Questions and Answers - 36C24125R0088 Draft RFP 2.pdf

National Prescription Eyeglasses

36C24125R0088 0002 – Draft Solicitation 2

Subjects:

Government Updates to Industry

Questions from Industry and Government Responses

Government Updates to Industry

1. The formal RFP solicitation number will be updated because it will be issued in

Fiscal Year 2026. The tentative RFP number is 36C24126R0001. If that number changes the Contract Specialist will issue another amendment to this notice.

2. A pre-solicitation notice will be issued under the formal RFP.

3. The government intends to host a pre-solicitation conference/industry day. The date and time will be provided in the pre-solicitation notice on the formal RFP notice.

a. The conference link will not be posted publicly, and industry will be required to respond to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer to obtain the link.

b. The conference will address the solicitation prior to issuance and government instructions on submission in a presentation format. There will be no questions accepted at the conference. All questions will be required in writing in response to the solicitation.

Questions from Industry and Government Responses

1. How would overflow work from VISN 10, 12 and 20 be divided among the awardees on the national contract?

a. This is one of the (TO BE DETERMINED) areas of the draft solicitation. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

2. Will the VA be able to provide estimates of the amount of overflow work they should expect to receive by frame catalog item so that the vendor can appropriately stock to ensure responsiveness to any overflow work requests?

a. VA has estimates for complete eyeglasses and will be provided at the appropriate time. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

3. We noted the removal of the language from the previous draft that stated, “all awardees will receive equal space at each facility”, however, in this draft it is unclear how the VA intends to divide the work among the awardees. Can the VA clarify its intent? Clarity in this area is important as it factors into scaling planning necessary to effectively respond to the RFP.

a. This is one of the (TO BE DETERMINED) areas of the draft solicitation. The formal RFP will identify the award level. VA is working to determine what level awards will be made. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

b. For transparency, the VA intends to award multiple national contracts, and one awardee will be in facilities. VA is working to determine what level awards will be made.

4. We would request the VA reconsider the ability to add higher quality hinge options such as barrel hinges if they can be provided at an equal price point to spring hinges, with the overall frame design being approved by the VA.

a. VA is working to determine what level awards will be made. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

5. It asks for lens price and then manufacturing price. I am clear on the lens price, but on manufacturing cost I want to clarify that you want the price to manufacture alone, excluding the lens price, or should this number include the lens price in the manufacturing cost?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

b. VA intends to host a pre-solicitation industry day to provide instructions for proposal submission.

6. I would like to request clarification regarding three sections of the SOW:

Section 2.5.2 indicates that orders shall be placed by the VA using the standard 4- Sight template, with orders sent once per day via encrypted email.

Section 3.1.2.1 states that the COR will provide a list of VA and contractor opticians and purchasing staff who will require access to the contractor’s ordering system after award.

Section 4.1.2.6 states that the Government will use CPRS Prosthetics Eyeglass Consult, Prescription and Authorization for Eyeglasses, to place orders with the Contractor.

The way these three sections are written seems to suggest three different order submission processes—one through daily encrypted emails using the 4-Sight template, and another requiring direct access to the contractor’s ordering system and another through CPRS.

Please clarify whether:

- Orders will be submitted exclusively through the 4-Sight daily encrypted email process, or

- VA/contractor staff will also be expected to directly enter orders through the contractor’s ordering system, in addition to or instead of the 4-Sight process.

- Or through CPRS

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

7. I would like to request clarification regarding Section 2.4.2.10, which states that the contractor shall work with VISN 10, 12, and 20 to ensure proper inventory based on their frame kits and anticipated overflow.

Please confirm:

- Does this language imply that the VA/VISNs will provide the frames to the contractor for in-house stock?

- Or is it the contractor’s responsibility to purchase these frames in advance to supply under the contract at the standard pricing?

a. VA will not provide the frames to the contractor. Contractor will be responsible for “Complete Eyeglasses” the same as they would for all other facilities.

8. Page 6 states: The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to establish firm-fixed price with economic price adjustment, ID/IQ contracts. This solicitation will result in multiple awards. The ID/IQ’s will cover the entire nation. Delivery Orders will be issued at the (TO BE DETERMINED) level, dependent on VA re-organization, utilizing FAR 16.505 to ensure fair opportunity amongst all national contract holders.

