Landscaping Maintenance for VA Medical Center Memphis, TN
THIS IS A PRE-SOLICIATION NOTICE The Department of Veterans Affairs, Memphis, TN is preparing to issue a Request for Quotes (RFQ) for:
Landscaping Services at VA Medical Center Memphis, TN
SET-ASIDE: 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
NAICS: 561730 Landscaping Services
SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD: $7.5 million
Type of Contract: A one year base period, with four one year option periods.
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
The purpose of this synopsis is to notify potential vendors of a requirement that the Memphis Tennessee, VA Medical Center has a need for a contractor to provide the following services:
SECTION 1
I. GENERAL:
The maintenance specified in this contract shall include all property currently owned by the VAMC Memphis which includes the hospital property located at 1030 Jefferson Avenue, bound by Poplar Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Pauline Street, and the I-240 expressway; and the parking lot bordered by Jefferson, Somerville, Court and Waldren.
The contractor shall furnish all labor, tools, equipment, materials, supervision, and quality control for the performance of this contract. Maintenance or damage to the contractor's equipment shall be the responsibility of the contractor. On-site storage of the contractor's equipment and materials is not allowed. The United States Government will not be held liable for loss or any damages to the contractor's equipment or materials
The contractor shall follow sound horticultural practices throughout the year. The contractor shall retain a local area degreed horticulturist or degreed and experienced landscape / environmental maintenance professional to supervise the daily activities on the facility property as well as being certified in the application of chemicals and manage the landscape maintenance program in its entirety.
Chemical controls required under this contract shall be applied by a licensed operator incorporating EPA approved materials and application methods.
The VAMC Memphis must report all chemicals applied such as pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, etc. to the VA central office. The following information must be submitted by the contractor in writing monthly for each chemical applied.
- EPA Registration
- Active Ingredients
- Dilution Ratio
- Amount of Chemical Used
The contractor shall provide a degreed / qualified manager on-site superintendent to insure high quality work. The superintendent must be found satisfactory to the Contracting Officer. The superintendent is required to be on site at all times during the performance of the work.
II. LAWNS:
A. Mowing: After winter dormancy, all grasses shall be cut to a height of one inch and bagged or hand raked to remove dead leaf material and thatch. All raked material shall be removed from the site and disposed of by the contractor. Grasses such as Bermuda and Zoysia shall be mowed once a week to maintain an average height of 2" to 2.5 inches. Mowers shall be kept sharp at all times and care shall be taken so that mowing machines do not scar tree trunks, damage shrubbery, damage turf, etc.
The contractor will be permitted to mow Monday thru Friday between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. The grass may only be cut after dew or rain has evaporated from the grass. Mow only dry grass.
B. Edging: Where lawns are adjacent to existing roads, walks, fences, walls, saucers, etc. the contractor shall maintain a uniform/ straight edge. Edging shall be performed with every mowing.
C. Trimming: Where lawns are adjacent to existing planting beds, fences, walls, saucers, etc. the contractor shall maintain the lawn at the same height as the mower. Trimming shall be performed with every mowing. Trimming around tree trunks and shrubbery shall be performed with hand clippers so no damage occurs to the trunks and or shrubs. Keep grasses out of planting beds and tree saucers at all times.
D. Coordinating with other work: The contractor shall be required to coordinate his mowing operations with work performed by others. This mainly applies to work being performed by the weed control and fertilization workers but may include construction and other maintenance operations. The contractor shall avoid damaging existing sprinkler systems during grass cutting. Damage to existing sprinkler systems caused by the contractor, shall be repaired by the contractor at no cost to the government. Any damage or breakage of any glass caused by the operation of any worker and or operation of any contractor s equipment shall be repaired at the expense of the contractor at no cost to the government.
E. Clean-up: Clean all sidewalks and curb lines of mowing debris with leaf blowers or rakes and brooms after each mowing and trimming.
F. The contractor is responsible for any damage to existing plants caused by maintenance operations. Any plants damaged will be replaced by the contractor at no cost to the VA.
G. Fertilization: Maintain lawns in a healthy green color. Apply 30-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of 8 pounds per 1000 sf between March 15 and April 1. Apply complete balanced fertilization 13-13-13 at a rate of 8 pounds per 1000 sf between July 1 and July 14 and repeat applications between August 15 and September 1. The contractor shall take three (3) soil samples where directed by the Chief Engineer and have those samples tested by an independent laboratory to determine if the soil tests reflect fertilization problems. All fertilizer shall be slow release type. Soil sample analysis will be performed annually.
