36C25626Q0395 - Sources Sought _ Air Flow and Pressure Balance Testing.docx

Intent to Sole Source/ Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice

DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice

1. Title: Air Flow and Pressure Balance Testing at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), AR, 72114.

2. Purpose:

a) The Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16 located at 5075 Westheimer Road, Galleria Financial Center, Suite 750, Houston, Texas, hereby issues the following Sources Sought/ Request for Information (RFI) with the intent of determining the contractor interest, capabilities, qualifications of potential businesses, nonmanufacturer rule compliance, Buy American Act compliance, Trade Agreement compliance and estimated industry pricing information for market research and estimated budgetary purpose for Air Flow and Pressure Balance Testing at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), AR, 72114.

b) Notice of Intent to Sole Source. If there are no responses to this notice, a determination by the Government not to compete based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government to sole source the requirement. No response is a response.

c) Government request that interested offerors complete all questions below, provide required documentation, descriptive literature and authorization letter as described below. The Government is in no way obligated to do business with or to enter into any form of contract with any person, firm or other entity that receives or responds to this announcement.

3. Objective: To find qualified and certified contractors with the capability to provide the following:

a) The Veterans Health Administration requires a Contractor to test, balance, and keep a record of all air flow and pressure sensitive rooms at CAVHS campuses. The VA has standards for air flow, air changes per hour, temp and humidity. They also have recommendations on how often we need to verify that the rooms are within range. This will also help meet Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requirements to monitor the air and pressure sensitive rooms.

4. Delivery Location:

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) 2200 Fort Roots Dr., North Little Rock Ar.72114 and

4300 West 7th street Little Rock, AR 72205.

5. Period of Performance:

Base plus 4 Option Year.

6. Responses Requested: The CAVHS requires all the following information and questions answered in this RFI/SS: Questions and information that is not provided shall be considered nonresponsive to the Request for Information and contractor shall not be considered as part of the market research.

a) Contractors shall provide their point(s) of contact name, address, telephone number, and email address, and the company's business size, and SAM Unique Entity Identification Number.

b) Is your company a small business, SDBs, HUBZone, or 8A concern? Please provide proof of qualifications.

c) Does your company meet all required four prong factors for the Nonmanufacturer Rule (NMR) per guidance of SBA and 13 C.F.R. § 121.406? Offer must answer all questions below.

1) Does your company exceed the 500-employee alternative size standard for nonmanufacturers?

2) Is your company primarily engaged in the retail or wholesale trade and normally sells the type of products being supplied?

3) Does your company must take ownership or possession of the item(s) with its personnel, equipment, or facilities in a manner consistent with industry practice?

4) Does your company supply the end products of a small business manufacturer or processor made in the United States?

5) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code 238220.

6) Do you (offer) manufacture the product yourself or a distributor of the items being researched above?

7) Are you an authorized distributor/reseller? Provide evidence from original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

8) Do you (offer) supply a product manufactured by another domestic small business, if it is a nonmanufacturer?

9) Do you (offer) supply the product of any sized manufacturer if SBA has granted a waiver to the nonmanufacturer rule?

10) Is your (offer) Buy American Certificate completed in SAM? Please provide evidence with response.

11) Is your (offer) Trade Agreement Certificate completed in SAM? Please provide evidence with response.

12) Information for the name brand or equal product being requested, is it manufactured outside the US-Domestic non-available?

13) Information for the name brand or equal product being requested, is it a foreign manufactured end product under the trade agreement?

14) What is your schedule of delivery after receipt of order for the name brand or equal product?

15) For the name brand or equal product required, Is your company available under any;

Government Wide Agency Contract (GWAC) General Services Administration Schedules (GSA) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

If so, please list the contract number for name brand or equal product.

16) Provide descriptive literature demonstrating ability to meet all of the requirement/salient characteristics listed if other than brand name product is being offered. Please provide list of contracts for commercial, federal, state, and local governments. Listed contracts shall provide communication on the government requirement illustrating the capability for comparison. to the name brand or equal product meeting the specific requirements per the draft Statement of Work.

17) Contractors may provide an estimated industry pricing for name brand or equal product for market research and budgetary purpose.

7. Opportunity:

a) NCO 16, is seeking information from potential contractors on their ability to provide this requirement. THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE and SOURCES SOUGHT FOR REQUEST INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. Small Business Concerns are encouraged to provide responses to this Sources Sought in order to assist the CAVHS in determining potential levels of competition available in the industry. Contractor shall possess the capability to provide all requirements and objectives.

8. Instructions and Response Guidelines:

a) Sources Sought responses are due by 02/20/2026 at 3:00 PM (CST) via email to t.miller@va.gov. Telephone requests or inquires will not be accepted. Public Information will not be provided and shall be utilized to the full extent possible. This a New Requirement.

b) The subject line shall read: 36C25626Q0395 - Sources Sought – Air Flow and Pressure Balance Testing. NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. There is no page limitation on subparagraphs 6(a) - 6(c17).

c) Please provide the information you deem relevant in order to respond to the specific inquiries of the Sources Sought. Information provided will be used solely by CAVHS as "market research" and will not be released outside of the CAVHS Purchasing and Contract Team. This Sources Sought notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ), and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response to this request. All information contained in this Sources Sought is preliminary as well as subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government.

d) In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on Contracting Opportunities (https://beta.sam.gov/) website or GSA. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this Sources Sought, or future RFP/RFQ.

9. Contact Information:

Contracting Specialist, T Miller Email address: t.miller@va.gov

10. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTES/PROPOSALS; however, any firm that believes it can meet the requirements may provide answers, responses and give written notification prior to the response due date and time. Supporting evidence and responses.

Your responses to this notice are appreciated.

36C25626Q0395 - Sources Sought – Air Flow and Pressure Balance Testing

See Performance Work Statement (PWS) Below:

Performance Work Statement Air Flow and Pressure Testing Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS)

1. Scope:

A. The contractor shall provide all labor, tools, materials, equipment, transportation and supervision necessary to perform room air flow and pressure testing in complete and strict accordance with the contract and all attachments thereto.

2. General Guidance:

A. The purpose of this contract is to test, balance, and keep a record of all air flow and pressure sensitive rooms at CAVHS campuses. The VA has standards for air flow, air changes per hour, temp and humidity. They also have recommendations on how often we need to verify that the rooms are within range. This will also help meet our Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requirements to monitor the air and pressure sensitive rooms.

B. The contractor will verify this data against the rooms monitoring equipment, which they will certify annually. This monitoring equipment includes variable air volume air flow sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and room pressure monitors. This equipment should be held to standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST).

C. Annually, a National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) certified air balance company will test and document all the pressure and air flow sensitive rooms that the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) campus has. The contractor will provide CAVHS with a document showing all rooms temp, air flow, pressure, Air flow directions of all doors in the space they are testing. In locations with certified monitoring equipment, the contractor will set up quarterly reports. These quarterly reports will utilize the Trane BAS system to produce reports in the same format as the annual report. In locations without adequate certified monitoring equipment, the contractor will test and document quarterly reports in the same format as the annual report.

3. Period of Performance:

A. Need Period of Performance.

4. Locations:

A. 2200 Fort Roots Dr., North Little Rock Ar.72114 and

4300 West 7th street Little Rock, AR 72205.

B. This testing is necessary for the CAVHS Medical Center to meet Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) compliance.

5. Room List (See excel Spreadsheet):

A. The provided room list is subject to change. The testing of all rooms, according to the provided room list, requires room pressure & air change verification in both facilities. Supply, Return & Exhaust airflows will be recorded for each room. Rooms will be measured to determine total volume of each. Rooms will be verified to meet the required room pressures & air changes.

B. For any rooms that do not meet the required pressure or air changes, airflows will be adjusted/balanced (if possible) to ensure areas are in the correct specifications. Any area that cannot be corrected by simple adjustments or balance will be discussed with maintenance personnel to determine what corrective action is needed. The documentation will need to provide individual grill CFM and total cfm for the room. Room pressure, room temperature, room humidity and fiscal measurements of the room will also need to be documented.

6. Certification:

A. The contractor shall be Certified by the National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB). The contractor will also need to provide certifications for all testing equipment used.

7. Work Hours:

A. All work pertaining to this contract will need to be performed between 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM Monday-Friday, unless a federal holiday falls on one of these days. Most of the work can be done between these times, but in select cases such as the operating room, emergency department, and Pharmacy, after hours services may be required. Working outside of the days listed above is prohibited unless unique situations arise and prior approval between the contractor and COR is agreed upon.

