Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 10, 2009 FBO #2783
SOLICITATION NOTICE

99 -- VA National Cemetery Houston Grounds Maintenance

Notice Date

7/8/2009
 

Notice Type

Presolicitation
 

NAICS

561730 — Landscaping Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs, Houston VAMC, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs;Acquisition & Materiel Management;Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center;2002 Holcombe BLVD;Houston TX 77030 4298
 

ZIP Code

00000
 

Solicitation Number

VA-256-09-RQ-0316
 

Response Due

7/16/2009
 

Archive Date

7/18/2009
 

Point of Contact

Wanda W. ThomasWanda W. Thomas<br />
 

E-Mail Address

wanda.thomas2@va.gov
(wanda.thomas2@va.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned
 

Description

Sources Sought: The Department of Veteran Affairs is looking for firms that are certified under the following programs: SDVOSB, VOSB, 8 (a), and or HUBZone. The firm must provide grounds services for the Veterans National Cemetery, Houston, Texas with an approved NAICS Code 561730. The contractor will respond to service calls, on-site within three hours. The contractor shall provide grounds services as outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW). The Government is seeking information for market research. The Government may or may not issue solicitation documents. Place of Performance is: The Veterans National Cemetery, Houston, TX. Please address the following items by forwarding an email to wanda.thomas2@va.gov. 1. Certification of Small Business Status 2. Firm's information and point of contact. Responses must be received by July 16, 2009 due 4:00 PM CST. SPECIFICATION AND REQUIREMENTS STATEMENT OF WORK 1. GENERAL INFORMATION (a) This is a performance-based contract for cemetery turf mowing, trimming, and edging at Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas, hereafter referred to as "Cemetery," or HNC. (b) National cemeteries are a resting place for our nation's heroes and as such, the standards for management, maintenance, and appearance of these cemeteries have been established by the National Cemetery Administration to reflect this nation's concern and respect for those interred there. The overall responsibility of the contractor is to plan, coordinate, organize, manage, and perform the activities described herein, which are required to maintain an acceptable appearance of the cemetery grounds 2. CONTRACTOR SERVICES The Contractor shall provide the facilities, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, services, and quality control as needed to accomplish the specified work for this contract. Further, the Contractor shall provide the staff, supervision, technical support and personnel to accomplish the work under this contract. The contractor shall demonstrate a clear understanding of, and the sensitivity to, such environmental issues as ground water contamination, wetlands, etc., and shall be consistent and fully compliant with all applicable Federal, State, and City laws, ordinances and regulations. 3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, professional expertise, and equipment, to sufficiently meet the requirements to maintain a healthy and aesthetic grounds appearance in accordance with Contract Specifications and the Performance Requirement Summary (PRS) specified herein (reference Attachment 1) for work activities including Mowing, Trimming, Curb and Sidewalk Edging. All activities shall be performed in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and City laws, ordinances and regulations including, but not limited to OSHA standards. Any damage to turf, landscaping, sprinkler heads, infrastructure, headstone markers, etc., caused by the Contractor shall be repaired or replaced at Contractor's expense, as directed by the COTR. ART II DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS 4. DEFINITIONS: A. BURIAL AREAS: All burial sections of established turf with occupied gravesites including columbarium areas. All developed land, including turf, walks, beds, planter beds, drainage ditches, and tree/shrubs within and directly surrounding the burial areas. B. SPECIALTY AREAS: High visibility areas, specifically: (1) Main Entrance, Cortege; (2) Public Information Assembly Areas; (3) Flag Pole Assembly Areas; (4) Public Gathering Areas; (5) Committal Shelters; (6) Administration/Maintenance Building Grounds; (7) Memorial Walkways, and (8) All Developed Land, including (but not all inclusive) turf, walks, beds, planter beds, drainage ditches, tree/shrub, roads, and plazas within and directly surrounding the specialty areas. C. NON BURIAL AREAS: (1) Unoccupied burial sections including areas in front of and between these sections; and (2) All Developed Land to borders and wetlands, including drainage ditches, tree/shrub. 