36C24119Q0003-000.docx

FedBizOpps Sources Sought Notice

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* = Required Field FedBizOpps Sources Sought Notice Rev. March 2010 S WRJ Shredding 06516 36C24119Q0003 10-03-2018 N 561990 Department of Veterans Affairs VA Connecticut 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven CT 06516 Jerry Choinski jerry.choinski@va.gov White River Junction VA Medical Center & CBOCs 215 North Main Street White River Junction VT, 05009 White River Junction, VT 05009

USA

jerry.choinski@va.gov Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration

Sources Sought Notice – WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT- SHREDDING SERVICES

This is a Sources Sought notice and not a request for quotes. This request is solely for the purpose of conducting market research to enhance VHA’s understanding of the market’s offered services, capabilities and potential small business sources. The Government will not pay any costs for responses submitted in response to this Sources Sought.

This Sources Sought notice provides an opportunity for respondents to submit their notice of ability, and their available services in response to the requirement described below. Vendors are being invited to submit information relative to their potential of fulfilling the requirement below, in the form of a capability response that addresses the specific requirement identified in this Sources Sought.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is seeking a vendor to provide the following services in accordance with the draft Statement of Work. Please see the draft Statement of Work below for the requested services and descriptions. This Sources Sought is to facilitate the Contracting Officer’s review of the market base for acquisition planning, size determination, and procurement strategy.

RESPONSE COMMITMENT

I. Response: Capability Statement A. All responses should be directed to jerry.choinski@va.gov.

B. Submittals furnished will not be returned to the sender. No debriefs will be conducted. Eligibility in participating in a future acquisition does not depend upon a response to this notice.

C. Proprietary information is neither requested nor desired. If such information is submitted, it must clearly be marked "proprietary" on every sheet containing such information, and the proprietary information must be segregated to the maximum extent practicable from other portions of the response (e.g., use an attachment or exhibit).

II. Timeline :

A. This request will close on stated date within the Government Point of Entry (GPE).

Notes:

1. This Sources Sought is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will follow. The Department of Veterans Affairs will use the information submitted in response to this notice at its discretion and will not provide comments to any submission; however, The Department of Veterans Affairs reserves the right to contact any respondent to this notice for the sole purpose of enhancing The Department of Veteran Affairs understanding of the notice submission.

2. The content of any responses to this notice may be reflected in any subsequent solicitation, except for content marked or designated as business confidential or proprietary which will be fully protected from release outside the government.

The Department of Veteran Affairs Contracting Office POC:jerry.choinski@va.gov

STATEMENT OF WORK

DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION-SHREDDING SERVICES

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION VA MEDICAL CENTER

1. Description of Services: The Contractor shall provide document destruction services for Government- provided documents, containing sensitive confidential and medical records. Destruction of patient privacy information shall be accomplished at the White River Junction VA Medical Center through the use of a vehicle equipped for mobile shredding. Contractor is responsible for maintaining liability insurance for the duration of the contract and for following all pertinent federal and state regulations with regard to transportation and destruction of medical documentation. All security waste shall be shredded on-site and removed from the White River Junction VA Medical Center premises and transported to an appropriate location to be recycled. During shredding the waste material must be maintained in a secured container in a secured holding area, which will prevent any disclosure or unauthorized access. The destruction of the information must be witnessed either by a VA employee or, if authorized by the VA, by a contractor employee. The White River Junction VA Medical Center shall not be required to separate documents by color or grade of paper, nor remove paper clips and other fasteners. Contractor shall furnish keys for the containers provided under this contract. Each container provided shall have information on it listing the acceptable and non-acceptable items that may be placed inside. No guarantees are made to the estimated number of Pick-Ups listed.

2. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.

a) Provide 64 gallon, lockable, wheeled totes that have a slot in the top to accept all materials to be shredded. These totes and additional keys are to be provided at no charge. Estimated Quantity is 30/40.

b) Provide 36" tall front feed lockable consoles. These consoles and additional keys are to be provided at no charge. Estimated quantity is 30-35.

c) Pick up, the exact location, and scheduling for all shredding services shall be coordinated with the Government Point of Contact (GPOC) prior to commencement.

d) Removal of sensitive materials/records for shredding and destruction.

