36C24221Q0192_1.docx

36C24221Q0192 Services will be required for one (1) base year + four (4) one (1) year options.

shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, and qualified personnel to provide on-site diagnostic medical physics support services in support of the Finger Lakes Health VA Radiation Safety Program X Contracting Officer James P Vickerman x x x

/veterans-affairs http://www.tungsten-network.com/us/en Tungsten Network

Bronx NY 10468-3904 130 West Kingsbridge Road Network Contracting Office 2 James J. Peters VA Medical Center Department of Veterans Affairs 36C242

See Delivery Schedule X N/A $15.0 Million 541990 X Bronx NY 10468-3904 130 West Kingsbridge Road James J. Peters VA Medical Center Network Contracting Office 2 Department of Veterans Affairs 36C242

EST

4:30 PM

01-2 -2021 631-261-4400 x7525 James Vickerman, Contracting Officer 1-1 -2021 36C24221Q0192

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

STANDARD FORM 1449

INFORMATION CALL:

7. FOR SOLICITATION

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

(REV. 2/2012)

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

31c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER) 30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR

SET FORTH HEREIN IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED

(BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE

DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY

DATED ________________________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________________________ OFFER

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _______________

ARE NOT ATTACHED

ARE

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

ARE

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

AMOUNT

UNIT PRICE

UNIT

QUANTITY

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

ITEM NO.

24.

23.

22.

21.

20.

19.

SEE ADDENDUM

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED 17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

FAX:

PHONE:

DUNS+4:

DUNS:

TELEPHONE NO.

CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

FACILITY CODE

CODE

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

CODE

16. ADMINISTERED BY

CODE

15. DELIVER TO

RFP

IFB

RFQ

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

13b. RATING

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

RATED ORDER UNDER

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

SEE SCHEDULE

MARKED

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

SIZE STANDARD:

NAICS:

8(A)

EDWOSB

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

SMALL BUSINESS

VETERAN-OWNED

SERVICE-DISABLED

BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

SMALL BUSINESS

% FOR:

SET ASIDE:

UNRESTRICTED OR

10. THIS ACQUISITION IS

CODE

9. ISSUED BY

TIME

8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL

b. TELEPHONE NO. (No Collect Calls)

a. NAME

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

4. ORDER NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE

2. CONTRACT NO.

1. REQUISITION NO.

Table of Contents

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

1. Contract Administration: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

a. Contractor: ______________________ Address: ______________________

Contractor POC for Contract: _____________________________ Title: _____________________________ Phone: _____________________________ Email: _____________________________

Alternate POC for Contract: __________________________ Title: __________________________ Phone: __________________________ Email: __________________________

DUNS NUMBER: _________________________TAX ID:____________________

SOCIO-ECONOMIC BUSINESS SIZE:_____________________________________

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer James P. Vickerman Northport VAMC Building 12 Room 110F 79 Middleville Road Northport, NY 11768

2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with:

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

a. Quarterly []

b. Semi-Annually []

c. Other [x] Monthly to: http://www.tungsten-etwork.com/uk/en/

4. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: All Invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

Tungsten Network: http://www.tungsten-network.com/uk/en/

5. SECURE FAX: All faxes in regards to this contract shall contain the following on the coversheet:

This fax is intended only for the use of the person or office to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or protected by law. All others are hereby notified that the receipt of this fax does not waive any applicable privilege or exemption for disclosure and that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. If you have received this fax in error, please notify this office immediately at the telephone number listed above.

B.2 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING-- MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN 2011)

This solicitation includes FAR 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include this clause. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to contractor's offices where the contractor's business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the contractor's compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an “Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement” to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement.

B.3 SCHEDULE OF SERVICES/FEE SCHEDULE

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, and qualified personnel to provide on-site diagnostic medical physics support services in support of the Finger Lakes Health VA Radiation Safety Program. Radiology departments are located in Rochester, Canandaigua, and Bath. Contractor shall offer a diverse, multi-modality experienced team of qualified Medical Physics professionals. Place of Performance: Services shall be provided on-site at Bath VA Center 76 Veterans Avenue Bath, NY 14810 Canandaigua VA Center 400 Fort Hill Avenue Canandaigua, NY 14424

Rochester Outpatient Center (ROPC) 260 Calkins Road Henrietta, NY 14467

Period of Performance: One (1) year base period with four (4) one (1) year options.

