36C24122Q1257 0002.docx

SOLICITATION NOTICE OF SDVOSB/VOSB SET-ASIDE.

This solicitation is being issued as a SDVOSB/VOSB set-aside. The limitations of subcontracting, as described in FAR 52.219-14, will apply to any potential contract. If award cannot be made, the solicitation will be cancelled, and the requirement resolicited.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, intends to solicit proposals from contractors to provide Payroll services in support of Veterans Health Administration New England VISN 1. NAICS Code is 541214 with a Small Business Size Standard of $34.5M. The product/service code is R710. The VA anticipates issuing a solicitation for this requirement on or about 9/26/2022. Proposals will be accepted for a two-week period commencing with the issuance date of the solicitation. Interested contractors will be responsible for downloading copies of the solicitation (and any subsequent amendments) from that website, and no hard copies will be made available. The solicitation will provide instructions to contractors about the proposal submission process. Prospective Offerors are encouraged to register their interest in the solicitation on the Contracting Opportunities website (beta.sam.gov) so that they are notified of the issuance of the solicitation and any amendments.

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) 523-23-1-1738-0007 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

36C24122Q1257 10-19-2022

X X X

October 26, 2022 at 12:00 PM EST See CONTINUATION Page X The purpose of this amendment is to answer vendor questions, extend the response date, and update FAR clause 52.212-2.

This is a Non-Personnal, Firm Fixed Price Solicitation for a CWT Payro9ll services for the Boston Healthcare System in pursuant with the Statement of Work described in the original Solicitation Contractor will provide all personnel, supervision, labor, equipment, materials, and disposal necessary to provide the services.

The applicable Wage Determinations are hereby incorporated into the subject purchase order and can be found at https://beta.sam.gov .

Sterling Mathews Contracting Officer

CONTINUATION PAGE

1. Do we average 52/12? The payroll to the veterans is weekly, and our pay to the company is monthly.

2. Do we include the $40,000 weekly payroll in our cost estimate? This is the average payroll cost, but could vary and should determine how much the vendor will invoice the VA.

3. What happens if your payroll is over 200 and $50,000? Is there an approval process we must comply with before processing payroll? There is no additional approval process involved. They would need to be able to fund it, but no additional permission is required.

4. Do you know how many additions/ deletions are per year? We used to allow the CWT participants to cash their check at the facility’s Agent Cashier and/ or credit union. Are options available? These are not options for places to cash their checks – they need to have a local bank where patients can get their checks cashed. Some veterans do not have accounts and the bank will cash the check if they are able to see the money from the payroll company is in the account. Other veterans who have accounts will go to their local banks to deposit the checks.

We’ve had up to 120 veterans in the program at one time. We are currently a long way off from. It’s possible we could go up to 80 people at some point, but we can’t really tell them exactly when that would be. We do know that the minimum wage will be going up in January 2023 so that will raise the costs of the paying the veterans for their work.

5. Is direct deposit acceptable? No direct deposit is not acceptable.

6. What is the cutoff time for check delivery during week, day etc.? Every Tuesday.

7. Shall pay show benefits, taxes, workers comp etc. or just net? No these are patients in a program and no taxes or workers comp is needed.

8. Are these personnel considered as the vendor's employees? The veterans are in a work therapy program, they are not employees.

9. How much of a variance shall there be from week to week in payroll amount? Right now, it’s about $25,000 per week. As we take on more people it will increase. It could go up to $40,000.

10. What does delivery date refer to? Weekly? Monthly? Other? The delivery schedule will be 12 months totaling 1 year since this has 4 option years.

11. Shall all fees and costs be included in monthly billing to include pay and processing fees? The vendor can send a weekly invoice to cover the payroll costs and a monthly invoice to cover services rendered (e.g., providing checks, data, etc.)

12. 1. Direct deposit, 2. Paper check from Wells Fargo, 3. No fee Debit card (Similar to the one we used in the military). All three options are available. Option 1 and 3 are the most efficient. Will any of these work?

No, these are not good options for us. As outlined in the statement of work, we need paper checks prepared and provided to the program on a weekly basis.

1. We do not allow direct deposit or debit cards.

1. Many veterans in the program do not have or cannot open bank accounts.

1. Veterans who do not have bank accounts must have easy access to a bank that is willing to cash the checks. The bank must be available in both Brockton and JP. This is not the case for Wells Fargo.

13. Worker's Compensation. Who is responsible for maintaining and paying? Workmen’s compensation does not apply to veterans in this program. They are not employees. They are patients and receive health care at the VA in case of injury.

14. Federal and State taxes (FICA, Withholding). Who is responsible for Filing, maintaining, and paying? Wages earned while in the program are not taxed.

