36C25620Q0206-010.doc

A. The introductory paragraph includes the text:

The contractor will be responsible for providing all labor, equipment, tools, supervision, transportation, administration and parts and materials (including lubricants) to provide maintenance and repairs to all laundry equipment and associated utilities work associated with repair, scheduled preventative maintenance (PM) and testing.

Is it the intent of the government to release a contract that ensures proper preventative maintenance is performed on the laundry equipment or actual repairs?

It is the intent. Both deliverable #1 Speaks of PM checks and services and Deliverable #2 Speaks to replacement of parts & repairs.

B. Section 7. Paragraph 2 & 3 - “Contractor will be required to provide proof of their experience and technical capabilities/qualifications of technicians by submitting certifications or written letter of qualification from the equipment manufacturer”. & (Paragraph 3) “Special Qualifications. Contractor’s shall provide correspondence from ALL original equipment manufacturers indicating that the vendors’ technicians have been properly trained and are qualified to service the equipment as detailed/annotated in EQUIPMENT LISTING (SCHEDULE A). The training certification/documentation that is provided shall be current (within the past year).”

Due to the competitive environment in the commercial laundry industry, multiple manufactures with equipment in the VA Houston facility may be uncooperative in providing a letter of certification for bidders who distribute or primarily provide equipment and services from competing companies.

Section 7 paragraph #1 states contractor shall have at least 3 years’ experience in preventative maintenance of laundry equipment in VA Medical Center laundry facility of comparable size. The contractor must submit documentation to support this. Additionally, the 2nd paragraph reads in part:

Contractor will be required to provide proof of their experience and technical capabilities/qualifications of technicians by submitting certifications or written letter of qualification from the equipment manufacturer. During the formal bid submission process, contractors shall include a description of the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience of the personnel who will be responsible for carrying out Performance Work Statement tasks. Resumes shall be provided for each personnel/staff member that will be performing work and/or the progress of the requirement in a director or indirect capacity.

Bidders must submit these items as part of their proposal. Even if technicians have not received training on all of the equipment listed in Schedule A please submit documentation of any laundry equipment training technicians have received as part of the submittal package.

C. Will the VA consider documented examples of successful preventative maintenance work experience on all similar production equipment from the same Original Equipment Manufacturer at other VA hospital locations as an alternative source of qualification?

Section 7 paragraph #1 states contractor shall have at least 3 years’ experience in preventative maintenance of laundry equipment in VA Medical Center laundry facility of comparable size. The contractor must submit documentation to support this. Additionally the 2nd paragraph reads in part:

Contractor will be required to provide proof of their experience and technical capabilities/qualifications of technicians by submitting certifications or written letter of qualification from the equipment manufacturer. During the formal bid submission process, contractors shall include a description of the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience of the personnel who will be responsible for carrying out Performance Work Statement tasks. Resumes shall be provided for each personnel/staff member that will be performing work and/or the progress of the requirement in a director or indirect capacity.

Bidders must submit these items as part of their proposal. Even if technicians have not received training on all of the equipment listed in Schedule A please submit documentation of any laundry equipment training technicians have received as part of the submittal package.

D. Section 7. Paragraph 4- “Cera-Pure WR-16 Waste Water Recycling System: Contractors must be certified/qualified by the manufacturer to perform all maintenance repairs and provide preventative maintenance services that are associated with the Cera-Pure WR-16 Waste Water Recycling System.”

In reviewing the overall layout of the laundry facility at the VA Houston, it has been determined that the equipment referenced in this section is not actually existing in the facility. Is this a typo?

Section 7. Paragraph 4- “Cera-Pure WR-16 will be removed see revised PWS

E. Section 8, Deliverable #3 – “Standard service requests made, beyond the preventative maintenance services provided above, will be responded to via phone, email or in person, within four (4) business hours of the request with a timeline for the repair. Every effort is made to reduce downtime and ensure the facility continues to operate at peak performance. ‘Emergency’ service requests, beyond the preventative maintenance services provided above, will require a four (4) hour response by phone, email or in person and a qualified technician directly engaged either onsite or via a remote internet connection, within 24 hours.”

Would the government be able to provide a clear description and distinction between ‘Standard” and ‘Emergency’ service?

Emergency service is defined as any laundry equipment issue that will or potentially will shut down the laundry operation and make it non-operational.

F. Section 8, Deliverable #5 – “No additional work will be conducted outside of the scope of work of the contract without a Purchase Order being issued to the contractor from the government for the required parts/work.”

For clarification purposes, no requested services issues will be acted upon until a Purchase Order is proposed and issued by the medical center?

Clarification… – “No work outside of the scope of work of the contract without a Purchase Order being issued to the contractor from the Contracting Officers, via a signed SF30 modification

G. Equipment Listing (Schedule A) – There are numerous items listed in the equipment list provided in Schedule A that are not able to be confirmed as onsite at the VA Houston Laundry facility.

Could the government provide an updated list of all equipment that has been confirmed onsite at the facility?

All of the equipment listed in the revised PWS is up to date and accurate.

H. Bid date – The current bid date is set for Friday February 7th. In the event the equipment listed in schedule A is not accurate, bidders may require additional time to perform a site visit and generate a proposal based on the updated list of equipment.

Is it possible to extend the bid date by two weeks to enable bidders to properly prepare a submission?

Bid date will be extend; refer to last dated amendment I. On the equipment list, the last item on page 12 lists the Transvac Inverter. Are the PMs on the whole transvac system or just the inverter?