2.1 With the exception of the White River Junction VA Medical Center, all Government locations are leased. Due to varying lease expiration dates with the potential for locations to move, the lease locations are fluid and may be subject to change but will remain in the same general area. The following is a listing of the Government sites participating and their locations:

White River Junction VA Medical Center (pickup once a week) 215 North Main Street White River Junction VT, 05009

White River Junction VA Medical Center Outer Bldgs. 4, 6,7,9,37,58, 59,60,62,63,66 & 67 (Pickup twice a month)

Bennington CBOC (provide 2 consoles, pickup two times per month) 186 North Street Bennington, VT 05201

Brattleboro CBOC (provide 1 tote & 2 consoles, pickup every 4 weeks) 71 GSP Drive Brattleboro, VT 05301

Burlington Lakeside CBOC (provide 2 totes, pickup weekly) 128 Lakeside Avenue, Suite 260 Burlington, VT 05401

Newport Outpatient Clinic (provide 1 tote, pickup every 4 weeks) 1734 Crawford Farm Road Newport, VT 05855

Rutland CBOC (provide 2 consoles, pickup every 2 weeks) 232 West Street Rutland, VT 05701 Keene Outpatient Clinic (provide 1 console, pickup every 4 weeks) 640 Marlboro Street, Route 101 Keene, NH 03431

Littleton CBOC (provide 4 consoles, pickup every 4 weeks) 264 Cottage Street Littleton, NH 03561

e) The Contractor shall provide a written "Certificate of Destruction" to the GPOC weekly to provide verification of the destruction of the contents of all containers and receptacles referenced. In addition a Final Destruction certificate (date that shreds are pulped) is to be provided monthly to the Privacy Office located at WRJVA.

Example: Bundles of shredded material picked up from WRJ and CBOC’s between 1 August 2018 – 31 August 2018, delivered to pulp factory on 01 September 2018. Final Destruction occurred on 01 September 2018.

Signed by: an authorized trained certified employee of the subcontractor or contractor.

f) The numbers of Wheeled Totes and drop off stations are estimates based on current requirements. The Wheeled Totes and Drop off stations needed may be increased, or decreased due to the changes in the amount of shredding services required. Additional pick-ups may be required at more frequent intervals, and will be determined/discussed between the Contractor/GPOC as the need arises. Changes in the drop off station requirements will be incorporated with a bilateral modification as needed.

g) Prior to commencing performances of this service, the Contractor shall submit a Contingency Plan that includes detailed procedures that will be used in the advent of equipment failure, or any other situations that prevent adherence to the planned schedule of performance, or requirements of this contract.

h) Contractor shall shred documents in accordance with shredding specifications outlined in most recent VA Directive 6371 guidelines.

2. Hours of Operation:

a) Normal Hours: The normal hours of operations at the White River Junction VA Medical Center and its leased locations are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, excluding holidays. All work and services shall be performed during normal hours of coverage and shall be during the time period agreed upon with the GPOC. There should be the capacity to start shredding at 7:00 or 7:30 am up to 4:00 pm, depending on volume. This shall be communicated ahead of time by the GPOC.

b) If a scheduled day for services falls on a Federal Holiday the contractor shall provide services the following day or a day previous agreed upon with the GPOC. Federal Holidays observed by VAMC:

New Year's Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Day Columbus Day President's Day Veterans Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day

c) Also included would be any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National Holiday.

d) When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a legal holiday.

3. Quality Control: The contractor is responsible for developing and maintaining a quality assurance program to ensure On-site Document Destruction. Shredding Services are performed in accordance with commonly accepted commercial practices. The contractor is responsible for developing and implementing procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services.

4. Quality Assurance: The government will periodically evaluate the contractor's performance by having the Contracting Officer (CO) or GPOC monitor performance to ensure services are received. The GPOC will evaluate the contractor's performance through intermittent on-site inspections of the contractor's performance and receipt of complaints from facility personnel. The government is responsible for validating customer/facility complaints.

5. Note: No work other than that called for in this contract is authorized. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to enact changes/additions to this contract.

6. Payment: Payments shall be made monthly, in arrears, upon successful completion of the above listed requirements and after submission of a record of all services performed, and the receipt of properly prepared Certificates of Destruction and invoiced electronically. A properly prepared invoice shall include at a minimum, the Purchase Order Number, the Contract Number and the period of performance relative to the invoice.

7. Privacy/Security: The Contractor shall observe and comply with the VA rules of Conduct and Standards. Contractor is responsible for ensuring all employees coming on station have read and are familiar with VHA Privacy Policy Training. (To be supplied by Privacy Officer.) Official notification of such shall be sent to the GPOC. The Contractor shall also need to be escorted on station during services until official Government background investigation has been done on Contract employee/s.

a) Privacy Act Documents: The contractor understands and agrees that property obtained under this contract may contain records previously maintained as a system of records subject to the Privacy Act. The contractor is subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and is responsible for compliance with its provisions with respect to the handling and disposal of protected information. Additionally, all document destruction and documentation shall be as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

b) HIPAA Compliance: Contractor must adhere to the provisions of Public Law 104-191, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIP AA) of 1996 and the National Standards to Protect the Privacy and Security of Protected Health Information (PHI). As required by HIPAA, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has promulgated rules governing the security and use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (V A). In accordance with HIP AA, the Contractor shall be required to enter into a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with VA.

c) Document Destruction Reports. Document destruction reports shall be submitted to the GPOC within 48 hours of pickup and shall include the information required to meet HIP AA requirements. At a minimum the report shall include:

- Date of document pickup.

- Weight/tonnage picked up.

- Date of Destruction.

- Method of Destruction.

- Description of the disposed records: Confidential documents.

- Statement that the documents were received secured.

- Statement that the documents were destroyed in the normal course of business.

- The signature of the individuals supervising and witnessing the destruction.

8. Contractor Personnel: The Contractor shall provide qualified employees. The Contractor shall be required to comply with all security requirements of the VAMC. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring all employees possess all required licenses for operating all equipment used in the execution of this contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating with the GPOC and providing all information required of him or his employees for performance of work. The Contractor shall be responsible to ensure Contractor employees providing work on this contract are fully trained and completely competent to perform the required work. Contractor personnel must wear a common uniform or identification with the contractor's name printed in neat and professional manner so as to be easily visible and readable.

9. Security Requirements: All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs' computer systems and any documents containing sensitive and confidential information shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement prior to contract performance. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. If the investigation is not completed prior to the start date of the contract, the contractor shall be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for VA.

Position Sensitivity - The position sensitivity has been designated as Low Risk for On-site Document Destruction/Shredding services.

Background Investigation - The level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is National Agency Check with Written Inquiries.

Contractor Responsibilities

a) The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducts the investigation, the contractor shall reimburse VA within 30 days. If timely payment is not made within 30 days from date of bill for collection, then VA shall deduct the cost incurred from the contractors 1st month(s) invoice(s) for services rendered.

b) As required, the contractor shall submit or have their employees submit the following forms to the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement within 15 days of receipt:

(i) Standard Form 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions

(ii) Standard Form 85P-S, Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions

(iii) FD 258, U.S. Department of Justice Fingerprint Applicant Chart

(iv) Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment

c) The Contractor shall inform the contract employee that when filling out Standard Form 85, that there should be no gaps in employment history. Any gaps in employment history on Standard Form 85 may result in rejection of the documentation for investigation.

d) The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract.

e) Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default.

f) The contractor shall be responsible to provide evidence to the GPOC that investigations have been completed or in the process of being requested within 15 calendar days from receipt of award.

g) The contractor is responsible for physical security and safeguarding all government documents. All vehicles/trucks utilized for Document Destruction/Shredding Services must be properly identified with contractor name.

Government Responsibilities

a) The GPOC will forward the names, social security numbers, and dates of birth of the contractor's employees to the VA Law Enforcement Training Center/SIC.

b) The VA Law Enforcement Training Center/SIC will provide the necessary investigative forms to the contractor or to the contractor's employees, coordinate the background investigations, and notify the GPOC and contractor of the results of the investigations.

c) The VA facility will pay for requested investigations in advance. A bill for collection will be sent to the contractor to reimburse the VA facility. The contractor shall reimburse the VA facility within 30 days. If timely payment is not made within 30 days from date of bill for collection, then VA shall deduct the cost incurred from the contractors 1st month(s) invoice(s) for services rendered.

d) The current fees associated with background investigations are $200.00 each for low level investigation. See above for the position sensitivity that has been assigned to this contract.

Contractor Reporting Person

• Contractor -- Provide telephone number(s) to call for your Service Department.

• Provide name(s) of authorized contact person(s):

10.Contractor Vehicles: All Contractor vehicles utilized in this contract shall be insured (up to the minimum coverage required by the respective State) and maintain current state vehicle registration. All Contractor employees shall possess a valid State Driver's license and have a clean driving record. The Contractor or his/her employees while performing under this contract shall use no personal vehicles.

11. Insurance:

a) Worker Compensation and Employer's Liability: Contractors are required to comply with applicable Federal and State Workers Compensation and Occupational Disease Statutes.

b) General Liability: Contractors are required to have Bodily Injury Liability insurance coverage written on Comprehensive form of policy of at least $500,000.00 per occurrence.

c) Property Damage Liability: Contractors are required to have Property Damage Liability insurance to cover at least $500,000.00.

12. Protection of Government Property: During work execution, the Contractor shall take special care to protect Government property. Contractor shall be responsible to meet all OSHA/Safety requirements in the performance of the work. This shall include but not be limited to taking all the necessary precautions to protect the patients, visitors and/or staff at each location. Contractor shall be held responsible for any injuries and/or damage, which may be caused as a result of the Contractors failure to adhere to these requirements.

13. Identification, Parking, Smoking and VA Regulations: The Contractor's employees shall wear visible identification at all times while on the premises of the VAMC. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Information on parking is available from the GPOC. The VA will not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions. Smoking is prohibited inside any buildings at the VA and is only allowed in designated areas. (A copy of the smoking policy/locations will be provided to the Contractor upon request.) Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citation answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state, or municipal court.

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