Sol QA 36C24125R0088 RFP Draft 1 Nat Pre EG.pdf

National Prescription Eyeglasses Manufacturing

Department of Veterans Affairs

Question and Answers – Draft RFP 36C24125R0088

1. Price schedule – CLIN 23 – Unit of measure: shouldn’t “PR” be changed to

“EA” like the rest of complete glasses?

A. See revised draft RFP.

2. Price schedule – CLIN 24 – Description: shouldn’t CLIN 24 be “lenses only, CR-39, single vision, clear”?

A. See revised draft RFP.

3. Price schedule – CLINs 6 & 27 – Description: there is a complete glasses

CLIN for round-top 22/24 bifocals and no lenses only CLIN. Other way around for round-top 25/28 lenses only. Is this intentional?

A. See revised draft RFP

4. Price schedule – CLIN 38 – Description: Did the VA mean for CLIN 38 to say

“flat top 8 x 35” rather than “flat top 7 x 35”? Also, if the VA is going to include a

CLIN for lenses only, glass, flat top 8 x 35, will it also add a CLIN for complete glasses, glass, flat top 8 x 35?

A. See revised draft RFP.

5. Price schedule – CLINs 50-53 – Description: by “all lens materials” is the VA really referring to CR-39, poly, and glass with regards to CLINS 50-53?

A. See revised draft RFP.

6. Price schedule – CLINs 50-53 – Description & Estimated Quantities: for orders with 1.60-1.74 index or Trivex lenses, are contractors expected to invoice the VA at the price of CR-39 plus the applicable add-on price? If yes, does that mean that the quantities for those CLINs are similarly with respect to the CR39 quantities of the respective lines. For example, CLIN 51AD, 1.67 high index progressive add-on, has an estimated quantity of 30,665—does this mean contractors should expect 30,665 less orders of CR-39 progressives or of a combination of CR-39 and polycarbonate?

A. See revised draft RFP.

7. Price Schedule – CLINs 54-57: how will orders with Transitions Signature, Xtractive, Xtractive Polarized, and Drivewear be invoiced? Since these items are add-ons to other CLINs (photochromics), would the contractor bill both the photochromic add-on and the premium prices or just the premium prices? Also, are the quantities for the premium photochromic add-ons also accounted for in the photochromic CLINs? For example, the estimated quantity total of photochromic/photogrey single vision lens pairs is 122,267 and 18,401 for single vision premium photochromic add-ons; is this representative of a total of 122,267 single vision photochromic lens pairs of which 18,401 are premium or rather

122,267 + 18,401 pairs?

A. See revised draft RFP.

8. Price schedule – CLIN 65: Does the VA expect contractors to provide just one premium digital, free-form progressive design? If not, will the VA please provide guidance on what kind of designs contractors should be prepared to provide.

A. See revised draft RFP.

9. Price schedule – CLIN 65: since the VA provided estimated quantities of premium progressives for high index and Trivex lens materials, will it consider doing the same for CR-39, poly, and glass by adding a line item after the standard progressive CLIN for each of those materials for both complete glasses and lenses only; (it will also be necessary to reduce the quantities of the standard progressives by an amount equal to the quantities of the premium progressive types).

A. See revised draft RFP.

10. Price schedule – Item number 68 – Description: does this CLIN apply to all orders for prescriptions with sphere ≥±9.0? (the way it’s written implies it only applies when the sphere is equal to + or – 9.0)

A. See revised draft RFP.

11. Price schedule – Item number 69 – Description: does this mean the VA doesn’t expect contractors to provide progressives for veterans who choose large frames with A measurements >58mm?

A. See revised draft RFP.

12. Price schedule – Item number 72 – Description: will the VA consider breaking

CLIN 72 into parts A and B for solid tinting and gradient tinting, respectively?

A. See revised draft RFP.

13. Price schedule – Estimated quantity: Will the VA please update the estimated quantity values so that they are whole numbers?

A. See revised draft RFP.

14. Price schedule – Estimated quantity: Will the VA please remove CLINS 52AC, 56AB, 56AC, 57AB, 57AC, 60AC, 62AB, and 62AC because these order would require lens blanks that are not manufactured?

A. See revised draft RFP.

15. Price schedule – Estimated quantity: Will the VA please use a minimum of 1 for the estimated quantities so that contractors’ unit prices are reflected in the total evaluated price?

A. No. Some items have not been historically ordered but are an option for

VA Opticians. Therefore, VA is obtaining pricing.

16. Price Schedule: Will the VA add a line item for Fresnel prism?

A. No.

17. Price Schedule: Since orders placed for lenses only will be placed in pairs, is it correct to assume contractors will need to provide frosted and/or blackout lenses at no additional cost?

A. See revised draft RFP.

18. Price Schedule: There are many combinations of complete glasses / lenses only

CLINs and add-on CLINs that are not possible because the lens blanks aren’t in production (e.g., 1.67, Transitions Xtractive Polarized double-D segment lenses)—this is especially true when applying add-ons to bifocals and trifocals in other than FT28 and FT 7x28 form, respectively; occupational double-D lenses, all lens types in glass as well as in both premium materials and colors. Will the

VA please add language to the RFP providing clarity on the extent to which contractors will be expected to fulfill orders with add-ons or provide a chart indicating which orders are expected to be fulfilled with lens types on one axis and lens colors/coatings on another.

A. See revised draft RFP.

19. Sections 2.4.1.6.1-7: list specific salient characteristics for various types of premium photochromic tints/coatings; however, standard photochromic lenses meet all these requirements, not to mention the fact that none of the salient characteristics differentiate between the various type of premium photochromic tints/coatings. Will the VA please provide clarification or remove the premium photochromic requirement line-items altogether?

A. See revised draft RFP.

20. Sections 2.4.1.4.3-6: please confirm that sections 2.4.1.4.3-6 apply to single vision, bifocal, and trifocal lenses as well as progressives.

A. See revised draft RFP.

21. Section 1.1: Will the VA consider extending the restriction regarding future optician contracts to all contractors’ equity partners, investors, and ostensible partners?

A. No.

22. Section 2.4.1: Can the contractor provide premium progressives at no additional cost to standard progressives?

A. See revised draft RFP.

23. Section 2.5.1: Getting systems approved through VA OI&T will almost certainly take longer than the 60-day ramp-up time allotted to awarded contractors. Will the VA ensure that contractors are provided additional time beyond 60 days if the contractor is stymied from starting up due to government regulatory actions such as VA OI&T approval?

A. See revised draft RFP.

24. Section 4.1.2.3: Will The VA consider implementing a way to provide oversight of the survey to ensure the survey's integrity and the prevention of manipulation of results by contractors?

A. No. If there is suspected manipulation of the results the COR, CO, CS, and OIG should be notified.

25. Frame sample kit – plastic frames: Zyl is a term that specifically refers to cellulose acetate. Will only zyl material frames satisfy the plastic frame requirement or will the VA accept other forms of plastic frames such as TR90, polypropylene, etc?

A. See revised draft RFP.

26. Frame sample kit: will the VA allow contractors to supply frames with other than spring hinges if approved by the VA, especially since some hinges, such as barrel hinges, are known to provide better quality and longevity compared to spring hinges?

A. See revised draft RFP.

27. Section 2.4.2.4: In what scenarios would the contractor need to provide lenses without a frame? Any frame in a veteran’s possession, even those related to past

VA eyeglasses, are privately owned frames. Does the VA mean to instead say

"privately owned frames other than those obtained via the VA?”

A. See revised draft RFP.

28. Section 2.5.1: Will VA OIT provide a process or point of contact to verify that the contractor’s ordering platform meets FIPS 140-3 and VA Handbook 6500 compliance standards?

A. See revised draft RFP.

29. Section 2.5.2; 3.1.2.1: When will VA provide the list of authorized purchasers and opticians to grant system access and begin training?

A. At time of notification of award.

30. Section E.12; E.1: Will the VA assess the sample kit submission on a pass/fail basis, or will it factor into the best value determination?

