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THIS IS A PRESOLICITATION NOTICE The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 9 Central Region, 1639 Medical Center Parkway, Suite 400, Murfreesboro, TN, 37129, is issuing this pre-solicitation to request Architectural and Engineering (A/E) Firms SF330s for the following project:

Project # 626A4-23-203 for A/E Design Services as required to prepare complete contract drawings, specifications, technical reports, and cost estimates, including construction period services for "Upgrade Fire Alarm System at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Murfreesboro Campus, 3400 Lebanon Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.

Set-Aside: 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

Construction Budget Design Limitations/Project Magnitude: Construction Budget is $10,800,000.00.

NAICS: 541310 Architectural Services

Small Business Size Standard: $12.5 million

Project Description: See Attached Statement of Work (SOW)

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR AN A/E FEE PROPOSAL; NO FEE PROPOSAL SHALL BE REQUESTED UNTIL AFTER AN EVALUATION HAS BEEN MADE ON THE PROVIDED SF330s AND THE TOP-RATED FIRM SELECTED.
Interested firms should submit their current SF330 to vance.rosebush@va.gov. The SF330s are due on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 2:00 PM Central Time (CT). See Electronic Submission Requirements for instructions on submitting your SF330.
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. Firms will be selected based on demonstrated competence and qualifications for the required work.
The design shall incorporate 10% and 20% deductive alternates. Bid Deduct Alternates of the approved construction budget shall be developed, planned, and estimated as necessary to ensure award of contract within available funds. Bid Deduct Alternates shall be clearly identified on contract drawings.

All offerors are advised that in accordance with VAAR 836.606-71, the total cost of the architect or engineer services contracted for must not exceed 6 percent of the estimated cost of the construction project plus any fees for related services and activities. Additionally, FAR Clause 52.236-22(c) - Design Within Funding Limitation, will be applicable to this procurement action. Design limitation costs will be provided to the most highly rated A/E firm selected to complete the design.
Important Notice: Apparent successful offerors must be registered in the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) site at the time of submission of proposal. Failure to be both VERIFIED by the SBA and VISIBLE on VetCert at the time of proposal submission, time of interview, and at time of award will result in the offeror s proposal being deemed non-responsive. All offerors are urged to contact the SBA VetCert (https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/) and submit the required documents to obtain verification of their SDVOSB status if they have not already done so.

Contract Award Procedure: Before a small business is proposed as a potential contractor, they must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://sam.gov. Failure of a proposed SDVOSB to be VERIFIED by SBA, VISIBLE in VetCert, and registered in SAM at the time the SF330 is submitted shall result in elimination from consideration as a proposed contractor. The proposed services will be obtained by a Negotiated Firm-Fixed Price Contract.
The review/design of architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, or other engineering features of the work shall be accomplished by architects or engineers registered in a State or possession of the United States, or in Puerto Rico or in the District of Columbia.
The project drawings/design shall follow applicable standards and codes described in VA Program Guides and design materials. Master Construction Specifications Index, VA Construction Standards Index, VA Standards Index, and Criteria are available in the Technical Information Library (TIL) on VA Website address: http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/.
The submitted SF330s will be evaluated in accordance with the following eight criteria from the FAR Part 36.602-1 and Veteran Administration Acquisition Manual Subpart M836.602 Evaluation Boards. Then a minimum of three of the most highly qualified firms will be selected to hold discussions regarding concepts and relative utility of alternative methods of furnishing the required services. A fee proposal will be requested from the top-rated firm chosen.
Selection Criteria:
Professional qualifications necessary for satisfactory performance of required services;

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;

Capacity to accomplish the work in the required time;

Past performance on contracts with Government agencies and private industry in terms of cost control, quality of work, and compliance with performance schedules;

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;

Reputation and standing of the firm and its principal officials with respect to professional performance, general management, and cooperativeness;

Record of significant claims against the firm because of improper or incomplete architectural and engineering services; and

Specific experience and qualifications of personnel proposed for assignment to the project and their record of working together as a team.

The awarded A/E firm will prepare drawings and specifications in enough detail such that qualified outside General Contracting companies can prepare accurate and timely proposals for the desired work. The awarded A/E firm is responsible for ensuring that the specifications and drawings supplied, fully represent all of the work described in the Request for Proposal (RFP). The Medical Center must remain operational throughout the construction period and a detailed sequence of work will be provided by the A/E to minimize impact of the construction. The SF330 can be downloaded through the GSA Forms Library at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/top, type in SF330 in the Find a Form block and click on search.
In accordance with FAR Part 36.209, 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.

Electronic Submission Requirements:
All responses to solicitations must be submitted electronically as described below. Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize the possibility of receiving an award for the contract due to noncompliance 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, and PowerPoint. Please see security note below for caution regarding use of macros. When submitting construction drawings contractors are required to submit one set in AutoCAD and one set in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) (purpose: contracting can open the PDF version and engineering can open AutoCAD files).

Files in Adobe PDF Files: When scanning documents, scanner resolution should be set to 200 dots per inch, or greater.

Other Electronic Format: If you wish to submit an offer using another format other than 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; and please note that we can no longer accept .zip files due to increasing security concerns.

E-mail Submission Procedures: For simplicity in this guidance, all submissions in response to a solicitation will be referred to as offers.

Subject Line: Include the solicitation number, name of company, and closing date of solicitation.

Size: Maximum size of the e-mail message shall not exceed five (5) megabytes. Only one email is permitted unless otherwise stated in this paragraph or in writing by a Contracting Officer.

The offer will be date and time stamped by the Microsoft email system and will be the official record of receipt for the submission.

Security Issues, Late Bids, and 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 regarding 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.