Ordering is done by the site Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) Central Processing Section. Daily orders will be placed against the Delivery Orders awarded by the local facilities in accordance with Section 2.5.2. Question 1: Is it the intent of the VA to issue Delivery Orders to more than one National ID/IQ contract awardee at the same VAMC/VISN location/locations? Or do you intend to only issue one Delivery Order per location? Question 2: Will the National ID/IQ contract holders have to compete for each delivery order? I ask because of this statement on page 7 of 83 “Delivery orders may be recompeted for the subsequent five-year performance period.”

a. Question 1: See question 3.

b. Question 2: This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

9. Page 7 states: VA is developing a Go-Live Schedule that will be provided at time of award notification. This schedule will provide information on transition from existing contract vehicles to performance under the national contract. Does this mean that some locations may have different Go Live start times? In other words, the entire Country might not start at the same time.

a. Yes.

10. Page 16 states: Local facilities will coordinate sample kit requirements based on the number of awardees, space available, and other factors. Will there be more than one eyeglass manufacturer in each local facility? If not, you may want to rewrite that sentence.

a. See question 3.

11. Page 52 states: 8. Matters Related to Responsibility Determination: The offeror shall submit the following documentation and details as necessary relating to a favorable Responsibility Determination: a. Proof of financial resources, or the ability to obtain them to fulfil this requirement. Please define what you consider to be adequate financial resources to fulfil this requirement.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

12. Please confirm the weighting of evaluation factors. The current draft RFP does not provide factor weighting or explain how the two non-price factors will be compared to price.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

13. Please confirm how the VA will determine the offeror(s) that represent the best value to the Government.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

14. Please clarify Technical Acceptability Standard 4. The instructions state that “[t]he offeror shall provide a narrative identifying all file names with respect to the submission of a complete proposal,” and the evaluation standard states, “[t]o be determined acceptable under this technical acceptability standard, the offeror shall detail completion of all aspects of the proposal submission.” It is unclear what the VA means in requiring a narrative identifying all file names.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

15. Page 52 directs offerors to “fill in and complete” FAR 52.204-24, FAR 52.209-7, and

52.212-3 through “Online submission.” Please clarify if the online submission is an offeror’s SAM.Gov representations and certifications or a separate online submission.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

16. Please confirm whether the VA is requiring offerors to submit a copy of their SAM representations and certifications, which is several pages, as part of the proposal.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

17. The “Matters Related to Responsibility Determination” in Section 8 (c)-(f) on pages 52-53 of the RFP direct offerors to submit various statements. Is a written statement that the offeror meets the requirement sufficient, or are offerors required to provide additional narrative detail?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

18. Will VA please give serious consideration to having the eyeglass manufacturers provide optician services? While this may be more of prosthetics decision, rather than contracting, prosthetics needs to recognize that the 3rd party optician model has proven not to work in the past (see VISN’s 10 and 16) and will be far more expensive for the VA to implement. In addition, if VA would like to make what are currently the contractors opticians VA employees it will result in a mass exodus of opticians and a major disruption in services to the veterans as many will not want to work for the VA (based on estimated current GS (Grade Scale) level) .Some VISN’s, including VISN 22, are currently in the process of moving away from VA opticians and toward using the manufacturer’s opticians. Using 3rd party or VA opticians would be a step backwards and would go against the model that is utilized in the private retail market where opticians are always employees of the manufacturer.

a. This requirement will only include prescription eyeglasses manufacturing.

Optician services have been determined to be a separate requirement, not incidental services and will not be included.

19. Can VA please confirm how many sample frame kits offerors are to submit for evaluation? Is it 1 or 2? Pg. 67 states that the submitted sample kits shall be identical, so it implies multiple kits. However, pg. 53 under Technical Acceptability Standard 1 states that the offeror should submit one sample kit.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

20. Please clarify that the frame sample kit should include a total of 52 frames. The total for the frame sample kit on pg. 16 is 85 while the total for what appears to be the same sample kit on pg. 59 is 52. Also, are we correct to understand that the frame sample kit listed represents a minimum number of frames in each category that must be displayed but that the awardee must display a total of 85 frames overall meaning that the awardee can use its discretion, through coordination with the COR, to determine what the additional 33 frames are that it displays (not to exceed the quantities specified for men’s, women’s, unisex, and safety)?

a. The requirements for evaluation and for the facility are different quantities.

