36C25626Q1138_RFQ.pdf

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

*= Required Field Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

SUBJECT* RFQ: VISN16-Wide Court Reporting and Transcription - SDVOSB Set-Aside - IDC

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTRACTING OFFICE’S ZIP CODE* 77056-5643

SOLICITATION NUMBER* 36C25626Q1138

QUESTIONS DATE/TIME/ZONE 08-11-2026 1:00pm CENTRAL TIME, CHICAGO, USA RESPONSE DATE/TIME/ZONE 08-20-2026 1:00pm CENTRAL TIME, CHICAGO, USA

ARCHIVE 1 DAYS AFTER THE RESPONSE DATE

RECOVERY ACT FUNDS N

SET-ASIDE SDVOSBC

PRODUCT SERVICE CODE* R606

NAICS CODE* 561492

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS Department of Veterans Affairs

Network Contracting Office 16 Galleria Financial Center 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750 Houston TX 77056-5643

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contracting Officer Shasta Britt shasta.britt@va.gov

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS Department of Veterans Affairs Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center

MEDVAMC

2002 Holcombe Blvd.

Houston TX

POSTAL CODE 77030-4211

COUNTRY USA

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL https://www.va.gov URL DESCRIPTION Department of Veterans Affairs AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS shasta.britt@va.gov EMAIL DESCRIPTION 36C25626Q1138_RFQ Reponse_Vendor Name mailto:shasta.britt@va.gov https://www.va.gov/ mailto:shasta.britt@va.gov

DESCRIPTION

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation number is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ) for VISN-wide Court Reporting and Transcription Services.

This acquisition is set-aside for Service Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) concerns. The solicitation documents and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) (eff. 03/16/2026), FAC 2026-01 (eff.

03/13/2026), FAR Deviation APR 2026 (eff. 04/23/2026), VAAR DEVIATION MAY 2026 (eff.

05/12/2026), VAAM Alert 26-01 (eff. 10/01/2025), and Acquisition Policy Flash 26-30 eff.

05/12/2026). This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

Contractors are required to be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and certified with the Small Business administrative (SBA) Dynamic Small Business Search

(DSBS) as a Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Vendor quote may be considered non-compliant and rejected if the Contracting Officer is unable to verify registration and SDVOSB certification status.

Primary NAICS Code: 561492 – This NAICS code represents the principal purpose of the acquisition, which is for Court Reporting and Stenotype Services.

The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC), 2002 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas 77030 is seeking to purchase the requirements described above and within this announcement, RFQ attachment. The government expects this announcement to result in a

Firm-Fixed Price Single-Award Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC) not to exceed five years.

See attached RFQ for the details… http://www.acquisition.gov/

36C25626Q1138

Table of Contents

SECTION B - CONTINUATION CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES COMBINED SYNOPSIS

SOLICITATION (CSS)

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

C.2 SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

C.3 52.216-18 ORDERING (AUG 2020)

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

C.5 52.222-90 ADDRESSING DEI DISCRIMINATION BY FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

(DEVIATION APR 2026)

C.6 52.240-91 SECURITY PROHIBITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS (NOV 2025)

(DEVIATION)

C.7 VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED

SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES (JAN 2023)

(DEVIATION)

C.8 VAAR 852.219-75 VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING—

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SERVICES AND CONSTRUCTION (JAN 2023)

(DEVIATION)

SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS

D.1 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

D.2 IT CONTRACT SECURITY

D.3 WAGE AND DETERMINATION (WD)

SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS

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

COMMERCIAL SERVICES(OCT 2025) (DEVIATION) (TAILORED)

E.2 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB

1998)

E.3 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (NOV 2025) (DEVIATION)

E.4 52.240-90 SECURITY PROHIBITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS REPRESENTATIONS

AND CERTIFICATIONS (NOV 2025) (DEVIATION)

E.5 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL

SERVICES (OCT 2025) (DEVIATION) (TAILORED)

SECTION B - CONTINUATION CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES

COMBINED SYNOPSIS SOLICITATION (CSS)

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

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

a. CONTRACTOR: Company Name:

ATTN/POC Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

UEI:

Contract# (if applicable):

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer 36C256

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 16 Galleria Financial Center 5075 Westheimer Road, Suite 750 Houston TX 77056-5643

2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with:

a. 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - System for Award

Management through TUNGSTEN

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

a. Other: Upon receipt and acceptance by the Government

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. http://www.fsc.va.gov/fsc/einvoice.asp

5. Offeror shall complete the following located in Sections B thru E of this solicitation to be deemed eligible:

a. Volume I:

a. Section B- CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA, CONTRACTOR contact information.

b. Section C- 852.219-75 (SIGNED)

c. Submission of past performance and specifications summarized in this

CSS and PWS.

b. Volume II:

a. Section B- PRICE/COST SCHEDULE.

