36C24219R0134-0002000.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION

OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

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

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

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR

ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT

THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO:

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

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADM

INISTRATIVE 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 d ate 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 3

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) 09-16-2019 None 36C242 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 2 James J. Peters VA Medical Center 130 West Kingsbridge Road Bronx NY 10468-3904 36C242 Department of Veterans Affairs James J. Peters VA Medical Center Network Contracting Office 2 130 West Kingsbridge Road Bronx NY 10468-3904 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24219R0134 08-13-2019

X x x

X THIS AMENDMENT TO THE ABOVE REFERENCED SOLICITATION HEREBY ADDRESSES VENDOR QUESTIONS RECEIVED THROUGH

AUGUST 29, 2019

AS SHOWN IN ATTACHMENT 1.

AS A RESULT OF VENDOR QUESTIONS, THE SOLICITATION IS NOW AMENDED TO REFLECT THE CHANGES AS SHOWN IN ATTACHMEN T 2.

ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS REMAIN UNCHANGED AND IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT.

ALLAN M PRESTON

CONTRACTING OFFICER

Attachment 1 – Questions and Answers Amendment 0002, Solicitation 36C24219R0134 Effective Date 09/16/2019

The following questions were received through August 29, 2019:

1. Patient Population

Please provide Catchment areas for each VAMC by county and total number of patients for each VAMC.

VA Response:

1. Oxygen Cylinders and Liquid Oxygen Systems.

The CLINs specify the number of oxygen cylinders and liquid oxygen systems. There is no CLIN for the cylinder refills or liquid oxygen refills on the pricing schedule. What is the mechanism intended to pay for cylinder refills and liquid oxygen refills and/or estimated quantities of each? Will the pricing schedule be updated to include CLINS for both - cylinder refills and liquid oxygen refills?

VA Response: The CLIN estimates are broken down by month, which would constitute the actual refills needed on a monthly basis.

1. Transition

1.5.6 on page 52 states “The newly awarded Contractor will replace the incumbent contractor’s home oxygen equipment and complete all set ups including assessment and patient education/ training and entry into the VA electronic medical record by an RRT at no cost to the Government”. As this is the first time we have seen this process proposed, how long does the VA anticipate the training, background check and access approval to take, from request to completion? Is the contractor expected to wait to start to transition patients until this is done, so the RRT has full access to the VA system, or is the contractor expected to start the transition immediately and then the RRT will enter the data once they have full access?

VA Response: The transition should take place within 180 days as specified in the performance work statement. Please see section 1.5.5 performance.

Additionally, section 1.5.7 will be amended to read the following:

1.5.7 All delivery personnel will have documented competency for assembly, set-up, use and maintenance of all equipment used under this contract. All equipment exchanges will be accomplished within the time frame established as soon as possible after award, but not to exceed 180 calendar days.

1. Proposal Price Expiration

Do you want to hold prices for 30 days (page 137) or 180 days (page 140)?

VA Response: 180 Days. Section E.1 52.212-1 (c) is now amended to read the following:

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 180 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

1. Insurance – Evidence of Coverage

Page 145 Part 5: Miscellaneous:” Copies of required insurance certificates.” Are we required to provide a copy of the Declaration Page of our current insurance policies?

VA Response: The offeror is required to submit insurance coverage verification in accordance with E.1 52.212-1 and as outlined in Section 25. Insurance.

1. Pricing – Option Period 5

With regard to the calculation of the extended price for Option period 5. The instructions state that for items marked as “MO” we are to multiple the quantities stated for each CLIN in Option Period 5 by the unit price then by 6 (number of months). However the quantities have already been halved. The resulting price would only cover 3 months.

VA Response: Offeror should prepare price quotes based on the estimated quantities outlined in the price schedule. Offerors are reminded that quantities reflected in the price schedule are estimated quantities and that all quantities listed therein are estimated annual quantities. The Government is not obligated to purchase any specified amount of servicers under this contract, but will be obligated to make payment for all services requested and received in the quantities and of the quality requested. The Government does not guarantee or imply that any fixed number of orders/referrals for services will be placed under the resultant contract.

1. CLIN 0002 – Liquid Oxygen Patients.

Total estimates for CLINs 0002a, 0002b, and 0002c indicate 280 liquid oxygen patients. Is the current patient population in line with those estimates? How many liquid portable units are expected to be provided per each billable CLIN?

VA Response: Please see question 1 with regard to actual patient population. Current estimates, as shown in the price schedule, are reflective of the Government’s needs and its Veteran beneficiaries.

1. Sectoin 14.1.8.2.1 Long Term Travel

If a POC is already part of CLINs 0001b, 0001d, and 0001e, what is the intended use of CLIN 0005? Is CLIN 0005 meant for long term travel? Section 14.1.8.2.1 states “the VA will pay the contracted price” but does not state the CLIN to be used for this billing? The RFP is asking for a monthly rate for CLIN 0005. If CLIN 0005 is meant for long term travel, would a weekly rate be easier for billing?

VA Response: CLIN X005 is intended for long term travel whereas CLIN X001, along with respective sub-clins, are not. Unit of issue, MO, shall remain unchanged as it accurately reflects the needs of the Government and its Veteran beneficiaries.

Section 14.1.8.2.1 will be amended to read the following:

14.1.8.2.1. For travel that goes beyond 30-calendar days, services will continue uninterrupted and VA will pay the contracted price using CLIN X005 beginning on the 31st day. Contractor is responsible for coordinating care in any areas they can’t service directly.

1. CLIN X006 – Cluster Headache Patients.

Cluster headache patients with no other rental CLIN item are to be billed a one-time charge for each portable tank received. Are portable tanks delivered to patients billing under CLIN 0001a and 0001c to be charged the CLIN 0006a, 0006b, and 0006c rate as well? Are the estimates provided for CLINs 0006a, 0006b, and 0006c indicative of the expected volume of tanks to be billed just to cluster headache patients? Or, do those tank estimates include tanks provided to other home oxygen patients already billing under CLINs 0001a and 0001c? If estimates for CLINs 0006a, 0006b, and 0006c include non-billable tanks to patients under CLINs 0001a and 0001c, will the total bid price be artificially inflated?

VA Response: Each order for cluster headache patients with no other rental clin should be billed and charged under CLIN X006 and its respective SUB-CLIN only. The estimates provided under CLIN X006 and its respective SUB-CLINs are primarily for cluster headache patients and are not typical for those that are getting concentrators.

1. 180 Day Transition Period

Regarding the 180-day transition period...As much as 60-90 days of the transition period are essentially lost while any new contractor establishes working locations and puts staff in place. Background checks and getting approval to access VISTA are also a part of the likely 60-90 day delay in truly getting started with transitions. Transition of all patients is still possible in the remaining 90 days using both RTs and service technicians. If the outgoing contractor kept current with RT visit schedule during that 60-90 day break-in period, the logic of having the new contractor RT transition a patient and perform the scheduled RT visit once they are cleared by the VA can begin midway through the 180 day period. Service technicians, once cleared, would be used to “transition” existing patients to keep all transitions within the 180 day period allowed. Will you allow an existing patient to be transitioned by a service tech with billing starting at transition? Once transition of all patients is complete, will you allow a one-time adjustment to the 180-day visit schedule to more evenly spread patients across the calendar if it turns out that the visit schedule is heavy in any particular month?

VA Response: Yes, existing patients may be transitioned by a service tech so long as it is in accordance with Section 1.5.5 Performance.

The offeror’s proposal should be inclusive of the offeror’s proposed transition plan to ensure there are no gaps in service and to remain in line with the Government’s requirement as outlined in the performance work statement.

1. Typographical Error

Section 1.5.8 - shouldn’t this read 180 days instead of 90 days?

VA Response: No, there is no reference in section 1.5.8 of 90 days. However, as stated in question 3, Section 1.5.7 will be amended to reflect a change from 90 days to 180 days.

1. Section 14 24x7 Customer Service

Section 14 last paragraph. Could this be changed to read as follows: The Contractor is responsible for providing 24 x 7 customer service. When the patient/caregiver or VA requests that the Contractor provide needed emergency accessories and expendable supplies the Contractor will deliver the supplies as soon as possible but not later than 4- hours after being notified by the patient/caregiver or VA. All non-emergency accessories or expendable supplies will be delivered via UPS/USPS or next scheduled delivery. The Contractor is responsible for picking up no longer needed equipment or equipment needing repairs, inspecting the equipment, ensuring the equipment functions properly, and disinfecting prior to reissue in accordance with manufacturer requirements and Joint Commission standards. Contractor-owned equipment shall be repaired or replaced as the sole cost of the Contractor.

VA Response: Yes, the solicitation will be amended to reflect the change requested.

Attachment 2 – Solicitation Amendments Amendment 0002, Solicitation 36C24219R0134 Effective Date 09/16/2019

1. Section 14, last paragraph, is amended and shall now read the following:

The Contractor is responsible for providing 24 x 7 customer service. When the patient/caregiver or VA requests that the Contractor provide needed emergency accessories and expendable supplies the Contractor will deliver the supplies as soon as possible but not later than 4- hours after being notified by the patient/caregiver or VA. All non-emergency accessories or expendable supplies will be delivered via UPS/USPS or next scheduled delivery. The Contractor is responsible for picking up no longer needed equipment or equipment needing repairs, inspecting the equipment, ensuring the equipment functions properly, and disinfecting prior to reissue in accordance with manufacturer requirements and Joint Commission standards. Contractor-owned equipment shall be repaired or replaced as the sole cost of the Contractor.

2. Section 1.5.7 is amended and shall now read the following:

1.5.7 All delivery personnel will have documented competency for assembly, set-up, use and maintenance of all equipment used under this contract. All equipment exchanges will be accomplished within the time frame established as soon as possible after award, but not to exceed 180 calendar days.

3. Section 14.1.8.2.1 is amended and shall now read the following:

14.1.8.2.1. For travel that goes beyond 30-calendar days, services will continue uninterrupted and VA will pay the contracted price using CLIN X005 beginning on the 31st day. Contractor is responsible for coordinating care in any areas they can’t service directly.

4. Section E.1 52.212-1 (c) is amended and shall now read the following:

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 180 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.