36C25023Q0806 0001.docx

SUBJECT*

Linen / Laundry - Dayton VA Fisher House

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office - NCO 10 3140 Governor’s Place Blvd. Suite 210 Kettering OH 45409-1337

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contracting Specialist Josh Kovar Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov

All questions shall be emailed to POC above

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Dayton VA Medical Center

VA Fisher House - Building 425

4100 West Third Street

Dayton OH

COUNTRY

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this contract modification is to provide an updated PWS and to answer questions from industry.

Question #1: What is the best way to schedule a site visit and is there a deadline to do so?

Answer #1: Site visit information is available in the combined synopsis on page 29, under the heading “Site Visits”. The site visit information is below.

Dayton VA Medical Fisher House | 6/16/2023 | 1100 AM -1200 PM 4100 West Third St. Building 425, Dayton, OH 45428-9000 Front Entrance of VA Fisher House, Ring doorbell at front door and ask for Betsey Striebel.

Parking for vendors is located EAST of the Fisher House across the street (between Maryland Ave and Kentucky Ave

Question #2: How would you like the proposal to be submitted?

Answer #2: Instructions for offerors to submit their quote is identified on page 27, under the heading “Quote Preparation Instructions”.

Question #3: Is there a current incumbent and if so, what is the award amount?

Answer #3: Yes, The current incumbent is Long Garment Care (36C25018P4579) and the award amount is $227,848.00.

Question #4: My question is regarding the quote spreadsheet, it states that “estimated quantities not to exceed bill for actual services. Does this mean that if the Dayton Fisher house sends out more linen than the quoted quantity the vendor will not be compensated beyond the estimated volume and price quoted in the bid?

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation Answer #4: The quantities included in this solicitation are best estimates for each period of performance based upon the expected occupancy rates. If the occupancy is higher than expected based upon unknown circumstances, then we will issue a contract modification to increase the contract for the difference. The updated PWS, (attached) has highlighted text stating this, the text was inadvertently omitted at time of publicizing the combined synopsis. The vendor shall reach out to the site POC and the CO with guidance prior go performing over any of the estimated quantities.

Page 1 of

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Contract Title: Fisher House Linen Cleaning Contract

1. BACKGROUND: The contractor shall provide linen laundry service for the Fisher House in a manner that will maintain a satisfactory facility condition as determined by the COR. The Contract will consist of a Base Year with an estimated commencement date of 15 September 2023 through 14 August 2024 followed by four consecutive Option Years. Service shall be required two (2) days a week; The contractor shall be responsible for laundering and processing all linens, which shall include bath towels, washcloths, shower curtains, sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, pillow shams, blankets, comforters, mattress pads, and pillows. The Fisher House consists of 16 private (bedroom/bathroom)suites and is approximately 13,500 square feet.

2. SCOPE: All work shall be performed by skilled and trained personnel who are able to converse in English. The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, travel, supervision, equipment, supplies and coordination.

The contractor shall perform these services in Compliance with Standards for hotel laundry operations (Association of Linen Management) to include Infection Prevention and Control Guide. All services shall be performed by qualified Contractors who are licensed and authorized to perform the work defined herein. It is expected that all tasks shall be performed in a neat, professional manner, to present a professional appearance.

The contractor shall be fully responsible for any repairs and all damage to VA property, which results from the activities, negligence, or carelessness of its employees or subcontractors. All damages shall be immediately brought to the attention of the COR by the end of the workday of occurrences. If damage is not discovered on the day the work is performed, it shall be repaired within 72 hours of notification of the contractor by the VA. In cases of disputes between the COR and the contractor, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer, in writing as soon as possible, to avoid any delay in conflict resolution. If the Contracting Officer is not notified in writing within thirty (30) days of the date of the incident, the incident shall be considered to have been resolved to the satisfaction of the contractor.

The Government reserves the right to add or remove any additional Medical Centers, CBOC’s or other facilities to the contract as they become available. Furthermore, the Government reserves the right to increase or decrease frequencies of collections or quantities to allow for fluctuations of client demand that are otherwise unknown at time of solicitation. The total contract value may increase up to 15% of the base award.