H. The contractor shall apply a per-emergent and post emergent during the spring and fall months, prior to the end of April and October. The prevention of Weed control is the contractor s responsibility. Chemical applications shall be conducted for each season of the year as required to maintain control of weeds throughout the facility grounds and courtyards and patio areas.
I. Lime treatment: The contractor shall apply lime between November 1 and November 14. Apply lime at a rate of 5 pounds per 1000s.f. on all turf areas. This will be done during the first year of the contract only.
J. General: The contractor will be required to notify the Chief Engineer prior to applying any chemicals or fertilizer to the lawn areas. Any spray-on chemicals shall be properly colored (dyed) so application coverage can be verified.
K. Clean up: After completing any of the items A through I referenced above, the contractor shall thoroughly clean and dispose of site debris created from these operations. Walks and roads must be completely free of any debris created by the contractors operations.
III. PLANTING BEDS, PATIOS AND GARDENS:
A. Weed Control: The contractor shall apply an approved pre-emergent/broad leaf herbicide between March 1 and March 15 and repeat application between September 1 and September 15. During the heat of summer (between June 1 and August 15) the contractor shall control weeds by spot spraying an approved post emergent. The contractor shall maintain planting beds so no weeds are evident, dead or alive. This will require hand pulling of weeds.
B. Fertilization: Maintain shrubbery in a healthy green color. The contractor shall apply 13-13-13 at a rate of 8 pounds per 1000 S.F. between April 1 and April 30th in conjunction and coordinated with the aeration. The contractor shall apply 6-12-12 at a rate of 15 pounds per 1000 S.F. between August 15 and September 1. All fertilizer shall be slow release type.
C. Pruning: The contractor shall prune all existing plants in such a manner that the natural shapes are retained. All hedgerows shall be trimmed to a maximum height of 36 inches. Pruning operations shall be performed in the dormant season whenever possible. Plants that overhang into passageways and parking areas, as well as damaged plants, shall be pruned as required by the Government. Cut liriope back between March 1 and March 15 (after the last hard freeze). All debris created from pruning operations shall be removed from the Medical Center daily.
D. Annual Bedding plants: Provide labor and materials required to install 6000 total annual bedding plants, 5 inch to 6 inch pot size, in all courtyards and planters, and patio and courtyard planting beds (bed tower breezeway north and south sides, bed-tower atrium planters, SCI first floor north side, Jefferson St. VA sign by lab entrance). Locations of plantings shall be determined by the Government in existing planting beds.
Spring plants shall be installed between April 15 and May 31. The contractor shall provide a list of recommended plants for the season with information including colors of the plants. The size of the plants shall be at least 4" pot size with a total of 3000 spring bedding plants or as required to ensure the bedding areas present a full appearance or as directed by the Government.
Fall plants shall be installed between October 1 and October 31. The contractor shall provide a list of recommended plants for the season with information including colors of the plants. The size of the plants shall be at least 4" pot size with a total of 3000 fall bedding plants or as required to ensure the bedding areas present a full appearance or as directed by the Government.
The contractor shall be responsible for the removal of bedding plants after their normal season. Renovate the existing planting beds as necessary after removal of bedding plants to provide a clean and uniform appearance. The contractor will guarantee the healthy growth of all bedding and planter plants during their normal growing season. Replacement of unhealthy or dead bedding plants will be the responsibility of the contractor at his expense unless damaged by other contractors or VA. A warranty of one year shall be provided by the contractor to warrant new plants (annuals and all permanent plantings).
E. Mulching: All bed surfaces shall be raked at least once a week to maintain a fresh appearance and to remove any foreign material (trash, paper, etc.) The contractor shall provide an additional 2" of processed shredded hardwood mulch to all planting beds and planters between April 15 and May 31st and also between October 1 and October 31.
F. Insect and Disease Control: The contractor shall apply a treatment of insecticide on all plants up to 12 feet tall in late spring and repeat application between July 1 and July 15. Application must be installed in strict accordance with the manufacturer s instructions. Spot spray problem areas as necessary during the course of the year. Annual bedding plants shall be continually maintained and sprayed for insects and diseases during their normal growing season.
In early spring the contractor shall apply dormant oil on all ornamental plants on the VAMC property.
G. Plant Replacement: Any plants found on site that are dead shall be reported to the COTR by the contractor. Submit reports of dead plants in writing with a proposal indicating the replacement costs of the same species and plant size. As determined by the government, the contractor may be compensated for replacing dead plants only when the death was caused by acts other than that caused by the contractor. The contractor shall replace plants damaged or killed by his operations at no cost to the government.
IV. TREES:
A. Fertilization: The contractor shall fertilize all trees (up to 16 inches in caliper) with a deep root injection of a soluble fertilizer containing 2 pounds of nitrogen per tree. The application shall be performed bi-annually between March 1 and March 15 (first year and third year).