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

AMENDMENT NO DATE

(End of Contract Administration Data) http://www.fsc.va.gov/fsc/einvoice.asp

B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

ITEM

DESCRIPTION

OF SERVICES QTY UNIT UNIT ANNUAL PRICE TOTAL LINE PRICE

5.00 YR __________________ __________________

CLIN 0001 – Standard Transcription Services (IDC)

Description:

The Contractor shall provide transcription services for any PWS-covered proceeding (including but not limited to AIB, MSPB, EEOC, HRMS, and depositions) for any VISN 16 ordering activity. Specific work details will be identified in individual Task Orders.

Unit of Measure: Billable line (65 printable ASCII characters;

headers/footers non-billable) NTE Quantity (Annual Ordering Ceiling): 2,000,000 lines Unit Price: $________ Annual Amount: $________

Contract Period: IDC Ordering NTE 5 Years POP Begin: 10-01-2026 POP End: 09-30-2031 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 561492 - Court Reporting and Stenotype Services PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: R606 - Support - Administrative: Court Reporting MANUFACTURER PART NUMBER (MPN): Court Reporting-

PWS

CLIN 0002 – Urgent Transcription Services (IDC)

Same scope as CLIN 0001 except Turnaround Time is Urgent (48 hours).

Unit of Measure: Billable line (65 printable ASCII characters) NTE Quantity (Annual Ordering Ceiling): 400,000 lines Unit Price: $________ Annual Amount: $________

Contract Period: IDC Ordering NTE 5 Years POP Begin: 10-01-2026 POP End: 09-30-2031 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 561492 - Court Reporting and Stenotype Services PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: R606 - Support - Administrative: Court Reporting

CLIN 0003 – Court Reporter Attendance (On-Site or Virtual)

The Contractor shall provide qualified court reporter attendance for hearings or depositions.

Unit of Measure: Hour NTE Quantity (Annual Ordering Ceiling): 5,000 hours Unit Price: $________ Annual Amount: $________

Contract Period: IDC Ordering NTE 5 Years POP Begin: 10-01-2026 POP End: 09-30-2031 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 561492 - Court Reporting and Stenotype Services PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: R606 - Support - Administrative: Court Reporting

CLIN 0004 – Secure Electronic Delivery & Formatting

Contractor shall format and deliver completed transcripts per VA templates.

Unit of Measure: Each transcript delivered NTE Quantity (Annual Ordering Ceiling): 250,000 transcripts Unit Price: $________ Annual Amount: $________

Contract Period: IDC Ordering NTE 5 Years POP Begin: 10-01-2026 POP End: 09-30-2031 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 561492 - Court Reporting and Stenotype Services PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: R606 - Support - Administrative: Court Reporting

CLIN 0005 – Audio Capture & Secure Storage

Secure storage of digital audio recordings for up to 12 months.

Unit of Measure: Month NTE Quantity (Annual Ordering Ceiling): 12 months Unit Price: $________

Annual Amount: $________

Contract Period: IDC Ordering NTE 5 Years POP Begin: 10-01-2026 POP End: 09-30-2031 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 561492 - Court Reporting and Stenotype Services PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: R606 - Support - Administrative: Court Reporting

GRAND TOTAL VALUE

The Contractor shall not exceed the value amount awarded “ceiling” on the issued contract or its orders. The contractor shall communicate to Program POC and CO on any orders that are anticipated to be delayed or exceed contractual obligation listed in Price/Cost Schedule.

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, supervision, management, materials, equipment, and services necessary to perform the work described in this Solicitation for a single firm-fixed price. This firm-fixed price shall be all inclusive and shall include, at a minimum, all direct labor, staff hourly compensation, fringe benefits, overhead, general and administrative expenses, profit, and any other costs necessary to fully perform the required services. No separate or additional payment will be made for labor hours, overhead, or profit beyond the firm-fixed price, except as expressly authorized by a duly executed contract modification. No additional charges outside the firm-fixed price will be accepted. Any attempts to bill the agency for costs outside of the agreed-upon price will be rejected.

