36C25024Q0771.docx

SUBJECT*

Hazardous/Universal Waste - Saginaw

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

Ann Arbor Healthcare System Network Contracting Office 10 2215 Fuller Road Ann Arbor MI 48105

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Jennifer A Johnson Jennifer.Johnson18@va.gov 734-222-4283

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS

COUNTRY

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice

DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice

This is a Sources Sought Notice for Hazardous Waste Disposal services at the Saginaw Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The contractor shall provide all labor and materials necessary to provide hazardous waste disposal services at the Saginaw VAMC. See attached Statement of Work for additional detailed requirements.

The anticipated NAICS code for this requirement is 562211. The period of performance is 5 years anticipated to begin August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2029.

This Sources Sought Notice is intended to locate any business capable of performance. Interested firms shall include in their submission:

· A brief capability statement detailing the specific ability to meet the requirement as outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW)

· SAM UEI number

· Business size/type This is not a Request for Quotation and quotes shall not be reviewed at this time. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the contractor as a result of this Sources Sought Notice. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.

All responses shall be submitted via email by Wednesday, July 3, 2024 no later than 5:00PM EST. Responses shall be submitted to Jennifer Johnson at jennifer.johnson18@va.gov. Phone calls shall not be accepted for this notice. The draft SOW is attached and may be subject to changes.

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STATEMENT OF WORK

Title: ALEDA E. LUTZ VA MEDICAL CENTER (SAGINAW, MI) 10 INDUSTRIAL WASTE SERVICE CONTRACT

1. BACKGROUND & SCOPE:

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center located at 1500 Weiss, Saginaw, MI generate industrial waste including but not limited to:

· hazardous waste;

· dual waste (hazardous waste and infectious waste);

· universal waste;

· Michigan Hazardous and Liquid Industrial By-Products;

· hazardous and non-hazardous waste pharmaceuticals

· various expired or spent research grade chemicals and non-regulated solid waste as listed in the schedule of “SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS.”

Industrial waste services include, but are not limited to:

· transportation preparation;

· transportation and treatment;

· disposal;

· destruction (i.e. incineration), or;

· recycling of industrial wastes.

Currently, the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center is a Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQG) of Hazardous Waste.

Contractor is to follow the Veterans Administration environmental policy:

· To conduct our mission in a manner to protect human health and the environment; comply with all applicable Agency, Federal, State, and Local environmental laws, regulations and directives governing our activities.

The VA reserves the right to inspect contractor facilities before approving its use or at any time during or after contract period while VA wastes are present.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 10, intends to award a Firm Fixed Price Service Contract to a qualified firm with the capability and capacity to provide ALL industrial waste services listed in this Statement of Work (NO THIRD-PARTY BROKER FIRMS). All items listed in the schedule, regardless of their condition, are being discarded by the government and are industrial waste. The Contractor shall provide all industrial waste services necessary to execute this contract including, but not limited to:

· operational personnel;

· labor;

· equipment;

· packaging;

· transportation;

· treatment;

· disposal;

· destruction (i.e. incineration);

· recycling;

· reporting.

The Contractor shall comply with all federal, state and local municipal regulations including but not limited to:

· Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Protection of Environment;

· Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Transportation;

· Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations Labor; and Michigan Public Act 451 of 1994 as amended Natural Resource and Environmental Protection and Ohio Administrative Code 3745-3750.

· Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine December 11, 2018 The Contractor shall comply with amendments to applicable federal, state and local municipal regulations which occur during the term of this contract. The Contractor shall provide to the Contracting Officer’s Representatives (COR) any additional documentation which may be required because of such regulatory amendments.

The COR shall arrange with the Contractor for industrial waste services required for the Saginaw VAMC facility based upon rate of industrial waste generation. The Contractor shall possess the necessary technical expertise and resources required by this solicitation to be considered for contract award. The Contractor shall have a minimum of five (5) years working experience with healthcare and research laboratories in an industrial waste service capacity.

