36C25525Q0116.docx

SUBJECT*

Lodging Service

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

Network Contracting Office (NCO) 15 3450 S 4th Street Trafficway

Leavenworth KS 66048

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contracting Officer Laura Ferguson Laura.Ferguson@va.gov 913.946.1962

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

John Cochran Division

915 N. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis MO

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT

DISCLAIMER

1. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

2. The submission of pricing, capabilities for planning purposes, and other market information is highly encouraged and allowed under this RFI In Accordance With (IAW) FAR Part 15.201(e).

SOURCES SOUGHT DESCRIPTION: Vendor is to provide fully furnished hotel/motel rooms for Veterans as needed. The vendor must directly handle reservations, provide lodging and associated services, to include breakfast and shuttle services to the VA facility. Vendor must also promptly resolve any issues encountered by the Veterans within the hotel. The customer is not looking for booking services, i.e., travel agency or pass-through vendors. Vendor should have support personnel at site of hotel/motel to personally and timely interact with Veterans and help to resolve any issues that may arise. If submitting as a small business concern, vendor must be capable of meeting the limitations on subcontracting and provide a fair and reasonable price.

3. This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a RFI/sources sought only. The purpose of this sources sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 721110. Responses to this sources sought will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement.

4. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 15 Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources that can provide the following:

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 15, has a requirement to provide fully furnished hotel/motel rooms that will include standard amenities including shuttle service and no-cost breakfast, to eligible beneficiaries of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs per this Statement of Work, and other contract terms and conditions for the St. Louis, Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center located at 1 Jefferson Barracks Dr., St. Louis, MO 63125. The vendor will need to have an on-site presence at the lodging site to coordinate Veteran accommodations and shuttle services and to assist Veterans with any concerns they might have with the lodging or transportation. Veterans staying at the hotel/motel will be receiving medical care, testing or procedures at the St. Louis Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center, so the vendors face-to-face interaction and resolution of any issues that may arise with the Veteran’s lodging is critical to minimizing the Veteran’s potential anxiety associated with their upcoming medical care.

5. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the services that fulfill the requirement. If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought-out services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. Failure to respond to all questions in this sources sought will determine the interested party as non-responsive which may affect a set-aside decision for a resulting solicitation. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions:

a. Please provide your UEI number.

b. Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.)?

c. Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI?

d. If you are identified as a SDVOSB/VOSB or SB, identify how you intend to meet the requirements found in the limitations on subcontracting FAR or VAAR clauses. (i.e., providing at least 51% of the work outlined in section 4 above): Fill out attached Self Performance Worksheet.

e. Please submit your capabilities that show clear, compelling, and convincing evidence that you can meet the requirement described above.

6. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Laura Ferguson at Laura.Ferguson@va.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Friday, February 6, 2025 at 1700 CST. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this sources sought. Responses to this sources sought notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.

Sources Sought Notice

Sources Sought Notice

Sources Sought Notice

B.2 STATEMENT OF WORK

Lodging Services

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

a. Vendor is to provide fully furnished hotel/motel rooms for Veterans as needed. The vendor will directly handle Veteran reservations, provide lodging, housekeeping, no-cost breakfast, and shuttle services to the VA facility, also promptly resolve any issues encountered within the hotel that may impact the Veteran’s stay. Vendor should have support personnel at the site of the hotel/motel to personally and timely interact with Veterans and help to resolve any issues that may arise at the hotel during their stay, including coordination of shuttle services to meet the Veteran’s medical appointment times. The VA is not looking for booking services, i.e., travel agency or pass-through vendors. Veterans staying at the hotel/motel will be receiving medical care, testing and/or procedures at the St. Louis Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center, so the vendors face-to-face interaction and resolution of any issues that may arise with the Veteran’s lodging is critical to minimizing the Veteran’s potential anxiety associated with their upcoming medical care. If submitting as a small business concern, vendor must be capable of meeting the limitations on subcontracting and provide a fair and reasonable price.

b. Title of Project: Lodging Services for the beneficiaries of the St. Louis VA Healthcare System

c. Scope of Work: The Contractor shall provide all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in this statement of work, except as may otherwise be specified.

