Presolicitation Notice – 99– Concrete Grave Liners, Fayetteville National Cemetery

Notice Type: Presolicitation Notice

Posted Date: 24-SEP-14

Office Address: Department of Veterans Affairs;NCA Contracting Service;75 Barrett Heights Rd. Suite 309;Stafford VA 22556

Subject: 99-- Concrete Grave Liners, Fayetteville National Cemetery

Classification Code: 99 - Miscellaneous

Solicitation Number: VA78614R0384

Contact: David DixonContracting Officer mailto:[email protected] [Contracting Officer]

Setaside: N/AN/A

Place of Performance (address): Fayetteville National Cemetery;700 Government Avenue;Fayetteville, AR

Place of Performance (zipcode): 72701

Place of Performance Country: USA

Description: Department of Veterans Affairs

VA National Cemetery Administration Centralized Contracting Division

Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration

ATTENTION ALL OFFERORS: Offers must provide a current and accurate technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. Offers that fail to furnish required representations or information will be excluded from consideration.

The National Cemetery Administration is soliciting offers under solicitation number

VA786-14-R-0384 for the following cemetery:

The North American Industry Classification code (NAICS) is 327390 Other Concrete Product Manufacturing. The Small Business Size Standard is 500 employees.

1. Contractor shall provide all necessary labor, material, equipment and supervision to perform supplying, delivering and installation of grave liners at the Fayetteville National Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas. All work will be performed in strict accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

a. General Statement: It is the Contractor's responsibility to keep current in delivery of grave liner requests from the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and ensure timely delivery in strict accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract. The Contractor shall be responsive to cemetery personnel and in accordance with the Government's needs and requirement. The Fayetteville National Cemetery uses gravesites measuring four feet wide by eight feet length (4' x 8'), and five feet wide by ten feet length (5' x 10') in the burial sections. The Contractor shall have the proficiency to deliver the grave liners in a precise manner.

b. Type Unit Required: The Contractor shall supply Type I, liner, grave, concrete; with lid. Lids must have indentations to remove with a lid puller.

2. COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION-LINER, GRAVE, CONCRETE

The General Services Administration has authorized the use of this commercial item description as a replacement for VA Specification X 1708G for concrete.

This commercial item description describes Concrete Grave Liners intended for use in National Cemeteries to prevent the sinkage of soil in graves.

a. Salient characteristics: LINER, GRAVE, CONCRETE - Shall be constructed from reinforced concrete utilizing Portland Cement. Cement shall be of a commercial quality using steel and/or polypropylene reinforcement. In addition, the material(s) used in the production of concrete grave liners shall be impervious to any destructive action of the natural elements possibly contained in the cemetery soil, which can range from extreme acidic to extreme alkaline conditions. Concrete grave liners must be properly cured for 28 days before delivery and the concrete must have minimum compression strength of 31,027 kPa.

Style 1 - Box with separate lid

Style 2 - Dome with a base

Style 3 - Dome without a base

SIZES INTERNAL DIMENSIONS

Small Liner - 147 cm by 51 cm by 46 cm

Medium Liner - 218 cm by 76 cm by 61 cm

Oversize Liner - 229 cm by 81 cm by 66 cm

Extra Large Liner - 234 cm by 91 cm by 71 cm

UNIT: EACH

Internal dimensions listed above are nominal for the standard sizes and small variances are permitted in the use of standard commercial products providing size permits use of standard caskets.

b. Workmanship. Grave liners shall be free from defects which detract from its appearance or impair its serviceability.

c. Production specification. The following must be included as part of the offer:

i. Type of material or materials.