3. SPECIFIC TASKS:

I. Contractor’s Personnel:

a. Contract Manager/Point of Contact (POC): The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the contract. The contract manager shall have full authority to act on behalf of the contractor on all contract matters relating to the daily operation of this contract. The contract manager shall be able to read, write, speak, and understand English. The contract manager or alternate(s) shall be available during normal business hours and be able to meet, either in-person or telephonically, with VA personnel designated by the Contracting Officer within 24 hours to discuss deficiencies.

b. Contractor Employees: Contractor personnel shall present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contract employees. This may be accomplished by wearing distinctive clothing bearing the company name and/or by wearing appropriate badges that prominently display the contractor’s company name or a professional appearance commensurate with standards delineated for Government civilian personnel acting in similar capacities.

c. Contractor personnel shall conduct themselves in a professional manner (i.e. timeliness, communication; spoken and written etc.). The Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to remove from the job site any employee working under this contract for reasons of suspected misconduct, a suspected security breach, or suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other incapacitating agent.

II. PICK UP AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, travel, supervision, equipment, supplies and coordination. Contractor is to pick-up soiled linens between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm two days per week (days are negotiable) and to deliver clean linens (wrapped in clear plastic or in covered cart) from previous pick-up on next pick-up (i.e.: Monday pick-up delivered completed on Thursday, and Thursday pick-up delivered on Monday.

· Contractor will pick up soiled laundry two days per week (Monday – Friday) excluding all holidays, from the Fisher House.

· Contractor will provide pick-up and delivery between the hours of 8:00 am and 2:00 pm of clean linen two days per week, excluding all holidays.

· All exchanges should be completed at agreed time.

· If an emergency situation causes laundry to be missed on one of these days, the Contractor shall pick-up/drop-off the laundry on the following business day.

· The Contractor shall provide a copy of an invoice identifying items picked-up and delivered, including the time and date, driver and cost of the invoice to the Fisher House Manager upon scheduled pick-up / delivery timeframes.

III. ADDITIONAL AS-NEEDED SERVICES: Due to the possible variations of lodging census and emergent situations, additional services may be required on an as-needed basis on off schedule days. Contractor shall respond to immediate calls within two (2) hours during regular working hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

IV. The Following Federal legal holidays are observed by this facility: Any holidays falling on Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday; holidays falling on Sunday will be observed on the following Monday.

V. PROCEDURES AND DOCUMENTATION: Contractor will be subject to frequent unannounced safety and environmental inspections. Contractor will have ten (10) working days to correct sanitation infractions designated as non-critical and two (2) working days to correct critical infractions.

a. COMPLIANCE STANDARDS

· All workmanship shall be in accordance with practices/guidelines established by the Association for Linen Management (ALM) and accepted industry standards. It is intended that services shall include all processes necessary for the laundering and finishing of the articles even though every step involved is not specifically mentioned.

· All services shall be performed by qualified Contractors who are licensed and authorized to perform the work defined herein.

· All services shall be completed in a timely manner and in accordance with the state, local, federal, and VA standards as listed in the Performance Work Statement.

· In no case shall clean and soiled linen share the same physical space.

· The Laundry Plant shall be open to inspection of sanitary conditions by the COR and/or the Fisher House representatives.

· After processing, laundered articles shall be in serviceable and sanitary condition, meeting established quality and performance requirement standards.

· The Contractor shall report any circumstances, which may affect the performance of the work, unhealthy or hazardous conditions, or any delays or interference with work. Such reports shall be made immediately upon discovery by the Contractor to the COR and Fisher House Manager by phone. A follow-up shall be sent to the COR and Fisher House Manager via email or facsimile.

VI. TRAINING AND RECORDS MAINTENANCE: Orientation and initial training of all personnel shall be accomplished within the first fourteen (14) days of employment with written documentation furnished to the COR. All training shall be documented, and written copies of signed attendance sheet provided to COR within ten (10) days of completion of training.

