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AMENDMENT 0001 (Dated 07/21/2023):

This amendment (0001) is being issued to add a questions and answers document to the solicitation attachments. See the solicitation attachments for the questions and answers document. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B23Q0151 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-04. The associated NAICS code is 337215 - Showcase, Partition, Shelving, and Locker Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of less than 500 employees and the PSC code is 7125. This solicitation is a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has need of the following product:

001) Indoor Grow Rack System

Scope of Work:

The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS) Midwest Area (MWA) Administrative Office's Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team on behalf of the USDA-ARS Application Technology Research Unit (ATRU) located at 975 Research Drive, Toledo, OH 43614 is requesting quotes for indoor grow racks.

Background:

Four renovated indoor grow rooms need grow racks with specific requirements. One rack consists of two uprights, multiple shelves and other components as specified below. Three racks can fit per room for a total of twelve, but one is already on hand so eleven more are required. The racks should be as tall as possible while maintaining adequate ceiling clearance (some 7 ft, some 8 ft tall racks depending on room). The racks need to be compatible with 200 existing LED fixtures (BIOS model Icarus Li purchased in 2020 as kits with product number 321-KITS-00014-C) both in size and in mounting. The footprint needs to be 4 ft x 8 ft to accommodate tray sizes, light fixture sizes and experimental protocols. Each shelf needs a 200 lb minimum load capacity as the trays are filled with a precise volume of nutrient solution. The shelves must be adjustable in placement to accommodate different species of plants with different morphology. The racks should be rust resistant due to humid conditions in the rooms.

Technical Requirements:

Provide and deliver eleven grow racks with the following characteristics/capabilities:

• 4 ft x 8 ft footprint – this is a tight constraint in order to match a common commercial standard, our internal experimental protocols (e.g. a technician must be able to reach the center plants while standing next to the shelf) and compatibility with existing lights, drain trays and other equipment.


• Height 7 ft or 8 ft (depending on room) to accommodate HVAC equipment clearance and maximize clearance for plant growth


• Mounting compatibility with existing LED fixtures manufactured by BIOS Lighting (BIOS model Icarus Li purchased in 2020 as kits with product number 321-KITS-00014-C). The shelves must accommodate direct mounting of the fixtures with no third-party mounting hardware required, in order to maximize plant growth clearance.


• Integrated drain tray with sloped supports and drain fittings


• Rust resistance due to humid conditions in grow rooms


• Adjustable shelves to accommodate multiple species such as tomato and leafy greens


• Sufficient load capacity per shelf to accommodate filled drain trays (approximately 200 lb minimum load each)

Detailed quantities required:

• Twenty-Two of shelving uprights, six that are 4 ft x 7 ft tall and sixteen that are 4 ft x 8 ft tall


• Eighty-Six 8 ft beams


• Ninety-Two 4 ft x 4 ft mesh shelves – these must be wire mesh in order to have the proper combination of high strength, low weight and drainage for certain experiments, the size is exact to fit two in a 4 ft x 8 ft footprint


• Thirty-Two 4 ft x 8 ft drain trays


• One Hundred and Seventy 4 ft inclined tray supports, they must be 4 ft in length to fit the 4 ft x 8 ft footprint and must be inclined to allow water to drain through the fittings attached to the trays

Key Deliverables:

• 4 ft x 7 ft Upright Frame; Qty: 6


• 4 ft x 8 ft Upright Frame; Qty: 16


• 8 ft Beams; Qty: 86


• 4 ft x 4 ft Mesh Shelves; Qty: 92


• 4 ft x 8 ft Drain Trays; Qty: 32


• 4 ft Inclined Tray Supports; Qty: 170


• Delivery

Delivery:

Delivery to 975 Research Drive, Toledo, OH 43614 within 8 weeks (56 days) of award.

