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PRESOLICITATION NOTICE
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR STANDARD FORM (SF) 330'S ARCHITECT-ENGINEER QUALIFICATION PACKAGES ONLY. ALL INFORMATION NEEDED TO SUBMIT SF 330 DOCUMENTS IS CONTAINED HEREIN. NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE, TECHNICAL INFORMATION, OR BIDDER/PLAN HOLDER LIST WILL BE ISSUED. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PAY, NOR REIMBURSE ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST. THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
1. GENERAL INFORMATION:
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) is seeking sources and intends to award a firm-fixed price design contract for Architect-Engineering (A-E) services for Project #564-22-703 EHRM Training and Admin Space Support for the Renovation Design at the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks (VHSO) located at 1100 N. College Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72703. The A-E shall include site visits, field investigation, conduct studies and user interviews to prepare schematic design development drawings, construction documents, specifications, calculations, cost estimates, narratives, bidding support services and construction period services.
The A-E Services contract that is anticipated to be awarded will be procured in accordance with the Selection of Architects and Engineers Statute [formerly known as the Brooks Architect Engineer Act], Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 36.6 Architectural and Engineering Services, VA Acquisition Regulation 836.6, and VA Acquisition Manual M836.6 Architect-Engineer Services. In accordance with FAR 36.209 Construction Contracts with Architect-Engineer Firms, no contract for the construction of a project shall be awarded to the firm that designed the project or its subsidiaries or affiliates, except with the approval of the head of the agency or authorized representative.

2. PROJECT INFORMATION
This project is a 100% Set-Aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns (SDVOSB). The NAICS Code for this procurement is 541330 Engineering Services and the annual small business size standard is $16.5M. This project requires a full design team to complete this project. The projected award date for the anticipated A-E contract is on or before April 14, 2023.
The anticipated period of performance for completion of design is 171 calendar days after notice of award. The FAR 52.236-22 Design Within Funding Limitation (APR 1984), for this project is $1,500,000.00.

3. SCOPE OF DESIGN
The scope of this project is the following infrastructure improvements to the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks (VHSO):Â A/E Part One - Services (also known as Design Phase) for this design project includes site visits, field investigation, studies, and user interviews to prepare drawings, specifications and cost estimates for all facets of work and disciplines/trades to facilitate a construction project to renovate Quarters 6A and 6B to provide Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) training and administrative support spaces.
Prepare construction bid documents, including but not limited to, Construction Drawings, Construction Specifications, and Independent Cost Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) to furnish training, administrative space, and parking to support the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. This design will define the full and complete remodel of Quarters 6A and 6B and parking adjacent to as defined later in the SOW.
A/E Part Two - furnish full and complete construction period (CPS) including but not limited to, responding to construction contractor requests for information (RFIs) during the solicitation (solicitation support) and construction phases of the construction project, attendance at pre-bid meetings, post-award meetings, commissioning meetings, weekly construction progress meetings, construction project conferences as required by VHSO in support of construction. Additionally, the A/E will be required to review and respond to construction material submittals and shop drawings, furnish two site visits per month during construction (both scheduled and emergent) to ensure compliance with the design drawings and specifications, preparation of site visit reports, coordination with project commissioning requirements, issuance of construction drawing revisions notices (CDRN), review of any construction project modifications for cost and technical acceptability, attendance in the final acceptance inspection, preparation of the punch list and preparation of record drawings of the completed construction project based on the construction contractor s as-built drawings. The A/E shall prepare a submittal log to be utilized by the VA during construction period services, maintain RFI log and furnish meeting minutes for weekly construction meetings throughout the duration of construction. All Part Two Services are optional line items and will not be exercised at the time of award.

The A-E shall be professionally licensed in any state in the United States. The A-E is responsible for all services to complete the deliverables listed in the Statement of Work (SOW) (See Attached SOW - VISN 16 VHSO Fayetteville. The deliverables outlined in the SOW are inclusive of the following: Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan, basis of design (10%), schematic design (35%), design development (65%), contract documents (95%), final bid documents (100%), and construction period services. The deliverables schedule can be found in the SOW.

Please note that the 171-calendar day period of performance for the design completion begins with the issuance of the Notice of Award. A Notice to Proceed will not be issued for the completion of a design project. The construction period services will be option items that will be exercised after the award of the construction project. The period of performance for construction period services will match the period of performance for the construction project.
4. A-E SELECTION PROCESS:
Responsive firms submitting SF-330 s in response to this announcement, not later than the closing date and time specified herein and in accordance with submission requirements, will be considered for initial selection evaluation. The selection process will be made using a two-phase process. Phase I consists of the initial evaluation of the SF-330 s and determination of the highest rated firms. A minimum of three (3) of the highest rated firms will then be short listed and invited to continue with Phase II of the process. All firms not short listed will be notified at this time. Phase II consists of Written Responses for the short-listed firms and selection of the top ranked firm to receive the solicitation and conduct negotiations. The firms selected for Written Responses will be notified by email of selection and provided further instructions and the evaluation criteria requirements. After the Written Responses are received, the firms will be evaluated and the top-ranked firm will be selected, sent the solicitation, and subsequent negotiations to follow. A site visit will be authorized for the highest rated firm during the negotiation process. Award selection will be made based on the results of the Written Responses and successful negotiation of rates for the project, and not the SF-330 qualifications from Phase I. If negotiations are not successful with the highest rated firm, they will continue with the next highest rated firm, and so on until award can be made.

