This is a Sources Sought Notice for market research information only, to be used for planning purposes. No quotes are being requested at this time. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR QUOTES AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS NOTICE. Any quotes in response to this notice will not be honored. The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of various members of the Small Business Community which includes Section 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB-Zone), Women-Owned Small Business and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 112920-"Mule production." The Small Business Size Standard is $750,000.
The National Park Service, Olympic National Park, may have an upcoming requirement to solicit and may award a firm fixed priced contract for the purchase and delivery of 4-6 mules. Olympic National Park has 19 head of stock that are used to support trail maintenance, backcountry structure maintenance, ranger operations and resource management research throughout the park. The park has 972,000 acres of which over 95% is designated wilderness. The park has 620 miles of trails and is not traversed by roads. Wilderness status prevents use of mechanized support such as helicopters, so the bulk of trail maintenance is supported by materials, tools and equipment that are packed by mules. Additionally, mules pack food, tents and supplies for trail crews to work in remote locations where the majority of trail maintenance occurs. Packers usually work alone and travel more than 30 miles a day with strings of 4-5 mules and loads exceeding 140 pounds. When selecting mules, load capacity, reliability, health, temperament and expected life are critical factors that ensure reliable and safe pack support. Minimum requirements are as follows:
Acceptable Coggins Certificate and Vaccination Record
Minimum height 14.2 hands
Max Age 12
Previous pack and saddle training
Positive response to human interaction
Mild temperament
Minimum weight 1000 lbs
Hoof structure and sound anatomy
Fluid Gait and pace
Responses to this Sources Sought Notice should demonstrate the contractor's ability, capability and responsibility to provide the mules listed above. In response to this notice, interested parties shall submit a written Statement of Capability limited to 2 pages and shall include the following information:
(1) Offeror's name, address, point of contact, phone number, email address and DUNS#.
(2) Offeror's interest in providing a quote should the solicitation be issued.
(3) Offeror's capability to meet the requirements.
(4) Offeror's small business type and whether they qualify for a socio-economic category (i.e 8(a), HUB-Zone, Women-Owned Small Business, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, etc).
(5) Email this information to [email protected] by Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 4:30pm PT.
Responses to this Sources Sought notice will be used by the Government to make acquisition decisions. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow up information requested. The Government is not obligated to, nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought notice. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government may cancel this solicitation/acquisition in its entirety.
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