S05 Government Responses to Vendor Questions.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 36 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 36C10X25R0001
About this file
This document is a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) for a multiple award IDIQ contract for Medical Disability Examinations (MDE) in Regions 1-4, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Acquisition Center Frederick.
The RFP requires offerors to submit a two-phase proposal, with Phase 1 submissions due by August 26, 2024 and Phase 2 submissions due by September 24, 2024. The contract will have a 10-year period of performance, with a minimum of $5 million and an estimated maximum of $4 billion. Offerors must provide pricing for numerous examination types and administrative services, including options for in-person and telehealth exams. The RFP includes specific instructions for submitting technical, past performance, socioeconomic, and pricing volumes. Certain documents like the Statement of Work and sample pricing attachments are also provided. The RFP states that an Organizational Conflict of Interest will preclude awardees from supporting any MDE ancillary efforts.
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Sheet 1
| Page # | RFP Section Reference | Question | Answer |
| File Name: S02+36C10X25R0001_DRAFT | |||
| Still include documents labeled DRAFT, and documents with DRAFT watermark, yet the |
documents say a proposal is due on Sep 24.
| Is this a draft or an RFP? | The solicition posted at the time of question submission was a draft RFP. As of the posting of this amendment the RFP is final. | |
| Where are the Proposal submittal guidelines/requirements, length, & required forms | ||
| section? | Proposal submittal guidelines/requirements are found in Section E of the Requires for Proposal under "Proposal Submission Instructions" | |
| Checking va.gov, it says the VA uses three different types of procurement methods, one |
of them being a streamlined process- How do you know which process is used in this
RFP ?
a. “Acquisitions are accomplished by sealed bidding, negotiation, or simplified acquisition procedures. Each of these methods is designed to promote full and open competition to the maximum extent possible, which in turn allows all responsible bidders/offerors an opportunity to compete. The most suitable, efficient, and economical procedure will be used, taking into consideration the
| circumstances of each acquisition” | This information is found In Section E.2 of the Request for Proposal. | |||
| 1 | SF 1449 | Please provide an updated SF1449 with due dates for phase 1 and phase 2 in accordance with the final RFP. | The 1449 is revised. | |
| 35 | E.1 Proposal Instructions 7.c | The RFP states the page limitation for Volume II is 3 pages. In order to allow Offerors to sufficiently address all RFP requirements, please allow 4 pages per past performance for Volume II, for a total of 12 pages for the volume. | The instructions are revised to increase the page limit to 4 pages per reference. | |
| 35 | Proposal Files Content Requirements Table | Please confirm Volume IV submission is three files: 1) Attachment E, 2) Attachment F, and 3) Narrative included the Compensation Plan Supplemental data. |
Please also confirm the following file names are acceptable for these files:
VendorName_Price_AttE.xlsx VendorName_Price_AttF.xlsx
| VendorName_Price_.pdf or .doc (This document will include the compensation supplemental data). | Volume IV instructions are revised. Volume IV consists of 4 files: B.3 Price Schedule (excel file), The Sample Task Order (excel file/Attachment E), Professional Compensation Plans (excel file/Attachment F), and the price narrative. | |||
| 35 | Proposal Files Content Requirements Table | Solicitation Attachment B.3 Price Schedule is not listed as a required spreadsheet to be completed under Volume IV - Price. Please clarify if Offerors are required to submit a completed Solicitation Attachment B.3 Price Schedule and if so, is it to be included with Volume IV? | Volume IV instructions are revised to include the submission of B.3. | |
| RFP p. 35 | PHASE 1 Medical Disability Examination Experience | Will the government allow for a cover-page, table of contents, or glossary of abbreviations or acronyms to be excluded from the page count? | yes, a cover-page, TOC, or glossary of abbreviations/acronyms are excluded from the page count. The instructions are revised. | |
| 35 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table, Phase 2a, and Volume I | The instructions table identifies submission of the provider roster with both Phase 2a and Volume I. It is our assumption that the Attachment C is submitted with Phase 2a only. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Correct, the provider roster is to be submitted with Phase 2a and is removed from the Vol 1 row in the instruction table. | |
| 35 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table | Request that the cover-page and table of contents be excluded from the page count for the Phase 1 submission. | The cover-page and TOC are excluded from the page count in Phase 1. Instructions updated. | |
| 35 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table and Attachment C | The structure of S02+Solicitation+Attachment+C+-+Roster+of+Existing+Exam+Providers+Sample and the description in the instructions table do not match. It is our assumption that the Attachment C structure is correct. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Attachment C is updated to reflect the requirements of instruction table. | |
| 35-36 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table | The submission of Phase 2a and Volumes I, II, III, and IV are by Region (i.e., up to four separate files for each) and the file naming convention does not differentiate for the associated Region. Request revision of the file names including the required RFP attachments that are included in the proposal submission (e.g., VendorName_Tech_Region 1). | The Government agrees. The instructions are updated to reflect this change. | |
| 35-36 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table | It is our assumption that a List of Tables and a List of Figures is part of the Table of Contents and as such are excluded from page limitations. Is this assumption correct? If not, request that these items be excluded from the page limitations. | Correct. The table is revised. | |
