S06 - 36C24725Q0416 - Amendment - 0001_EE.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 2

0001 03-20-2025

509-25-3-549-0058

N/A

36C247

Department of Veterans Affairs

VISN 7 Network Contracting Office

3 FL Directors Office

3700 Crestwood Parkway

Duluth GA 30096

36C247

Department of Veterans Affairs

VISN 7 Network Contracting Office

3 FL Directors Office

3700 Crestwood Parkway

Duluth GA 30096

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24725Q0416

03-20-2025

X

X X

X 1

PLEASE SEE PAGE TWO (2)

All other terms and conditions remain the same.

Earnest Ellison

CONTRACTING OFFICER

SOLICITATION: 36C24725Q0416

COURIER SERVICES

QUESTIONS

1). Clarification on Service Hours:

• Is the vendor required to provide services for all the specified hours, including normal business hours, after-hours, weekends, and holidays?

Answer: Yes, Per the SOW section 3 Scope of Work: Service is required 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and 365 days per year for emergent, holiday, and weekend courier services and Monday to Fridays 8am to 6pm for daily operations.

• Is it mandatory to cover all of these shifts, or can I choose to offer services only during normal business hours (8:00 AM - 6:00 PM) and exclude after-hours or weekend/holiday shifts?

Answer: Yes, it is mandatory to cover all shifts. Per the SOW section 3 Scope of

Work: Service is required 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and 365 days per year for emergent, holiday, and weekend courier services and Monday to Fridays 8am to 6pm for daily operations.

2). Unscheduled Services:

• Regarding unscheduled pick-ups outside of the designated hours, would the vendor be expected to be on-call for pickups outside the designated work hours?

Answer: Yes, per the SOW section A; d Pick-up and Delivery Schedule:

Unscheduled services: Additional pick-ups shall be defined as pick-ups outside of scheduled pick-up times to include M-F Normal Business hours, M-F After Normal

Business hours, Holiday hours, and Weekend hours stated in the SOW. Courier can be called for pick-ups that are outside of scheduled pick-up times shall be documented on a daily courier log.

• Is there an option to negotiate availability for these types of requests?

Answer: No, although the unscheduled pick-ups will provide some flexibility since the pick-up times are not fixed; the courier should respond promptly to each call and be on site within 30 minutes of the request. All service is in support of direct patient care.

3). Documentation of Pick-ups:

• The contract mentions daily courier logs for unscheduled pick-ups. Could you clarify the specific format or requirements for this log, and how often it needs to be submitted?

Answer: Example (attachment A) was provided to contracting. Pick-ups and drop-offs shall be documented for the sole purpose of accountability. Per the SOW section

B:

B. Record of Pick-Up and Delivery: The contractor shall maintain a log of daily courier pick-ups and deliveries indicating date, time, initials, and signatures. The contractor shall electronically submit all the daily courier logs for each month of service upon submitting a detailed invoice into the Tungsten Network Portal. The log must include all scheduled pick-ups and/or additional pick-ups as defined in the

SOW. Documentation shall be legible and complete. See attachment A for the daily log.

4). What size vehicles will be needed to transport the lab samples? Will a car be sufficient, or will a cargo van be required?

Answer: A standard sized vehicle is sufficient. No cargo van is required. Per the

SOW section 5 General requirements: The contractor shall provide a vehicle to provide these services. The vehicle and contractor staff shall be in compliance with HMR; 49 CFR

Parts 171 – 180 and all other applicable state and federal regulatory requirements for the transportation of medical specimens (infectious substances) and controlled pharmacy substances.

5). Are specific certifications or licenses required for individuals or companies to act as lab couriers outside of HIPPA and Bloodborne Pathogens certifications?

Answer: Yes, per the SOW section Parking, smoking, and VA Regulations The

Contractor shall ensure compliance by its employees with the security regulations of the Veteran’s Affairs Administration where work is performed under this contract.

Contracted employees shall self-register at https://www.tms.va.gov/SecureAuth35/.

Once registered, enroll in class VA10176 VA Privacy and Information Security

Awareness and Rules of Behavior. Contractors shall provide signed certifications of completion to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) prior to starting work on the contract

6). Is there any additional equipment required for the routes?

Answer: Per the SOW section 2 and 3 Additional courier requirements:

All lab specimens will be packaged and ready to be picked up at the agreed-upon time. The contractor shall provide DOT/OSHA-approved containers/coolers and refrigerant packs to maintain appropriate temperatures for lab specimens during transport. Some specimens will require room temperature transport and will only need to be protected from the heat. Containers/Coolers must be labeled with a

Biohazard label and shall be secured (locked) at all times while in the possession of the Contractor. The contractor shall provide locks to ensure all items are kept secure during transport.

Laboratory specimen containers for delivery and pick-up are approximately 16 inches high x 30 inches long x 20 inches wide; however, they may vary in size.

