36C24121Q0230 0001.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO:

Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) n/a Department of Veterans Affairs VAMC Manchester 718 Smyth Road Manchester NH 03104 Department of Veterans Affairs VAMC Manchester 718 Smyth Road Manchester NH 03104 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24121Q0230 03-03-2021

X x x x The purpose of this Amendment to the Solicitation/Request for Quote (RFQ)is to:

1- Answer Questions from RFQ, attached on pages 2-3.

2- Add a list of where all the location addresses, attached on page 4.

3- edit the SOW page 3, part 9 - to add drop off and pick up of coolers, this is highlighted in yellow on the attached SOW, pages 5-1 , (page 7 is the edit).

4- This also clarify' s that this is a SD/VOSB Set Aside.

5- Attached the Price Per Run Schedule, as some vendors stated they couldn't see years 4 & 5 (pages 11- 12).

This Solicitation/Request for Quote is Extended to Tuesday March 9, 2021 @ 3PM EST , for submissions of all Quotes.

No further questions will be answered.

Julie Lemire

3.2.2021 – Questions and Answers from RFQ

Amendment #1 Questions are in black writing & answers are in red writing.

Is there a deadline for submitting additional questions? It was Friday, February 26th.

Will this be a set aside for SDVOSB? yes Who is the incumbent contractor? Optima Shipping Solutions Inc.

What was the previous total award amount? The last BPA was estimated at $1.5 Million for a Base + 4 Option Years What was the cost of the final full option year of the previous contract? Estimated at $300,000.00 How many pounds of DRY ICE are needed each week? (Approximately) Most weeks are nothing, however it is the vendors responsibility to purchase dry ice up to 5 delivery’s/year How much dry ice will be required? should be included with service How is the dry ice billed to the VA? Should be included with service How much lead time is the courier given to acquire dry ice for the VA? most weeks are nothing, however it is the vendors responsibility to purchase dry ice up to 5 delivery’s/year Is dry ice needed on a daily basis or will the contractor be given a notice when needed? Contractor given notice when needed – not on a daily basis.

How much notice in advance will be given? Day of (hours) or day before, but this is rare How much dry ice is needed for transport? Depends on cooler & specimen size (possibly 3-4 lbs., to cover top of specimen) What is the vehicle size currently servicing this location? Not sure on vehicle size, but big enough for up to 4 coolers, and possibly a cardboard box with lab supplies.

How many drivers are currently needed to service the Monday thru Friday route (s)? Approximately 6 How many drivers/vehicles are currently used to service the current contract? Company needs to figure out best for each How many drivers are currently being used for this contract? Approximately 6 Can we have one driver start at Bedford at 9am then proceed to Jamaica Plain then to Brockton and then on to West Roxbury? or do we need different drivers given the time restraints? Multiple drivers will probably work best, that depends on you the vendor to decide, with the time on SOW where drivers need to be to pick up specimens by a specific time frame and drop off by a specific time frame.

What size cooler is recommended for the contractors to supply? Soft-side cooler (possibly 12” – 16” square or the plastic playmate style cooler) Hard-sided or soft-sided coolers? Boston supplies coolers, but there may be an occasion where an additional cooler is needed.

How many are needed per location? Boston supplies coolers, but there may be an occasion where an additional cooler is needed.

How many other refrigerants/ice packs are needed per cooler? 1 large ice pack per cooler Is electronic tracking required for this contract? No, drivers sign courier logs when dropping off coolers.

Regarding specific employees’ information: It is common practice for small businesses that the drivers, cars and other equipment used for a contract are not sourced until after an award has been made, for cost effectiveness and to reduce loss. However, we will be forwarding our standard Training (HIPAA) Certificates-Procedures for your reference. We have to have a list of names with certificates of HIPAA & Biohazard Training.

Regarding evaluation factors for the price Volume: we usually like to provide a “Pricing realism” cost break-down, to include SCA minimum per year, the number of drivers, hours and miles that are estimated to be required for performance, and other costs. Is it acceptable that we forward this Pricing Realism chart with our Price response? This is not required, as long as a price per run is submitted, because that is the requirement.

Approximately how frequent are the STATs/On Demand work during the ‘day’ and ‘nights.’? weeknights/weekdays approx. 2-3/day, and weekends about a 12+/day & night, it is not a constant, it depends On the B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE pg12 – Is that where we will submit our prices for each year ? is there anywhere else you’d require pricing? on the separate pricing sheet, the B.2 will be what we estimate for the whole year as a whole and will be on the BPA once awarded.

Our company is based outside of Massachusetts; will our bid be accepted? We hire local couriers and managers to oversee contracts when awarded in a new state. Yes, it will be accepted, and will go through the same evaluation process that all quotes will go through.

Can the addresses be provided for each location we'd pick up and deliver to for this contract? Yes (see attachment: Courier Locations) Will there be line items in the price schedule for non-scheduled or as needed runs? Yes, see On that same page, it reads ‘UNIT PRICE’ and ‘AMOUNT’ can you please clarify the distinction between the two? Unit price and amount are the same for the year, and those are estimates that we will put in for the year that we will spend.

Where it reads ‘GRAND TOTAL’ on that same page, below it reads Description – Lab Courier Services 5-year BPA – We see Year 1 and Year 2, but the other years are not there? Page 9 & 10 of the RFQ, this is for the individual breakdown of the contract, this is only how much the price per run will be for all runs that we require. I am seeing all years 1 through 5 there. I will separate to a separate attachment also for ease of filling in for submission.

Locations:

Jamaica Plain VA – 150 S. Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130 West Roxbury VA – 1400 VFW Parkway, West Roxbury, MA 02132 Brockton VA – 940 Belmont St, Brockton, MA 02301 Causeway VA Clinic – 251 Causeway St, Boston, MA 02114 Bedford VA – 200 Springs Rd, Bedford, MA 01730 Lowell VA Clinic – 130 Marshall Rd, Lowell, MA 01852 Quincy VA Clinic – 110 W Squantum St, Quincy, MA 02171 Plymouth VA Clinic – 116 Long Pond Rd #4, Plymouth, MA 02360 Quest PSC - 500 Congress St, Quincy, MA 02171 Broad Institute - 415 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02142 Massachusetts General Hospital - 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114 Brigham and Women’s Hospital - 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115 Tufts Medical Center - 800 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111 American Red Cross - 180 Rustcraft Rd, Dedham, MA 02026 Massachusetts State Lab - 305 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Rhode Island Blood Centers - 615 Greenwich Ave, Warwick, RI 02886

Performance Work Statement

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC's), has an immediate requirement for Local Courier Delivery Services for various locations in and around the Boston, MA area to commence on or about June 1, 2021 – May 31, 2026. The overall goal is to meet the Boston VAMC's mission requirements to transport specific items for the laboratory services department in a timely and professional manner.

1. The Contractor selected for this contract will provide all supervision, labor, equipment, transportation, fuel and tolls necessary to perform courier services to and from VA Boston Healthcare System, located in Massachusetts to the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's), affiliated specimen or blood collection sites and other VAMCs in and around the Boston VA Healthcare System. Contractor is also expected to pick up from other VA and Non VA facilities and deliver to various locations on an emergency basis. The Contractor shall pick up and deliver items such as blood and blood components, laboratory specimens, laboratory transport containers and other laboratory operating supplies as requested.

2. Contractor is to provide all labor, equipment (including PPE and temperature-controlled coolers), dry ice, hand trucks, transportation, gasoline, insurance, and anything else needed to provide courier service for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Pricing will be inclusive of state tolls. The Government will not reimburse toll charges.

3. The orders will be firm-fixed price. Pricing should reflect any discount rates.

4. Period of Performance: Upon final government signed contract, a five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) will be in place.

5. Insurance Requirements: Contractor shall meet all Federal, State and City codes regarding operation of this type of business and furnish the required Insurance Certificates required to work on a Government installation. These requirements will be described in the Special Contract Requirements Section.

