Renovation of a mixed-use development in New York, New York. Conceptual plans call for the renovation of a medical facility.

Sources Sought Notice for Architect - Engineering Services for 630A4-22-900, Design Brooklyn Chiller Plant SYNOPSIS THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. 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. The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a qualified Architect-Engineering (AE) firm to provide Schematics, Design Development, Construction Documents, Technical Specifications, Construction Period Services, Site Visits, Cost Estimates, As-Built Documentation, and all other related information for Project 630A4-22-900, Design Brooklyn Chiller Plant at New York Harbor Healthcare System Brooklyn Campus, 800 Poly Place, Brooklyn, NY 11209. This requirement is being procured in accordance with the Brooks Act as implemented in FAR Subpart 36.6. Applicable NAICS code is 333415 and small business size standard of $1,250 Million. Magnitude of Construction is between $2,000,000 and $5,000,000. This is a 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set Aside. The anticipated award date of the proposed Architectural and Engineering Contract is on or before September 30, 2024. Potential contractors must be registered in SAM (www.sam.gov) and visible/certified in VertCert (https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/) at time of submission of their qualifications to be considered for an award. As a prospective offeror or bidder for this Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set aside, you are verifying your company meets the status requirements of a SDVOSB concern as established by VAAR 852.219-10. NOTE - Offerors are referred to 852.219-11 (d)(1) Services. In the case of a contract for services (except construction), it will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not SBA-listed SDVOSBs. To assure compliance with this clause, all firms submitting a SF330 for this Sources Sought Notice are required to indicate what percentage of the cost of contract performance will be expended by the concerns employees and in which discipline(s) and percentage of cost of contract performance to be expended (and in what disciplines) by any other subcontracted or otherwise used small or large business entity(s). Any subcontracted or otherwise business entity(s) used must be identified by name, office location and size/type of business (i.e., SDVOSB, VOSB, 8(a), large, etc.) Scope of Work: Provide Schematics, Design Development, Construction Documents, Technical Specifications, Construction Period Services, Site Visits, Cost Estimates, As-Built Documentation, and all other related information for A/E services to Design Brooklyn Chiller Plant project at the New York Harbor Healthcare System-Brooklyn Campus. Specific Requirements: The A/E shall provide all necessary Architect-Engineer (A/E) services for development of construction documents for the above project at the New York Harbor Healthcare System-Brooklyn Campus. Provide all necessary Architect/Engineer services to complete construction documents for the Replace Chillers #1, #2, #4 and #5 project at the New York Harbor Healthcare System-Brooklyn Campus. The A/E shall replace the existing 800-ton natural gas engine Chiller #1, the 700-ton natural gas absorption Chiller #2, the 500-ton natural gas absorption chiller #4 and the 900-ton electrical centrifugal chiller #5 with new chillers. The A/E shall perform a thorough study of the existing Chiller plant operations to determine the best type of new chiller to be installed. The A/E shall review the different chiller options available and provide a narrative of the positives and negatives for each chiller. The A/E shall provide a life cycle cost analysis to determine the most cost-effective chillers for the facility. The project design includes modifying the existing piping, valves, control valves, pumps, mechanical & electrical connections, concrete pads, and building management system as required for the installation of the new chiller. The project design includes installing new electrical, mechanical, structural, and associated piping and insulation for the new chiller. The design includes installing a strainer on the condenser water supply lines to each chiller in the plant. The project design also includes installing a beam for removing the new chiller condenser and evaporator cover plates for tube cleaning. The chiller controls shall be tied into the existing Building Management head end control system in the chiller plant. The project design includes converting the existing OPC Chiller Plant from a primary secondary pumping plant to a variable primary pumping plant and reconfiguring the chilled water supply and return piping so that any one chiller from the OPC Chiller Plant or any one chiller from the Main Chiller Plant will be able to run both building 15 and building #1 chilled water systems. The project design includes installing new primary pumps and variable speed drives in the OPC Chiller Plant. The new primary pumps and controls shall be tied into the existing Building Management head end control system in the chiller plant. The project design includes installing a manual transfer switch to connect the 800- ton electric centrifugal Chiller #3 and new Chiller #5 to the emergency generator power system. All work shall conform to VA criteria and regulation. The project design shall comply with VA HVAC Design Standards & Criteria, ASHRAE 90.1 and all applicable NFPA codes. The A/E shall provide all A/E services necessary for preparation of complete construction documents and construction period services. Work includes verification of existing As-Built drawings, preparation