Pricing Instructions: The offeror is instructed to include all other than price and cost information supporting the proposed price as directed herein.

The contractor shall propose the number of key personnel to be available for scheduling to meet the key requirements of the contract.

BASE YEAR: Date of Award – 12/31/2021

Certified Radiation Safety Services

BASE YEAR TOTAL

OPTION YEAR ONE (1): 01/01/2022 – 12/31/2022

Certified Radiation Safety Services

BASE YEAR TOTAL

OPTION YEAR TWO (2): 01/01/2023 – 12/31/2023

Certified Radiation Safety Services

BASE YEAR TOTAL

OPTION YEAR THREE (3): 01/01/2024 – 12/31/2024

Certified Radiation Safety Services

BASE YEAR TOTAL

OPTION YEAR FOUR (4): 01/01/2025 – 12/31/2025

Certified Radiation Safety Services

OPTION YEAR TOTAL

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services – Not to exceed 6 months, if required

Certified Radiation Safety Services

BASE YEAR TOTAL

**ESTIMATED QUANTITIES: All quantities listed herein are estimated annual quantities. The Government is not obligated to purchase any specified amount of services 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 specified number of orders/referrals for services will be placed under this contract.

B.4 SCOPE OF WORK

1. General:

1.1. Services Provided: The Contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment, and qualified personnel to provide on-site diagnostic medical physics support services in support of the Finger Lakes Health VA Radiation Safety Program. Radiology departments are located in Rochester, Canandaigua, and Bath. Contractor shall offer a diverse, multi-modality experienced team of qualified Medical Physics professionals.

1.2. Place of Performance:

Bath VA Center 76 Veterans Avenue Bath, NY 14810 Canandaigua VA Center 400 Fort Hill Avenue Canandaigua, NY 14424

Rochester Outpatient Center (ROPC) 260 Calkins Road Henrietta, NY 14467

1.3. Term of Service: The contract will be written for a base period of 1 year with (4) 1 year options.

1.3.1. This contract is issued subject to the availability of appropriations for fiscal year 2021, and ensuing fiscal years.

1.3.2. Option years, if deemed necessary, will be exercised via a unilateral modification by serving appropriate notice in writing at least 60 days prior to the expiration date of the term.

1.3.3. The contractor shall not perform services after the end date of the base period of performance or option year (if exercised) and funding is established.

1.4. Authority: 38 USC 7301(b) Functions of Veterans Health Administration, FAR12 and 13.5.

1.5. Contract Modifications: No modifications shall be made to this contract unless authorized via signed modification.

1.5.1. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve/commit any changes or modifications to the requirements of this contract.

1.5.2. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to the contract administration.

1.5.3. In the event any change at the direction of any person other than the contracting officer has been made will result in the change to be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred as a result thereof.

1.5.4. The Contractor shall obtain prior authorization from the contracting officer for any services required outside the scope of work provided herein.

1.6. Policy/Handbooks: The contractor shall be subject to the following policies, including any subsequent updates during the period of performance:

1.6.1. VHA Directive 1129 Radiation Protection for Machine Sources of Ionizing Radiation: VHA Directive 1129

1.6.2. VHA Directive 1105 Management of Radioactive Materials: VHA Directive 1105

1.6.3. VHA Directive 2013-007 Mandatory Reporting for Misadministration of Therapy Machine Sources of Ionizing Radiation: VHA Directive 2013-007

1.6.4. VHA Handbook 1105.04 Fluoroscopy Safety: VHA Handbook 1105.04 (Fluoroscopy Safety)

1.7. Definitions: Terms used in this contract shall be interpreted as follows unless the context expressly requires a different construction and/or interpretation.

1.7.1. Contracting Officer: The person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations & findings.

1.7.2. Contracting Officer Representative: Any person or persons authorized to act for the contracting officer within specific limits of the contract, normally to provide technical assistance and advice, coordination of workload, and certification of invoices.

1.7.3. Contractor: An individual, partnership, corporation, or organization having a contractual relationship with the Government for provision of services.