| 36 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Phase 1 | It is our assumption that the Phase 1 submission is not specific to an intended to propose geographic region(s) and that only one document is to be submitted without designating region-specific content. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Only one Phase 1 submission is to be submitted reglardless of the number of Regions for which the vendor anticiaptes submitting proposals. The vendor shall however identify the Region(s) in its Phase 1 submission. The instructions are revised to include this. | |
| RFP p. 36 | PHASE 1 | In Phase 1 can offerors submit a single document for all four Regions or is it required to submit a separate Phase 1 document for each Region? | Only one Phase 1 submission is to be submitted reglardless of the number of Regions for which the vendor anticiaptes submitting proposals. The vendor shall however identify the Region(s) in its Phase 1 submission. The instructions are revised to include this. | |
| 36 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table | It is our assumption that the title of Volume V is "Administrative Information," which aligns with the instructions for Volume V on page 43. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Correct, the table is update to correct the Volume Name. | |
| 37 | S02-36C10X25R0001 Draft, Att C and Att Z | Please confirm that attachment Z is the roster information, not attachment C and if appropraite, update RFP documents accordingly. | This section refers to the S02 Solicition Attachment C - "Roster of Exisiting Exam Proviers Sample" as opposed to the PWS Attachment C "Regional Office Jurisdicational Areas" | |
| 37 | S02-36C10X25R0001 Draft | Will the government provide an example of an Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD)s? | PWS Attachment A is provide via this Amendment 0001 | |
| 39 | E.1.INST PH 2B.Vol II.1 | Section 1.a requests the DUNS Number. DUNS has beed replaced by UEI. May Offeror's provide the UEI in place of the DUNS. | Section 1.a update to reflect UEI. All other reference to DUNs are replaced with UEI | |
| 39 | Volume II - Past Performance | Please confirm the past performance contracts provided in Volume II may be contracts performed by the Offeror or contracts performed by subcontractors on the Offeror's team. | Offerors may also submit past performance information regarding subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the acquisition. For purposes of this solicitation, a major subcontract is defined as 20% of the total contract effort. Volume II is revised to update. | |
| RFP pgs. 39-40 | VOLUME II – PAST PERFORMANCE | Are offerors expected to follow the Past Performance instructions for Sections 1-4 as described on pgs 39-40, or expected to complete Attachment A+D.1 Past Performance References? | Attachment A is removed from the solicition. | |
| 40 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Volume II | Volume II is submitted per each proposed Region and may contain some of the same contract references across Regions. If the same contract reference is used in multiple Regions, is a single (one) past performance questionnaire acceptable? Or do PPQs have to be Region-specific (i.e., reference POC must submit PPQ multiple times)? | One PPQ is accceptable should the same contract be referenced across multiple Region Proposals. | |
| 40 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Volume II and Attachment B | The instructions identify a set of government individuals who are to receive the completed PPQs, which are different than those identified in Attachment B. Please clarify the recipients. | The error in Mr. Silva's email's is resolved via this modification. Attachment B is correct. | |
| 40 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Volume II and Attachment A | The instructions identify four sections and related content to be provided in Volume II within the three page limit. The instructions do not include the use of Attachment A, which is three pages in length and does not contain all the required items in the instructions. It is our assumption that Attachment A is not required to be used for the Volume II submission and that offerors adhere to the instructions in the solicitation. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Attachment A is removed from the solicition. | |
| RFP p. 40 | VOLUME II – PAST PERFORMANCE; | |||
| Email completed Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs): | How do offerors proposing more than one region handle redundant PPQs? Should offerors request PPQ POCs to complete a PPQ for each region, or can they provide one PPQ that covers all regions proposed? | One PPQ is accceptable should the same contract be referenced across multiple Region Proposals. | ||
| 40 | Submission Requirements Vol III - SocioEconomic Considerations | The solicitation states that " 1) Substantiating documents such as teaming agreements, documentation of a joint venture, and the like must be submitted with the offer. " |
| Please clarify the requirement for joint venture documentation. Is the documentation required for any member of the proposing team (at any tier) or only for the prime offeror? | See 13 CFR 125.8(b) | |||
| 40 | Submission Requirements Vol III - SocioEconomic Considerations | Please confirm 2nd tier subcontracts to small businesses are permitted in meeting the reuqirements for socieconomic considerations and for the purposes of meeting all small business goals. | Correct | |
| 40 | Submission Requirements Vol III - SocioEconomic Considerations | When the proposing entity is an unpopulated JV, please confirm the dollars executed by the member companies are considered prime dollars, not subcontracted dollars, in calculating percentage of subcontracted dollars, in accordance with 13 CFR 125.3(a)(1)(i)(B)c (effective Nov. 2023). | Correct | |
| 40 of 78 | Volume III - Socio-Economic Considerations | Item 1) The government states offerors are to verify SDVOSB and VOSB status on VetBiz.gov. However, this website no longer exists. Please confirm we are to use https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/. | Update to reflect VetCert | |