VII. DOCUMENTATION OF SERVICES PERFORMED: CONTRACTOR SHALL MAINTAIN DOCUMENTATION

a. Linen Laundry: Fisher House will be supplied with an inventory of linens. On an as-required basis, the Fisher House will replace these linens. The contractor will not be required to replace linens, except in the case where linens are lost and/or damaged through the negligence of the contractor. The contractor shall however inventory the outgoing soiled linens, re-inventory the incoming clean linens. Items deemed too fragile to be cleaned by the laundry service due to high-temperature levels will be cleaned by housekeeping staff in the Fisher House washers and dryers as needed. NOTE: Fisher House utilizes “hotel” quality linens (high thread count, satin banding, etc.) vs. hospital quality linens.

b. Linen Handling Instructions: Refer to handling instructions on linen tags if available, otherwise:

· Flat Bottom Sheets – are to be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.

· Flat Top Sheets - are to be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.

· Pillowcases must be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.

· Pillow protectors must be cleaned, tumble dry on low, and folded immediately to avoid excessive wrinkling. They are to be kept separate from other items.

· Pillow shams must be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.

· Mattress Pads/protectors – are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. NO HOT DRYERS

· Down Comforters – are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. Must be dried on low setting.

· Quilts – are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.

· Duvets – to be dry cleaned, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed).

· Bath Towels – to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.

· Hand Towels - to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.

· Wash Cloths - to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.

· Bathmats - to be cleaned, dried and kept separate from other items.

· Miscellaneous blankets and comforters are to be cleaned, dried and folded.

c. CONTAMINATED LAUNDRY:

· The contractor shall ensure articles identified as contaminated with potentially infectious material potentially infectious (material soaked in blood, other body fluids, feces, or human tissue) shall be separated from other soiled articles for scouring them before laundering.

· Articles identified as contaminated with potentially infectious material will be collected by housekeeping in such a manner as to prevent the spread of microorganisms to the environment, or personnel who may be required to handle such items during transportation, cleaning or scouring in the performance of the contract.

· The housekeeping contractor shall ensure double bagging of all soiled potentially contaminated linens to prevent any instance where the outside of a bag used in the carrying of such linen may become contaminated, when given to the linen contractor.

· The linen carts shall protect the linen from spreading microorganisms when soiled and from the environment (rain, dust, contamination) and shall have closable lids. Before the linen carts (clean or soiled) are moved from; the storage location, linen facility, or mode of transportation, the lid shall be closed to protect the linen.

· All Fisher House linen should be processed separately from other linen using “keep-separate” techniques.

· The Fisher House COR and/or Manager reserves the right to visit Contractor’s plant at any time to ensure that the Contractor is using the proper procedures to process the Fisher House linen separately from any and all other linen.

d. UNSERVICEABLE ARTICLES: Unserviceable and non-repairable articles no longer usable for the purpose intended shall be returned by the contractor to the Fisher House Manager in a separately marked bundle, prior to mending or patching, for directions and approval

e. ITEMS FOUND IN LINEN

· Personal items & photos (billfolds, jewelry, glasses, dental devices, etc.), medical items (splints, etc.), found in the soiled linen carts should be safely packaged and returned to the Fisher House promptly.

· Any hazardous item (sharps, etc.) found in the soiled linen should be documented with a photo and then properly disposed of by Contractor.

· Please describe your company’s procedure for lost and found items, and attach copy of the written procedure to your bid.

f. CLEANLINESS AND FINISH:

· Contractor shall supply all carts required for the delivery of clean linen as well as carts for the pick-up of soiled linen.

· The linen storage carts used for the transportation shall be kept clean, neat and sanitary at all times. All linen carts of cleaned and packaged linen will be covered while in transit or laundry will be wrapped in plastic to protect the packaged linen from environmental contamination, i.e. rain, dust, or other such hazards.

· The COR and Fisher House Manager, prior to the beginning of the service, shall approve all carts supplied by the Contractor. Carts will be of generally uniform weight and size.

