SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Packaging of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2684c
- Notice Date
- 3/11/2011
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1640
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1640
- Solicitation Number
- NB639010-11-00703
- Archive Date
- 4/12/2011
- Point of Contact
- CHRISTOPHER JOHN GANEY, Phone: 3019756205, Todd D Hill, Phone: 301-975-8802
- E-Mail Address
-
christopher.ganey@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov
(christopher.ganey@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- CLASSIFICATION CODE: R- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services TITLE: Packaging of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2684c SOLICITATION NUMBER: NB639010-11-00703 RESPONSE DATE: March 28, 2011 CONTACT POINTS: Chris Ganey, Contract Specialist, (301) 975-6205 Todd Hill, Contracting Officer, (301) 975-8802 DESCRIPTION: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a requirement for Packaging of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2684c for the Analytical Chemistry Division at NIST, Gaithersburg, MD. THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN FAR SUBPART 12.6-STREAMLINED PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS-AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; QUOTATIONS ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A SEPARATE WRITTEN SOLICITATION DOCUMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. THE SOLICITATION IS BEING ISSUED USING SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES. This solicitation is a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-48. 1352.215-72 INQUIRIES (APR 2010) Offerors must submit all questions concerning this solicitation in writing to Chris Ganey. Questions should be received no later than 7 calendar days after the issuance date of this solicitation. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract. (End of Provision) The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541990, with a small business size standard of $5 million. This requirement is unrestricted and all interested vendors may submit a quotation. All offerors shall provide a quotation for the following line item: Line Item 0001: One (1) Packaging of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2684c STATEMENT OF WORK: Packaging of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2684c Background: NIST recently obtained four 55-gallon drums of bituminous coal (approximately 1400 lbs; approximately 635 kg) that requires crushing, pulverization, screening, and subsequent spin-riffling into bottles for a renewal coal SRM. New coal material was required for this renewal SRM (SRM 2684c) as reserve material for the replacement SRM had run out. Purpose and Objectives of Procurement: The overall goal of this project is to package the coal material so that it is ready for delivery to the NIST customer. The intention is to issue the coal material as a NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM), and attaining excellent homogeneity (within the inherent limitations of heterogeneity in the processed coal matrix) during material processing is an important consideration. The specific objectives of this project require the entire lot of coal material to be crushed and pulverized followed by screening and then spin-riffle division of the entire lot into four equal portions followed by the spin riffling of one of the four portions into approximately 2500 bottles. The remaining three spin-riffled portions, each in their separate drum with liner, shall be readied for shipment to NIST. The shipping of the three drums, packaged bottles, and requested residual material will be paid for by NIST. Contractor Requirements: 1. Receive (4 drums) of 2" x 0" Bituminous Coal (approximately 1,400 lbs.) and 2880 bottles. The four drums of coal material and packaged bottles will be shipped to the Contractor from NIST. 2. Send all requested information (e.g., measurement data) to the NIST Contracting Officer representative (COR) via email once it is obtained. 3. The Government reserves the right to be present at the Contractor's site to witness the preparation and packaging. The Contractor shall notify the NIST COR of the tentative preparation and packaging schedule at least 3 business days prior to the scheduled start of the crushing of the coal so that the NIST COR can plan travel. All travel and per diem shall be conducted at NIST's expense. 4. Air dry gross coal sample and report the air-dried gross sample mass to the NIST COR. Then crush and pulverize the gross sample (approximately 1,400 lbs.) to 100 % passing 250 m (No. 60) sieve. Contractor must screen material using 250 m (No. 60) sieve, saving any plus 250 m (No. 60) material for return to NIST in a sealed container. 5. Blend the approximately 1,400 lbs. by recombining opposite portions produced by the spin riffler or by an appropriate sized blender. The blending procedure must be designed to ensure that the material is well-mixed. 6. Spin riffle -250 m (No. 60) mesh material into four equal splits. Prior to any additional processing, weigh each split, identify the split to be bottled (as the fourth split) and report the masses of each split to the NIST COR. The Contractor shall determine if the mass of the fourth split is suitable for providing 2500  300 bottles of coal material under the conditions specified in the requirements below. If the Contractor determines that they will be able to deliver between 2200 and 2800 bottles of coal, they can proceed with processing. If not, they must stop processing, and shall notify the NIST COR and the NIST Contracting Officer. 