ii. Material specifications

iii. Methods of construction

iv. Testing procedures and findings

d. Design and construction. Grave liners shall meet the performance requirements. The combination of the design shape, design thickness, structure and material shall be capable of supporting the required 2.27 metric tons center load pressure test and the axle load test of 5.0 metric tons, plus the superimposed earth load. Both the exterior dimensions and the weight of the grave liner shall be kept to a minimum in accordance with the nominal internal dimension standards specified above in Paragraph a labeled "salient characteristics" and the required structural strength specified above. Design contours and shapes shall be such as to eliminate any possible back-fill voids, settling, sinking, floating or raising of the grave liner once interred. The grave liners and parts thereof, will have provisions to facilitate both the ease of installation and removal of the unit and its component parts. All lifting apparatus must be adequately anchored in the unit to sufficiently withstand the stresses of lifting and placing the unit. Grave liners shall have knockout holes to permit drainage. Lid will have center-located indentations for lid puller.

e. Cemetery Inventory. The contractor will maintain on-site at the Fayetteville National Cemetery the following as emergency inventory:

i. Small Liner -one (1) each

ii. Medium Liner - six (6) each

iii. Oversize Liner -one (1) each

f. Recovered materials. The offeror/contractor is encouraged to use recovered material in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 23.4 to the maximum extent practical.

3. PACKAGING AND MARKING

a. Inscription. The date of manufacture shall be permanently recorded on the grave liner so that the contractor can identify his product according to the date of production.

b. Packaging. Grave liners shall be palleted or otherwise prepared for shipping in accordance with standard commercial practice to insure carrier acceptance and safe delivery in containers complying with rules and regulations applicable to the mode of transportation.

c. Marking. Shipping containers shall be marked in accordance with the manufacturer's standard commercial practice. The production date shall be inscribed or otherwise permanently marked on each component which makes up a grave liner.

4. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

QUALITY CONTROL AND ASSURANCE PROVISIONS:

a. Responsibility for inspection. Unless otherwise specified in the contract or purchase order, the contractor is responsible for the performance of all inspection requirements as specified herein. Except as otherwise specified in the contract or purchase order, the contractor may use his own or any facilities suitable for the performance of the inspection requirements specified herein unless disapproved by the Government. The Government reserves the right to perform any of the inspections set forth in the specification where such inspections are deemed necessary to assure that supplies and services conform to prescribed requirements.

b. Records. Records of examinations and tests performed by or for the contractor shall be maintained by the contractor and made available to the Government, upon the Government's request, at any time, or from time to time, during the performance of the contract and for a period of three years after delivery of the supplies to which such records relate.

c. Inspection. Inspection, as used herein, is defined as both examination (such as visual or auditory investigation without the use of special laboratory appliances or procedures) and testing (determination by technical means of physical and chemical properties) of the item.

d. Pre-production Sample. When specified, a pre-production sample will be required and will be examined and tested in accordance with this specification. The pre-production sample will be representative of the production article. However, the requirements for furnishing a pre-production sample may be waived as to a bidder if:

i. The bidder states in the bid that the product offered is the same as a product previously furnished to the procuring activity under a prior contract, and the bidder identifies the contract.

ii. The contracting officer determines that such product meets the requirements of the specifications.

e. Tests. Tests shall be conducted to determine compliance with these commercial item description requirements. Where feasible, the same sample shall be used for the determination of two or more test characteristics.

f. Testing of Components. Upon request, the supplier will furnish a certification of compliance, issued by an independent testing laboratory or an approved testing program. This would include an analysis for all characteristics of material specified and applicable referenced specifications. The Government reserves the right to verify the correctness of such certificates of compliance and analysis. Approved grave liners are subject to both random compliance and complete re-testing.

The grave liners shall conform to the following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standards, (http://www.astm.org).

ASTM C 33 - Standard Specifications for Concrete Aggregate

ASTM C 39 - Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens

ASTM C 40 - Standard Test Method for Organic Impurities in Fine Aggregates for Cement

ASTM C 94 - Standard Specification for Ready-Mixed Concrete

ASTM C 150 - Standard Specification for Portland

ASTM C 173 - Standard Test Method for Air Content of Freshly Mixed Concrete by the Volumetric Method

ASTM C 231 - Standard Test Method for Air Content of Freshly Mixed Concrete by the Pressure Method ASTM C 260 - Standard Specification for Air-Entraining Admixtures for Concrete