A. See revised draft RFP.

31. Section 2.4.11; 2.4.12: How often will the VA allow the contractor to update frame models? What will be the process for additional/replacement frame approval?

A. See revised draft RFP.

32. Section 2.4.7.1–2.4.7.3: What specific criteria or circumstances will define an

“emergency” order requiring expedited manufacturing and shipping?

http://2.4.2.4/

33. Section 1.2; 4.4; E.12: How will the VA allocate prescription eyeglass orders among the multiple awardees—by frame choice only, or will there be other criteria for selection?

A. See revised draft RFP.

34. Section E.12: How will price proposals be evaluated under the best value determination? Will the VA provide a standard unit price schedule, or should offerors propose their own pricing based on the estimated quantities listed in

Attachment A?

A. See revised draft RFP. VA will not provide a fixed price schedule.

35. Section E.12: If the VA provides a fixed price schedule, what other non-price factors will be evaluated and how will they be weighted in determining awardees?

A. VA will not provide a fixed price schedule.

36. SOW – 1.3 Period of Performance: Question: How flexible is the VA on the 60-day transition period?

A. The 60-day transition period is fixed. See revised draft RFP.

37. SOW – 2.4.8 Veteran-Paid Upgrades: Question: I understand the VA is wanting to provide more choice to the Veterans when it comes to them choosing glasses.

I feel that in order to give the Veterans more choice, allowing them to pay for certain upgrades makes sense, especially if they simply want an extra pair, or even a pair of sunglasses. How flexible is the VA on allowing certain upgrades? I don’t see this as something the opticians would unduly persuade, but if the

Veterans ask for it, I think they should be allowed to get it.

A. Veteran paid upgrades are not authorized. Veteran will receive a copy of their prescription and may purchase additional eyewear with a private vendor.

38. General Statement regarding the number of awarded vendors. Question: Once the IDIQ awards are made on this national contract, and instead of having all awardees displayed at all participating VA optical shops, would the VA consider awarding task orders to prime contractors on a VISN basis? I ask because to have all IDIQ awardees displayed in each optical shop, it will be very confusing to the Veterans and the opticians. Not to mention the fact that in many optical shops there won’t be enough space for more than one display. The frames displayed are going to be almost identical between the IDIQ awardees, so it wouldn’t make sense to have multiple displays with virtually the same frames. Further, Section

2.4.13 requires that each contractor provide a repair kit to each participating facility. Each optical shop will only need 1 repair kit. Any more than that would be redundant. Additionally, opticians will need to learn the ordering platform for multiple contractors, instead of just one, which leads to confusion and delays in ordering.

39. Page 62 Section E.2 52.212-2 Evaluation: Question: Will the evaluation and award be made under FAR Part 13 or FAR Part 15 procedures?

A. See revised draft RFP.

40. We’ve had a chance to review the sample kit selection provided for the upcoming national contract. Compared to previous solicitations, the current kit appears to be more limited in scope. Given the increased emphasis on frame selection within this national contract, we believe that expanding the sample size would better reflect the diversity and range necessary to meet the needs of veterans across various facilities. A more comprehensive kit would also ensure alignment with past solicitations and offer opticians greater flexibility in fitting and patient satisfaction.

A. See revised draft RFP.

41. How will VA decide to distribute the orders amongst the chosen labs? Will certain labs be responsible for jobs in one VISN network or will VA send based on the lab’s location?

A. See revised draft RFP.

42. Customers have different frame preferences depending on where they reside.

Will labs be allowed to send different frame samples depending on the region or will we have to send a unified sample collection to all VA locations?

A. See revised draft RFP.

43. Does the VA have a preferred shipping vendor (USPS, FedEx, UPS) or preferred shipping speed (i.e. next business day, ground, etc.)?

A. No.

44. Will the VA arrange either individual meetings or a technical overview webinar time with an SME in the 4Sight system? This will allow vendors to effectively plan for integration with their lab management systems.