Price is a firm-fixed price (FFP) agreement and may not be changed, the estimated annual price listed is an estimate on historical ordering in the past of the total requirement for the services described. The Government may place orders as needed at quantities less than the estimated total price as stated in the schedule of items. There is no express or implied guarantee that services will be ordered regularly. Orders shall not exceed the obligation shown or as outlined at

52.216-19. Any remaining order obligations that result in excess funds will be de-obligated at the end of the order’s period of performance, after issued obligated purchase order has expired and final invoice is paid in full.

Price Evaluation of Options: The Government will evaluate all option clauses using prices submitted for each option year, or, if no separate pricing is submitted, using rates then in effect for the final scheduled performance period. These evaluated option amounts will be added to the total evaluated price but do not obligate the Government to exercise the options.

1. FAR 52.217 8 (Option to Extend Services). Incorporated. For evaluation purposes, the

Government will add an amount equal to six (6) times the monthly rate in effect for the final scheduled performance period immediately preceding any 52.217 8 extension. No separate pricing is required; the option price is presumed “reasonably determinable” per FAR.

2. FAR 52.237 3 (Continuity of Services). Incorporated. To evaluate up to 90 days of post-expiration transition support, the Government will include a not-to-exceed amount equal to 30% of the annual rate in effect for the final scheduled performance period, added to the total evaluated price for award purposes only. The Government is not obligated to exercise any or all of such transition; actual phase-out services, if directed by the Contracting Officer, will be reimbursed per contract terms.

[End of Section B]

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL

PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

Clauses that are incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date), have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available.

The following clauses are incorporated into 52.212-4 as an addendum to this contract:

C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

FAR

Number

Title Date

52.203-6 RESTRICTIONS ON SUBCONTRACTOR SALES TO THE

GOVERNMENT

JUN 2020

52.203-16 PREVENTING PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST JUN 2020

52.203-17 CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS NOV 2023

52.203-19 PROHIBITION ON REQUIRING CERTAIN INTERNAL

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS OR STATEMENTS

JAN 2017

52.204-13 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT—MAINTENANCE

(DEVIATION)

NOV 2025

52.209-6 PROTECTING THE GOVERNMENT'S INTEREST WHEN

SUBCONTRACTING WITH CONTRACTORS DEBARRED,

SUSPENDED, PROPOSED FOR DEBARMENT, OR

VOLUNTARILY EXCLUDED

JAN 2025

52.209-10 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH INVERTED

DOMESTIC CORPORATIONS

NOV 2015

52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL

PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (DEVIATION)

OCT 2025

52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES NOV 1999

52.222-35 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR VETERANS (DEVIATION) NOV 2025

52.222-36 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WORKERS WITH

DISABILITIES (DEVIATION)

NOV 2025

52.222-37 EMPLOYMENT REPORTS ON VETERANS (DEVIATION) NOV 2025

52.222-40 NOTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS UNDER THE

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT (DEVIATION)

NOV 2025

52.222-41 SERVICE CONTRACT LABOR STANDARDS (DEVIATION) NOV 2025

52.222-42 STATEMENT OF EQUIVALENT RATES FOR FEDERAL

HIRES

MAY 2014

52.222-50 COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (DEVIATION) NOV 2025

52.222-54 EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION (DEVIATION) NOV 2025

52.222-55 MINIMUM WAGES FOR CONTRACTOR WORKERS

UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14026 (DEVIATION)

NOV 2025

https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

52.222-62 PAID SICK LEAVE UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 13706

(DEVIATION)

NOV 2025

52.224-3 PRIVACY TRAINING ALTERNATE I (JAN 2017) JAN 2017

52.226-8 ENCOURAGING CONTRACTOR POLICIES TO BAN TEXT

MESSAGING WHILE DRIVING

MAY 2024

52.228-5 INSURANCE—WORK ON A GOVERNMENT

INSTALLATION

JAN 1997

52.229-3 FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES (DEVIATION) SEP 2025

52.229-4 FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES (STATE AND

LOCAL ADJUSTMENTS) (DEVIATION)

