36C24720R0008-017.pdf

Questions and Answers

Page Question

1 6 of 110 Offerors are instructed to respond to the RFP via email to samuel.smith8@va.gov, however page 82 of 110 states, proposals shall be prepared in four separate sections, stapled, or bound separately. It is not possible to staple or bound an electronic submission. Please clarify.

ANSWER: If submitting hard copy prepare into four (4) separate sections according to the instructions. If submitting electronically prepare four (4) separate attachments and send via email to samuel.smith8@va.gov.

2 31 of 110 52.216-18, states “Such orders may be issued from July 1, 2020 through contract completion. This date is inconsistent with the POP for the base period listed in the Schedule B. Please clarify, ANSWER: July 1, 2020 is an error, please reference the period of performance listed in the price/cost schedule, ordering schedule will be updated upon contract award.

3 32 of 110 52.216-21, states “the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after June 30, 2025.” This date is inconsistent with POP listed in the Schedule B. Please clarify.

ANSWER: June 30, 2025 is an error please reference the period of performance listed in the price/cost schedule, ordering schedule will be updated upon contract award.

4 34 of 110 52.232-19 the fill-in for this clause has not been completed.

ANSWER: Funds are not presently available for performance under this contract beyond __7/31/2021__. The Government’s obligation for performance of this contract beyond that date is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for contract purposes can be made. No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may arise for performance under this contract beyond _7/31/2021, until funds are made available to the Contracting Officer for performance and until the Contractor receives notice of availability, to be confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer.

5 82 of 110 Non-Emergent Ambulance Services, Section II- Technical conformance, offerors are instructed to submit a list of employees that satisfy the requirements in section 19 and 20 of the PWS. Section 19 and 20 does not exist in the PWS. Please Clarify.

mailto:samuel.smith8@va.gov mailto:samuel.smith8@va.gov

ANSWER: Section 19 and 20 of the Non-Emergent Ambulance

Services PWS is referencing number 19 - Training and 20 –

Personnel Requirements.

6 82 of 110 Non- Emergent Ambulance Services, Section II- Technical Conformance.

Offerors are instructed to submit a list of vehicles that satisfy the requirements in section 24 of the PWS. Section 24 does not exist in the PWS.

This comment also applies to Factor 2, Technical Conformance. Subfactor

1where section 24 is also mentioned. Please Clarify.

ANSWER: Please reference number 24 – Vehicle Requirements of the Non- Emergent Ambulance Services PWS.

7 87 of 110 Factor 1 Past Performance-Provide at a minimum three (3) of the five (5) listed contracts for Corporate/Past Experience of similar magnitude and scope as reference for past performance.

What contracts? There are no contracts listed in the solicitation. What is the government’s expectation for Past Performance? Please Clarify.

ANSWER: This section refers to prior contracts performed by a potential vendor that provided similar transportation service for which offerors are bidding. Use the attached past performance questionnaire.

8 88 of 110 Subfactor 1, Technical Narrative states, “This narrative shall include a listing of all vehicles that conform to the submittals requirements of section

24 in the performance work statement (PWS). The PWS does not have a section 24. Please Clarify.

ANSWER: Please reference number 24 – Vehicle Requirements in the Non- Emergent Ambulance Service (PWS).

9 89 of 110 Subfactor 2, Staffing Plan states “In addition, the contractor shall verify the staffing plan includes all items identified in section 19 and 20 of the performance work statement (PWS). The PWS does not have a section 19 and 20. Please Clarify.

ANSWER: Section 19 and 20 of the Non-Emergent Ambulance

Services PWS is referencing number 19 - Training and 20 –

Personnel Requirements.

10 89 of 110 Subfactor 3, Transition Plan, states “ The offeror shall submit documentation outlining a 60-day transition “ Clause 52.237-3, Continuity of Services, states the contractor shall…..furnish phase-in, phase-out services for up to 90 days….Does the government anticipate a 60 day or a 90 day transition period?

ANSWER: The government anticipates a 60-day transition period and will evaluate that factor accordingly.

11 92 of 110 “Vehicles shall be inspected prior to contract performance” Please define

“prior”, It is unclear if proof of inspection is required with proposal submission or after the awardee is selected. Will the offeror be required to submit proof of vehicle inspection? If so, in what format?

ANSWER: Proof of vehicle inspection shall be submitted with the technical conformance volume. Submit as hard copy if your proposal is hard copy or provide electronically if submitting via email. This includes all ambulances proposed for contract performance.

“Prior” refers to all vehicles that will be utilized to fulfill contract requirements will be inspected by the Contracting Officer Staff and/or

Contracting Officer Representative (COR) before vehicles are placed into service/operation to transporting patients for the awardee.

12 PWS Section A.1, Purpose

“If a contractor arrives earlier than the scheduled pick-up, the Driver shall wait at the pickup location until five (5) minutes past the scheduled pickup time before calling the Dispatcher for instructions. “Sentence as written is unclear. Why would the Driver need to contact dispatch if he/she arrives earlier than the scheduled pick up time?

ANSWER: To clarify, In cases, where the driver might arrive early at the designated pickup point, if the patient is not ready, he/she will wait 5 minutes past designated pickup time BEFORE contacting Dispatcher who inturn will contact the COR for a decision to depart or remain and wait on the patient. In the case of waiting on the patient, “wait-time” will be initiated which will be recorded for payment.

13 PWS Section A.2.1.1 Vehicle inspections

“The WJB Dorn VA Medical Center shall inspect all vehicles that are to be utilized in the performance of this contract. These inspections shall be conducted at the beginning of the contract and before each initial use of a vehicle by the contractor’s vehicle operator(s).

Is this inspection in addition to the proof of inspection the offeror is required to provide with the proposal?

ANSWER: Proof of vehicle inspection shall be submitted with the technical conformance volume. Submit as hard copy if your proposal is hard copy or provide electronically if submitting via email. This includes all ambulances proposed for contract performance.

Vehicles that will be utilized to fulfill contract requirements will be inspected by the Contracting Officer Staff and/or Contracting Officer

Representative (COR) before vehicles are placed into service/operation to transporting patients for the awardee.

Then, after the initial inspection and for any new vehicle that will be placed into service or if a vehicle has been pulled from service for repairs or unsatisfactory condition, it must be inspected by the COR prior to vehicle being placed back into service

14 A.5 Rates The customer shall be reimbursed at the rate specified in the price schedule for each patient escort requested by the patient ... What price schedule?

Clarify.

ANSWER: There is no mention for patient escort payment in the Non-

Emergent Ambulance Services section A.5 – Rates of the PWS. Make sure you are referencing the most current version of the PWS dated

May 1, 2020.

15 A.6 Performance Standards

"If any performance standard is missed within a billing period, the COR shall notify the vendor, as a discrepancy."

Sentence as written is unclear. Clarify.

ANSWER: Performance standards will be defined and discussed at the

Post-Award conference. All performance standards will be documented in a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) and provided after contract award. This will become part of the contractor’s quarterly/annual performance review. Any missed performance standard identified in the QASP will be documented as a discrepancy.

16. What is the basis for vehicles having no more than 35,000 miles and be model year

2017 or newer?

ANSWER: Past experience, Dorn VA Medical Center requires vehicles that are safe, reliable, and reasonably late model to provide transport of patients to/from their medical appointments without multiple maintenance issues that might result in missed medical appointments or place patients in harm’s way.

17. Must the offeror have the vehicles in its fleet prior to submitting its proposal or can an offeror provide a projected fleet as of the contract start date if successful in obtaining the award and then supplement its list with the contracting office. Similarly, must an offeror’s list of drivers be submitted with its proposal or can it simply project its driver mix and then provide its exact driver mix to the contracting office before the start date if successful in obtaining the award.

ANSWER: Yes, the offerors must have the vehicles in their fleet prior to submitting their proposal. Refer to Subfactor 1: Technical Narrative, page 92 of the solicitation.

Yes, an offeror can submit a projection of their driver’s mix with their proposal in accordance with Subfactor 2: Staffing Plan, on page 92 of the solicitation.

18. The solicitation states that subcontracting will not be undertaken without explicit approval of the contracting office. What type of approval is required? Does including a subcontractor negatively impact a proposal?

ANSWER: Subcontracting will be removed from the PWS

19. For ambulance, it requires 2 years’ experience. Can you explain the rationale behind this? South Carolina DHEC regulations do not require this.

ANSWER: This is a Dorn VA Hospital requirement to ensure an Offeror can fulfill the obligations of the contract based on the heavy patient demand requirements and the demographics of the patient population to be transported

20. South Carolina DHEC does not require two EMTs, rather South Carolina law allows one attendant to be a driver. Will this be allowed for this contract?

ANSWER: No, this is a Dorn VA Hospital requirement to ensure an Offeror can requirements and the demographics of the patient population to be transported

21. Our staff has more than 5 years’ experience providing ALS service, but our SDVOSB

Company does not. Can our staff’s experience satisfy the experience requirement? How many SDVOSB did your sources identify with 5 years’ experience as an ALS provider?

ANSWER: Yes, as long as the prime contractor has the five (5) years of experience.

The number of SDVOSB identified with 5 years of experience as an ALS provider will be identified during the proposal evaluation phase. Currently this information is not known.

22. South Carolina DHEC does not require 5 years’ experience providing ALS ambulance service. Can you explain the rationale for this requirement?