The requirement is for PM services on the Transvac inverter only.

J. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform Laundry Equipment Preventative Maintenance and Services as defined in this Performance Work Statement except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

Will the station going to supply parts for the required PMs on feeders, folders and ironers, such as belts and pads?

Deliverable #10 requires Bi-annual / Pad replacement. As for other parts see Deliverable #2.

K. #2 - DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES:

Does this include parts, or the OEM suggested spare parts on all equipment? Some parts can cost upward of $10,000.00 for a single motor or drive. There are times when original OEM’s are required for service, for example, updates, program issues, and special services, are we required to pay for this service?

Deliverable #2 reads: Contractor will annotate an hourly rate all-inclusive of labor and travel for any repair and/or replacement of parts not deemed routine PM checks and servicing. Those parts will be paid for outside of this Preventive Maintenance contract. Refurbished parts or gray market parts will not be accepted.

Please note highlight.

L. #6 - WORK HOURS AND SCHEDULING ARRANGEMENTS

This contract requires two full-time mechanics. and the laundry operates until 9:30pm. Will a mechanic be required to remain on site daily until 9:30 pm? The laundry operates on most holidays - will we be required to supply mechanics on these days?

The government is not presenting a staffing needs requirement.

It will be the responsibility of the awardee to ensure “adequate staff” is available to perform the all services as required AND when required.

M. #7 - CONTRACTOR REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & TECHNICAL CAPABILITY (TO PERFORM SERVICES)

“Contractor will be required to provide proof of their experience and technical capabilities/qualifications of technicians by submitting certifications or written letter of qualification from the equipment manufacturer.”

Attendance in a class does not replace experience or service capability. It is virtually impossible for a mechanic to be certified for each component in every piece of equipment. To achieve this, the investment of time alone would be nearly impossible, not to mention the cost. Two mechanics would be required to spend roughly 175 days in training/travel to obtain a legal copy of the certification for the classes you are requiring.

What is needed is a proven track record that the mechanics servicing the facility have the necessary experience in mechanical and electrical systems. A properly trained maintenance mechanic can work on virtually any piece of equipment. Rather than providing “certifications”, the facility should require the vendor to provide proof of experience and technical ability -- a proven track record of maintaining and repairing washers, dryers, CBWs, folders, feeders, water treatment centers, chemical distribution systems, conveyors, rail systems -- every piece of equipment you have on-site, regardless of the manufacturer.

Will related experience be acceptable in lieu of certification?

Section 7 paragraph #1 states contractor shall have at least 3 years’ experience in preventative maintenance of laundry equipment in VA Medical Center laundry facility of comparable size. The contractor must submit documentation to support this. Additionally the 2nd paragraph reads in part:

Contractor will be required to provide proof of their experience and technical capabilities/qualifications of technicians by submitting certifications or written letter of qualification from the equipment manufacturer. During the formal bid submission process, contractors shall include a description of the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience of the personnel who will be responsible for carrying out Performance Work Statement tasks. Resumes shall be provided for each personnel/staff member that will be performing work and/or the progress of the requirement in a director or indirect capacity.

Bidders must submit these items as part of their proposal. Even if technicians have not received training on all of the equipment listed in Schedule A please submit documentation of any laundry equipment training technicians have received as part of the submittal package.

N. #8 - SCOPE OF SERVICES-PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, SCHEDULED/UNSCHEDULED SERVICES, AND REPAIR

1. DELIVERABLE #1: PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE (PM) CHECKS AND SERVICES:

This paragraph discusses “parts”. Should there be an open parts budget that can carry over from year to year, or do we need to purchase all recommended spare parts list in the OEM documentation?

Deliverable #2 reads: Contractor will annotate an hourly rate all-inclusive of labor and travel for any repair and/or replacement of parts not deemed routine PM checks and servicing. Those parts will be paid for outside of this Preventive Maintenance contract. Refurbished parts or gray market parts will not be accepted.

Please note highlight.

2. DELIVERABLE #2: REPLACEMENT PARTS (FOR NON-ROUTINE PM CHECKS AND SERVICING)

This seems to conflict with Deliverable #1. Please clarify.

Any items noted in the OEM PM guides as needed regular replacement as part of routine PM is included in Deliverable #1. All other items are included in Deliverable #2.

3. DELIVERABLE #10: BI-ANNUAL IRONER PAD REPLACEMENT

Who will be responsible for the cost and supplying of the pads – the VA or the vendor?

Deliverable #10 requires the vendor to replace pads bi-annually.

4. DELIVERABLE #11: MONTHLY BLOWDOWNS

Monthly blowdowns must be performed on weekends or evenings when staff is at minimum and the machinery is turned off. Will the vendor have permission to schedule at these times?

Yes.

O. . MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER INFORMATION:

Identification of Contractor Employees / Credentials Please clarify that this solicitation is for the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and not the Biloxi VA Medical Center/ VA Gulf Coast Health Care System.

This service is performed at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

P. EQUIPMENT LISTING (SCHEDULE A)

On the equipment list, the following items are controlled by ICS: cart dump, overhead storage, tunnel feed conveyors, soil rails, sorter and the Transvac system. The Transvac System is very complicated and has many more components than just the just the inverter. Does this contract include parts and service required to keep the Transvac system operational?

The requirement is for PM services on the Transvac inverter only.