The contract requires one contractor to provide a “turnkey operation”, i.e., all industrial waste services necessary to execute this contract conducted by one single qualified firm. This includes, but is not limited to:

· operational personnel;

· labor;

· equipment;

· packaging;

· transportation;

· treatment, disposal, and recycling;

· and reporting.

The Contractor shall be a licensed Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (TSDF) meeting 40 CFR 264/265 Subpart A-E). All industrial waste will be segregated, processed, and placed in temporary storage before being shipped off-site for final disposal.

Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals will be managed under Subpart P of Part 266 in Title 40 CFR.

2. TASKS:

a. Industrial waste shall be managed in the following preferred priority:

1. Reuse, reclamation, or recycling of industrial waste to another party for future use if economically feasible and practical (e.g. fuel blending, battery recycling).

2. Treatment of industrial waste at an appropriately state- or federally-permitted facility in a manner that renders it no longer a hazardous waste as defined by federal, state, and local regulations.

3. Long-term landfill burial internment in an appropriately state- or federally- permitted facility.

b. For the purposes of this contract, disposal includes:

1. The long-term landfill burial internment in an appropriately state- or federally- permitted facility.

2. Treatment of industrial waste, including but not limited to neutralization, detoxification, and incineration, in a manner that renders it no longer a hazardous waste as defined by federal, state, and local regulations at a facility appropriately permitted by a state or federal agency.

3. Reclamation, recycling, reprocessing and recovery.

4. Disposal does not include mere acceptance of the industrial waste at a properly permitted Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility and does not meet the definition of disposal under this contract.

c. Any shipments outside of the United States of America are strictly prohibited.

d. Routine collection of waste shall be scheduled within ten (10) workdays from time of request.

e. Emergency collection of waste shall be completed within) five (5) workdays from time of request.

f. The Contractor shall provide all materials, labor, and equipment necessary for moving industrial waste from storage areas to the designated loading and departure point. Use of government equipment or personnel for this activity is strictly prohibited.

g. Prior to transporting industrial waste from the facility, the Contractor:

1. Shall accurately prepare and supply proper DOT shipping papers for DOT hazardous materials, including bill of ladings, as well as, EPA Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest for all hazardous waste and Michigan Hazardous and Liquid Industrial By-Product waste transportation services.

2. Shall accurately prepare and supply all other necessary documents related to industrial waste services including but not limited to Land Disposal Restriction forms and destination facility disposal profiles.

3. Shall provide the completed DOT shipping papers to the COR or his/ her designee for certification of DOT shipping papers.

4. Shall have the transporter certify DOT shipping papers as well as the following for EPA Hazardous Waste Manifest:

a) Ensure a legible signature on all copies.

b) Provide certified copies of the EPA Hazardous Waste Manifest Generator’s Initial Copy and Designated Facility to Generator State Copy to the COR or designee.

c) Other DOT shipping papers.

d) Obtain a legible signature.

e) Provide copies to the COR or designee.

5. Acknowledge and verify that DOT shipping papers are signed ONLY by the COR or his/her authorized designee.

6. Shall submit the EPA Hazardous Waste Manifest to the required regulatory agency within the timeline prescribed by state and federal regulations.

7. Within 35 calendar days of the initial transportation date, the Contractor shall provide to the COR and/or his/her designee the destination facility certified copy of the EPA Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest.

8. Payment of services rendered under this contract will be made in arrears upon satisfactory completion of each service and receipt of a properly prepared invoice submitted by the Contractor to the payment address specified by the Contracting Officer. Invoices shall reference the Contract Number, Purchase Order Number, and DOT shipping paper number(s) as well as provide a complete and accurate description of services/supplies rendered/delivered, including dates of performance, amounts, unit prices, extended totals and any other data relevant for payment purposes.

9. The Government will not authorize payment until such time that the VA receives a properly prepared invoice, and all certified DOT transportation shipping papers, certificate of waste disposal, destruction (i.e., incineration) or recycling, and a completed industrial waste tracking form correlating to the industrial waste service.

