36C25622Q0527 0004.pdf

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)

1 1

06-01-2022

36C256

Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 16

5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

36C256

Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 16

5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C25622Q0527

06-01-2022

X

X X

06-10-2022, 3:00 PM CT

X One (1)

The purpose of this amendment is to extend the solicitation due date for submission of quotes to the Government.

1. Due date for solicitation is now updated to 06-10-2022 3:00 PM CT.

2. Question and Answer (Q&A) attached to this amendment as Attachment A and updated price/cost schedule attached as

Attachment B.

Note: Contractor must acknowledge this amendment by signing in box 15B. and submitting this to Contracting Officer with quote before the solicitation due date. If amendment is not acknowledged, contractor may be ineligible for award at the discretion of the Contracting Officer.

Christopher Vu

Contracting Officer

VA-VHA-SAOC-2018-E8E15CC2

Attachment A – Q& A Amendment 0004 36C25622Q0527

Question 1:

Comment: The CLINs indicate 23,040 hours which when put in terms of the POP (approximately 13 weeks) would be converted to about 44 full time individuals. The Services section on page 7 indicates that this is for 20 RNs.

Question: Can the government please clarify if they expected need is for 20 RNs or 40+ RNs?

Answer 1:

There was an oversite in regards to the period of performance requested. Period of performance has been updated from three (3) months to six (6) months. FTE calculation is in the amount of 22.15 FTE for the updated six (6) month period of performance to fill different shifts and specialties per the PWS. It is the discretion of the contractor to provide the number of nurses to fill the FTE amount requested which has now been updated to 22.15 FTE. Anything language referencing 20 RNs in the solicitation is now updated to 22.15 FTE.

Question 2:

Comment: Numerous specialties are indicated in the PWS as potential service areas and the minimum qualifications dictate that candidates have to have at least 1 year recent experience in their specific specialty.

Question: Can the government please provide estimates on how many hours will need to be staffed in each specialty so that offerors can conduct pre-recruitment that prioritizes areas of expected highest needs?

Answer 2:

Each contracted nurse will work approximately 40 hours a week. Contracted nursing staff will also work in the area of greatest need. For example, an ICU nurse may be pulled to MS if needed. A contracted nurse will not work in an area where they would be performing duties that they are not competent to perform. An exact estimate for each section is not possible to provide because it is based on need. A good gauge based on the total number of hours requested can be gauged by percentage of use, ICU:

40% (9,216 hours), MedSurg/Stepdown: 40% (9,216 hours), CLC: 20% (4,608 hours). The price schedule has been updated to reflect a three line item numbers price structure based on hours outlined above based on a six (6) month period of performance. Reference Attachment B in this amendment.

Question 3:

How many RN’s are you needing for each specialty? General RN’s? ICU RN’s? Acute Care Oncology RN’s?

CLC RN’s?

Answer 3:

Reference percentages above to question 2.

Question 4:

There are 92 days between 8/1 and 10/31, or approximately 2,208 hours. The total CLINs allot for 23,040 hours. this equates to about 10.43 FTEs at any given time. Can you please provide how many FTEs are required per shift, and how the government came up with 23,040 hours?

Answer 4:

There was an oversite and the new calculation for this requirement is based on six (6) months for the contractor to provide 23,040 hours/1040 = 22.15 FTE to fill various shifts based on the need of the medical center at the time.

Question 5:

Are the specialties for RNs Emergency Department, Oncology, CLC, Med Surg (Doesn’t mention ICU, but states that in the title).

Answer 5:

This requirement is for ICU, MS/Stepdown (which included oncology), and CLC Nurses. Price schedule/schedule of services has been updated to reflect these three different specialties. Reference Attachment B of this amendment.

Question 6:

Where did this requirement arise from?

Answer 6:

A nationwide shortage of nurses.

Question 7:

Can you confirm the hours and/or the period of performance, the current hours listed are 23,040 for 20 RNs for a 3-month contract? If each RN works a 40-hour work week for three months, then the hours would roughly equal 10,000 billable hours. Should the period of performance be for 6 months?

Answer 7:

Yes, you are correct the period of performance should reflect a six (6) month period of performance.

The solicitation has been updated to reflect from a six (6) month period of performance instead of a three (3) month period of performance.

Question 8:

Is there any change that this contract will be extended?

Answer 8:

I not sure I understand your question, but the total base period of performance for this requirment is six

(6) months and will have a six (6) month extension per FAR Clauses 52.212-8 if there is still a government need for these services past the original base period in accordance with this contract clause.

Question 9:

Is there an incumbent on this contract?

Answer 9:

To meet the VA’s need there have been previous nursing contracts awarded to multiple contractors under national declared disasters, urgent and compelling circumstances due to the COVID and other factors that would have affected patient care, but this requirement is not being awarded in that situation. So no there is no incumbent under these normally procurement circumstances.

Question 10:

Comment The instructions limit recent and relevant past performance to “within the last 12 months preceding the date the solicitation is issued” and for “temporary assignments of 30 to 360 days at hospitals similar in scope and size.” This severely limits what references can be provided and will exclude participation from many well-qualified, experienced SDVOSB contractors.

Question: Will the government consider extending the recency requirement for longer than 12 months and the relevancy requirement past 360 days? (For example: recency of up to 2 years to capture relevant COVID-19 response contracts, and at least 365 days to capture a standard one-year contract term)?

Answer 10:

This request has been taken in consideration and relevant past performance within the last 12 months preceding the date of the solicitation issued…is a good gauge as part of this evaluation factors for past performance to consider past performance for the most current market. This will stay the same.