7. Place the first three of the four equal spin riffled splits of -250 m (No. 60) material into three separate drums, each double-lined, (each liner must be ≥ 4 mm thickness). Take one grab sample of approximately 50 g from each of the three spin-riffled drums and perform sulfur and ash measurements for an initial assessment of variability. Report the measurement data to the NIST COR. After grab samples are taken, secure each liner with zip-ties or another bag closure that minimizes any air within the bag. The coal material shall not be exposed directly to the drum. 8. Process the entire fourth split of approximately 350 lbs. (approximately 160 kg) of the 250 m (No. 60) coal material by spin riffling all of this coal material into the number of sublots needed for subsequent spin riffling into 2500  300 bottles (must use pre-cleaned bottles and caps supplied by NIST) containing at least 50 grams each, while maintaining sufficient headspace to allow for mixing of the contents in the bottles provided. 9. Store (away from dust or contamination) all bottles in the containers in which they were shipped according to fill order, and identify all bottles by their sublot # and fill order number, without labeling or marking on the bottles themselves. Each sublot must represent the bottles produced in the final division by spin riffling and the number of positions in the spin riffler equals the number of bottles in each sublot of material. 10. After its cap has been secured, wipe clean the exterior of each filled bottle and its cap with alcohol and then package the bottles in their original containers. 11. Remove the first and last bottles filled and one bottle each from two different middle sublots (4 bottles total) and determine the net weight of each bottle. Then perform a screen test on the contents of each bottle at 250 m (No. 60), with the % greater than 250 m and the % less than 250 m to be reported to the NIST COR, along with the net weight (prior to performing the screen test), for each bottle. Retain the residual contents of these bottles until NIST has received all of the prepared coal material (i.e., drums and filled bottles). 12. Remove a bottle from each sublot for S and ash measurements. Perform duplicate measurements of S and ash on each of the bottles and report all of the measurement data, for each bottle, to the NIST COR. The NIST COR will review this measurement data to determine if the material has an acceptable degree of homogeneity (as specified in the inspection and acceptance criteria below) and report back to the Contractor whether or not the material meets the homogeneity criteria within 8 calendar days of receipt of the measurement data. Retain these sublot bottles until NIST has received all of the prepared coal material (i.e., drums and filled bottles). 13. The packages of bottles containing the coal material from the spin riffled sublots of the fourth split, the other three spin riffled splits (in double lined drums), and any plus 250 m (No. 60) material shall be readied for shipment to NIST. The Contractor shall notify the NIST COR of the number of bottles filled, the number of sublots, the number of bottles in each sublot, and the number of packages of bottles that will be shipped to NIST. NIST will arrange for pick-up and handle shipping costs. This will be FOB Origin, meaning the Government assumes all responsibility for shipping and pays all shipping charges. For shipping items back to NIST the Contractor shall use the NIST FEDEX account. The account number will be provided at award. 14. All work shall be completed, all reports on measurement data and results sent to NIST, and all material shipped to NIST, within 13 weeks of the Contractor receiving the materials. The time period for NIST to report to the Contractor on whether the material has an acceptable degree of homogeneity (8 calendar days or less) is included as part of the 13 weeks. Government Responsibilities: NIST reserves the right to have a representative on site to observe the process. Reporting Requirements and Deliverables: 1. Delivery of 2500  300 bottles containing at least 50 grams each. 2. Delivery of 3 spin-riffled splits in 3 drums. 3. Delivery of all material after crushing, pulverizing, and screening that remains on a 250 m (No. 60) sieve. Return this in a sealed container of the Contractor's choice. 4. All measurement data reported to the NIST COR via email. 5. Report on the number of bottles filled, the number of sublots, the number of bottles in each sublot, and the number of packages of bottles that will be shipped to NIST. 6. Reports of measurement data to the Government under Contractor Requirements 4, 6, 7 and 11 are informational only and will not require COR approval. Inspection and Acceptance Criteria: 1. The net mass of each bottled coal portion shall not be less than 50 g of material. 2. The NIST COR will inspect the bottles and drums of coal material upon arrival at NIST. Bottles will be inspected to assess whether the correct number of bottles were delivered based on what was reported and that the mass of coal in each bottle is at least 50 g with sufficient headspace to allow for mixing of the contents. The drums will be inspected to assess the correct number of drums were returned and that the coal has been spin-riffled. 3. In addition, acceptance of the material will be based on the results of the screening and data reported, including determination, at the 95 % confidence level, of an acceptable degree of homogeneity among the sulfur and ash sublot measurements determined by standard statistical comparisons of between- and within- bottle variability (e.g., ANOVA). Government Furnished Property (GFP): Quantity/Value Upon award, NIST shall provide to the Contractor: 1. 2880 pre-cleaned amber glass bottles and screw caps. NIST will ship 2880 amber glass bottles to the Contractor for spin-riffle bottling of the fourth split. An excess number of bottles (80) will be shipped to allow for any breakage or bottle material wastage. The value of the pre-cleaned bottles is $1900, 2. 