SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Multi Site | Cin, Col, Chi, Day Shredding Contract - Follow on
- Notice Date
- 4/15/2022 12:31:29 PM
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 561990
— All Other Support Services
- Contracting Office
- 250-NETWORK CONTRACT OFFICE 10 (36C250) DAYTON OH 45428 USA
- ZIP Code
- 45428
- Solicitation Number
- 36C25022Q0447
- Response Due
- 5/22/2022 10:30:00 AM
- Archive Date
- 07/21/2022
- Point of Contact
- Josh Kovar, Contract Specialist
- E-Mail Address
-
Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov
(Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- SBA Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)
- Awardee
- null
- Description
- The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to answer questions posed by industry and update contract CLINS. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS This solicitation is set-aside for total small business rather than an SDVOSB set-aside. Could you please explain what market research was done, and if the Rule of Two was satisfied? A VIP search was conducted utilizing NAICS code 561990 (Document Shredding), keyword shredding , and service area Ohio. Based upon this search criteria, the VA Rule of Two was not met. There have been issues with SDVOSB vendors meeting the Limitations on Subcontracting with shredding service awards in this area on past awards. There were seven SDVOSB bidders for this work in 2020, what is the justification for it not being set aside for SDVOSB entities this time? Please see answer above In General Information, the NAICS code is listed as 561990, but the Price Schedule lists 561410 throughout, which concerns document copying and document printing. According to the GAO, 561990 is the appropriate NAICS for secure document destruction. Could you please clarify that the NAICS for this solicitation is 561990? The correct NAICS Code for this requirement is 561990 Since production and shipping have been impacted by supply chain slow down and the pandemic, it can take several weeks to purchase, ship, and install the required number of containers. How quickly will containers need to be delivered post-award? We are looking at a 60 90-day lead time based upon market research. P. 69, Price Schedule. The summary requests the total for the base year and three option years, but the Price Schedule is for a base year plus four option years. Could you please confirm that the summary should reflect four potential option years? The correct term for this contract is a Base + 3 Possible Option Years Price Schedule has been corrected and attached to this amendment. Is this a firm-fixed price contract? Yes, this is a firm fixed price contract P. 70, A. Description of Services. A small amount of thin cardboard such as manila folders can be shred along with paper, but corrugated cardboard or heavyweight non-corrugated cardboard cannot as it will contaminate the load, rendering it unacceptable for recycling, which is contrary to VA policy and is a less desirable method for disposal of confidential information than recycling. Could you please clarify the thickness/type of the cardboard inserts? All folders are standard folders and not corrugated cardboard. In the same paragraph, would you please clarify what plastic covers are since plastic can also contaminate a load of paper? These covers are presentation covers and should be stripped prior to being placed into the containers. The last paragraph talks about non-paper media. Pill bottles/plastics, tapes, patient wristbands, etc. will contaminate the load of paper so it cannot be recycled, and items such as hard drives must be destroyed off-site. With the appropriate paperwork, is it acceptable to remove non-paper material for off-site destruction? Alternatively, since this service is so infrequent, could it be handled as a purge? Previous vendors have had a separate plastic shredder in their trucks to accommodate the non-paper products. P. 71, B. What is the historic frequency and scope of changing the quantity of containers at each of the sites? This depends on if containers are broken, or we need more. This is not frequent. P. 71, C. Will each facility provide an initial list of container placement since a new contractor will not be familiar with building names and room numbers? Yes, A complete list will be provided Will any modifications in container count, frequency of service or locations be handled via contract modification? Yes, any changes to the container count, frequency of pickups or locations will be handled via contract modification. P. 71, F. This states that material will be removed and shred within 24 hours of collection while the use of a mobile shredding truck is referenced throughout the document. Please confirm if onsite or off-site shredding is required. All Material must be shredded onsite P. 72, F. 6. and 7. A monthly schedule means a 5-week interval