Question 11:

Comment: Our interpretation of the instructions is that only the 4 hours of basic orientation can be billed to the government and that approximately 60 hours of additional, mandatory training and orientation for each employee will not be billable to the government (In-Service/Validation of competency or work area-4 hours, EHR-4 hours, BCMA – 4 hours, other mandatory VA Training – no estimate, pre-orientation – 8 hours, contracted nurse orientation – 1 day/8 hours, competency assessment – 1 day/8 hours, additional orientation for each area-up to 24 hours). This places a significant out of pocket cost burden on small businesses that may be insurmountable by some qualified offerors, especially since this contract has a short period of performance and there are no guaranteed hours on this contract to ensure the costs could be recuperated.

Question: Can the government please confirm if our interpretation of the solicitation is correct?

Answer 11:

Per the solicitation requirement as stated on page 13, it states “VMAC CONDUCTED TRAINING REQUIREMENTS WILL BE AT THE CONTRACTOR’S EXPENSE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NURSING SERVICES BASIC ORIENTATION. VAMC WILL REIMBURSE THE CONTRACTOR FOR THE NURSING SERVICES BAISC ORIENTATION CLASSES ONLY AT THE RATES SPECIFIED IN THE PURSUANT CONTRACT PAYMENT WILL BE MADE ONLU AFTER PERSONNEL HAVE COMPELTED A MINIMUM OF TWO (2) SHIFTS OF SERVICE AT THE

MEDICAL CENTER.”

Question 12:

Will the government please consider allowing additional mandatory trainings to be billable/and or add in a guaranteed hours minimum hours component for each employee placed on this contract?

Answer 12:

This request has been taken in consideration, but the above lowers the risk to the government as the rates for nurses is currently above normal market rates and this gives incentive for the contractor to ensure their nursing staff can be retained for more than one shift as this is a cost of doing business for the contractor. Reference answer 11 for additional details.

Question 13:

Comment: No technical narratives are requested in the instructions, only CVs or resumes. The evaluation criteria indicated that offerors will be evaluated based on “Recruiting of Registered Nurse providers process to include credentialing if applicable, Offeror’s format accepted. Any other information that shows Offerors’ capability to staff and retain temporary medical support personnel required to perform the tasks in the PWS.”

Question: Can the government confirm if technical narratives on recruitment, credentialing, staffing and retention are required with submittals?

Answer 13:

It is recommended, but per what is required for submission to this solicitation reference page ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS-COMMERICAL ITEMS starting on the bottom of page 63.

Question 14:

Is this a PRN contract only?

Answer 14:

No, this is not on a as needed basis type contract. The need identified by the Medical Center is for 22.15 FTE base on a period of performance of six (6) months for various shifts and specialties.

Question 15:

Would the government consider adding an CLIN for use when an employee works authorized overtime? Omitting such a CLIN forces the offeror to blend in the cost of estimated overtime into our base bill rate which raises the overall cost of the contract to the government unnecessarily.

Answer 15:

There is a cost of doing business with any type of business. After thought and consideration, no line item number will be added/used to add overtime rate. The expectation is that each contract nurse will works only up to 40 hours per week. Reference page 11 section 4 (b) for additional details per the PWS in regard to overtime, expectation and responsibilities.

Question 16:

Will contractors need to present candidates with the bid or only pricing?

Answer 16:

This is comparative evaluations based on FAR 13.106-2 (b)(3) using the factors below:

1. Past Performance, 2. Technical, and 3. Price

Reference page 70 Section E.7 52.212-2 EVALUATION -COMMERCIAL ITEMS for additional details, which state:

“The Government intends to award a single Firm Fixed Price contract resulting form this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose quote conforms with the solicitation. The Government will evaluate quotations using the comparative evaluation process outlined in FAR 13.106-2 (b)(3), where quotations will be compared to one another to determine which provides…”

Also please reference the bottom of page 63 ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO

OFFERORS—COMMERICAL ITEMS of the solicitation for submission requirements for quotations.

Question 17:

Can anyone apply for this? for just Veterans?

Answer 17:

I do not know if anyone can apply for this, but if I understand this question correctly here is the answer from my understanding of this question, only verified/active SDVOSB in VIP https://vetbiz.va.gov/vip/ may be eligible for award that conform with the solicitation requirements and submission requirements.

This solicitation is a total 100 % SDVOSB set aside.

https://vetbiz.va.gov/vip/

Attachment B – Update Price Cost Schedule - Amendment 0004 36C25622Q0527

B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

ITEM

NUMBER

DESCRIPTION OF

SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

9,216 HR ___________________ ________________

Onsite Registered Nurse Support for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurses in support of the John L. McCllelan Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4300 West 7th street , Little Rock, Arkansas. Invoicing and Payment is limited to quantity of hours for services rendered.

Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 08-01-2022 POP End: 01-31-2023 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 561320 - Temporary Help Services PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: Q401 - Medical - Nursing

9,216 HR ____________________ ________________

Onsite Registered Nurse Support for the Medical-Surgical/Acute Care/Oncology Nurses in support of the John L. McCllelan Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4300 West 7th street , Little Rock, Arkansas. Invoicing and Payment is limited to quantity of hours for services rendered.

Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 08-01-2022 POP End: 01-31-2023

4,608 HR ____________________ ________________

Onsite Registered Nurse Support for the Community Living Center (CLC) Nurses in support of the John L. McCllelan Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4300 West 7th street , Little Rock, Arkansas. Invoicing and Payment is limited to quantity of hours for services rendered.

Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 08-01-2022 POP End: 01-31-2023

GRAND TOTAL