10. The Contractor shall ensure that there is a clear audit trail for all industrial waste services including disposal, destruction or recycling of industrial waste. Any differences between the contract service and actual service shall be thoroughly described and documented and provided to the COR.

11. The Contractor shall obtain and maintain all necessary documentation to prove that the industrial waste service was accomplished in accordance with applicable federal, state and local regulations.

h. The contractor, with assistance of Aleda E. Lutz VAMC personal shall develop accurate waste analysis sheets (profiles) for waste as necessary.

3. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT:

Government will not furnish any equipment or assist the Contractor in the performance of the contract. The Contractor understands that any offers by Government personnel to use Government equipment for industrial services, including loading or packaging, are unauthorized, and the Contractor shall not accept such offers.

The contractor shall provide all necessary labor and all required materials to manifest, package, mark, label, placard, and load industrial wastes for transport.

The contractor shall use calibrated monitoring and measurement equipment. The equipment shall be calibrated in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications and the contractor shall maintain associated records of calibration.

4. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED TRANSPORTATION:

The Contractor shall:

a. Provide necessary personnel, materials and equipment to meet 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Transportation regulations, including packaging, labeling, marking and placarding.

b. Move industrial waste from storage area(s) to designated loading points.

c. Provide all labor, materials, and equipment to load containers onto the transport vehicle.

d. Properly secure the containers for transportation.

e. Equip vehicles with all necessary emergency equipment required by applicable state and federal regulations.

f. Stock vehicles with sufficient emergency supplies and equipment to manage actual and potential releases during loading, transporting or offloading of hazardous materials.

g. Provide properly licensed vehicles in states in which they operate. All vehicles shall be properly equipped in accordance with DOT regulations for the applicable states.

h. The Contractor shall be responsible for properly consolidating and containerizing all industrial wastes, including lab-packs.

5. SAFETY & SECURITY

a. The Contractor shall perform all operations in a prudent, conscientious, safe and professional manner. At a minimum, contractor personnel and equipment shall comply with all safety and environmental requirements set forth in applicable federal, state and local regulations and shall further ensure that its agents and employees perform work in a safe manner. Contractor shall ensure all safety measures to prevent harm or injury to VA patients, visitors, employees, contractor employees and the environment are adhered to.

b. The Contractor shall have an emergency contingency plan; establish, implement, and maintain procedures to identify potential emergency situations and potential accidents that can have impact(s) on the environment.

c. The Contractor shall ensure that all personnel involved in handling, packaging, and transporting industrial waste be trained at the level of expertise required for the proper performance of the task assigned. The contractor shall train personnel in the areas of chemical incompatibility, general first aid procedures, and release response.

d. Contractor employees present at the worksite shall have all current 29 CFR 1910.120 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) and 49 CFR Hazardous Materials Regulations training. Required and appropriate safety training related to industrial services including but not limited to:

1. Proper handling, consolidation, and containerization of industrial waste.

2. Proper use of personal protective equipment while performing industrial waste services.

3. Contract employees that will work on VA premises shall have 40 hours of initial “HAZWOPER” training required by law as specified in 29 CFR 1910.120.

6. PERSONAL EXPOSURE AND RELEASE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for all leaks, spills, releases or personnel exposures, regardless of severity, related to or during the performance of contract related industrial waste services.

The Contractor shall cleanup leaks, spills or releases to the satisfaction of the COR in a manner which satisfies applicable state, federal and local regulations and at no cost to the Government.

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for immediately reporting by telephone to the COR and/or his/ her designee, all leaks, spills or releases, regardless of quantity. Reporting is not to exceed 15 minutes. If the COR or his/her designee is not available, the Contractor shall report the release to the facility (VAMC) Police.

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for “Immediately” reporting by telephone to the COR and/or his/her designee all personnel exposures, regardless of severity, within one hour of the event or upon medical treatment, whichever occurs first. If the COR is not available, the Contractor should report the personal exposure to the facility (VAMC) Police.

In the event of a regulatory reportable release the contractor shall provide to the COR and Contracting Officer a written report in accordance with the applicable release reporting regulations within three (3) calendar days.

