THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. THE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER: This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. SOURCES SOUGHT DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a sources sought/RFI only. The purpose of this sources sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 311511. Responses to this sources sought will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 5 Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources that can provide delivery of Dairy/Milk products for the Martinsburg VAMC - 510 Butler Ave, Martinsburg, WV 25405. ITEM INFORMATION ITEM NUMBER DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT 0001 10,812.00 PT __________________ __________________ Whole Milk 1/2 Pint 0002 139,920.00 PT __________________ __________________ 2% 1/2 pint 0003 8,268.00 PT __________________ __________________ Skim 1/2Pint 0004 182.00 EA __________________ __________________ Sour Cream 5 Lb Tub 0005 430.00 EA __________________ __________________ Cottage cheese 5 Lb Tub 1.5 % 0006 35,563.00 PT __________________ __________________ Chocolate Fat Free 1/2 Pint 0007 1,730.00 GL __________________ __________________ 2 % Gallon 0008 8,957.00 PT __________________ __________________ Lactaid Milk 1/2 Pint STATEMENT OF WORK The Contractor shall provide milk and dairy products to meet the customer service standards for the industry in support of the Martinsburg, VA Medical Center (VAMC). PROCEDURES FOR PROVIDING SERVICES: Contractor shall provide all necessary labor, material, equipment, supplies and supervision to provide milk and dairy items in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MARTINSBURG, WV (VAMC): NOTE: DELIVERY WILL BE DAILY WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF (WEDNESDAYS & SUNDAYS) EXCLUDING FEDERAL HOLIDAYS DELIVERIES ACCEPTED BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5 A.M. AND 11 A.M. DELIVERIES WILL BE MADE TO THE INVENTORY CONTROL UNIT MARTINSBURG, WV, VAMC, BUILDING #500 MAIN KITCHEN(BASEMENT) ALL PRODUCTS MUST BE DATED INDICATING THE SELL BY DATE WITH INFORMATION THAT THE PRODUCT IS GOOD FOR 7 DAYS AFTER PRODUCTION. DELIVERY ORDERS: A. VAMC personnel designated at time of award will place delivery orders. B. VAMC will issue individual delivery orders (purchase orders) for their service. DELIVERY: All items shall be delivered FOB Destination to the Martinsburg, VA Medical Center (VAMC). All items delivered shall be in accordance with the latest Federal Hospital Subsistence Guide. All deliveries shall conform in every respect to the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and regulations promulgated there under. All milk and dairy items shall be labeled, packaged in commercially acceptable plastic containers. Production of milk shall not precede delivery by more than twenty-four hours. Production date shall be marked directly on the container. Contractor shall not be required to deliver products on national holidays as listed below and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National Holiday. Emergency situations. - Delivery-with in twenty-four hours from time of notified for In-house, and external disasters, local and national disasters, inclement weather, and medical local and national emergency: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE: A point of contract from the Martinsburg VAMC will be designated to accept or reject delivery as to quality and condition of milk items. Items rejected all or in part by the VAMC shall be removed from the premises within 48 hours of notification of rejection. If the vendor needs to offer a substitute product on rare occurrence, the substitute product must comparable and acceptable to the VAMC and offer at the same contract price. Vendor-owned delivery trays, racks, wheeled carts, etc. shall be in clean condition at delivery time; if they are not, vendor personnel will be required to transfer milk products to government owned holding racks. Vendor-owned trays/racks, wheeled carts, etc. utilized in delivery will be held for pick-up by the vendor for reuse. The VAMC reserves the right to perform and inspection of the contractor s facility at any time during the contract period and, if it is found that the contractor is not complying with specifications, deliveries will be rejected, and the items covered by this contract will be procured in the open market. Any excess cost occasioned by this action shall be charged against the contractor s account. SANITATION AND WORKMANSHIP: Items shall be prepared, processed, and packed under sanitary conditions and in accordance with good commercial practice. All containers shall be clean, sound and securely covered or sealed to provide adequate protection from dirt, filth, or other contamination. CUSTOMER SERVICE POINT OF CONTACT: The Contractor shall provide a designated point of contact and toll-free number (if applicable) for resolution of customer service problems to include at a minimum delivery of damaged or incorrect items. Contractor Point of Contact: ---------------------------------- (Name) --------------------------------- (Title) -------------------------------- (Telephone Number) --------------------------------- (E-mail Address) DELIVERY LOCATION: MARTINSBURG VA MEDICAL CENTER 510 BUTLER AVENUE MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA 25405 INVOICES: Invoices shall be issued to the VA Financial Service Center and the Chief, Nutrition and Food Service> Invoices shall be identified with proper delivery order number (purchase order number) and shall reflect all deliveries made against the delivery order. End of the month deliveries shall not be billed against the following month delivery order. Invoices shall be submitted weekly and shall include the following per FAR Clause 52.212-4 (g): Contractor s business name and address Contractor s Tax Identification Number (TIN) Invoice date Date(s) of services provided Contract number Total amount billed Purchase order number NOTE: Failure to include the above information may result in delay of payment. Invoices will be returned to the Contractor for completion if there are any omissions. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements under this contract on behalf of the Government. In the event the Contractor affects any change(s) at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, that change shall be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment in price shall be made in the contract to cover any increase in charges incurred as a result thereof. The Contractor shall submit all requests for modification of this contract and any inquiries pertaining to the administration of the contract to the Contracting Officer in writing at: Department of Veteran Affairs Network Contracting Office 5 ATTN: DESIGNATION OF CONTRACTING OFFICER S REPRESENTATIVE (COTR): The following individual has been designated as the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) to monitor and certify receipt of services rendered under this contract: Nutrition & Food Service The COR has the following scope and limitations of authority: Place orders for supplies/services not to exceed those required under this contract. Certify acceptance of supplies/service received in accordance with the contract requirements. Furnish technical guidance and advice, and monitor services performed under the contract. Report any deficiencies in performance, quality of supplies/service, safety practices and questions on contract performance or suspensions of work to the Contracting Officer. This delegation of authority does not include any authority to make changes in quantity, quality, and delivery. The Contracting Officer acting within the scope of his/her authority will make changes to the contract. This delegation of authority will expire upon completion of the contract or unless sooner revoked in writing by the Contracting Officer, but in any case, will not extend beyond the contract period. The information identified above is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive and to indicate the quality of the supplies/services that will be satisfactory. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the supplies/services that fulfill the required specifications. If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought-out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc. (2) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI? (3) Are you the manufacturer or distributor of the items being referenced above (or equivalent product/solution)? What is the manufacturing country of origin of these items? (4) If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above (or equivalent product/solution), do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified? (5) Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with NASA SEWP or any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract type and number. (6) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC or NASA SEWP contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the referenced items/solutions available on your schedule/contract? (7) Please provide general pricing for your products/solutions for market research purposes. (8) Please submit your capabilities in regards to the salient characteristics being provided and any information pertaining to equal to items to establish capabilities for planning purposes? *** Submissions addressing Section (8) should show clear, compelling and convincing*** evidence that all equal to items" meet all required salient characteristics. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to
[email protected]. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 10:00 AM EST. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this request for information. Responses to this notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.