Window Shades and Installation Services

Watch out for

• SDVOSB-only with verified certification. Only Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses certified in the SBA database at both quote and award can win; others are treated as non-responsive. will be considered non-responsive, and will NOT be considered for award.
• Manufacturer / nonmanufacturer rule and no waiver. Resellers must supply shades made by a domestic small business manufacturer and there is no SBA waiver for this NAICS code, which can limit which shade brands you can propose. there are no waivers listed.
• Strict cleanability proof. The fabric must withstand 10% bleach, and the VA wants photo evidence from Virex disinfectant testing rather than a manufacturer cleaning guide, so you need test evidence before bidding. The 10% bleach provision is mandatory.
• All-or-nothing fixed price with vendor-verified measurements. You price one lump sum for the full job and are responsible for confirming measurements in a 1946 building with out-of-square windows; the VA says the window count will not change. Any award made as a result of this solicitation will be made on an All or Nothing Basis.
• Must acknowledge both amendments. Failing to acknowledge Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 can get the offer rejected. Offers shall acknowledge Amendment 1 and Amendment 2 with their offer
• Conflicting and revised documents. The original solicitation (due Oct 6, 90 days after order, two-factor evaluation, one 3-attachment set) conflicts with the amendments (due Oct 16, no fixed completion deadline, three factors, six volumes), and SOW rv1 and rv2 differ on warranty wording. There is not a governing completion deadline.
• Work in occupied healthcare building. Installers work around patients and staff with badges, escorts and limited access to some rooms, which adds scheduling and supervision cost. Some rooms may not be accessible during scheduled installation times due to patient care requirements.
• Rural site and 72-hour warranty response. Sheridan is rural, and you must respond to warranty requests within 72 hours and cover travel, parts and labor for warranty work. Contractor shall be capable of providing an initial response to requests for warranty work/service within 72 hours.
• Very short bid window, no more questions. Posted October 7 with quotes due October 16, and the VA is not taking further questions. No additional questions will be accepted.
• Service Contract Act wage determination attached. A Department of Labor wage determination and FAR 52.222-41 are listed in the amendment even though services clauses were said to be removed, so it is unclear whether prevailing wage rules apply to installers. Clauses and references for ‘services’ are removed from the solicitation
• Award can fail on available funding. The lowest quote is first checked against the funds available, and the VA can cancel if it is too high; the budget is not disclosed.