5. MOWING The contractor shall begin mowing at start of contract when directed by the COTR and continue throughout entire growing season with the final mowing occurring as seasonal growth has ceased ending in the fall as directed by the COTR. Typically, this is between the months of February through December. Turf areas consist of different blends of fescue, Bermuda and St. Agustine grasses, or both mixed varieties. The contractor shall meet the proper maintenance requirements of all varieties of grasses. Subsequent mowing of the Turfgrasses areas will occur at a mowing height of 3 inches. At no time will more than one and a half inches (1.5) of new growth be removed at any single mowing. Also, Contractor will ensure that blades are kept sharp and balanced to avoid turf damage. If any mowing event results in clumps of grass clippings lying on the turf grass, the Contractor will immediately remove or disperse those clippings so that the clumps are no longer visible. Any clippings deposited on roadways or other non-turf grass areas will be removed the same day as the mowing event that produced them. Any clippings deposited on sidewalks or at public visitor areas including at the Committal Shelter areas will be removed at same time mowing work is occurring. Contractor shall be familiar with and utilize different mowing patterns to insure changed direction and patterns reduces turf wear providing a cleaner cut. Contractor shall clean all mowing and trimming equipment before unloading at the cemetery. This will minimize the possibilities of weed contaminates to cemetery turf from outside mowing areas. The contractor shall take the utmost care not to damage headstones, markers, floral or commemorative items, structures, survey monuments, irrigation equipment, and other government-owned property while performing mowing services. The Contractor will remove and replace all floral or commemorative items, etc. to their proper place while performing mowing services. New sod will be present at all newly buried gravesites, second internment gravesites, and repaired gravesite locations. This new sod must be hand mowed until it is fully established to the point where it won't be damaged by riding mowers. All mowing around trees to be accomplished in a manner that prevents "ringing pattern" around the tree and associated damage to turf. In all areas, vary mower wheel width patterns and mowing patterns after each mowing to prevent and avoid wheel rutting. 6. TRIMMING The Contractor will trim all standard turfgrass areas that can not be maintained by traditional mowing equipment. Trimming will be accomplished with hand held devices that will cut the grass at the same 3 inch height as the mowed areas. Trimming will occur around all individual upright headstones and flat granite markers, as well as at all other locations of grass area edges that cannot be maintained at 3" height through use of mowing equipment. Utilize blade type trimmers to cleanly trim edges around flat granite ground markers that are newly reset, i.e. Sections A,B,C,D,E,F,G,G-1,H,I. Care should be taken to avoid contact with headstones, markers, monuments, building walls, trees, shrubs, flowers, any other desirable plant materials, etc. or any other structure than can be damaged by contact with the trimming device's cutting instrument. All clippings resulting from the trimming operation will be kept on mowed turfgrass areas only. Any clippings deposited on headstones, flat markers, monuments, sidewalks, or at public visitor areas including the Committal Shelter areas will be removed at same time trimming work is occurring. 7. CURB AND SIDEWALK EDGING The Contractor will maintain a grass/weed-free edge approximately one-half to one inch wide and one inch deep along all curbs and sidewalks throughout the cemetery. This operation should be conducted to maintain the manicured appearance desired. Any edgings deposited on sidewalks, or at public visitor areas including Committal Shelter areas will be removed at same time edging work is occurring. 8. WORKING CONDITIONS Work called for under this contract will be performed primarily out-of-doors and personnel performing such work will be exposed to wind, sun, cold, dampness, fog, and rain. These conditions, may, at times, be extreme. The Contractor shall take all precautions necessary to protect personnel employed under the contract from the elements to the maximum practicable extent. The Government expects the Contractor to perform throughout all weather conditions and to apply additional labor and equipment as needed to meet deadlines. Due to the sensitive mission of the cemetery, the work could occasionally come in contact with grieving individuals. Contractor personnel must exercise and exhibit absolute decorum, composure and stability at all times. If visitors pose questions, the contractor's employees should politely refer such visitors to the COTR or HNC office staff. 9. Normal Working Hours: Normal working hours are 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Working hours under this contract are only negotiable with the written approval of the Contracting Officer. However, the Contractor may work whenever necessary to meet the Cemetery needs, including Holidays and weekends, provided that these work hours have been coordinated with the COTR. 10. Cooperation With Other Contractors: The Government may undertake or award other contracts for additional work at or near the site of performance under this contract. The Contractor shall fully cooperate with other Contractors and with Cemetery personnel and shall carefully adopt scheduling and performance of the work as coordinated with the COTR. The Contractor shall participate in regular weekly meetings with the COTR to coordinate contract work schedules and contract related information. 11. Equipment Operations: The Contractor shall not operate motorized equipment or other mechanical devices that may make noise within two hundred (200) feet of ongoing interment services or other public ceremonies/services. Coordinate work activities with COTR to meet this requirement. 12/ Contractor Key Personnel: The Contractor's on-site Foreman is solely responsible for staying abreast of all upcoming events at the Cemetery. A list of scheduled funerals shall be provided the day prior to the service. A list of scheduled ceremonies shall be provided the week prior to the event. When necessary, the COTR may direct the Contractor to redirect Contractor personnel away from funeral services or events. 13. Site Clean Up: At the end of each workday the Contractor shall remove all trash and debris resulting from work and dispose of such in Contractor-furnished dumpsters that are emptied weekly by the Contractor at off-site licensed landfills. Rubbish and trash generated by the Contractor shall be kept clear of vehicular and pedestrian circulation throughout the site. Adequate warning devices, barricades, guards, flagmen or other necessary precautions shall be taken by the Contractor to give advice and reasonable protection, safety and warnings to persons and vehicular traffic within the area. 14. Contractor Vehicles/Tractors: No heavy-duty vehicles or tractors shall be permitted to drive on turf without prior permission from the COTR. The Contractor shall be responsible for repair or replacing any turf damage caused by the Contractor's wheeled or tracked vehicles or equipment as determined by the COTR. II.7 Damage to Government Property: delete redundant 15. Notifications to the Contractor After Normal Hours The Contractor shall establish and maintain a point-of -contact to receive emergency notifications and after hours requests from the COTR. The point-of-contact or after hours operation shall be available on a 24-hour basis during weekends, Federal Holidays and after the Contractor's normal hours of operation. 16. OPERATIONS AND STORAGE AREAS A.The contractor shall confine all operations (including storage of materials) on Government premises to areas authorized or approved by the COTR. The Contractor shall hold and save the Government, its officers and agents, free and harmless from liability of any nature occasioned by the Contractor's performance. B.Temporary buildings, storage containers, and utilities may be brought onsite by the Contractor only with the approval of the COTR and shall be built of approved materials with no expense to the Government. Temporary buildings and utilities shall remain the property of the Contractor and shall be removed and existing grounds restored by the Contractor at its expense upon completion of the work. 17.Performance Requirements Summary A.The Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) (Attachment 1) lists required services, which are paid for on the basis of a payment computation system, specified in paragraph D below. The absence from this PRS of any contract requirement shall not detract from its enforceability or limit the rights or remedies of the HNCunder any other provision of this contract. B.The PRS lists: (1) Required services (column 1), (2)Standard of performance for each listed service (column 2), (3)Maximum allowable deviation from perfect performance (Acceptable Quallity Level or AQL) for each listed service (column 3), (4)Amount or area under surveillance (column 3), (5)Primary surveillance methods the HNC will use to evaluate the Contractor's performance in meeting the contract requirements (column 4), and (6)Percentage of the contract price that each listed contract requirement represents (column 5). C.Performance of a listed service will be accepted and paid for at the maximum payment percentage specified in column 5 of the PRS when the number of defects found by the COTR during contract surveillance does not exceed the number of defects allowed by the AQL in column 3. when the AQL is exceeded, the COTR will initiate and the Contractor shall be required to complete a Contract Discrepancy Report. The Contractor shll explain in writing, why performance was unacceptable; how performend will be returned to acceptable levels, and how recurrence of the problem will be prevented. The Contracting Officer will evaluate the Contractor's explanation and determine if full payument, partial payment, or contract termination process is appropriate. The Contractor's payment for services rendered will be calculate as stated in paragraph D. D.If performance of a service exceeds the AQL, the HNC will not pay the full percentage in column 5 for that service. The maximum payment percentage for service in column 5 of the PRS is multipled by the percentage of the area found acceptable. The resulting percentage is the percentage of the monthly contract price that the Contractor will be paid for the listed service. The total number of defects found, not just the defects in excess of the reject level, is used to determine the percentage of the lot found unacceptable. The percentage of the area found unacceptabled subtracted from 100% determine the percentage of the area found acceptable. E.Example: Assume an AQL of 5%, a total number of 100 units, and that ten defects were found by the COTR. The payment would be computed as follows: (1) Maximum contract line item payment per month$10,000 (2) Maximum payment percentage for service (column 5)25% (3) Maximum payment for acceptable service$2,500 (4) Ten defects (exceed the reject level of 5 defects) (5) Percentage of units found unacceptable10% (6) Percentage of units found acceptable90% (7) Payment for percentage of acceptable service$2,250
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/HoVAMC/VAMCCO80220/VA-256-09-RQ-0316/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Houston VA National Cemetery<br />

Zip Code: 77030<br />
 

Record

SN01868670-W 20090710/090709000146-560ed1dc759b7ced3402c369b022d80f (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

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

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