ANSWER: This is a Dorn VA Hospital requirement to ensure an Offeror can requirements and the demographics of the patient population to be transported.

23. Do the ambulances have a mileage restriction?

ANSWER: No, refer to number 24. Vehicle Requirement of the Non-Emergent

Ambulance Services on page 11 of the PWS.

24. Non-Emergent Ambulance Service Performance Work Statements there a required number of ambulances or wheelchair vans to be made available?

ANSWER: For Non- Emergent Wheelchair Van Services a minimum of at least

15 vehicles must be available to furnish necessary wheelchair van services. There is no minimum for Non- Emergent Ambulance Services, the current contract uses

12 ambulances and can go up to 15 ambulances due to the volume of calls received.

25. RFP Solicitation Contract Order The size standard for the VA contract is listed at $16.5 million. Please clarify if this total encompasses both ambulance and wheelchair proposals. Will proposals that exceed this overall total be considered? If so, will exceeding this total be reflected in the evaluation?

ANSWER: the size standard for NAICS code 621910 Non- Emergent Ambulance Services is $16.5 million and the size standard for NAICS code 485991 Non-Emergent Wheelchair

Van Services is 16.5 million. They will not be combined as each service will be independently evaluated.

26. RFP B.2 Price/Cost Schedule Ambulance Transportation ALS Oxygen services is not included in cost/price schedule for ambulance transportation. Can this line item be proposed and if so, what quantity would the VA be anticipating?

ANSWER: Oxygen is inclusive of the ambulance ALS service. When you bid for the ALS

CLINs you must include pricing for oxygen. There will not be not be a separately priced

CLIN for ALS oxygen.

27. 8 RFP B.2 Price/Cost Schedule Ambulance Transportation How will ambulance service trips outside of 143-mile green band be priced? Are pickup dates and time negotiable for trips outside the green band?

ANSWER: Trips outside of 143 miles will be priced per mile.

28. 20 RFP B.3 Price/Cost Schedule Wheelchair/Patient Transportation Please confirm that item

3 in the wheelchair pricing refers to price and quantity of miles and not trips.

ANSWER: Unit of measure has been changed to miles (MI) on the price/cost schedule in section B.3.

29. 20 RFP B.3 Price/Cost Schedule Wheelchair/Patient Transportation What was the actual wheelchair volume for 2019 for the VA Columbia and all the CBOCs separately?

ANSWER: All wheelchair trips are scheduled out of the Dorn VA Medical Center in

Columbia including trips in and around CBOC city/town locations. Wheelchair van trips were approximately 650 – 750 unlinked trips per month. NOTE: the number of trips quoted above are average trips as some months were higher and other months lower.

Unlinked = one-way trip

30. 47 RFP Section D - Contract Documents, Exhibit or Attachments Should a partially executed version of the business associate agreement (signed by contractor) be submitted with the proposal?

ANSWER: Yes.

31. 49 RFP Register of Wage Determination The wage determination for both the 12010

Ambulance driver and the Emergency Medical Technician is $16.48. That is an increase of $1.04 over the previous contract. Will you please provide clarification behind the increase? Also, are paramedic-level employees staffing ALS ambulance included in the EMT wage rate?

ANSWER: The increase is determined by the Department of Labor and the most current wage determination is applicable to this solicitation. Yes, the paramedic-level employee wage rate is included.

32. 53 RFP Register of Wage Determination What is the hourly rate for a wheelchair driver?

ANSWER: Wheelchair drivers will classified as a shuttle bus driver 31290, hourly rate is

$14.52.

33. 67 RFP Note: Executive Order (EO) 13706 Does EO 13707 establish a paid sick leave policy for only employees assigned full-time to services covered under this agreement?

ANSWER: Executive Order (EO) 13706 is applicable to this solicitation, refer to the wage determination incorporated.

34. 68 RFP Health & Welfare/Vacation Do the Health & Welfare EO and Vacation policies apply to only employees assigned full-time to services covered under this agreement?

ANSWER: Executive Order (EO) 13706 is applicable to this solicitation, refer to the wage determination incorporated.

35. 79 RFP (e) Multiple offers For multiple offers, please confirm that we can provide a technical proposal that encompasses proposed solutions and capabilities for both ambulance and wheelchair service and provide two separate pricing structures with associated line items: (1) ambulance only, and (2) ambulance and wheelchair? Please clarify that the VA will consider making an award for ambulance services or wheelchair ambulance separately

ANSWER: Follow the instructions to offerors for both Non-Emergent Ambulance Services and Non- Emergent Wheelchair Van Services. Each service will be independently evaluated, and each proposal shall stand on its own. The VA will make two (2) separate contract awards.

36. 1 Wheelchair Performance Work Statement Is there a need for a passenger van under the wheelchair contract?

ANSWER: No; wheelchair vans only