PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (Updated).pdf

36C24821Q0798

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

1. Overview: The VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) at Puerto Rico has a requirement for recurring roundtrip air transportation services from the US Virgin Islands (USVI) to the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) located at Carolina, PR. This air transportation will originate in the Cyril E. King Airport (STT) located at St. Thomas, VI, and the Henry E Rohlsen Airport (STX) located at St. Croix, VI, and will transport eligible beneficiaries (Veterans) to SJU, along with their medical companion (as needed). It will then transport such passengers from SJU to the airport from which the passenger came.

2. Period of Performance: The Period of performance for this service contract is from August 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, plus four 12-month option periods.

3. Description of Services: Services shall include roundtrip air transportation services to and from the aforementioned locations, for up to nine (9) eligible beneficiaries (Veterans) along with their medical companion, as authorized, under an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. These flights are for an estimated basis of twice a week per location. This is two roundtrip flights for STT to SJU, and two roundtrip flights for STX to SJU, for a total of four roundtrip flights per week. The Government will request a flight departure/arrival time within the VACHS normal business hours (see section 6 of the PWS). The contractor shall provide the equipment necessary for the boarding of such personnel and must provide disinfection of the passenger seating area prior to the boarding of patients.

All work related to this contract will be performed in accordance with any applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, as well as applicable State health and safety regulations.

All aircraft used in the performance of this agreement must be maintained in an airworthy condition in accordance with all applicable FAA Regulations procedures by means of an established inspection and maintenance plan. Line inspections shall be performed at least once in the twenty-four (24) hour period preceding a flight. Aircraft shall be handled exclusively by trained personnel. Additionally, the vendor shall also provide preventative maintenance inspections of the aircraft to be used for the provision of these services, as required by the FAA on a monthly basis to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or designee.

4. General Requirements:

4.1 Non-Personal Services: The Government shall neither supervise contractor employees nor control the method by which the contractor performs the required tasks. Under no circumstances shall the Government assign tasks to, or prepare work schedules for, individual contractor employees. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to manage its employees and to guard against any actions that are of the nature of personal services or give the perception of personal services. If the contractor believes that any actions constitute, or are perceived to constitute personal services, it shall be the contractor's responsibility to notify the Contracting Officer (CO) immediately.

4.2 Business Relations: The contractor shall successfully integrate and coordinate all activities needed to execute the requirement. The contractor shall manage the timeliness, completeness, and response to quality deficiencies identified. The contractor shall provide corrective action plans, proposal submittals, effective management of subcontractors, and the timely identification of issues which should be reported no later than 24 hours after they are noticed. The contractor shall seek to ensure customer satisfaction and professional and ethical behavior of all contractor personnel.

5. Contract Administration and Management:

5.1 Contractor Licenses and Permits: The contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform this work. He/she shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury or damage during the performance of this contract. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees, as well as for any damage to personal or public property that occurs during the performance of this contract that is caused by his/her employees fault or negligence, and shall maintain personal liability and property damage insurance having coverage for a limit as required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Furthermore, it is agreed that any negligence of the Government, its officers, agents, servants and employees, shall not be the responsibility of the contractor hereunder with the regard to any claims, loss, damage, injury, and liability resulting there from.

5.2 Contract Management: The contractor shall establish clear organizational lines of authority and responsibility to ensure effective management of the resources assigned to the requirement. The contractor must maintain continuity between VACHS ongoing operations and the contractor's corporate offices.

5.3 Contract Administration: The contractor shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer the requirement. The contractor shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions in no later than three business days. The contractor shall have a single point of contact between the Government and Contractor personnel assigned to support contracts or task orders. The contractor shall assign work effort and maintaining proper and accurate time keeping records of personnel assigned to work on the requirement.

5.4 Personnel Administration: The contractor shall maintain the proficiency of their employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the PWS requirements. The contractor shall provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (time keeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs).

5.5 Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties: The contractor shall accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with the necessary combination of education, training, and experience, as required by the FAA. The contractor shall match personnel skills to the work or task with a minimum of under/over employment of resources. The Contractor shall provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to manage, perform, and administer the contract.

5.6 Contractor Identification: Contractor personnel shall wear the Contractor's ID badge at all times with name clearly visible and it shall be consistent with the Contractor’s personnel roster.

6. VACHS Normal Business Hours: VACHS normal business hours are Monday through Friday, from 07:30 AM to 4:00 PM AST (Atlantic Standard Time), excluding the Federal Holidays as listed below:

• New Year’s Day

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• Presidents Day

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Columbus Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Christmas Day

• Juneteenth

And any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National holiday.

7. Additional Requirements:

7.1 Check- Ins: All passengers will be at the airport no later than one (1) hour prior to flight boarding time. The Contractor will provide the equipment necessary to safely load passengers on the aircraft and assist with securing wheelchairs are other mobility aids to include oxygen. This assistance shall also apply upon passengers with limited mobility upon their departure from the aircraft.

