1- RFQ- 36C248Q0742 Answers to Vendor Questions.pdf

ANSWERS TO VENDOR QUESTIONS

MEDICAL GAS RFQ-36C24824Q0741

1. What is the current contract # for this same requirement and who is the current Supplier?

Answer: 36C24823P480, Medical Equipment & Supplies of America LLC.

2. Being that the NAICS for this RFQ is 325210 Industrial Gas manufacturing, please confirm whether this is a Service Contract or a Supply Contract?

Answer: Commodity Contract

3. INTEGRATED VALVE REQUIREMENTS: PG 1 of 7 in the SOW (Section 1.5) requires the Contractor to provide “both E and H cylinders with Valve Integrated Pressure Regulator.” Please clarify as this requirement is highly irregular;

integrated valves are exclusively found on E cylinders. Are H cylinders with integrated valves currently being provided to the VAMC?

Answers: Industry standard is that these are provided with no regulator (“post valve”), and the customer (VA) installs their own regulator. – Having integrated valve regulator is a current requirement for E Cylinders.

DELIVERY PROCEDURES

4. PG 2 of 7 in the SOW (Section 4.1) states that “The delivery time for a non-emergency should be 15 days after receipt of contract or purchase order.”

Please clarify this requirement as the wording is unclear.

Answer: Contractor must be able to supply the facility with gas no later than 15 days after the contract is awarded.

5. PG 2 of 7 in the SOW (Section 4.3) lists 8AM-12PM as the timeframe in which deliveries are to be made. Is the current provider making all deliveries between 8AM and 12PM, or is this a new requirement? This required timeframe is nonstandard and may result in an increase in costs. What is the rationale for a 4-hour delivery window rather than the industry standard of 8AM-4PM or a similar 8-hour delivery window?

Answer: Delivery window is set due to availability of staff and Warehouse loading dock.

After those hours loading dock gets very busy.

6. PG 2 of 7 in the SOW (Section 4.5) states “At the time of each delivery, the contractor shall provide signed and dated invoices.” Please confirm that this is referring to a Proof of Delivery slip as invoices are not provided by the time of delivery.

Answer: Yes, proof of delivery slip/packing slip must be provided.

7. PG 2 of 7 in the SOW (Section 4.6) requires the Contractor to “have an emergency response plan that provides for emergency deliveries of oxygen within 6 hours after notification.” This is nonstandard as drivers are on pre-established dispatched routes and may have to return to the fill plant after a route is completed to secure emergency gases to then deliver to the VA facility.

Example, if an Emergency, Same day delivery request is submitted at 9 AM, the gas may not be delivered until closer to the end of the business day. Also, driver availability may come into play if there are no drivers available with DOT hours to make a delivery within (6) hours. Standard industry language for an Emergency Delivery is to deliver within (24) hours, which may include after-hours deliveries in which the VA will have to provide a representative to receive the delivery. Will the VA please amend the language to delivering “within (24) hours?”

Answer: In response 24 hours will not suffice for our VA Medial Facility. In an emergent situation if we are activated, we need to have gas within 6hrs.

GOVERNMENT-OWNED CYLINDERS

8. PG 3 of 7 in the SOW (Section 5.5) states that the “Contractor shall replace all non-repairable government owned tanks. Charges of replacement shall be stated in invoice.” Please clarify as there is no CLIN for the replacement of GFE cylinders.

Answer: Contractor required to replace any non-compliant contractor owned tanks.

9. PG 6 of 7 in the SOW states that the “Contractor is to provide pricing for tanks with regulators attached to them” regarding pricing for government-owned tanks.

Please clarify this requirement. Delivering GFE cylinders with regulators already attached is highly irregular in Medical Gas Cylinder contracts with the VA. Is this currently being provided by the incumbent provider? Attaching regulators to GFE cylinders prior to delivery is not common in the gas industry. In our experience, no provider is going to tamper with VA-owned tanks by adding their own regulator prior to delivery.

Answer: Contractor to provide pricing for tanks with integrated regulators for contractor owned tanks. Government owned tanks, no regulators required to be attached.

10. What are the VAMCs procedures for tracking VA-Owned Cylinders?

Answer: All VA owned tanks will be stenciled VA owned WPB.

LOSS OF USE FOR CONTRACTOR-OWNED CYLINDERS:

11. What are the procedures to account for Loss of Use (LOU) costs for Contractor-Owned cylinders lost while in the VA’s possession? PG 4 of 7 in the SOW (Section 8.2) provides language stating that the GOV will pay the replacement value of lost Contractor-Owned cylinders, but it does not state HOW this will be accomplished (e.g., paid for via separate purchase order?). Restated, Section 8.2 addresses paying the replacement value for Contractor-Owned Cylinders lost while in the GOV’s possession, but what is unclear is how the vendor will arrive at payment procedurally and be reimbursed in a timely manner for the lost cylinders?