d. Location: Contract deliverables are to be furnished at the Contractor's commercial lodging facility that is located within a five (5) mile radius of the following VA facilities:

Dept. of Veteran's Affairs St. Louis VA Healthcare System John Cochran Division 915 N. Grand Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63106

e. Contracting Officer's Representative (COR):

The Government Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for this contract will be listed in Block 20, SF 1449, upon award. The contractor shall ONLY respond to lodging requests placed by the COR, or his representative.

f. Contract Administration Data:

All contract administration functions will be retained by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Contracting Officer will be the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements under this contract. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer will be authorized to make commitments or issue changes that affect price, quantity, or quality of performance of this contract. In the event the Contractor effects any such change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered unauthorized, and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred because of the change.

g. Performance Period:

SCHEDULE OF PRICE AND DELIVERY.

2. CONTRACT AWARD MEETING

The Contractor shall not commence performance on this contract until the CO has conducted a kick-off meeting or has advised the Contractor that a kick off meeting is waived.

3. SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

a. Contractor shall furnish rooms to VA beneficiaries as referred by authorized personnel of the St. Louis VA Healthcare System. The contractor shall furnish all standard supplies/services included as minimum room requirements. Lodging shall be provided in accordance with Attachment 1: HopTel Lodging Services, to accommodate those beneficiaries receiving medical care who may have to travel long distances for evaluation the day before or the day after treatment received. Only medically stable beneficiaries who would normally be discharged to their home will be considered for lodging.

b. Room requirements:

1. Nightly room prices, as quoted in the Schedule, shall include all fees and applicable taxes and any other no-charge services offered to guests such as shuttle service and continental breakfast. Rates shall not include sales tax. The Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Federal agency and therefore exempt from paying sales tax. Room rates offered shall be Single Occupancy and shall provide a minimum of two (2) double beds. The VA beneficiary shall be allowed one caregiver/driver/attendant to stay in the same room with the beneficiary, at the single occupancy rate when pre authorized by the VA. Any additional occupants are the responsibility of the beneficiary and shall not lodge at VA expense.

2. The Contractor shall ensure the availability of two (2) rooms daily as specified in 3.b.1. for the St. Louis VA Healthcare System, Sunday through Friday each week for beneficiaries that are deemed eligible for temporary Lodging or HopTel services by VA staff. If the contractor has not been notified by 4:00 pm of each respective day that the rooms will be used by the government, the rooms on hold for that day may be released for use by the public. The Contractor will invoice for and be paid only for actual room nights occupied in accordance with the Paragraph 3.b.1. above. Additional rooms or rooms needed after the 4:00 pm cutoff, may be purchased by the VA at the same rates as listed in the contract B.2 Schedule of Price and Delivery, based on a space available basis.

3. The fully furnished hotel/motel rooms shall include contractor provided utilities and other specified services. The hotel/motel rooms shall comply with all city, county and state building codes and ordinances applicable to the ownership and operation of the building in which the rooms are located. Rooms shall comply with the applicable NFPA (Fire) 101, 2003 or latest edition, Chapters 28/29 specifications and American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. All rooms shall be located in a single hotel or motel.

4. Due to the varying needs of the Veteran population and their attendants, each room shall accommodate wheelchair movement and be ADA compliant. Access to rooms shall be from interior hallways that are accessed directly from the front entryway, with no physical barriers that would prevent full wheelchair access.

5. The rooms shall be smoke-free unless requested otherwise by the beneficiary. Contractor personnel shall not smoke in the rooms at any time whether or not VA referred occupants are present.

6. Contractor shall supply all utilities including heat, air conditioning, electricity, water and sewer, local telephone service (no deposit required), and basic television cable service.

7. Vendor must have staff available at the hotel to immediately deal with any issues that may arise, including assistance in coordinating shuttle services so that the beneficiary can make his\her medical appointments on time. It is not acceptable for VA beneficiaries to have to call an off premises point of contact to deal with such issues. It is intended that this requirement be full service, not just a room booking service.

a. Rooms shall be located in as reasonably quiet or tranquil part of the hotel/motel as possible. Room reservations: Room reservations, room occupancy and room payment will be on the following basis:

8. The Contractor shall allow the occupancy of the room covered by this contract only upon the specific individual referral by authorized personnel of the VA St. Louis Healthcare System. The VA will inform the Contractor of each individual's name and the arrival date at the Contractor's facility. Stays will be limited to one night unless additional nights are specifically authorized by the VA.