between services occurs generally four times annually, which often results in complaints from end users. Could CBOCs and outlying offices be serviced every 4 weeks rather than monthly? A 4 week rotation would be satisfactory for this requirement P. 72, F. This states CBOC collection schedules may be altered to accommodate need. Could you please describe triggers for altering the CBOC schedules, and if alterations will be handled by contract modification? All alterations are handled through contract modification. The only foreseeable alteration would be an occasional extra pickup, or issues due to weather. P. 72, G. Is the contractor expected to perform/deliver the noted requests within one business day, which could prove challenging, or is the requirement to respond to the request with a plan of action?. Responses to the request shall be within 1 business day to discuss pickup timetable. P. 72. H. If weather is severe enough to force cancellation of services, the situation might not resolve itself in time to make a collection within 24 hours. Could this please be revised to say the two parties will work collaboratively to arrange a make-up collection as soon as possible? Yes, we will work collaboratively to arrange pickup (Make-up) collection ASAP. P. 73, M. A request to pick up all materials lying on the floor within ten feet of a container places the shredding technician in a position of determining if any paper found needs to be shred, go in the trash, or be placed on a nearby desk. This is prohibited by VA, HIPAA and NAID regulations. Could this requirement please be removed? This will be removed from the solicitation. P. 74, M. A form of self-latching deadbolt is used for 32-gallon consoles, but rolling bins use padlocks, is this acceptable? Padlocks are acceptable as long as they are locked. P. 74, N. Please describe what type of facility is being referenced here, and what specific licensing it is required to hold? The offsite facility for the final destruction must have NAID certification P. 74, N. VA Directive 6371 does not reference a particle size. Also, a 1x5mm particle size cannot be achieved onsite. Is the two-step shredding process described in Directive 6371 acceptable? Two step is acceptable P. 75, 3. Please explain what recycling credits are and how they are calculated. This requirement SOW had language from a different geographical area where credits were utilized. All we are looking for is a list of what was recycled and in what type of streams. The term Recycling Credits will be removed for this requirement. P. 75, 4. This states weekly invoices are required rather than the customary monthly invoice. A weekly invoice would be onerous, is this paragraph referring to Certificates of Destruction rather than invoices? Invoices are due monthly, certificates of destruction can be done at least monthly. P. 78, S. Should the sustainability plan be provided post-award? We would need sustainability information along with the quote responses. Appendix A. Mobile shredding trucks cannot lift 175-gallon containers. Can two 95-gallon containers be substituted for each 175-gallon container? Yes Should the original solicitation document 36C25022Q0447 (that was replaced by 36C25022Q0447_1) be signed and returned with the bid or is it moot? 36C25022Q0447_1 was provided due to an error uploading the initial document, one or the other is fine to sign and return. Accessibility For all locations, will any containers be located above/below the ground floor? If so, are freight elevators available to move them? All elevators can be utilized (Freight or regular) as long as courtesy is used for Veterans, caregivers, and staff. Is there sufficient and appropriate parking for our truck at each location for the time it will take to perform the work? Yes Dock usage? Does Columbus and Chillicothe hospitals have docks that could be utilized to service the hospitals? Columbus Dock use is allowable as long as it is scheduled with logistics in advance. Chillicothe Dock is available to utilize as long as scheduled Do you have weights of paper collected/shredded over the last 3-6 months for each location to be serviced? Hospitals would be the most important? FACILITY OCTOBER 2021 NOVEMBER 2021 DECEMBER 2021 TOTAL Q1 2022 Dayton Main Hospital 14,625 12,350 12,025 39,000 Cincinnati Main Hospital 15,275 11,700 10,400 37,375 Chillicothe Main Hospital 8,450 11,050 7,800 27,300 Columbus Main Hospital 5,525 8,450 4,875 18,850 What in particular would you be looking for us to provide to show the small business status when we submit our quotation to you? Nothing is needed other than being registered in SAM.gov. The self-certification in SAM.gov. (Reps and Certs) provides us with the small business status.
- Web Link
-
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Multiple
- Record
- SN06299445-F 20220417/220415230107 (samdaily.us)
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