7. PERFORMANCE

a. Places of Performance:

Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center 1500 Weiss Saginaw, MI 48602

b. Period of Performance:

Hours of work for pick-up of wastes (excluding emergency pick-up) are defined per the times specified in each facility’s Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs section.

c. Contractor Performance:

The Contractor shall without additional cost to the Government, provide and maintain all certifications, licenses, permits, etc. for operational personnel, trailers, containers, vehicles and other resources required for execution of the industrial waste service contract in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local municipal regulations.

If appropriate certifications, licenses, permits, etc. are not maintained in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local municipal regulations, the VA will terminate the contract effective immediately upon discovery.

The COR or his/her designee reserves the right to stop work if the COR determines work is being done in an unsafe/unhealthy manner or that could harm the environment. VA will not incur additional costs if work is stopped for good cause.

The CORs and coordinate with the Contracting Officer and Contractor if the Contractor is not performing within the scope of this contract.

8. AFFIRMATIVE PROCUREMENT:

The Contractor shall participate in an affirmative procurement program that requires preference for the following materials used at VA sites:

a. EPA designated items that are listed in EPA procurement guidelines at 40 CFR Part 247.

b. USDA designated items that are listed by USDA in the procurement guidelines found in 7 CFR Part 2902, Subpart B.

c. EPA designated items on EPA’s list at http://www.epa.gov/cpg/products;htm

9. DESIGNATION OF CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE (COR):

The Contracting Officer will designate a Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs). The COR will provide the Contractor with a list of names indicating each location’s COR and his/her designee. A copy of the above designation memorandum(s) will be provided to the contractor and the appropriate VAMCs.

10. INDEMNIFICATION:

Upon receipt/removal of items from the Government installation, the contractor shall assume accountability, physical custody, and full responsibility for such items. The Government assumes no liability for any damage to any property belonging to the contractor, any person, or public property or for personal injuries, illness, disabilities or death to the contractor, contractor's employees, and any other person subject to the contractor's control of any other person, including members of the general public, arising from or incident to the processing, transporting, disposal, or any subsequent operation performed upon, exposure to or contact with any component, part, constituent or ingredient of this item, or substance or material whether intentional or accidental. The contractor agrees to hold the Government harmless and indemnify the Government for all costs, judgments, actions, debt, liability costs and attorney's fees or any other requests for monies or any other type of relief arising from or incident to the processing, transporting and disposal of any subsequent operation performed upon, exposure to or contact with any component part, constituent or ingredient of this item, material or substance, whether intentional or accidental.

11. CONTRACTOR:

Within 15 calendar days of award, the contractor shall provide a list of names, titles, telephone numbers (including cellular), pager/beeper numbers, facsimile numbers and e-mail addresses of key managers, supervisors, customer service and field service personnel performing under this contract to the VISN GEMS Consultant and Contracting Officer. Prior to commencement of work on this contract, the contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer the name and telephone number of at least one responsible individual who will respond to problems and/or emergencies on a 24-hour basis.

12. LABORATORY CLEAN-OUT:

This contract shall not include disposal costs for laboratory cleanout waste or other waste not included in the “SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS” section. Since it is impossible to ascertain the type or quantity of waste generated because of a laboratory cleanout, task orders will be generated as needed for transportation and disposal of these wastes. However, the “SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS” section requests a cost for inventory, regulatory assessment/documentation, and packaging on a per hour basis.

Transportation preparation (i.e. packaging materials, actual packaging) and disposal costs associated with laboratory cleanouts or waste not included in the “SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS” section will be performed under a separate task order. However, under the “SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS” section the contractor shall:

a. Properly and accurately characterize and classify hazardous materials and waste in accordance with Federal, State and location regulations.

b. Conduct field testing, as appropriate, to determine waste disposal requirements in accordance to Federal, State and Local regulations. In addition, contractor will complete the Laboratory Cleanout/Other Waste Inventory spreadsheet or other VA approved form and provide an electronic copy, along with other supporting data (i.e. SDS, technical data sheets, field test results) to the COR or facility representative. If a waste requires analytical testing beyond basic field testing, the contractor will inform the facility representative. The facility representative will manage the additional laboratory testing requirements outside of this contract.

c. Provide the documents listed above along with the cost for disposal at least ten

(10) calendar days before removing wastes from the site to allow for review for accuracy by the COR or his/ her designee.

