For daisy Arabella 4 and 5

USHARE 2 Warmth Textile Recycling, LLC.

Response to Request For Proposal (RFP)

Anna M. Gibson

MSA 611

02/04/2017

Central Michigan University

Instructor: Dr. Pat Dennis

USHARE 2 WARMTH

Central Michigan University

1

Table of Contents

Part I: Company Introduction 4

Background 4

Vision and Mission 5

Principles and Objectives 6

Company Footprint 6

Part II: Market Research 8

Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) 8

General Schedule Administration Opportunities (GSA) 9

Sub-Contracting 10

Small Business Set Asides 11

Budget Summary 12

Best Practices and Business Ethics 13

Part III: Source Selection Criteria: 14

Budget Justification 14

Technical 15

Performance and Deliverables 16

Human Resources 17

CPARS 20

References 23

USHARE 2 WARMTH

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February 04, 2017

Anna M. Gibson USHARE 2 Warmth 3120 South Buchanan Street

Arlington, VA 22003

Dear Mr. Pat Dennis,

On behalf of all of the team members at USHARE 2 Warmth, I am pleased to present this Request for Proposal (RFP) Response to Solicitation #VA241-17-Q-0087, dated 01/13/2017, Department of Veterans Affairs, for your consideration.

It is with this solicitation by the Department of Veterans Affairs that we submit our RFP response with heartfelt determination to give directly back to the veteran related homes and shelters. Achieving our company objectives to help the environment is a secondary benefit to all of us, too. We feel the local veteran related homes and shelters would be the real winners if US2W were selected for this opportunity to recycle and repurpose military and veteran hospital clothing garments, in particular Gowns and Footies. To this end, we are very proud to submit this solicitation response on behalf of all of the women and men who have served and continue to serve.

Respectfully,

Anna M. Gibson USHARE 2 Warmth

Chief Executive Officer

amgisyourgirl@us2w.com

Part I: Company Introduction

Background

USHARE 2 Warmth (US2W), LLC., is a for profit Textile Recycling company that is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Established in 2005, and located in Arlington, VA, US2W’s entire team is passionate about textile recycling and continuously strives to maintain an assertive posture toward reducing, reusing, and recycling the more than 70 pounds of post-consumer textiles, including clothing, per U.S. citizen, that ends up in landfills annually. The EPA estimates that only about 15 percent of these textiles are recycled annually leaving 85 percent headed to landfills across the country. The EPA also estimates that textiles, in all categories from car upholstery, household items, by products of manufacturing, and clothing, take up as much as 5 percent of landfill space. In addition, textiles take an incredibly long time to breakdown and may release methane and CO2 gas creating heat leading to toxin release into the atmosphere or into waterways.

So it is with this particular solicitation by the Department of Veterans Affairs that we submit our RFP response for the recycling effort required to ensure reutilization of subject textiles are repurposed to veteran organizations and homeless shelters. We agree that veteran organizations and homeless shelters can take great advantage of the recycling and repurposing of military and veteran hospital clothing garments, in particular Gowns and Footies. US2W is honored to respectfully submits the attached RFP response to solicitation #VA241-17-Q-0087, Department of Veterans Affairs, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20889.

Vision

US2W has a sensible vision to transform discarded, post consumer, clothing and other textiles into valuable and reusable products rather than allowing them to go into landfills and becoming toxic to our environment.

Mission

The Mission of US2W is to work for People, our Planet, and for Profit by providing valuable services in textile recycling and being steadfast in the protection of our planet. Further, by recycling and repurposing textiles, especially clothing, we are providing for those who may not be able to provide for themselves.

Principles

· Recycling is not disposal, it’s an opportunity to re-use and re-purpose.

· Recycling is resource management, not waste management.

· Recycling is a shared responsibility and requires citizen engagement.

· Recycling programs must be accessible and convenient for all residential, business, and institutional settings.

· Government policies and programs must not favor virgin materials use and waste disposal over materials management by source reduction, re-use, recycling, and composting.

Objectives

· To sustain recycling operations through government and civilian contract opportunites for all types of textiles in order to further the efforts of eliminating textiles from our Nations Landfills.

· To recycle and repurpose usable clothing textiles to Veteran and Homeless Oraganizations.

· Deliver sound and cost effective solutions to recycling management.

· Effectively use our assets, tools, systems, and best practices for recycling efforts.

· To educate through advertizing and community outreach the major benefits and environmental importance of recycling textiles.

· Build partnerships with business entities with a history of service excellence.

Company Footprint

USHARE 2 Warmth is a brick and mortar textile recycling, for profit, business located at 3120 South Buchanan Street Arlington, VA 22003. We staff 78 employees, including the CEO, Anna M. Gibson. As stated previously, the company was established in 2005 when the CEO, a Service Disabled Veteran herself, experienced an opportunity to further her advocacy of recycling to conserve and protect the environment as well as foster outreach to homeless and veteran organizations by providing recycled textiles, in particular clothing. Since then, the 10,000 square foot recycling center has thrived and been quite successful in preserving usable, durable recycled textiles, especially clothing of all types. Employees of US2W are formally trained and certified in the collection, processing, sanitizing, and repackaging operations of textile recycling. The bread and butter of US2W recycling efforts comes from the following textiles but are not limited to:

· Cotton products

· Wool products

· Synthetic blend products

· Home furnishing scraps

· Upholstery scraps

· Post Consumer clothing and scrap materials

As a member of the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), US2W has been awarded the NRC Humanitarian Achievement Award, 3 Awards, for Integrity, Teamwork, and Education in efforts toward environmental responsibility and textile recycling.

We are energized by this opportunity and look forward to providing all of the specific requirements within the solicitation for the periods noted below. Performing the Firm Fixed Price Contract recycling activities for the textile-clothing items specified from Walter Reed Military Medical Center would be our honor. The solicitation, #VA241-17-Q-0087, for the Period of Performance are reflected in the Base Year followed by four (4) Option Years as follows:

Base Year 04/01/2017 - 03/31/2018

Option Year One 04/01/2018 - 03/31/2019

Option Year Two 04/01/2019 - 03/31/2020

Option Year Three 04/01/2020 - 03/31/2021

Option Year Four 04/01/2021 - 03/31/2022

Part II: Market Research and Information

Federal Buiness Opportunities(FBO)

As a SDVOSB, US2W is continuously considering contract opportunities within the textile recycling industry, and most especially within the federal government. Although a for profit entity, US2W is always highly motivated and honored when selected by the U.S. Government, to “turn to” and give back to Veterans Organizations to include Homeless and Retirement facilities. The North American Industry Classification System Association (NAICS) and the Table of Small Business Size Standards matched to NAICS Codes, identify organizations by description, size, or dollars. To identify and compare two different entities in the recycling industry we offer the following “Wholesale Trade” or “Waste Management” NAICS Codes under the Parent Code of 42 and 56 series, respectively. The following two were selected for comparison:

423930 Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers: US2W falls into this category and uses this NAICS code which is comprised of establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of automotive scrap, industrial scrap, and other recyclable materials such as textile waste merchant wholesalers. The following like textile recycling businesses that use the 423930 NAICS code are:

· Planet Aid, Inc., 6730 Santa Barbara Court, Elkridge, Maryland 21075

· The Clothing Recycle Company, 2009 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

· Mac Recycling Clinic, 33 University Blvd E, Silver Spring, MD 20901

562111 Solid Waste Collection: This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) collecting and/or hauling nonhazardous solid waste (i.e., garbage) within a local area; (2) operating nonhazardous solid waste transfer stations; and (3) collecting and/or hauling mixed recyclable materials such as recyclable material collection services and recyclable material hauling services of non-textile nature.

Searching FBO with NAICS code 423930, Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers, we found 30 opportunities falling into multiple categories from Pre-Solicitation, Award, Sale of Surplus Property, Combined Synopsis/Solicitation, Sources Sought, and Special Notice of Sale. Within this search we found an ideal Solicitation that is in our Wheel House for bidding. Solicitation # VA24117Q0087, issue date of 1/13/2017 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20571. The solicitation includes VAAR 852.219-10 VA Notice of Total Service- Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include this clause.

GSA Opportunies

The General Schedule Administration (GSA) website was also utilized for potential contract opportunities similar to the services that US2W provides within the textile recyling industry, however, most of the opportuniteies available were contract efforts using NAICS code 562920, Schedule 899-5 for Materials and Waste, Recycling & Disposal Service . Again, the primary NAICS code US2W falls under is 423930 for Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers and translates to GSA Schedule 899 under the GSA schedule entitled Environmental Services.

GSA Environmental Services Schedule 899

The GSA Environmental Services Schedule 899 Contract, frequently referred to as either the Environmental Schedule or Schedule 899, is a contract vehicle companies use to sell environmental services to federal agencies.

The GSA Schedule 899 covers environmental services to include:

· Environmental Consulting and Training

· Materials and Waste Recycling and Disposal

· Remediation and Reclamation Services

· Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services

· Recycling

· Waste disposal services

· Hazardous material disposal

Sub Contracting

US2W is always interested in sub-contracting opportunies to a Prime Contractor for contracts over $650k or contruction efforts over $1.5M. Sub-contracting with a Prime Contractor can benefit from small business entities, such as US2W, and vice versa. Supplying a Prime Contractor with products, services, and/or functions within the recycling industry is always a motivating way to stay in the mix to further US2W’s cause of recycling textiles, keeping them out of landfills. Opportunities such as these can be searched for via Small Business Administration (SBA) link to SUB-Net. US2W regularly searches the SBA’s SUB-Net utilizing NAICS code 423930. Our most recent search revealed few recycling opportunies other than for metal scrap and waste tire recyling, which is outside of US2W’s wheelhouse.

Small Business Set Asides