Description
The USDA, Animal and Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Veterinary Science Laboratory (NVSL), Ames, Iowa, intends to procure grass hay cubes for the period October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. Delivery to: USDA, APHIS, NVSL, 1800 Dayton Road, Ames, IA 50010. A fixed-price blanket purchase order, for up to 150 tons of Grass Hay Cubes will result. F.O.B. DESTINATION. Submit faxed quotations to "Purchasing Section," at (612) 370-2136, Attention Joanne Mann. QUOTATIONS ARE DUE AUGUST 13, 2002, BY 10:00 a.m. local time. Simplified procurement procedures will be used as well as commercial item acquisition regulations per FAR 12. This is a Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS Code 111998. 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; quotations are being requested and A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. This solicitation document incorporates provisions and clauses which are in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 01-07. Applicable FAR clauses are incorporated by reference: Prompt Payment 52.249-1 (4/84); Firm Fixed price 52.216-2 (01/97); Fixed Price 52.243-1 (8/87); Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concern 52.249-1; Notice of Price Evaluation preference for HUB Zone Small Business Concern 52.219-4; Instructions to Offerors -Commercial Items 52.212-1; Evaluation-Commercial items 52.212-2 (10/97); Offeror Representations and Certifications 52.212-3 (10/98); Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Items 52.212-4 (05/01); Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders-Commercial Items 52.212-5 (10/98). AGAR 452.211-71 Equal Products Offered (11/96); AGAR 252/211-70 Brand Name or Equal. ALL RESPONSIBLE SOURCES MAY SUBMIT A QUOTATION FOR CONSIDERATION. Quotes must for delivery f.o.b. destination, _________________. All offers must be signed. Offers should include: company name: ___________________________________________ tax payer identification number:__________________________ DUNS number__________________ and business size ___________________.SPECIFICATIONS: Hay cubes shall be a mixture of 70% grasses and 30% alfalfa. Grasses shall be brome, orchard, or timothy. Protein content shall be no less than 11% and moisture content shall be a maximum of 12.5%. Crude fiber shall be less than 30%. The minimal guaranteed protein content of the cubes in percent shall be placed on a tag attached to the bag or stamped on the bag. Hay shall not contain injurious foreign materials. The cubes shall be approximately 2 inches long X 1.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick. The cubes shall be delivered in multi-walled bags that shall not be less than 50/50 all natural Kraft paper ONLY. (Plastic liners are not allowed.) The bags shall weigh between 40 and 50 pounds and shall not be tired with, nor contain, wire, or backing boards or any other nonflammable materials. Bag size shall be approximately 20 inches wide X 4 inches deep and 38 inches long to facilitate stacking. Only new bags shall be used. The hay cubes shall be made in the field during haying season. Hay cubes shall be cured in a ventilated building, a minimum of twenty (20) days prior to bagging. All fines shall be screened prior to or during the bagging process. The cubes shall be bagged in the same facility as they are cured in. Deliveries shall be made from the plant in which the hay cubes are manufactured and bagged in clean, closed vehicles not used in the transportation of livestock. Each shipment shall be made as through shipment to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories with transfer from truck to truck or trailer through terminals and unloaded at location specified by the NVSL. The contractor shall assure that the material conforms to the specifications prior to delivery. Upon delivery at destination, the Government reserves the right to reject any or all parts of the shipment, if in the opinion of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), does not meet the requirements contained in the contract. Bags that are torn so that hay cubes are exposed on arrival at the NVLS will not be accepted for use. The Government reserves the right to inspect the processing and storage plant of hay cubes before, or anytime after, the contract is consummated. Final inspection will be made at destination for condition and quality. It is required by the ICC that both the empty and loaded weight must be obtained from the same weighing station. The contractor shall provide the Government with a certified copy of both the empty and loaded weight tickets at the time of each delivery, which must be obtained at an official weighing station with the firm's name inscribed on the weight ticket. Deliveries shall be made with ten (10) working days after receipt of telephone request by the Government representative for the period 10/30/2002 through 9/30/2003. Bags shall be loaded and delivered on returnable or disposable pallets so that hay cubes can be unloaded by a Government forklift operation at the Government facility. If returnable pallets are used, they shall be provided at no additional cost to the Government and the contractor shall be responsible for pickup and return of these pallets after delivery upon coordination with the COR.