36C24721R0136 P0002.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 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)

10/25/2021 619-22-1-805-0002

N/A

Department of Veterans Affairs Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston SC 29403-5799

Department of Veterans Affairs Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston SC 29403-5799 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24721R0136 09-15-2021

X

X

11/8/2021 AT 5:00 PM EDT

Subject: NON-EMERGENT AND EMERGENT AMBULANCE SERVICES

The purpose of amendment P0002 is to extend the bid closing date/time and post vendor questions and answers.

1. Bid closing date is hereby extended from 10/28/2021 to 11/08/2021 at 5:00 PM EDT.

2. See vendor Questions and Answers

3. See revised Solicitation (002) (Evaluation Factors), allowing FL COPCN to be submitted 30 Days after Award.

4. Email address is updated in Section E.4 - Instructions to Offerors to david.parente@va.gov.

ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS REMAIN UNCHANGED

LaToyer Furbush Contracting Officer

Vendor Questions and Answers

a. Is this contract bid all-inclusive (load fee, per mile rate, etc.)?

The CLINs in the schedule should be priced per “Trip” in one direction. Not round trip.

b. When is the starting date for the work?

12/1/2021 as indicated on the first page of the solicitation.

c. What do you mean by phase in/out from the previous contract holder?

I’m assuming you’re referring to Clause 52.237-3 Continuity of Service? If so, because the of nature of the requirement, a contractor should not just cease all services without another contractor assuming responsibility and ready to take on the full workload immediately. Therefore, it’s expected that you work with current Contractor (Phase In), and future Contractors (Phase Out) for up to 90 days.

d. Who is the previous contractor?

EXCELSIOR AMBULANCE SERVICE, INC.

e. After the starting date for the job, when should the contractor expect pay from the invoices?

MONTHLY IN ARREARS UPON APPROVED INVOICES, as indicated on page 4.

f. Is the “scope of work” for ambulette, wheelchair, BLS, and ALS service?

As indicated by the PWS Page 8, #3 , Contractors will furnish Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS) Ambulance Services.

g. Page 7. Section B.2 Performance Work Statement - There is no definition for Basic Life Support (BLS) Non-Emergency. BLS non-emergency is referenced later under B.3 Price/Cost Schedule page 27 CLIN Item Number 003 in which non-emergency is referenced. And subsequent CLINs. Please provide a definition of BLS non-emergency.

BLS Non-Emergency trips are typically used for those veterans who require transport to and/or from a VA authorized medical appointment or treatment that has been pre-authorized and scheduled.

BLS Emergency are trips that are ad-hoc or same-day transports for veterans requiring a transfer for a higher level of care but who do not meet the ALS transport criteria(s)

h. As a follow-up to the above request for defining BLS non-emergency as compared to a BLS emergency, how does the VA intend to request these services to assist in differentiating the type of BLS transport requested?

Non-Emergent trips are pre-arranged, can be communicated as such, and will be annotated on the corresponding consult and on the trip-tracking software.

i. Page 27. B.3 Price/Cost Schedule CLIN Item Numbers 0003 and 0004. How did you arrive at the exact same quantities of 3300 for BLS non-emergency and BLS emergency? Does the 3300 BLS emergency transports represent potential surge requirements for COVID transports?

We typically have similar amounts in pre-scheduled and ad-hoc transport daily. All counts were adjusted for COVID transports

j. Page 7. Section B.2 Performance Work Statement – Base Rate is defined “The base rate will consist of the all-inclusive rate for ALS or BLS ambulance transport with no additional charges for miles until miles are greater than 50 from the pickup point.” Does the mileage need to be 150 miles? B.3 Price/Cost Schedule CLIN 005 defines additional charges for miles (per mile beyond 150-mile pickup point).

The coverage is 150 miles. No additional charges should be billed before 150 miles. Anything over the range of 150 the vendor can bill at a per milage rate. CLIN# 0005 will cover the overage per mileage rate, above 150 Miles.

k. Does the VA allow billing for Bariatric transports that require additional personnel?

It is the vendor’s responsibility to maintain crew enough to handle such transports without the government incurring additional costs. It is also the vendor’s responsibility to ensure that the proper equipment is available for such transports.

l. What is the Governments estimate for the provision of these services?

NA

m. We would like to know if you would like for us to include mileage in our base rate bid for BLS and ALS transports? Under the mileage reimbursement column, it asks for mileage bid over 150 miles which we have concerns?

The coverage is 150 miles. No additional charges should be billed before 150 miles. Anything over the range of 150 the vendor can bill at a per milage rate. Submitted pricing under CLIN# 0005 will cover the overage.

n. “I still have one significant concern. I know the service line answered questions regarding the BLS volumes. And I posed that concern in a previous email, but it appears they pulled those numbers from the solicitation in 2014 (it’s the exact 3300). We bid that solicitation and won the contract in 2014. We were not told about CAVHCS planning on utilizing their fire department at the VA to perform dialysis transports, which are BLS transports. This cut the 3300 BLS volumes quoted in 2014 significantly.

We are averaging a minimum of 300 BLS run per month what equated to 3600 per Year. We believe that number was drive up by covid so we are trying to scale back, hopefully those needs would be smaller.

I want to re-iterate that current estimated BLS quantities are significantly inflated as compared to historical averages. Almost DOUBLE true BLS quantities. Are they inadvertently counting the BLS transports that their Fire Department is transporting?

No. These numbers are based on historical service numbers from FY 20 and FY21. The 2014 solicitation was not used in this package. We agree the numbers were driven up by Covid. We are expecting a decrease to 3,300 Trips Annually (275 Trips Monthly).

o. How many trips will either originate or require transport from patient residences in the state of Florida to a CAVHCS medical facility?

We cannot predict how many trips will require transport in Florida. However, historically 4 Trips were completed this year, and 3 trips were completed the year prior.

p. Within the description of the primary service areas, the RFP also states that the contractor must be licensed in the state of Florida as an EMS provider. Each county in Florida is empowered pursuant to Section 401.25(2)(d) and (6), F.S., to issue a COPCN to an ambulance service which proposes to operate within that county. The licenses are tied to the counties' discretion and are regulated and managed by the state of Florida. Without a COPCN issued by the county where a transport originates, an ambulance provider cannot complete a transport that originates in Florida. There are seven counties in north west Florida, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington that are contiguous or near the Alabama border. We believe that only ONE potential qualified offeror, with substantial resources sufficient to meet the requirements of the solicitation within the state of Alabama, may have the licensure for some of the selected counties asked for in this solicitation with respect to the South Geographical location (FL). If selected, will the VA be able to assist the selected contractor in working with those counties to make sure the counties provide a COPCN for the veterans in those counties to get the medical care they need? If not, would the VA consider removing the provision for Florida licensure from the contract or providing a waiver for the licensure requirement in these specific instances?

The VA does not assist the contractor with licensing. The vendor is entirely responsible for obtaining and maintaining all proper licensure for the counties/states in their coverage area. The VA will allow the COPCN for Florida to be submitted within 30 Days after Award. A COPCN from a subcontractor performing services in FL counties will suffice.

FL Statutes 401.25 regarding COPCN can be found on at the following link:

Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine (state.fl.us)

q. The RFP requires licensure of personnel in the state of Florida. What percentage of the workforce is needed to be licensed in the state of Florida? To determine this, please provide the number of annual and monthly transports that will originate in the state of Florida?

It is the responsibility of the vendor(s) to ensure that they have sufficient staff that is properly licensed to operate in the required areas. However, historically 4 Trips were completed this year, and 3 trips were completed the year prior.

r. How many dedicated ambulances are needed to fully satisfy the performance work statement?

It is the responsibility of the vendor(s) to ensure that they have sufficient staff that is properly licensed to operate in the required areas. However, Contractors must have a minimum number of seven (7) vehicles ready for inspection. These can be owned, or Contracted vehicles.

s. The RFP states that a current COPCN is required for the contractor: "The contractor must maintain a valid Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) within CAVHCS service area(s). Any lapses or expiration of any of the licenses or certifications could provide enough justification for termination of the contract or discontinuance of further ordering from the contractor. This certificate shall be submitted with technical proposal at time of offer." We do not believe, however, that any Alabama ambulance service that's capable of handling this contract is going to comply with the Florida COPCN requirements for each of the handful of Florida counties where some veterans reside. Please see our question above clarifying the state licensing requirements. Does this provision include the state of Florida or only the state of Alabama and Georgia where the VA facilities within the PSA are located?

Yes, this provision includes the State of Florida. For the Florida COPCN Only, we will make the following changes, “Vendor Must show proof within 30 Days After Award of the COPCN.” Again, a COPCN of a subcontractor would be sufficient for this requirement.