The frame kits for technical evaluation of the RFP are in Section E. The frame kits for the local facilities are in the Statement of Work, Section B of the RFP.

21. Can VA please remove any columns in the price schedule that do not need to be completed by offerors? Also, it appears that there is a “unit price” column but not a “total price” column that would calculate the unit price multiplied by the quantity provided. Can this be added?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

22. Please clarify if CLIN numbers should be in sequential order of instead of 0001, 0001, etc… to 0001, 0002, 0003, etc…as is typical in VA price schedule.

a. The CLIN’s are sequential and provide sub-CLIN’s “SLIN” in Column B of attachment (AA, AB, AC, etc.). Each CLIN is a base CLIN and not separately priced (NSP) and sub-CLIN’s are priced.

23. Please confirm that in Attachment B, Other Than Certified Cost or Pricing, that VA just wants the offerors pricing and not cost data.

a. This is only requesting price data. Formal RFP will provide instructions and update attachment title.

24. Per section 8 on pg. 52 under matters Related to Responsibility Determination, what data specifically is VA requesting for “proof of financial resources or the ability to obtain them”? Is VA wanting to see financial statements, bank balances, etc…?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

25. Per #12 of Technical Acceptability Standard 1, Sample Frame Kit and Lens

Offerings (Part 3), a manufacturer can you use several types of lenses, is VA wanting the information requested for the primary lens used for each category in the price schedule?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

26. Will VA please add “Premium Photochromic” lenses back to the price schedule (as presented in the previous price schedule) with brand or equal being provided as an option? Section 2.4.1.19 states the salient characteristics required and lists all premium photochromic lenses as examples (Transitions Signature, Transitions Xtractive, Xtractive Polarized, and Drivewear) yet only includes a standard photochromic in the price schedule. While the differences between Transitions Gen S and generic photochromics can be debated (Trans Gen S is superior in quality and some doctors will specifically prescribe the brand especially for patients that are light sensitive as it lightens and darkens faster), only Transitions Gen S can provide colors other than brown and gray (other colors options such as green and amber are listed as part of the salient characteristics) that more and more patients are asking for. With regards to darker options, the newer Transitions Xtractive New Generation listed have discernable clinical advantages over any generic options currently available and have been, and will continue to be, a preferred option by both the optometrists and patients. There are no generic photochromic options for Transitions Xtractive Polarized and Drivewear and as such they should be made available as premium photochromic options especially considering the fact that no upgrades are allowed under this contract.

27. As it relates to Section 2.4.1.20 which states that the contractor shall not use premium progressive lenses or premium photochromatic lenses, where the non-premium product meets clinical needs as specified by the Clinical Provider.

Premium progressive lenses and premium photochromatic lenses shall only be used in those instances where the nonpremium product does not meet clinical needs as specified by the Clinical Provider and the premium product is included in the contract as a line item. How can a Clinical Provider use a Premium product that fits the medical needs of a veteran if premium products are not listed in the price schedule as a line item? Also, if premium photochromic aren’t listed as line items, then part of section part of 2.4.1.19 (examples include premium products like Transitions Drivewear) is effectively moot.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

28. As it relates to the sample frame kit requirements, if barrel hinges are not acceptable what types of hinges are acceptable (spring hinges are barrel hinges)?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

29. How does the VA intend to award purchase orders / task orders from the National Contract IDIQ?

a. See question 3.

30. What process will be used to assign VA lab overflow orders among multiple awardees?

a. See Question 1.

31. Section 1.3 mentions “VA is developing a Go-Live Schedule that will be provided at time of award notification. This schedule will provide information on transition from existing contract vehicles to performance under the national contract.” Please provide additional information on how the VA plans to conclude current VISN contracts.

a. Contracting Officers for current contracts will provide information on current contracts when applicable. The national team will not provide this information as they are not Administrative Contracting Officers for the respective contracts.

32. Section 2.4.1.3 and 2.4.1.17.1 do not mention Trivex as a material where other similar sections do, and Trivex is included in the price schedule. Should Trivex be inserted here?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

33. Section 2.4.1.3 mentions Hi Index from 1.60 to 1.74, but the relevant CLINs on the price schedule still say Hi Index “Up to and Equal” to 1.60. Can the same language be added here to remain consistent?

34. Section 2.4.1.4 uses the language of UV “coating”. Can this be changed to UV “Protection,” just for clarification, as some lenses with UV protection included do not need to be coated as it is inherent in the lens?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

35. Section 2.4.1.6 is one of the former salient characteristics for photochromatic lenses. Normal clear lenses do not block 100% of UVA and UVB, so it appears this should be removed from the standard top-level Lens requirement section.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

36. Section 2.4.1.12 says that balanced lenses should be at no charge to the VA if requested. Can this be clarified whether this means that no additional balance lens CLIN or charge should be used, or that in the instances where balance lens is requested, the vendor is expected to provide the balance lens at no charge? For example, should the contractor bill a standard CLIN at half price because of one lens being a balance lens, or just bill it at the standard CLIN price with no additional Balance line item?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

37. It appears that Section 2.4.1.17.6 and 2.4.1.17.8 are duplicative.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

38. Section 2.4.1.17.5 and 2.4.1.18.4 are included in the sections for Progressive and

Premium Progressive lens characteristics but mention low vision optometry gradient tint colors. Should this section be moved outside of the Progressive sections so that those tints do not only apply over the contract to Progressive lenses?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

39. Section 2.4.1.20 mentions “premium photochromatic lenses” but there is no section listing salient characteristics for premium photo, and premium photochromatic lenses have been removed from the price schedule. Should those items (i.e., Transitions Xtra Active or Equal, Transitions Xtra Active Polarized or Equal, Transitions Drivewear or Equal) be added back to the price schedule, and can the salient characteristics for each be specified since all have different technologies?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

40. Section 2.4.2.9 FRAME APPROVAL NOTE mentions “The examples in each frame section are not representative of all manufacturers or their respective product lines that may be submitted for review”. How will the VA decide which frames to display, as sales of other frames that are not on the display could be negatively impacted?

41. Section 2.4.2.10.1 mentions frame kits are attached to this solicitation. Please confirm where this attachment is located.

a. This will be attached to the formal RFP. It was not attached to this draft.

42. Will VA consider removal of the subsections within 2.4.5. (2.4.5.1-2.4.5.8) Each contractor should have flexibility in their quality control process as long as the final product meets all VA requirements and they follow the final quality inspection listed.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

43. Section 2.4.8.1 mentions “Orders received between 8:00am and 4:30pm, local time of the ordering facility will be considered as received that day.” Will the VA consider changing this to 8:00am-4:30pm eastern time?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

44. Section 2.4.10 FRAME SAMPLE KIT does not mention how the display rack will be separated between multiple contractors. Please provide additional information on whether each contractor will have equal space or rationale for the display rack set up.

a. See question 3.

45. Section 2.4.10.2 says 85 frames are to be displayed in each supplied frame kit to a facility. The requirement list does not match the sample kit of 52 outlined on page

56. Should the larger list of 85 be culled down to 52 for solicitation sample purposes, or is this a mistake and both the post-award samples and pre-award evaluation kits should include 85 styles? The Q&A seems to indicate a larger set than before, so if this can be clarified it would be appreciated.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

46. Within section 2.4.12 it mentions that frame kits can be adjusted annually for low usage items. What metrics are in place to ensure consistency in changes to the frame kits among the offerors if multiple offerors are allowed to change their frame kits annually?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

47. Additionally, what is the “low usage” threshold to determine whether a frame should be replaced during the yearly review?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

48. Section 2.4.14 DISPAY RACK AND TRAY: Please confirm how many display racks will be required as cost of displays is significant. As almost all VA’s already have displays, please clarify if the VA should use their existing displays or purchase new ones when they need them.

