Sources Sought Notice – S– Boxed Lunches for Armed Forces Applicants – Fort Dix New Jersey

Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.

Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice

Posted Date: 29-OCT-13

Office Address: Department of the Army; Army Contracting Command, MICC; MICC Center - Fort Knox; Directorate of Contracting, Building 1109B, Fort Knox, KY 40121-5000

Subject: S-- Boxed Lunches for Armed Forces Applicants - Fort Dix New Jersey

Classification Code: S - Utilities and housekeeping services

Solicitation Number: W9124D14R0003

Contact: Elizabeth Phelps, 502-624-6751 mailto:elizabeth.a.phelps2@us.army.mil [MICC Center - Fort Knox]

Setaside: N/AN/A

Place of Performance (address): MICC Center - Fort Knox Directorate of Contracting, Building 1109B Fort Knox KY

Place of Performance (zipcode): 40121-5000

Place of Performance Country: US

Description: Department of the Army

Army Contracting Command, MICC

MICC Center - Fort Knox

The Fort Knox Mission and Installation Contracting Command is conducting market research for the following requirement: Applicant Boxed Lunch services for the US Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) located at Fort Dix, New Jersey during the base period 1March 2014 through 28 February 2015, with four one-year option periods. Services include, but are not limited to: Contractor shall furnish all food, facilities, furniture, equipment, supplies, management, supervision, and labor required to provide lunches. Contractor shall prepare meals in a state/local licensed facility or restaurant, transporting and serving noon meals (lunch) to the MEPS, when called for by the Contracting Officer, or his/her representative. The contractor shall provide services every Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays and training days scheduled by the MEPS, as well as a maximum of 28 Saturdays annually, for a total estimated 264 days per year. Extra meals (i.e. mission day meals) may also be required on as many as two of the processing days per month for applicants processing late into the afternoon or evening. The government will provide the contractor with the annual operations schedule prior to contract start and upon change. The government will notify the contractor in advance when services are not required on a scheduled Saturday. FOOD SPECIFICATIONS AND SPECIFIC TASKS 5.1. The contractor's food service facilities and operations, including food preparation area, shall meet the following minimum standards and shall comply with state and local health department rules on food service sanitation. Current and appropriate federal, state and local licenses and inspections shall be posted or on hand for inspection. 5.2. The food shall be prepared at the contractor's facility, and transported to and served at the MEPS. 5.3. The contractor shall meet the following minimum requirements: 5.3.1. The contractor shall clean the serving and dining site daily upon completion of serving meals. 5.3.2. The contractor shall remove all garbage and trash from the MEPS dining area accumulated from applicants during the serving of the noon meal, at the end of lunch. 5.3.3. The contractor shall ensure the dining area is in the same condition as prior to serving the noon meal. The contractor shall notify the designated MEPS representative when finished cleaning the dining area, prior to departure from the MEPS. 5.3.4. The MEPS shall retain such items as cans, bottles, etc. that can be recycled to use in their recycling program. 5.4. During transportation, food and food utensils shall be kept in covered containers or completely wrapped or packaged so as to be protected from contamination and spoilage. 5.5. Enclosed and clean vehicles shall be used for transportation of food. 5.6. Vehicles used to transport food shall meet all federal, state and local health, safety, licensing and insurance requirements. 5.7. If required by federal, state or local laws or regulations, the contractor shall require all food handlers to have a limited medical examination. Upon request, the contractor shall show results of the medical examinations to the KO and/or his designated representative. 5.8. Hands of food handlers shall be free of cuts, sores, and other skin lesions. 5.9. Any person handling food who shows signs of an infectious disease or who is known to be a carrier shall be immediately relieved of his/her duties and reported to medical authorities. 5.10. Food handlers shall wash their hands before starting to work and after using the toilet facilities. 5.11. When assembling sandwiches, food handlers shall wear clean, clear food handler's gloves. All sandwiches shall be prepared/assembled at the contractor's facility; sandwich assembly at the MEPS by the contractor is not permitted. 5.12. The contractor shall prepare and deliver to the MEPS box lunches. Each box lunch shall consist of a sandwich, lettuce, tomato, bag of chips, cookie, apple, straw, and napkin. See paragraphs 5.12.1 through 5.12.7 below for specifications on box lunch content. 5.12.1. The contractor shall provide on a daily basis a variety of three different types of meat submarine style sandwiches and a veggie submarine sandwich, meeting portions and specifications below. Applicant selection is first come, first serve. 5.12.1.1. Bread (Submarine Buns). White, submarine style - 6 inch in length, weighing 2.5 oz. minimum, fresh. Whole Wheat, submarine style - 6 inch length, weighing 2.5 oz. minimum, fresh. 5.12.1.2. Meat, 7.5 oz minimum Ham, baked or boiled, sliced Turkey, sliced Roast Beef, sliced 5.12.1.3. Cheese, 2 slices (minimum total of 1 oz.) (Except on veggie subs) Swiss Provolone American 5.12.2. Veggie submarine sandwiches shall be pre-prepared and shall consist of lettuce, onions, pickles, green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers, as a minimum, and shall contain at least 4 slices (minimum of 2 oz) of cheese in lieu of any meat product. 