{"canonical":"https://abierto.us/opportunities/36c78627q0031","key":"36C78627Q0031","url":"https://abierto.us/opportunities/36c78627q0031","title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","notice_type":"r","open":true,"removed":false,"removed_at":null,"response_deadline":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","first_posted":"2026-10-30","last_posted":"2026-10-30","department":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","subagency":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","naics":"561730","psc":"S208","set_aside":null,"place_state":"HI","place_scope":"site","site":null,"place_state_source":"description","place_evidence":"DER, OR SPECIAL LOCATION? HOW SHOULD COVERAGE ADDRESS ALASKA, HAWAII","place_county":null,"place_county_name":null,"place_city":null,"place_city_name":null,"winner":null,"award_amount":null,"publications":[{"notice_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","notice_type":"r","base_type":"r","posted":"2026-10-30","posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","due_at":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-13","cancelled":false,"archived":false,"archive_date":"2026-12-13","removed_at":null,"award_number":null,"awardee_name":null,"amount":null,"link_sam":"https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6/view","enriched":true,"history":[{"index":3,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":2,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":1,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"submit","opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031"}]},{"notice_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","notice_type":"r","base_type":"r","posted":"2026-10-30","posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","due_at":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-13","cancelled":false,"archived":false,"archive_date":"2026-12-13","removed_at":null,"award_number":null,"awardee_name":null,"amount":null,"link_sam":"https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f/view","enriched":true,"history":[{"index":3,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":2,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":1,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"submit","opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031"}]},{"notice_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","notice_type":"r","base_type":"r","posted":"2026-10-30","posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","due_at":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-13","cancelled":false,"archived":false,"archive_date":"2026-12-13","removed_at":null,"award_number":null,"awardee_name":null,"amount":null,"link_sam":"https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e/view","enriched":true,"history":[{"index":3,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":2,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":1,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"submit","opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031"}]}],"latest_notice_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","first_type":"r","notices":[{"award":{"awardee":{}},"dates":{"posted":"2026-10-30","posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","created_at":"2026-10-30T13:24:31.132Z","modified_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","response_deadline":{"raw":"2026-11-13T16:30:00-05:00","utc":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","date":"2026-11-13","time":"16:30:00","timezone":"America/New_York","utc_offset_seconds":-18000}},"links":{"sam":"https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6/view"},"naics":{"codes":["561730"],"primary":"561730"},"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","agency":{"office":{"code":"36C786","name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)"},"subtier":{"code":"3600","name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF"},"department":{"code":"036","name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF"},"office_address":{"zip":"22134","city":"QUANTICO","state":"VA","country":"USA"},"organization_id":"100173491","organization_type":"OFFICE"},"status":{"active":true,"latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"publication":"published","archive_date":"2026-12-13","archive_type":"auto_custom"},"history":[{"index":3,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":2,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":1,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"submit","opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031"}],"contacts":[{"fax":"Antionette Collins","name":"Joselito Roman","role":"primary","email":"Joselit.Roman@va.gov","phone":"Contract Specialist","title":"Chief Contracting Officer"}],"base_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"notice_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","lineage_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","provenance":{"detail":{"endpoints":["opportunity","resources","history"],"fetched_at":"2026-10-31T04:14:24.898772309Z"},"extract":{"url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/falextracts/Contract%20Opportunities/datagov/ContractOpportunitiesFullCSV.csv","etag":"\"9fcc40a8e585e779f98ab62c69344d0d-27\"","fetched_at":"2026-10-31T03:47:30.063427912Z","row_sha256":"f88794147a869e65dddbe8d1ac2a931e108d5630c1dd89f82b72180483b7b21e","last_modified":"2026-10-31T03:30:30Z"},"updated_at":"2026-10-31T04:14:24.898772309Z","first_seen_at":"2026-10-31T03:47:30.063427912Z"},"description":{"html":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730   Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208   Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards.  Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results. \nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots.  Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\n  Business Name\n  Address\n  UEI Number\n  Point(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\n  Website (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\n  SDVOSB\n  VOSB\n  Small Business\n  WOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\n  Large Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience. \nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\n Identify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing \nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability? \nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\n\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition. \nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information. \nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov  with subject line:  36C78627Q0031  Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response \nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov \nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","text":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730 Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208 Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards. Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results.\nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots. Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\nBusiness Name\nAddress\nUEI Number\nPoint(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\nWebsite (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\nSDVOSB\nVOSB\nSmall Business\nWOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\nLarge Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience.\nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\nIdentify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing\nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability?\nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition.\nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information.\nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov with subject line: 36C78627Q0031 Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response\nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","origin":"detail"},"notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"schema_version":1,"solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","place_of_performance":{"street":"Nationwide","country":{"code":"USA","name":"UNITED STATES"}},"product_service_code":"S208"},{"award":{"awardee":{}},"dates":{"posted":"2026-10-30","posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","created_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:34.117Z","modified_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.139Z","response_deadline":{"raw":"2026-11-13T16:30:00-05:00","utc":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","date":"2026-11-13","time":"16:30:00","timezone":"America/New_York","utc_offset_seconds":-18000}},"links":{"sam":"https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f/view"},"naics":{"codes":["561730"],"primary":"561730"},"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","agency":{"office":{"code":"36C786","name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)"},"subtier":{"code":"3600","name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF"},"department":{"code":"036","name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF"},"office_address":{"zip":"22134","city":"QUANTICO","state":"VA","country":"USA"},"organization_id":"100173491","organization_type":"OFFICE"},"status":{"active":true,"latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"publication":"published","archive_date":"2026-12-13","archive_type":"auto_custom"},"history":[{"index":3,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":2,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":1,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"submit","opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031"}],"contacts":[{"fax":"Antionette Collins","name":"Joselito Roman","role":"primary","email":"Joselit.Roman@va.gov","phone":"Contract Specialist","title":"Chief Contracting Officer"}],"base_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"notice_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","lineage_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","provenance":{"detail":{"endpoints":["opportunity","resources","history"],"fetched_at":"2026-10-31T04:13:38.894764175Z"},"extract":{"url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/falextracts/Contract%20Opportunities/datagov/ContractOpportunitiesFullCSV.csv","etag":"\"9fcc40a8e585e779f98ab62c69344d0d-27\"","fetched_at":"2026-10-31T03:47:30.063427912Z","row_sha256":"940d85a837a5ba9e636ceb9114a528ebd15867cf322dc90ac1f14de11d5d9aa4","last_modified":"2026-10-31T03:30:30Z"},"updated_at":"2026-10-31T04:13:38.894764175Z","first_seen_at":"2026-10-31T03:47:30.063427912Z"},"description":{"html":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730   Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208   Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards.  Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results. \nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots.  Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\n  Business Name\n  Address\n  UEI Number\n  Point(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\n  Website (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\n  SDVOSB\n  VOSB\n  Small Business\n  WOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\n  Large Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience. \nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\n Identify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing \nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability? \nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\n\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition. \nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information. \nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov  with subject line:  36C78627Q0031  Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response \nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov \nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","text":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730 Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208 Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards. Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results.\nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots. Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\nBusiness Name\nAddress\nUEI Number\nPoint(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\nWebsite (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\nSDVOSB\nVOSB\nSmall Business\nWOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\nLarge Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience.\nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\nIdentify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing\nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability?\nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition.\nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information.\nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov with subject line: 36C78627Q0031 Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response\nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","origin":"detail"},"notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"schema_version":1,"solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","place_of_performance":{"street":"Nationwide","country":{"code":"USA","name":"UNITED STATES"}},"product_service_code":"S208"},{"award":{"awardee":{}},"dates":{"posted":"2026-10-30","posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","created_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:05.291Z","modified_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","response_deadline":{"raw":"2026-11-13T16:30:00-05:00","utc":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","date":"2026-11-13","time":"16:30:00","timezone":"America/New_York","utc_offset_seconds":-18000}},"links":{"sam":"https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e/view"},"naics":{"codes":["561730"],"primary":"561730"},"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","agency":{"office":{"code":"36C786","name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)"},"subtier":{"code":"3600","name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF"},"department":{"code":"036","name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF"},"office_address":{"zip":"22134","city":"QUANTICO","state":"VA","country":"USA"},"organization_id":"100173491","organization_type":"OFFICE"},"status":{"active":true,"latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"publication":"published","archive_date":"2026-12-13","archive_type":"auto_custom"},"history":[{"index":3,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Maintenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":true,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T16:40:50.135Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"b5b75f617e2442caa5a51873dcb3727f","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":2,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:26:58.668Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"modify","opportunity_id":"a7ce8515bdfa4b9db29a462536e502a6","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","parent_opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e"},{"index":1,"title":"S208--Request for Information (RFI) Nationwide IDIQ Grounds Mantenance National Cemetery Administration (NCA)","action":"publish","latest":false,"deleted":false,"archived":false,"cancelled":false,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"request_type":"submit","opportunity_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031"}],"contacts":[{"fax":"Antionette Collins","name":"Joselito Roman","role":"primary","email":"Joselit.Roman@va.gov","phone":"Contract Specialist","title":"Chief Contracting Officer"}],"base_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"notice_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","lineage_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","provenance":{"detail":{"endpoints":["opportunity","resources","history"],"fetched_at":"2026-10-31T04:18:31.682410708Z"},"extract":{"url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/falextracts/Contract%20Opportunities/datagov/ContractOpportunitiesFullCSV.csv","etag":"\"9fcc40a8e585e779f98ab62c69344d0d-27\"","fetched_at":"2026-10-31T03:47:30.063427912Z","row_sha256":"c38939e51845880e9abcbaa877d0054d918e23e19b74a778acedb7e4c4968243","last_modified":"2026-10-31T03:30:30Z"},"updated_at":"2026-10-31T04:18:31.682410708Z","first_seen_at":"2026-10-31T03:47:30.063427912Z"},"description":{"html":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730   Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208   Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards.  Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results. \nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots.  Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\n  Business Name\n  Address\n  UEI Number\n  Point(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\n  Website (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\n  SDVOSB\n  VOSB\n  Small Business\n  WOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\n  Large Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience. \nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\n Identify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing \nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability? \nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\n\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition. \nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information. \nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov  with subject line:  36C78627Q0031  Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response \nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov \nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","text":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730 Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208 Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards. Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results.\nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots. Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\nBusiness Name\nAddress\nUEI Number\nPoint(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\nWebsite (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\nSDVOSB\nVOSB\nSmall Business\nWOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\nLarge Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience.\nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\nIdentify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing\nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability?\nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition.\nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information.\nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov with subject line: 36C78627Q0031 Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response\nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","origin":"detail"},"notice_type":{"code":"r","label":"Sources Sought"},"schema_version":1,"solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0031","place_of_performance":{"street":"Nationwide","country":{"code":"USA","name":"UNITED STATES"}},"product_service_code":"S208"}],"due_at":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-13","closes_at":"2026-11-13T21:30:00Z","awardable":true,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C786","office_name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","state":"HI","county":null,"county_name":null,"city":null,"city_name":null,"country":"USA","state_source":"description","state_evidence":"DER, OR SPECIAL LOCATION? HOW SHOULD COVERAGE ADDRESS ALASKA, HAWAII","site_key":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"updated_at":"2026-10-31T03:50:03.904859Z","principal_notice_id":"d764f46c468c47cdba08ab2c1da5376e","description":{"text":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730 Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208 Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards. Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results.\nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots. Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\nBusiness Name\nAddress\nUEI Number\nPoint(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\nWebsite (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\nSDVOSB\nVOSB\nSmall Business\nWOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\nLarge Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience.\nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\nIdentify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing\nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability?\nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition.\nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information.\nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov with subject line: 36C78627Q0031 Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response\nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov\n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2 NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","html":"REQUEST FOR INFORMATION\nNationwide Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity Contract for Grounds Maintenance Services\nAgency:\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA)\nNotice ID:\n36C78627Q0031\nNAICS Code:\n561730   Landscaping Services (anticipated) (size standard of $9.5 Million)\nPSC:\nS208   Housekeeping Landscaping/Groundskeeping (anticipated)\nResponses Due:\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\nContracting Contact:\nJoselito Roman, Contracting Officer; Joselito.Roman@va.gov\nAntionette Collins, Contract Specialist; Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n\n1. Special Notice and Disclaimer\nTHIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.\nTHE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e).\n\nDISCLAIMER\nThis Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for market research and acquisition-planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, invitation for bid, or promise to issue a future solicitation. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting information, participating in discussions, or otherwise responding to this notice.\nSubmission of a response is voluntary and is not required to compete for any future acquisition. Failure to respond will not prevent an entity from participating in a future solicitation. The Government may use submitted information to refine its requirements, acquisition strategy, socioeconomic approach, pricing structure, ordering procedures, and performance standards. Respondents should clearly mark proprietary, confidential, or competition-sensitive material; however, respondents should avoid submitting classified information or unnecessary personally identifiable information.\nPLEASE READ THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IN ITS ENTIREITY.\n2. Purpose\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration is conducting market research to determine the availability, capability, capacity, geographic reach, and interest of businesses able to provide recurring and nonrecurring grounds maintenance services at NCA National Cemeteries throughout the United States and its territories. The Government is considering a nationwide, multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under which specific requirements would be ordered through task orders.\nThe Government seeks industry input for the following:\nFeasibility of a nationwide acquisition: Determine whether a single nationwide contract or acquisition approach is practical, including whether vendors have geographic reach, staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity to support requirements across the country.\nCompetition and small-business participation: Assess the number and types of potential offerors, as well as opportunities for small businesses to compete as prime contractors, subcontractors, or teaming partners. For example, respondents may identify whether requirements should be set aside or divided to encourage meaningful small-business participation.\nRegional structures: Identify effective ways to divide the requirement, such as national, state, district, or regional. See Addendum A. Respondents can describe which division is more effective in enhancing services, reducing travel or logistics costs, increasing competition, improving performance outcomes and increasing quality standards.  Respondents should recommend measurable performance objectives, service-level requirements, quality standards, and methods for evaluating results. \nPricing method and economic price adjustment: This will be a firm fixed price contract. Respondents should also address factors that may justify economic price adjustments, such as changes in labor rates, material costs, fuel prices, inflation, or applicable wage requirements.\nMobilization, surge, subcontracting, and reporting capabilities: Describe the ability to begin performance within the required timeframe, increase capacity during periods of unusually high demand, manage subcontractors, and provide accurate and timely reports. Examples include transition staffing plans, emergency-response capacity, subcontractor oversight, performance dashboards, and standardized monthly reports.\nBarriers to competition, cost, or successful performance: Identify conditions that could limit competition, increase prices, delay implementation, or create performance risks. Examples may include overly restrictive experience requirements, insufficient lead time, geographic coverage challenges, workforce shortages, unclear requirements, data limitations, security or facility-access constraints, and burdensome contract terms.\n3. Background and Anticipated Acquisition\nThe contemplated vehicle would support a diverse portfolio of Government-owned or Government-operated National Cemeteries/Soldier s Lots.  