4 drums of 2" x 0" Bituminous Coal (approximately 1400 lbs.). The value of the coal before processing is $1000. 3. The email address(es) that the Contractor shall use to contact the NIST COR and Contracting Officer. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition and are hereby incorporated by reference. All FAR clauses may be viewed at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html. Provisions 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items Offerors shall complete annual representations and certifications on-line at http://orca.bpn.gov in accordance with FAR 52.212-3 Offerors Representations and Certifications- Commercial Items. If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required. Clauses 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (MAY 2009) 52.219-28, Post award Small Business Program Representation 52.222-3, Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor - Cooperation With Authorities And Remedies; 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52-222-26, Equal Opportunity; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.223-18, Contractor Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving 52.225-3, Buy American Act - NAFTA Alternate II. 52.225-13 Restriction on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-Central Contractor Registration. NIST Local Clause_04 Billing Instructions INSTRUCTIONS: Central Contractor Registration In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, the awardee must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) prior to award. Refusal to register shall forfeit award. Due Date for Quotations Offerors shall submit their quotations so that NIST receives them not later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 28, 2011. FAX quotations shall not be accepted. E-mail quotations shall be accepted at christopher.ganey@nist.gov. Quotations shall be sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Acquisition Management Division, Attn: Chris Ganey, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640. All offerors should ensure the RFQ number is visible on the outermost packaging. Because of heightened security, FED-EX, UPS, or similar delivery methods are the preferred method of delivery of quotes. If quotes are hand delivered, delivery shall be made on the actual due date through Gate A, and a 48 hour (excluding weekends and holidays) prior notice shall be provided to Chris Ganey, Contract Specialist on 301-975-6205. Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Quotation Preparation Instructions 1) Price Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and four copies of the completed price schedule. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The pricing quotation shall be separate from any other portion of the quotation. The offeror shall propose a firm-fixed-price, for each CLIN. Price quotations shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the date quotations are due. 2) Technical Quotation: The offeror shall submit an original and four copies of the technical quotation. If the quotation is submitted electronically, additional copies are not required. The technical quotation shall address the following: Technical Capability: The Offeror shall address the following: (1) specifically, how the process is designed to maximize the likelihood of homogeneity throughout the entire lot of processed coal, (2) how the spin riffling process will be completed, (3) what test methods will be used to determine ash and sulfur content (if test is a published standard method, include a statement of the method name and citation to a reference), with a statement of expected repeatability, if possible, (4) how the work will be completed, including proposed methodologies and equipment (including a description of the spin riffler and its number of positions) for accomplishing tasks and sub-tasks in the Statement of Work. Evaluation of technical capability shall be based on the information provided in the quotation. The Offeror must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with achieving the project objectives. Proposals that only offer to conduct a program in accordance with the requirements of the Government's Statement of Work, without an explanation of the proposed technical approach, will not be eligible for award. Experience: Contractor shall provide documentation to demonstrate that they have prepared (crushing, pulverizing, screening, and bottling) coal samples, previously. Past Performance: The Offeror shall provide past performance information regarding relevant contracts over the past five (5) years with Federal, state, or local governments, or commercial customers. If the Offeror intends to subcontract with another firm(s) for part of this requirement, that firm's past performance information shall also be provided. If the Offeror has no relevant past performance, it may include a statement to that effect in its quotation. The government reserves the right to consider data obtained from sources other than those described by the Offeror in its quotation. It is recommended that approximately 3 to 5 contracts be referenced. The description of each contract/order described in this section shall not exceed one-half page in length. For each contract/order, the Offeror shall provide the following information: 1. Contract number; 2. Description and relevance to solicitation requirements including dollar value; 3. Period of Performance - indicate by month and year the status and completion (or "ongoing") dates for the contract; 4. Reference Contact - If a non-Government contract, identify the name and address of the client with current telephone number and email address of a point of contact of the client responsible for the contract; 5. Contracting Office - If a Government contract (Federal, state, or local), identify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO), administrative Contracting Officer (ACO), and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and their names, current telephone numbers and email addresses; 6. Problems Encountered - include information regarding any problems encountered on the contracts described above and corrective actions taken to resolve those problems. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions: This is an open-market solicitation for equipment as defined herein. The Government intends to award a Purchase Order as a result of this solicitation that will include the clauses set forth herein. The quotation should include one of the following statements: "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition." OR "The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following: Offeror shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s) Note: This procurement is not being conducted under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) program or another Government-Wide Area Contract (GWAC). If an offeror submits a quotation based upon an FSS or GWAC contract, the Government will accept the quoted price. However, the terms and conditions stated herein will be included in any resultant Purchase Order, not the terms and conditions of the offeror's FSS or GWAC contract, and the statement required above shall be included in the quotation. QUOTATION EVALUATION: Evaluation Factors Award Basis Award will be made to the Offeror who complies with the terms and conditions of this request and whose proposal contains the combination of those criteria offering the best overall value to the Government. This will be determined by comparing differences in the evaluation of technical approach, experience, and past performance with differences in cost/price to the Government. All non-price factors, when combined, shall be approximately equal to price. The Government will evaluate quotations based on the following evaluation criteria: A. Technical Approach B. Experience C. Past Performance D. Price A. Technical Approach The proposed technical approach shall be evaluated to determine overall feasibility and likelihood for success. The Contractor's proposed methodology shall be evaluated to determine its ability to complete the project successfully. B. Experience The Contractor's corporate experience shall be evaluated to determine the degree of experience the Contractor possesses performing similar work. C. Past Performance The Government will evaluate the Offeror's past performance information and, if appropriate, its proposed subcontractors' past performance to determine its relevance to the current requirement and the extent to which it demonstrates that the Offeror has successfully completed relevant contracts in the past five years. In assessing the Offeror's past performance information, NIST will evaluate the quality, timeliness, and ability to control cost and schedule of the past work. The Government will evaluate past performance information by contacting appropriate references, including NIST references, if applicable. The Government may also consider other available information in evaluating the Offeror's past performance. The Government will assign a neutral rating if the Offeror has no relevant past performance information. D. Price Upon completion of the evaluation of the technical approach, experience, and past performance, a price analysis will be conducted on each technically acceptable proposal to determine the fairness and reasonableness of the proposed prices. Experience, Past Performance and Price shall not be evaluated on quotes that are determined technically unacceptable under the Technical Approach factor. 1352.233-70 AGENCY PROTESTS (APR 2010) (a) An agency protest may be filed with either: (1) the contracting officer, or (2) at a level above the contracting officer, with the appropriate agency Protest Decision Authority. See 64 Fed. Reg. 16,651 (April 6, 1999) (b) Agency protests filed with the Contracting Officer shall be sent to the following address: NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION ATTN: PATRICK STAINES, CONTRACTING OFFICER 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (c) Agency protests filed with the agency Protest Decision Authority shall be sent to the following address: NIST/ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT DIVISION ATTN: HEAD OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICE (HCO) 100 Bureau Drive, MS 1640 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (d) A complete copy of all agency protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel within one day of filing a protest with either the Contracting Officer or the Protest Decision Authority. (e) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows: U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230. FAX: (202) 482-5858 1352.233-71 GAO AND COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS PROTESTS (APR 2010) (a) A protest may be filed with either the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or the Court of Federal Claims unless an agency protest has been filed. (b) A complete copy of all GAO or Court of Federal Claims protests, including all attachments, shall be served upon (i) the Contracting Officer, and (ii) the Contract Law Division of the Office of the General Counsel, within one day of filing a protest with either GAO or the Court of Federal Claims. (c) Service upon the Contract Law Division shall be made as follows: U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel Chief, Contract Law Division Room 5893 Herbert C. Hoover Building 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230. FAX: (202) 482-5858 (End of clause)
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