· All carts and other equipment must be appropriately cleaned and sanitized between loads or uses.

· Please submit a written copy of the procedure used for cleaning and sanitizing carts and other equipment.

· Lost/Damaged Items: The contractor shall replace any items lost or damaged due to negligence or poor work performance at no additional expense to the VA.

· The contractor shall indemnify the VA for any loss or damage to articles furnished for service under the contract.

· Validation of any claims for loss or damage shall be made by the Contracting Officer (COR) based on factual (documentary) evidence produced by the VA’s representatives and/or contractor.

g. PACKING SLIP AND MANIFEST:

· A packing slip should be attached to each cart indicating item description, actual verified quantities (pieces) and/or weight, cart number, and packer’s initials (legible).

· If any cart does not have the required packing slip, or if any part of the packing slip does not meet these requirements, or if the returned items do not match the count of the packing slips, the Contractor will be required to pick up the cart and return it with the proper quantity of clean linen to match the attached packing slip.

· The cart must be returned to the designated site by 2:00 p.m. the same day. A consolidated manifest is required for each delivery.

4. PERFORMANCE MONITORING: The Dayton VA Medical Center (DVAMC) will appoint a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to monitor performance to ensure services are received. The COR will evaluate the contractor’s performance through intermittent on-site inspections of the contractor’s quality control program and receipt and investigation of complaints from personnel. The VA may inspect each task as completed. The COR will inspect and make shall make final determination of the validity of customer complaint(s) in cases of disagreement with customer(s). Ten days prior to the implementation of this contract, contractor shall provide the COR with written copies of procedures to be used to carry out the requirements of the contract.

Please review Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), see below:

I. Purpose: This quality assurance surveillance plan (QASP) is a government-developed and applied document used to make systematic quality assurance methods used in the administration of the performance-based service acquisition (PBSA) standards included in this contract. The intent is to ensure that the contractor performs in accordance with performance metrics set forth in the contract documents, that the government receives the quality of services called for in the contract, and that the government only pays for the acceptable level of services received.

II. Authority: Authority to issue this QASP is provided under Federal Acquisition Clause (FAR) 52.212-4(a) Inspection and Acceptance, which provided for inspections and acceptance of the articles, services, and documentation called for in the contract to be accomplished by the contracting officer or a duly appointed representative.

III. Scope: The contractor, and not the government, is responsible for management and quality control actions necessary to meet the quality standards set forth by the contract. The QASP is put in place to provide government surveillance oversight of the contractor’s quality control efforts to assure that they are timely, effective, and delivering the results specified in the contract. The QASP is not a part of the contract, nor is it intended to duplicate the contractor’s quality control plan.

IV. GOVERNMENT RESOURCES: The following definitions for government resources are applicable to this plan:

a. Contracting Officer: A person duly appointed with the authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government.

b. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): An individual designated in writing by the contracting officer to act as his or her authorized representative to assist in administering a contract. The source and authority for a COR is from the contracting officer. COR limitations are contained in the written letter of designation.

V. RESPONSIBILITIES: The government resources shall have responsibilities for the implementation of this QASP as follows:

a. Contracting Officer: The contracting officer ensures performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting and ensures compliance with the terms of the contract and safeguards the interests of the United States in the contractual relationship. It is the contracting officer who assures that the contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment under the contract. The contracting officer is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the contractor’s performance.

b. COR: The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract and assures proper government surveillance of the contractor’s performance. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the government’s behalf. Any changes that the contractor deems may affect contract price, terms, or conditions shall be referred to the contracting officer for action.

VI. METHODS OF SURVEILLANCE: The below listed methods of surveillance shall be used in the administration of this QASP.

a. Periodic Surveillance by the COR: The COR periodically sit in on the classes to verify that the contractor is meeting the goals of the training course.

b. Customer complaint: The COR is the point of contact and will collect all customer complaints. The COR will review all complaints and contact the originator to determine the validity of any claims. Customer complaints will become a permanent part of the COR surveillance records.

c. 100% Inspections: Complete evaluation of the performance element.

d. Random Sampling: Method used to evaluate performance by randomly selecting and inspecting a sample of cases.

