CERL Grounds Maintenance

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks grounds maintenance services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) at the ERDC-CERL complex in Champaign, Illinois. The services aim to maintain healthy grass, trees, shrubs, and plants, ensure clear and safe roads and pathways during winter, and present a clean, neat, and professional appearance.

• Grounds Maintenance: Includes lawn mowing, trimming, weeding, flower bed maintenance, and leaf pickup. Specifics include maintaining grass height between 2 and 5 inches, trimming around various structures, and removing waste materials.

• Snow and Ice Removal: Services include pretreatment, clearing of roads, parking lots, and sidewalks, and application of melting materials. Snow removal is triggered by 2 inches of accumulation on roads/parking lots and 0.50 inches for ice. Services are required year-round, with specific focus during November-March.

• Tree, Shrub, and Flower Bed Maintenance: Includes pruning trees and shrubs, fungicide application for specific trees, flower bed maintenance (weeding, plant replacement, granular weed control), and organic wood mulch application.

• Performance Standards: Detailed performance standards are provided with acceptable quality levels and surveillance methods. Non-compliance may result in price reductions or reperformance of tasks.

• Period of Performance: Includes a Base Period of 12 months with four 12-month option periods, totaling a potential of 60 months.

• Pricing Arrangement: Firm Fixed Price for all services.

• Submission: Offerors must submit proposals including Corporate Capacity, Key Personnel, and Quality Control Plan. Standard Form 1449 and pricing are required.

• Evaluation: Award will be made to the responsible Offeror whose offer is most advantageous, considering price and other factors. Technical factors and Past Performance will be evaluated.

• The acquisition is set aside for Small Business.

• NAICS Code: 561730 (Landscaping Services)

• Size Standard: $9,500,000.00

• The solicitation incorporates FAR clauses by reference, including those related to small business set-asides, labor standards, and safety requirements (EM 385-1-1).

• Technical Exhibits (TE 01-03) are referenced for facility maps and grounds maintenance areas.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document outlines the instructions for preparing and submitting proposals for the CERL Grounds Maintenance RFP. It details the structure of the proposal, submission requirements, and evaluation factors.

Proposals must be submitted in two volumes:

• Volume I - Technical Proposal: Limited to 80 pages. Includes:
  • Corporate Capacity (20 pages)
  • Key Personnel (20 pages)
  • Quality Control Plan (20 pages)
  • Past Performance (20 pages - questionnaires do not count towards this limit).
  • No pricing information is to be included in Volume I.
• Volume II - Price Proposal: Includes Standard Form (SF) 1449 and pricing.

Not explicitly stated in this document, but it references the SF 1449 for pricing.

• Submission: Proposals must be submitted via email to kwamaine.d.clark@usace.army.mil with the subject line "CERL Grounds Maintenance RFP". Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
• Questions: All questions must be submitted via email to the same address up to ten (10) calendar days before the due date.
• Evaluation: The document outlines the proposal structure and content but does not detail the specific evaluation criteria beyond the factors listed for Volume I (Experience, Key Personnel, Quality Control Plan, Past Performance).

Offerors are required to have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration with no active exclusions.

• Past performance can be demonstrated via Contractor Performance Assessment Reports (CPARs) or Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ). A specific form (Form PPQ-0) is provided for this purpose.
• Offerors are responsible for ensuring the completeness and accuracy of their proposals. Corrections will not be made by the Government.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document outlines the evaluation factors and basis for award for an unspecified solicitation. The Government will evaluate proposals to determine the "best value" to the Government, considering all factors including evaluated cost. Award will be made to the offeror that can best accomplish the work and represents the best overall value.

Proposals will be evaluated based on three factors:

• Factor I - Technical Capability (Volume 1): Offerors must describe their Corporate Capacity, Key Personnel, and Quality Control Plan. This includes demonstrated ability to execute contract requirements, relevant experience, and personnel qualifications. Specific attention will be given to experience with multi-seasonal grounds maintenance.
• Factor II - Past Performance (Volume 1): Offerors must demonstrate past performance on contracts within the last five years that are similar in type, size, scope, and complexity. The evaluation will consider recency, relevancy, technical performance, cost controls, and adherence to schedules.
• Factor III - Price (Volume 2): Offerors must submit a completed Standard Form 1449 and pricing, including all optional line items and option years.

• The Government intends to select ONE contractor.

• Award will be made based on the overall best value proposal.

• Award will not be made unless the contractor's combined technical rating is acceptable or higher.

• Factor I (Technical) and Factor II (Past Performance) are of equal importance and combined are significantly more important than Factor III (Price).

• Technical capability will be rated using an adjectival system: Outstanding, Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Unacceptable.

• Past Performance will be assessed for relevancy and confidence (Substantial Confidence, Satisfactory Confidence, Limited Confidence, No Confidence, Unknown Confidence).

• Failure to submit sufficient information for technical capability and price will cause rejection of the proposal.

Not specified in this document.

• The "best value tradeoff" approach means award may be made to other than the lowest priced or highest technically rated offeror.
• By submitting an offer, the Offeror agrees that the capability presented in the proposal becomes a contract requirement upon award.

Forms / Attachments / Pricing Sheets

This document contains three technical exhibits (1-3) related to grounds maintenance at the ERDC CERL Main Complex. These exhibits visually depict areas requiring specific maintenance activities.

• Technical Exhibit 1: Details areas for grounds maintenance, specifically indicating flower beds (various types) and grassed areas to be cut. It also notes that all grass areas within the block bounded by Interstate Drive, Farber Drive, Newton Drive, and Newmark Drive are to receive services.
• Technical Exhibit 2: Outlines snow clearing areas. It highlights high-priority service areas, street areas, and sidewalk areas to be cleared of snow. It also marks locations of security gates that must remain operational.
• Technical Exhibit 3: Identifies specific areas where snow can be piled, covering approximately 5.1 acres. It also reiterates the symbol for security gates that must be kept clear.

These exhibits are crucial for bidders to understand the physical scope and specific requirements for grounds maintenance, including grass cutting, flower bed maintenance, and snow removal services at the specified facility. Bidders must use these exhibits to accurately assess the work involved and prepare their proposals.