8. Government Observed Holidays:

A. The Government hereby provides notice, and Contractor hereby acknowledges receipt that Government personnel observe the listed days as holidays:

B. In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days:

1. Any other day designated by Executive Order.

2. Any other day designated by the President’s Proclamation; and

3. Any other day designated by the Federal Statute.

9. Changes to the Performance Work Statement:

A. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements under this contract and such changes will be executed bi-laterally in accordance with FAR 52.212-4 (c). The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to make commitments or issue changes, which will affect price, quantity, or quality of performance of this contract. In the event the contractor affects any such change in the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority, and no adjustment will be made to the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred as a result thereof. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the Contracting Officer shall be borne by the contractor.

10. Reporting Requirements:

A. All documents will be given to the Contracting Officer and/or the Contracting Officer Representative in an Excel spreadsheet file.

11. Government Responsibilities:

A. The government shall provide the contractor with access to the rooms when needed as long as the service and contractor agree on the time and date.

12. Contractor Experience and/or Requirements:

A. Contract employees shall be NEBB certified to test and balance Variable Air Volume (VAV) terminals. All test instruments must be 3rd party calibrated with the certification.

B. The NEBB certified document shall be submitted with the Contractor’s proposal. The CO or COR may request proof of this certification prior to authorizing contract employees to perform any services.

13. Confidentiality and Nondisclosure:

A. The Contractor understands and agrees that confidential information (patients, employee, or facility) must always be secured and protected. The Contractor and its personnel shall be held liable in the event a breech of confidentiality occurs as a result of the Contractor or its employees. Each contract employee will be required to read and sign the Contractor Rules of Behavior and provide the original signature page to the COR.

14. Contractor Personnel Security Requirements:

A. Position Sensitivity: The position sensitivity/risk level has been designated as Nonsensitive/Low Risk.

B. Background Investigation: The level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is Minimum.

C. Contractor Responsibilities: Contract employees shall be issued non-PIV badges for physical access only. This requires for contract employees to:

14.C.1. Complete fingerprinting at the CAVHS badging station located in building 68 at the North Little Rock, AR campus.

14.C.2. Complete the OF306 and have two forms of federally acceptable ID.

14.C.3. Successfully complete a Special Agreement Check (SAC) background screening.

14.C.4. Read/sign Contractor Rules of Behavior and provide original signature page to the COR.

14.C.5. The contractor shall pay for lost or missing employee badges issued by CAVHS. The cost for these lost or missing badges will be annotated on and deducted from invoice payments.

14.C.6. The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract.

14.C.7. Failure to comply with contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default.

15. Information System Officer, Information Protection:

A. The contractor will not have access to VA Desktop computers, nor will they have access to online resources belonging to the government while conducting services. If removal of equipment from the VA is required, any memory storage devices, such as hard drives, solid state drives and non-volatile memory units will remain in VA control and will not be removed from VA custody.

16. Privacy Officer:

A. The contractor will not have access to protected Patient Health Information (PHI) nor will they have the capability of accessing patient information during the services provided to the VA and if removal of equipment from the VA is required, any memory storage devices, such as hard drives, solid state drives and non-volatile memory units will remain in VA control and will not be removed from VA custody. All research data available for Contractor analyses are de-identified.

17. Records Manager:

A. Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chs. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion.

B. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation.

C. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Contractor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data.

D. Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system or destroyed except for in accordance with the provisions of the agency records schedules and with the written concurrence of the Head of the Contracting Activity. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. In the event of any unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Contractor must report to Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system. The agency must report promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR 1230.

E. The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the [contract vehicle]. The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government's behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system control or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand-carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the [contract vehicle]. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4).

F. The Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, contracts. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information, classified, and controlled unclassified information.

G. The Contractor shall only use Government IT equipment for purposes specifically tied to or authorized by the contract and in accordance with Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system policy.

H. The Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any non-public Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system information that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

I. The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected from public disclosure by an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act.

J. The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system owns the rights to all data and records produced as part of this contract. All deliverables under the contract are the property of the U.S. Government for which Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Any Contractor rights in the data or deliverables must be identified as required by FAR 52.227-11 through FAR 52.227-20.

K. Training. All Contractor employees assigned to this contract who create, work with or otherwise handle records are required to take Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system provided records management training. The Contractor is responsible for confirming training has been completed according to agency policies, including initial training and any annual or refresher training.