B. Saucers: The contractor shall create a minimum 3 foot radius saucer around all trees up to 16 inches in caliper. The saucers shall be created by removing existing turfs and installing 12 inches of processed shredded hardwood mulch. Maintain saucers so weed and grasses are not apparent inside the saucer perimeter.
C. Tree trimming: The contractor shall up limb all trees, shrubs, and plants as directed by the COTR without height restriction. This includes the removal of dead limbs laying on the ground and live limbs as deemed necessary for the health of the tree and safety of staff and visitors or as directed by the COTR in order to facilitate operations as directed or required for safety reasons. All tree trimming and up limbing shall be conducted twice a year and or every six months as indicated during the months of (April and October) and as needed for safety reasons as directed by the COTR. The surrounding grounds shall be policed weekly with all limbs, branches and prunings removed and disposed of during the normal business and in conjunction with the daily compliance of the contract.
V. FENCE ROWS:
The contractor shall remove all vines, undergrowth or any weed material on any perimeter or interior fencing on the property. Maintain fence rows, clean of trash and weed free.
VI. LEAF REMOVAL:
A. The contractor shall perform complete leaf and pine needle removal to include all miscellaneous and associated debris of this type on all VA property. Perform leaf removal prior to the installation of mulch in planting beds. Remove leaf material as required during the growing season.
B. All debris created from leaf removal shall be removed from the VA daily.
VII. CRACKS AND CREVICES:
The contractor shall continually spray for weed growth in sidewalks, asphalt, curbs, and gutters, with a non-selective herbicide to prevent further growth. Weeds shall not be visible in these areas.
VIII. VA RESPONSIBILITY:
A. Watering: The VA will provide water for the contractor s use in watering turf areas, planting beds, and trees to maintain healthy growth in areas that are not covered by the use of a sprinkler system. The COTR will work with the contractor to establish appropriate watering schedules for new plantings.
SECTION 2
FACILITY COURTYARDS:
Maintenance of (5) courtyards to include the following work throughout the year:
Locations:
- SCI Courtyard (1)
- Bed Tower Courtyard (2)- North & South side on 2nd Floor
- Bed Tower Patio (1) South Lab entrance
Scope :
- Watering of all pots as needed throughout the year
- Treatment of all water fountains to include cleaning and insect control
- Installation of Seasonal Color in the SCI Courtyard to include two seasonal change outs per year
- General weeding and basic landscape maintenance of all courtyards as needed - Weekly inspections for Wasps/Insects or other items that may need immediate attention
- Refresh mulch twice per year
SECTION 3
EXTERIOR PROPERTY CLEAN-UP MAINTENANCE:
A. The exterior property clean up maintenance specified in the contract shall include all property currently owned by the VAMC Memphis which includes the hospital property located at 1030 Jefferson Avenue, bound by Poplar Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Pauline Street, and the I-240 expressway; and the parking lot bordered by Jefferson, Somerville, Court and Waldren.
B. The contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, supervision, and quality control necessary for the daily clean-up of the exterior of the above property. Contractor shall remove all trash, cigarette butts and other debris from the grounds and parking lots each day between the hours of 5am and 1 pm Monday thru Saturday, to exclude all government holidays. The contractor shall dispose of all collected material in the VA Medical Center dumpster located adjacent to Building 10. Work shall include the emptying and removal of trash cans and the emptying and removal of the contents of ash trays. The contractor shall provide trash bags in all trash cans and keep cans clean. Water for cleaning trash cans will be made available by the VAMC. Work shall be performed in all areas/ sections as outlined and or indicated on the attached drawing.
C. The contractor shall perform all work between the hours of 5:00 am and 1pm Monday through Saturday, excluding government holidays. Contractor shall work with the COR to prioritize areas to be addressed first thing daily. All trash removal and policing of the VAMC grounds and adjoining walkways shall be completed by 1pm each day. Contractor shall pick up and remove trash debris etc. daily. Ash trays shall be emptied daily. Trash containers will be emptied each day, Monday thru Saturday, excluding government holidays. The contractor will perform quality control including weekly inspection of the grounds to include written reports provided to the COR.
D. Cleaning of trash cans: Water for cleaning trash cans will be made available by the VAMC. The trash cans shall be pressure washed and cleaned with a disinfectant once a year. Work shall be performed in all areas indicated on the attached drawing. Trashcans can be brought to the M&R Bldg. 10 for scheduled cleaning Monday thru Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
SECTION 4
PERFORMANCE PERIOD
The performance period of this contract shall consist of one (1) twelve (12) month base period, and four (4) one (1) year option periods. The total length of the contract shall not exceed 60 months.