Please note that during the evaluation of the written responses, the prior evaluation of the SF 330s will not be taken into consideration as they are separate evaluations.

5. PHASE I SF330 SELECTION CRITERIA:
The following are listed in descending order of importance.
Primary Selection Criteria:

Professional Qualifications: Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required service. The firm and A-E on staff representing the project or signing drawings in each discipline must be licensed to practice in any one of the United States of America. Provide Professional License numbers and/or proof of Licensure. The evaluation shall consider the specific experience and qualifications (i.e., education, training, registration, certifications, overall relevant experience, and longevity with the firm as full time employees) of personnel proposed for assignment to the project, and their record of working together as a team when evaluating professional qualifications. The lead designer in each discipline must be registered but does not have to be registered in the particular state where the project is located.

The information provided in sections C through E of SF 330 will be used to evaluate this evaluation factor. Do not include this information in section H, unless it is pertinent to support the information listed in the other sections.
Specialized Experience: Specialized experience and technical competence in the design and construction period services provided for projects similar in size, scope, and complexity. The projects provided in section F should include VHA Minor construction project experience which includes experience dealing with new building construction, working with historic districts, designing to physical security standards, and compliance with VHA design criteria. At a minimum, include the following for each submitted project: design start and end dates, construction start and end dates (if applicable), design amount, estimated or final construction amount, and specialized scope items that may include critical path scheduling, fire protection, construction infection control protocols, energy conservation, sustainable design practices, and specialized building types requiring physical security measures. Also identify if any of the projects include Infrastructure upgrades, work in active hospitals, and/or phasing.
Include no more than five (5) Government and/or private experience projects that best illustrate specialized experience as listed above, with at least 95% of the design completed. Applicable projects must have been awarded within the past eight years from the date of the SF 330 submission. Any projects submitted that exceed the limit will not be considered during the evaluation. The evaluation of the submitted projects will consider the relevant work performed; coordination of disciplines and subcontractors; prior experience of the prime firm and any key subcontractors working together on relevant projects; and familiarity with VA Design Guides/Manuals, Master Specifications, and other applicable standards. All projects provided in the SF 330 must involve some effort or contribution from a firm, office, branch, or individual team member proposed to perform work under this contract.

The information provided in sections F and G of SF 330 will be used to evaluate this evaluation factor. Do not include this information in section H, unless it is pertinent to support the information listed in the other sections.
Capacity: Capacity to accomplish work in the required time. The evaluation will consider the firm s ability to meet the compressed schedule of the overall project, as well as the available capacity of key disciplines to perform the work in the required time. Provide the available capacity of key disciplines by providing current project workload, inclusive of all projects awarded by the VA during the previous 12 months and the full potential value of any current indefinite delivery contracts.

The information for this factor shall be provided in Section H of the SF 330. Please
ensure the capacity applies toward the team/personnel provided in the SF 330.

Past Performance: Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules. The past performance will be evaluated for all projects provided in section F to include a review of Contractor Performance Assessment Rating System (CPARS). The following information is required for all projects noted in section F: contract/task order number, project title, prime firm, start date, and completion date. Evaluations may also include additional performance related from the firm, customer inquiries, Government databases, publicly available sources, and additional projects in CPARS.

Evaluations will consider superior performance ratings on recently completed projects as well as the reputation and standing of the firm and its principal officials with respect to professional performance, general management, and cooperativeness. Also, consider, as appropriate, the record of significant claims against the firm because of improper or incomplete architectural and engineering services. Failure to provide requested data, accessible points of contact, or valid phone numbers could result in a firm being considered less qualified. All projects provided in the SF 330 must be completed by the office/branch/individual team member performing the work under this contract.

The information for this factor shall be provided in Section H of the SF 330. If there is no CPARS data available, Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs) will be accepted. Please utilize the attached PPQ document.

Locality: Knowledge of the locality, to include specific knowledge of certain local conditions or project site features, such as geological features, climatic conditions, working with and local construction methods or local laws and regulations.

The information for this factor shall be provided in Section H of the SF 330. The information for this factor shall be provided in Section H of the SF 330. Note that the intent of this factor is to showcase a firm s understanding of the site and locality, and not where the firm is located and how they would travel to the site. Information related to the firm s location, shall be provided in section H, under Secondary Selection Criteria Factor 1.

Construction Period Services: Experience in construction period services to include professional field inspections during the construction period, review of construction submittals, support in answering requests for information during the construction period, support of construction contract changes to include drafting statements of work and cost estimates, attendance at weekly conference calls, providing minutes of meetings between the AE, VA, and contractors, pre-final inspection site visits, generation of punch-list reports, and production of as-built documentation.