of contract drawings & specifications, and detailed cost estimate. The A/E shall provide complete contract drawings & specifications including demolition, architectural, plumbing, fire protection, structural and mechanical & electrical drawings for construction. The A/E shall provide construction period services to include submittal review; shall also provide response to RFI, site/visits/inspections and prepare As-Built drawings from contractor mark-up. The Architect/Engineer shall provide calculations comparing the energy consumption of the existing chiller plant to the new proposed chiller plant and determine the cost savings for the medical center. All energy saving calculations and Life Cycle Cost Analysis shall be included as part of the design package for all phases. The A/E shall be responsible for development of the construction phasing plan, infection control risk assessment plan and the interim life safety measures plan. The Architect/Engineer is responsible for completing the VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness training. The A/E shall be required to provide 30%, 60%, 90% and 100% design drawings and specifications for review. The A/E shall follow the submission instructions outlined in VA Program Guide PG 18-15 Volume C. The chiller replacement work shall begin when the A/C plant goes offline November 1st and be completed by March 23rd when the A/C Plant will be ready to go online. The A/E shall provide a share point or FTP site that the VA does not have restricted access to for drawing transfer, submittal submission and review during the project. Industrial Hygienist N/A All designs shall conform to NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, NFPA 99 Healthcare Facilities, NEC, ASHRAE 90.1 and VA Standards & Criteria. The following must be incorporated into the A/E design: Meet with VA Engineering Staff to determine the exact functional requirements to be used for the design. Recommend various options for the hospital engineers to evaluate. Options should include completion time, phasing, noise, dust, infection control, construction cost, impact, feasibility, and compliance with overall hospital objectives. Provide all necessary site survey work to verify As-Built drawings and field conditions. Provide construction period services and site visits. The A/E shall have all available As-Built drawings (it is the A/E s responsibility to verify the accuracy of said drawings): Mechanical Electrical Architectural Structural Plumbing Document reviews The A/E shall furnish and provide three (3) sets of drawings and specifications and detailed cost estimates at completion stages of 30%, 60%, 90% and 100%. Provide three (3) sets of completed contract drawing and specifications for bidding purpose and three (3) copies of 100% detailed cost estimate. Mylars and As-Built drawings: Contract originals shall be prepared on standard VA drawing sheets using AutoCad (version 14 and 2016). The A/E shall provide one (1) set of drawings to the VA for record plans at the completion of design. The A/E shall incorporate all the construction changes to the As-Built drawings at the completion of the construction and the A/E shall turn over the changes in the As-Built drawings to the VA. 1.1 NARA RECORDS MANAGEMENT 1. Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chs. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion. 2. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation. 3. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Contractor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created while performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data. 4. The Department of Veterans Affairs at the NYHHS-Brooklyn Campus and its Contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus or destroyed except for in accordance with the provisions of the agency records schedules and with the written concurrence of the Head of the Contracting Activity. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. In the event of any unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Contractor must report to Northport V.A. The agency must report promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR 1230. 5. The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the [contract vehicle]. The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government s behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus control, or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the [contract vehicle]. Destruction of records are EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4). 6. The Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, contracts. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information, classified, and controlled unclassified information. 7. The Contractor shall only use Government IT equipment for purposes specifically tied to or authorized by the contract and in accordance with The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus Medical Center policy. 8. The Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any non-public The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus information that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract. 9. The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected from public disclosure by an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act. 10. The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus owns the rights to all data and records produced as part of this contract. All deliverables under the contract are the property of the U.S. Government for which The Department of Veterans Affairs NYHHS- Brooklyn Campus shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Any Contractor rights in the data or deliverables must be identified as required by FAR 52.227-11 through FAR 52.227-20. 