A. At this time there is no plan to provide an overview of 4-Sight. However, VA will discuss internally. 4-Sight does not require integration like APIs or software linking. The vendor will receive a .csv file to complete and VA will import the data based on the following:

B. Headers: Invoice Date, Invoice Number, Billing Amount, Patient Name, PO

Number, Site Identifier, Lenses Desc, HCPC Identifier

C. Sample Data: 01/10/2025, 1234567, 69.00, Last First I, 123456-1234, 123, single vision, V2100

45. Will the frame selection be allowed to vary across optical locations or by VISN? If so how will the product mix be determined and how often will the vendor be allowed to proactively recommend adjustments to the product mix?

46. How does the VA intend to award purchase orders / task orders from the National

Contract IDIQ?

A. See revised draft RFP.

47. We understand the VA’s intent at this time is to preclude awardees on the national contract from offering retail eyeglasses items to Veterans. Will any other party be providing retail eyeglasses at any VA hospital?

A. The provision of optician services will continue at VA medical facilities. VA intends to utilize VA employed opticians or third-party opticians obtained through available national strategic contracts, GSA contracts, or open market sources based on individual market research at the local levels.

48. We understand the VA’s intent at this time is to preclude awardees on the national contract from providing optician services to VA. Does the VA plan to continue to provide optician services (fitting and dispensing eyeglasses) at VA medical facilities and if so, how do they anticipate doing that?

A. The provision of optician services will continue at VA medical facilities. VA intends to utilize VA employed opticians or third-party opticians obtained through available national strategic contracts, GSA contracts, or open market sources based on individual market research at the local levels.

Prescription eyeglass manufacturers who are awarded contract(s) under the instant procurement are restricted from competing for and/or providing optician services at the VA medical facilities.

49. Will there be opportunities to adjust pricing during the contract period (e.g., due to inflation, tariffs, material cost increases)?

A. See revised draft RFP. .

50. Please define “emergent need” as it relates to section 2.4.16.

A. See revised draft RFP.

51. Shipping requirements in section 2.4.7.1 are not aligned with the performance requirements in Section 5 “PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY.” Our interpretation is that the VA intends for the contractor to ship routine items within

7 business days. We suggest that VA update section 5 to match. Is this acceptable?

A. See revised draft RFP.

52. The performance requirements in paragraph 5 of the statement of work are susceptible to sampling error. We recommend the numerator be changed to total orders that meet the quality criteria, divided by the denominator of total orders shipped. Sampling error can be removed if VA switches to this calculation method. VA supervision of the contractor’s performance can be maintained if the

VA COR conducts sample quality assurance checks to validate this reported performance. We have seen VA use similar systems successfully.

53. Would VA consider a “ramp down” period to use up remaining material inventory for any current contractor potentially having their contract canceled as a result of the national contract? Current vendors have significant investment in supplies to support ongoing VA contracts.

A. See revised draft RFP.

54. Will all prescription changes from a VA doctor and fitting changes from a

VA/contractor optician be processed by a new purchase order?

A. A purchase order will fund a full day or week so there will be no individual purchase orders. A new order will be provided if there are mistakes/changes by Opticians. The contractor will be responsible for warranty claims.

55. When does the VA expect to place lens only orders, given that submission of patient-owned frames is not anticipated?

A. See revised draft RFP.

56. Since there are no privately owned frames accepted in this contract, please confirm which contracts the lens only usage numbers came from?

A. See revised draft RFP.

57. Please confirm if high index should be listed as an add on or as a type of material?

A. See revised draft RFP.

58. How should the contractor handle orders that they receive that are inconsistent with other requirements of the solicitation. For example, if the VA orders an open market item, how should the contractor process the order?

A. See revised draft RFP.

59. How does the VA define and identify "overflow" orders from VISNs 10, 12, and

20?

A. Overflow orders are orders that cannot be completed by the VISN Optical

Manufacturing Lab. They may include any combination of CLIN’s provided in the Price Schedule.

60. What does the overflow work entail?

A. Overflow work may include any combination of the requirements in the

SOW and Price Schedule.

61. Will items be shipped to the VA or shipped to veterans?

A. See revised draft RFP.

62. Which frames are the VA labs currently using, please provide a current frame listing.

A. VA will provide this information at time of award to appropriate awardees.

63. What process will be used to assign overflow orders among multiple awardees?

64. Please provide historical or estimated volumes for overflow orders?

A. Overflow order estimates are provided in the Price Schedule as a total estimated scope of the requirement.

65. Will overflow orders have the same pricing and performance requirements as standard orders?

A. Yes.

66. Who will be the main point of contact for questions or issues related to overflow assignments?

A. Essential POC’s will be provided at time of award.

67. Section 2.4.1 LENSES: Mentions that all lenses shall be UV Coated… Another section B.3 mentions that price shall include UV Coating (unless default on the lens provided). Will the VA be willing to replace the verbiage in 2.4.1 with the verbiage from B.3 as some materials already have UV included in their material or alternatively change the verbiage to “All lenses shall contain UV protection and all lenses shall be scratch coated at no additional charge to the government.”

A. See revised draft RFP.

68. Section 2.4.1.6.7 states that “VA will pay for Photochromatic Lenses if prescribed and specified by the VA provider with an appropriate documented medical justification in CPRS.” Since the Contractors will have no footprint at VA facilities or opticians, and as such no access to CPRS, how is a contractor to verify if an

“appropriate documented medical justification” is available in CPRS for a photochromatic lens order?

A. See revised draft RFP.

69. Section 2.4.2.1.5 says a selection of “several Stainless-Steel contract frames should be available…” but the frame requirements listed starting on page 51 make no mention of stainless steel. How many stainless steel frames per category must be provided, in what sizes, etc? Since the frame selection is such an important evaluation factor, can this requirement be clarified explicitly?

A. See revised draft RFP.

70. If an order from a clinical provider includes a safety frame to be used, but a material other than polycarbonate (for example, trivex), how should the

Contractor handle fulfilling the order? What party should be notified? See references in sections (2.4.1.6.7, 2.4.3, etc).

A. See revised draft RFP.

71. Section 2.4.1 states that “polycarbonate and hi-index start to get into specialty category” and that “Progressive Additional Lenses can be considered by some as specialty”. This language is ambiguous. Can this be clarified?

72. Reading paragraph 2.4.4 and subparagraphs we realize that processes, equipment and best practices will change over the course of the 10-year anticipated contract. Will the VA allow contractor’s to adapt to industry best practices as long as the contractor meets the quality metrics listed in Section 5.

A. See revised draft RFP.

73. Section 2.4.7.1 states that “Orders received between 8:00am and 4:30pm will be considered as received that day.” No time zone is listed. Would this be local time for each Contractor?

A. See revised draft RFP.

74. Within section 2.4.11 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. See revised draft RFP.

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

A. See revised draft RFP.

76. 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.

A. See revised draft RFP.

77. Are resumes required to be included with the technical volume?

A. See revised draft RFP.

78. Is the technical volume mentioned in paragraph two on page 49 the same as the experience factor listed on paragraph five on page 50?

A. See revised draft RFP.

79. Please confirm where the offeror’s representations and certifications should be included in their proposal.

A. See revised draft RFP.

80. Page 53 of the solicitation lists Plastic – Women’s frame requirements. Can VA please confirm that the three bullet points listed should all be “(Qty: 1)” to add up to the 3-quantity required? Otherwise, it is unclear if for example 3 total frames could come from a single one of the ranges listed.

A. See revised draft RFP.

81. In the SAMPLE KIT REQUIREMENTS- In the Plastic – Unisex frame requirements, there is a requirement for: “(Qty: 2) 56m-58m with a minimum

Vertical Dimension of 30mm to suit pal and wide faces - 60mm to suit wide faces.” It appears the 60mm line should be its own bulleted requirement, as is consistent with other previous solicitations using this frame format. Can VA please confirm if 60mm frames should be included and at what quantity, or if the requirement should perhaps be 56-60 instead of 56-58?