7.2 Layovers: VACHS will authorize payments for layovers only if these were required by the passenger(s), the government, or FAA pilot duty requirements.

7.3 Smoking Regulations and Precautions: In accordance with VA smoking policy and FAA regulations, no smoking will be allowed in the aircraft. Contractor shall comply with Federal Aviation Regulation 135.91b which prohibits smoking within 10 feet of oxygen storage and dispensing equipment carried on aircraft.

7.4 Ambient Control: The aircraft should have the capacity of maintaining the cabin temperature at about 75⁰ Fahrenheit, or as per FAA regulations during all phases of operation.

7.5 Communication System: The aircraft must have radio capability to communicate air to ground and air to air which meets/exceeds standards of FAA.

7.6 Unusual Events: Contractor is required to notify the Contracting Officer or his/her designee of any unusual events, including but not limited to accidents or safety problems that occur involving any VA beneficiary being transported under this agreement. This notification will be made within one (1) hour by telephone and, if requested by the VA, a written report of the event will be delivered to the Contracting Officer or his/her designee by close of business the next working day.

7.7 Aircraft Equipment: All aircraft shall comply with the regulations of the FAA, Federal Aeronautics Regulations (Parts 135/121) and rules and regulations of the state in which Contractor conducts business. Furthermore, all aircraft used in the performance of this agreement must be equipped with functioning two-way radios. Such aircraft must be equipped with all flight instruments required by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) regulations for the type of flight operations to be conducted. Such aircraft must also have the facilities to maintain proper cabin temperatures under all flight conditions.

7.8 Aircraft Information: The Contract shall also include the following information related to the aircraft:

• Type of Aircraft

• Adequate Seat Capacity

• Certificates of Insurance

7.9 Maximum Payloads: Will be in accordance with the FAA standard applicable to the respective aircraft.

7.10 Deviations from FAA Regulations: Deviations from Federal Aviation Administration Regulations shall be reported in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration Regulations Part 91.3 and 135.19. Deviation decisions related to flight safety can only be made by the pilot who must consider the safety of all persons aboard as well as the needs of the patient.

7.11 Insurance: The Contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits, equipment and supplies required to perform this service. The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury, damage, and danger during the performance of this contract. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees as well as for any damage and/or loss of federal, personal, or public property that occurs during the performance of this contract that is caused by his/her employee's fault or negligence, and shall maintain personal liability and property damage.

8. Inspections: Prior to the start of the contract, the Government may thoroughly inspect the proposed awardee’s facilities, aircraft, and equipment, to ensure these will ensure acceptable performance of the services being procured. Additionally, if any aircraft and/or equipment is added after the initial inspection, it may also be inspected by the Contracting Officer/COR before being placed in use under the agreement.

9. Applicable Directives:

9.1 14 CFR Part 119: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 119, issued by the

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

9.2 14 CFR Part 121: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, issued by the

9.3 14 CFR Part 135: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 135, issued by the

10. Quality Control Plan (QCP): The Contractor shall develop a QCP to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor's QCP is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.

The finalized QCP will be submitted to the Government at the time of the contract award. The Contracting Officer/COR may notify the Contractor of any required changes to the plan during the period of performance. The Contractor then shall coordinate suggested changes and obtain acceptance of the plan by the Contracting Officer/COR.

Any further changes to the program during the period of performance shall be provided to the Contracting Officer/COR for review no later than 10 working days prior to proposed date of the change.

The QCP shall be subject to the Government's review and approval. The Government may find the QCP "unacceptable" whenever the Contractor's procedures do not accomplish quality control objective(s). The Contractor shall revise the QCP within 10 working days from receipt of notice that QCP is found "unacceptable."

11. Performance Requirements Summary (PRS):

Performance Objective (Task)

Performance Standard

Monitoring Method

Acceptable Quality Level

(AQL)

Incentive

(Positive/Negative)

Perform Charter Flight Services on Time PWS Section 3

By physical inspection and/or customer engagement

Charter Flight Services shall be on-time 95% of the time

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government

Provide the equipment and assistance necessary for the safe onboarding/offboarding of passengers

PWS Section 3

By physical inspection and/or customer engagement

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government

Conduct Services and Operations in accordance with FAA Regulations

PWS Section 3

By physical inspection and/or customer engagement

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government

Perform Aircraft Maintenance in accordance with FAA Regulations

PWS Section 3

By inspection of aircraft maintenance inspections logs

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government

Aircraft compliance with FAA Regulations

PWS Section 7.7

– 7.10

By validation of contractor’s submitted aircraft specifications

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government

Reporting of Unusual Events PWS Section 7.6 BY COR validation 95% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government