11. Training. All Contractor employees assigned to this contract who create, work with, or otherwise handle records are required to take VHA-provided records management training. The Contractor is responsible for confirming training has been completed according to agency policies, including initial training and any annual or refresher training. 1.2 INFORMATION SECURITY PRIVACY 1. Information made available to the Contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the Contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the Contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1). 2. The term security incident means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The Contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the COTR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the Contractor/subcontractor has access. 3. The C&A requirements do not apply, and a Security Accreditation Package is not required. 1.3 CONTRACTOR CONFINED SPACE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS 1. Contractor will be informed by the Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work), if the workplace is a permit-required or non-permit required confined space, and if that confined space entry is allowed only through compliance with a permit space program meeting the requirements of Medical Center Memorandum 001-183 Confined Space Program. 2. Contractor will be apprised of the elements including the hazards identified and the Medical Center s (last employer) experience with the space that makes the space in 17question a permit space by the Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work). 3. Contractor will be apprised by the Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work), of any precautions or procedures that the Medical Center has Implemented for the protection of employees in or near permit space where contractor personnel will be working. 4. The Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work), will advise the Contractor of how to fill out the required forms and gain the necessary Confined Space Entry Permits from the Fire Department and be responsible for the Contractor following the requirements of CM 001-183 Confined Space Program. 5. The Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work), and contractor will coordinate entry operations when both Medical Center personnel and contractor personnel will be working in or near permit spaces as required by 29 CFR 1910.146(d)(11) and 1926.21(b)(6). 6. Contractor will obtain any available information regarding permit space hazards and entry operation from the Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work). 7. At the conclusion of the entry operations, the Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in charge of the confined space work), and contractor will discuss any hazards confronted or created in permit spaces. 8. The contractor is responsible for complying with this Medical Center Memorandum 001 183 Confined Space Program, 29 CFR 1910.146(d) through (g) and 1926.21(b)(6). The Medical Center will provide rescue and emergency services required by 29 CFR 1910.146(k) and 1926.21(b)(6). 9. Prior to awarding a contract to commence entry operations, the Contractor shall submit proof of training required under 29 CFR 1910.146(g) to the Medical Center Contracting Officer and the Medical Center s COTR/Project Manager, (in-charge of the confined space work). 10. Questions regarding the Medical Center s permit-required confined space entry program can be addressed to the VA Fire Department (ext. 2769) and COTR/ Project Manager. SELECTION CRITERIA DESCRIPTIONS The submitted SF-330s will be evaluated on the following criteria: This acquisition will be in accordance with FAR Part 36.602-1 and VAAR Part 836.602-1. The following evaluation criteria will be used to evaluate SF-330 technical proposals: The A/E must demonstrate its qualifications with respect to the published evaluation criteria for all services. Evaluation Criteria (1) through (4) are considered most important and equal among themselves; Criteria (5) and (10) are of slightly less importance than (1) through (4) but are equal value among themselves. (1) Professional Qualifications Necessary for Satisfactory Performance of Required Services. (2) Specialized Experience and Technical Competence. (3) Capacity To Accomplish the Work in The Required Time. (4) Past Performance. (5) Specific experience and qualifications of personnel proposed for assignment to the project and their record of working together as a team. (6) Location in the general geographical area of the project and knowledge of the locality of the project; provided, that application of this criterion leaves an appropriate number of qualified firms, given the nature and size of the project. Criterion 1 - Specialized experience and technical competence in the type of work required, including, where appropriate, experience in energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, and the use of recovered materials. Offerors will be evaluated on specialized experience and technical competence in the performance of services similar to those anticipated under this contract with regard to: Experience with Architectural Design and Space planning within a Health Care Setting, including Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) design, surgical design, existing facility renovation, tight-space design, and phased planning. Experience with Structural Design, Mechanical, Electrical, Fire Protection, and Plumbing evaluation and design within a Health Care Setting, including VAMC design, surgical design, existing facility