A. See revised draft RFP.

82. Section 2.4.9 states that sample kits provided to each facility will consist of “each eye size with multiple bridge sizes,” and that each facility will provide equal space to all awardee frame kits. Since offered frames often come in multiple eye sizes, this means for example that the 64 minimum requested frames could, when including samples for all additional eye sizes, balloon every sample kit up to double or triple that amount of frames per awardee. This requirement also states that “local facilities will coordinate sample kit requirements based on number of awardees, space available, and other factors.” Should this section read as only that, so each facility can determine what they can fit, instead of mandating samples of each eye size with multiple bridge sizes for each offered frame?

A. See revised draft RFP.

83. Please confirm whether the sample kits for review under the Technical

Acceptability Standard 4a must include ALL eyesizes and temple sizes for a style as laid out in 2.4.9, or if 2.4.9 specifies post-award sample kits specifically and for review purposes the government is only requesting the sample that matches the requirement exactly? For example, if a frame matches the 50-52m mens metal requirement at a 52 eye size, but ALSO is available from the manufacturer in a 54 and 56, for the sample kits provided as part of the solicitation response does the government only want the 52 eye, or all three eye sizes even if those don’t match the specific requirement?

A. See revised draft RFP.

84. Similar to above, section 4a of the Technical Acceptability Standard says “sample frame kits that each meet or exceed the minimum requirements for eyeglasses frames described in the below chart.” The chart says 64 frames required. Please confirm offers can go beyond 64 styles in an effort to “exceed” the sample frame requirements, or if they are restricted to exactly 64 frame styles matching the chart exactly?

A. See revised draft RFP.

85. Please clarify the specific criteria and scoring rubric that will be used to evaluate the required sample kit?

A. See revised draft RFP.

86. Are there preferred brands, materials, or lens technologies for the sample eyeglasses, or is any product that meets the technical specifications acceptable?

87. Will feedback be provided if a sample does not meet specifications, and is resubmission allowed?

A. This is CO discretion at time of evaluation whether or not this will be required. Clarifications and discussions are not excluded from the evaluation of proposals if needed.

88. Please confirm one frame kit will be required per medical center? One per location that dispenses eyeglasses to include all CBOCs as applicable

A. See revised draft RFP.

89. CLIN 0066 specifies polarized lenses for CR-39 material specifically. Please clarify if polarized in other materials is open market, or unavailable to be used?

Or should this CLIN read, like others on the price schedule do, “All Materials, All

Lens Types”? If unavailable to be used, what should a contractor provide if a

Clinical Provider orders polarized in a material other than CR-39 for a patient?

A. See revised draft RFP.

90. CLIN 0068 specifies an overpower add-on for CR-39 material specifically. Please clarify if overpower lenses in other materials would be open market, or unavailable for use? Or should this CLIN read, like others on the price schedule do, “All Materials, All Lens Types”? If unavailable to be used, what should a contractor provide if a Clinical Provider orders an overpower lens in a material other than CR-39 for a patient?

A. See revised draft RFP.

91. How will price be weighted relative to technical and past performance factors in the evaluation?

A. See revised draft RFP.

92. CLINs 0050, 0051, 0052, all state “All Lens Materials (Add-On)”. To remove ambiguity, can this be clarified as to which base material these add-on prices are applied to? For example, do these CLINs stack as add-ons to the base CR-39

CLINs, the base polycarbonate CLINs, or the base Glass CLINs?

A. See revised draft RFP.

93. There is some confusion on how certain add-ons would “stack” together based on the current price schedule. CLINs 0058 and 0059, for example, make sense— they are a photochromatic add-on to base CLIN materials. CLINs 0060, 0061, 0062, and 0063 are photochromatic add-ons to materials that are already add-ons elsewhere on the schedule. As a hypothetical, when billing an order for a

Trivex Bifocal FT28 Photochromic, would the base CLIN (0002), plus the trivex add-on CLIN (0053AB), plus the trivex photochromic add-on CLIN (0063AB) all be billed together? Or would the trivex photochromic add-on take the place of the trivex material add-on CLIN? Perhaps this could be simplified with a single

“Photochromic Add-On, All Lens Materials” CLIN?