6. Inclement Weather: Contractor shall contact the Laboratory Manager or Laboratory Administrative Officer should weather conditions delay or cause cancellation of services. Due to the nature of this business it is necessary for the Contractor to furnish vehicles that operate safely in difficult weather conditions. Cancellations should only occur as a last resort or due to acts of God.

7. Federal Holidays: Federal Holidays are as follows and include any other days specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

8. Courier Services Scope of Work Includes:

a. Drivers: All drivers must be of legal age, possess valid licenses and maintain a neat, clean and professional appearance. Drivers must be able to speak, understand and write English. Drivers shall possess identification showing Contractor name and job title. Contractor is responsible for the actions and conducts of its employees and shall assure that they are consistently compliant with all VA building and parking regulations, policies and guidelines while conducting business on Government property and for the VA. Drivers shall not make any personal stops in performance of duties under this contract nor shall any unauthorized passenger accompany the driver during contract work. Drivers shall observe the smoking policy of the VA and only smoke in designated areas. Drivers transporting laboratory specimens must be trained in Universal Precautions for handling of biohazard materials and include use of proper procedures in case of biohazard spills or accidents. This training shall also include mandatory Hazardous Materials training and knowledge and understanding for the handling of dry ice. Written statements documenting Hazardous Materials training and other training that meets the laws and regulations of the US Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control governing the transport of clinical specimens shall be provided to the Laboratory Manager annually or at the beginning of a new Driver's employment.

b. Vehicles: All vehicles used in performance of this contract shall be registered, licensed and meet the minimum vehicle requirements as mandated by the Department of Transportation. The Government reserves the right to inspect the vehicles and investigate the responsibility of bidder to perform the work outlined in this contract and reject any offer should contractor be lacking.

c. Confidentially Of Records: Contractor shall assure the confidentiality of all patient information and records being transported and shall be held liable in the event of any breach of confidentiality. The contractor shall comply with provision of the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-579).

d. Reportable Incidents: Contractor shall furnish a written report should any delivery incident occur. This report shall be delivered to the Contracting Officer within 24 hours of the incident. Incidents/actions involving blood components or laboratory specimens must be reported immediately to the Laboratory Manager or Laboratory Administrative Officer. Incidents/actions involving breach of patient records or patient identifiable information must be reported immediately to either the VA Information Security Officer or the VA Privacy Officer.

e. Evidence of Responsibility: Contractor must have a minimum of five years of experience, be financially responsible, and possess all the necessary equipment, licenses, and manpower necessary to perform the work specified in this contract.

f. Quality Control and Assurance: Contractor shall develop and maintain a quality control program to assure the above qualifications are consistently met. Contractor must demonstrate ability to immediately remedy any violations of the above requirements. VA reserves the right to perform periodic inspections to ensure compliance.

g. Personnel Policy: Employees working for the Contractor shall not be considered Government employees. The Contractor shall provide Workers Compensation, Professional Liability insurance, health examinations, Income Tax Withholding and Social Security Payments.

h. Emergent/unscheduled pick-ups from other sites will be infrequent and only needed when a lab draw from a patient is performed after the regular lab pick-up and the specimen needs to be tested STAT or is unstable for storage until the next scheduled courier run. Emergent pick-up calls should have a 30 minute response time for pickup and 30 minutes for delivery.

i.VA and/or the sending/receiving facility may request driver signatures as written documentation of pick-up and delivery by use of specimen/package track logs or other similar mechanism.

j. The Contractor is expected to make a "routine" pick up run from Quincy CBOC, Quest PSC, Lowell, Bedford, Brockton, Causeway Street, Jamaica Plain and deliver to West Roxbury laboratory. These runs will take place Monday through Friday, except for Government holidays. The final delivery to West Roxbury will be 4:30 pm on regular scheduled runs. A routine schedule run once per week every Tuesday shall include pick-ups at the Quest Lab and the VA Plymouth CBOC around 11:00am and deliver specimens to the Brockton VAMC.

9. Routine Pickup Schedule: Regular scheduled runs shall be billed as an all-inclusive daily rate under "Contract Stops" and are as follows Eastern Standard Times/Eastern Daylight Savings. This routine schedule (excluding holidays) shall include the drop off and pickup of coolers and /or necessary operating supplies at the West Roxbury VA and returned to the original sites for the start of the next business day.