1.7.4. Acronyms/Abbreviations:

1.7.4.1. ABHP: American Board of Health Physics

1.7.4.2. ABRB: American Board of Radiology

1.7.4.3. ACR: American College of Radiology

1.7.4.4. ALARA: As Low as Reasonable Achievement

1.7.4.5. ADP: Automated Data Processing

1.7.4.6. AMA: American Medical Association

1.7.4.7. CO: Contracting Officer

1.7.4.8. COR: Contracting Officer Representative

1.7.4.9. CQI: Continuous Quality Improvement

1.7.4.10. D&T: Diagnostics & Therapeutic Care Line

1.7.4.11. DHCP: Decentralized Hospital Computer Program

1.7.4.12. FAR: Federal Acquisition Regulation

1.7.4.13. ISO: Information Security Officer

1.7.4.14. IRMS: Information Resources Management Service

1.7.4.15. JCAHO: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

1.7.4.16. NCQA: National Committee for Quality Assurance

1.7.4.17. NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission

1.7.4.18. OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration

1.7.4.19. PO: Privacy Officer

1.7.4.20. PO: Purchase Order

1.7.4.21. QA: Quality Assurance

1.7.4.22. QI: Quality Improvement

1.7.4.23. RSO: Radiation Safety Officer

1.7.4.24. SDB: Small Disadvantaged Business

1.7.4.25. USC: United States Code

1.7.4.26. VA: Department of Veterans Affairs

1.7.4.27. VAMC: VA Medical Center

1.7.4.28. VA NHPP: VA National Health Physics Program

1.7.4.29. VISN: Veterans Integrated Service Network

1.7.4.30. VISTA: Veterans Health Information Systems & Technology Architecture

2. Qualifications:

2.1. Staff/Facility

2.1.1. Certification: All contract personnel that will provide services on this contract shall be certified medical physicist or certified medical health physicist “Medical Physicist” by the American Board of Health Physics (ABHP) http://www.hps1.org/aahp/boardweb/abhphome.html or the American Board of Radiology (ABR) http://www.theabr.org/. Key Personnel shall meet the following minimum education, certification and qualification standards.

2.1.1.1. Medical Physicist

2.1.1.1.1. Hold a Master’s Degree in Medical Physics, Health Physics or a related field.

2.1.1.1.2. 2. Hold current Board Certification in Diagnostic Radiological Physics by the

2.1.1.2. American Board of Radiology and or American Board of Medical Physics.

2.1.1.3. 3. Medical physicist should have experience in:

2.1.1.4. CT Optimization

2.1.1.5. Calibration and testing of diagnostic x-ray equipment.

2.1.1.6. 2. Medical Physicist duties shall not be reassigned to a Technologist or any other individual without written approval by the VA Radiation Safety Officer or his/her designee.

2.1.1.7. 3. Medical Physicist must adhere to VHA Handbook 1105.04, Fluoroscopy Safety, dated June 21, 2018. Contractor shall comply with radiation protection standards 29 CFR 1910.1096 and immediately report any unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facticity radiation workers or patients to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).

2.1.1.8.

2.1.1.9. All certifications of contract personnel shall also be subject to review prior to execution of the contract for approval, by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

2.1.1.10. All certifications of the contract personnel shall be full and unrestricted certifications.

2.1.2. Background Check: Required

2.1.3. Technical Proficiency: The Contractor and any employee’s performing services on this contract shall be technically proficient in the skills necessary to fulfill the government’s requirements, including the ability to speak, understand, read and write English fluently. Contractor shall provide documents to verify current and ongoing competency, skills, certifications that are related to the provision of the requested services performed by each person performing on this contract.

2.1.3.1. Contractor shall provide verifiable evidence of all education and training experiences.

2.1.4. Mandatory VA Training: All Contractor personnel working on this requirement will be required to complete the VA Privacy Training.

2.1.4.1. VA Privacy Training for Personnel without Access to VA Computer Systems or VA Sensitive Information

2.1.5. Conflict of Interest: The Contractor and all provider(s) are responsible for identifying and communicating to the CO and COR any conflicts of interest at the time of quote and during the entirety of contract performance. At the time of quote, the Contractor and provider shall provide a statement which describes, in a concise manner, all relevant facts concerning any past, present, or currently planned interest (financial, contractual, organizational, or otherwise) or actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest relating to the services to be provided. The Contractor shall also provide statements containing the same information for any identified consultants or contract providers who shall provide services. With its quote, the contractor shall provide the names of all contractor employees and family members of contractor employees, who are also employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Contractor must also provide relevant facts that show how it’s organizational and/or management system or other actions would avoid or mitigate any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest. These statements shall be in response to the VAAR provision 852.209-70 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (Jan 2008) and fully outlined in response to the subject attachment in Section D of the solicitation document.

