UPDATED RFQ 36C25626Q0004.pdf

PAGE 1 OF 1. REQUISITION NO.

2. CONTRACT NO. 3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE 4. ORDER NO. 5. SOLICITATION NUMBER 6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

a. NAME b. TELEPHONE NO. (No Collect Calls) 8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL

TIME

9. ISSUED BY CODE 10. THIS ACQUISITION IS UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE: % FOR:

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS:

SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ IFB RFP

15. DELIVER TO CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BY CODE

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR CODE FACILITY CODE 18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

TELEPHONE NO. UEI: EFT:

PHONE: FAX:

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED

SEE ADDENDUM

19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

ITEM NO. SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _______________ 29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________________________ OFFER COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DATED ________________________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY (BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED SET FORTH HEREIN IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) 31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION (REV. NOV 2021)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

STANDARD FORM 1449

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

629-26-1-096-0003

36C25626Q0004 09-24-2025

TIFFANY LEE-FRANKLIN 501-274-6707 09-30-2025

4:00 PM CDT

36C256 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 16 (NCO16) 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

X 100

X

621399

$10 Million

N/A

36C629

Department of Veterans Affairs New Orleans VA Medical Center 2400 Canal Street

New Orleans LA 70119-6535

36C256

Department of Veterans Affairs Contracting Office 16 (NCO16) 5075 5 Westheimer Road, Suite 750

Houston TX 77056-5643

36C629

FSC e-Invoice Payment http://www.fsc.va.gov/fsc/einvoice.asp Invoice Setup Information 1-877-489-6135 invoice must be submitted electronically

1-877-489-6135

See CONTINUATION Page

The Contractor shall provide Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Services to the New Orleans VA Medical Center in accordance with the Statement of Objective (SOO).

The awarded contract performance period is estimated to be November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2026, plus four (4), one (1) year ordering periods exercisable at the sole discretion of the Government.

NOTIFICATION TO OFFERORS: See Section E.1(page 55)for b i i instructions. Forms altered to include contractors letterhead, logo, etc. will NOT be accepted.

This is a Small Business set aside.

Wage Determination #2015-5189, Revision 31, dated July 8, 2025 Applies to this solicitation.

See CONTINUATION Page

X 1(One)

STEPHANIE KEO

VA-VHA-RPOC-2023-0081

36C25626Q0004

Table of Contents

SECTION A

A.1 SF 1449 SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

B.2 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

B.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

B.4 STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (NOV 2023)

C.2 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) ........... Error!

Bookmark not defined.

C.3 52.216-18 ORDERING (AUG 2020)

C.4 52.216-19 ORDER LIMITATIONS (OCT 1995)

C.5 52.216-22 INDEFINITE QUANTITY (OCT 1995)

C.6 VAAR 852.211-76 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES - REIMBURSEMENT FOR DATA

BREACH COSTS (FEB 2023)

C.7 VAAR 852.237-70 INDEMNIFICATION AND MEDICAL LIABILITY INSURANCE

(OCT 2019)

C.8 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)

C.9 SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

C.10 52.232-19 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR (APR

1984)

C.11 VAAR 852.232-72 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS

(NOV 2018)

C.12 VAAR 852.237-75 KEY PERSONNEL (OCT 2019)

C.13 VAAR 852.242-71 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICER (OCT 2020) ..42

C.14 52.212-5 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT

STATUTES OR EXECUTIVE ORDERS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (JAN 2025) (DEVIATION FEB 2025)

SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS

SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

E.1 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (SEP 2023)

E.2 ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMMERCIAL

PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES…………………………………………..…56

E.3 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL

SERVICES (NOV 2021)

E.4 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB

1998)

E.5 52.201-1 ACQUISITION 360: VOLUNTARY SURVEY (SEP 2023)

E.6 52.204-24 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (NOV 2021)

E.7 52.204-29 FEDERAL ACQUISITION SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY ACT

ORDERS—REPRESENTATION AND DISCLOSURES (DEC 2023)

E.8 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (OCT 2018)

E.9 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

E.10 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

E.11 VAAR 852.233-71 ALTERNATE PROTEST PROCEDURE (OCT 2018)

E.12 52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS—

COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (MAY 2024) (DEVIATION

FEB 2025)

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

1. Contract Administration: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

a. CONTRACTOR:

POC:____________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS:________________________________________________________________

PHONE_________________________________________

EMAIL:__________________________________________

SAM UEI NUMBER:________________________________

TAX ID:__________________________________________

b. GOVERNMENT:

Stephanie Keo, Contracting Officer (CO) Department of Veteran Affairs Network Contracting Office 16 (NCO16) 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750 Houston, TX 77056-5643 Email: Stephanie.Keo@va.gov

Tiffany Lee-Franklin, Contracting Specialist (CS) Department of Veteran Affairs Network Contracting Office 16 (NCO16) 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750 Houston, TX 77056-5643 Email: Tiffany.Lee-Franklin@va.gov

Gerald Bailey, Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Department of Veteran Affairs Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) 2400 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119-6535 Email: Gerald.Bailey2@va.gov

2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor should be mailed to the following address:

[X] 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System For Award Management, OR

[ ] 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

a. Quarterly [] mailto:Stephanie.Keo@va.gov mailto:Tiffany.Lee-Franklin@va.gov mailto:Gerald.Bailey2@va.gov

b. Semi-Annually []

c. Other [X] MONTHLY IN ARREARS

4. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: All Invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the Solicitation numbered and dated as follows:

AMENDMENT NO DATE

B.2 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

Under the authority of Public Law 104-262 and 38 USC 8153, the contractor agrees to provide Health Care Resources in accordance with the terms and conditions stated herein, to furnish to and at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS), the services and prices specified in the Section entitled Schedule of Supplies/Services of this contract.

1. SERVICES:

a. The services specified in the Sections entitled Schedule of Supplies/Services and Special Contract Requirements may be changed by written modification to this contract.

b. Other necessary personnel for the operation of the services contracted for at the VA will be provided by the VA at levels mutually agreed upon which are compatible with the safety of the patient and personnel and with quality medical care programming.

c. The services to be performed by the contractor will be performed in accordance with VA policies and procedures and the regulations of the medical staff by laws of the VA facility.

2. TERM OF CONTRACT:

This contract is effective one year from date of award plus four (4) one-year options that may be exercised by the VA. The contract is subject to the availability of funds. The contractor shall perform no services after September 30 of any year until the Contracting Officer authorizes such services in writing.

3. QUALIFICATIONS:

Personnel assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall be licensed in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia.

All licenses held by the personnel working on this contract shall be full and unrestricted licenses.

The qualifications of such personnel shall also be subject to review by the VA Chief of Staff and approval by the VA Facility Director.

4. WORK HOURS:

a. The services covered by this contract shall be furnished by the contractor as defined herein.

(1) Work hours:

• On-site and offsite personnel shall be available 24/7/365, which includes emergencies for requested surgical procedures.

• IONM services will be available for all federal holidays.

• The onsite IONM technologist must be within one hour of the medical center.

• The remote physician shall attend all surgical procedures.

• The IONM vendor shall have a 24-hour telephone call center.

• The IONM vendor shall have a scheduling program so that the medical center staff can schedule the patients.

• Contingency Plan: The IONM vendor shall provide a contingency plan for replacing staff that has been terminated or resigned and any staff that has been called out for sick leave or emergency leave.

(2) National Holidays: The 11 holidays observed by the Federal Government are:

• New Years Day

• Martin Luther King’s Birthday

• Presidents Day

• Memorial Day

• Juneteenth

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Columbus Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas AND

• any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday.

5. PERSONNEL POLICY:

The contractor shall be responsible for protecting the personnel furnishing services under this contract. To carry out this responsibility, the contractor shall provide the following for these personnel:

- general liability

- workers compensation

- professional liability insurance

- health examinations

- income tax withholding, and

- social security payments.

The parties agree that the contractor, its employees, agents and subcontractors shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose.

6. RECORD KEEPING:

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS), shall establish and maintain a record keeping system that will record the hours worked by the contractor employee(s).

Contractor's employee(s) shall report to Administrative Officer, or designee upon arrival at the medical center.

7. CONTRACT PERFORMANCE MONITORING:

Monitoring of contractors time shall be demonstrated through sign-in/ sign-out sheets. The contractor shall be required to sign an attendance log upon reporting to work and departing from work, shall be the VA official responsible for verifying contract compliance. After the contract award, any incidents of contractor noncompliance as evidenced by the monitoring procedures shall be forwarded immediately to the Contracting Officer.

8. KEY PERSONNEL AND TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SUBSTITUTIONS:

The Contractor shall provide a contingency plan to address replacing staff that have terminated, resigned, and or any staff that has been called out for sick or emergency leave.

B.3 IT CONTRACT SECURITY

VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY/PRIVACY

1. GENERAL

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.

2. ACCESS TO VA INFORMATION AND VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS

a. A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order.

b. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures.

c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security

Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness.

d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor.

e. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor's employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.

3. VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL LANGUAGE

a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor's information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA's information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA's sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements.

c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/ subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/ created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract.

d. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract.

e. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed.

f. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12.

g. If a VHA contract is terminated for cause, the associated BAA must also be terminated and appropriate actions taken in accordance with VHA Handbook 1600.01, Business Associate Agreements. Absent an agreement to use or disclose protected health information, there is no business associate relationship.

h. The contractor/subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated.

i. The contractor/subcontractor's firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA's minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request.

j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor/subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA's prior written approval. The contractor/subcontractor must refer all requests for, demands for production of, or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer for response.

k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor/subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus.

If the contractor/subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above-mentioned information, that contractor/subcontractor shall immediately refer such court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response.

l. For service that involves the storage, generating, transmitting, or exchanging of VA sensitive information but does not require C&A or an MOU-ISA for system interconnection, the contractor/subcontractor must complete a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) on a yearly basis and provide it to the COR.

4. INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

a. Information systems that are designed or developed for or on behalf of VA at non-VA facilities shall comply with all VA directives developed in accordance with FISMA, HIPAA, NIST, and related VA security and privacy control requirements for Federal information systems. This includes standards for the protection of electronic PHI, outlined in 45 C.F.R. Part 164, Subpart C, information and system security categorization level designations in accordance with FIPS 199 and FIPS 200 with implementation of all baseline security controls commensurate with the FIPS 199 system security categorization (reference Appendix D of VA Handbook 6500, VA Information Security Program). During the development cycle a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) must be completed, provided to the COR, and approved by the VA Privacy Service in accordance with Directive 6507, VA Privacy Impact Assessment.

b. The contractor/subcontractor shall certify to the COR that applications are fully functional and operate correctly as intended on systems using the VA Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC), and the common security configuration guidelines provided by NIST or the VA. This includes Internet Explorer 7 configured to operate on Windows XP and Vista (in Protected Mode on Vista) and future versions, as required.

c. The standard installation, operation, maintenance, updating, and patching of software shall not alter the configuration settings from the VA approved and FDCC configuration. Information technology staff must also use the Windows Installer Service for installation to the default "program files" directory and silently install and uninstall.

d. Applications designed for normal end users shall run in the standard user context without elevated system administration privileges.

e. The security controls must be designed, developed, approved by VA, and implemented in accordance with the provisions of VA security system development life cycle as outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-37, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems, VA Handbook 6500, Information Security Program and VA Handbook 6500.5, Incorporating Security and Privacy in System Development Lifecycle.

f. The contractor/subcontractor is required to design, develop, or operate a System of Records Notice (SOR) on individuals to accomplish an agency function subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (as amended), Public Law 93-579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and applicable agency regulations. Violation of the Privacy Act may involve the imposition of criminal and civil penalties.

g. The contractor/subcontractor agrees to:

(1) Comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 (the Act) and the agency rules and regulations issued under the Act in the design, development, or operation of any system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function when the contract specifically identifies:

(a) The Systems of Records (SOR); and

(b) The design, development, or operation work that the contractor/ subcontractor is to perform;

(1) Include the Privacy Act notification contained in this contract in every solicitation and resulting subcontract and in every subcontract awarded without a solicitation, when the work statement in the proposed subcontract requires the redesign, development, or operation of a SOR on individuals that is subject to the Privacy Act; and

(2) Include this Privacy Act clause, including this subparagraph (3), in all subcontracts awarded under this contract which requires the design, development, or operation of such a

SOR.

h. In the event of violations of the Act, a civil action may be brought against the agency involved when the violation concerns the design, development, or operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function, and criminal penalties may be imposed upon the officers or employees of the agency when the violation concerns the operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function. For purposes of the Act, when the contract is for the operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function, the contractor/subcontractor is considered to be an employee of the agency.

(1) "Operation of a System of Records" means performance of any of the activities associated with maintaining the SOR, including the collection, use, maintenance, and dissemination of records.

(2) "Record" means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and contains the person's name, or identifying number, symbol, or any other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a fingerprint or voiceprint, or a photograph.

(3) "System of Records" means a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual.

i. The vendor shall ensure the security of all procured or developed systems and technologies, including their subcomponents (hereinafter referred to as "Systems"), throughout the life of this contract and any extension, warranty, or maintenance periods. This includes, but is not limited to workarounds, patches, hotfixes, upgrades, and any physical components (hereafter referred to as Security Fixes) which may be necessary to fix all security vulnerabilities published or known to the vendor anywhere in the Systems, including Operating Systems and firmware. The vendor shall ensure that Security Fixes shall not negatively impact the Systems.

j. The vendor shall notify VA within 24 hours of the discovery or disclosure of successful exploits of the vulnerability which can compromise the security of the Systems (including the confidentiality or integrity of its data and operations, or the availability of the system). Such issues shall be remediated as quickly as is practical, but in no event longer than days.

k. When the Security Fixes involve installing third party patches (such as Microsoft OS patches or Adobe Acrobat), the vendor will provide written notice to the VA that the patch has been validated as not affecting the Systems within 10 working days. When the vendor is responsible for operations or maintenance of the Systems, they shall apply the Security Fixes within days.

l. All other vulnerabilities shall be remediate as specified in this paragraph in a timely manner based on risk, but within 60 days of discovery or disclosure. Exceptions to this paragraph (e.g.

for the convenience of VA) shall only be granted with approval of the contracting officer and the VA Assistant Secretary for Office of Information and Technology.

5. INFORMATION SYSTEM HOSTING, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, OR USE

a. For information systems that are hosted, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA at non-VA facilities, contractors/subcontractors are fully responsible and accountable for ensuring compliance with all HIPAA, Privacy Act, FISMA, NIST, FIPS, and VA security and privacy directives and handbooks. This includes conducting compliant risk assessments, routine vulnerability scanning, system patching and changing management procedures, and the completion of an acceptable contingency plan for each system. The contractor's security control procedures must be equivalent to those procedures used to secure VA systems. A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) must also be provided to the COR and approved by VA Privacy Service prior to operational approval. All external Internet connections to VA's network involving VA information must be reviewed and approved by VA prior to implementation.

b. Adequate security controls for collecting, processing, transmitting, and storing of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as determined by the VA Privacy Service, must be in place, tested, and approved by VA prior to hosting, operation, maintenance, or use of the information system, or systems by or on behalf of VA. These security controls are to be assessed and stated within the PIA and if these controls are determined not to be in place, or inadequate, a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) must be submitted and approved prior to the collection of PII.

c. Outsourcing (contractor facility, contractor equipment or contractor staff) of systems or network operations, telecommunications services, or other managed services requires certification and accreditation (authorization) (C&A) of the contractor's systems in accordance with VA Handbook 6500.3, Certification and Accreditation and/or the VA OCS Certification Program Office. Government-owned (government facility or government equipment) contractor-operated systems, third party or business partner networks require memorandums of understanding and interconnection agreements (MOU-ISA) which detail what data types are shared, who has access, and the appropriate level of security controls for all systems connected to VA networks.

d. The contractor/subcontractor's system must adhere to all FISMA, FIPS, and NIST standards related to the annual FISMA security controls assessment and review and update the PIA. Any deficiencies noted during this assessment must be provided to the VA contracting officer and the ISO for entry into VA's POA&M management process. The contractor/subcontractor must use VA's POA&M process to document planned remedial actions to address any deficiencies in information security policies, procedures, and practices, and the completion of those activities. Security deficiencies must be corrected within the timeframes approved by the government. Contractor/subcontractor procedures are subject to periodic, unannounced assessments by VA officials, including the VA Office of Inspector General. The physical security aspects associated with contractor/ subcontractor activities must also be subject to such assessments. If major changes to the system occur that may affect the privacy or security of the data or the system, the C&A of the system may need to be reviewed, retested and re- authorized per VA Handbook 6500.3. This may require reviewing and updating all of the documentation (PIA, System Security Plan, Contingency Plan). The Certification Program Office can provide guidance on whether a new C&A would be necessary.

e. The contractor/subcontractor must conduct an annual self-assessment on all systems and outsourced services as required. Both hard copies and electronic copies of the assessment must be provided to the COR. The government reserves the right to conduct such an assessment using government personnel or another contractor/subcontractor. The contractor/subcontractor must take appropriate and timely action (this can be specified in the contract) to correct or mitigate any weaknesses discovered during such testing, generally at no additional cost.

f. VA prohibits the installation and use of personally-owned or contractor/ subcontractor-owned equipment or software on VA's network. If non-VA owned equipment must be used to fulfill the requirements of a contract, it must be stated in the service agreement, SOW or contract. All of the security controls required for government furnished equipment (GFE) must be utilized in approved other equipment (OE) and must be funded by the owner of the equipment. All remote systems must be equipped with, and use, a VA-approved antivirus (AV) software and a personal (host-based or enclave based) firewall that is configured with a VA-approved configuration. Software must be kept current, including all critical updates and patches. Owners of approved OE are responsible for providing and maintaining the anti-viral software and the firewall on the non-VA owned OE.

g. All electronic storage media used on non-VA leased or non-VA owned IT equipment that is used to store, process, or access VA information must be handled in adherence with VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization upon: (i) completion or termination of the contract or (ii) disposal or return of the IT equipment by the contractor/subcontractor or any person acting on behalf of the contractor/subcontractor, whichever is earlier. Media (hard drives, optical disks, CDs, back-up tapes, etc.) used by the contractors/ subcontractors that contain VA information must be returned to the VA for sanitization or destruction or the contractor/subcontractor must self-certify that the media has been disposed of per 6500.1 requirements. This must be completed within 30 days of termination of the contract.

h. Bio-Medical devices and other equipment or systems containing media (hard drives, optical disks, etc.) with VA sensitive information must not be returned to the vendor at the end of lease, for trade-in, or other purposes. The options are:

(1) Vendor must accept the system without the drive;

(2) VA's initial medical device purchase includes a spare drive which must be installed in place of the original drive at time of turn-in; or

(3) VA must reimburse the company for media at a reasonable open market replacement cost at time of purchase.

(4) Due to the highly specialized and sometimes proprietary hardware and software associated with medical equipment/systems, if it is not possible for the VA to retain the hard drive, then;

(a) The equipment vendor must have an existing BAA if the device being traded in has sensitive information stored on it and hard drive(s) from the system are being returned physically intact; and

(b) Any fixed hard drive on the device must be non-destructively sanitized to the greatest extent possible without negatively impacting system operation. Selective clearing down to patient data folder level is recommended using VA approved and validated overwriting technologies/methods/tools. Applicable media sanitization specifications need to be pre-approved and described in the purchase order or contract.

(c) A statement needs to be signed by the Director (System Owner) that states that the drive could not be removed and that (a) and (b) controls above are in place and completed. The ISO needs to maintain the documentation.

6. SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

a. The term "security incident" means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/ subcontractor shall immediately notify the COR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/ subcontractor has access.

b. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/ subcontractor's notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor/subcontractor considers relevant.

c. With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement.

d. In instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors and their employees shall cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor/subcontractor shall cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident.

7. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES FOR DATA BREACH

a. Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any SPI the contractor/subcontractor processes or maintains under this contract.

b. The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to VA of a "security incident" as set forth in the Security Incident Investigation section above. Upon such notification, VA must secure from a non-Department entity or the VA Office of Inspector General an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach. The term 'data breach' means the loss, theft, or other unauthorized access, or any access other than that incidental to the scope of employment, to data containing sensitive personal information, in electronic or printed form, that results in the potential compromise of the confidentiality or integrity of the data. The contractor shall fully cooperate with the entity performing the risk analysis. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination.

c. Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following:

(1) Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access);

(2) Description of the event, including:

(a) date of occurrence;

(b) data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code;

(3) Number of individuals affected or potentially affected;

(4) Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected;

(5) Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text;

(6) Amount of time the data has been out of VA control;

(7) The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons);

(8) Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any;

(9) Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals;

(10) Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Security and Privacy Incidents, as appropriate; and

(11) Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised.

d. Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the contractor shall be responsible for paying to the VA liquidated damages in the amount of $37.50 per affected individual to cover the cost of providing credit protection services to affected individuals consisting of the following:

(1) Notification;

(2) One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports;

(3) Data breach analysis;

(4) Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution;

(5) One year of identity theft insurance with $20,000.00 coverage at $0 deductible; and

(6) Necessary legal expenses the subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories, or financial affairs.

8. SECURITY CONTROLS COMPLIANCE TESTING

On a periodic basis, VA, including the Office of Inspector General, reserves the right to evaluate any or all of the security controls and privacy practices implemented by the contractor under the clauses contained within the contract. With 10 working-day's notice, at the request of the government, the contractor must fully cooperate and assist in a government-sponsored security controls assessment at each location wherein VA information is processed or stored, or information systems are developed, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA, including those initiated by the Office of Inspector General. The government may conduct a security control assessment on shorter notice (to include unannounced assessments) as determined by VA in the event of a security incident or at any other time.

9. TRAINING

a. All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:

(1) Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix E relating to access to VA information and information systems;

(2) Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security training;

(3) Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually complete required privacy training; and

(4) Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document - e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.]

b. The contractor shall provide to the Contracting Officer and/or the COR a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required.

c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete.

(End of B.2)

B.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

ITEM

NUMBER

DESCRIPTION OF

SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

66.00 CS _____________ _______________

Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Contract

Contract Period: Ordering Period 1 POP Begin: 11-01-2025 POP End: 10-31-2026 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 621399 - Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: Q523 - Medical – Surgery

Ordering Period 1 Total: $ ________________

66.00 CS _____________ ________________

Contract Period: Ordering Period 2 POP Begin: 11-01-2026 POP End: 10-31-2027 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 621399 - Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners

Ordering Period 2 Total: $ ________________

66.00 CS ______________ ________________

Contract Period: Ordering Period 3 POP Begin: 11-01-2027 POP End: 10-31-2028 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 621399 - Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: Q523 - Medical - Surgery

Ordering Period 3 Total: $ ________________

Contract Period: Ordering Period 4 POP Begin: 11-01-2028 POP End: 10-31-2029 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 621399 - Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners

Ordering Period 4 Total: $ ________________

Contract Period: Ordering Period 5 POP Begin: 11-01-2029 POP End: 10-31-2030 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 621399 - Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners

Ordering Period 5 Total: $ ________________

ESTIMATED GRAND

TOTAL

Ordering Period 1: ______________

Ordering Period 2: ______________

Ordering Period 3: ______________

Ordering Period 4: ______________

Ordering Period 5: ______________

Estimated Quantities: All quantities listed herein are estimated annual quantities. The Government is not obligated to purchase any specified amount of services under this contract but will be obligated to make payment for all services requested and received in the quantities and of the quality requested. The Government does not guarantee or imply that any fixed number of orders/referrals for services will be placed under the resultant contract.

Minimum/Maximum Contract Amounts: In accordance with FAR 16.504, Indefinite Quantity Contracts, the guaranteed minimum of services the Government will acquire under this contract is Minimum $1,000.00 and Maximum $5,000,000.00.

NOTE: For purposes of award of this Contract, the Government intends to evaluate the option to extend services under FAR 52.217-8 as follows: The evaluation will consider the possibility that the option can be exercised at any time and can be exercised in increments of one to six months, but not for more than a total of six months during the life of the contract. The evaluation will assume that the prices for any option exercised under FAR 52.217-8 will be those rates in effect under the contract each time an option is exercised under this clause.

(End of Price/Cost Schedule B.3)

B.4 STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES (SOO)

Complete Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Service (IONM)

1. Program Objective

1.1 The objective is to provide the equipment, labor, materials, accessories, and supplies necessary for a Complete Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Service that supports any of the eight surgical operating rooms. The primary goal of IONM is the identification of intraoperative neural insults at a stage that allows intervention to eliminate or minimize resultant neural injury. To meet this goal, evoked potentials are monitored iteratively throughout a procedure with preservation or degradation of signals reflecting the state of the corresponding neural pathways. Alternatively, continuous data may be gathered using electroencephalography or electromyography to gain insight into the brain and nerves. The Department of Veteran Affairs surgical specialties are located at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS) Diagnostics and Treatment Building within Surgery Service located at 2400 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70119.

2. Scope

2.1 The offeror shall provide as-needed and case-by-case service that enables SLVHCS to offer IONM options for patients under direct medical care within the operating room. The IONM services should be able to cover complex surgical procedures such as Spine Surgery, Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery, Otolaryngology, Cardiac Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Orthopedics, and, if necessary, Interventional Neuroradiology. The IONM Offeror must be experienced and available to cover scheduled and emergency cases 24/7/365, typically within one hour of notification (onsite technical and online remote physician services). Because of the complexity of the surgical procedures, the offeror will have experience providing service to veterans within a military, Naval, or VA medical center.

2.1.1 Complete Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM) Service

The service must be capable of providing real-time data; in addition, the Offeror will offer the most recent technology and hardware. The Offeror will work closely with the surgeons, nursing staff, schedulers, Clinical Engineering, and Sterilization and Processing Service. If necessary, the system will be able to communicate with VISTA Imaging and Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to allow for the transfer of data into the patient's Electronic Medical Records.

The proposed operating system must integrate into existing infrastructures and exchange data with other systems using common standard interfaces. Finally, the offeror’s responsible for providing a surgical system that can function with the current power (electrical) supply. The online Neurologists will provide real-time monitoring via HIPAA & HITECH (or similar) compliant telemedicine. The Offeror shall provide scheduled services throughout the contract period. In the event of the absence of the contractor’s personnel for any reason, the contractor shall be responsible for providing replacement personnel for the scheduled services. All and any replacement personnel must meet the Credentialing & Privileging requirements before providing care to SLVHCS patients. Finally, the Offeror will offer a complete Quality Assurance program that monitors and tracks any successes, complications, and trends reported to the SLVHCS Facility Surgical Work Group (FSWG) quarterly. The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is managed by the Offeror and submitted quarterly to the COR.

2.1.2 Program Management

The…