The information for this factor shall be provided in Section H of the SF 330.
Secondary Selection Criteria:

Geographic Location: Location of the firm, as measured by the driving distance (miles) between the Offeror s principal business location and the Butler VA Medical Center (VAMC) located in Butler, PA. Determination of the mileage will be based on Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/).

* The secondary selection criterion is used as a tiebreaker, if necessary, in ranking the most highly qualified firms following the completion of discussions. The secondary selection criterion will not be applied when determining a firm s SF 330 submission Excellent, Acceptable, Good, Marginal, or Unacceptable.

The information for this factor shall be provided in Section H of the SF 330.

6. PHASE II WRITTEN RESPONSES SELECTION CRITERIA:
In accordance with FAR 36.602-3(c), discussions will be conducted in the form of written responses. The selected firms will be invited to provide their written responses to predetermined questions via email to the A-E Evaluation Board. The instructions for the written responses will be provided to the selected firms only. Each selected firm will be evaluated based on their written responses. The top-rated firm will be selected based on their rating from the written responses. The previous ratings from the SF330 evaluations are not applicable during Phase II.

Below are the evaluation factors for the written responses. The Phase II factors are of equal importance.

Proposed Management and Coordination Plan: Discuss confidence and approach to completing a project of this scale with an expedited period of performance. Explain quality control methods that will be used throughout each design phase, prior to each submission, and during construction. Provide a detailed explanation of how comments from design review meetings will be incorporated into the next submission. Describe strategy for control of estimated cost and solutions for anticipated cost-related problems. Discuss proposed design team and their specific strengths and experience that make them the best fit for this project.

Approach to Project Challenges: Discuss approach to overcome geographical obstacles considering the number of design phase and CPS site visits needed for this specific project. Identify elements in the SOW and supporting attachments that you see as challenges and provide recommendations for addressing each of these challenges. Simply restating the requirements (i.e., copying and pasting from the SOW) is not a sufficient response for this factor. Information about this project s challenges should provide specific examples and a plan on how each challenge will be managed.

Proposed approach to Design Development: Discuss how the team will coordinate specifications and drawings to ensure the design is thorough, accurate, and complete. Describe approach to evaluate existing site conditions and ensure new work will not conflict with existing work. Discuss familiarization or experience with VA design guides and directives and their application to this design. Describe plans to ensure this design complies with all current VA requirements and any future updates, and specified equipment will be TRM (Technical Reference Model) approved.

Expectation for VA AE collaboration: Discuss what expectations the A-E firm would have from the VA for this project. Describe strategy for collaboration meetings throughout each phase and their significance to the overall end-product.

7. SUBMISSION CRITERIA/REQUIREMENTS:
The below information contains the instructions and format for that shall be followed for the submission of the SF-330 Statement of Qualifications:
Submit ONE (1) SF-330 Statement of Qualifications via email to the Contract Specialist Greg McMillan Sr. at Gregory.McMillan@va.gov This shall include Parts I and II and any applicable attachments.
The SF-330 submission is due by 1:00 PM EST ON DECEMBER 30, 2022.
The SF-330 shall be submitted in one email and have a file size shall be no larger than 5 MB. No hard copies will be accepted.
The subject line of the email shall read: SF-330 Submission 36C77623R0029 EHRM TASS for VISN 16 Design - Fayetteville
The submission must include the SF-330, Architect/Engineer Qualifications (form is available on-line at http://www.cfm.va.gov/contract/ae.asp).
The page limitation of the SF-330 shall not exceed a total of Fifty (50) pages. This includes title page, table of contents, CPARS and PPQs and any other relevant information. Each page shall be in Arial or Times New Roman, size 12 font, single spaced. Part II of the SF-330 Form will not count as part of the page limitations.
All SF-330 submissions must include the following information either on the SF 330 or by accompanying document:
Cage Code; 2) Unique Entity Identifier number; 3) Tax ID Number; 4) The E-mail address and Phone number of the Primary Point of Contact; 5) A copy of the firms Vet Biz Registry.
All questions shall be submitted to Gregory.McMillan@va.gov. The cutoff date for question submission is 1:00 PM EST ON December 21, 2022. Questions will be answered through an amendment posted to Opportunities.
NOTE: This procurement is 100% set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business concerns. Offers received from other than Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business concerns will not be considered. All Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses must be listed as verified by the VA s Center for Veterans Enterprises (CVE) (http://www.vetbiz.gov). Offerors must be verified by CVE and visible in the Vendor Information Portal (VIP) database at time of SF330 Submission, Written Responses, and award. Failure to be BOTH visible and verified at time of SF330 Submission, Written Responses, and award will result in the offeror being deemed unacceptable and ineligible for award.
All Joint Ventures must be CVE verified at time of SF330 and Written Responses submissions and award and submit agreements that comply with 13CFR 125.15 prior to contract award.
SF-330 submissions received after the date and time specified will not be considered. Late proposal rules per FAR 15.208 will be followed for late submittals. Firms not providing the required information may not be evaluated. All information must be included in the SF-330 submission package.
It is the offeror s responsibility to check the Contract Opportunities website at: www.sam.gov for any revisions to this announcement prior to submission of SF-330s.

Attachments/Links