49. Section 2.5.2 Ordering says all orders are to be submitted via 4sight. Will opticians or those responsible for interfacing with the veteran at the facilities continue to enter orders into vendor system? 3.1.2.1 seems to indicate the answer to this is yes, but it would help if it could be clarified that the order entry necessary to prep the 4Sight file from the optician side is still done through the vendor system.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

50. Section 5.4.2 shipping timeliness standard says 95% of orders DELIVERED within 7 business days (or 10 for specialty lenses). Section 2.4.8.1 seems to make it clear the requirement is that the contractor must SHIP within 7 (or 10 for specialty lenses). Can 5.4.2 be changed so the metric does not read delivered, but shipped?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

51. Please confirm which section is “Section 3.b” referenced on page 55 in the instructions to offerors.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

52. Please confirm which documents are acceptable to prove proof of financial resources, or the ability to obtain them to fulfil this requirement.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

53. How is VA planning to evaluate vendors who currently have the manufacturing capability in place against vendors who do not have the current capacity to perform? Shouldn’t vendors who have the current capability be rated higher than those who need to add or create capacity?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

54. Section “Technical Acceptability Standard 4 – Complete Submission of Proposal:

The offeror shall provide all required documents in accordance with the Instructions to Offerors. The offeror shall provide a narrative identifying all file names with respect to the submission of a complete proposal.”

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

55. Please clarify which documents need to be included in this standard 4. Requesting all documents in accordance with the instructions to offerors could include the other technical acceptability standards, Factors and Price data.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

56. How will VA confirm that the national contract holders don’t also have ownership interests or affiliation with the companies that bid on the optician services contracts or hold veteran canteen service contracts for opticians or retail eyeglasses?

a. VA will have the same restrictive language for future Optician Services requirements. If affiliation(s) are identified, it will be treated as a breach of the contract terms.

57. How does the VA intend to ensure that organizational conflicts of interests will not occur if they do not extend the restriction regarding future optician contracts to all national contract holder’s equity partners, investors, lenders and ostensible partners?

a. VA appreciates this feedback and will consider amending the restrictions for the formal RFP.

58. Will VA consider removal of attachment B other than certified cost or pricing data, as the items being purchased are commercial items?

a. No.

59. Please confirm the address to ship the one frame kit required for evaluation.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

60. Page 39 mentions that the contractor must comply with the limitations on subcontracting by the end of the performance period for each order issued under the contract. Please confirm the anticipated duration performance period is expected under this contract.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

61. Please confirm which CLINS from the price schedule are considered specialty lenses?

a. Specialty lenses are addressed in Section 2.4.8.1.2 of the draft SOW.

“Specialty lenses are add-ons to the complete eyeglasses and aspheric lens CLIN's.” Draft RFP CLIN’s X001AM, X001AN, X008, and X009.

62. Price Schedule 0009AF says CR39. Can this be removed so that it remains consistent with other line items and the parent description of “All Materials, All Styles”?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

63. Price Schedule 0009AG says oversize blank for eye lenses over 58, excludes progressive. Does this mean progressive oversize is open market, or must be no additional charge? Can this be clarified?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

64. Price Schedule 0007AA – since most of the base CLINs specify complete frame and lens, should this perhaps be changed to Stainless Steel instead of all other metals?

It is typical in all other VISN contracts that the “standard” frame includes basic metal and plastic frames, as is outlined in other places for frame requirements.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

65. Section 1.2 / Section 4.4 – Order Allocation (Question 66 – 72)

66. Draft 2.0 states that daily orders will be placed against Delivery Orders issued under the national IDIQ. Please clarify how these Delivery Orders will be structured.

67. Will they be tied to specific geographic regions, individual VA facilities, or assigned to individual contractors, and what criteria will VA use to make those determinations?

a. See question 3.

68. Draft 2.0 states that orders will be placed under multiple-award IDIQ contracts but does not specify the exact trigger for assigning an order to a particular contractor.

a. See question 3.

69. Please clarify whether assignment is based solely on a veteran’s frame selection from a contractor’s kit, or whether other factors such as price, lab capacity, location, or past performance will influence order distribution.

a. See question 3.

70. Please clarify whether VA is moving away from assigning orders based on a veteran’s frame selection from a contractor’s kit. If so, does this mean that only one contractor’s frames will be displayed in each location?

a. See question 3.

