A. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice, FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items (Title VIII of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994)(Public Law 103-355). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested, and a written solicitation will not be issued.
B. The Great Plains Area Indian Health Service (IHS) intends to award a Firm Fixed-Price, Non-Personal Service Type, Commercial Item Purchase Order in response to Request for Quote (RFQ) RFQ-24-047.
C. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-04, 05/01/2024.
D. This RFQ is a “100% Buy Indian/ Small Business (SB)” solicitation. The associated NAICS Code is 541910 (Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling), which has a small business standard of $22.5.
E. The quoted unit pricing must be “all-inclusive” (to include but not be limited to travel, lodging, per diem, fringe benefits, and federal, state, and local taxes), plus all other costs pertinent to the performance of this contract. Utilize your most competitive and reasonable rates.
Complete Appendix A - Quote Schedule Total Quote Schedule Amount
1. Sioux San Hospital Campus Memorial Planning. $: ______________________
F. To provide Market Research and Public Opinion Polling at the Oyate Health Center, Rapid City, SD.
G. See attached Statement of Work. Services will be provided for the Oyate Health Center, 3200 Canyon Lake Drive, Rapid City, South Dakota. The period of performance will be 90 days from Notice to Proceed.
H. FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (September 2023).
Quotes shall be submitted on company letterhead stationery, signed, dated and it shall include:
1. Solicitation number RFQ-24-047;
2. Closing Date: June 14, 2024 at 12:00 pm CDT;
3. Name, address, and telephone number of company and email address of contact person;
4. Technical description of the item/service being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the solicitation requirements. This may include product literature or other documents, if necessary;
5. Price and any discount;
6. “Remit to” address, if different than mailing address;
7. A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically);
8. Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments (if any issued);
9. Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers, and other pertinent information);
10. A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions of the solicitation. Offerors that fail to furnish required representations or information or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration.
I. Basis of Award is 52.212-2 Evaluation – Commercial Products and Commercial Services (November 2021). See attachment for full text.
J. FAR 52.212-3 Offer Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024). See attachment for full text. The Offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website accessed through http://www.acquisition.gov. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (p) of this provision.
K. FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (November 2023). Applied to this acquisition, and it’s incorporated by reference.
L. FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024). See attachment for full text.
M. Attached are the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) & Health & Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) applicable clauses, included below.
N. Offers will be accepted electronically; submit via email to the following:
Great Plains Area Indian Health Service
Attn: David Jones, Contract Specialist
115 4th Ave. SE, Room 309
Aberdeen, SD 57401
Email: david.jones@ihs.gov
Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing by email no later than June 7, 2024, 12:00 p.m. CDT.
Contractors will need a UEI and TIN and be registered with the System for Award Management at www.sam.gov.
Acceptance Period: Your proposal must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFQ. In addition, it must contain a statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 30 days from the date of receipt by the Government.
The quotation must set forth full, accurate, and complete information as required by the Request for Quotation (RFQ) and be returned by the date referenced. All the necessary information must be submitted to be considered responsive and eligible for award.
Throughout the duration of the contract, no contract award shall be made to any vendor listed on the OIG Exclusions List at http://exclusions.org.hhs.gov.
Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is in the process of implementing an electronic invoicing system.
In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) M-15-19 memorandum “Improving Government Efficiency and Saving Taxpayer Dollars Through Electronic Invoicing,” directing Federal agencies to adopt electronic invoicing as the primary means to disburse payment to vendors. Invoices submitted under any award resulting from this solicitation will be required to utilize the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) in accordance with HHSAR 352.232-71, Electronic Submission and Processing of Payment Requests.”
IPP is a secure, web-based electronic invoicing system provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRSTL). Respondents to this solicitation are encouraged to register an account with IPP if they have not already done so. If your organization is already registered to use IPP, you will not be required to re-register- however, we encourage you make sure your organization and designated IPP user accounts are valid and up to date.
The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.
Please contact the IPP Helpdesk at (866) 973-3131 (M-F 8 AM to 6 PM ET) or IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov if you require assistance registering or IPP account access.
“Should the contractor feel that use of the IPP would be unduly burdensome, their response to this solicitation should include an explanation of this position for a determination by the contracting officer.”
SECURITY CLEARANCE
A security pre-clearance must be performed for employees referred to IHS through this contract.
Fingerprints must be completed and adjudicated before services are performed under this contract.
No contract award shall be made to any vendor or provider listed on the OIG Exclusion List http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov throughout the contract. It shall be the contractor's responsibility to notify the acquisition official if there is a change in provider.
The performance of this contract will require routine access by the contractor's employees or subcontractors to facilities or systems controlled by the Indian Health Service (IHS). Before starting work requiring routine access to IHS facilities or systems, each person must complete an FBI National Criminal History Check (Fingerprint Check) adjudicated by an IHS employee using the Office of Personnel Management Personnel Investigations Processing System. Contractors shall allow five business days for IHS processing of fingerprints taken electronically at an IHS site and thirty business days for nonelectronic processing of fingerprints using FBI Form FD-258. A list of IHS sites with electronic fingerprint capability is available from the Contracting Officer.
In addition, no Contractor or subcontractor employee shall be permitted to perform work under this contract if listed on the HHS Office of Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov. As soon as practicable before the start of work, the contractor shall provide the contractor's performance of the work to the Contracting Officer with the names of all individuals to be used in the performance of work for screening against the LEIE. During the performance, the contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer with the names of any additional or substitute employees for screening before they begin work.
The contractor is responsible for conducting security preclearance investigations in sufficient depth to ensure that each Contractor or subcontractor employee referred to IHS is not on the LEIE and can obtain a favorable fingerprint clearance. Each security preclearance shall be conducted sufficiently before the start of performance to avoid delays caused by denial of access. If this is a Time and Materials, Labor-Hour or Cost Reimbursement contract, the contractor shall not charge for or be reimbursed for labor hours or other costs incurred for employees who are unable to perform due to denial or access or the excess time required to resolve and clear unfavorable security clearance findings. If this is a Fixed Price contract, denial of access due to security clearance findings shall not be a basis for excusable delay or an increase to the contract amount.
The government will pay for the cost of processing the contractor's suitability clearances. However, multiple investigations for the same position may, at the Contracting officer's discretion, lead to a reduction(s) in the contract price of no more than the cost of the extra investigation(s).
For employees that DO NOT have access to LMS, contractors, volunteers, or IHS employees with IPAs or MOAs to tribal organizations, please click here on the IHS Sexual Abuse Prevention website. When the contractors have completed and passed the training, please have them send a copy of the last page with Name, Date, and Time to their Supervisor, COR, and Kimmen LeBeau, e-mail: Kimmen.LeBeau@ihs.gov.