SEP 2025

52.232-18 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS APR 1984

52.232-19 AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR APR 1984

52.232-33 PAYMENT BY ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER—

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

OCT 2018

52.232-40 PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENTS TO SMALL

BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTORS

MAR 2023

52.233-3 PROTEST AFTER AWARD AUG 1996

52.233-4 APPLICABLE LAW FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT CLAIM OCT 2004

52.237-3 CONTINUITY OF SERVICES JAN 1991

52.244-6 SUBCONTRACTS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (DEVIATION)

APR 2026

852.201-70 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE DEC 2022

852.203-70 COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING MAY 2018

852.211-76 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES-REIMBURSEMENT FOR

DATA BREACH COSTS

FEB 2023

852.216-71 ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT OF CONTRACT

PRICE(S) BASED ON A PRICE INDEX

MAR 2018

852.222-71 COMPLIANCE WITH EXECUTIVE ORDER 13899

(DEVIATION) (APR 2025)

APR 2025

852.232-72 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS NOV 2018

852.242-71 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICER OCT 2020

(End of Clause)

C.2 SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

In accordance with FAR 28.307-2 and FAR 52.228-5, the following minimum coverage shall apply to this contract:

(a) Workers' compensation and employers liability: Contractors are required to comply with applicable Federal and State workers' compensation and occupational disease statutes. If occupational diseases are not compensable under those statutes, they shall be covered under the employer's liability section of the insurance policy, except when contract operations are so commingled with a Contractor's commercial operations that it would not be practical to require this coverage. Employer's liability coverage of at least $100,000 is required, except in States with exclusive or monopolistic funds that do not permit workers' compensation to be written by private carriers.

(b) General Liability: $500,000.00 per occurrences.

(c) Automobile liability: $200,000.00 per person; $500,000.00 per occurrence and $20,000.00 property damage.

(d) The successful bidder must present to the Contracting Officer, prior to award, evidence of general liability insurance without any exclusionary clauses for asbestos that would void the general liability coverage.

C.3 52.216-18 ORDERING (AUG 2020)

(a) Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities designated in the Schedule. Such orders may be issued from 10/01/2026 through 09/30/2031.

(b) All delivery orders or task orders are subject to the terms and conditions of this contract. In the event of conflict between a delivery order or task order and this contract, the contract shall control.

(c) A delivery order or task order is considered "issued" when—

(1) If sent by mail (includes transmittal by U.S. mail or private delivery service), the

Government deposits the order in the mail;

(2) If sent by fax, the Government transmits the order to the Contractor’s fax number; or

(3) If sent electronically, the Government either—

(i) Posts a copy of the delivery order or task order to a Government document access system, and notice is sent to the Contractor; or

(ii) Distributes the delivery order or task order via email to the Contractor’s email address.

(d) Orders may be issued by methods other than those enumerated in this clause only if authorized in the contract.

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

(a) Minimum order. When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less than $100.00, the Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies or services under the contract.

(b) Maximum order. The Contractor is not obligated to honor—

(1) Any order for a single item in excess of $55,000.00;

(2) Any order for a combination of items in excess of $350,000.00; or

(3) A series of orders from the same ordering office within 10 days that together call for quantities exceeding the limitation in paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section.

(c) If this is a requirements contract (i.e., includes the Requirements clause at subsection

52.216-21 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)), the Government is not required to order a part of any one requirement from the Contractor if that requirement exceeds the maximum-order limitations in paragraph (b) of this section.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the Contractor shall honor any order exceeding the maximum order limitations in paragraph (b), unless that order (or orders) is returned to the ordering office within 5 days after issuance, with written notice stating the

Contractor's intent not to ship the item (or items) called for and the reasons. Upon receiving this notice, the Government may acquire the supplies or services from another source.

C.5 52.222-90 ADDRESSING DEI DISCRIMINATION BY FEDERAL

CONTRACTORS (DEVIATION APR 2026)

(a)Definitions. As used in this clause—

Program participation means membership or participation in, or access or admission to:

training, mentoring, or leadership development programs; educational opportunities; clubs;

associations; or similar opportunities that are sponsored or established by the contractor or subcontractor.

Racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities means disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g., hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g., vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity's resources.