5.12.3. Lettuce and Tomato shall be wrapped individually, separate from each other, separate from the sandwich, to include those box lunches with veggie sandwiches. 5.12.4. Chips, plain, one bag, one ounce or larger, nationally known brand (Frito Lay, Jays, Herrs, Wise). 5.12.5. Dessert, one large (5 quote mark ) or two medium (2.5 quote mark ) chocolate chip cookies, pre-packaged. 5.12.6. Fresh Apple, one medium - minimum 1/3 pound. 5.12.7. One straw and one paper napkin, 13 inches x 13 inches minimum. 5.13. The contractor shall provide and make available the following on a daily basis: 5.13.1. Beverages. The contractor shall submit its proposed selection of soft drinks to the KO for approval prior to contract start and prior to any change of a previously approved selection. While all of the following types of beverages are required on a daily basis, the majority furnished daily shall be carbonated soft drinks. Beverages shall consist of the following: 5.13.1.1. A variety (i.e. cola type, root beer, lemon/lime such as Sprite, 7-up, Sierra Mist) of nationally known brand (i.e. Pepsi, Coke, Royal Crown) carbonated soft drinks, both diet and regular, in cans or bottles, minimum of 12 oz serving; 5.13.1.2. Cold water, bottled, 500 ml or 20 oz serving; 5.13.1.3. Ice tea, can or bottle, minimum 12 oz serving; 5.13.1.4. Whole milk, 1/2 pint container. 5.13.2. Condiments. The contractor shall include in each box lunch two individual serving packages of the following: yellow mustard, brown mustard, mayonnaise, low fat mayonnaise, relish, salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. 5.14. All food items, other than drinks and condiments specified in paragraph 5.13.1.1. and 5.13.2. above, shall be delivered to the MEPS prepackaged in a box, bag, or container large enough to hold all items without crushing. 5.15. Waxed paper, saran/plastic wrap, or glassine bags shall be used for wrapping non pre-packaged items. 5.16. Meal Times. Meals shall be served at the MEPS from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. 5.17. The government estimates that an average of 50 served noon meals shall be required daily with a maximum of 120. The MEPS will notify the contractor by 8:00 a.m. daily with the number of lunches required for that day. 5.18. Mission Day Meal. Mission day meals shall follow the specifications outlined in paragraph 5.12. However, on mission day, the contractor may provide additional selections, such as hot sandwiches, from which the applicants may choose. 5.19. Additional Requirements: 5.19.1. All lunches shall be delivered in serving containers sturdy enough to protect contents. Containers shall be clearly marked (i.e., ham, turkey, veggie, roast beef) and be arranged to allow applicant to view selections. 5.19.2. No items shall be provided or otherwise made available for sale or choice to non-applicants. 5.19.3. Meal Vouchers. The contractor shall perform administrative functions to account for meal services provided to MEPS applicants. Necessary forms and instructions will be made available to the contractor by the contracting officer's representative (COR). By 8:00 a.m. daily, the MEPS will notify the contractor via facsimile or electronic copy the number of lunches needed that day for each service. The contractor will be provided copies of USMEPCOM Form 727-E, Copy 5 Dinner (Lunch) Meal Authorization and Receipt Voucher and shall be responsible for obtaining a signature from each applicant provided a lunch meal. The contractor shall return all signed copies to the MEPS COR after lunch day. Historically, monthly requirement ranges from 800 lunches to 1,200 lunches and an annual quantity of 13, 045. NOTE: INVOICING/PAYMENT On a monthly basis, the contractor shall submit a detailed invoice to the MEPS. The contractor's monthly invoice shall indicate the total number of lunches provided for each service code for pre (applicant) and for each service code for post (shipper). The government will use the Government Purchase Card (GPC) to pay for services/supplies received under the contract. The contractor shall have the capability to accept the GPC at the time of contract award, and shall maintain such capability during the life of the contract. Failure to maintain credit card acceptance capability may constitute contractual default pursuant to FAR 52.212- 4(m), titled quote mark Termination for Cause. quote mark NOTE: For information purposes only; a maximum of 17 credit cards may be used each month to process payment against this contract. The appropriate NAICS code is 722320 with a size standard of $7,000,000.00. This synopsis is not a request for proposal. It is a market research tool being used to determine procurement strategy. Appropriate procurement strategy will be determined after consideration of industry response to this sources sought synopsis. The government is not obligated to, and will not, pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of this synopsis. NOTE: For any acquisition set-aside for small business, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, will apply and will require the prime contractor to self-perform at least 51 percent of the labor with its own employees. Prime contractors cannot subcontract the entire effort. Again, this applies only to small business set-asides. Responses to this announcement must be received no later than 3:00 P.M. on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Response should be emailed to Elizabeth Phelps, elizabeth.a.phelps14.civ@mail.mil. Responses shall include the following: 1. Company name and address; 2. A statement of interest that meets all the requirements listed above; 3. A synopsis of the contractor's capabilities; 4. Company size: small or large, HUB Zone, 8(a), SDB, Woman-owned, Service disabled veteran-owned; 5. Statement confirming the requirements of FAR 52.219-14 will be met should this acquisition be set-aside for small business (if applicable); 6. contact information, to include name, e-mail address, phone number, and fax number