9. Services shall be furnished Sunday through Friday evenings for beneficiaries of the St. Louis VA Healthcare System. The Contractor shall use its existing check in and checkout times.

10. Federal Holidays: Eleven holidays observed by Federal Government are listed below plus any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States:

New Year's Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Presidents' Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Day Veteran’s Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

11. The VA personnel authorized to place beneficiaries with the Contractor and resolve conflicts are the Social Work Service Program Support, the Chief, Social Work Service, and Administrative Officer of the Day (AOD). They can be reached 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at 314-652-4100 x66387 or 53691. After hours, weekends and holidays, the AOD can be reached at 314-652-4100 extension "0".

12. The authorized dates and length of stay will be documented on a written hotel voucher issued by the authorized VA personnel. The voucher will be presented to the Contractor by the VA referred beneficiary at the time of check-in. In the event that a VA referred beneficiary refuses to vacate the room, the Contractor shall immediately notify authorized VA personnel. Also, in the event that a VA referred beneficiary checks out of the facility without prior notice from the VA, the Contractor shall immediately notify the authorized personnel at the VA. Individual VA authorization vouchers must be retained by the Contractor until after payment for each voucher has been received.

13. The Contractor shall submit an itemized Usage Report to the VA for actual room nights furnished during the month. This report is due by the 15th of the month following the previous month's services. The Usage Report shall contain the contract number, name of beneficiary and dates of lodging.

a. Beneficiary emergencies: In the event a VA referred beneficiary is in an emergency situation of any kind, the Contractor shall contact the 911 emergency medical services to respond to the emergency. Once the emergency has been resolved the Contractor shall notify the authorized personnel at the VA of the situation.

b. Room maintenance: Daily room maintenance shall comply with all Federal, State and local laws and commercial standards (Reference FAR 52.212-4(q)).

c. Hotel Shuttle Service from the hotel location to the John Cochran division and return transportation as required for scheduled procedures shall be coordinated with VA by the Contractor.

d. beneficiaries upon arrival at hotel to ensure they will be transported on time for their

a. procedures. This may require afternoon pick up from the hospital and early morning delivery times to the hospital. Vendor will have support personnel at the site of the hotel/motel to personally and timely interact with Veterans and help to resolve any issues that may arise relating to the shuttle transportation. The Veterans are not to be directed to an outside POC to assist with this coordination. It must be at the hotel/motel location.

4. GENERAL BUILDING REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

a. Heating and cooling requirements shall be in compliance with ADA and/or State of Missouri Laws.

14. All cooling and heating devices and appliances, including but not limited to furnaces, fireplaces, electrical baseboard heaters and water heaters, shall be an approved type in good and safe working order and shall meet all installation and safety codes.

15. Contractor shall maintain all appliances and utility systems. This shall include the cleaning or replacement of air filters for both the heating system (providing the heating system is a forced hot air heating system) and for the cooling system every 30 calendar days.

b. Electrical and Lighting Requirement shall be in compliance with ADA and/or State of Missouri Laws.

c. All electrical equipment, wiring and appliances shall be of an approved type, in good and safe working order and shall meet all installation and safety codes.

d. Sanitation Requirements: All plumbing fixtures shall be trapped and vented and connected to an approved sanitary sewer. All sanitary facilities, fixtures, equipment, structures and premises shall be of an approved type, in safe and sanitary condition and in good working order and meet all installation and safety codes.

e. Telephone Service Requirements:

16. Contractor shall provide local area, touch tone, telephone service (no deposit required) for each room. The telephone service shall be capable of long-distance telephone service when long distance calls are placed using a telephone calling card or other telephone charge method. The VA will not be charged for and will not pay for any long-distance calls unless prior approval is obtained from the VA.

17. Contractor shall provide a minimum of one telephone in each room.

18. Telephone service shall be equipped with voice messaging system or front desk message service.

f. Fire Safety:

19. Buildings in which space is offered shall be evaluated in accordance with latest editions of the NFPA 101, LIFE SAFETY CODE and AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT (ADA).

20. Equipment, services, or utilities that are furnished and activities of other occupants shall be free of safety, health, and fire hazards. When hazards are detected, the contractor shall promptly correct hazards.

21. Maintenance of contractor-owned fire extinguishers shall be provided by the contractor in accordance with NFPA Standard No. 101.

22. As required by code, smoke detectors/alarms shall be installed in each room, office, storage area, hallways and other common areas.

g. Wheelchair Accessibility: Common areas such as hallways shall provide an accessible path for travel of wheelchairs.

h. Elevators: If elevators are a part of the building, they shall conform to the latest requirements of the American National Standard A171 and A171a Safety Code for Elevators, except for elevator emergency recall and shall be inspected and maintained in accordance with American National Standard A17.1, Inspector's Manual for Elevators or equivalent local code. The elevators shall also comply with local codes and ordinances.

i. Miscellaneous: No activity to the building and/or grounds that would cause an increase in dust, dirt or spores to be airborne (i.e., renovation to the building, movement of earth on the grounds) shall take place without the contractor's written notification to the VA at least seven (7) calendar days in advance of the event.

j. The lodging facility must be compliant with the requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-391) (15 U.S.C. 2201 et. seq.) and is listed on the US Fire Administration Hotel and Motel National Master List found at https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/ and the System for Award Management (SAM) database found at https://www.transportation.gov/osdbu/system-award-manaqement sam or by calling 1-866-606-8220. In addition, the lodging facility must be compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Public Law 101-336) (42 U.S.C. 1210 et. seq.).

5. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

a. The VA reserves the right to conduct an inspection of the lodging facility(ies) by a team of VA contract and safety team members at any time before and after contract award and during the term of the contract to ensure a safe and healthy environment for the VA referred beneficiaries. The Contractor will be provided appropriate notice prior to such inspection.

b. See FAR 52.212-4 for additional Government rights and inspection requirements and Attachment 2: Hotel/Motel Evaluation Checklist.

6. IT SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

Specific training and certification requirements for Contractor personnel for the viewing, handling or storage of confidential information are not applicable to this contract.

7. ATTACHMENTS:

a. Attachment 1: HopTel Lodging Services. This memo (Memorandum 122-06: dated April 19, 2019) provides information concerning the eligibility criteria for the beneficiaries who will be assigned lodging in accordance with this contract.

b. Attachment 2: Hotel/Motel Evaluation Checklist. This checklist provides a listing of the health and safety items that will be inspected prior to contract award and that will be inspected randomly after contract award during the performance of the contract.

c. Attachment 3: Self Performance Worksheet. This worksheet is intended to aid the VA in reviewing each potential Contractor’s ability to satisfy the Limitations on Subcontracting associated with this requirement. Each contractor will need to complete the worksheet and return it to the VA as part of the Contractor’s response to this sources sought notice.

See attached document: Self-Performance Worksheet

MARKET RESEARCH

SELF-PERFORMANCE WORKSHEET

This requirement is for lodging with nominal ancillary services. Please complete this worksheet. Your firm will not be considered a viable source if this worksheet is not completed in full. The Contracting Officer may ask follow-up market research questions about responses on this form.

a) Anticipated Nightly rate charged to VA: $_______________

Note: Your rate identified above is for market research only. This is not considered your quote. It is just a preliminary estimate for VA’s planning purposes.

b) If you do not own the hotel where Veterans will be staying, what amount from a) above will be paid to the place of lodging (i.e., subcontractor hotel) by your business: $_______________

- Is the subcontracted hotel owned by an SDVOSB or other small business entity and if so, which type of entity (SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB,): _____________________

-Is your business a small business concern and if so, which type of entity (SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB,): __________________________

If you own a hotel that will be used for this requirement, include the hotel name and address:

Hotel Name Address

List of intended subcontractors (hotels) for this requirement, if any, and their addresses:

Company UEI Address