36C25626Q1008 0001 amendment.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

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2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

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6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

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3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

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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

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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:

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Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

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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

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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)

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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)

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Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Network Contracting Office 16 2575 Keystone Crossing Fayetteville AR 72703

Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks Network Contracting Office 16 2575 Keystone Crossing Fayetteville AR 72703 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C25626Q1008

X

X X

** HOUR & DATE for Receipt of Offers is EXTENDED to: 08-20-2026 12pm CDT

The purpose of this amendment is to post the questions and answers and extend the due date.

A. The attached questions and answers are hereby incorporated onto subject solicitation.

B. All quotes are to be submitted by 12PM August 20, 2026.

C. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

Joseph Warrn Contracting Officer

CONTINUATION PAGE

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Please identify the relative importance of Technical Experience, Price, and Past Performance, or confirm that the factors are approximately equal in importance. There is no relative importance rating for this evaluation. The evaluation shall be done by evaluating quotes using the comparative evaluation process outlined in FAR 12.203-2(c)(2), where quotes will be compared to one another to determine which provides the best benefit to the Government.

2. Will the Government provide source content in the form of approved guidelines, best practices, policies, presentations, and documents? Content from these sources is used in the instructional design process and provides foundational raw materials and information for training development. Approved guidelines, best practices, policies, presentations, or documents for an instructional design process will be provided upon request.

3. Will the Government provide a designated clinical subject-matter expert to support development of Agitation 360? If so, please describe the SME’s anticipated availability, responsibilities, review turnaround time, and authority to approve clinical content. If not, should the contractor include a qualified geriatric or behavioral-health SME in its firm-fixed price? Yes. The Government will make physicians, nurses, and research assistants available as needed to support development of Agitation 360. No additional SME is needed.

4. What is the desired approximate completion time or seat time for the full application experience? 12-months

5. Who will have final authority to approve clinical accuracy, patient portrayal, caregiver responses, escalation guidance, and instructional content? The GRECC Director, or a designated clinical SME under the GRECC Director's oversight, will have final authority to approve clinical accuracy, patient portrayal, caregiver responses, escalation guidance, and instructional content for Agitation 360.

6. Will the government require development or inclusion of video? The Agitation 360 deliverable will be an interactive/simulated environment (e.g., home walkthrough) web-based experience for caregivers without embedded video content.

7. If the government will require development of video, can the government provide a information on the nature and duration of video to be produced? Agitation 360 will be a virtual tour of a simple home situation with an agitated patient and a caregiver. The GRECC team has interviewed caregivers and has examples to develop the storyboard.

8. What is the turnaround time for reviewing deliverables? Deliverables can be reviewed no later than 2 weeks or sooner as requested by the developer. Scheduled monthly or bi-weekly meetings is possible and encouraged.

9. Will the Government designate one authorized individual to consolidate and resolve comments from GRECC clinicians, caregivers, instructional stakeholders, IT, privacy, security, accessibility, and contracting personnel? The GRECC will provide one contact for communication.

10. Will the Government recruit and coordinate representative caregivers, clinicians, students, or other users for formative usability testing and pilot testing? Please identify any required testing population, sample size, and documentation. The GRECC will provide the caregivers to test the site. These caregivers have been seen in the Memory Disorders Clinic as they care for Veterans experiencing dementia. The pilot will be 30 caregivers who have done pre-testing and will complete post-tests from GRECC after testing the site.

11. Has the Government established an estimated budget, funding range, or independent Government cost estimate for this requirement? If so, please provide the anticipated range available for the three CLINs. There is not a clear budget until bids are reviewed by executive leadership.

12. Please identify the primary and secondary audiences for Agitation 360, including whether the application is intended for family or informal caregivers, professional caregivers, healthcare students, VA clinical personnel, or a combination of these groups. Please also describe their anticipated level of clinical knowledge and experience. The application is intended for the primary audience of informal caregivers or lay individuals caring for Veterans experiencing dementia. It may be used for secondary audiences such as healthcare staff or students in the future.

13. Will the application require a VA Authority to Operate, security assessment, privacy review, system categorization, Information System Security Plan, security-control documentation, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, software bill of materials, dependency scanning, or other authorization artifacts? If so, please identify the required process and contractor deliverables. Because the application will not reside on VA infrastructure and will not access VA desktop systems, online VA resources, or PHI in the VA electronic health record approvals to proceed have already been granted by privacy and OIT. Only the GRECC staff will be required for approvals.