| 40 of 78 | Volume III - Socio-Economic Considerations, Bullet 1) | The solicitation states: "Substantiating documents such as teaming agreements, documentation of a joint venture, and the like must be submitted with the offer." As many of our providers have documented socio-economic status, we anticipate teaming agreements could number in the hundreds to thousands. Can the government establish a limit of 20 representative agreements to be submitted with the volume? | Yes, the limit is 20 representative agreements. | |
| 40 of 78 | Volume II - Past Performance | The procurement states "The Offeror shall distribute the PPQ found in the solicitation to a point of contact (POC) for each of the past performance references found in the above-mentioned narrative." If CPARS exist for the Past Performances, can the offeror submit the most recent CPAR for each Past Performance in lieu of the PPQ? | Yes | |
| 41 | Submission Requirements Vol III - SocioEconomic Considerations | Please confirm the 17.5% goal is of subcontracted dollars, not total contract value. | Confirmed | |
| 41 | Volume IV- Price | RFP States: "The Excel Spreadsheet 1 (Solicitation Attachment E) will permit a percentage to be input for line items 0017A only. The percentage listed for CLIN 0017A will be auto-populated into CLINs 0017B-0017D." Can the client please update the Attachment E because currently there are no formulas that auto-populate CLINs 0017. | Attachment E is revised to correct. | |
| 41 | Volume IV - Price | Offerors are required to propose unit prices for all CLINs in the pricing worksheets highlighted in light blue. In the R1 tab, CLINs 0008D and 0008H are "RESERVED," please confirm no price submission is required for them. | No Pricing is required for CLINs marked "RESERVED" | |
| 41 | Volume IV - Price | Please clarify this instruction related to Attachment E "Excel Spreadsheet 1 (Solicitation Attachment E): This spreadsheet contains three separate Excel worksheets (e.g., tabs located at the bottom of the spreadsheet). The first worksheet (titled “Price Schedule”) is to be completed for each geographic region proposed by the Offeror. The remaining two worksheets (titled “Sample Task Order” and “Regions”) are locked and cannot be edited by the Offeror." Attachment E contains 4 worksheets (i.e., R1, R2, R3 and R4) but not the 3 worksheets described in the instruction. | Offerors shall submit one of each of the three excel worksheets (B.3 Price Schedule, Solicition Attachment E, and Solicitation Attachment F), completing the tab(s) relevant to the regions for which it intends to propose. Volume IV Instructions are revised for clarity. | |
| 41 | Volume IV - Price | Please clarify where the "Sample Task Order" worksheet mentioned in the instructions is located. | The name of Attachment E is revised to read "Sample Task Order" | |
| 41 | Volume IV - Price | Please clarify instructions on page 42 as it does not correspond to the structure of Attachment E. | Volume IV Instructions and Attachment E are revised. | |
| 41 | Volume IV - Price | The RFP states that the "Excel Spreadsheet 1 (Solicitation Attachment E) will permit a percentage to be input for line items 0017A only. The percentage listed for CLIN 0017A will be auto-populated into CLINs 0017B-0017D". Attachment E (S02_Solicitation_Attachment_E_-_Sample_Price_Schedule.xlsx) permits percentatges to be input for CLINs 0017A-0017D. Please clarify if Offerors are required to input percentages for CLIN 0017A only or CLINs 0017A-0017D. | Offers are required to input percentages in CLIN 0017A only. Attachment E is revised to include missing formulas. | |
| 42 | Volume IV- Price | RFP States: Excel Spreadsheet 1 (Solicitation Attachment E): This spreadsheet contains three separate Excel worksheets (e.g., tabs located at the bottom of the spreadsheet). The first worksheet (titled “Price Schedule”) is to be completed for each geographic region proposed by the Offeror. The remaining two worksheets (titled “Sample Task Order” and “Regions”) are locked and cannot be edited by the Offeror." Can the Client please revise Attachment E, because currently Attachment E does not contain the Sample Task Order Tab. | Volume IV Instructions and Attachment E are revised. | |
| Solicitation, pg. 42 | Volume IV - Price, submittal instructions, Attachment E | Solicitation Attachment E does not match up with the instructions in the solicitation. For example, Attachment E is missing two tabs that are called out in the solicitation, Sample Task Order and Price Schedule. There is no other sheet tied to the specific sheets for each Region therefore a Sample Task Order price cannot be established. Also, each Region has a different number of Quantities for exam types, therefore, a single spreadsheet to represent the Sample Task Order would not be possible. Will the Government please provide an updated spreadsheet and update the instructions according to the updated spreadsheet? | Volume IV Instructions and Attachment E are revised. | |
| Solicitation, pg. 42 | Volume IV - Price, submittal instructions, Attachment F | Solicitation Attachment F does not match up with the instructions in the solicitation. For example, the instructions state that cell A1 is a drop-down list, but cell A1 appears to be where Offerors enter their name, the region seems to be in cell A2, but the drop down doesn’t work. Also, there are references to exam types and diagnostics, sample task orders and schedule of prices, yet those should be covered under Attachment E, not Attachment F. Finally, there are multiple tabs, one for each region. The instructions dictate to submit a single spreadsheet for each region, but the format provided seems to indicate one submittal is acceptable. Will the Government please provide an updated spreadsheet and update the instructions according to the updated spreadsheet? | Volume IV Instructions and Attachment F are revised. | |
| 42 | Volume IV - Price | The RFP states "Excel Spreadsheet 1 (Solicitation Attachment E): This spreadsheet contains three separate Excel worksheets (e.g., tabs located at the bottom of the spreadsheet). The first worksheet (titled “Price Schedule”) is to be completed for each geographic region proposed by the Offeror. The remaining two worksheets (titled “Sample Task Order” and “Regions”) are locked and cannot be edited by the Offeror. The Offeror shall complete and submit a separate Excel spreadsheet for each geographic region proposed by the Offeror". The Attachment E included in the draft solicitation does not include the tabs described in the RFP. Please clarify or provide an updated Attachment E. | Volume IV Instructions and Attachment E are revised. | |
| 42 | Volume IV - Price | The RFP states "A sample task order worksheet shall be submitted (see worksheet |
titled “Sample Task Order”), which will automatically populate using the unit prices for
| the base and all option periods of performance".There do not appear to be formulas in the unit price cells. Please clarify. | The name of Attachment E is revised to read "Sample Task Order". Volume IV Instrucations and Attachment E are revised. | |||
| 42 | Volume IV - Price | The RFP states "From the drop-down list (at cell number A1 on the “Price Schedule” worksheet), the Offeror shall select which geographic region the proposed pricing is intended". Please clarify which Attachment this instruction applies to. | Volume IV Instructions are revised. | |
| 43 | Volume IV - Price | The RFP states the "Offeror shall include in its price proposal, identified to each specific CLIN and/or professional labor category, all narrative information needed to substantiate the realism of the CLIN prices and professional compensation levels proposed". Please clarify what proposal file and where within the file this narative information whould be included in. | That information may be included in the Price Narrative submitted with Volume IV. | |
| 43 | E.1.INST PHASE 2B.Vol V | Given the requirements for the cover letter and Volume V, including completed representations and certifications, and all requirements set out in 52.212-1, will the Government consider removing the page limitation for these documents? | As stated in the instruction table, the page limitations exclude the "following which have no page limits: FAR clause 52.212-3 or other required Representation and Certification clauses, signed copy of SF 1449, signed copy(ies) of any amendments, Subcontracting Plan, cover-page, table of contents, and glossary of abbreviations or acronyms." | |
| 43 | Submission Requirements Vol V - Administrative Information | The Government has requested that all Large Business offerors shall include a subcontracting plan under Vol V. Please confirm that this plan will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 Alternate II. | Yes, IAW the Commercial Contract terms listed in 52.212-5, 52.219-9 Alternate II applies. | |
| 47 | Administrative Information for Offerors No. 5 | The Solicitation states that " 5. The award of this contract will impose a potential Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) with the award of the MDE ancillary contracts. Any Contractor awarded, as a prime or subcontractor on this Contract, is precluded from supporting the MDE ancillary efforts in any way, including but not limited to, advising, subcontracting, or consulting, as noted by FAR 9.505-3. " |
| Will the Government provide the specific contracts impacted by this limitation of future contracting? | Ancillary contracts are those current and/or future contracts providing necessary support to the primary effort (Medical Disability Examination IDIQ/Office). A list will not be provided. | ||
| 47 | Administrative Information for Offerors No. 5 | The Solicitation states that " 5. The award of this contract will impose a potential Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) with the award of the MDE ancillary contracts. Any Contractor awarded, as a prime or subcontractor on this Contract, is precluded from supporting the MDE ancillary efforts in any way, including but not limited to, advising, subcontracting, or consulting, as noted by FAR 9.505-3. " |
| Does this limitation apply to subcontractors at any tier or only first tier subcontracts performing on this effort. | This applies to all subcontractors at any tier | |||
| RFP p. 49 | PHASE 2B | |||
| VOLUME I – TECHNICAL APPROACH | At the top of p.49 Volume I Technical Approach the evaluation criteria states, "...regarding the three areas referenced…" Is this referring to the three numbered bullets provided in this paragraph (Understanding of the Work, Feasibility of the Approach, and Risk relative to the proposed Technical Approach)? | Volume I Instructions are revised for clarity. | ||
| 49-50 of 78 | Volume III - Socio-Economic Considerations | The government states "Non-Veteran Owned Offerors proposing to subcontract 5% or more of the | ||
| contract value to a SDVOSB or 12% or more of the contract value to VOSB will receive partial evaluation credit. Non-Veteran Owned Offerors that propose to subcontract less than 5% of the contract value to a SDVOSB or less than 12% of the contract value to VOSB will receive no credit." However, the subcontracting goals are 5.0% for VOSB and 3.0% for SDVOSB. Will the government update the text to the following: "Non-Veteran Owned Offerors proposing to subcontract 3% or more of the contract value to a SDVOSB or 5% or more of the contract value to VOSB will receive partial evaluation credit. Non-Veteran Owned Offerors that propose to subcontract less than 3% of the contract value to a SDVOSB or less than 5% of the contract value to VOSB will receive no credit." | The subcontracting goals established by the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization are separate from the Socioeconimic Considerations Evaluation Factor required by VAAR. | |||
| 29 of 87 and 33 of 87. CLIN 0019X | PWS and Volume IV- Price | “In sections 2.7.15 and 2.7.19 of the draft PWS, it is noted that medical opinions and medical records reviews must now be invoiced separately, yet the included Price Schedule still combines the two into a single CLIN (under CLIN 19). It is not in attachment B.3 – Price Schedule, but is in Attachment E- Sample Price Schedule, but not for all Regions. Can the government please update teh Price Schedule to accommodate the new structure for invoicing medical opinions and medical records reviews?” | The price schedule and attachment E are revised. | |
| 50 | Volume IV - Price Factor Evaluation | Please clarify where the "Sample Task Order" worksheet mentioned in the paragraph is located. | The name of Attachment E is revised to read "Sample Task Order" | |
| 35 and 43 | Proposal Submission Instructions, Table and Volume V | Only one Volume V is submitted regardless of the number of Regions being proposed and for large businesses, it is to contain the Subcontracting Plan. It is our assumption that Region-specific plans are to be required and that up to four plans can be included in Volume V. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Each contract awarded will require a Subcontracting Plan. These plans may be identical across each proposed Region. Volume V is revised. Please identify whether the plans are identical as instructed in the revised solicition. | |
| 20 | C.13 Clause FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting | The RFP is an Unrestricted Acqisition. Given FAR 52.219-14 is applicable to set aside acqusitions, please remove the clause or otherwise clarify. | FAR 52.219-4 is removed. | |
| 23-24 | FAR 52.212-5 | The boxes for 52.222-41, 52.222-43, and 52.222-53 are checked and request removal as this is a contract to be performed overwhelmingly by physicians, who are not “service employees.” In addition, Wage Determination(s) are not provided with the DRFP. | Clarification regarding the applicability of the SCA clauses is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| File Name: S02+B.2+MDE+Reg+1-4+PWS | ||||
| 10 of 87 | July 1 2024 PWS, 1.6 Contract Minimums and Maximum Dollar Value | The PWS states: "The Government anticipates it will order the following maximum quantities of examination scheduling requests over the ten-year life of the contract" . Please confirm. | PWS Section 1.6 revised | |
| 10 of 87 | July 1 2024 PWS, 1.6 Contract Minimums and Maximum Dollar Value | It is unclear how the Maximum Dollar Value is set, and how the ceiling will be set. Please clarify. | PWS Section 1.6 revised | |
| 11 | PWS 1.6 Contract Minimum and Maximum Dollar Value | RFP states "The Government anticipates it will order the following maximum quantities of examination scheduling requests over the ten-year life of the contract:" Please confirm period of performance of ten years or update to reflect 2 years. | PWS Section 1.6 revised | |
| 11 | PWS 1.6 Contract Minimum and Maximum Dollar Value | The PWS seems to be missing text after the sentence "The Government anticipates it will order the following maximum quantities of examination scheduling requests over the ten-year life of the contract:". Will the Government please provide the missing text? | PWS Section 1.6 revised | |
| 23-24 | Section 2.5 | It is our assumption that the recordings are only for the offeror's toll-free number for the MDE program. The infrastructure needed to support call recording is not typically used on normal business office telephones, which can also support non-MDE calls. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | The call recordings referenced in the PWS are in reference to any calls, made by contract vendor staff for the purposes of scheduling a Veteran appointment. These calls or may not be placed from the vendors toll-free number. | |
| 23-24 | Section 2.5 | It is our assumption that the list of 10 selections per month (30 per quarter) are for recordings that occurred during the same month (i.e., not retroactive beyond a month). Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Yes, your assumption is correct. | |
| 23-24 | Section 2.5 | It is our assumption that the recordings are audio only and a secure transfer method will be used for submission to the government. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Yes, your assumption is correct. A triage call is a call made from the Vendor to the claimant for the purposes of scheduling an appointment. The recordings will include a list of 10 selections per month (30 per quarter) of recordings that occurred during the same month (i.e.- not retroactive beyond a month). | |
| PWS p. 23 | Section 2.5 Telephone Access | What constitutes a triage call and how far back will calls be requested? |
| In what modality and file type will the contractor be expected to submit recordings? | A triage call is a call made from the Vendor to the claimant for the purposes of scheduling an appoint. The request for recordings will include a list of 10 selections per month (30 per quarter) of recordings that occurred during the same month (i.e.- not retroactive beyond a month). Any format compatible with Windows Media Player | |||
| PWS, pg 23 | 2.5 Telephone Access | As part of our scheduling and appointment notification process, we provide Veterans/Claimants with information they can use to make direct contact with the exam facilities if needed, for example, if they are running late for their appointment and would like to inquire about rescheduling their appointment. Can the government confirm that calls regarding examinations that are not handled within our administrative office (e.g., contact center) are not subject to this call recordings requirement? The technical, operational, and administrative elements of such a significant expansion of our call recording capability would necessitate a significant technical challenge that would have significant costs. | Recordings of calls made by the Veteran to the examiner location will not be requested at this time. | |
| PWS, pg 23 | 2.5 Telephone Access | The PWS states, “All recordings are subject to review and shall be provided to VA upon request.” Retaining call recordings for extended periods of time may result in increased costs; however, implementing a retention policy that contemplates industry common practices (e.g., a rolling 90 or 180-day retention period) can help mitigate these costs. Can the government confirm how long call recordings are to be retained by the Contractor after each monthly Contractor Call Review is conducted? Also, can the government provide clarity regarding its retention policies/procedures and how call recordings will be destroyed and removed from VA or VA-authorized systems (e.g., systems maintained in support of ancillary contracts) as per these polices/procedures? | any format compatible with Windows Media Player | |
| PWS, pg 23 | 2.5 Telephone Access | Would the government accept written transcripts in lieu of call recordings? | No | |
| PWS, pg 23 | 2.5 Telephone Access | What information will the government provide to identify the “10 selections per month” – for example, will an ESR-level identifier, that does not contain PII or PHI, be provided for each selection each month? Can the government describe the process that contractors would need to implement for delivering call recording files to the government in advance of each monthly Contractor Call Review? Can the government confirm that this process will ensure access control, limited to VA’s authorized users, provide for secure transfer of large data files without data loss? | The government will provide the appointment UUID information in their call recording data request. Recordings should be submitted in a file that is compatible with windows media player and uploaded to the respective vendor's SFTP site. | |
| PWS, pg 23 | 2.5 Telephone Access | When Veterans call our Contact Center, we play the following automated message to obtain consent to record the call: “This call is being recorded for quality and training purposes.” As the VA is aware, there are various privacy and confidentiality laws, rules, and regulations that impact call recordings, in particular, the need to obtain clear consent from call participants. Can the government confirm that, consistent with the current automated message, the call recordings will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than to verify compliance with contract scheduling requirements as per the PWS? |
| If the VA does intend to use or disclose recording(s) for other purposes, can the government confirm that it will be solely responsible for: (a) determining the appropriate consent message(s) required to allow the VA to use the records for such purposes, (b) providing direction to contractor about the appropriate consent message(s) that need to be implemented, and (c) ensuring that any recordings provided to the VA are used in accordance with all applicable privacy and confidentiality laws, rules, and regulations? | Yes, the VA will only use and disclose this information for the purposes of verifying Vendor compliance with contract scheduling requirements as per the PWS. | |||
| PWS, pg 23 | 2.5 Telephone Access | Call recordings may contain Contractor contact information and other personally identifiable details of our Contractor staff. Can the government confirm that call recordings will not be disclosed and/or transmitted to any organization outside of VA? Additionally, can the government confirm that VA is solely responsible for safeguarding and ensuring all call recordings provided by the Contractor are not accessed by any unauthorized or unintended users? Will the government maintain a record of user access to the call recordings and provide this information (i.e., “access logs”) to the Contractor upon request? In the event of a breach or unauthorized access, will the government notify the Contractor promptly, ensuring timely communication and support for coordinated response efforts? | Yes. | |
| 29 | Section 2.7.15 | It is our understanding that medical opinion only requests allow for one medical opinion to be invoiced for each associated DBQ. For example, one examiner completes three opinions, without an accompanying DBQ, for the heart and bi-lateral knee contentions would invoice two medical opinion opinions, one for the heart opinion and one for the bi-lateral knee opinion. Is this understanding correct? If not, please clarify invoicing for medical opinion only requests that encompass multiple contentions across multiple body systems/DBQs. | In this example, a total of two medical opinions would be invoiced. One for the heart condition and one for the bilateral knees. | |
| 37 | Section 2.11 and Attachment T | The facility inspections are an important requirement and the numbers needed are based on the contractor's network size and require a defined effort and travel per location. In order to support this requirement, request a new Facility Inspection priced item be added to the price structure. This would be the same approach as used for the Administrative Site Reviews (PWS Section 4.11.1) and its associated SLIN 0021Q. Alternatively, can SLIN 0021Q also be used to invoice for Facility Inspections? | Clarification is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| 37 | Section 2.11 and Attachment T | Facilities that are monitored by state entities where they operate are certain to comply with OSHA and ADA. Therefore, request that these facilities be excluded from contractor facility inspections (e.g., hospital locations, diagnostic centers, and national laboratory sites such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp). Is that acceptable? If not, please clarify. | Any location that is used to examine Veterans is subject to oversight inspections and as such must comply with the contractual requirements related to ADA/OSHA. These will not be excluded, with the exception of prison facilities and Tele C&P facilities where the Veteran does not physically report in person. | |
| 37 | Section 2.11 and Attachment T | It is our assumption that prison facilities are excluded from contractor facility inspections. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Yes, this assumption is correct. | |
| 37 | Section 2.11 and Attachment T | It is our assumption that Tele-C&P facilities used by providers when claimants are in a different location are excluded from contractor facility inspections. Is this assumption correct? If not, please clarify. | Yes, this assumption is correct IF the provider is conducting ONLY Tele-C&P examinations. If the provider is also conducting in-person examinations at their facility then they are subject to inspections. | |
| 46 | PWS Paragraph 4.1 | Please confirm when the Program Management Plan is due. | IAW PWS Section 6, Item 9, the draft PMP is due at the Program Office Kick-off Meeting and the Final PMP is due 14 days after the Program Office Kick-off meeting and anually thereafter. | |
| 46 | PWS Paragraph 4.4 | Please provide the due date for the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP). | ||
