THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This Sources Sought Notice is intended for information and planning purposes only at this time; and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because this is a Sources Sought announcement, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. No solicitation exists. Therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 4, Network Contracting Office 4 (NCO 4), is seeking information and potential qualified sources capable of providing a Commercial Woodchipper. The machine will be delivered to the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center, located in Pittsburgh, PA 15215. BACKGROUND: A chipper is the name for a machine used to grind and shred foliage to promote a clean environment and is used by healthcare facilities to protect the patients from hazardous debris. A chipper will be used year-round at both VA facilities. The VA Pittsburgh Medical Center, Facilities Management Service Department is requesting a quantity of one (1) Mobile 15 Capacity Hand-Fed Chipper. Currently, the facility has one Mobile 15 Capacity Hand-Fed Chipper, which is outdated due to fair wear and tear issues such as rust, worn seals and bearing, carbon buildup in engine causing a loss in compression. The impact to the VA Pittsburgh Medical Center, if the machine is not replaced, the grounds crew will have to chip lawn debris by hand. The disadvantages are potential increase injury rates for employees due to the inherit danger or splitting wood. Therefore, the only option to avoid these potential issues, is to replace the current near end of life chipper. Salient Features - Brand Name equivalent of Bandit Intimidator 15XPC 2.0 Must have 24 diameter drum and generous 17 1/4 high by 18-5/8 tall throat opening. 2-1/2 pintle hitch to tow in and between facilities Slide box feed system to keep human contact from the blades at a minimum. Minimum 130HP engine to consume foliage native to western PA. Minimum 20-gallon fuel tank for efficiency Rope/Line Shear Device Stops/reverse capability for the feed wheel when pulled in case of an emergency. Safety Control Bar on 3 sides of the infeed chute that controls the direction of feed wheels. Paddle to safely insert debris into the machine. Lockable hood to prevent unauthorized use. Mounted on street legal trailer. DELIVERY/STORAGE REQUIREMENTS: Deliver materials to job in manufacturer's original sealed packaging with brand name marked thereon. Packaged to prevent damage or deterioration during shipment, handling, storage, and installation. Maintain protective covering in place and in good repair until removal is necessary. Delivery and Installation will be coordinated through the COR. Installation of New Machines: Contractor shall deliver all equipment to the VA Medical Center on TBD. It is agreed upon and understood that the contractor shall be responsible for a complete delivery . INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE: Upon completing installation of the system, the COR shall pretest the entire system to ensure that it meets all requirements as specified. The Contractor shall conduct a joint inspection with the COR upon delivery of equipment. Contractor shall provide dates of completion of punch list items and replacement parts and/or short ship items from the manufacturer(s). The COR shall ensure all work is completed satisfactorily prior to acceptance. Disputes shall be resolved by the Contracting Officer. WARRANTY The Contractor warrants that the system will be free from defects from materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of not less than one (1) year for equipment defined herein. Contractor will replace or repair equipment, if necessary, to the satisfaction of the Government. Contractor shall provide a copy of the written warranty upon delivery of the equipment. The COTR or designated alternate is the Contractor s reporting and contact official for all service calls required. Warranty repairs shall be completed during normal operating hours. Responses to this RFI should include company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and point of contact e-mail, DUNS Number, Cage Code, size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification code (NAICS) 333120, Construction Machinery Manufacturing the Small Business Size Standard for this NAICS code is 1,250 employees. Please answer the following questions: Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Small Business (SB), Large Business, etc.)? Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this notice? Are you the manufacturer, distributor, or an equivalent solution to the items being referenced above? Is the product you are providing information about made by a small business manufacturer or a large business? Is the product you are providing information about manufactured in the United States? If not, please provide the country where the unit is manufactured. If you are a large business, do you have any designated distributors? If so, please provide their company name, telephone, point of Contact and size status (if available). If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above or an equivalent solution, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified? If you intend to subcontract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and completion of job. Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number. If you are an FSS GSA/NAC contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract? General pricing of your products/solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate for any type of award. Please submit your capabilities regarding the salient characteristics detailed above to establish capabilities for planning purposes. Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. Please provide your Unique Entity ID. This Sources Sought Notice will be conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received via e-mail to mcdaniel.brayboy@va.gov no later than, 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on November 18, 2024. This notice will help the VA in determining available potential sources only. Do not contact VA Medical Center staff regarding this requirement, as they are not authorized to discuss this matter related to this procurement action. All questions will be addressed by the Contract Specialist, McDaniel Brayboy III. All firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice are advised that their response is not a request for proposal, therefore will not be considered for a contract award. If a solicitation is issued, information will be posted on the Contract Opportunities website for all qualified interested parties at a later date, and interested parties must respond to the solicitation to be considered for award. This notice does not commit the government to contract for any supplies or services. The government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Source Sought Notice. Information will only be accepted in writing by e-mail to Contract Specialist, McDaniel Brayboy III at mcdaniel.brayboy@va.gov DISCLAIMER This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this notice.
