36C24925Q0135 0002.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) Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 9 (90C)

NCO 9

1639 Medical Center Parkway, Suite 204 Murfreesboro

TN

37129 90C Network Contracting Office 9 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office (90C) 1639 Medical Center Parkway Suite 204 Murfreesboro

TN

37129 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24925Q0135

X X X X This solicitation amendment addresses vendor inquiries regarding the request for quote.

See continuation page for Questions and Answers.

This solicitation amendment addresses vendor inquiries regarding the request for quote.

See continuation page for Questions and Answers.

This requirement is for a Drug information electronic database reference subscription and is used as an encyclopedia or online informational book that pharmacists can utilize.

Category 1: Requirements Clarification

1. Web-Based or Mobile Application:

1. RFQ Reference: “The electronic medical reference will be accessible to employees physically on-site at any facility/office within VISN 9 as well as remotely through Virtual Private Network (VPN), Citrix Access Gateway (CAG) as well as mobile devices…” (Page 7)

1. Question:

Will the solution need to include both a web-based application and a mobile application, or will a responsive web-based interface accessible via mobile devices suffice?

A: responsive web-based interface accessible via mobile devices is sufficient

2. Database Updates and Management:

1. RFQ Reference: “Database content shall be updated regularly throughout the performance period, at no less than monthly frequency.” (Page 7)

1. Questions:

1. Will the contractor be responsible for data migration, creating a new database, or merging updates into an existing database? A: N/A

1. Will users have the ability to manipulate or update data through the application, or is access read-only? A: N/A

1. How large is the existing database schema? A: I don’t have an answer to this.

1. Will blob storage be required (e.g., PDFs, Word documents, image files)? A: N/A

1. Is there an estimated number of end users utilizing the product simultaneously? A: I don’t have an estimate, but no issue with the incumbent contractor.

1. Will we be expected to create, modify, or view database stored procedures? A: N/A

3. Training Format and Delivery:

1. RFQ Reference: “Contractor shall provide online training tutorials to users at no additional expense to the government…” (Page 7)

1. Questions:

1. Are there any VA preferred formats or software suites for training tutorials, such as webinars (Webex), video tutorials, PowerPoint presentations, or interactive assessments? A: No preference

1. Is there a requirement for certifications or assessments upon completion of the training? A: No Category 2: Technical and Infrastructure Requirements

4. Hosting Environment:

1. RFQ Reference: “Authorized Office of Information and Technology (OIT) Personnel will conduct all installations locally.” (Page 9)

1. Questions:

1. Will the application be hosted on VISN 9’s web servers (e.g., Windows IIS or Apache), or would a cloud-based solution (Azure, AWS) be acceptable? A: N/A

1. If cloud hosting is allowed, are there any preferred cloud service providers or compliance requirements (e.g., FedRAMP)? A: N/A

1. How many hosting environments would be required during the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)? (e.g., Development, Testing, Staging, Production) A: N/A

1. Is it correct to assume that production would be hosted on VISN 9 servers post-code delivery to OIT, or is cloud hosting acceptable for production as well? A: N/A

5. CI/CD Pipeline and Deployment:

1. Question:

Is there a preference for delivering the solution via a CI/CD pipeline (e.g., GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps) or as packaged files for on-premises deployment?

A: N/A

6. Integration with Existing Systems:

1. Questions:

0. Will the solution need to integrate with any existing VA systems beyond VPN and CAG access, such as Active Directory or Single Sign-On (SSO) systems?

A: N/A

7. License and Certification Questions:

1. Micromedex Drug Information Database:

0. Will the Micromedex Drug Information Database be provided by the VA, or is the contractor responsible for procuring the necessary licenses and access for integration? A: N/A

0. If the contractor is responsible, are there any licensing limitations or preferred vendors we should be aware of? A: N/A

0. Additionally, will the database need to be hosted on VA’s infrastructure or can it be hosted on a cloud-based platform as part of the proposed solution? A: N/A

0. Does the Micromedex database currently have an existing API that we can leverage for integration, or will the contractor be responsible for developing a new API? A: N/A

0. If an existing API is available, can you provide information on the API documentation, access requirements, and any limitations? A: N/A

0. If a new API is needed, are there any preferred standards or protocols (e.g., REST or GraphQL) that we should follow? A: N/A Category 3: Documentation and Compliance

8. Documentation Requirements:

1. RFQ Reference: “Confirmation of Work” (Page 9)

1. Questions:

1. Are there specific requirements for pre-deployment documentation (e.g., architecture diagrams, data flow diagrams, engineering documents) and post-deployment documentation (e.g., user manuals, security plans)? A: No

1. Is there a preferred format or template for these documents? A: No

9. Toolsets and Methodology:

1. RFQ Reference: “Confirmation of Work” (Page 9)

1. Questions:

1. Does the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) have a preferred set of development tools, project management tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps), or CI/CD platforms? A: No

1. If not, can the contractor propose a toolset as part of the solution? A: No

10. Compliance with VA Technical Reference Model (TRM):

1. RFQ Reference: “All information Technology (IT) resources required to provide access to electronic reference shall be documented as approved by VA Technical Reference Module (TRM).”

1. Question:

Are there any specific TRM-approved technologies or security protocols that should be prioritized in the solution?

A: No