The Contractor shall ensure that all personnel involved in handling, packaging, and transporting industrial waste be trained at the level of expertise required for the proper performance of the task assigned. The contractor shall train personnel in the areas of chemical incompatibility, general first aid procedures, and release response.

13. STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPs):

a. Contractor shall have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that will be followed while conducting normal hazardous waste management activities. The SOPs shall include at a minimum the following:

· Characterization of unknowns

· Operational procedures and site management structure;

· Supplies and equipment practices;

· Material sampling procedures;

· Hazard assessment and categorization procedures;

· Packing procedures;

· Procedures for gaining waste acceptance into a transfer/ disposal facility.

· Quality assurance and quality control procedures to ensure materials are properly identified, categorized, and packaged, and paperwork is properly completed;

· Procedure for employee on the job-related injuries or conditions, as well as, a medical surveillance program for personnel involved in the direct handling and/or exposure to chemical waste;

· Site safety plan that will be used to ensure that workers and nearby population will be adequately protected during packaging and removal operations;

· A written plan for spill clean-up shall be included in their proposal;

· Highway Contingency Plan;

· And Hazardous Material Incident reporting (49 CFR 171.15 & 171.16)

14. DEFINITIONS:

DM# means abbreviation for the container and its capacity (e.g. DM55 = 55-gallon drum, DM30 = 30-gallon drum, DM5 = 5-gallon pail).

Dual waste means a waste stream that meets the definition of hazardous waste and infectious waste.

Episodic means a waste generated infrequently such as semi-annually or annually.

Incineration means waste that is to be burned and disposed at an EPA licensed incinerate for hazardous waste.

Minimum fee means the minimum disposal cost for a container which is priced on a per unit pound basis.

Pharmaceutical is defined as: any drug or dietary supplement for use by humans or other animals; any electronic nicotine delivery system (e.g., electronic cigarette or vaping pen); or any liquid nicotine (e-liquid) packaged for retail sale for use in electronic nicotine delivery systems (e.g., pre-filled cartridges or vials). This definition includes, but is not limited to, dietary supplements, as defined by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; prescription drugs, as defined by 21 CFR 203.3(y); over-the-counter drugs; homeopathic drugs; compounded drugs; investigational new drugs; pharmaceuticals remaining in non-empty containers; personal protective equipment contaminated with pharmaceuticals; and clean-up material from spills of pharmaceuticals. This definition does not include dental amalgam or sharps.

Pharmaceutical waste containing RCRA Listed P/U or other waste for incineration: Segregated pharmaceuticals which meet the definition of RCRA Listed P-Waste or Listed U- Waste. As incineration is the most stringent form of disposal, it may also contain other pharmaceuticals in which the best management practice for disposal is incineration (i.e. non-regulated chemotherapy agents). Examples of P-listed pharmaceutical waste may include warfarin, nitroglycerin, physostigmine and any empty containers of those.

RCRA means Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Recycling means waste is sent to a facility where it will be processed into recyclable materials. Note: hazardous waste that is to be recycled normally does not involve a commodity rebate.

Recyclable Materials means hazardous waste that is recyclable.

Routine means a waste generated on a frequent basis such as monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.

Stabilization/Treatment means waste that is acceptable for RCRA Part B TSDF permit (i.e. does not contain waste which EPA requires incineration such as high mercury bearing, contains a listed P waste or listed U waste).

Waste Code means the EPA or MDEQ designated code describing the waste (i.e. D001 = ignitable, D002 Corrosive, 029L means other used oil, etc.).

Universal waste means any of the hazardous wastes that are identified in Rule 299.9228(1) of Michigan Public Act 451 of 1994, Part 111 Hazardous Waste Management, as amended.