(b) In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the Contractor agrees as follows:

(1) The Contractor will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities;

(2) The Contractor will furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the Contracting Officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with this clause;

(3) In the event of the Contractor's or a subcontractor's noncompliance with this clause, this contract may be canceled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part, and the Contractor or subcontractor may be declared ineligible for further Government contracts;

(4) The Contractor will report any subcontractor's known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the Contracting Officer and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the Contracting Officer; and

(5) The Contractor will inform the Contracting Officer if a subcontractor sues the Contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of this clause.

(6) The Contractor recognizes that compliance with the requirements of this clause are material to the Government's payment decisions for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4).

(c) The Contractor must include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in subcontracts at any tier, including those for commercial products and commercial services, except those where the place of delivery or performance is outside the United States.

C.6 52.240-91 SECURITY PROHIBITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS (NOV 2025)

(DEVIATION)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

American Security Drone Act-covered foreign entity means an entity included on a list that the

Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC) develops and maintains and publishes in the

System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov (section 1822 of Pub. L. 118-31, 41 U.S.C. 3901 note prec.).

Backhaul means intermediate links between the core network, or backbone network, and the small subnetworks at the edge of the network (e.g., connecting cell phones/towers to the core telephone network). Backhaul can be wireless (e.g., microwave) or wired (e.g., fiber optic, coaxial cable, Ethernet).

Covered application means the social networking service TikTok or any successor application or service developed or provided by ByteDance Limited or an entity owned by ByteDance

Limited.

Covered article, as defined in 41 U.S.C. 4713(k), means:

(1) Information technology, as defined in 40 U.S.C. 11101, including cloud computing services of all types;

(2) Telecommunications equipment or telecommunications service, as those terms are defined in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153);

(3) The processing of information on a Federal or non-Federal information system, subject to the requirements of the Controlled Unclassified Information program (see 32 CFR part 2002); or

(4) Hardware, systems, devices, software, or services that include embedded or incidental information technology.

Covered foreign country means The People’s Republic of China.

Covered telecommunications equipment or services means— https://www.sam.gov

(1) Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE

Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(2) For the purpose of public safety, security of Government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities);

(3) Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment; or

(4) Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country.

Critical technology means—

(1) Defense articles or defense services included on the United States Munitions List set forth in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations under subchapter M of chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations;

(2) Items included on the Commerce Control List set forth in Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the Export Administration Regulations under subchapter C of chapter VII of title 15, Code of

Federal Regulations, and controlled—

(i) Pursuant to multilateral regimes, including for reasons relating to national security, chemical and biological weapons proliferation, nuclear nonproliferation, or missile technology; or

(ii) For reasons relating to regional stability or surreptitious listening;

(3) Specially designed and prepared nuclear equipment, parts and components, materials, software, and technology covered by part 810 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to assistance to foreign atomic energy activities);

(4) Nuclear facilities, equipment, and material covered by part 110 of title 10, Code of Federal

Regulations (relating to export and import of nuclear equipment and material);

(5) Select agents and toxins covered by part 331 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, part

121 of title 9 of such Code, or part 73 of title 42 of such Code; or

(6) Emerging and foundational technologies controlled pursuant to section 1758 of the Export

Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4817).

FASC-prohibited unmanned aircraft system means an unmanned aircraft system manufactured or assembled by an American Security Drone Act—covered foreign entity.

FASCSA order means any of the following orders issued under the Federal Acquisition Supply

Chain Security Act (FASCSA) requiring removing covered articles from executive agency information systems or excluding one or more named sources or named covered articles from executive agency procurement actions, as described in 41 CFR 201-1.303(d) and (e):

(1) The Secretary of Homeland Security may issue FASCSA orders that apply to civilian agencies, to the extent not covered by paragraph (2) or (3) of this definition. This type of

FASCSA order may be referred to as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FASCSA order.

(2) The Secretary of Defense may issue FASCSA orders that apply to the Department of

Defense (DoD) and national security systems other than sensitive compartmented information systems. This type of FASCSA order may be referred to as a DoD FASCSA order.

(3) The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) may issue FASCSA orders that apply to the intelligence community and sensitive compartmented information systems, to the extent not covered by paragraph (2) of this definition. This type of FASCSA order may be referred to as a

DNI FASCSA order.

Information technology, as defined in 40 U.S.C. 11101(6)—

(1) Means any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, used in the automatic acquisition, storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information by the executive agency, if the equipment is used by the executive agency directly or is used by a contractor under a contract with the executive agency that requires the use—

(i) Of that equipment; or

(ii) Of that equipment to a significant extent in the performance of a service or the furnishing of a product;

(2) Includes computers, ancillary equipment (including imaging peripherals, input, output, and storage devices necessary for security and surveillance), peripheral equipment designed to be controlled by the central processing unit of a computer, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources; but

(3) Does not include any equipment acquired by a Federal contractor incidental to a Federal contract.