15. Pay adjustments. Payroll is filed weekly. If a timecard is missed it needs to wait until the next week or an additional processing fee will be incurred? We submit the timecards to the payroll company and the checks need to be issued in the same week. If the hours need adjusting, we will let them know and it can be done in the next paycheck. If a check is lost, then we can charge the Veteran a fee of $35.00 to replace it.

16. Shall all fees and costs be included in monthly billing to include pay and processing fees? We have two purchase orders set up – one to pay the payroll company and one to fund the payroll.

16. What do I put in the Delivery Date column? No need to put in anything, this will be determined on the award documents.

17. What banks will be acceptable? The current vendor used Santander, but it is not essential to use them. The main thing that is needed is to use a bank that has branches close to Brockton campus and JP campus so that veterans who do not have bank accounts can cash their checks there.

18. Our understanding is that this CWT contract, as per 38 U.S.C Section 5301, the payroll checks are exempt from taxation. Can the government confirm that the payee’s checks are tax-free and are not required to be reported on an information return? Veterans in the program are not taxed on their income. The payroll company will be taxed on their income.

19. On page 2, block 12 states “Net 30” discount terms. Will the government accept weekly or per-pay period charges from the contractor? The vendor will enter a weekly invoice to be re-imbursed from the Government.

20. On page 5, sentences 2 & 3 state, “Vendor will supply the VA Boston Health Care System with personal company telephone numbers for emergency access outside of normal business hours. The Vendor has worked on Saturdays, Sundays, and numerous Holidays to accommodate the VA’s schedule when needed. Does the government require that positive actions must be taken to rectify a situation immediately or will the government allow the awardee to rectify on the next day of business? We would expect them to be available if they were responsible for a paycheck not being cashed (e.g., check bouncing). We need to ensure that the veterans’ checks are available each week on time.

21. On page 5, a section of paragraph 4 states, “The vendor must be able to respond to a “same day” request to stop payment, issue new checks in the event they are lost or stolen, or issue additional check to current or new payees.” What is the estimated/anticipated number of participants that these actions will be required for in this system per year? We have not tracked this so are estimating that it could be up to 20 lost or stolen checks. We have new people coming and going from the programs each week, constant turnover, can’t tell you about the exact numbers for the year.

22. Furthermore, in regard to question 21, Can the government anticipate how many participants will join or leave the program over a fiscal year? Would the government provide any historical numbers of participants so that we may adequately account for all variables in our pricing? I reviewed one year. There were 63 admissions and 36 discharges in Boston and 108 admissions and 63 discharges in Brockton. The numbers will vary from year to year depending on a number of factors that impact admissions.

23. On page 5, a section of paragraph 4 states, “The payroll information will be faxed to the Vendor Company by VA staff on Monday of each week, and checks must be ready for delivery to VA staff on that afternoon.” Additionally, a section of paragraph 5 states “Accounting Register will have checks processed and ready for delivery to the Veterans Industries Work program same day the payroll data is faxed to the company and delivered the next working day to the program staff on the Boston campus.”

Our understanding is that while the checks must be ready for delivery every Monday afternoon, the actual delivery date is the next working day to the program staff on the Boston campus. Are we correct in our assumption? Yes, we need delivery the next day.

24. Will the government accept FEDEX Priority Overnight delivery of checks on Tuesday, i.e., “the next working day” as detailed in the Performance Work Statement? They can choose the method of delivery as long as it arrives the next day.

25. In reference to previous question, can you clarify at what time in the morning the information will be faxed from VA staff to the vendor company for processing? By noon on Monday.

26. On page 5, a section of paragraph 4 states, “The payroll information will be faxed to the Vendor Company by VA staff on Monday of each week, and checks must be ready for delivery to VA staff on that afternoon.” Can the government confirm whether the drop off of checks is to a singular location to the program staff on the Boston campus, or will each location listed become a delivery point at some future date? Single delivery point on the Jamaica Plain campus.

27. On page 6, Item Number 1 states the period of performance will begin on 10/24/2022. We received an email stating start date for the contract will begin 11/01/22. Can you provide clarity on the correct start date? At this time, the performance period is TBD. 10/24/2022 was used as forecasted performance start date.

28. What is the definition of the payees receiving the benefits? As the contract is for payroll services, are the payees deemed employees? If not employees, then what are they? The payees are veterans in a work program run by the VA.

29. If the POP effectively begins on 24 October 2022, are there previous year-to-date (YTD) amounts that have to be uploaded and reconciled for these “approximately 140 weekly payees”? Are previous quarterly and monthly payroll reporting filings readily available for this reconciliation? The POP has been changed to TBD. There will be no records that need to be reconciled. Any and all work performed will start will the TBD POP.