Answer: Separate PO/order upon notice.

12. CYLINDER MANIFOLD SYSTEMS: PG 4 of 7 in the SOW (Section 9.1) states that “Attaching of oxygen cylinders to manifold systems, when required, shall also be performed by the Contractor at no additional cost.” Will the GOV please remove this language as this is highly nonstandard and vendors cannot perform this function due to liability reasons (damaging manifold or entering facility and possibly interacting with patients). Standard industry practice is delivering to centralized delivery point (e.g., loading dock), and distribution/hookup of cylinders within the facilities is the responsibility of GOV personnel. Vendors cannot be liable for the hook-up of cylinders to any GFE manifolds/appurtenances due to liability, risk of damaging GFE equipment, and because drivers are not certified for this type of service. This function should only be performed by VA personnel who are more familiar with and properly trained on the systems unique to the VAMC West Palm Beach.

Answer: (Removed) Based on this information the Government has removed this requirement from the solicitation, with this amendment.

13. ADDITIONAL SERVICES: PG 5 of 7 in the SOW (Section 9.2.1) states that “When required, the contractor shall perform additional services as described below. The price of these services shall not exceed the prices listed below. These rates are the maximum rates that shall be billed to the Facilities. However, the contractor should not bill at a rate that is higher than their standard commercial rate if those rates are lower than the prices listed below. All materials and components shall be furnished by the contractor.” Please clarify what this requirement entails and, more specifically, what the underlined portion means. The language provided is unclear as there are no required “additional services” described in the SOW and there is no provided price schedule (as specified under “Please see price schedule”) for said services. Please also confirm how the services relate to the provision and supply of Medical Gas Cylinders.

14. UNLISTED SERVICES: PG 5 of 7 in the SOW (Section 9.2.2) says that “Unlisted services (including palletizing, when needed) are not covered by this contract and should be obtained by the ordering office according to applicable procurement regulations.” Please clarify what this requirement entails, what the unlisted services are, and how they relate to the provision and supply of Medical Gas Cylinders.

15. BULK OXYGEN LANGUAGE: PG 5 of 7 in the SOW (Section 11.3) includes language/requirements specific to a Bulk Liquid Oxygen contract. Please confirm if Section 11.3 was included in error as the Solicitation is for Medical Gas Cylinders.

TRAININGS:

16. PG 6 of 7 in the SOW (Section 12.1) states that “The contractor shall provide records of training and competency assessment of contractor personnel involved with the performance of this contract (Delivery). All new contractor personnel will have completed all required training prior to delivery of oxygen. Documentation will be provided to the VA Contract Officer at time of solicitation submission.”

Please clarify what type(s) of training that contractor personnel are required to complete as no specificity is provided.

19. PG 6 of 7 in the SOW (Section 12.2) states that “Contractor will provide initial training and annual refresher training, at no extra cost, to any of the following Hospital personnel i.e., Security police, COR or maintenance staff involved with the delivery procedure. This training may need to be conducted at various times to accommodate different shifts.” What is the VA’s rationale for this irregular requirement? Providing annual trainings at no additional cost, especially multiple annual trainings to “accommodate various shifts,” is nonstandard. Standard if any form of training is required is to “train the trainers” so that VA trained personnel can further train additional VA employees. If annual trainings to provide an overview of the delivery procedures are required of the Contractor, a CLIN is requested to cover the time and preparation required to provide the trainings.

Answer: This requirement will remain as any kind of subject matter training will be beneficial at time of delivery if asked by receiving staff.

20. What specifically are the submission licensing requirements for the Prime Contractor/Offeror? There is no mention of licensing in the SOW, and the State of Florida requires the Awardee/Prime Contractor to have a Prescription Drug Wholesale Distributor license to distribute medical gases for human consumption. PG 2 of 7 in the SOW (Section 3.3) states: “All products, equipment, and services provided under the contracts awarded under this solicitation shall be compliant with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.” Does the Offeror have to submit a copy of their license to distribute medical gases with their bid? Succinctly, will the GOV validate the offeror must be licensed to distribute medical gases in the State of Florida to maintain compliance with “federal, state, and local regulations” per the SOW? Additionally, the Licensing requirement is directly linked to the GOV’s required affirmations found in VAAR 852.219-76 VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING – CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SUPPLIES AND PRODUCTS, which requires Offerors to certify in writing that they take ownership/possession of the items (Attachment #5 in the Solicitation documents).

Answer: Any state/federal required licensing copies will be provided on award to the Medical Center.

13. GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE: There is no mention of offerors being required to have any General Liability Insurance, a common requirement for NAICS 325120 contracts. How is the GOV going to discern that the offeror is properly insured for NAICS 325120 to supply Medical Gas Cylinders? This is important because there are very few underwriters that will insure small businesses for compressed gases and why confirmation of whether the Insurance Certificate lists the applicable NAICS is requested, in addition to confirming if the offeror is insured for this work IAW FAR 52.288-5 – Insurance Work on a Government Installation.

Answer: FAR Clause 52.288-5 is in not included in our solicitation, what is required is what is in the solicitation.

14. RENTAL PRICING: PG 7 of 7 in the SOW requires Offerors to “provide pricing for daily, weekly, and monthly tank rentals.” Please provide the VA’s rationale for requiring pricing for daily, weekly, and monthly rental rates. RAS provides cylinder rental only as a monthly rate. Daily and Weekly rates are quite difficult to track/verify as opposed to monthly. For Monthly Rental (industry standard), the VA customer is only charged rental based on the cylinder balances on the last day of the month/invoicing cycle. Additionally, PG 1 of 7, Section 2.2 states “Invoices shall be submitted separately on a monthly basis” which is consistent with monthly rental rates.

Answer: (Removed) Based on this information the Government has removed the requirement for daily and weekly rental rates, monthly rental rates are acceptable with this amendment.

CLIN CLARIFICATION

15. CLIN 0005 – Confirm what “Fee for Extra Delivery” is referring to. Does this represent an Emergency Delivery? Emergency delivery is categorized as same day, off cycle, weekends, or holidays.

Answer: Yes, keep as emergency

16. CLIN 0008 – Confirm this is a duplicate of CLIN 0010, which shares the same part number/gas mix but different QTYs.

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the Government confirms the information as a duplicate and considered removed with this amendment.

17) CLIN 0009 – Confirm this is a duplicate of CLIN 0011, which provides the same Part # but different QTYs. If these are not duplicates, please verify the Cylinder Mix for CLIN 0009.

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the

18. CLIN 0013 – Provide clarification why a daily cylinder rental rate of $2.20 is included in the description.

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the Government confirms the information of daily cylinder rental rate of $2.20 as a duplicate and considered removed with this amendment, instead it is a monthly rate.

19. CLIN 0016 – Provide clarification why “CLIN #0005 – Nitrogen Compressed H Tank” is included in the description when CLIN 0005 is for an “Extra Delivery Fee.

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the Government confirms the information of daily cylinder rental rate of $2.20 as a duplicate and considered removed with this amendment, instead it is a monthly rate.

20. CLIN 0020 – Confirm whether this line item indicates a cost per liter for each Liquid Nitrogen dewar fill, for a total of 3,740 liters based on the quantity provided? – cost per liter o If CLIN 0020 is confirmed as “per liter,” please correct the Unit o Measure (currently “EA”) and also verify that 3,740 liters is the correct quantity intended, which is an unusually high requirement. –1500 liters estimated annual usage. or How many dewars does the VAMC have and what are the sizes of each VA-Owned Dewar? How often does the VAMC require fills for the liquid nitrogen dewar(s)? Are the dewars GFE?

Question- CLIN 0020 – Confirm whether this line item indicates a cost per liter for each Liquid Nitrogen dewar fill, for a total of 3,740 liters based on the quantity provided?

Answer: Yes, Cost per Liter.

Question- If CLIN 0020 is confirmed as “per liter,” please correct the Unit o Measure (currently “EA”) and also verify that 3,740 liters is the correct quantity intended, which is an unusually high requirement. –1500 liters estimated annual usage. or How many dewars does the VAMC have and what are the sizes of each VA-Owned Dewar? How often does the VAMC require fills for the liquid nitrogen dewar(s)? Are the dewars GFE?

Answer: Estimated 30 fills per year 20-liter tanks, two, biweekly

21. CLIN 0021 – Is there Bulk Oxygen in this requirement? CLIN 0021 provides a Part # specific to Bulk Liquid Oxygen but the requirement is unclear (not outlined in the SOW). CLINs 0036/0037 are for Oxygen Liquid Reservoirs (41 Liters) but these appear to be CLINs for filling the reservoirs (flat rate to fill). Please clarify if there is a direct correlation between CLIN 0021 (Bulk Oxygen) and CLINs 0036/0037 (Oxygen, Liquid Reservoir or this CLIN directly related to the 41 Liter Oxygen Reservoirs? If so, what is the Unit of Measure for CLIN 0021 as “EA” is not a quantitative metric to measure Bulk Liquid Oxygen . Industry Standard for Bulk Oxygen is either per 100/Compressed Cubic Feet (Typically for larger tanks, 1,000 Gallons and above) or per Pound (for Liquid Oxygen Reservoirs).

Answer– CLIN 0021 There is no bulk oxygen in the requirement.

22. CLIN 0022 – Clarify why “CLIN #0007 – Oxygen USP E CGA” is included in the description when CLIN 0007 is for “Helium HP Size 6K.”

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the

23. CLIN 0030 – Confirm the PSI required for the 160 Liter Liquid Oxygen Tank.

Answer: 2000 psi

24. CLIN 0036 – Confirm whether the 41-liter Liquid Oxygen reservoir is a stationary or portable reservoir? Is this a fill CLIN or a rental CLIN?

Answer: Portable/rental if needed

25. CLIN 0037 – Confirm whether the 41-liter Liquid Oxygen reservoir is a stationary or portable reservoir? Is this a fill CLIN or a rental CLIN? Is this also possibly a duplicate of

CLIN 0036?

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the Government confirms CLIN 0037 as a duplicate and considered removed with this

26. CLIN 0052 – Clarify why a daily rental rate of $2.67 is included in the description.

Answer: (Amended) Based on information identified by vendor questions the Government confirms CLIN 0052 as a Monthly Rate with this amendment.

27. There is no CLIN for Hydrostatic Testing even though it’s mentioned several times in the RFQ. Please confirm that a CLIN will be added for Hydrostatic Testing?

Answer: There is no requirement for hydrostatic testing therefore no CLIN IS required.

28. RENTAL CLINs: Due to inconsistencies and ambiguity in the rental CLIN descriptions, please confirm the following.

a) CLIN 0039 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0039’s rental category: RRCYLVHPO6K (Rent Cyl Very High Pressure 6K).

Answer: Helium & Argon

b) CLIN 0040 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0040’s rental category: RRCYLMXSMRI (Rent Cyl Med Xs MRI Compatible).

Answer: Oxygen

c) CLIN 0041 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0041’s rental category: RRCYLMLG-NI (Rent Cyl Med Large Nitrogen)

Answer: Nitrogen

d) CLIN 0042 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0042’s rental category: RRCYLMLG- CD (Rent Cyl Med Large Carbon Dioxide)

Answer: Carbon Dioxide

e) CLIN 0043 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0043’s rental category: RRCYLMLG- OX (Rent Cyl Med Large Oxygen)

f) CLIN 0044 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0044’s rental category: RRCYLMLG-NS (Rent - Cyl Med. Large Nitrous oxide).

Answer: Nitrous oxide

g) CLIN 0045 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0045’s rental category: RRCYLMXS-CD (Rent Cyl Med Xs Carbon Dioxide)

h) CLIN 0046 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0046’s rental category: RRCYLMXS (Rent Cyl Med Xs).

Answer: Other, as needed

i) CLIN 0047 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0047’s rental category: RRCYLSSMOTH (Rent Cyl. Spec. Small Other)

Answer: other, as needed

j) CLIN 0048 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0048’s rental category: RRCYLMXS-OX (Rent Cyl Med. Xs Oxygen).

k) CLIN 0049 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0049’s rental category: RRCYLMSM-NS (Rent Cyl. Med Small Nitrous Oxide).

Answer: Nitrous Oxide

l) CLIN 0050 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0050’s rental category: RRCYLMLGOTH (Rent Cyl Med. Larger Other).

Answer: other, as needed

m) CLIN 0051 – Confirm all gas fill CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0051’s rental category: RRCYLMLG-CD (Rent Cyl Med. Large Carbon Dioxide).

Answer: (Removed) Based on information identified by vendor questions the Government confirms CLIN 0051 a duplicate and considered removed with this amendment.

o) Is this a duplicate of CLIN 0042?

Answer: duplicate, remove 0051

n) CLIN 0052 – Confirm all equipment CLINs that will fall under CLIN 0052’s rental category: RR LIQ MMD (Daily - Rental of Liquid Medical Equipment 15 LPM $2.67 daily x days)

Answer: GFE owned/if needed

29. GFE CLINs: How many of each GFE cylinder type does the VA have on its property books, and how many of each does the VA typically keep on hand at any given time (estimate)

a) CLIN 0006 – OX USPEC Purchase (Purchase of Oxygen USP E CGA 870) Answer: 244

b) CLIN 0014 – OX UPSEAMRIC (Oxygen USP EA CGA 870 C/O) Answer: 244

c) CLIN 0015 – CD USP50C (Carbon Dioxide, Medicinal, Grade A, Size H) Answer: 4

d) CLIN 0016 – NI NF200C (CLIN # 0005 - Nitrogen Compressed H Tank) Answer: 24

e) CLIN 0017 – Z04NI785200006C (LD 4 COMP/NI 200 C/O) Answer: 2

f) CLIN 0018 – NS USP56C (Nitrous Oxide USP 200 CGA 326 C/O) Answer: 24

g) CLIN 0022 – OX USPEC (CLIN# 0007 Oxygen USP E CGA) Answer: use as needed

30. Are there any industrial grade gases required in this RFQ?

Answer: medical only