VA NOTICE of TOTAL SET-ASIDE for VERIFIED SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES (NOV 2022)
(a) Definition. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, Service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern or SDVOSB :
(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 VAAR802.101, 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 part 74 and is listed in SBA VetCert database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/; and
(v) The business will comply with VAAR subpart 819.70 and Small Business Administration (SBA) regulations regarding small business size and government contracting programs at 13 CFR parts 121 and 125, provided that any reference therein to a service-disabled veteran-owned small business concern or SDVOSBC, is to be construed to apply to a SBBA verified and VetCert-listed SDVOSB, unless otherwise stated in this clause. (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).
(2) The term 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).
(3) The term small business concern has the meaning given that term under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
(4) The term small business concern owned and controlled by Veterans with service-connected disabilities has the meaning given the term small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans under section 3(q)(2) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(q)(2)), except that for a VA contract the firm must be listed in the VetCert database (see paragraph (a)(1)(iv) of this clause).
(b) General.
(1) Offers are solicited only from VetCert-listed SDVOSBs. Offers received from entities that are not VetCert-listed SDVOSBs at the time of offer shall not be considered.
(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a VetCert-listed SDVOSB who is eligible at the time of submission of offer(s) and at the time of award.
(3) The requirements in this clause apply to any contract, order or subcontract where the firm receives a benefit or preference from its designation as an SDVOSB, including set-asides, sole source awards, and evaluation preferences.
(c) Representation. Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 8127(e), only VetCert-listed SDVOSBs are considered eligible to receive award of a resulting contract. By submitting an offer, the prospective contractor represents that it is an eligible SDVOSB as defined in this clause, 38 CFR part 74, and VAAR subpart 819.70.
(d) Agreement. When awarded a contract action, including orders under multiple-award contracts, an SDVOSB agrees that in the performance of the contract, the SDVOSB shall comply with requirements in VAAR subpart 819.70 and SBA regulations on small business size and government contracting programs at 13 CFR part 121 and part 125, including the non-manufacturer rule and limitations on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 121.406(b) and 13 CFR 125.6. Unless otherwise stated in this clause, a requirement in 13 CFR parts 121 and 125 that applies to an SDVOSBC, is to be construed to also apply to a VetCert-listed SDVOSB. For the purpose of limitations on subcontracting, only VetCert-listed SDVOSBs (including independent contractors) shall be considered eligible and/or similarly situated (i.e., a firm that has the same small business program status as the prime contractor). An otherwise eligible firm further agrees to comply with the required certification requirements in this solicitation (see 852.219-75 or 852.219-76 as applicable). These requirements are summarized as follows:
(1) Services. In the case of a contract for services (except construction), the SDVOSB prime contractor will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to the prime for contract performance to firms that are not VetCert-listed SDVOSBs (excluding direct costs to the extent they are not the principal purpose of the acquisition and the SDVOSB/VOSB does not provide the service, such as airline travel, cloud computing services, or mass media purchases). When a contract includes both services and supplies, the 50 percent limitation shall apply only to the service portion of the contract
(2) Supplies/products.
(i) In the case of a contract for supplies or products (other than from a non-manufacturer of such supplies), the SDVOSB prime contractor will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to the prime for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, to firms that are not VetCert-listed SDVOSBs. When a contract includes both supply and services, the 50 percent limitation shall apply only to the supply portion of the contract.
(ii) In the case of a contract for supplies from a non-manufacturer, the SDVOSB prime contractor will supply the product of a domestic small business manufacturer or processor, unless a waiver as described in 13 CFR 121.406(b)(5) has been granted. Refer to 13 CRF 125.6(a)(2)(ii) for guidance pertaining to multiple item procurements.
(3) General construction. In the case of a contract for general construction, the SDVOSB prime contractor will not pay more than 85% of the amount paid by the government to the prime for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, to firms that are not VetCert-listed SDVOSBs.
(4) Special trade construction contractors. In the case of a contract for special trade contractors, no more than 75% of the amount paid by the government to the prime for contract performance, excluding the cost of materials, may be paid to firms that are not VetCert-listed SDVOSBs.
(5) Subcontracting. An SDVOSB must meet the NAICS size standard assigned by the prime contractor and be listed in VetCert to count as similarly situated. Any work that a first tier VetCert-listed SDVOSB subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the percent of subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. For supply or construction contracts, the cost of materials is excluded and not considered to be subcontracted. When a contract includes both services and supplies, the 50 percent limitation shall apply only to the portion of the contract with the preponderance of the expenditure upon which the assigned NAICS is based. For information and more specific requirements, refer to 13 CFR 125.6.
(e) Required limitations on subcontracting compliance measurement period. An SDVOSB shall comply with the limitations on subcontracting as follows:
By the end of the base term of the contract.
(f) Joint ventures. A joint venture may be considered eligible as an SDVOSB if the joint venture is listed in VetCert and complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 125.18(b), provided that any requirement therein that applies to an SDVOSBC is to be construed to apply to a VetCert-listed SDVOSB. A joint venture agrees that, in the performance of the contract, the applicable percentage specified in paragraph (d) of this clause will be performed by the aggregate of the joint venture participants.
(g) Precedence. The VA Veterans First Contracting Program, as defined in VAAR 802.101, subpart 819.70, and this clause, takes precedence over any inconsistencies between the requirements of the SBA Program for SDVOSBCs, and the VA Veterans First Contracting Program.
(h) Misrepresentation. Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 8127(g), any business concern, including all its principals, that is determined by VA to have willfully and intentionally misrepresented a company's SDVOSB status is subject to debarment from contracting with the Department for a period of not less than five years (see VAAR 809.406-2 Causes for Debarment).

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