Evaluation Factors:

Pursuant to FAR 52.212-2, the criteria for evaluation and basis for award will be Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA). Technical acceptable is define as meeting ALL of the technical requirements identified on the Statement of Work and reiterated in the solicitation description. The Government intends to make one Firm-Fixed Price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) quote received. "LPTA" means the best value is expected to result from selection of the technically acceptable quote with the lowest evaluated price. The lowest priced quote will be evaluated first; if NOT found technically acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated, and so on until a technically acceptable quote is identified. The Government will NOT review higher priced quotes if the lowest (or a lower) priced quote is determined to be technically acceptable.

Submitting a Quote:

Failure to demonstrate compliance with ALL instructions presented herein will constitute sufficient cause to reject a quote without further discussions. All responsible sources may submit a quote which will be put into considered for award.

Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote in accordance with FAR 52.212-1. The applicable FAR clauses and provisions for this acquisition are included in the attachments to this solicitation. The Government anticipates making one Firm-Fixed Price award.

Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote along with all other requested and required documentation (such as completed FAR provisions) to be included as part of ALL offeror’s responses. The quote should include any and all fees, charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase.

The solicitation attachments include FAR clauses, a Statement of Work, and FAR provisions. Be sure to read and review ALL of the attachments and to complete any and ALL additional documentation required as part of your quote submission. Of critical importance is to review the SOW as it contains the requirements for this acquisition.

In addition, all submissions should include the FAR clauses and provisions completed in their entirety. The FAR clauses and provisions constitute the terms and conditions for submitting a quote in response to this solicitation as well as the terms and conditions of the anticipated award. The FAR provisions apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes. The FAR clauses apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes as well as to the resulting award. The FAR clauses will be included as part of the resulting award. Please review ALL of the FAR clauses and provisions and be certain to complete all of the FAR clauses and provisions that require the offerors impute (i.e. all boxes are checked, blanks are filled in, and tables are completed). Please provide a completed copy of the FAR provisions FAR 52.204-24 (Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment), FAR 52.212-3 (Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Products and Commercial Services), and FAR 52.225-18 (Place of Manufacture), with any quote.

Please ensure your quote will be current and that the price quoted will NOT expire for a minimum of 30 days.

To be eligible to be put into consideration for award, ALL vendors who respond to this solicitation must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration at the time their quote is submitted. A vendor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required in order to register. Vendors must also include their UEI# on their quote. Vendors should also include their SAM status as well as the business size and socio-economic status(es) for the applicable NAICS code.

As the Buy American Act applies to this acquisition, vendors are to provide the full legal name of the manufacturer as well as the manufacturing location’s full street address (for USA made) or the country of origin (for foreign made) products included in their quote. A statement or certification from the manufacturer as to the manufacturing street address or country of origin would be preferred.

Also, be certain all quotes included your full legal name, physical address, individual unit prices for all items quoted, the total quoted price, an estimated time to delivery or completion, the quote submission date, the quote expiration date, and all other relevant information.

The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting award will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting award.

Questions in regards to this combined synopsis/solicitation must be submitted through email to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov (NO calls with questions will be accepted) and are due by NO later than Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT). Answers to any questions received by that time will be posted as an amendment to this combined synopsis/solicitation. No questions will be answered after this date unless determined to be in the best interest of the Government.

Only electronic submissions made via email will be accepted (NO verbal quotes made by phone call, quotes submitted by USPS mail, or quotes submitted in the body of an email). Please email all quotes in writing along with completed FAR provisions as well as ALL other requested and required documentation to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov by NO later than Monday, July 31, 2023 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT).

NOTE: Be absolutely certain to reference the RFQ number “12505B23Q0151” and/or title of the solicitation “Indoor Grow Rack System” in the subject, body, and/or attachments on your quote submission email to ensure your submission can be located and attributed to this solicitation. Failure to do so could potentially result in your submission being deemed “unresponsive” and as a result your quote may NOT be put into consideration for award (as your quote may NOT be located when searching the recipients email to ensure all responses to the solicitation have been logged before making an award determination).

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