Legionella Testing 36C25625Q0118 Question and Answers.docx

Legionella Testing Question and Answers.

36C25625Q0118

1. What is the response due date on the solicitation? – December 6th 15:00 CDT

1. Does the dental lab need its own separate HPC testing or does it mean that when the dental lab is chosen to get sampling for the quarter, they want HPC as well (Pg 8). – The Dental Lab will not be covered in this contract.

1. Would the 40 additional test be paid outside of contract (Pg 9). – The 40 additional tests as needed throughout the year are at no cost to the government.

1. Discrepancies between Scope of Work (Pg. 8) and quarterly details (Pgs. 11-20)

1. Pg. 8 request 288 total tests (72/qtr), but (Pg. 11-20) add up to 92 test per quarter. – Total minimum tests will be 368 (92 per quarter)

1. Pg. 8 implies only HPC is wanted for dental lab. (Pg 11-20) ask for 60 HPC test and 15 retests. This might not be an issue as certain labs will include HPC for all Legionella testing, clarification would be appreciated. – No dental labs need be tested, rather the HPC is for the Cooling Tower.

1. Are you able to provide any guidance on the acceptable Wage category we should be using?– The wage determination will be 2015-5189 Rev.28. The vendor determines the most appropriate wage category and is dependent on the job being performed.

1. The RFQ states that sampling and test results shall be submitted to the VA for the 2nd quarter prior to January 31, 2025. See page 3, item #1 under “Water Sampling Schedule.”

If the 2nd quarter is April-May-June of 2025, how would it be possible to submit the results prior to January 31, 2025? - We are using fiscal quarterly schedules. This contract would start on Q2 2025 then goes through Q1 2026 until ending 8 January 2026.

The fiscal quarters for the United States government are:

Q1: October 1–December 31 Q2: January 1–March 31 Q3: April 1–June 30 Q4: July 1–September 30

1. After each quarterly sampling, is the requirement to provide a detailed report, or does providing the sample results suffice as the report? - Yes

1. P. 3, 2. Here it states to test for “residual biocide” does this mean Free and/or Total Chlorine? If not, please elaborate what the VA is looking for in this test - Yes

1. P. 2, Factor B. Can the subcontractor’s experience count toward the requirement of at least 3 years’ experience? - Yes

1. P. 2. Volume 2, Price, b). Since the pricing will be in the solicitation document, can the copy of the SAM registration be submitted as a stand-alone document? – it should be added to the end of the document and should not be stand alone.

1. Are there any physical challenges in accessing any of the locations to be tested? – No. All contractors will be escorted by VA personnel

1. Is there a current contract for the work being solicited? – This is new requirement however there was a previous contract for SLVHCS

11. If so, please provide that awarded contract number or task order number (not the incumbent GSA contractor number). -36C25620P0398

11. Please provide the name of the incumbent contractor and the annual contract amount. – See Contract #

11. Is the level of effort being performed under the current contract fundamentally the same as what will be required to fulfill the new contract? If not, please explain how the work will be different under this solicitation. - Yes

1. The request for the Legionella testing appears to be very detailed, but there is a lack of specificity regarding the Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) testing. Could you please clarify how many HPC samples are expected per quarter? – There will be an modification to the solicitation to reflect the HPC requirements. There will be 12 HPC tests needed per quarter for a total of 48 per year. The government also would like the option of up to 15 retests throughout the year.

1. Additionally, could you provide information on the proximity of the buildings to be tested? Will the same individual accompany the sample collector to all locations? - The buildings are all close together (one main campus with separate buildings). A VA Escort, will accompany the sample collector to all locations.

1. Could you please confirm if this is a new requirement or if there was a previous incumbent? If it’s the latter, would you be able to share the contract ID with us? – This is new requirement however a previous contract for SLVHCS was 36C25620P0398.

1. Please note that our technicians will need to account for travel and accommodation for the retests. Does the government have a timeline for when these retests will be required? – No. The retest timeline is at the discretion of the government.

1. Scope of Work section 4, can the government confirm that VA personnel will determine site sampling locations OR will a full list of locations be provided to the contractor and approve the list before work is to begin? – VA personnel will escort vendor to site sampling locations.

1. Would the government consider separating Legionella and Cooling Tower HPC routine samples into separate CLINs? – No.

1. Would the government consider separating Cooling Tower HPC retests samples in a separate CLIN as was done for Legionella testing? – Yes, the solicitation will be amended to separate out the legionella retests and the HPC retests to be billed as needed.

1. Scope of Work section 1 calls out HPC testing in cooling towers to be performed each quarter. However, in the CLIN table, HPC routine and retests are only called out in 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001. Can the government confirm that cooling towers will only be tested for HPC once a year in Q2 of each fiscal year? – No. HPC testing will be on all 12 cooling tower units once a quarter for a total of 48 test. These requirements will be included in a modification after the Q&A period closes.

1. If cooling towers will be tested quarterly, can the government please clarify the total number samples that will be collected each quarter? – There are 3 Pods with 4 cells each for a total of 12 cells

1. Can the government confirm that all 12 cooling towers from Bldg 7 will be tested for HPC? - All cooling towers in each building will be tested.

1. Clauses 52.222-43 – Can the government clarify if this clause applies to the contract as it is not selected? – No, clause 52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards is what applies to the contract.

1. Combined Solicitation v2 – General Information 4. Conformance Standards – Legionella water sample collection and laboratory testing do not fall under Joint Commission, DNR, EPA, or DOT requirements. Contractors do not require any state, local and federal permits or licenses to conduct water sampling and laboratory testing other than laboratory accreditations under CDC ELITE and others. Can the government clarify these references or remove them from the requirements? – The language is broad, but it is the responsibility of the vendor to conform to the applicable laws and regulations.

1. Does the VA have a current response plan in house for if they get a positive test result and who is responsible for doing that response? – Yes, we forward it to the safety office and there is a separate contract for remedying it.

1. Is the HPC, simplate? Unknown.

1. Since this is potable water, are Louisiana DW certs. needed? – No. The testing does not necessarily need to be done in Louisiana.