This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; bids are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The Contracting Officer is utilizing policies and procedures prescribed in Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, Part 13.5 Test Program for Certain Commercial Items, and Part 14 Sealed Bidding. The solicitation number is DTRT57-07-B-60001 and is issued as an Invitation for Bids (IFB). The incorporated document and provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-15. This solicitation is a total HUBZone Small Business Concern Set-Aside in accordance with FAR 19.13. The North American Industry Classification Systems Code is 212399 and the Small Business size standard is 500 employees. All Bidders shall be certified as a HUBZone Small Business Concern by the Small Business Administration; Bidders must submit a copy of this certification with their bid. The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) has a requirement to assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with investigation, remediation and restoration support for the removal and disposal of asbestos contaminated soil, vermiculite containing insulation (VCI) and interior dust contamination from residential and commercial properties located in Libby, MT. One of the requirements of this support is to provide topsoil that will be used as part of the site remediation and restoration of properties in Libby, MT. This contract is for the Volpe Center to obtain a guaranteed minimum amount of 5,000 tons of topsoil with the option to obtain up to an additional 65,000 tons of topsoil for a total of 70,000 tons. Each Delivery Order will order a minimum of 500 tons. The ordering period for the issuance of delivery orders is 60 months from the date of contract award. All prices shall include delivery to site(s). The bid package shall include the following line item and prices: Line Item 0001 Topsoil Quantity: 5,000 tons, contract minimum - Unit Price $________, per ton, Total for Minimum Quantity (5,000 tons) Line Item 0001 $______; Line Item 0002 Topsoil Additional Quantities 5,001 tons to 70,000 tons to be ordered in a minimum of 500 ton increments ? Unit Price $________, per ton, Total Line item Amount $_________. Delivery of topsoil shall be to various residential and commercial properties located in the City of Libby, Lincoln County, MT. The City of Libby is 25 miles east of Idaho and approximately 40 miles south of Canada. Approximately 90% of the residential properties will be located within 2.5 miles of downtown Libby, MT; however, some properties may be up to 10 miles from downtown Libby, MT. The successful Bidder shall provide the necessary equipment, material and labor to perform all work under the contract. Further, the Bidder shall provide the necessary permit(s) for Opencut Mining as required by the state from which the topsoil material originates. Bids without the necessary permit(s) will be deemed non-responsive and rejected. For topsoil, the blending of material from more than one site and use of soil amendments is permitted to meet the Government?s specifications. Topsoil shall meet the following specifications: (1) Topsoil shall consist of surficial soil horizon materials; (2) it shall not contain stones, roots, sticks, or other non-soil materials larger than 1 inch in the largest diameter; (3) Topsoil texture shall be loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam, as defined by the soil texture triangle and soil classes from U.S. Department of Agriculture; (4) Organic Matter, 3% - 10%; (5) pH: 6.0 to 8.0; (6) Electrical Conductivity (EC): Less than 4 mmhos/cm; (7) Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR): <12 meq/L; (8) Cation Exchange Capacity: 10-25, meq/100g. Included in their bid package, Bidders shall provide analytical test results for 5 samples from a State of Montana accredited independent laboratory demonstrating that the topsoil product meets the Government?s specifications for topsoil using the following analytical methods: (1) Parameter: Organic Matter; Analytical Method: American Society of Agronomy (ASA) Monograph 9, Part 2 (1982), Method 29-3.5.2 (Walkley-Black Procedure); (2) Parameter: pH; Analytical Method: ASA Monograph 9, Part 2 (1982), Method 10-3.2; (3) Parameter: Electrical Conductivity (EC); Analytical Method: ASA Monograph 9, Part 2 (1982), Method 10-3.3; (4) Parameter: Sodium Adsorption Ratio (Ca, Mg, Na); Analytical Method: ASA Monograph 9, Part 2 (1982), Method 10-3.4, EPA 6010B/6020; (5) Parameter: Soil Texture; Analytical Method: ASA Monograph 9, Part 1 (1982), ASA 15-5; (6) Parameter: Cation Exchange Capacity; Analytical Method: ASA Monograph 9, Part 2 (1982), Method 8-3. Bidder shall also provide with its bid, the Bidder?s statement certifying that all materials used to create the final topsoil product to be delivered will be obtained from native source(s) and will not be previously used materials from a developed location. The Bidder shall provide details on the specific location of the topsoil source(s) with its bid package. Each Bidder shall provide a copy of a USGS quad sheet, or portion thereof to show the location of the source(s). After the Bidder has demonstrated that the material meets the Government specifications for topsoil, the Government reserves the right to accompany the Bidder to its borrow source(s) and/or its stockpile of the final