14. The RFQ states that the Contractor will work with the GRECC team to “create a storyboard for developing a project plan.” Please clarify what the Government means by “storyboard” in this context. Is the storyboard intended to document the learner experience, including the clinical scenario, scenes, interactions, voiceover script, on-screen text, and media treatment, or is it intended to serve as a visual project-management roadmap? The term "storyboard," and the described interactive scenario (agitated patient, caregiver walkthrough will require GRECC and project team collaboration to develop an instructional-design storyboard documenting the actual scene-by-scene learner experience. Caregivers have been interviewed to develop at least 3 case-based scenarios.

15. Please identify the required format of the Storyboard deliverable, level of detail, review and approval criteria, and whether the storyboard and project plan are separate deliverables. The collaborative storyboard will be developed by the GRECC and the designer. This will be the 1st step in the designer developing the web-based platform accessible to informal caregivers. The GRECC is available to the designers throughout the process, but the designer will be able to create the characters and choices based off of the caregiver examples.

16. Please confirm that the required email subject for quote submission should be “RFQ # 36C25626Q1008 – Agitation 360 Project” and not “RFQ 3 36C25626Q1008 – Agitation 360 Project”. It should read RFQ # 36C25626Q1008 – Agitation 360 Project

17. What term and deliverable format does the Government expect the contractor to use for the document that defines the details of the learner experience before building begins? This deliverable would traditionally include the clinical scenarios, scenes, visual descriptions and placeholders, plans for interactions, voiceover script, on-screen text, planned media treatments, and developer notes? Should this deliverable be called a storyboard, detailed design document, production script, scenario specification, or another Government-defined term, and is it separate from the project plan referenced in Milestone 1?

Proposed Deliverable Structure — Milestone 1: Project Plan Development To ensure clarity of scope and to support efficient stakeholder review, the Contractor proposes that Milestone 1 (Project Plan Development) consist of two complementary sub-deliverables:

1. Project Plan A project management document outlining the key phases, tasks, dependencies, timeline, and resource allocations required to develop and deliver the Agitation 360 application. This document will serve as the governing schedule and coordination tool for the Contractor and GRECC team throughout the period of performance.

2. Design Document / Scenario Specification A detailed instructional-design artifact defining the learner experience prior to development. This document will include:

This Design Document/Scenario Specification will undergo clinical accuracy review and written approval by the GRECC-designated clinical subject-matter expert(s) prior to the Contractor proceeding to Milestone 2 (Application Development), ensuring that clinical portrayal, caregiver responses, and escalation guidance are validated before build resources are committed.

The Contractor proposes this two-part structure to align with instructional design and simulation development industry standards, to reduce rework risk during Application Development, and to provide the Government with clear, separately reviewable checkpoints for programmatic and clinical sign-off.

18. The tentative period of performance begins August 1, 2026, before the August 14, 2026 quotation deadline. Please confirm the anticipated award date and revised period of performance. The start date will be based on the date of award.

19. Please identify the required delivery platform and compatible end-user devices. Must the application operate through a standard web browser, virtual-reality headset, desktop or mobile device, or a combination of these platforms? If VR hardware is required, will the Government provide it? Web browser only (desktop/mobile)

20. Please clarify the anticipated functional scope, including the number of scenarios, characters, interactions or decision points, learning outcomes, and approximate duration of the completed training experience. The GRECC would like to work with the designer to develop three web-based scenarios based on caregiver interviews. Each scenario would include two characters with no more than 5 minutes for each scenario. The full experience will be no more than 15 minutes.

21. Will the GRECC provide the clinical content, learning objectives, scenario script, narration, and subject-matter experts, or should the contractor include development of these materials in its scope and pricing? The Government will make physicians, nurses, and research assistants available as needed to support development of Agitation 360. Scripts and narration are needed.

22. Is the reference to previous work by the Emerging Analytics Center provided only as an example, or must the selected contractor build upon, replicate, or integrate with an existing application, storyboard, or technical framework? This is an example of the type of work we have seen and that fits the GRECC needs. It is not required.

23. Who will provide the permanent production hosting environment? If the contractor is expected to provide initial or ongoing hosting, please identify the required hosting period and explain how that requirement should be reconciled with the SOW’s requirement that the VA incur no recurring fees or costs after development.

We would like the hosting environment to be hosted by the contractor, but VA owned for sharing purposes. We cannot store it behind the VA firewall since informal caregivers will need access. If there is a recurring annual fee, please provide this for the bid.

24. Please clarify the final VA-ownership deliverables, including whether the contractor must provide source code, editable project files, deployment instructions, technical documentation, administrative credentials, and sufficient rights for the VA to operate and modify the application independently. We only need access to the source code, editable project files, etc. if the contractor is unable to provide the host environment. We are willing to work with the contractor for additional cost to modify the application as needed.

25. Please identify the cybersecurity, Section 508 accessibility, system-integration, and acceptance-testing requirements applicable to the completed application. Additionally, please confirm whether the contractor must include any on-site installation, travel, user training, post-acceptance support, warranty, or software maintenance.

We would like the hosting environment to be hosted by the contractor, but VA owned for sharing purposes. Because the application will not reside on VA infrastructure and will not access VA desktop systems, online VA resources, or PHI in the VA electronic health record approvals to proceed have already been granted by privacy and OIT. Only the GRECC staff will be required for approvals. There will be no on-site installation, travel, user training, post-acceptance support, warranty, or software maintenance unless there are additional annual fees for hosting/maintenance.

26. please clarify the intended clinical scenario and desired training outcome. Specifically:

a. What level of agitation should the patient exhibit when the scenario begins? The level of agitation will vary based on the three scenarios and the decisions made by the caregiver.

b. Is the experience intended to teach early intervention before escalation, response to a highly agitated patient, prevention of violence toward staff or caregivers, or a combination of these objectives? The experience is intended for caregivers to learn potential alternative responses to agitation.

c. What actions or resolution would the Government consider a successful outcome? Caregivers seen in our Memory Disorders Clinic will complete the experience. They have received a pre-test on caregiver burden and will receive a post-test and an evaluation.

27. Should the experience be designed for a seated, standing, or room-scale participant? Please also identify any physical-space, mobility, or user-safety limitations that should be considered during development. The experience is for a seated caregivers to use a web-based platform to choose options in managing an agitated family member.

28. Expected number of scenarios. The Statement of Work describes Agitation 360 as a virtual tour of a simple home situation with an agitated patient and a caregiver, but it does not state how many distinct scenarios or situations the finished application should contain. Could the Government indicate the expected number, and the approximate total run time it has in mind? The GRECC would like to work with the designer to develop three web-based scenarios based on caregiver interviews. Each scenario would include two characters with no more than 5 minutes for each scenario. The full experience will be no more than 15 minutes.

29. Source material for the scenarios. Will the GRECC furnish the underlying clinical or caregiver source material from which the scenario content is drawn, for example interview material, case narratives, or existing training content? Yes, the GRECC has interviewed caregivers and has the transcripts from these interviews to identify the clinical scenarios.

30. Authorship of the storyboard. Section 1.1.1 provides that the Contractor team will work with the GRECC team to create the storyboard and describes it as a collaboration. Could the Government clarify the intended division of responsibility, specifically whether it expects the Contractor to propose scenario content and clinical branching for the GRECC's review and approval, or whether the GRECC will specify the content and the Contractor will implement it as directed? This affects the level of effort we should plan for and price. The scenarios will be provided by the GRECC from caregiver interviews. The contractor will have responsibility to create the web-based platform, characters, and branching of caregiver choices.

31. Personnel risk and sensitivity designation. The risk and sensitivity table at VAAR 852.204-72(c) appears in the solicitation with no positions or tasks designated, and the Tier 3 and Tier 5 entries are likewise blank. Given that SOW 6.0 and 7.0 provide that the contractor will have no access to VA desktops, VA online resources, or protected health information, could the Government confirm the intended designation for this contract, so that quoters price any required background investigation on a common basis? The web-based platform will not be stored behind the VA firewall so that caregivers have easy access to the program. Please add costs for the platform and maintenance on a public site.