71. If VA continues to use veteran frame selection as the basis for assigning orders, how will VA ensure that orders are correctly routed to the appropriate contractor given that Draft 2.0 specifies opticians will place orders using 4-Sight rather than contractor portals?

a. See question 3.

72. If the VA intends to allocate specific locations or regions such that only one contractor will be responsible for fulfilling orders for that area, how will these locations or regions be assigned? What criteria will be used in making these assignments (e.g., contractor price, production capacity, lab location, past performance/experience, or the estimated order volume for that region)?

a. See question 3.

73. Section 1.2 / Section 4.4 – Overflow Orders (Questions 74 - 76)

74. For overflow orders redirected from VISN labs, how will the VA determine which contractor(s) receive these jobs? Will it be on a rotating basis, based on available capacity, pricing, or another methodology?

a. See question 3.

75. In order to prepare appropriate frame and lens inventory, please provide historical data on overflow orders from VISN optical manufacturing labs over the past five years, including the frame types associated with those orders.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

76. Please clarify how contractors will be reimbursed for overflow orders. Specifically, will lenses be reimbursed according to the contractor’s awarded price schedule, and will contractors be able to purchase required VISNs 10, 12, and 20 frames at or below the government rate? Additionally, what mechanism will be used to reimburse contractors for the frames supplied under overflow requirements?

a. First question, see question 8.

b. Second question, all CLIN’s are listed as complete eyeglasses. The government will not reimburse the contractor separately for frames outside of the add-on frame CLIN’s.

77. Section 2.4.2.6. Requirements for Frames. Will the VA reconsider allowing contractors to provide barrel hinges considering they are generally more durable and are easier to repair and adjust?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

78. Section 2.4.2.10. VISN 10, 12 & 20 Special Requirements. Draft 2.0 states that the current frame kits for VISNs 10, 12, and 20 are attached to the solicitation; however, they were not included in the materials provided. Will the contracting office please provide the current frame kits for these VISNs?

a. See question 41.

79. Section 2.4.7 Delivery, Draft 2.0 specifies delivery timelines but does not specify remedies for late delivery. Will late delivery be considered only as a factor in past performance evaluation or will there be additional penalties?

a. VA may remedy by any means authorized by the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

80. Section 2.4.9 Frame Kits (Questions 81 & 82)

81. The solicitation requires each eye size with multiple bridge sizes, which could expand the kit size significantly beyond the 64 frames specified. Please clarify whether the 64-frame minimum refers only to styles for proposal evaluation, and that post-award kits may expand by size/bridge, or whether all variants must be submitted at proposal stage.

a. See question 20.

82. If more than one contractor offers the same frame in its kit, how will VA determine which contractor receives the order triggered by a veteran selecting that frame? Will preference be based on price, capacity, or another mechanism?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

83. Section 2.4.9 / Section 2.4.10.2 – Frame Kits and Displays, Draft 2.0 specifies that offerors must submit a sample kit of approximately 64 frames for evaluation, while Section 2.4.10.2 requires 85 frames to be displayed in VA optical shops. Please clarify how these requirements align. Specifically, are all 85 display frames required to come from the 64-frame kit submitted at proposal, or may additional frames be included post-award as part of the approved catalog?

84. Section 2.4.9 Overflow Frame Requirements (Questions 85 & 86)

85. Draft 2.0 requires contractors to carry inventory of VISN 10 and VISN 20 frame kits for overflow coverage. Please clarify whether contractors may also include these frames in their own national frame kits, and if so, how VA will prevent duplicate frames from creating confusion in order assignment.

a. Frame kit requirements for all other VISN’s are outlined in the Statement of Work.

86. Will VA consider allowing contractors to house a portion of VISN optical manufacturing labs’ frame inventory at the contractor’s facility to support overflow needs? Under this approach, VA would provide and maintain ownership of the frame inventory, while the contractor would provide storage space and supply the required lenses. This arrangement would ensure consistent availability to veterans during outages or delays, maintain pricing consistency for VA, and reduce risk to the contractor by not requiring them to carry inventory they did not select and may never use.

a. No, see question 76.

