36C24427Q0002 0001 Amendment.pdf

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO. 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE CODE

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

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

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

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

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

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office. is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

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

SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30 PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

(Type or print) (Type or print)

(Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code)

(If other than Item 6)

(Specify type of modification and authority)

(such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

1 4

0001 06-25-2026

None

36C244

Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 4

1010 Delafield Road

Pittsburgh PA 15215

36C244

Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 4

1010 Delafield Road

Pittsburgh PA 15215

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24427Q0002

06-22-2026

X

X X

X

The purpose of this RFQ amendment is to provide the answers to the questions received during the Q&A period.

Questions and answers can be found in the CONTINUATION pages.

All vendors should note that RFQ quote submission deadline is now 07/02/2026 at 5PM EST.

Keith Costantino

Contracting Officer

36C24427Q0002 Erie Phone Answering Services Q&A

The only updates to RFQ file are fixing RFQ number typo and revising the RFQ quote submission date.

1. Confirm submission date. Submission date has been changed to 7/2/26 at

5PM EST. The original date fell on a federal holiday and RFQ will not be extended.

2. Provide prior contract information. Prior contract information can be found on sam.gov or submitting a FOIA request, foia.gov.

3. What is the current Wage Determination and what occupation title should be used? As of 05/13/2026, WD #2015-4223 Rev. 33, Switchboard

Operator/Receptionist

4. Is past performance examples included in the 20 page limit? Yes, past performance should be included in the document submitted with technical specifications/approach.

5. How should pricing be entered and is included in the 20 page limit? Pricing should be entered according to the CLINs in the RFQ. They can be entered into the RFQ document when returned or into vendor’s quote submission package. It does not count against the page limit.

6. Should a supervisor be included in the quote and pricing? Vendor is responsible for fulfilling the requirement according to the PWS; how staffing is managed and scheduled is at the vendor’s discretion. Minimum required staffing is outlined in the PWS. Vendor pricing should be reflective in fulfilling the requirement and according to the CLIN structure.

7. Is there a minimum or maximum number of operators and supervisors? See question 6 above.

8. Are vendors permitted to deviate or provide an alternate pricing structure from the CLINs in the RFQ? No

9. Will the Government provide a dedicated, funded phase-in period prior to the

October 1, 2026 start date to allow operators to complete background checks and mandatory training without creating an immediate scheduling deficit? No

10. Can the Government provide its estimate or independent cost estimate for this requirement? No

11. Is the incoming contractor expected to absorb orientation costs within the fixed monthly line-item rates for the Base Period? Vendors are expected to quote their best pricing in order to fulfill all requirements outlined in PWS to ensure contract success.

12. Section B.3, IT Contract Security, states that contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance.

Please clarify whether any personnel performing the Erie VAMC Phone Answering Services requirement are expected to access national security programs or classified information requiring a valid security clearance, or whether the applicable personnel security requirement for this contract is limited to the background investigation, suitability, PIV, and VA access requirements otherwise identified in the solicitation. Phone Answering operators are not required to have access to national security programs. Normal background checks associated with this requirement fulfill security requirements.

13. What is the minimum required total call capacity? There is no minimum.

14. What is the minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity? VA systems allow a minimum of 1 call. Or no calls.

15. What is the maximum hold time? Maximum hold time may vary depending on the situation and incoming call volume at different times. While there are no metrics on hold times due to the unforeseeable situations, they will be monitored under the methods outlined in the QASP.

16. What is the current average wait time for phone calls? Average wait times vary depending on the situation and incoming call volume at different times.

17. What percentage of inbound calls must be answered by a live operator? 100%

18. What percentage of calls must be resolved without a transfer, second call, or a return call? This cannot be estimated as all calls are different. There is no metric in the QASP on call resolution.

19. What is the maximum percentage of calls that can be terminated by the caller without resolution? Provided the terminated call is not due to operator performance or professionalism, any calls that are terminated by the caller cannot be controlled.

20. What time of day, days of the week, or times of the year do calls typically peak?

The historical call volume that was available was provided at RFQ posting.

21. Will the Government offer a site visit prior to proposal submission so offerors may inspect the switchboard room and verify the condition and inventory of

Government-furnished equipment? That cannot be accommodated for this acquisition.

22. When is the anticipated go-live date? See RFQ

23. When is the anticipated award date? There is no estimated date. That will depend on the amount of offers and the time needed to conduct comparative analysis. Contract is expected to be awarded to allow adequate transition time for awardee.

24. If a VA adjudication delay prevents an operator from starting on October 1, will the contractor be held to the full staffing requirement on day one, or is a reasonable ramp-up period available? Contract is expected to be awarded to allow adequate transition time for awardee.

25. When a call is ended, what is the approximate amount of time operators spend on follow-ups, call logs, etc.? This varies as most calls are not added to a formal manual call log or require any follow up. No estimation can be provided other than minimal.

26. The historical data file lists “Consol 1”, “Consol 2”, and “Consol 3” are these workstations or rollover lines? These are the rollover lines at Erie VAMC.

27. The gaps identified in the historical data file, can a definitive baseline or estimated annual volume of routine and emergency calls be provided? The historical data that was able to be collected is the best and only information available at this time.

28. If baselines or estimated annual volumes are unavailable, will government choose to evaluate pricing realism against IGCE or will volume assumption be provided? The government will evaluate eligible quotes received, by the procedures outlined in the RFQ at E.1 52.212-2.

29. The PWS notes that routine calls must be answered within 5 rings, while emergency calls must be picked up within 2 rings and fully dispatched/paged within 15 seconds. To ensure proper personnel screening and stress-testing during the onboarding phase, what percentage of the total historical call volume constitutes emergency alarms/codes vs. general facility tracking? The historical data that was able to be collected is the best and only information available at this time.

30. Does the Government anticipate any workload changes, service expansions, or staffing increases that may occur during the performance period beyond the minimum staffing level identified in the PWS? No

31. How does the automated distribution system differentiate or prioritize an incoming emergency call on an operator's console if they are currently handling a standard, routine inquiry under the 5-ring guideline? Is there a physical override or a specific queue dedicated to emergency traffic? Depending on how the call is dialed determines how the system routes the call.

32. Given that Section 2.2 explicitly prohibits contract personnel from being assigned a shift until initial VA orientation and background training are finalized, what is the average local processing timeline for Tier 1 / Low Risk vetting clearance at the Erie VAMC? Timelines for processing depend on a variety of factors, most notably on contractor and employee cooperation and organization. Delays in submitting or incorrect documentation are common primary delays. It is estimated but not assured that onboarding tasks of each employee will take 4-6 weeks from initiation.

33. May contractor employees begin working upon completion of fingerprint submission and a pending NACI, or must the full investigation be adjudicated before an employee may start? Employees still need to be adjudicated, but full investigation is not always needing to be completed to be issued a PIV and begin working. More specific details to be provided to awardee after contract award. Government does coordinate and sponsor PIV credentialing.

34. Please identify the specific forms required, the office at Erie VAMC to which they should be submitted, and the expected VA processing timeline from submission to PIV issuance. This will be provided to awardee vendor after contract award.

35. The cover of RFQ reflects solicitation number 36C24427Q0002 where headers in the body of the RFQ reflect solicitation number 36C24427Q0001. Please confirm correct RFQ #. The correct RFQ solicitation number is 36C24427Q0002. This was a typo and fixed on updated RFQ file.

36. Will the VA provide contractor employees with access to the TMS/LMS platform prior to the contract start date to allow completion of required training before

October 1, 2026? Yes, contractor employees will have access to the training platform prior to period of performance start.

End of Document