94. Similar to the question above, there is confusion on the Premium Progressive add-ons. Does the premium add-on CLIN 0065 stack in addition to other add-ons, like 0063AA?

A. See revised draft RFP.

95. Will VA evaluate compliance with the limitations on subcontracting based on an annual or contract period basis?

A. See VAAR 852.219-73 Section(e).

96. What is the expected timeline between award and the first order?

A. Up to 60 days. See revised draft RFP.

97. Will there be a transition period for onboarding, system integration, or staff training?

A. Up to 60 days. See revised draft RFP.

98. Does the VA anticipate modifying the contract to adopt changes to lens technology or frame style over the 10 years of contract performance?

A. See revised draft RFP.

99. Will the VA issue a new purchase order for optician errors?

A. See question 54.

100. Will VA opticians provide documentation or feedback to the contractor regarding fit or comfort issues that may require manufacturing adjustments or remakes? If so, what will that process look like?

A. Feedback would be provided during meetings identified in Section 4.2 or with local or VISN-level POC’s.

101. Will the frame catalog mentioned in Paragraph 2.4.9 only include the vendor’s approved contract frames? Or are additional frames allowed to be in the catalog?

A. See revised draft RFP.

102. Will the VA be ordering off of this contract using the 4-Sight eyeglasses ordering system, where order files are sent by encrypted email? Or does VA anticipate placing individual orders directly into the contractor’s ordering platform? See paragraph 2.5 and subparagraphs.

A. See revised draft RFP.

103. As some labs have a higher daily output capability than others, how will the VA ensure that all labs will receive jobs rather than a select few ones?

A. See revised draft RFP.

104. How will VA determine which jobs to send to labs? Will certain labs be responsible for more niche jobs (hi-index, high base curve, etc.), while other labs manufacture more common lenses?

105. How will VA decide to distribute the orders amongst the chosen labs? Will certain labs be responsible for jobs in one VISN network or will VA send based on the lab’s location?

A. See revised draft RFP.

106. Customers have different frame preferences depending on where they reside.

Will labs be allowed to send different frame samples depending on the region or will we have to send a unified sample collection to all VA locations?

A. See revised draft RFP.

107. If no small business manufacturer can meet the volume or technical requirements (e.g., 340K progressive lenses, Transitions Signature), is an NMR waiver for NAICS 339115 feasible? What documentation supports such a request?

A. Based on market research there are two or more small business manufacturers that can meet this requirement. As such, VA is not seeking an individual NMR waiver for this procurement.

108. Can a non-retail SDVOSB prime focused on IT/contract management qualify under NMR by taking ownership of products and directing a small business subcontractor for deliveries?

A. Prime contractor(s) must comply with VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF

TOTAL SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-

OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) and complete

VAAR 852.219-76 VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON

SUBCONTRACTING—CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SUPPLIES

AND PRODUCTS (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION). VA will not provide legal advice. If you have questions regarding subcontracting requirements you should consult a legal counsel.

109. Does oversight of logistics (e.g., shipment tracking, QA, reporting) by the prime count toward the 50% performance requirement even if the subcontractor manufactures and delivers?

A. VA will not provide legal advice. If you have questions regarding subcontracting requirements you should consult a legal counsel.

110. Can the VA provide technical specifications for the required contractor portal, including integration with systems like Vista, data formats, and Section 508 accessibility requirements (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA)?

A. See question 44.

111. Will there be a sandbox/test environment and API documentation? What is the expected number of concurrent VA users?

A. See question 44 for first question. VA users will be provided at time of award.

112. Can VA provide sample formats/templates for daily shipping and monthly expenditure reports, including required fields (e.g., CLINs, VISN-level breakdowns)?