renovation. Experience with design for High-Tech, High-Cost equipment installation with structural support, including Chiller plant design. Submission requirements: Provide up to ten (10) projects completed or substantially completed within the past five (5) years that best illustrate specialized experience of the proposed team in the areas outlined above. Example projects shall note project s square footage. All projects provided in the SF-330 must be completed by the office/branch/regional office/individual team member proposed to manage and/or perform work under this contract. To enable verification, firms should include the DUNS number along with each firm name in the SF-330 Part 1, Section F Item 25 Firms from Section C Involved in this Project, block (1). Include a contract number or project identification number in block 21. Include an e-mail address, and phone number for the point of contact in block 23(c). Include in the project description the contract period of performance, award contract value, current contract value, a summary of the work performed that demonstrates relevance to specialized experience as outlined above. If the contractor served as a subcontractor on a project, indicate the value of the work they provided towards the performance of the overall project. If a project was performed by a joint venture, and not all joint venture partners are on the team proposed for this contract, the offeror/team should specifically address the work performed by the joint venture partner offering/teaming on this contract. Likewise, if the offeror/team member worked as a subcontractor on a project, the description should clearly describe the work performed by the offeror/team member and the roles and responsibilities of each on the project, rather than the work performed on the project as a whole. If the project description does not clearly delineate the work performed by the entity/entities offering/teaming on this contract, the project could be eliminated from consideration. NOTE: If the Offeror is a joint venture, information should be submitted as a joint venture; however, if there is no information for the joint venture, information should be submitted for either joint venture partner, not to exceed a total of ten (10) projects for this criterion. Projects shall be submitted on the SF-330. For submittal purposes, a task order on an IDIQ contract is considered a project, as is a stand-alone contract award. Do not list an IDIQ contract as an example of a completed project. Instead, list relevant completed task orders or stand-alone contract awards that fit within the definition above. Examples of project work submitted that do not conform to this requirement will not be evaluated. Failure to provide requested data, accessible points of contact, or valid phone numbers could result in a firm being rated lower. All information for Criterion 1 should be submitted in Part 1, Section F of the SF-330. The Government WILL NOT consider information submitted in addition to Part 1, Section F in evaluating Criterion 1. Criterion 2 - Professional Qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services. Offerors will be evaluated in terms of the qualifications, competence and experience of the key personnel and technical team proposed to accomplish this work. Key personnel are individuals who will have major contract or project management responsibilities and/or will provide unusual or unique expertise. Submission requirements: Provide resumes for all proposed key personnel. Resumes are limited to one page each and should cite project specific experience and indicate proposed role in this contract. Provide professional registration, certification, licensure and/or accreditation. Indicate participation of key personnel in example projects in the SF-330 Part 1 Section G. Criterion 3 - Capacity to accomplish the work in the required time. Firms/teams will be evaluated in terms of their ability to plan for and manage work under the contract and capacity to accomplish the work in the required time. Submission requirements: Describe the firm s ability to concurrently perform and manage multiple projects in different locations to meet aggressive schedules, multiple disciplines, and control costs and the firm s capacity to accomplish multiple projects simultaneously. Criterion 4 - Past Performance Offerors will be evaluated on past performance with Government agencies and private industry in terms of work quality, compliance with schedules, cost control, and stakeholder/customer satisfaction. Evaluating past performance and experience will include information provided in CPARS/ACASS for Criterion 1 projects and may include other information provided by the firm, customer inquiries, Government databases, and other information available to the Government including contacts with points of contact in other criteria. Failure to provide requested data, accessible points of contact, or valid phone numbers could result in a firm being rated lower. NOTE: Past performance information for projects listed under Criterion 1. Submission requirements: SUBMIT A COMPLETED CPARS/ACASS EVALUATION FOR EACH PROJECT UNDER CRITERION 1. IF A CPARS/ACASS EVALUATION IS NOT AVAILABLE, ensure correct phone numbers and email addresses are provided for the client point of contact. If requested by the client, questionnaires may be submitted directly to the Government's point of contact, Network Contracting Office 2 Attn: Vladimir Stoyanov via email at Vladimir.stoyanov@va.gov prior to the response date. Criterion 5 - Specific experience and qualifications of personnel proposed for assignment to the project and their record of working together as a team. Submission requirements: Offerors shall submit