2.1.6. Certification of Citizenship:

2.1.6.1. The Contractor certifies that the Contractor shall comply with any and all legal provisions contained in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, As Amended; its related laws and regulations that are enforced by Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Department of Labor as these may relate to non-immigrant foreign nationals working under this contract for the Contractor while providing services to Department of Veterans Affairs patient referrals;

2.1.6.2. While performing services for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Contractor shall not knowingly employ, contracted or subcontract with an illegal alien; foreign national non-immigrant who is in violation their status, as a result of their failure to maintain or comply with the terms and conditions of their admission into the United States. Additionally, the Contractor is required to comply with all “E-Verify” requirements consistent with “Executive Order 12989” and any related pertinent Amendments, as well as applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations.

2.1.6.3. If the Contractor or their provider fail to comply with any requirements outlined in the preceding paragraphs or its Agency regulations, the Department of Veterans Affairs may, at its discretion, require that the foreign national who failed to maintain their legal status in the United States or otherwise failed to comply with the requirements of the laws administered by Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Department of Labor, shall be prohibited from working at the Contractor’s place of business that services Department of Veterans Affairs patient referrals; or other place where the Contractor provides services to veterans who have been referred by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and shall form the basis for termination of this contract for breach.

2.1.6.4. This certification concerns a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States and the making of a false, fictitious, or fraudulent certification may render the maker subject to prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.

2.1.6.5. The Contractor agrees to obtain a similar certification from its subcontractors. The certification shall be made as part of the Offerors response to the RFQ using the subject attachment in Section D of the solicitation document.

2.1.7. Annual Office of Inspector General (OIG): In accordance with HIPAA and the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1977, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has established a list of parties and entities excluded from Federal health care programs. Specifically, the listed parties and entities may not receive Federal Health Care program payments due to fraud and/or abuse of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

2.1.7.1. Therefore, Contractor shall review the HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities on the HHS OIG web site at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/index.asp to ensure that the proposed provider(s) are not listed. Contractor should note that any excluded individual or entity that submits a claim for reimbursement to a Federal health care program, or causes such a claim to be submitted, may be subject to a Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) for each item or service furnished during a period that the person was excluded and may also be subject to treble damages for the amount claimed for each item or service. CMP’s may also be imposed against the Contractor that employ or enter into contracts with excluded individuals to provide items or services to Federal program beneficiaries.

2.1.7.2. By submitting a copy of this search with the quote, the contractor certifies that the HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities has been reviewed, as well as provided, and that the provider are and/or firm is not listed as of the date the offer/bid was signed.

2.2. Non Personal Healthcare Services: The parties agree that the Contractor and any employees shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose.

2.3. Inherent Government Functions: Contractor and employees shall not perform inherently governmental functions. This includes, but is not limited to, determination of agency policy, determination of Federal program priorities for budget requests, direction and control of government employees (outside a clinical context), selection or non-selection of individuals for Federal Government employment including the interviewing of individuals for employment, approval of position descriptions and performance standards for Federal employees, approving any contractual documents, approval of Federal licensing actions and inspections, and/or determination of budget policy, guidance and strategy.

2.4. No Employee Status: The Contractor shall be responsible for protecting employee furnishing services. To carry out this responsibility, the Contractor shall provide or certify that the following is provided for all their staff providing services under the resultant contract:

2.4.1. Workers Compensation

2.4.2. Professional Liability Insurance

2.4.3. Health examinations

2.4.4. Income tax withholding, and

2.4.5. Social Security Payments

2.5. Tort Liability: The Federal Tort Claims Act does not cover the Contractor or contractor employees. When a Contractor or contractor employee has been identified in a tort claim, the Contractor shall be responsible for notifying their legal counsel and/or insurance carrier. Any settlement or judgment arising from a Contractor’s or contractor employee’s action or non-action shall be the responsibility of the Contractor and/or insurance carrier. Contractor shall notify the VA as soon as possible of any information or formal complaint, allegation, claim, legal action, made in any for by or on behalf of the Government pertaining to the services provided by the Contractor under this contract.