Routine delivery totes/coolers shall not exceed forty-nine pounds. Some of the packages/boxes may be of odd dimensions. Totes may contain office and medical supplies, medications/prescriptions, etc. Some containers/packages may require special handling and will be marked “Fragile” or “This Side Up.” The Vendor shall comply with all special handling instructions marked on containers/packages.

7). What is the award ID of the previous contract?

Answer: For your answer to this question please contact the privacy officer at:

Department of Veteran Affairs

ATTENTION PRIVACY OFFICER

Augusta VA Medical Center

One Freedom Way

GB-155, Routing Code 01 Privacy

Augusta, GA 30904

8). What is the average yearly award amount for the previous contract?

Augusta VA Medical Center

One Freedom Way

9). What are the names of the previous awardees?

Augusta VA Medical Center

One Freedom Way

10). What are key evaluation factors, such as past performances, technical capabilities, and pricing?

Answer: Please see Section E.4 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Products and

Commercial Services (Nov 2021) in the solicitation to see key evaluation factors.

The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

Factor One – Technical: This factor will be used to demonstrate the offeror’s ability to meet the Government’s needs stated in the SOW and submit all the necessary supporting documentation listed below:

i. Offeror must demonstrate three (3) consecutive years’ experience of providing courier services. Documentation of this experience shall include evidence of previous contracts that collectively appear to be of similar size and scope. Please include a statement of experience with specific models stated in the SOW if applicable. Offeror shall provide three (3) previous contracts that collectively appear to be of similar size and scope. and the contract’s POC.

ii. Offeror must be able to provide POC for dispatchers and a list of names of drivers and alternate drivers, DOT/OSHA approved containers/coolers and refrigerant packs to maintain the appropriate temperature for lab specimens during transport.

iii. Offeror must be able to provide a copy of liability insurance and copies of the employee’s valid driver’s license for the type of vehicle operated as required by the State of Georgia.

iv. Offeror must be able to develop and maintain a quality control program that ensures courier services are performed in accordance with specifications in the SOW.

v. Offeror must be able to meet all the requirements described in the

Courier General Requirements, Additional Courier Requirements, Contractor Driver & Vehicle requirements, Environmental controls, Continuity of Services, Inclement Weather and Emergencies, and

Uninterrupted Services sections of the Statement of Work (SOW).

vi. Offeror must be able to meet all the required training described in

Appendix C as described in the SOW.

Factor Two – Price: This factor will be used to access the most advantageous price to the Government.

Factor Three - Past Performance: The past performance evaluation will assess the relative risks associated with a quoter’s likelihood of success in fulfilling the solicitation’s requirements as indicated by the quoter’s record of past performance.

The past performance evaluation will consider the relevancy of contractual work performed and how well the contractual work was performed. The evaluation will consider the information provided in Volume 1 of a submitted quote, but may also be based on the contracting officer’s knowledge of and previous experience with the service being acquired, customer surveys, information in the Contractor

Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) at http://www.cpars.gov/.

11). What is the frequency of the frozen specimens? Because of the short distance, Can ice packs be used instead of dry ice?

Answer: Yes, ice packs can be used.

12). Is there an expectation as to how many deliveries may have a frozen component?

Answer: No

19. Itemized Bid Sheet Template https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpars.gov%2F&data=05%7C02%7C%7C1f2e0ab701434147c3e008dcff5cddb3%7Ce95f1b23abaf45ee821db7ab251ab3bf%7C0%7C0%7C638666022572565879%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1lVDwsxL3yNFNcw5JkNO%2Bfq1ABhiaPpIkq7dkMNbWBs%3D&reserved=0

Item No. Service Description Estimated Quantity

(Per Year)

Unit Price

Total ($)

Routine Courier Service (M-F, 8AM-6PM)

2,500 deliveries $XX.XX $XX,XXX

After-Hours Scheduled Pick-

Ups (7PM, 9PM, 12AM) 750 deliveries $XX.XX $XX,XXX

Weekend & Holiday Pick-Ups

(12PM, 9PM)

208 deliveries $XX.XX $XX,XXX

0004 Holiday Pick-Ups (10 per year) 22 deliveries $XX.XX $XX,XXX

Additional On-Demand Pick-

Ups (As Needed) 24 deliveries $XX.XX $XX,XXX

Total Base

Year Cost

- - - $XXX,XXX

13). What is the difference between (Item# 0003) weekend & holiday and (Item# 0004) the holiday?

Answer: Item#0003 is for weekends and Item#0004 is for Federal holidays.

14). Was the holiday left with the weekend by accident?

Answer: Yes, holiday pick-ups should be a separate line item.

15). Routine Courier service (Item# 0001) – are these on a schedule like the After Hours (Item#

0003) work?

Answer: Yes, pick-ups shall occur every hour on the hour.

16). If so, what are the scheduled times? This seems to equal 10 routes a day?

Answer: Pick-ups shall occur at 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm.