36C25625Q1171 0001_1.docx

SUBJECT*

Water Testing according to VHA Directive 1061, GENERAL INFORMATION

Network Contracting Office 16 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Rhonda Gibson rhonda.gibson2@va.gov 254-213-8991

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

510 East Stoner Ave

Shreveport LA

COUNTRY

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this Amendment 01 is to post all questions answered from contractors. No further questions will be accepted at this time.

To Solicitation Number 36C25625Q1171-1 for Water Testing Service (Overton Brooks Medical Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101).

1. The solicitation due date has changed to 1 August 2025, at 10:00 PM CST. By email: Rhonda.gibson2@va.gov.

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

Page 1 of

Amendment to a Previous Combined Solicitation

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) 07-29-2025 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 16 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750 Houston TX 77056-5643 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 16 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750 Houston TX 77056-5643 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C25625Q1171

X X X ** HOUR & DATE for Receipt of Offers is EXTENDED to: 08-01-2025 10:00AM CDT See CONTINUATION Page X One The purpose of this Amendment is to answer questions submitted by contractors in reference to Solicitation Number 36C25625Q1171 for Water Testing Service (Overton Brooks VA Health Care, Shreveport, LA).

Questions and answer are incorporated herein.

1. The quote due date has change to 1, Aug 2025 at 10:00AM CST by email to rhonda.gibson2@va.gov No further questions are accepted at this time.

Le Kisha Douglas Contract Officer

NC01616L3 3304

Page 1 of Page 1 of

CONTINUATION PAGE

RFQ 36C25625Q1171 – Questions

1. Will the Government please confirm whether offerors will be collecting samples, or merely providing supplies for government personnel to collect the samples? Offers will be collecting the samples.

2. CLIN 0003 (and out years) indicates that the contractor shall provide "Chemistry," but this language is not clear -- will the Government either confirm that this CLIN is specifically related to the weekly SPS testing in the PWS? If the following is the question being asked - Will the contractor be providing weekly values for SPS only. The answer is yes.

3. The cooling tower testing requires HPC testing. The industry standard bacteriological test for cooling towers is a dipslide. WIll the Government confirm that dipslide will be acceptable, or specify if another test is required? Dipslide is acceptable

4. CLIN 0006 (and out years) indicates PCR/BIORAD testing for potable water samples. Will the Government clarify this requirement for PCR testing?

ANS: 20 Legionella samples are collected quarterly. 4 of those 20 samples must be PCR Legionella tested. The PCR method detects the presence of Legionella genetic material in water samples. Detection of Legionella genetic material indicates the presence of Legionella in the water sample, though the method may not be able to determine reliably if the Legionella are alive or dead. Therefore, VA medical facilities may opt to use Legionella PCR testing to first determine if water samples are negative for the detection of Legionella genetic material. NOTE: The PCR method utilized must be able to detect the genus Legionella, not just L. pneumophila. If a water sample is negative by PCR, then further processing of that sample by culture is not required and the sample can be considered “negative for Legionella detection”. If the sample is positive by Legionella PCR or if the laboratory reports the PCR result as indeterminate, then that same water sample must be processed for culture detection of Legionella to determine if living Legionella are present; the culture result is then used to determine if the sample is Legionella-positive or not.

5. Will the Government please clarify exactly how many ST108 sample points are being tested?

Critical Water:

pH, Conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Bacteria and Endotoxin are collected at 4 different locations weekly (RO Unit, RO Tank, Filter Out and Decon Sink are the 4 locations).

pH, Conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Bacteria and Endotoxin are collected at 2 additional locations bi weekly (Washer Disinfector 1 and Washer disinfector 2 are those 2 locations).

Utility Water:

pH, Conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, and Bacteria are collected at 6 different locations quarterly (6 medivator bays are the 6 locations).

6. Will the Government please clarify whether test points are Critical, Utility, Steam, or all of these? The SPS test points are for Critical and Utility.

7. If the offeror does not have any CPARS yet, will the Government consider past performance information submitted by the offeror? No

8. Upon reviewing the solicitation documents and the Performance Work Statement , we noticed that specific references are made to the "PVT Premium with Next Day PCR Legionella Test" and "PVT Next Day PCR" protocols. These appear to reference proprietary methodologies and software that are owned by Phigenics, a private commercial entity.

We would like to respectfully seek clarification on the following points:

· Is the Government mandating the use of Phigenics’ proprietary PVT method and software, or are functionally equivalent tests and validated methods permitted, provided they meet or exceed the performance specifications (e.g., detection limits, turnaround time, certifications)?

ANS:The PVT method is not required. Only PCR Legionella that is CDC Elite certified.

· If the intent was not to sole-source or require a proprietary solution, we request confirmation that equivalent ELITE-certified methodologies,such as CDC-approved ISO 11731, molecular PCR-based screens, and real-time validated protocols, may be proposed without using Phigenics’ systems.

ANS:Yes, I agree

9. in the PWS, section 4.7, it states “7. The Contractor shall provide quarterly water quality testing (Total coliforms, Escherichia coli) for the hospital’s potable water system.”

This defines two tests because they are not the same. Total coliforms and E. coli are both types of bacteria found in the environment, but E. coli is a specific type of fecal coliform, which is a subset of total coliforms.