30. If 140 payees are the approximate weekly number of payees, what is the history on an annual basis of total payees? This is needed as the payees come and go throughout the year, and we need an overall payee count for the year. We had total of 270 in a recent year.

31. What is the anticipation that the “approximately 140 weekly payees” number will significantly increase, and what provisions can be made if this happens, as the contract indicates it is a firm fixed price contract? The costs need to remain stable. It should not vary much from 140 weekly payees at one time.

32. Our understanding is that this contract qualifies as tax-free due to the CWT and therefore the question may be unnecessary, if this is not the case, please see the question in the next sentence. What is the exact nature of these payments so that proper determination can be made of the reporting? It is only tax free for the veterans, not the payroll company.

33. Our understanding is that this contract qualifies as tax-free due to the CWT and therefore the question may be unnecessary, if this is not the case, please see the question in the next sentence. Who is the employer, and are the appropriate Federal Employer Identification Number, the Massachusetts State Number, Massachusetts Unemployment Number, and any other required employer numbers immediately available? The patients are in a work therapy program. The vendor is a business that gets paid to provide the services. The VA Boston Healthcare System is hiring the vendor to provide payroll services.

34. Our understanding is that this contract qualifies as tax-free due to the CWT and therefore the question may be unnecessary, if this is not the case, please see the question in the next sentence. Who and when will copies of the payees’ completed and verified withholding forms, including but not limited to W-4 Federal Withholding, M-4 MA Employee Withholding Certificate, I-9 Employment eligibility verification form, and NHR New Hire reporting form, be provided? The patients do not need these forms, but the vendor might need them. The requirement is tax-free.

35. Our understanding is that this contract qualifies as tax-free due to the CWT and therefore the question may be unnecessary, if this is not the case, please see the question in the next sentence. How or where will the annual reporting Form W-2 be provided to the payees since they may be transient with change of addresses throughout the year? The patients do not need these forms, but the vendor might need them. The requirement is tax-free.

36. Our understanding is that this contract qualifies as tax-free due to the CWT and therefore the question may be unnecessary, if this is not the case, please see the question in the next sentence. Is a current Workers Comp Insurance policy in place for these payees as required by Federal, and State requirements and who will provide the annual renewal information? There is no workmen’s comp for the patients.

37. Our understanding is that this contract qualifies as tax-free due to the CWT and therefore the question may be unnecessary, if this is not the case, please see the question in the next sentence. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all state and contract employees enroll in a qualified retirement plan. State requirements for participation: If business owners don’t offer their own retirement option, they must automatically enroll their employees into the state’s if they have 25 or more employees and have been in business for at least two years. Is there any known exception for the payees being exempt from this requirement? If not, who will be administering this requirement? We don’t offer this for patients. The patients do not need these forms, but the vendor might need them. The requirement is tax-free.

38. Can we receive an up-to-date list of the current bidders list for this solicitation? No, a bidders list will not be provided. It is unknown.

39. Is there an incumbent for this contract? Yes, the incumbent was, and the contract number was 36C24120P0067.

40. Please outline the specific format required for proposal submission. There are no page limitations on either the Past Performance or the Technical Section - does the Government have any limitations on response length? Similarly - there are no limitations on font size, type, margins, or spacing - does the Government have any limitations for these? There are no limitations on response length, font, size, type, margins, or spacing.

41. Please provide “Past Performance sheet in section D” referenced on page 28’s Evaluation Approach, section 2-a’s second sentence for use in submitting Past Performances. Please see section D of this amendment.

42. Please clarify the submission deadline. RFP page 2 box 8 and page 29 4th paragraph give the submission deadline as OCT. 13, 2022, 12 p.m. Eastern. SAM.gov Notice ID 36C24122Q1257 indicates that offers are due by Oct 12, 2022, 12:00 pm EDT. The submission date has previously been extended to Oct 21, 2022, at 12:00 PM EST on amendment 0001. The new date and time of submission is Oct 26, 2022, at 12:00 PM EST.

43. Who is the incumbent, and where would we find the contract? Could you provide access to what their services were? Yes, the contract number was 36C24120P0067 and the incumbent was The Accounting Register Corporation Of Amercia. The services they provided were very similar to PWS.

44. Can you provide an inventory of the services delivered, or a management plan? Services delivered should be described in the performance work statement.

45. Please describe the transition process from the incumbent to the contract awardee, including how and when current and archived records will be conveyed. Currently, the incumbent contract ended on 9/30/2022 and the new contract is TBD.