evidence of individuals experience and qualifications in their respective fields. Additionally, documentation must be provided to show these individuals have worked together as a team on previous projects and their role. (Completing Sections E, F, and G, on the SF-330 meets the documentation requirement). Furthermore, offerors shall describe the ability of the firm to manage, coordinate and work effectively with team members, both internal staff and consultants. Discuss the history of working relationships with team members, including joint venture partners where applicable. Criterion 6 - The area of consideration is restricted to firms with offices and key personnel to be assigned to the designs located within a 650-mile radius of the NYHHS-Brooklyn Campus as measured on google maps using the measure distance feature from the prime designer s address listed in Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) to the NYHHS-Brooklyn Campus at 800 Poly Place Brooklyn, NY 11209. Firms shall have knowledge of the locality of the project and local market conditions. Evaluation Scoring Evaluation factors 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 will be evaluated using the following adjectival ratings as follows: Outstanding: Proposal meets requirements and indicates an exceptional approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low. Good: Proposal meets requirements and indicates a thorough approach and understanding of the requirements. Proposal contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low. Acceptable: Proposal meets requirements and indicates an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is moderate. Marginal: Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated an adequate approach and understanding of the requirements. The proposal has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high. Unacceptable: Proposal does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies. Proposal is not awardable. The firm s proposal demonstrates a misunderstanding of the requirement, and the approach fails to meet performance standards. The firm s proposal has major omissions and inadequate details to assure evaluators that the offeror understands requirement. The ratings identified below will be used in the evaluation of Past Performance (Criterion 4): Substantial Confidence: Based on the offeror s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort. No doubt exists based on the offeror s past performance that they can satisfy the requirements of the contract. Satisfactory Confidence: Based on the offeror s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has a reasonable expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort. Little doubt exists based on the offeror s past performance that they could satisfy the requirements of the contract. Unknown Confidence (Neutral): No recent/relevant performance record is available, or the offeror s performance record is so sparse that no meaningful confidence assessment rating can be reasonably assigned. Limited Confidence: Based on the offeror s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has little expectation that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort. Some doubt exists based on past performance that they could satisfy the terms and conditions of the contract. No Confidence: Based on the offeror s recent/relevant performance record, the Government has little expectations that the offeror will be able to successfully perform the required effort. Significant doubt exists based on the offeror s past performance that they can satisfy the requirements of the contract. SELECTION INTERVIEW: Interviews will be scheduled with firms slated as the most highly qualified. Firms slated for interviews may be asked to explain or expand on information contained in the SF-330 submittal through a formal interview or a discussion questionnaire as determined by the Contracting Officer. GENERAL INFORMATION: All design and work will conform to the current edition of the VA Master Specifications and VA Design Standards as published at the following site: www.cfm.va.gov; ASME, OSHA, IBC 2009, NFPA and NEC building codes and standards. Coordinate all work through the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) in the Facilities Management Service. The A-E will provide documents at each submission as indicated in the statement of work. Unless paper offers are specifically authorized, all responses to this pre-solicitation notice must be submitted electronically as described below. The only acceptable paper form for this requirement is the receipt of past performance questionnaires. Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize the possibility of receiving an award for the contract due to non-compliance with the terms of the solicitation. You must submit your electronic offer, and any supplemental information (such as spreadsheets, backup data, technical information), using any of the electronic formats and media described below. In addition, contractors are notified of the award via an electronic Notice of Award e-mail. The award document will be attached to the Notice of Award e-mail. Acceptable Electronic Formats (Software) for Submission of Offers Files readable using the current Microsoft* Office version Products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access. Spreadsheet documents must be sent in a format that includes all formulas, macro, and format information. Print or scan images of spreadsheets are not acceptable. Please see security note below for caution regarding use of macros. When submitting construction drawings contractors are required to submit one set in AutoCAD 2017 and one set in Adobe PDF. (Purpose: contracting can open the PDF version and engineering can open AutoCAD files). Files in Adobe* PDF (Portable Document Format) Files: When scanning documents scanner resolution should be set to 200 dots per inch, or greater. Another electronic format. If you wish to submit an offer using another format than those described in these instructions, e-mail the Contracting Officer who issued the solicitation. Please submit your request at least ten (10) calendar days before the scheduled closing date of the solicitation. Request a decision as to the format acceptability and make sure you receive approval of the alternate format before using it to send your offer. Please note that we can no longer accept .zip files due to increasing security concerns. E-mail Submission Procedures: Subject Line: Include the solicitation number, name of company, and closing date of solicitation. Use only one of the terms Quotation, Offer, or Bid depending on the solicitation type. Size: Maximum size of the e-mail message including the attachment is twenty-five (25) megabytes. The SF330, in its entirety, shall not exceed one email of 25MB. Only one email is permitted unless otherwise stated in this paragraph or in writing by the Contract Officer submitting the solicitation. The Microsoft Outlook A(C) Email time/date stamp will be used to date and time stamp offers for the official record of receipt for the submission. The date and time stamp in recipients inbox is the official record of receipt. Security Issues, Late Bids, Unreadable Offers Late submission of offers is outlined at FAR Parts 52.212-1(f), 52.214-7, and 52.215-1(c)(3). Particular attention is warranted to the portion of the provision that relates to the timing of submission. Please see FAR 15.207(c) for a description of the steps the Government shall take with regard to unreadable offers. To avoid rejection of an offer, vendors must make every effort to ensure their electronic submission is virus-free. Submissions or portions thereof submitted and which the automatic system detects the presence of a virus, or which are otherwise unreadable will be treated as unreadable pursuant to FAR Parts 14.406 and FAR 15.207(c). The virus scanning software used by our e-mail systems cannot always distinguish a macro from a virus. Therefore, sending a macro embedded in an e-mail message or an e-mail attachment may cause the e-mail offer to be quarantined. You may send both the spreadsheet and the spreadsheet saved in PDF format to ensure that your proposal is readable. Password protecting your offer is not permitted. The Contracting Officer will file the offer electronically which will allow access only by designated individuals. Important Notice: Apparent successful offerors must apply for and receive verification from the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) in accordance with 38 CFR Part 74 and VAAR 819.70 by submission of documentation of Veteran status, ownership, and control sufficient to establish appropriate status, offerors must be both VISIBLE and VERIFIED by the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Verification and Evaluation prior to contract award. Failure to be both VERIFIED by CVE and VISIBLE on VetCert prior to contract award will result in the offeror s proposal being deemed non-compliant. All offerors are urged to contact the CVE and submit the required documents to obtain CVE verification of their SDVOSB status if they have not already done so. 852.219-10 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE (JUL 2016) (DEVIATION) (a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern or SDVSOB : (1) Means a small business concern: (i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans or eligible surviving spouses (see VAAR 802.201 Surviving Spouse definition); (ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran. (iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document. (iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control pursuant to 38 CFR 74 and is so listed in the VetCert database, (https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/); and (v) The business will comply with subcontracting limitations in 13 CFR 125.6, as applicable (2) Service-disabled veteran means a veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16). (b) General. (1) Offers are solicited only from verified service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not verified service-disabled veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered. (2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a verified service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern. (c) Agreement. A service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, the concern will comply with the limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR A125.6. (d) A joint venture may be considered a service-disabled veteran owned small business concern if the joint venture complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 125.15, provided that any reference therein to SDVOSB is to be construed to apply to a VA verified SDVOSB as appropriate. (e) Any service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern (non-manufacturer) must meet the requirements in FAR 19.102(f) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit under this program. Special Note: An A/E Firm failing to provide any of the documentation detailed in the Sources Sought Notice may be determined as non-Responsive and may not be considered. The Method of Contractor Selection has not been determined at this Time *The value for this project is based on a financial range. The value is listed as the highest possible cost from the range provided by a stakeholder or official project document.