| PWS p. 54 | Section 5.5 Key Personnel | This section states, "These are defined as key personnel and are those persons whose résumés shall be submitted." Will the Government clarify when Key Personnel résumés are to be submitted? If these are to be submitted with the proposal, in what phase and volume should these be included, and how will they impact page count? | Resumes are to be submitted as part of the Volume I submission. The solicitaiton instructions are updated. | |
| PWS, pg. 54 | Section 5.5 - Key Personnel | How will Key Personnel be evaluated? If resumes would be required, can the government confirm within which Phase/Volume they should be should be submitted and that they would not be subject to established page count requirements? | Key Personnel qualifications will be evaluated as part of the overall technical approach. The Volume I evaluation approach is revised. | |
| PWS, pg 63 | 8.1 Contractor Affiliations | If multiple Prime Vendors are using the same IT partner and the same software product to deliver their respective Veteran and Contactor portals, on different Servers, IT infrastructure, managed code bases and without comingling of VA data, would the government consider these separate instances of the portals, to be using the same IT Network and therefore create a conflict? | Clarification is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| NA | Attachment AD | Please provide the complete attachment AD which provides the data required to maintain the ESR Data Exchange. | Attachment AD is attached. | |
| NA | Attachment AN | Attachment AN states Administrative Site Review packages are due within 30 days of the solicitation. Please clarify. Also, please clarify due date for Administrative Site Reviews. | Administrative review solicitations are sent on the 1st of each month and are due the last day of each month. Example - An solicitation for October would go out 10/1 and would be due 10/31. | |
| N/A | PWS Attachment: Attachment AU - Examination Notification Letter Template | Can the government synchronize the language in this attachment with the contract and remove reference to "calendar" days in Topic 2 Reminders About your Appointment, Bullet three? | No, the government feels it is necessary to inform the claimant that the contractor is referencing calendar days. The PWS states that days refers to calendar days unless otherwise specified | |
| The ICD provided in the RFP and Requirement for an IT Program Manager leads one to |
understand you seek to develop a software product vice a service. Is this correct? a. Why request an ”IT” Program Manager vice a Program Manager to manage the
| contract? | This is not a software product, this requirement does require an IT system that can interface with VA systems The IT Project Manager shall be accountable for the planning, management, and execution of all aspects of the IT projects to the delivery IT products/solutions per the requirements in this contract | |
| Attachment O: |
“Tele Compensation and Pension services may be offered at different locations utilizing various modalities which are best suited to the Veteran’s preference. VHA employs the use of Telehealth modalities, which may include Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT), VA Video Connect (VVC), and Store-and-Forward Telehealth (SFT) applications. Possible locations include Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs), Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), Non-VA institutions (Veterans Service Organizations, Retail Centers, etc.), and the Veteran’s home (i.e. Mental Health evaluations utilizing VVC).”
Does this imply the Dr. can use Telehealth modalities at the VA center or other CBOC?
| As also mentioned in #6. | Attachment O is a shared factsheet with DMA/VHA, therefore while this lists "possible locations" some of these locations like the VAMCs and CBOCs would be specific only to VHA examiners as they have employee access to these facilities and VVC technology to perform telehealth. | |||
| File Name: S02+B.3+Price+Schedule | ||||
| N/A | All | Please clarify if both the B.3 Price Schedule and Attachment E are to be completed and submitted. The price instructions only state that Attachment E is required. | Volume IV Instructions and Attachment E are revised. | |
| N/A | CLIN 0019 | Please clarify CLIN 0019 SLINs should be 0019E, 0019F, and 0019G in accordance with the PWS. Request revision to the file. | The price schedule and attachment E are revised. | |
| N/A | CLIN 0021 | Request revision of SLIN 0021O description to align with the deliverable title in PWS Section 6. | Clarification is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| N/A | CLIN 0021 | Request addition of a SLIN for the item 22 Contractor Call Review in the PWS Section 6. | Clarification is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| n/a | Attachment B.3 Price Schedule and Solicitation Attachment E | The list of Line Items and Descriptions between Attachment B.3 Price Schedule and Attachment E Sample Price Schedule do not match. Please clarify the correct Line Items Offerors should respond to. | The price schedule and attachment E are revised. | |
| File Name: S02+Solicitation+Attachments | ||||
| N/A | All | Request removal of this Attachment as it is not referenced in the proposal instructions and does not contain all the content required per the instructions. | Attachment A is removed from the solicition. | |
| N/A | CLIN 0017 | For CLIN0017 and its SLINs 17A, 17B, 17C and 17D, an estimated quantity per month was provided. However, please confirm that offerors are only to provide a % of Medicare and the quantity provided is irrelevant for price evaluation purposes. Request corresponding revision to Attachment E and alignment to the instructions and evaluation process. | Attachment E is revised to correct. | |
| N/A | CLIN 0021 | Request revision of SLIN 0021O description to align with the deliverable title in PWS Section 6. | Clarification is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| N/A | CLIN 0021 | Request addition of a SLIN for the item 22 Contractor Call Review in the PWS Section 6. | Clarification is forthcoming soon via a subsequent amendment. | |
| N/A | RFP Attachments: |
S02+B.3+Price+Schedule;
S02+Solicitation+Attachment+E+-+Sample+Price+Schedule What is the difference between excel "S02+B.3+Price+Schedule" and "S02+Solicitation+Attachment+E+-+Sample+Price+Schedule" - are both required deliverables?