While total coliforms can indicate potential issues with water quality, E. coli presence is a stronger indicator of fecal contamination and the possible presence of harmful pathogens. We’ve encountered contracts where both tests are required for drinking water; however, for this particular project, the requirement isn’t clear. Could you kindly confirm whether this contract calls for a single coliform test or two separate tests for total and fecal coliforms? When collecting samples for water quality testing, coliforms and e.coli testing are both done.

10. Moreover, the PWS includes this section " The Contractor shall provide bi-weekly Heterotrophic Plate Counts (HPC) or Total Aerobic Bacteria for each cooling tower basin" but no quantities were provided in the PWS and the pricing schedule does not include a section to accomodate this test.

We have 4 cooling towers that need to sampled bi weekly. So four (4) HPC samples should be sampled bi weekly.

RFQ 36C25625Q1171 – Questions

1. Will the Government please confirm whether offerors will be collecting samples, or merely providing supplies for government personnel to collect the samples? Offers will be collecting the samples.

2. CLIN 0003 (and out years) indicates that the contractor shall provide "Chemistry," but this language is not clear -- will the Government either confirm that this CLIN is specifically related to the weekly SPS testing in the PWS? If the following is the question being asked - Will the contractor be providing weekly values for SPS only. The answer is yes.

3. The cooling tower testing requires HPC testing. The industry standard bacteriological test for cooling towers is a dipslide. WIll the Government confirm that dipslide will be acceptable, or specify if another test is required? Dipslide is acceptable

4. CLIN 0006 (and out years) indicates PCR/BIORAD testing for potable water samples. Will the Government clarify this requirement for PCR testing? 20 Legionella samples are collected quarterly. 4 of those 20 samples must be PCR Legionella tested. The PCR method detects the presence of Legionella genetic material in water samples. Detection of Legionella genetic material indicates the presence of Legionella in the water sample, though the method may not be able to determine reliably if the Legionella are alive or dead. Therefore, VA medical facilities may opt to use Legionella PCR testing to first determine if water samples are negative for the detection of Legionella genetic material. NOTE: The PCR method utilized must be able to detect the genus Legionella, not just L. pneumophila. If a water sample is negative by PCR, then further processing of that sample by culture is not required and the sample can be considered “negative for Legionella detection”. If the sample is positive by Legionella PCR or if the laboratory reports the PCR result as indeterminate, then that same water sample must be processed for culture detection of Legionella to determine if living Legionella are present; the culture result is then used to determine if the sample is Legionella-positive or not.

5. Will the Government please clarify exactly how many ST108 sample points are being tested?

Critical Water:

pH, Conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Bacteria and Endotoxin are collected at 4 different locations weekly (RO Unit, RO Tank, Filter Out and Decon Sink are the 4 locations).

pH, Conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Bacteria and Endotoxin are collected at 2 additional locations bi weekly (Washer Disinfector 1 and Washer disinfector 2 are those 2 locations).

Utility Water:

pH, Conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, and Bacteria are collected at 6 different locations quarterly (6 medivator bays are the 6 locations).

6. Will the Government please clarify whether test points are Critical, Utility, Steam, or all of these? The SPS test points are for Critical and Utility.

7. If the offeror does not have any CPARS yet, will the Government consider past performance information submitted by the offeror? No

8. Upon reviewing the solicitation documents and the Performance Work Statement , we noticed that specific references are made to the "PVT Premium with Next Day PCR Legionella Test" and "PVT Next Day PCR" protocols. These appear to reference proprietary methodologies and software that are owned by Phigenics, a private commercial entity.

We would like to respectfully seek clarification on the following points:

· Is the Government mandating the use of Phigenics’ proprietary PVT method and software, or are functionally equivalent tests and validated methods permitted, provided they meet or exceed the performance specifications (e.g., detection limits, turnaround time, certifications)?

ANS:The PVT method is not required. Only PCR Legionella that is CDC Elite certified.

· If the intent was not to sole-source or require a proprietary solution, we request confirmation that equivalent ELITE-certified methodologies,such as CDC-approved ISO 11731, molecular PCR-based screens, and real-time validated protocols, may be proposed without using Phigenics’ systems.

ANS:Yes, I agree

9. in the PWS, section 4.7, it states “7. The Contractor shall provide quarterly water quality testing (Total coliforms, Escherichia coli) for the hospital’s potable water system.”

This defines two tests because they are not the same. Total coliforms and E. coli are both types of bacteria found in the environment, but E. coli is a specific type of fecal coliform, which is a subset of total coliforms.

While total coliforms can indicate potential issues with water quality, E. coli presence is a stronger indicator of fecal contamination and the possible presence of harmful pathogens. We’ve encountered contracts where both tests are required for drinking water; however, for this particular project, the requirement isn’t clear. Could you kindly confirm whether this contract calls for a single coliform test or two separate tests for total and fecal coliforms? When collecting samples for water quality testing, coliforms and e.coli testing are both done.

10. Moreover, the PWS includes this section " The Contractor shall provide bi-weekly Heterotrophic Plate Counts (HPC) or Total Aerobic Bacteria for each cooling tower basin" but no quantities were provided in the PWS and the pricing schedule does not include a section to accomodate this test.

We have 4 cooling towers that need to sampled bi weekly. So four (4) HPC samples should be sampled bi weekly.

Page 1 of Page 1 of