10. Packaging and Transportation: All Laboratory specimens shall be properly packaged and labeled to indicate the general nature of the material being transported. Vendor will transport specimens in appropriate containers secured in the vehicle body to prevent movement. Laboratory specimens are to be transported in accordance with specified temperature requirements. Room temperature specimens will be transported inside a cooler and remain at temperature between 20-25°Centigrade (68°-77° Fahrenheit). Refrigerated specimens must be transported in a cooler with regular ice or cold packs and remain at temperature between 2-10° Centigrade (36°-50° Fahrenheit). Frozen specimens will be transported in a cooler packed with dry ice to remain at temperatures of -18° Centigrade (0° Fahrenheit) or colder. Contractor must provide necessary ice, cold packs or dry ice to maintain temperatures required for specimen stability.

11. Contractor will provide and deliver dry ice, in an approved container for dry ice transport, to the VA Medical Center Pathology Laboratory and outlying sites upon request. The VA Laboratory and the Contractor will agree upon time of delivery and appropriate amount (measured in pounds) of dry ice to be provided. This dry ice is used for temporary storage of frozen medical specimens during transport.

12. Vendor must have the capability of tracking specimens and other items from pickup location to delivery location. Documentation of tracking must be presented to COR or COR designee upon request. All documentation for billing should include date, time and person requesting the pickup.

13. Contractor shall develop and maintain a quality control program to assure the packaging and transport requirements are consistently met. Contractor must demonstrate ability to immediately remedy any violations of the above requirements. VA reserves the right to perform periodic inspections to ensure compliance.

a. Contractor is expected to pick up and deliver items, outside the routine scheduled run, such as lab specimens, blood products, transport containers and other laboratory operating supplies from the Brockton Division and deliver them to the West Roxbury Division Laboratory 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, on an as needed basis. Turn around times from pick up to delivery must be a reasonable time, depending on traffic and weather conditions (generally within 1 hour).

14. Contractor is also expected to pick up specimens and other miscellaneous materials from other VA or 11011-V A sites and transport under STAT or Routine conditions if necessary. The receiving sites may/may not be VA sites as indicated in the specified routes.

15. Vendor will meet, as necessary and no less then quarterly, with the Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), to discuss immediate administrative and problem areas.

16. Estimates are provided from previous fiscal year’s history.

Pick-up from and to all locations:

Lowell/Bedford/Causeway Jamaica Plain

Regular runs

(excluding holidays) 200 times/yr

West Roxbury

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain

West Roxbury

155 times/yr

155 times/yr

West Roxbury

Brigham & Women’s

30 times/yr

Mass General Hosp

105 times/yr

State Lab/Quest/Tufts/ *Others

150 times/yr

Brockton

West Roxbury

Brockton

1040 times/yr (regular run) 50-100 times/yr (normal hours)

1200 times/yr (nights & weekend)

America Red Cross

American Red Cross

450-1000 times/yr Time sensitive (30-45 min. required) 24 hrs./day and 365 days/yr

Plymouth (Quest and CBOC)

Brockton

52 times/yr

0-10

Quincy (Quest & CBOC)

Mon-Fri 1pm pickup

0-10

260 times/yr

VA CT

30 times/yr

Rhode Island Blood Center

6-10 times/yr

Bedford

Broad Institute

Broad Institute

For COVID Testing – Bedford - call as needed

For COVID Testing – West Roxbury daily @ 3PM

260 times/yr

*Others – Other stat runs within the Boston area and some outside the Boston area may occasionally be on an as needed basis. The vendor shall provide the caller or COR with the cost of that trip in advance before the run takes place so that both parties are in agreement with that cost. These sites may/may not be listed in the SOW as these emergencies are unexpected yet critical for the operation of VA Boston.

Description – Lab Courier Services 5-year BPA

West Roxbury to Brockton (Day)

West Roxbury to Brockton (Night/Weekend/Holiday)

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