Site characteristics, acreage, climate, terrain, security conditions, service frequency, and local requirements may vary substantially.\nContract Type\nMultiple-award IDIQ, subject to market research and acquisition approval\nOrdering\nTask orders using firm-fixed price, unit-priced, or other authorized arrangements appropriate to each requirement\nPotential Period\nBase and Five, One Year Option Periods\nGeographic Coverage\nNationwide United States, District of Columbia, and potentially U.S. territories and possessions\nPotential Award Structure\nNational, State, District, or Regional\nEstimated Ceiling\nTo Be Determined\nGuaranteed Minimum\nTo be established in any resulting solicitation and contract\n\n4. Anticipated Scope of Services\nTask orders may require some or all of the following services. The final scope, frequencies, standards, quantities, and site-specific conditions would be identified in the applicable task-order performance statement.\nThe anticipated Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:\nMemorial and monument services: Installation, and setting of upright headstones, flat markers, niche markers, private markers, and monuments.\nHeadstone services: Raising, lowering, realignment, resetting, and fine-tuned alignment of headstones and other memorial markers.\nMemorial cleaning and maintenance: Cleaning, preservation, and routine maintenance of headstones, markers, monuments, and related memorial features.\nGrounds maintenance: Gravesite and turf maintenance, including mowing, trimming, edging, and other routine grounds-care activities.\nPest control: Inspection, treatment, monitoring, and prevention of pests affecting the grounds, plantings, structures, and related facilities.\nLandscape maintenance: Maintenance of trees, shrubs, planting beds, ornamental plantings, and associated landscape features.\nIrrigation, pond, and drainage services: Inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, and related services for irrigation systems, ponds, drainage systems, and associated components.\nWaste and debris removal: Removal and disposal of trash, leaves, branches, clippings, and other debris from gravesites, grounds, paved areas, and facilities.\nPavement care: Sweeping, cleaning, and routine maintenance of roads, walkways, parking areas, and other paved surfaces.\nArtificial turf maintenance: Cleaning, grooming, infill maintenance, weed control, and related upkeep of artificial turf areas.\nWinter services: Ice prevention and the removal of snow and ice from roads, walkways, parking areas, entrances, and other designated surfaces.\nStructure and facility services: Cleaning of structures, janitorial services, and light maintenance necessary to keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.\nCeremony assistance: Setup, coordination, site preparation, and related assistance for ceremonies and scheduled events.\nWinter interment preparation: Preparation and maintenance of interment areas for winter burial operations, including access, surface conditions, and related site requirements.\nSupplies and materials: Supply and delivery of grass seed, pelletized limestone, pelletized gypsum, fertilizer 24-3-16, fertilizer 24-0-14, and fertilizer 16-16-16.\n\n5. Performance and Compliance Considerations\nContractors may be required to furnish all management, supervision, qualified labor, vehicles, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, licenses, permits, transportation, and incidentals necessary for performance. Requirements may include site-specific safety plans, background screening or access credentials, traffic and pedestrian controls, protection of structures and utilities, pesticide applicator licensing, environmental compliance, wage determinations, quality-control plans, incident reporting, and coordination with facility representatives.\nThe Government is interested in practical approaches that reduce environmental impacts while preserving safety and service quality, including integrated pest management; native or climate-appropriate plantings; water conservation; recycled-content or recovered materials; green-waste diversion; prevention of stormwater pollution; reduced idling; and use of low- or zero-emission equipment when technically and economically feasible.\n6. Information Requested\n6.1 Company Profile\nCompany Information\n  Business Name\n  Address\n  UEI Number\n  Point(s) of Contact (name, email, phone)\n  Website (if applicable)\nBusiness Size & Socioeconomic Status\nIndicate whether your business is:\n  SDVOSB\n  VOSB\n  Small Business\n  WOSB / HUBZone / 8(a)\n  Large Business\nNAICS Code Compatibility\nConfirm whether your company qualifies as small under NAICS 561730.\nCapabilities & Experience\nProvide a narrative describing your company s capabilities, experience, staffing, geographic coverage, and pricing structure for providing nationwide, state, district, or regional, full-service grounds maintenance and cemetery support experience. \nSelf Performance & Subcontracting\nRespondents who intend to subcontract any work on this contract, shall identify what portion of the total cost will be self-performed by your organization? Identify estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and identify anticipated percentage of work self performed. List any subcontractors or disciplines you foresee using.\nFederal Contracting Information\n Identify any current Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), NAC, or other federal contracts. State whether the solution/services are available on those schedules. Please provide the contract number.\nMarket Research Pricing \nProvide general pricing ranges for planning purposes only (non binding). Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.\nFeedback on Draft Scope\nProvide any recommended clarifications, additions, or concerns with the draft Performance Work Statement, if applicable.\nLicenses, Certifications, Safety Programs\nIdentify any relevant licenses, certifications, safety programs, quality certifications, and environmental credentials that would be required in support of this requirement.\n6.2 Technical, Management, and Geographic Capability\nService Coverage: Describe your ability to self-perform and manage recurring grounds maintenance at the national, state, district, or regional level. Identify the states and territories you currently serve.\nCapacity: Identify the minimum and maximum practical task-order size, annual contract value, acreage, number of simultaneous sites, and mobilization period your firm can support.\nManagement Model: Describe your proposed national, state, district, or regional management structure.\nSite Conditions: Describe your ability to support rural, remote, high-security, high-visibility, environmentally sensitive, and geographically dispersed locations.\nPerformance Management: Identify customary performance metrics, acceptable quality levels, remedies, and inspection methods for this type of work.\nSafety: Describe your safety program.\n\n6.3 Acquisition Strategy and Competition\nAward and geographic structure: What award structure best supports mission requirements single or multiple award, national or geographically grouped, and organized by region, state, district, service category, task order, or special location? How should coverage address Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and remote areas?\nGeographic pool model: What are the comparative benefits, risks, and administrative implications of national, regional, state, district, and specialized pools? Which model best balances coverage, contractor capability, oversight, and ordering flexibility?\nPool design and awardee count: How many awardees should be selected for each pool to preserve meaningful competition, provide adequate geographic and technical coverage, limit proposal and administration costs, and maintain sufficient ordering capacity?\nSubcontracting: What subcontracting structures will expand small-business participation without weakening accountability? \nCompetition and contract terms: Which requirements could unnecessarily restrict competition, including organizational conflict-of-interest provisions, exclusivity, bonding, insurance, minimum-order commitments, financial standards, geographic limitations, and other qualification or performance requirements? What alternatives would protect the government s interests while broadening competition?\n\n\n\nOrdering and transition periods: What ordering period, including option periods, best supports program continuity and competition? What transition period is needed for mobilization, incumbent knowledge transfer, staffing, systems access, and performance continuity?\nTask-order schedule: What proposal-response period is reasonable for task orders based on complexity and expected effort? What minimum task-order duration is necessary to support performance, pricing stability, meaningful small-business participation, and efficient administration?\n6.4 Pricing and Cost Drivers\nRecommend pricing units for recurring and nonrecurring work, such as per acre, square foot, linear foot, tree, application, labor hour, equipment hour, event, visit, or monthly site price.\nDescribe the principal cost drivers and regional variables, including labor, fuel, equipment transport, and wage determinations.\nRecommend an approach for IDIQ-level pricing versus task-order competition. \nExplain how mobilization, demobilization, minimum service calls, equipment staging, travel, lodging, subcontractor markups, and green-waste disposal are customarily priced.\nProvide nonbinding rough-order-of-magnitude price ranges or sample unit prices, if available, with assumptions clearly stated. Do not submit a formal proposal.\n6.5 Sustainability and Innovation\nDescribe approaches to integrated pest management, pesticide and fertilizer reduction, native and pollinator-supporting plantings, invasive-species control, water conservation, and soil health.\nDescribe available low- or zero-emission equipment, charging or fueling needs, operational limitations, cost impacts, and a practical transition schedule.\nDescribe methods to divert green waste from landfills and to document recycling, composting, reuse, and disposal.\nIdentify sustainability metrics that can be measured without creating disproportionate administrative cost.\nDescribe innovative technologies or practices that could improve safety, service quality, resilience, transparency, or lifecycle cost.\n6.6 Recommendations and Risks\nIdentify ambiguities, impractical requirements, or missing information in this RFI.\nRecommend changes that would improve competition, reduce proposal and administrative burden, support small-business participation, or improve performance outcomes.\nIdentify the most significant technical, schedule, supply-chain, labor, weather, environmental, or contractual risks and recommend mitigations.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 1- NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION.\nProvide any additional comments to Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT. Please write comments in the comment bubble and provide revisions through track changes of Attachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT.\n\n6.7 Additional Contractor Response Questions\n1. Business Structure and Geographic Capability\nWhat role or combination of roles would your firm consider prime contractor, subcontractor, teaming partner, or joint venture and what geographic areas, states, territories, regions, and service categories could your firm support?\nWhat percentage of the work would your firm self-perform, which functions would it subcontract, and what barriers could limit participation by small businesses or new entrants?\n2. Experience, Capacity, and Commercial Viability\nWhat is the largest number of sites, total acreage, or annual service value your firm has managed concurrently under a single contract, and what minimum annual contract value or task-order volume would make participation commercially viable?\nWhat staffing model, qualifications, licenses, certifications, training, and compliance-verification processes should be required for program managers, regional staff, supervisors, field personnel, and subcontractors?\n3. Subcontractor and Workforce Management\nHow would your firm identify, qualify, onboard, monitor, and replace local subcontractors across multiple geographic regions while maintaining compliance with licensing, pesticide credentials, permits, insurance, and safety requirements?\nHow would your firm maintain continuity of service during labor shortages, equipment failures, severe weather, supply disruptions, or subcontractor default?\n4. Transition, Mobilization, and Emergency Response\nWhat information and transition activities would be required to assume an existing nationwide, state, district, or regional grounds-maintenance program? What mobilization periods would be reasonable for routine, remote, and emergency requirements?\nWhat emergency-response capabilities could your firm provide, including after-hours dispatch, storm mobilization, debris removal, equipment staging, and response to urgent requirements? What response times would be achievable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\n5. Performance Management, Quality Control, and Technology\nWhat quality-control inspections, sampling methods, documentation, corrective-action procedures, performance indicators, reporting levels, and reporting frequencies should be required?\nWhat customer complaint, deficiency, cure, and resolution timeframes would be commercially reasonable for routine, urgent, and emergency conditions?\nWhat technology would your firm use for work orders, geolocation, timekeeping, inspections, photographs, invoicing, customer reporting, and performance monitoring?\n6. Pricing and Contract Structure\nHow should the Government validate acreage, landscape assets, service frequencies, and site conditions before establishing task-order pricing?\nWhich services would be best suited to recurring pricing, unit pricing, or separately priced emergency work?\nWhat assumptions, exclusions, minimum charges, travel zones, disposal costs, mobilization costs, and price-adjustment indices should be included in the pricing schedule?\nHow frequently should prices be adjusted, and what adjustment methodology or indices would be appropriate?\n7. Risk, Support, and Sustainability\nWhat bonding, insurance, vehicle, pesticide-liability, cybersecurity, safety, and other coverage requirements are customary and reasonable for this work?\nWhat Government-furnished information, property, storage, utilities, water access, disposal areas, site support, maps, inventories, historical workload data, sample task orders, site visits, or draft performance standards would improve performance or pricing accuracy? Please rank the most valuable items.\nWhat sustainable practices and integrated pest-management methods could your firm implement without materially increasing prices or reducing performance?\nWhich sustainability or integrated pest-management practices would involve measurable cost premiums, and how should those costs be evaluated or incorporated?\n8. Acquisition and Solicitation Design\nWhat proposal preparation and task-order response periods would be reasonable for routine, complex, and emergency requirements?\nWhat evaluation factors would best distinguish capable contractors while minimizing unnecessary proposal burden?\nWhat changes would you recommend to the contemplated scope, geographic structure, contract terms, ordering procedures, response requirements, performance standards, or other acquisition features?\n\n7. Response Instructions\nResponses should be concise, complete, and organized in the order of Section 6. Restate each question before the response or provide a cross-reference matrix. Respondents may answer only those questions for which they have relevant information. \nDue Date\nNovember 13, 2026 at 4:30PM EST\nSubmission Method\nEmail to Joselito.Roman@va.gov AND Antionette.Collins@va.gov  with subject line:  36C78627Q0031  Nationwide Grounds Maintenance RFI Response \nFile Format\nSearchable Microsoft Word or PDF\nSuggested Length\nNo more than 20 pages, excluding cover page and relevant attachments\nQuestions Due\nNovember 13, 2026 4:30PM EST\n\nRespondents should place the company name, notice number, and page number on each page. Clearly identify proprietary material and provide a releasable version if practicable. Marketing materials may be included only when directly relevant. Do not include classified information, export-controlled technical data, or sensitive personal information.\nWE APPRECIATE THE USE OF SUPER INTELLIGENCE BUT REQUEST THOROUGH HUMAN ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE.\n8. Government Follow-Up\nThe Government may contact respondents for clarification, request demonstrations, conduct one-on-one market-research discussions, hold an industry day, issue additional RFIs, or publish a draft solicitation. The Government is not obligated to contact any respondent. To maintain fairness, the Government may summarize questions and answers or other nonproprietary information for the broader industry.\n9. Points of Contact\nContracting Officer: Joselito Roman, Chief of Contracting, Joselito.Roman@va.gov \nContract Specialist: Antionette Collins, Contract Specialist, Antionette.Collins@va.gov \n10. Attachments\nAttachment 1   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package PWS DRAFT VERSION\nAttachment 2   NCA Standard Grounds Maintenance Acquisition Package CLIN Schedule DRAFT\nTHERE IS NO PREVIOUS PROCUREMENT INFORMATION AND NO PAST AWARD INFORMATION FOR THIS ACTION. NO REQUEST FOR THIS INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED.\n* THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES*\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAddendum A\nNational Cemetery Administration is divided into 4 Districts:\nNortheast District\nSoutheast District\nCentral District\nWest District","origin":"detail"},"contacts":[{"fax":"Antionette Collins","name":"Joselito Roman","role":"primary","email":"Joselit.Roman@va.gov","phone":"Contract Specialist","title":"Chief Contracting Officer"}],"place_of_performance":{"street":"Nationwide","country":{"code":"USA","name":"UNITED STATES"}},"office_address":{"zip":"22134","city":"QUANTICO","state":"VA","country":"USA"},"naics_codes":["561730"],"award":{"awardee":{}},"attachments":[{"resource_id":"440cedf560164dbfa922951988c54736","name":"36C78627Q0031.docx","kind":"file","mime_type":".docx","size_bytes":318159,"posted_at":"2026-10-30T13:17:08.595Z","export_controlled":false,"sha256":null,"url":"https://sam.gov/api/prod/opps/v3/opportunities/resources/files/440cedf560164dbfa922951988c54736/download","mirrored":false}],"awards":[],"related":[{"key":"36C78626R0104","latest_notice_id":"826947488121401e9d97eef7c8a5f492","title":"9930--Manufacture, Supply, and Distribute Flat Bronze Markers","solicitation_number":"36C78626R0104","notice_type":"o","first_type":"p","first_posted":"2026-09-23","last_posted":"2026-10-26","notices":4,"due_at":"2026-11-02T16:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-02","closes_at":"2026-11-02T16:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C786","office_name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","naics":"331529","psc":"9930","set_aside":null,"state":null,"county":null,"county_name":null,"city":null,"city_name":null,"country":null,"place_scope":"nationwide","state_source":null,"state_evidence":"Product purchase (PSC 9930)","site":null,"site_key":null,"winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-27T03:50:29.852134Z"},{"key":"36C78627Q0027","latest_notice_id":"d959ac57372d46c0aa3d84c5db3ab471","title":"J039 - Equipment Maintenance - Golden Gate National Cemetery","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0027","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-10-27","last_posted":"2026-10-27","notices":1,"due_at":"2026-11-03T19:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-03","closes_at":"2026-11-03T19:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C786","office_name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","naics":"811310","psc":"J039","set_aside":null,"state":"CA","county":"06081","county_name":"San Mateo County","city":"0665028","city_name":"San Bruno","country":"USA","place_scope":"site","state_source":null,"state_evidence":null,"site":null,"site_key":null,"winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-28T04:01:09.175983Z"},{"key":"36C78627Q0030","latest_notice_id":"4b4bd411692d48fd8a5796f7c7bc07e0","title":"Y1JZ--926CM3010 Cemetery Expansion and FCA Improvements Project Washington Crossing National Cemetery","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0030","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-10-29","last_posted":"2026-10-29","notices":1,"due_at":"2026-11-09T13:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-09","closes_at":"2026-11-09T13:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C786","office_name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","naics":"237990","psc":"Y1JZ","set_aside":"SDVOSBC","state":"PA","county":"42017","county_name":"Bucks County","city":null,"city_name":null,"country":"USA","place_scope":"site","state_source":"sam_state_name","state_evidence":null,"site":null,"site_key":null,"winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-30T03:41:17.879115Z"},{"key":"36C78627Q0018","latest_notice_id":"775296ab10a244d28babade6b671dd2b","title":"Gravesite Expansion Florence National Cemetery 943CM3023","solicitation_number":"36C78627Q0018","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-10-21","last_posted":"2026-10-21","notices":1,"due_at":"2026-11-09T15:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-09","closes_at":"2026-11-09T15:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C786","office_name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","naics":"237990","psc":"Y1PZ","set_aside":"SDVOSBC","state":"SC","county":"45041","county_name":"Florence County","city":"4525810","city_name":"Florence","country":"USA","place_scope":"site","state_source":null,"state_evidence":null,"site":null,"site_key":null,"winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-22T04:09:15.685315Z"},{"key":"36C78626B0030","latest_notice_id":"c9a99328a7d442768403641d44fa0cb6","title":"Y1PZ--Fort Sill NC Gravesite Expansion and FCA Deficiencies 920CM3006","solicitation_number":"36C78626B0030","notice_type":"o","first_type":"p","first_posted":"2026-08-06","last_posted":"2026-10-27","notices":10,"due_at":"2026-11-09T18:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-09","closes_at":"2026-11-09T18:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C786","office_name":"NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMIN (36C786)","naics":"237990","psc":"Y1PZ","set_aside":"SDVOSBC","state":"OK","county":"40031","county_name":"Comanche County","city":"4023450","city_name":"Elgin","country":"USA","place_scope":"site","state_source":null,"state_evidence":null,"site":"Fort Sill","site_key":"fort-sill-ok","winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-28T04:01:09.175983Z"}],"similar_open":[{"key":"N6247827R2440","latest_notice_id":"81f02488b7004e2abf1992607d405ec8","title":"Sources Sought for Grounds Maintenance and Landscaping Services, MCBH, Oahu, Hawaii","solicitation_number":"N6247827R2440","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-10-21","last_posted":"2026-10-23","notices":3,"due_at":"2026-11-07T03:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-06","closes_at":"2026-11-07T03:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-017","dept_name":"DEPT OF DEFENSE","sub_key":"s-1700","sub_name":"DEPT OF THE NAVY","office_key":"o-N62478","office_name":"NAVFACSYSCOM HAWAII","naics":"561730","psc":null,"set_aside":null,"state":"HI","county":null,"county_name":null,"city":null,"city_name":null,"country":null,"place_scope":"site","state_source":"title","state_evidence":"ANCE AND LANDSCAPING SERVICES, MCBH, OAHU, HAWAII","site":null,"site_key":null,"winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-24T03:56:54.139438Z"},{"key":"697DCK27R00031","latest_notice_id":"3a5c865bf29b4a8a8b480c4d333821ac","title":"ZAB Weed Control and Groundskeeping Services","solicitation_number":"697DCK-27-R-00031","notice_type":"r","first_type":"r","first_posted":"2026-10-19","last_posted":"2026-10-23","notices":2,"due_at":"2026-11-01T17:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-01","closes_at":"2026-11-01T17:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-069","dept_name":"TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-6920","sub_name":"FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION","office_key":"o-697DCK","office_name":"697DCK REGIONAL ACQUISITIONS SVCS","naics":"561730","psc":"S208","set_aside":null,"state":"NM","county":"35001","county_name":"Bernalillo County","city":"3502000","city_name":"Albuquerque","country":"USA","place_scope":"site","state_source":null,"state_evidence":null,"site":null,"site_key":null,"winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-24T03:56:54.139438Z"},{"key":"36C24427Q0O12","latest_notice_id":"239aac6064094be2bfc348ae136dcef4","title":"S218--Snow Removal Services Wilmington VAMC","solicitation_number":"36C24427Q0O12","notice_type":"k","first_type":"k","first_posted":"2026-10-27","last_posted":"2026-10-27","notices":1,"due_at":"2026-11-02T15:00:00Z","due_date":"2026-11-02","closes_at":"2026-11-02T15:00:00Z","awardable":true,"open":true,"removed":false,"dept_key":"d-036","dept_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","sub_key":"s-3600","sub_name":"VETERANS AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF","office_key":"o-36C244","office_name":"244-NETWORK CONTRACT OFFICE 4 (36C244)","naics":"561730","psc":"S218","set_aside":"SDVOSBC","state":"DE","county":"10003","county_name":"New Castle County","city":"1077580","city_name":"Wilmington","country":null,"place_scope":"site","state_source":"sam_state_name","state_evidence":null,"site":"Wilmington VA Medical Center","site_key":"wilmington-va-medical-center-de","winner":null,"winner_key":null,"amount":null,"linked_awards":0,"cancelled":false,"archived":false,"removed_at":null,"updated_at":"2026-10-28T04:57:21.121242Z"}],"similar_open_total":21}