A. These samples will be provided at time of award.

113. Will reports be submitted daily per facility, per VISN, or consolidated nationwide?

A. See revised draft RFP.

114. Can you share templates or guidance for invoicing via Tungsten Network, including any special formatting or data points beyond what is listed (e.g., contract number, order dates)?

A. See revised draft RFP.

115. Are there specific payment terms tied to subcontractor performance or delivery confirmation?

A. Contractor(s) must comply with VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL

SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESSES (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) and VAAR 852.219-76

VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING—CERTIFICATE

OF COMPLIANCE FOR SUPPLIES AND PRODUCTS (JAN 2023)

(DEVIATION). VA will not provide legal advice. If you have questions regarding subcontracting requirements you should consult a legal counsel.

116. What is the estimated volume of time-sensitive (1-hour) vs. general (1-day) inquiries, and how are backorders to be reported?

A. VA is unable to estimate the volume of the two inquiries separately. All estimates for orders are provided in the Price Schedule. See revised draft

RFP.

117. What constitutes a “time-sensitive” inquiry (e.g., safety-related)? Are there VA escalation protocols requiring management contact info (e.g., mobile numbers)?

A. See revised draft RFP.

118. Are there required methods or formats to document the subcontractor's compliance with ANSI Z87.1 for audit purposes?

A. See revised draft RFP.

119. May the subcontractor supply required sample kits (e.g., 56mm Metalizyl) directly, or must these be provided by the prime?

A. The prime contractor is responsible for the proposal and the awarded contract. The submission of the proposal is at the discretion of the prime submitting the proposal.

120. What documentation will VA require to demonstrate NMR compliance during audits (e.g., purchase orders, supplier certifications, employee counts)?

A. Contractor(s) must comply with VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL

SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESSES (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) and VAAR 852.219-76

VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING—CERTIFICATE

OF COMPLIANCE FOR SUPPLIES AND PRODUCTS (JAN 2023)

(DEVIATION).

121. Are there HIPAA training requirements for both prime and subcontractor staff managing PHI through the contractor portal?

A. There are no VA specific HIPAA training requirements. However, prime contractor and any subcontractor(s) must comply with Sections 2.1 through 2.3.

122. Are sample Section 508 checklists available for review, and which VA office will be responsible for assessing accessibility compliance?

A. See section E.11 VAAR 852.239-75 INFORMATION AND

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE (FEB 2023)

which provides a web link to the applicable information and POC’s.

123. As it relates to Section 2.4.9 of the draft RFP and the statement that “all awardees will receive equal space at each facility”, will VA please reconsider this position?

a. See revised draft RFP.

124. As it relates to Section 1.1 of the draft RFP, which states that: “Eyeglass manufacturing service contractors will not be permitted to engage in or provide

Optician Services to veteran patients”, will VA please reconsider this position?

A. No. Optician services are outside the scope of this requirement. Optician services will not be authorized to be performed by any prescription eyeglass manufacturers holding a national contract.

125. As it relates to section 2.4.8 of the draft RFP, which reads: “veteran-paid upgrades will not be available or offered at the VA Optical Shop or through the

Veterans Canteen Services (VCS)”, will VA please reconsider this position?

A. No. VA will provide medically necessary eyeglasses to Veterans. See revised draft RFP.

126. We kindly request clarification regarding the sample kit requirements outlined on page 51 of the draft RFP:

A. See revised draft RFP.

127. Given the significant price differences between frame types (e.g., titanium/flex-titanium, stainless steel, plastic, safety eyewear), would the Government consider creating separate line items for each, such as (Titanium/Flex-Titanium, Stainless Steel, Plastic (acetate), Plastic (common), Safety)

128. How many VA optometry or optical shops are expected to be serviced under this contract?

A. All VA Optical Clinics CONUS and OCONUS.

129. Will optometry services be limited to VA hospitals and clinics?

A. If referring to the restriction of Optician Services in Section 1.1 the restriction is for all VA facilities.

130. If so, will frames be displayed on-site at these hospitals and clinics?

A. See revised draft RFP.

131. Do existing VA optical shops currently have frame display units in place?