaluation Methodology Offeror=s technical proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria. They are stated in descending order of importance: a. Offeror=s proposed approach to administering this program. It should describe how the objectives in the SOW will be achieved from a technical perspective. b. Offeror=s past performance in performing similar or related programs. III. Award Determination Technical merit plays a significant role in determining award. The Contracting Officer shall determine what trade-off between technical merit and price promises to be the best value to the Government. Award will be made to the proposal which offers the greatest value and is most advantageous to the Government.Attachment IPrice Schedule, Terms and Conditions I. PRICE SCHEDULE The Schedule - Supplies or Service and Prices Item no. Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Price 0001 - Base Contract 11/1/2003 B 09/30/2004 Administration 11 Mos. $________ $_________ of Childcare Subsidy Services 0002 B Option I 10/1/2004 B 09/30/2005 Administration of Childcare Subsidy Services 12 Mos. $________ $__________ 0003 B Option II 10/1/2005 B 09/30/2006 Administration of Childcare Subsidy Services 12 Mos. $________ $__________ 0004B Option III 10/1/2006 B 09/30/2007 Administration of Childcare Subsidy Services 12 Mos. $________ $__________ 0005 Option IV 10/1/2007B 09/30/2008 Administration of Childcare 12 Mos. $________ $___________ Services Total Fixed Price (inclusive of options): $___________ II. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The Period of Performance is: Base period: 11/1/2003 to 9/30/2004 If exercised: Option I: 10/1/2004 to 9/30/2005 Option II: 10/1/2005 to 9/30/2006 Option III: 10/1/2006 to 9/30/2007 Option IV: 10/1/2007 to 9/30/2008 III. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes. This authority remains solely with the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor effects any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the changes will be considered to have been made without authority and NO adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any INCREASE incurred as a result thereof. A. The Contractor point of contact is: (To be inserted at time of award) B. The Government points of contact are as follows: Contracting Officer: Cheryl A. Coxen Phone: (202) 720-7479 Fax: (202) 720-3987 C. Contracting Officer=s Representative (COR): Name: To be inserted at time of award Phone: Fax:  IV. MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall submit reports as follows: 1. The Contractor shall submit a monthly progress report by the 15th day of each month, covering work accomplished during that period. The progress report shall be brief and factual and shall include the following information: a. COVER PAGE; containing - Contract number and title - Type of report, sequence number of report, and period of performance being reported - Contractor=s name and address - Author(s); and - Date of report b. A description of overall progress plus a separate description of each task or other logical segment of work on which effort was expended during the report period. The description shall include pertinent data and/or graphs in sufficient detail to explain any significant results achieved. c. A description of current technical or substantive performance, and any problem(s) which may impede performance along with proposed corrective action. 2. One copy will be delivered to the COR and one copy to the Contract Administrator. V. INVOICE PREPARATION 1. Monthly, the contractor shall submit an Original invoice with 3 (three) copies to the following government office: (To be inserted at time of award) 2. The invoice shall include a breakdown of the labor categories and fully burdened hourly rates by task. Note: A courtesy copy of each invoice shall be mailed to the Contracting Officer=s Representative (COR)in Item V(c). VI. PAYMENTS BY ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER FAR Clause 52.232-33 is incorporated by reference and requires the submission of information by the contractor to the payment office. Upon award, the contractor(s) shall contact the Miscellaneous Payments Section at the National Finance Center (NFC) to initiate the enrollment process of the Vendor Express Program (VXP), which will result in a number being assigned to the Contractor for payment under EFT. NFC can be reached at 1-800-421-0323. VII. AGAR 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 of data submitted by or pertaining to an institution or 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 Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify such confidential information from time to time during the performance of the contract. d. It is established that information to be utilized under this contract is subject to the Privacy Act, the Contractor will follow 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 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. 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.  VIII. AGAR 452.237.74 KEY PERSONNEL (FEB 1988) a. The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel: (Name(s) to be inserted here) b. During the first ninety (90) days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by paragraph (c) below. After the initial 90-day period, the Contractor shall submit the information required by paragraph (c) to the Contracting Officer at least 15 days prior to making any permanent substitutions. c. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer. Proposed substitutes should have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel. IX. AGAR 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 part, in any manner or form, nor 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 Aneed 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 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. X. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST a. The Contractor warrants that, to the best of the Contractor=s knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which could give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5, or that the Contractor has disclosed all such relevant information. b. The Contractor agrees that if an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest is discovered after award, the Contractor will make a full disclosure in writing to the Contracting Officer. This disclosure shall include a description of actions which the Contractor has taken or proposes to take, after consultation with the Contracting Officer, to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the actual or potential conflict. c. The Government may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or part, if it deems such termination necessary to avoid an organizational conflict of interest. If the Contractor was aware of a potential conflict after award and did not disclose or misrepresented relevant information to the Contracting Officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default, debar the Contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract. d. The Contractor further agrees to insert provisions which shall conform substantially to the language of this clause, including this paragraph (d), in any subcontract or consultant agreement hereunder.ATTACHMENT II Statement of Work U.S. Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics Child Care Tuition Assistance Plan Administration Background The Agency is soliciting proposals from qualified organizations to administer the Agency=s child care tuition assistance program. Enacted November 12, 2001, Section 630 of Public Law 107-67 authorizes the use of appropriated funds by executive agencies to provide child care services for Federal civilian employees. This legislation permits Federal agencies to assist their lower income Federal employees with the costs of child care. Tuition assistance can reduce the amount of tuition parents pay for child care by providing subsidies directly to the child care provider. To be eligible to participate, a child care provider must be a home based family child care center or a center based child care center licensed and/or regulated by the State and/or local authorities where the service is provided. Objective The Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Agencies requires contractor support to effectively manage the REE Child Care Tuition Assistance Program (CCTAP). The REE agencies estimate providing Tuition Assistance to approximately 53 eligible employees yearly. Scope The Contractor shall furnish all necessary labor, materials, supplies, equipment, services and processes (except as specified herein) to provide the required services outlined in the statement of work. Desired Outcomes The following are the desired outcomes and conditions to be accomplished under this contract. A. Handle all administrative tasks associated with the REE CCTAP appropriately and efficiently. B. Assist the Agency in making REE employees aware of these services, determine the eligibility of potential child care subsidy receivers and assist REE employees with completing the CCTAP applications. C. Maintain confidentiality of all the information contained in the CCTAP applications. D. Notify the parents and potential child care provider of the amount of the tuition assistance that each family will receive and the effective date. 5. Determine the eligibility of child care providers to receive Federal funds (all providers must be licensed and/or regulated by State and/or local authorities. 6. Task Requirements (A) The Contractor shall assist the REE Agencies to determine the eligibility of Child Care Providers by: (1) Requiring child care providers submit their taxpayer identification numbers as noted on the OPM 1644; by completing the OPM 1644, Child Care Provider Information for Child Care Tuition Assistance Program for Federal Employees and submit a copy of their latest license and/or statement of compliance from their State and/or local authorities; (2) Ensuring that licensed child care providers understand that if, for whatever reason, the provider is no longer licensed and/or regulated by the State and/or local authorities, the provider will immediately notify the contractor and the Federal employee whose child is enrolled in the CCTAP. In such cases, the provider will no longer be permitted to receive the tuition subsidy. (3) Receiving monthly invoices for the tuition assistance amounts from the child care providers and provide payment based on the invoiced amount no later than 30 calendar days after the date of the invoice. The contractor will pay the tuition assistance directly to the child care provider, and not to the Federal employee. Tuition assistance will be quoted as weekly amounts and the invoices must be prepared using full week amounts unless the child leaves the program during a particular week. (4) Ensuring that the child care provider submit a written invoice monthly to the contractor. (5) Providing the Agency annually with information for the employee?s W-2, Wage and Tax Statement indicating the amount of subsidies paid each calendar year. Employee information shall be divided by each REE Agency (i.e. ARS, ERS, and CSREES. This information should be submitted to Tonya B. Morris, REE Work/Life Program Manager, USDA/ARS/HRD/REE Services Branch, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-5107 no later than December 10 of each tax year. (6) Providing notice in writing to potential child care provider of the amount of the tuition assistance that each family will receive and the effective date.  (B) The Contractor shall determine eligibility of REE employees to receive Child Care Tuition Assistance by: (1) Requesting employees submit a completed OPM 1643, Child Care Tuition Assistance Application Form. (2) Verifying the SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action to determine if the employee is permanent or temporary and their temporary appointment exceeds 1 year. Intermittent employees are ineligible. (3) Ensuring that employees submit their most recent pay statements within 2 pay periods of the date of their signed application. (4) Ensuring that employees submit their most recent Federal and state income tax return at the time they apply for benefits. (5) Providing notice in writing to the employee of the amount of the tuition assistance that each family will receive and the effective date. (C) If an REE employees is determined ineligible to receive Child Care Tuition Assistance, the Contractor shall: 1. Notify the employee in writing within 30 days of the determination of ineligibility. 2. Provide the employee information regarding the claims review process in accordance with the REE Bulletin, REE Child Care Tuition Assistance Program. VI. Reporting Requirements for CCTAP Eligibility and Determination of CCTAP Disbursement Amount The contractor shall submit quarterly reports to REE on the status of the Agency?s CCTAP. Reports shall contain the following information and will be submitted within 2 weeks of the last day of the preceding quarter. All reports should be sent to Tonya B. Morris, REE Work/Life Program Manager, USDA/ARS/HRD/REE Services Branch, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville Maryland, 20705-5107.  The quarterly reports must include: (a) The amount of tuition assistance disbursed in a given month; (b) The number of children enrolled whose parents receive tuition assistance; (c) The number of Federal employees from the Agency who qualify and are receiving tuition assistance; (d) The total family income of each family that receives a tuition subsidy; (e) The amount of the tuition assistance paid for each recipient; (f) The number of total applicants each month; (g) The number of applications in process when the quarter ended; (h) The number of new tuition assistance subsidies paid since the preceding quarterly report; (i) The number of applicants who were denied tuition assistance due to lack of Agency funds; and (j) The remaining balance at the end of each quarter of unused Agency funds. Note: The above information shall be itemized by each REE Agency (i.e. ARS, CSREES, and ERS).
 

Place of Performance

Address: WASHINGTON, DC

Zip Code: 20250

Country: US
 

Record

SN00446430-W 20031004/031002213047 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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