ASTM C 330 - Standard Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Structural Concrete ASTM C 494 - Standard Specification for Chemical Admixtures for Concrete

g. Sampling/or examination. Sampling for examination shall be conducted in accordance with MIL-STD-105, with an AQL of 1.0 (percent defective) and an inspection level of S-1.

h. Examination of furnished product. Grave liners will be examined for the defects listed below. Whenever a deviation to specified requirements is noted, correction will be made. Failure to make corrections will be cause for rejection:

i. Size/dimension not as specified.

ii. Materials not as specified.

iii. Production date not inscribed or otherwise permanently recorded.

iv. Drainage holes not provided.

v. Surface contains foreign inclusions, spalling, holes, cracks, large voids, or other evidence of poor manufacture.

vi. Provisions to facilitate installation and removal not provided.

i. Functional Test. Upon request, a functional load test will be made at the contractor's expense under the direction of the contracting officer, or his/her representative, to insure the grave liner, as furnished, will be capable of supporting load weight stated in a paragraph entitled "Design and construction". The functional test will consist of two loading conditions.

i. Unconfined loading. (Center Load Pressure Test)

1. Place base on I 0.16 cm x 10.16 cm, spaced approximately 0.305 m, from each end of the test product.

2. Place cover on base. The producer may choose to use a temporary gasket material in the sealant (tongue and groove) area of a grave liner in place of the permanent sealant.

3. A test frame will be assembled around the center of the test unit.

4. Cushion material should be used to assure that a 0.093 sq. m, bearing plate will uniformly load the test unit. Special care should be taken for units with arch-shaped tops or carapaces.

5. A hydraulic ram will be pressurized until the ram engages the bearing place, and will be set at a preload pressure of 226.8 kg for a minimum of one minute.

6. The inspector will add additional pressure to the test unit in 226.8 kg increments. This pressure will be added gradually, taking at least thirty (30) seconds to add each additional 226.8 kg load. Once the 226.8 kg increment has been added, the test unit should be allowed a minimum of one minute at rest prior to the next load increase. This procedure should be repeated until the full 2,268 kg load has been properly applied.

7. The concrete grave liner must withstand the 2,268 kg of static load on the 0.93 m, section at the critical load area for a minimum of five (5) minutes without failure.

ii. Confined loading.

1. The liner shall be placed on a flat surface below ground and covered with a granular soil material. The soil will be compacted thoroughly around and on top of the liner to a thickness of 46 cm. A wheeled tractor or truck with an axle load of 5.0 metric tons will then be passed over the covered liner minimum of 20 times in repetition. The liner must not show any signs of material overstress or cracking.

2. Upon completion of Confined loading test the adjacent "gravesite" will then be excavated to a maximum depth of 2.13 m, exposing the longitudinal side of the tested unit for a period of no less than twenty-four (24) hours. The unit must not exhibit any signs of potential material fatigue, creep, chiseling, excessive deflection, scratching or infringement of the adjacent gravesite.

Prospective offerors must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) website and complete representations and certifications at https://www.sam.gov.

Consideration shall be given first to responsible service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small business (VOSB) and small business concerns that are competitive in terms of market prices, quality, and delivery.

VOSBs and SDVOSBs must be verified for ownership and control and listed in the Vendor Information Pages at https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov prior to the due date for proposals.

Evaluation criteria for this award will be in the following order:

1) Price

2) Technical Capability

3) Past Performance

Electronic solicitations will be available for download from http://www.fbo.gov on or about September 24, 2014. Offerors are responsible for obtaining any and all amendments or additional information at http://www.fbo.gov. Proposals are due at 2:00 P.M. ET on October 8, 2014.

All proposals must be submitted through the Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Management System (eCMS) Vendor Portal website to be considered.

Please go to the VA eCMS Vendor Portal website at https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov to register. Once on the webpage, proceed to the Vendor Portal Login section located on the far left side of the webpage and click on 'Request a user account' to register.

Link/URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/VANCA/VANCA/VA78614R0384/listing.html