46. Which bank(s) currently provide veterans’ check cashing, and which do so without charging veterans a fee? They will need to research this.

47. Page 5 of the RFP states, “The payroll information will be faxed to the Vendor Company by VA staff on Monday of each week, and the checks must be ready for delivery to VA staff on that afternoon.” Please clarify what time on Monday the Vendor will receive the completed fax, and up until what time on Monday the checks must be received by VA staff? See previous response. The checks need to be delivered by the next day.

48. Please provide a general history of how many (or what percent) of the 140 paychecks are direct deposit vs. paper checks. None of the checks are direct deposit.

49. Does the Government really intend for the Vendor to fund payroll before being reimbursed by the Government? Yes

50. How long has this front funding process been in place? Approximately 20 years.

51. Is there another acceptable process that does not require the vendor to fund payroll before being reimbursed by the Government? And, if so, please give details. We do not have one.

52. Does the VA have programs (or connections to resources or programs) for small businesses to make provisions for the requested funding arrangements? The vendor will enter an invoice weekly for re-imbursement.

53. RFP Page 28 says in the Price section that offerors should complete Standard form 1449 (page 2) boxes 12, 17, 30a, 30b, and 30c. Box 12 is already provisioned, and says “DISCOUNT TERMS, NET 30”. Do offerors have the option of adding additional options such as discount terms for earlier payment? (“3% discount for payment within 15 days”?) If an offeror would like to propose any discount terms, the Government is willing to negotiate.

A.1 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021)

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

(b) The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

1. Price

2. Past Performance

3. Technical

Evaluation Approach: The Government will evaluate quotations using the comparative evaluation process outlined in FAR 13.106-2 (b) (3), where quotations will be compared to one another to determine which provides the best benefit to the Government. The Government reserves the right to consider a quotation other than the lowest price that provides additional benefit(s). Quotations may exceed minimum requirements of the solicitation. The Government reserves the right to select a quotation that provides benefit to the Government that exceeds the minimum requirements of the solicitation, but is not required to do so. Each response must meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation. The Government is not requesting or accepting alternate quotations. The evaluation will consider the following:

1. Price (Follow these instructions):

a. Standard Form 1449 (page 2), Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items, with blocks 12, 17, 30a, 30b, and 30c completed by the offeror.

b. Quoter will complete section B.2 Price/Cost Schedule, sec. B.2, pp. 6-7. Firm, fixed pricing for each line item is required.

c. Solicitation Clauses "Offeror Representation and Certifications -Commercial Items", completed by offeror at (https://SAM.gov), or a Reps and Certs print out may be submitted.

d. Complete the Contractor Certification of Compliance with 13 C.F.R. 125.6, Limitations of Subcontracting, sec. D.2, pp. 23-24.

2. Past Performance:

a. Provide (3) references of work, similar in scope and size with the requirement detailed in the Performance Work Statement. Refer to Past Performance sheet in section D. References must include contact information, brief description of the work completed, and contract # (if relevant). References may be checked by the Contracting Officer to ensure your company is has complied with prior requirements, responded to issues and performed in accordance with the PWS.

b. Past performance information may also be obtained from other sources available to the Government to include, but not limited to, Past Performance Retrieval System (PPIRS), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (eSRS), or other databases.

3. Technical: The offeror’s quote shall be evaluated to determine if the contractor has the experience and capabilities to provide quality services in a timely and efficient manner.

a. Contractor shall demonstrate their corporate experience and approach to meet all requirements stated in the Performance Work Statement.

b. Contractor will provide a quality control plan, which explains the offerors approach to quality control and methodologies

c. If you are planning to sub-contract some or all of this work, please provide the name and address(s) of all subcontractor(s) (if applicable) and a description of their planned subcontracting effort.

Award will be made to the best value, as determined to be the most beneficial to the Government. Please read each section carefully for the submittals and information required as part of the evaluation. Failure to provide the requested information shall be considered noncompliant and your quote will be removed from the evaluation process.

SDVOSBs and VOSBs must be registered and certified in the Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database (http://www.VetBiz.gov).

This is a SDVOSB/VOSB set aside for payroll services at VAMC Boston Healthcare, MA. The government intends to award a firm fixed price contract for this service. Offerors should carefully follow instructions included in 52.212-1 and for evaluation criteria specified in section D.3 (52.212-2). Pricing should be identified B.2 Price/Cost Schedule located in sec. B.2, pp. 6-7.

All quotes shall be emailed to: tara.dossiema@va.gov. Any quote non-compliant with RFQ requirements will not be considered. No questions after October 7, 2022 at 10 a.m. This solicitation will close October 26, 2022 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard time.

4. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Price, past performance, and Technical.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of Provision)