32. Early completion. The Statement of Work expresses the milestones as maximums, that is, within three months, within six to nine months, and within nine to twelve months. If a contractor is in a position to complete a milestone earlier than its stated window, would the Government welcome earlier delivery and acceptance, with the balance of the period of performance used for Government review, refinement, and support? We ask so that our schedule commitments reflect the Government's preference rather than our assumption. Yes, we would welcome early completion of any milestone.

33. Available funding. So that we can propose the level of fidelity and scope that best fits the Government's resources, could the Government share a budget range or an estimated value for this requirement? We recognize the Government may decline to release this, and we will quote against the stated Statement of Work regardless. The budget range cannot be provided for this service.

34. Can the Government clarify whether the final deliverable is intended to be live-action 360° video, photo, a computer-generated interactive VR/web application, or a hybrid of both? The Agitation 360 deliverable will be an interactive/simulated environment (e.g., home walkthrough) web-based experience for caregivers without embedded video content. We would like video of an actual home to make it as realistic as possible for the caregiver. We are open to the contractor’s input on the best way to do this.

35. If live-action 360° video is required, will the Government provide the filming location and on-screen talent, or should the contractor include location sourcing, casting, performance direction, releases, and/or the related production costs? The GRECC can provide the filming location and on-screen talent, but we will need the contractor to complete the home walkthrough filming and add the choices for caregivers. Example: https://eac2-ualr.org/EAC-CrimeScene360/

36. Can the Government provide access to examples, links, screenshots, or files from the prior Emerging Analytics Center/UA Little Rock work referenced in the SOW? Example: https://eac2-ualr.org/EAC-CrimeScene360/

37. What is the intended runtime or average user session duration for the completed experience? The GRECC would like to work with the designer to develop three web-based scenarios based on caregiver interviews. Each scenario would include two characters with no more than 5 minutes for each scenario. The full experience will be no more than 15 minutes.

38. What level of interactivity is expected within the experience? For example, should it include branching scenarios, quizzes, decision-based outcomes, object interactions, or is it primarily an informational guided experience?

It should include branching scenarios and choices for the caregivers.

39. Does the Government have an existing hosting environment or preferred deployment methodology? If the final application will be hosted on Government-provided servers, will the Government provide server specifications, bandwidth expectations, access procedures, and performance requirements? The web-based platform will not be stored behind the VA firewall so that caregivers have easy access to the program. Please add costs for the platform and maintenance on a public site.

40. If the final experience includes 360° video or other video-based media, can the Government provide target playback requirements, including notes on video quality, resolution, and supported network conditions? If hosted on Government-provided servers? Please note that playback speed and streaming quality may depend on the Government’s hosting environment, server configuration, content delivery method, and end-user network conditions. The web-based platform will not be stored behind the VA firewall so that caregivers have easy access to the program. Please add costs for the platform and maintenance on a public site.

41. Are there any language, captioning, or other accessibility requirements for the application? English only and sub-titles

42. Are source and project files, deployment documentation, and maintenance instructions required as final deliverables? They are not required unless the contractor is unable to provide a host site. Additional costs may be added to the bid.

43. The SOW states that the application will be VA-owned with no recurring fees or costs after development. Are there any restrictions on third-party software, plugins, hosting services, licensed tools, or content delivery services used in the final deliverable? They are not required unless the contractor is unable to provide a host site. Additional costs may be added to the bid. We prefer upfront costs but understand this may not be an option. There are no restrictions.

44. Is the VA open to proposals that leverage an existing commercial platform with project-specific customization, rather than developing an entirely new application from the ground up? Yes, we are open to contractor ideas for platforms.

45. Upon completion of the project, does the Department of Veterans Affairs expect to own the source code, application, and related intellectual property, or can the contractor retain ownership if the IP already exists, or is the VA open to a license structure. They are not required unless the contractor is unable to provide a host site. Additional costs may be added to the bid for hosting/maintenance.

46. May contractors incorporate existing commercially developed 360° content and software components into the solution, provided they meet the project requirements? Yes, we are open to contractor ideas for platforms.

47. Is the VA open to proposals that include clinician-facing authoring capabilities, allowing additional training scenarios to be created after the initial contract without requiring software redevelopment? Yes, we are open to contractor ideas and recommendations.