24Q0011_QA.pdf

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Solicitation Number 19PM0724Q0011

Ambulance Service

1. Question – What would be the period of performance for the ambulance service?

Answer: the period of performance would be for a one-year period (starting on the date of contract award and continuing for a period of 12 months) + four (4) one-year options, making a total of 5 years. The estimated date of contract award es March 1st, 2024. See page 2 /

Performance of Work Statement, paragraph 1.B.

2. Question - Confirm the quantity of people that would need ambulance services?

Answer: the qty of people who would need this service is approximately 700 people, as follows:

U.S. Direct Hire and Dependents – Coverage Full 24/7: 400 people

Locally Employed Staff – Coverage only during work schedule: 300 people

See page 4 / Statement of Work, paragraphs 4 and 6.

3. Question – Would a ‘Protected area’ or ‘full ambulance service’ plan work?

Protected area plan meaning would only cover within the Embassy compounds.

Full ambulance service plan meaning would cover transportation to the home of each employee.

Answer:

U.S. Direct Hire personnel and their dependents: we require a full ambulance service coverage: 24 hours, 365 days per year within the area of coverage. A list with the information and names of them will be provided to the awardee after contract award in order for the contractor to issue ID cards for the personnel and their dependents.

Locally Employed (LE) Staff: these are the employees of the Embassy Panama who are not

U.S. Direct Hire personnel nor their dependents. The coverage for the LE staff starts one hour before the beginning of the working schedule and ends one hour after their working schedule ends (even when teleworking). The LE staff don’t need ID cards.

See page 4 / Statement of Work, paragraph 4.

4. Question - Could you please clarify if the contract includes provisions for housing of our ambulance service staff?

Answer: no, the solicitation does not include provisions for housing for the ambulance service staff.

5. Question - Regarding the staffing requirements, is it mandatory for the contractor to supply a physician, or can the team comprise solely of an Emergency Medical

Technicians and Paramedics along with a driver?

Answer: While a Physician is recommended a part of the staff, its inclusion isn’t mandatory for all provided services. The approach will be tailored to each situation or patient’s needs on a case-by-case basis, ensuring the physician is consistently available and reachable when required or requested. This is complemented by the presence of emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and a driver in the team.

6. Question - Could you provide an estimate of the anticipated call volume per month for the ambulance service?

Answer: The call volume is inherently unpredictable, but typically, it may very between 0 and

6 calls per month under normal circumstances.

7. Question - When is the expected start date for the period of performance for this contract?

Answer: the expected start date for the contract is March 1, 2024.

8. Question - Could you specify the number of ambulances that the contractor is expected to provide for this service?

Answer: The contractor is expected to maintain the capacity or availability of 1-2 ambulances allowing flexibility for either quantity in each event. However, the specific number deployed will be contingent on a case-by-case assessment.

9. Question - How many ambulances are expected to be on duty simultaneously under this contract?

Answer: please refer to answer of question #8.

10. Question - Is the contractor responsible for the logistics of transporting ambulances to

Panama, or is there support provided by the government in this regard?

Answer: the contractor is responsible for the logistics of transporting ambulances to Panama.

11. Question - Will the contract require the provision of our own medical direction, or will our services operate under the medical direction of the State Department?

Answer: This service will adhere to contractual medical direction, adhering to established standards of care and Emergency care protocols.

12. Question - Is the ambulance service expected to operate as an Advanced Life Support

(ALS) service?

Answer: the contractor must be capable to operate and provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, capabilities, and certified providers as needed.

13. Question - In the case of an ALS service requirement, will the contractor be responsible for supplying controlled substances? If so, is there any assistance provided by the government in the logistical process of moving these substances across international borders?

Answer: the contractor must have the capability to provide or possess the necessary tools for advanced life support when required.

14. Question - Please clarify if there is a minimum number of clients required to be listed.

Answer: no, there is not a minimum number of clients. Please provide as many as you can.

15. Question - When submitting client reference letters, do you require them in English and

Spanish?

Answer: although English is always preferred, reference letters can be submitted also in spanish.

16. Question - From Section 3, item A.2., detail (5) Evidence the bidder/quoter can provide the necessary personnel, equipment and services, financial resources necessary to perform the work; MED – Ambulance Service 19PM0724Q001: for this requirement they refer to bank certifications, financial statements, or which documents specifically?

Answer: yes, bank certifications and/or financial statements are examples of documents that you can submit with your proposal as supporting document of your company’s financial stability and ability to perform the work of this contract.

17. Question - Do we need to provide evidence of any type of insurance? We not find it as a requirement in the specifications (vehicle policy, civil liability, other)?

Answer: no, you do not need to provide copy of insurance for this solicitation.

18. Question – Is it necessary to present the MINSA operating permit certificate in English, in addition to the notice of operations?

Answer: no, the MINSA certificate does not need to be translated to English. It can be presented in spanish.

19. Question – Regarding the Sam.gov registration process, can the offerors submit a copy of the electricity or water bill to identify the company’s name and address? Do these document bills need to be translated to English?

Answer: yes, offerors can submit copy of the company’s electricity or water bill.

Panamanian vendors frequently use the ‘Aviso de Operacion’ (Operations Notice).

The document that you will choose to submit, either water/electricity bill or the ‘Aviso de

Operacion’, needs to be translated to English. The translated document does not need to be notarized.

The document translated needs to have the following certification/statement by the person who did the translation at the end of the document:

20. Question - Regarding the Sam.gov registration process, does the year of inscription and province refer to the company itself?

Answer: yes, all the information required for the sam.gov registration process it is about the company; not the individual person submitting the information.

21. Question – Regarding the Sam.gov registration process, is the number of national identifications the same as the RUC?

Answer: yes, the national ID is the number of RUC in the case of Panamanian companies.

22. Question - Regarding the Sam.gov registration process, what does it mean that it needs to be sealed and signed by a government entity?

Answer: the document that the company will submit for the registration process in sam.gov, needs to be issued by a government entity.

For example, the ‘Aviso de Operacion’ document, which is commonly used by Panamanian vendors, shall be signed by a government entity (Ministry of Trade and Industry).

23. Question - Regarding the Sam.gov registration process, does the ‘Aviso de Operacion’ needs to be translated to English?

Answer: yes, the ‘Aviso de Operacion’ document needs to be translated into English. See answer of question no. 19

The address of the company of the ‘Aviso de Operacion’ should not be translated to English.

24. Question – Do the offerors need to send the proposal in a special format? Or can they send them in their own format?

Answer: no, there is no special format for the quotations/proposal. Offerors can submit their proposal using their own format. The proposal should be transmitted in English.

It is important to make sure the submission is made in specific size and format: MS-Word, MS-Excel, or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file format. The file size must not exceed 30MB. If the file size should exceed the 30MB, the submission must be made in separate files and attached to separate emails with less than 30MB each.

25. Question – Are there any special parameters that the offerors need to cover in the proposal?

Answer: the proposal should refer to the requirements stated in the Statement of Work document. See pages 4 – 5 / Statement of Work, paragraph I. 1-18.

In addition, the proposal should include the solicitation provisions. See page 18-19 / solicitation provisions, paragraphs A.1, A.2,