SECTION 5
DELIVERABLES
The contractor shall deliver monthly reports to the contracting officer consisting of the following information:
A financial status report of the contract that specifies the balance of the contract, payments received by the contractor and outstanding payments due to the contractor, as well as a chronological history of invoices, amounts and payments to date.
A technical status report of all outstanding issues related to the contract that have not been resolved (i.e., number of plants needing replacement, repaired sprinkler heads and locations).
SECTION 6
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
The Contractor will perform all contract requirements per the standards stated in the above sections. Performance will be monitored by the COTR who will meet with the Contractor in person at least quarterly to discuss performance. Deficiencies will be addressed immediately by the Contractor.
Contractor will be able to review the VA shop drawings for reference as required to complete this work. Return any shop drawings to the COR once the work has been completed. Contractor and their staff are not permitted to take any pictures, videos or drawings of any type.
Contractor and their staff are not permitted to take any pictures, videos or drawings of any type. Taking of photographs/videos are prohibited while on VA premises.
The contractor s staff will check in with the VA police to receive a VA work authorization badge. The badge must be worn facing forward and above the waistline. The contractors staff are required to wear the VA issued badge at all times while on VA premises.
TRAINING: The contractors staff (those who will be on VA property working) will be required to complete the TMS (VA 20939) training prior to the work beginning. The contractor will either personally bring the training certificates or E-mail the certificates to the COR so they can be kept on file for one year.
You must ensure each contract employee self-enrolls for a profile on the VA TMS by visiting https://www.tms.va.gov/plateau/user/login.jsp. Once there, employees should follow the steps below to create a profile, launch the mandatory training, and complete the content prior to their next day at VA.
Upon completion by all employees, the contractor shall provide their Contracting Officer Representative with each employee s printed certificate of completion from the TMS. This certificate displays the employee s TMS User ID.
The TMS training is only good for one year and the contractor is responsible to ensure their staff or persons who will be working on VA property are current.
Quote submission instruction will be posted in the solicitation:
A request for quote is anticipated to be publicized on Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website www.FBO.gov on or about August 2, 2017.
This requirement is a 100% set-aside for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 8127(d). To be eligible for award the SDVOSB must be considered small under the relevant NAICS code. SDVOSB contractors must be verified and viewable in VetBiz www.vip.vetbiz.gov prior to submission of proposal and prior to award of contract. Status as a qualified SDVOSB concern is under the authority of 38 CFR Part 74 in accordance with the VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) Part 819. Eligibility determination is performed by the Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE). Eligible SDVOSB concerns must also be registered at the following websites:
System for Award Management (SAM): https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/
Important Notice: Prior to submitting a bid under this SDVOSB set- aside solicitation; offerors must apply for and receive verification from the Department of Veteran Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) in accordance with 38 CFR Part 74 and VAAR 819.70 by submission of documentation of Veteran status, ownership and control sufficient to establish appropriate status. All offerors are urged to contact the CVE and submit the aforementioned required documents to obtain CVE verification of their SDVOSB status if they have not already done so.
VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (DEC 2009)
(a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern :
(1) Means a small business concern:
(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses);
(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran;
(iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document; and
(iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control and is so listed in the Vendor Information Pages database, (http://www.VetBiz.gov).
(2) Service-disabled veteran means a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16).
(b) General. (1) Offers are solicited only from service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered.
(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern.
(c) Agreement. A service-disabled veteran owned small business concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, in the case of a contract for:
(1) Services (except construction), at least 50 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance will be spent for employees of the concern or employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;
(2) Supplies (other than acquisition from a non-manufacturer of the supplies), at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing, excluding the cost of materials, will be performed by the concern or other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns;
(3) General construction, at least 15 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern s employees or the employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns; or
(4) Construction by special trade contractors, at least 25 percent of the cost of the contract performance incurred for personnel will be spent on the concern s employees or the employees of other eligible service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns.
(d) A joint venture may be considered a service-disabled veteran owned small business concern if
(1) At least one member of the joint venture is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and makes the following representations: That it is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern, and that it is a small business concern under the North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) code assigned to the procurement;
(2) Each other concern is small under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the procurement; and
(3) The joint venture meets the requirements of paragraph 7 of the explanation of Affiliates in 19.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
(4) The joint venture meets the requirements of 13 CFR 125.15(b).
(e) Any service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (non-manufacturer) must meet the requirements in 19.102(f) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit under this program.
Craig Ziegemeier
craig.ziegemeier@va.gov
craig.ziegemeier@va.gov