Will the government clarify the differences between columns within the two files?
| B.3 Price Schedule is the schedule of prices which will be incorporated into the IDIQ contract should an Offeror receive an award. Attachment E, renamed "Sample Task Order" is a worksheet which uses the IDIQ prices and estimated quantities to extrapolate an annual subtotal and overal total price for price analysis purposes. Both are required. | ||||
| N/A | RFP Attachment: S02+Solicitation+Attachment+E+-+Sample+Price+Schedule | In "S02+Solicitation+Attachment+E+-+Sample+Price+Schedule" - Why are some Line Items highlighted in yellow but not listed as ‘reserved’? Ex: “0008K - Pancreas Conditions” | Attachment E is revised to correct. | |
| N/A | RFP Attachment: | |||
| S02+Solicitation+Attachment+F+-+Professional+Compensation+Plans | In “S02+Solicitation+Attachment+F+-+Professional+Compensation+Plans” it is stated that two rates are required.Can the government confirm that the referenced instructions " 2) information regarding the typical or "average" compensation rate for the previously listed medical professionals to be utilized." are applicable to column d and will be reported as either an average or current min rate for minimum hourly fringe? | Attachment F is revised to correct. | ||
| n/a | Solicitation Attachment E | The Attachment has columns for estimated Qty, Base Yr Unit Price and Opt Yr 1 Unit Price. Should additional columns be added to calcuate the total prices by year? | Attachment E is revised to correct. | |
| Attachment F | Attachment F Professional Compensation Plans | The Instructions on Attachment F state that Offerors need to fill in information regarding the minimum compensation rates to be paid by the offeror and also information regarding the typical or "average" compensation rate. But Attachment F only has columns for the minimum compensation. Can the Client revise the instructions and remove the requirement for "average" compensation. | Attachment F is revised to correct. | |
| Several attachments look like price tables for services – will those be populated by the | ||||
| VA, or are you asking bidders to provide their own rates? | These rates are to be completed by the offeror as outlined in the Request for Proposal. | |||
| One worksheet says: |
“This supplemental pricing worksheet shall be completed in accordance with requirements of Factor 4 - Price Proposal in the Instructions To Offerors. This worksheet requires two sets of data: 1) information regarding the minimum compensation rates to be paid by the offeror to any Nurse Practitioner, Physician's Assistant, Physician (performing non-speciality examinations), Opthalmologist, Optometrist, Audiologist, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Physiatrist, Nuerologist, and Nuerosurgeon in this labor category/CLIN for the specified region; and 2) information regarding the typical or "average" compensation rate for the previously listed medical professionals to be utilized. The Contracting Officer will use the minimum compensation information to assess the realism of the proposed compensation and the average compensation information to evaluate professional compensation IAW clause 52.222-46 in the solicitation.”
How are you supposed to use/complete this? The Government assumes the Offeror is refering to Attachment F. IAW the Volume IV - Price instructions, "In addition to the materials referenced above, the proposal shall include a Professional Employee Compensation Plan that identifies each proposed medical professional position, the local area in which the employee will perform contract work, and the proposed compensation rate inclusive of fringe benefits. Additionally, the Offeror shall submit the hourly rate and fringe benefit rate (professional compensation), for each position as applicable and verify that the template has correctly calculated the total hourly rate. The Plan should be based on a working year of 2,080 hours for each full-time equivalent position. The plan shall also include all supporting information that underlies its proposed professional compensation rates, (i.e., recognized regional and national salary surveys, etc.), identified to each specific position being proposed. Note that if an employee is an independent Contractor or “IRS Form 1099,” only the base rate is supplied. Additional fringe benefits offered but not included in the fringe benefit rate must also be identified. The Professional Employee Compensation plan shall also include detailed narrative explaining and substantiating the realism of the proposed professional employee compensation rates to support contract performance and employee recruitment and retention, in light of the specific CLIN pricing proposed by the Offeror.
It is the Offeror’s responsibility to include all materials and information in its price proposal to fully substantiate the realism of its proposed pricing, both at the individual CLIN level and in terms of individual professional compensation rates. The Offeror shall include in its price proposal, identified to each specific CLIN and/or professional labor category, all narrative information needed to substantiate the realism of the CLIN prices and professional compensation levels proposed." Please note that Attachment F is revised to correct errors.
Sheet1
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .