RFI for GSA Emergency Acquisitions in support of FEMA

1. Notification

The government is seeking information from qualified sources to provide a wide variety of support during times of emergency. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) and is simply intended to gather information for market research purposes only. The Government does not intend to award a contract based solely on responses to this Sources Sought Notice. 

Responses to this notice will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this notice and the Government will not pay for information received in response to this notice. The Government does not request any proprietary information be submitted in response to this notice.

2. Background

The General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), Office of Travel, Transportation and Logistics (TTL), supports various Federal agencies during times of emergency. TTL wishes to establish a buying instrument that allows TTL and its customers to rapidly and efficiently purchase commercial supplies and services required to support emergencies and disasters. 

3. General Requirements

TTL is seeking sources that can meet the following requirements:

• Support emergency acquisitions by providing a wide variety of supplies similar to those described in the Commonly Used Sheltering Items & Service Listing (CUSI-SL) provided as Attachment 1, and emergency response related services. Attachment 1 is not intended to represent an all inclusive list of potential emergency requirements. Firms should consider the provided catalog as demonstrative of the types of purchases that federal agencies make in responding to emergencies.
• Have key personnel and alternates available 24x7 during Presidentially declared emergencies to receive and process orders. 
• Provide responses to Requests for Support (RES) on an accelerated timeline during active emergencies/disasters as follows:
  • Supply Purchases
    • For RES notices that occur during normal business hours (7:00am - 5:00pm, Eastern time), firms may have as few as 5 hours to submit quotes in response to each RES.
    • For RES notices that occur after hours (5:01pm - 6:59am, Eastern Time), firms may have as few as 8 hours to submit quotes in response to each RES.
  • Service Purchases (or those involving both supplies and services)
    • For RES notices that occur during normal business hours (7:00am - 5:00pm, Eastern time), firms may have as few as 12 hours to submit quotes in response to each RES.
    • For RES notices that occur after hours (5:01pm - 6:59am, Eastern Time), firms may have as few as 24 hours to submit quotes in response to each RES.
• Meet accelerated and/or staggered delivery/performance timeframes during active emergencies as follows:
  • at least 30% of the total quantity of items delivered within 24 hours of order placement, and   
  • at least 60% of the total quantity of items delivered within 48 hours of order placements, and 
  • complete fulfilment of the total quantity of items no longer than 72 hours
  • For service purchases, performance requirements are typically specified in the task order on accelerated timeframes. 
• Have close working relationships with their transportation network in order to rapidly re-direct shipments to a different location than originally ordered based on changing circumstances in support of the emergency. 
• Provide real-time visibility of all commodities shipped. 
• Track commodity orders from receipt through customer delivery via Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices or equivalent to maintain shipment visibility. 
• Respond to delivery discrepancies within 10 days.
• Pick up returned merchandise within 10 days or in extreme cases, as quickly as the situation allows.
• Provide regular status reports.

TTL is specifically interested in firms that may specialize in emergency operations and disaster recovery support services and can act as leads to compile recovery solutions amongst a variety of suppliers and service providers.

4. Questions to Industry

1. In a brief narrative, please provide details on your firm’s capabilities to provide various commercial supplies/services during times of emergency. Responses should provide details on your firm’s ability to meet the general requirements listed above in this notice. 
2. Discuss your firm's ability to meet the accelerated response requirements and rapid delivery timelines outlined in the General Requirements section of this notice. 
3. What is your firm’s continuity of operations plan for emergency situations or disaster events? What is your firm’s operational capacity during emergency operations? 
4. Does your firm hold any government contracts that would assist the government in meeting emergency requirements for commercial supplies and services? If so please identify the contract number(s) and government Point(s) of Contact (POC).
5. Please provide any additional information you think the government should consider regarding your firm’s capabilities to meet emergency requirements, to include any unique or special capabilities or experience. 
6. Please provide in your response a POC, SAM.gov UEI, business size and applicable NAICS codes. 

5. Response Deadline and POC

If interested, please respond to this notice via email to reagan.criddle@gsa.gov, Subject: Emergency Acquisition RFI, by 12:00pm EST, Friday March 13.