36C24725Q0143 0001.docx

36C24725Q0143 - 0001 36C24725Q0143 - 0001

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) 11-25-2024 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 7 700 South 19th Street Birmingham AL 35233

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24725Q0143 11-15-2024

X X X X 1 (one) The purpose of this amendment is to answer vendor questions about the RFQ.

Please see attached pages for questions and answers.

Wyona Davis Contracting Officer

Questions From Vendors:

1) Could you please confirm if there are any incumbents for the services requested?

Answer: There are no incumbents for the services requested.

2) Are you asking for a Certified Radiology Technologist along with four Certified Ultrasound Sonographers. The pricing listed in the solicitation mentioned four FTE Certified Ultrasound Technicians only, but the services outlined reference both "ON-SITE RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGISTS SUPPORT SERVICES AND SONOGRAPHY TECHNICIANS SUPPORT SERVICES” please clarify what is required Answer: Either Certified by ARRT or ARDMS Certification. All Techs have to be certified by one or the other.

3) You are requiring CEUs for submission listed on the instructions for offerors, would a copy of the ARDMS verification be acceptable? They can only be current if they have CEUs.

Answer: Yes, their certification in either ARDMS or ARRT (whichever one) needs to be active and in good standing. Meaning they are not on probation because they did not do their continuing education on time.

4) How many positions [are] to be filled?

Answer: One for each subline item. A total of four. The hours are specified in the PWS, please only send candidates that can and will work all of the specific hours we need.

5) B2. Schedule of Service POP Base reads 01 Feb 2024 – 31 Jan 2025.

· Will the government please amend the B2 outlining the correct dates for the POP (we assume it is merely a difference in the annum) Answer: The Period of Performance is 01 FEB 2025 – 31 JAN 2026

6) PWS 2.5 states “Continuing CEU Requirements: Contractor shall provide the COR copies of current CEUs as required or requested by the VAMC. Contractors registered or certified by national/medical associations shall continue to meet the minimum standards for CEU to remain current. CEU hours shall be reported to the credential’s office for tracking. These documents are required for initial and annual renewal privileging. Failure to provide shall result in loss of privileges.”

· Will the government please remove/amend this section as it is referencing privileges and CEUs which is reserved for Physicians and LIPS; ultrasound techs don’t hold privileges and their CEUs are reported to their Certification Board prior to their Cert renewals with that national body.

Answer: Partial removal. Text in Red above has been removed from the solicitation Technicians will still need to be credentialed by the VAMC.

7) C[14] – terms and Conditions page 61 states: [X] (2) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (MAY 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67). Employee Class: See Wage Determinations Section D2 and Monetary Wage-Fringe Benefits (blank)

· In this section the government has not provided the Employee Class and your corresponding Equivalent Rate of Hire for Monetary Wage and Fringe (this is different from the SCLS information) – can the government please provide the Equivalent Rate of Hire for this Employee Class with the Corresponding Equivalent Rate of Hire for Monetary Wage and Fringe Amount.

Answer:

8) Volume 1 Technical Criteria (d.) – page 97 states: Offerors shall provide resume (PWS Section 6.1) and a listing of current Continuing Education Units for each technician candidate as stated in PWS Section 2.5.

a. Section 2.5 (outlined above in the QA) references CEUs and Physician Privileging; CEUs aren’t industry standard for technicians to submit for a job/to review, as CEUs are submitted directly to their AART national body for certification renewal. We request the government remove the CEUs section of this section/review criteria.

Answer: Text in Red above has been removed from the solicitation. Offerors shall provide resume (PWS Section 6.1) a current copy of the (staff member) certification, and a signed Rules of Behavior document for each technician candidate as stated in PWS Section 2.5.

9) Page 6 B.2 Schedule of Services – Period of Performance: BASE: 01 FEB 2024 to 31 JAN 2025

· Please confirm the period of performance as the stated period of performance began in February 2024.

Answer: The Period of Performance is 01 FEB 2025 – 31 JAN 2026

10) There are multiple references to Radiology Technologists/Technicians without specifying that the specialty is Ultrasound, can you confirm that the requested positions are for Ultrasound Technicians?

Answer: Certification: ARDMS - AB, OB/GYN Certification: ARRT - Sonography

11) Do the Ultrasound Technicians need to be specialized in Vascular Sonography as reference in the pricing schedule description.

Answer: No need for Vascular Sonography registry.

Certification: ARDMS - AB, OB/GYN Certification: ARRT - Sonography

12) Can you confirm if ARRT or ARDMS is required for the Ultrasound Technicians? (Clarification is needed as it is unclear in the statement of work whether it is “and/or” OR one or the other.)

Answer: the certification can be a current ARRT – Sonography certification or a current ARDMS certification in AB, OB/GYN.

13) Can you confirm the required number of years of experience for the Ultrasound Technicians? (Clarification is needed as it is unclear in the statement of work.)

Answer: a minimum of 2 years’ experience. They will need to be able to work independently for the specified tours of duty needed.

14) Please confirm that CEUs are not required with proposal submission.

Page 96 Volume 1: Section i. – A staffing company does not qualify as a Business Associate because we do not create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI for the VA. Can you please confirm a statement from each offeror confirming that the BAA will be signed by each provider upon award/selection will be sufficient Answer: CEU’s are not a requirement unless requested by VAMC credentialing (due to certification renewal lapse and the Tech is on a probation).

Per the Facility’s Privacy Officer, the vendor will need to have a BAA. Each contracted staff member will be issued a PIV badge for access to the VA Network. Operational duties examples are registering patient exams, completing the exam ordered, transmitting images to PACS, and reviewing patient medical records for history.

15) What is the start date for the 4 ultrasound technicians you need?

Answer: As of the award date Candidates must be credentialed or in process of being credentialed for an effective start date of Feb 1, 2025.

16) Do you have an hourly budget for each technician that you're looking for?

Answer: The Government will evaluate quotations using the comparative evaluation process outlined in FAR 13.106-2 (b) (3), where quotations will be compared to one another to determine which provides the best benefit to the Government. See section E.11 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2021) – (c) Evaluation Approach and section (4) Price for more information about price evaluation.

17) Please clarify if the Volumes of the proposal submission should be submitted to the Government as separate attachments or a single document. Or please confirm if just Volumes 1-3 and 5 are to be included in one document with just Volume 4 (Price) being a separate document attachment for submission.

Answer: Either a single document that contains all volumes or separate attachments for each volume is acceptable.

18) Would the Government consider extending the offer due date beyond 11/29?

Answer: Due to the urgency of need for these services and the length of time needed for credentialing and badging, the due date for submissions will remain unchanged.

19) Volume 3 requirements state: “Provide SDVOSB certification with associated NAICS Code 561320.” SDVOSB certification is based on U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) criteria, not a NAICS Code. Is the Government requesting validation of SDVOSB certification by the SBA? If not, how does a SDVOSB provide certification based on the NAICS Code 561320?

Answer: Please see C.8 VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES (JAN 2023) (DEVIATION) Section (b) - (b) General. In order for a concern to submit an offer and be eligible for the award of an SDVOSB set-aside or sole source contract, the concern must qualify as a small business concern under the size standard corresponding to the NAICS code assigned to the contract and be listed as an SDVOSB participant in the SBA certification database as set forth in 13 CFR 128.

Please reach out to SBA at Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov) for information on how to register your business and appropriate NAICS codes.

20) Can the Government qualify the quantity of Technologist vs Technicians requested as each have different skills and years of experience requirements?

Answer: Answer: This will be strictly for Ultrasound only, however since there is a shortage of Ultrasound Techs, it was decided that we can utilize either licensed - ARRT Sonography certification or ARDMS certification. Both can do the job.

21) I do not see that the instructions outline the Volume in which the 1449 and B1 should be submitted to the government. Can you please let us know which volume these documents need to be in, to include signed amendment, to be compliant with submission instructions.

Answer: You may include 1449, B1 and the signed amendment separately or in Volume 1.

22) Are travelers accepted for this position?

Answer: Staff you (vendor) employ are accepted.

23) In the solicitation on pg. 97 it asks to list all key personnel; however, with this contract we would not hire personnel until after an award is made. Would it be possible to list the names as "To be Determined"?

Answer: after the award date, and before the effective date, all submissions for credentialing will be submitted

24) What would be the specific days of the week the ultrasound techs would be working?

Answer: Work Schedule listed in PWS Section 3.2.

25) ARDMS is typically considered “general” – ab/small parts cert. Noted throughout the qualifications and experiences required is vascular proficiency and experience. Does the government seek ARDMS with vascular experience or an RVT certification/ARDMS?

Answer: Vascular certification is not necessary. ABD and OB/GYN for ARDMS RVT is not necessary, however if they have it in addition to ABD and OB/GYN that is fine.