B -- DETERMINATION OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS

Notice Date

September 14, 2001

Contracting Office

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contracts Management Division (MD-33), Attn: ORDSC, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

ZIP Code

27711

Solicitation Number

XMR024

Response Due

September 27, 2001

Point of Contact

JENNIFER HILL, Contract Specialist, 919-541-3083

E-Mail Address

Click here to contact the contract specialist via (hill.jennifer@epa.gov)

Description

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. QUOTES ARE BEING REQUESTED, AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The solicitation number is XMR024, and the solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-27. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541710 which has a small business size standard of 500 employees is applicable. The contract will be awarded as a result of full and open competition. A firm-fixed-price purchase order is anticipated to result from the award of this solicitation. Award will be made to a single contractor for all analyses. This procurement requires the contractor to Determine Nutrient Concentrations in Water Samples of Varying Salinities for a period of three and one-half year, beginning from date of award through March 31, 2005. In the CLIN below, EA Analyte. CONTRACT LINE ITEM NUMBER (CLIN) 1. 11,500 EA -- See the Statement of Work. The contractor shall provide analysis on approximately 3000 samples during the base period of date of award through March 31, 2002. Samples will be shipped in batches 100 to 400 samples. Approximately two thirds of the samples will be from the water column (river, estuary, coastal ocean); the remaining one third will be from interstitial water (IW) from within sediments. All the water column samples will require results for 4 analytes (nitrate, ammonium, orthophosphate, and silicate). Approximately half of the IW samples will require results for only 3 analytes (ammonium, orthophosphate, and silicate). The matrices of these water column and interstitial water samples could range from fresh water to ~32 . The matrix attributes and analytes would be specified, by sample, in the shipping information. Theis combination of samples and analytes per sample yields approximately 11,500 analytical results. The contractor shall provide EPA with a price on a per analyte basis for the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) above. Additional samples will be provided on an optional basis for the remaining periods. The contractor shall provide EPA with a price on a per analyte basis for the same services for CLIN 2 through 4 which is divided on a 12-month basis beginning 4/1/02 through 3/31/05. The following FAR provisions apply to this solicitation: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Item; 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Item. Evaluation criteria to be included in paragraph (a) of provision 52.212-2 are as follows: (i) TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES CRITERIA: 1.) Demonstration of Minimum Qualification Requirements: (a) Lab management or personnel with at least 1 year experience analyzing seawater samples for the 4 nutrients at concentrations as low as the low end of the standardization range in the Statement of Work, Section 3.c.(1); (b) Ability to meet the 3-week minimum turn around requirement for the duration of the study (Statement of Work, Section 3.a.); (c) Ability to perform the 4 analyses with a minimum of 15 ml of sample; 2.) Demonstration of evidence of participation in any state or federal laboratory certification programs, or a list of at least 2 publications in marine science journals that have used nutrient data provided by them; 3.) Submission of an electronic version of what the offeror would consider to qualify as a "Quality Assurance Manual" that is used to support the routine quality of its data; this document shall be in a Word or WordPerfect format; 4.) Offerors shall submit a response to the question, "How does your laboratory deal with samples of varying salinities (that are approximately known) when performing nutrient analyses?" and if 'matching the salinity matrix of samples' is necessary for your instrumentation, answer the question, "How close does the standard matrix need to be to the sample matrix?"; 5.) Offerors shall submit a response to the question, "How does your laboratory deal with samples of widely varying concentrations (see Section 3.c.(1) for possible ranges) such as those that may be found in a batch of samples that contain IW samples (high ammonia) and fresh water (high silicate)?" Would dilution and reanalysis following an initial determination be the strategy and would there be an additional charge for each sample requiring this treatment to obtain values within the instrument calibration? ; (ii) PAST PERFORMANCE -- Submit a list of 3 "customers" who have submitted seawater samples for analysis within the past 2 years. Include specific individuals to contact and their phone numbers. (past performance will be evaluated as follows: quality of product or service, timeliness of performance -- ability to adhere to deadlines, and overall customer satisfaction); and (iii) PRICE in decreasing order of importance. Technical capability and past performance when combined are significantly more important than price. Award will be made to the offeror whose offer represents the best value to the Government considering the criteria referenced above. As offers become more equal in their technical merit, the evaluated price becomes more important. All offerors are to include with their response a completed copy of provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items. The following FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, 52.246-11, Higher Level Contract Quality Requirement, 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items and the following additional FAR clauses which are cited in clauses 52.212-5: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I; 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns; 52.219-14, Limitation on Subcontracting; 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity, 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, As Amended. Any applicable wage determination(s) will be made a part of the resultant purchase order. Price and technical information should be submitted in separate proposals. It is requested that the completed Representations and Certifications be included with the price proposal. Technical questions are to be forwarded via email to the Contract Specialist at the following email address: hill.jennifer@epa.gov. In addition to this Request for Quotation, offerors should review the Statement of Work and other information posted with this Request for Quotation on EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd. Arrow down to the REQUEST FOR QUOTATION section and click on the solicitation. Arrow down below that section to COMMERCIAL BUY CLAUSES AND FORMS which are provided for your convenience. Please submit two copies of the technical proposal and two copies of the price proposal to Jennifer Hill, Contract Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, MD-33, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Courier Delivery Address is: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Receptionist-Administration Bldg. Lobby, Attn: Jennifer Hill (MD-33), 79 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. All offers are due by September 27, 2001, 3:30 p.m. ET. No telephonic or faxed requests or offers will be honored.

Web Link

Click here to visit the site that has information about (http://www.epa.gov/oam/rtp_cmd)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010918/BSOL012.HTM (W-257 SN50X6H2)