VII. IDENTIFIED QA SURVEILLANCE TASKS: The following PBSA items are identified within the contract performance work statement and will be monitored by period surveillance from the COR and customer complaints in the event that a task is not be adequately performed. Please refer to Documentation of Services Performed (“item vii.” of the PWS, begins on page three).

VIII. DOCUMENTATION: The COR will, in addition to providing documentation to the contracting officer, maintain a complete quality assurance file. The file will contain copies of all reports, evaluations, recommendations, and any actions related to the government’s performance of the quality assurance function, including the originals of all surveillance activity checklists. All such records will be retained for the life of this contract. The COR shall forward these records to the contracting officer at termination or completion of the contract.

IX. QUALITY ASSURANCE: The COR will periodically evaluate the Contractor’s performance to ensure that contracted services are received. The COR will evaluate the Contractor’s performance through intermittent on-site inspections of the Contractor's quality control program and receipt of complaints from VAMC personnel. The Government may inspect each task as completed or increase the number of quality control inspections if deemed appropriate because of repeated failures discovered during quality control inspections or because of repeated customer complaints. Likewise, the Government may decrease the number of quality control inspections if performance dictates. The Government will also receive and investigate complaints from various customers located at VAMC. The Contractor shall be responsible for initially validating customer complaints. However, the COR shall make final determination of the validity of customer complaint(s) in cases of disagreement with customer(s). A QASP shall be provided to awardee and shall be bilaterally updated during contract period of performance.

Compliance with DOL Wage Determination Labor Rate Requirement

***Report of Non-Compliance shall be directed to SBA for remediation by the CO.***

Possible fines and debarment may be imposed. Please see Note 5.1 under this table

Note 5.1: IAW 13 CFR § 125.6(g), Whoever violates the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) of this section shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in 15 U.S.C. 645(d), except that the fine shall be treated as the greater of $500,000 or the dollar amount spent, in excess of permitted levels, by the entity on subcontractors. A party's failure to comply with the spirit and intent of a subcontract with a similarly situated entity may be considered a basis for debarment on the grounds, including but not limited to, that the parties have violated the terms of a government contract or subcontract pursuant to far 9.406-2(b)(1)(i) (48 CFR 9.406-2(b)(1)(i)).

5. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: The C&A requirements do not apply, and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

6. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED EQUIPMENT (GFE)/GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED INFORMATION (GFI)

Fisher House will be supplied with an inventory of linens. On an as-required basis, the Fisher House will replace these linens. The contractor will not be required to replace linens, except in the case where linens are lost and/or damaged through the negligence of the contractor. The contractor shall however inventory the outgoing soiled linens; re-inventory the incoming clean linens. Items deemed too fragile to be cleaned by the laundry service due to high-temperature levels will be cleaned by housekeeping staff in the Fisher House washers and dryers as needed. NOTE: Fisher House utilizes “hotel” quality linens (high thread count, satin banding, etc.) vs. hospital quality linens.

7. Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations: Contractor will be trained by Fisher House manager what the exact expectation of the linen are to look like once cleaned and returned to Fisher House.

8. RISK CONTROL: The C&A requirements do not apply, and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

9. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: The contractor shall clean all linen at its place of business; pick-up and delivery of all lines will be directly to the Fisher House located at:

Dayton VA Medical Center 4100 W. Third St.

c/o Fisher House Dayton, OH 45428

10. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

11. DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, travel, supervision, equipment, supplies and coordination. Contractor is to pick-up soiled linens between the hours of 9:00 am and 2:00 pm two days per week (days are negotiable) and to deliver clean linens (wrapped in clear plastic or in covered cart) from previous pick-up on next pick-up (i.e.: Monday pick-up delivered completed on Thursday, and Thursday pick-up delivered on Monday.