topsoil product to obtain topsoil samples for environmental testing. The Government will sample and test the topsoil before awarding a contract to ensure the topsoil meets the Government?s specifications. The Government will analyze, prior to contract award, the Bidder?s material for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons (EPH), Volatile Petroleum Hydrocarbons (VPH), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs), Pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Priority Pollutant Metals, and Asbestos by the Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) Method in accordance with Federal and State of Montana Department of Environmental Quality specifications, namely EPA Region 9 Preliminary Remediation Goals (PRGs) and the Montana Tier I Surface Soil Table. The Government reserves the right to sample and/or test the Bidder?s proposed source(s) at any time, to determine compliance with Federal and State of Montana Department of Environmental Quality specifications, namely EPA Region 9 Preliminary Remediation Goals (PRGs) and the Montana Tier I Surface Soil Table. Topsoil material will also be sampled and/or tested for plant available nitrogen (ASA 33-8.1), phosphorus (ASA 24-5.4), and potassium (ASA 13-3.5) for informational purposes only. The Government shall have the right to sample and/or test the Bidder/contractor?s source(s) for quality assurance/quality control purposes and to inspect the topsoil material at any time. The Government shall have the right to reject non-conforming, non-homogeneous loads and/or any topsoil it deems unacceptable for use at the site. Five calendar days following the Notice to Proceed, the Contractor shall maintain and have available for delivery, a 1,000 ton stockpile of acceptable topsoil at the source. Further, the Contractor shall have the capability to provide within a 24-hour notice, up to 1,000 tons of this stockpiled topsoil delivered per day. This 1,000 ton quantity is in addition to quantity required by any issued delivery order. The Contractor shall provide soil texture, organic matter, pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, and sodium adsorption ratio test results every 8,000 tons (cumulatively) delivered. The Government shall periodically perform confirmatory quality assurance/quality control sampling on stockpiled or delivered material provided by the Contractor. Trucks must abide by Federal and State DOT regulations for commercial carriers, as well as local regulations, if applicable. The Bidder shall have the capability to deliver topsoil up to six days per week (Monday through Saturday) during the construction season. The 2007 construction season is scheduled for April 2 ? October 31. Generally the construction season runs from the beginning of March through the end of December. The Contractor will be notified of the dates of the construction season prior to the beginning of each construction season throughout the duration of this contract. Delivery will not be required during holiday shutdowns. The site will be shutdown for the following holidays: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Note: normally the site will be closed for one or two days on either end of the observed holiday. Currently the work schedule is 5 days per week, Monday thru Friday, but if deemed necessary by the Government the work schedule may be increased to 6 days per week. The Government shall provide the Contractor a written one-week notification of a change in the work schedule. The contract will be a fixed-price, indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) type contract with a guaranteed minimum amount of 5,000 tons. The maximum order quantity will be 70,000 tons. There is no guarantee that the remaining 65,000 tons will be ordered by the Government. Orders will be issued by the Contracting Officer through delivery orders. Delivery orders will be no less than 500 tons each. After the Contracting Officer issues a delivery order, topsoil delivery to individual properties will be coordinated through the on-site Government representative. Delivery information will include property address, quantity of soil required (typically by weight), and date required. The unit of measure for payment will be tons. Weight tickets will be the basis for payment under this contract. The Contractor shall provide and maintain a licensed scale for measurement. The scale shall be calibrated and certified by the Montana Bureau of Building and Measurement Standards, Measurement Standards Program (formerly Weights and Measures Bureau). A copy of the license shall be submitted by the Contractor to the Contracting Officer 5 calendar days following the notice to proceed. The Contractor shall provide weight tickets for each load of topsoil delivered to a property, and provide these tickets to the Volpe Center on-site representative with the delivery of each truckload. The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items, is hereby incorporated by reference and includes the following addenda: The clauses at 52.214-3 - Amendments to Invitations for Bids, FAR 52.214-4 - False Statements in Bids, FAR 52.214-5 - Submission of Bids, FAR 52.214-6 - Explanation to Prospective Bidders, FAR 52.214-10 - Contract Award?Sealed Bidding, FAR 52.214-12 - Preparation of Bids, FAR 52.214-16 - Minimum Bid Acceptance Period (the fillable blank for this clause is as follows: Government requires a acceptance period of 60 calendar days). Under FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items, (also incorporated by reference) the evaluation factor is price. The following clauses are incorporated by reference: FAR 52.216-18 ? Ordering (for the fillable blank for this clause is as follows: date of notice to proceed through the contract expiration); FAR 52.216-19 - Order Limitations (the fillable blank for this clause is as follows: (a) 500 tons; (b)(1) 25,000 tons; (b)(2) 70,000 tons; (b)(3) 30 calendar days; and (d) 7 calendar days; FAR 52.216-22 - Indefinite Quantity (the fillable blank for this clause is as follows: one year from the contract expiration date); FAR 52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantity?Separately Priced Line Item (the fillable blank for this clause is as follows: anytime before the expiration of the contract performance period); FAR 52-217-8 ? Option to Extend Services (the fillable blank for this clause is as follows: thirty calendar days before expiration date of contract performance period), and FAR 52-212-4 - Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items. In accordance with FAR 52.216-1 - Type of Contract, the Government contemplates award of a fixed price contract from this IFB. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, is incorporated by reference; additional clauses cited in FAR 52.212-5 that apply to this acquisition are: 52.203-6; 52.219-3; 52.219-8; 52.219-14; 52.222-21, 52.222-26; 52.222-35; 52.222-36; 52-222-37 and 52.223-9, 52.232-33. The clause 52.232-18, Availability of Funds is incorporated by reference in solicitation. Bid packages will be accepted from HUBZone certified small business Offerors only. Offerors shall sign their bid package, submit a copy of the HUBZone certification with their bid package, and include the following information in their bid package: (1) Unit and total price for the minimum quantity of 5,000 tons topsoil; (2) Unit and total price for Additional Quantity of 5,001 tons to 70,000 tons topsoil ordered in a minimum of 500 ton increments; (3) Copy of Opencut Mining Permit; (4) Copies of Analytical Test Results (gradation, organic matter, pH, electrical conductivity and sodium absorption ratio for 5 samples); (5) Copy of USGS quad sheet, demonstrating the location of the borrow source(s); (6) Bidder?s Certification of Native Source(s); and (7) Product availability, including any identified constraints and lead times. Bidder shall deliver two copies (original and one copy) of its bid package to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02142 ATTN: Joel Taylor, RTV-6D1, no later than 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday March 14, 2007. The bid package must be marked IFB: DTRT57-07-B-60001. If bids are hand-carried, such bids must be submitted in Building 1, Room 1124A at the above address. Offerors who do not submit an original and a copy of its bid package shall be deemed non-responsive to this solicitation. In accordance with FAR 52.214-31 (incorporated by reference), bid packages may be submitted via facsimile. If you choose to submit your bid package via facsimile, fax one copy to (617) 494-3024. Electronic bids are not authorized. If the Bidder chooses to submit its bid package via facsimile, the Bidder is also required to provide two copies (original and one copy) of its bid package to address listed above no later than 4 calendar days after the due date and time. A bid will be rejected as non-responsive and late if the Government does not receive the required original and one copy within 4 calendar days after the due date and time. No hard copies of the IFB will be mailed. The Contracting Officer for this procurement is Robert P. Robinson. No telephone calls please. Questions on this synopsis/solicitation shall be e-mailed to:
[email protected]. Any document(s) related to this procurement will be available on the Internet, which may be accessed using Web browsers. The WWW address, or URL, of the Volpe Center Acquisition Division home page is: http://www.volpe.dot.gov/procure/index.html. All Bidders must be registered in Central Contractor Registration (CCR) in order to receive award from a DOT Agency. Contractors may access the site at http://www.ccr.gov to register and/or obtain information about the registration process. Additionally, solicitation Representation and Certifications are no longer provided within the solicitation and must be submitted on-line through On-Line Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). ORCA is a web based system that centralizes and standardizes the collection, storage and viewing of the Representations and Certifications required by the Federal Acquisition Regulations. Potential Offerors are highly encouraged to complete the on-line provisions within the Representations and Certifications at https://orca.bpn.gov. The following notice is provided for informational purposes for Minority, Women-Owned and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. The Department of Transportation (DOT), Short-Term Lending Program (STLP) offers working capital financing in the form of lines of credit to finance accounts receivable for transportation related contracts. Maximum line of credit is $750,000 with interest at the prime rate. For further information, call (800)532-1169. Internet address: http://osdbuweb.dot.gov.