87. Section 2.4.11 Frame Updates, What objective threshold will VA apply to determine “low usage” for purposes of annual frame substitution (for example, fewer than 5% of orders or fewer than 50 units per year)? Will this threshold be measured relative to frames within the same category (men’s, women’s, unisex) or across all frames, and will it be applied on a regional or national basis?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

88. Section 2.5 Ordering & IT (Questions 89 & 90)

89. Draft 2.0 and Q&A state that 4-Sight does not require API integration, only .csv uploads. Please confirm whether contractors must also maintain their own web-based order entry/tracking portal for VA use, or whether 4-Sight fully replaces this requirement.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

90. If VA transitions from 4-Sight to another platform during the contract period, will contractors be expected to adapt their systems at their own expense?

a. Yes.

91. Section B.2 Price Schedule / Section 4.6 Annual Updates, Draft 2.0 references both an Economic Price Adjustment clause (FAR 52.216- 2) and an Annual Review for Technological Advances (Section 4.6). Please confirm that these are the only allowable avenues for adjusting prices over the 10-year contract (5- year base plus 5-year option). If additional mechanisms exist, such as inflation adjustments or option-year resets, please specify.

a. The two mechanisms stated are the only allowable avenues for price adjustment requests.

92. Section B.2 Price Schedule

93. Several CLINs involve stacking add-ons (e.g., Trivex + Photochromic + Premium

Progressive), which may be interpreted differently across contractors. Could VA provide a pricing example or table showing how add-ons should be applied in invoicing to ensure consistency?

a. Per RFP draft 2, CLIN’s 0001 – 0006 are complete eyeglasses CLIN’s. All others are add-ons and may stack on one another as prescribed and added to the complete eyeglasses CLIN.

94. The VA Office of Inspector General issued a 2023 report recommending that VA standardize its price schedule nationwide so that all facilities pay the same price for eyeglasses, and VA concurred with those recommendations. Please clarify whether this solicitation is requesting contractor-submitted prices to establish a benchmark for a uniform national price schedule that all awardees will be required to follow, or whether each contractor’s submitted price schedule will remain unique to that contractor and thus form part of the award determination process.

a. The government will not provide pricing benchmarks. The offeror shall submit pricing in accordance with the solicitation.

95. The estimated number of photochromic orders has been reduced from approximately 685,000 in the prior draft to approximately 90,000 in Draft 2.0. Please clarify the methodology used to develop these revised estimates and the rationale for the significant reduction.

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP. The VA will not provide information on how estimates are obtained.

96. Given the size and scope of this contract, will VA utilize an internal program office (e.g., Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service or Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics) or another independent body to validate the demand and quantity estimates, to ensure they accurately reflect projected usage?

a. The VA will not provide information on how demand or estimates are obtained.

97. Section E Evaluation

98. The solicitation states that evaluation will be based on best value but does not specify weighting. Please clarify the relative importance of Price, Technical, and Past Performance (for example, whether price is equal to, more important than, or less important than technical).

99. The solicitation states that 30 frames will be randomly selected for evaluation and that if any do not meet the requirements, an additional 30 will be selected, continuing until the offeror meets or exceeds the 95% threshold. Please clarify how many iterations of this process may occur and at what point a frame kit will be determined to have failed. Additionally, will VA consider evaluating the remaining frames in the initial kit rather than continuing with additional random selections, to provide a clearer basis for the 95% pass/fail determination?

a. This will be addressed in the formal RFP.

100. Frames: Would the VA be interested in adding separate lines for stainless steel, plastics, and acetate plastics on the Price Sheet?

a. VA appreciates this feedback and will consider. Changes may be reflected in the formal RFP.

101. Display Racks and Trays: (Questions 102 & 103)

102. Rotating Display Stands – How many are required per Optical Shop?

a. This is addressed in the draft RFP, Section 2.4.14.

103. Wall Display – What are the wall sizes in each VA Optical Shop? If new displays are required, who will be responsible for installation/assembly (VA staff or vendors)?

a. This is addressed in the draft RFP, Section 2.4.14.

104. Recommendation: Would the VA consider keeping the current displays for convenience and cost savings?

a. VA appreciates this recommendation.