2.6. Key Personnel: It is essential that continuity of services is maintained to the maximum degree possible, hence, substitution of contractor personnel shall be limited to urgent/emergent absences of approved, assigned personnel. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing coverage to the VA during period of vacancies of the Contractor personnel due to sick leave, personal leave, vacations and any additionally required coverage.

2.6.1. In the event personnel cannot complete the assigned service, the contractor shall provide a replacement and notify the COR immediately of the change.

2.6.2. Contractor shall provide 1 Primary Certified Health Physicists and at minimum 2 Alternates who are Certified Medical Health Physicists.

2.7. Personnel Substitutions: During the first ninety (90) calendar days of performance, the Contractor shall make NO substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death or termination of employment.

2.7.1. The Contractor shall notify the COR and CO, in writing, within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required below.

2.7.2. After ninety days, the contractor can be allowed key personnel changes as long as the below is provided, in writing, at least 15 days before the proposed change.

2.7.2.1. The contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the CO as described herein.

2.7.2.2. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced.

2.7.2.3. Medical Physicist duties shall not be reassigned to a Technologist or any other individual without written approval by the VA Radiation Safety Officer or his/her designee.

2.7.3. The Contracting Officer shall provide in writing within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on the proposed changes of key personnel, at which time a modification to the contract shall be completed to reflect the approved changes.

2.7.4. The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of any personnel of this contract at any time after performance begins for any of the following (but is not limited to):

2.7.4.1. If personal or professional conduct jeopardizes or interferes with the services being provided or ordinary operation of the facility.

2.7.4.2. Breaches of conduct to include, but not limited to intoxication or debilitation resulting from drug use, theft, patient abuse, dereliction or negligence in performing directed services, or other conduct resulting in formal complaints

2.7.5. Standards for conduct shall mirror those prescribed by current federal personnel regulations

2.7.6. The CO and COR shall deal with issues raised concerning any contract personnel conduct. The final arbiter on questions of acceptability is the CO.

2.8. Contingency Plan: Because of continuity of radiation safety services is an essential part of the VAMC & CBOC’s medical services, the Contractor shall have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if the Contractor or contract employees becomes unable to provide continued performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

3. Hours of Operation

3.1. VA Business Hours:

3.1.1. VA Business Hours: The Bath VAMC, Canandaigua VAMC and the Rochester ROPC hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Except for Federal Holidays.

3.1.2. Work Hours: The contractor as defined herein shall furnish the services covered by this contract. The contractor will be required to construct a schedule with the COR that is in accordance with the NRC guidelines.

3.1.2.1. The contractor will be needed approximately five to ten hours per month and be available for unlimited telephone calls twenty-four hours a day.

3.1.2.2. The contractor shall adhere to the schedule compiled with the COR in order to comply with the VA NHPP standards.

3.1.2.3. The contractor shall be available twenty-four hours a day for telephone discussions.

3.1.2.4. The contractor shall be on site within five (5) business days for any routine health physics or radiation safety issue.

3.1.2.5. The contractor will return any calls from the Medical Center and/or Radiation Safety Officer within one hour for emergency situations

3.1.2.5.1. Example of an emergency situation is as follows: A nuclear power plant accident or terrorist attack.

3.1.2.5.2. Contractor shall provide emergency qualified contact and phone number when unavailable.

3.1.2.5.3. The contractor shall be on-site within twenty-four hours of the emergency situation notification, if requested by the Medical Center or Radiation Safety Officer.

4. Contractor Responsibilities:

4.1. Joint Commission Requirements: The Contractor shall attend a pre-work orientation meeting prior to the commencement of work on the site. To be scheduled by the VA with the contractor.

4.1.1. The Contractor shall be responsible to ensure that any contractor employees who will perform on this contract shall be provided the information from the meeting if they cannot be present.

4.1.2. The Contractor shall be responsible to ensure all contractor employees performing on this contract are fully trained and competent to perform the required work.

4.1.3. This meeting will cover the following areas:

4.1.3.1. Fire and Safety

4.1.3.2. Infection Control

4.1.3.3. Disaster Procedures

4.1.3.4. Other: Hazard Communication

4.2. Standards: The services to be performed by the contractor will be performed in accordance with VA policies and procedures and the regulations of the medical staff by laws of the VA facility

4.3. Scope of Work: The following services shall be performed by the contractor under the supervision of the COR.

4.3.1. Administrative Duties:

4.3.1.1. Assist administration and Radiation Safety Officer in the conduct of the institutions Radiation Safety, Quality management and ALARA programs.

4.3.1.2. Assure that all records required by the State, Federal and Medical Center accreditation agencies are maintained.

4.3.1.3. Annual review of policies and procedural manuals as required by the VA NHPP.

4.3.1.4. Offeror shall be available for unlimited telephone calls twenty-four hours per day.

4.3.1.5. Offeror shall have facsimile capabilities.

4.3.1.6. All reports shall be completed and submitted within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the completion of testing or incident.

4.3.1.7. Attend quarterly Radiation Safety Committee meetings. An attempt will be made to schedule the meeting at a time that is convenient for all the committee members, including the offeror. The offeror shall be present at the agreed meeting time and place.

4.3.1.8. Assists in the preparation of the VA NHPP permit renewals and amendments.

4.3.1.9. Provide assistance upon request in the instructions of Medical Center personnel as required by State, Federal and Medical Center accreditation agencies.

4.3.1.10. Review incidents (misadministration/medical events) involving licensed materials.

4.3.1.11. Assist in the preparation of the hospital radiation accident plan.

4.3.1.12. Provide radiation safety training to the physicians and other medical staff as requested by the Radiation Safety Officer.

4.3.1.12.1. Physician fluoroscopy didactic training is four (4) hours in length. Training must be performed onsite as face-to-face training. At least two hours of this training must be hands-on with the respective piece of fluoroscopic equipment that the physician will operate. The training must be provided within the time frame to ensure that the physician is in compliance with all regulations (prior to the physician performing their first fluoroscopic procedure onsite.)

4.3.1.12.2. Assist in compliance with VA NHPP radiology department requirements.

4.4. Requirements

4.4.1. Contractor shall perform quarterly, semi-annual and annual Quality Assurance Testing (QA) on existing diagnostic x-ray equipment (Radiographic, Fluoroscopic, and Computed Tomography (CT)) to meet the requirements of the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) in support of the VA Finger Lakes Health System Radiation Safety Program. Testing shall conform to US FDA and the Conference of Radiation Control Program Director’s (CRCPD) in accordance with VHA Handbook 1105.04, Fluoroscopy Safety dated July 6, 2012, recommendations of the American College of Radiology (ACR), and guidance of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Nuclear Medicine, PET, and MRI Scanners shall be tested annually to meet the Joint Commission healthcare standards.

4.4.1.1. Additional testing is also required as follows:

4.4.1.1.1. Acceptance testing of new devices, usually 1 per year.

4.4.1.1.2. Full inspection of repaired or adjusted equipment that may affect the radiation output or image quality

4.4.1.1.3. Testing of each replacement X-ray tube prior to patient use.

4.4.1.1.4. Testing of diagnostic monitors used by Radiologists and Technologists for patient imaging.

4.4.2. Contractor is to provide written reports of surveys and test results in a timely manner.

4.4.3. Contractor will respond promptly to any discrepancies found from external inspections. Provide written response to outside agencies when applicable.

4.4.4. The qualified medical physicist shall provide consultation for additional services as needed, i.e., safety training, and medical events involving radiation exposure.

4.4.5. The qualified medical physicist shall review all Radiation Safety Policies and Procedures with attention to compliance with regulations of NHPP and JCAHO.

4.4.6. Contractor is to submit a list of key personnel with the offer. Define each individual’s education, certification and licensure.

4.4.7. The Contractor shall comply with radiation protection standards in 29 CFR 1910.1096 and immediately report to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) any unsafe conditions with the potential of adversely impacting the facility’s radiation workers or patients.

4.5. Scheduling and Response Times

4.5.1. All quarterly, semi-annual, and annual tests shall be scheduled in advance by the service

4.5.2. Supervisor. To ensure regulatory compliance, the Contractor shall provide required testing within (7) seven days when required by the Government.

4.6. Finger Lakes Device Identification

4.6.1. Dental Radiology units

4.6.1.1. Planmeca (I/O) and Carestream Pano- Bath (11 units total)

4.6.1.2. Gendex I/O and Planmeca Pano- ROPC (5 units)

4.6.1.3. Gendex, Toshiba I/O and Planmeca Pano- Canandaigua (6 units)

4.6.2. Digital Radiology units

4.6.2.1. Philips Digital Diagnostic and DR plate-Bath

4.6.2.2. GE XR646 and DR plate-Bath

4.6.2.3. Carestream DRX Revolution portable and DR Plate-Bath

4.6.2.4. Shimadzu Dart Portable and DR Plate-Bath

4.6.2.5. GE Discovery XR 656 Plus (G2) and DR Plate-ROPC

4.6.2.6. GE Discovery XR 656 Plus (G2) and DR Plate-ROPC

4.6.2.7. GE Discovery 650 and DR Plate- Canandaigua

4.6.2.8. GE Legacy RF-Canandaigua

4.6.2.9. GE Precision 600 FP and DR Plate-ROPC

4.6.2.10. GE Precision 500D RF and DR Plate-Bath

4.6.3. Computerized Tomography

4.6.3.1. Siemens GO.Top 126 slice and CTDP- Bath

4.6.3.2. Siemens Somatom 64 slice and CTDP- Canandaigua

4.6.3.3. Siemens Somatom 64 slice and CTDP- ROPC

4.7. Equipment Inspections

4.7.1. The Contractor shall conduct equipment inspections or quality control surveys of the imaging equipment listed below. The Contractor shall ensure the imaging equipment’s compliance with applicable Federal regulations and ACR recommendations, and shall include, but not be limited to, monitoring the following basic performance characteristics. The actual number and types of imaging units required to be checked may vary with replacement of existing units or purchase of new equipment.

4.7.2. Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment

4.7.2.1. Physics inspections of radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment shall comply with the VA Finger Lakes Health Radiation Safety Program and the ACR Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance monitoring of Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment. The performance of each radiographic and fluoroscopic unit must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable)

4.7.2.2. Integrity of unit assembly.

4.7.2.3. Collimation and radiation beam alignment.

4.7.2.4. Fluoroscopic system resolution.

4.7.2.5. Automatic exposure control system performance.

4.7.2.6. Fluoroscopic automatic brightness control performance (high-dose-rate, pulsed modes, field-of-view [FOV] variation).

4.7.2.7. Image artifacts.

4.7.2.8. Fluoroscopic phantom image quality.

4.7.2.9. kVp accuracy and reproducibility.

4.7.2.10. Linearity of exposure versus mA or mAs.

4.7.2.11. Exposure reproducibility.

4.7.2.12. Timer accuracy.

4.7.2.13. Beam quality assessment (half-value-layer).

4.7.2.14. Fluoroscopic entrance exposure. Maximum output for all clinically used settings.

4.7.2.15. Image receptor entrance exposure.

4.7.2.16. Equipment radiation safety functions.

4.7.2.17. Patient dose monitoring system calibration.

4.7.2.18. Video and digital monitor performance.

4.7.2.19. Digital image receptor performance.

4.7.2.20. Grids used with portable x-ray units shall be imaged for uniformity.

4.7.3. Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR)

4.7.3.1. Physics inspections of CR and DR equipment shall comply with American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM) Report Number 93, Acceptance Testing and Quality Control of Photostimulable Storage Phosphor Imaging Systems. The performance of CR and DR must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):

4.7.3.2. Component and Imaging Plate Physical Inspection and Inventory

4.7.3.3. Imaging Plate Dark Noise and Uniformity

4.7.3.4. Exposure Indicator Calibration

4.7.3.5. Linearity and Auto-ranging Response

4.7.3.6. Laser Beam Function

4.7.3.7. Limiting Resolution and Resolution Uniformity

4.7.3.8. Noise and Low-Contrast Resolution

4.7.3.9. Spatial accuracy

4.7.3.10. Erasure Thoroughness

4.7.3.11. Aliasing/ Grid Response

4.7.3.12. IP Throughput

4.7.3.13. Positioning and Collimation Errors

4.7.4. CT Scanners

4.7.4.1. The physics inspection shall conform to the 2012 ACR Computed Tomography Quality Control Manual. The performance of each CT scanner shall be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):

4.7.4.2. Review of Clinical Protocols

4.7.4.3. Review CT Optimization at least annually

4.7.4.4. Scout Prescription and Alignment Light Accuracy

4.7.4.5. Image thickness – Axial Mode

4.7.4.6. Table Travel Accuracy

4.7.4.7. Radiation Beam Width

4.7.4.8. Low-Contrast Performance

4.7.4.9. Spatial Resolution

4.7.4.10. CT Number Accuracy

4.7.4.11. Artifact Evaluation

4.7.4.12. CT Uniformity

4.7.4.13. Dosimetry ( the scanner displayed CTDIvol values must be within +/-20% of the measured CTDIvol values)

4.7.4.14. Gray Level Performance of CT Acquisition Display Monitors

4.7.5. Dental

4.7.5.1. The physics inspection shall conform to the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), Quality Control Recommendations for Diagnostic Radiography Volume 1 Dental Facilities July 2001. The performance of each dental x-ray shall be annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):

4.7.5.2. Collimation

4.7.5.3. Beam quality (half value layer)

4.7.5.4. Timer Accuracy and Reproducibility

4.7.5.5. kVp Accuracy and Reproducibility

4.7.5.6. mA or mAs Linearity

4.7.5.7. Exposure Reproducibility

4.7.5.8. Entrance Skin Exposure Evaluation

4.7.5.9. Technique Chart Evaluation

4.7.5.10. Image uniformity (artifact evaluation)

4.7.6. Display Monitors

4.7.6.1. The physics inspection shall conform to the AAPM On-line Report No. 03, Assessment of Display Perform for Medical Imaging Systems. The performance of each display monitor shall be evaluated initially, acceptance testing, and at least annually thereafter. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):

4.7.6.2. Acceptance testing (Table 7 from AAPM On-line Report No. 03) and (Table 8c form AAPM On-line Report No. 03)

4.7.6.3. Geometric distortions

4.7.6.4. Reflection

4.7.6.5. Luminance response

4.7.6.6. Luminance dependencies

4.7.6.7. Resolution

4.7.6.8. Noise

4.7.6.9. Veiling glare

4.7.6.10. Chromaticity

4.8. Miscellaneous Evaluations (Radiographic, Fluoroscopic, CT, PET/CT, Nuclear Medicine)

4.8.1. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall provide shielding design calculations for each new, replacement, or relocated x-ray imaging system. The calculations for each shall comply with the National Council for Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Report No 147 and, for dental units, NCRP Report No.145 and shall be documented in a written report, which includes a diagram showing adjacent areas. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall perform a shielding survey to verify the structural shielding was installed per the shielding design report and complies with the design goals. A written report of the shielding survey shall be provided to the RSO within five (5) workings days after the shielding survey has been completed.

4.8.2. The qualified medical physicist shall perform Medical Physicist services to assist in the development of a comprehensive technical quality assurance program (QA) (e.g., technique charts, repeat/reject analysis monitoring, monitoring of exposure indices to radiographic image receptors, QA program for display monitors, QA for CT, monitoring of dose metrics from fluoroscopy studies), which complies with ACR recommendations, for all modalities.

4.8.3. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall follow up on any discrepancies found on previous inspections including external i.e., ACR, JCAHO, IOG, VORP or internal audits.

4.9. Contractor Furnished Equipment

4.9.1. The Contractor shall provide all other equipment and software not specifically cited above to perform the requirements of this contract. At a minimum:

4.9.1.1. Testing all diagnostic x-ray equipment

4.9.1.2. CT scanner

4.10. Government Furnished Equipment

4.10.1. The Government shall furnish the provide the following equipment:

4.10.1.1. CT Image Quality Phantoms

4.11. Travel/Transportation

4.11.1. The Contractor shall provide all transportation necessary to perform the requirements of this contract, if included in services.

4.11.2. All travel related costs, including lodging or any other miscellaneous costs shall be the sole responsibility of the contractor and shall be included in the finished fixed unit price on the Price Schedule.

4.11.3. The Contractor shall not charge the hourly rate for services while in transit to any of the sites.

4.12. Performance Standards, Quality…