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Public Notice

Notice of Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
Solicitation No. AG-3B19-S-05-0003
Solicitation No. AG-3B19-S-05-0004 (Service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside)
Prescribed Grazing Plans
Date: 8/3/2005

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces two solicitations for contractual services for the preparation of Prescribed Grazing Plans (PGP). These solicitations are being advertised on FedBizOpps, the US Government wide point of entry for electronic access by the public.  Solicitation No. AG-3B19-S-05-0003 is a full and open competition and is open to all candidates who meet the required qualifications.  Solicitation No. AG-3B19-S-05-0004 is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside which is reserved only for service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns who meet the required qualifications.

CONTRACT INFORMATION: The government contemplates the award of one or more Indefinite Delivery - Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts with a one-year base period and four (4) one-year option periods. The firm or firms selected will be guaranteed a minimum of $5,000 in fees for the total five year period of the contract. The maximum dollar limit for the total five year period of the contract is $200,000. Projects will be ordered on an as-needed basis beginning after the date of contract award. Work under each of the contracts will be subject to satisfactory negotiation of individual task orders in association with the pre-determined unit prices of the contract. The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, labor, tools, materials, supervision and other items necessary to provide the PGP services required.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: A PGP is a plan that manages the controlled harvest of vegetation with grazing animals on pasture lands which, when implemented as part of a conservation system, will help ensure that both farm production and natural resource protection goals are achieved. PGPs will be prepared by the contractor in accordance with the statement of work in the RFP and all applicable NRCS policies and criteria which can be found at the following website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/ .

PRE-QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To be eligible to compete and to be evaluated in this solicitation, offerors must comply with all of the following pre-qualification requirements:

  1. Offerors must have successfully completed at least 30 semester hours of course work in a related field such as agronomy, agriculture, farm management or other related field, all of which included at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with crop production and soil and crop management. In lieu of the 30 semester hours, offerors may substitute five (5) years full-time experience in the implementation of prescribed grazing plans.

  2. Offerors must have a minimum of one (1) certification from a professional society specific to pasture and forage management.

  3. Offerors must complete the annual "Representations and Certifications" electronically via the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) website at http://orca.bpn.gov.  This information is provided in FAR 52.204-8 which is included in Section K of this solicitation.  "Representations and Certifications" must be correct, current and up to date on the ORCA web site no later than the date and time that the proposals are due.  By submitting a proposal, offerors certify that they have completed the annual "Representations and Certifications" electronically via the ORCA website and that all information is correct, current and up to date. NRCS will not evaluate a proposal of an offeror that has not completed the annual "Representations and Certifications" electronically at the ORCA web site.

  4. Offerors must not be listed in the US Government's Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) database as being debarred, suspended or excluded from receiving contracts from the US Government. NRCS will not evaluate a proposal of an offeror that is on this list.

PRE-CONTRACT AWARD REQUIREMENTS: To be eligible for contract award, an offeror selected for contract must be registered in the Federal Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database.  The CCR database is the primary government repository for contractor information necessary for conducting business with the Federal Government. Registration information is provided in FAR 52.204-7 included in Section L of the solicitation.  NRCS can not award a contract to an offeror that is not registered in the CCR.

EVALUATION FACTORS:
Offerors will be required to submit a Technical Proposal and a Business/Price Proposal wherein they should include information regarding the following technical evaluation factors which are listed in descending order of importance:

  1. Technical Evaluation Factor 1 – Qualifications, Relevant Experience and Technical Competence in Developing and Implementing Prescribed Grazing Plans

  2. Technical Evaluation Factor 2 – Sample PGP

  3. Technical Evaluation Factor 3 – Planned Approach to Accomplishing the Work Successfully.

  4. Technical Evaluation Factor 4 – Past Performance.

  5. Technical Evaluation Factor 5 – Quality Control Plan (QCP)

The Business/Price Proposal will require the submittal of financial statements and the offeror's proposed unit prices.  All evaluation factors other than cost or price, when combined are significantly more important than cost or price.

THE SOLICITATIONS: Paper copies of the solicitations will not be available.
The Solicitations will be posted on the U.S. Government FEDBIZOPPS web site within 15 days from the date of this notice at the following web links:

Solicitation No. AG-3B19-S-05-0003: http://www2.eps.gov/spg/USDA/NRCS/MDSO/AG%2D3B19%2DS%2D05%2D0003/listing.html

Solicitation No. AG-3B19-S-05-0004: http://www2.eps.gov/spg/USDA/NRCS/MDSO/AG%2D3B19%2DS%2D05%2D0004/listing.html

Interested offerors may register at the appropriate web site to receive notification when the solicitation and any amendments or other information pertaining to the solicitation are issued and available for downloading. PLEASE NOTE: The General Services Administration provides the notification services as a convenience and does not guarantee that notifications will be sent to all persons. Therefore, interested offerors should assume the responsibility to monitor the FEDBIZOPPS website frequently to obtain all information relevant to this acquisition.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Firms or individuals interested in being considered for providing the PGP services are to submit the information specified in Section L of the Solicitation no later than the date and time the proposals are due. Only those firms responding by the specified time will be considered for selection.

QUESTIONS: All questions must be directed in writing, by fax or by e-mail to the Point of Contact identified below. No questions will be accepted by telephone.

POINT OF CONTACT: Robert A. Ellsworth, Contract Specialist, Phone 443-482-2921, Fax 410-757-0687, Email robert.ellsworth@md.usda.gov

ROBERT A. ELLSWORTH
Contracting Officer

 

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