Intelligence community, as defined by 50 U.S.C. 3003(4), means the following—

(1) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence;

(2) The Central Intelligence Agency;

(3) The National Security Agency;

(4) The Defense Intelligence Agency;

(5) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;

(6) The National Reconnaissance Office;

(7) Other offices within the Department of Defense for the collection of specialized national intelligence through reconnaissance programs;

(8) The intelligence elements of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, the

Coast Guard, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Energy;

(9) The Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the Department of State;

(10) The Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of the Treasury;

(11) The Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security; or

(12) Such other elements of any department or agency as may be designated by the

President, or designated jointly by the Director of National Intelligence and the head of the department or agency concerned, as an element of the intelligence community.

Interconnection arrangement means arrangements governing the physical connection of two or more networks to allow the use of another’s network to hand off traffic where it is ultimately delivered (e.g., connecting a customer of telephone provider A to a customer of telephone company B) or sharing data and other information resources.

Kaspersky Lab-covered article means any hardware, software, or service that—

(1) Is developed or provided by a Kaspersky Lab-covered entity;

(2) Includes any hardware, software, or service developed or provided in whole or in part by a

Kaspersky Lab-covered entity; or

(3) Contains components using any hardware or software developed in whole or in part by a

Kaspersky Lab-covered entity.

Kaspersky Lab-covered entity means—

(1) Kaspersky Lab;

(2) Any successor entity to Kaspersky Lab, including any change in name, e.g., “Kaspersky”;

(3) Any entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with Kaspersky Lab;

or

(4) Any entity of which Kaspersky Lab has a majority ownership.

National security system, as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3552, means any information system

(including any telecommunications system) used or operated by an agency or by a contractor of an agency, or other organization on behalf of an agency—

(1) The function, operation, or use of which involves intelligence activities; involves cryptologic activities related to national security; involves command and control of military forces; involves equipment that is an integral part of a weapon or weapons system; or is critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence missions, but does not include a system that is to be used for routine administrative and business applications (including payroll, finance, logistics, and personnel management applications); or

(2) Is protected at all times by procedures established for information that have been specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order or an Act of Congress to be kept classified in the interest of national defense or foreign policy.

Roaming means cellular communications services (e.g., voice, video, data) received from a visited network when unable to connect to the facilities of the home network either because signal coverage is too weak or because traffic is too high.

Sensitive compartmented information means classified information concerning or derived from intelligence sources, methods, or analytical processes, which is required to be handled within formal access control systems established by the Director of National Intelligence.

Sensitive compartmented information system means a national security system authorized to process or store sensitive compartmented information.

Source means a non-Federal supplier, or potential supplier, of products or services, at any tier.

Subsidiary means an entity in which more than 50 percent of the entity is owned directly by a parent corporation or through another subsidiary of a parent corporation.

Substantial or essential component means any component necessary for the proper function or performance of a piece of equipment, system, or service.

Unmanned aircraft means an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft (49 U.S.C. 44801(11)).

Unmanned aircraft system means an unmanned aircraft and associated elements (including communication links and the components that control the unmanned aircraft) that are required for the operator to operate safely and efficiently in the national airspace system (49 U.S.C.

44801(12)).

(b) Prohibitions on providing or using specific products or services in performance of contract.

Unless a waiver or exception applies, the Contractor is prohibited from providing any products or services to the Government or using in the performance of the contract any of the following:

(1) A covered application on any information technology owned or managed by the

Government, or on any information technology used or provided by the Contractor under this contract, including equipment provided by the Contractor’s employees (section 102 of Division R of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328));

(2) A Kaspersky Lab-covered article (Section 1634 of Division A of the National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Pub. L. 115-91));

(3) Covered telecommunications equipment or services used as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system (paragraphs (a)(1)(A) of section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

(Pub. L. 115-232)). This does not prohibit contractors from providing—

(i) A service that connects to the facilities of a third-party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(ii) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(c) Prohibition on unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by American

Security Drone Act—covered foreign entities.

(1) Prohibition. The Contractor is prohibited from—

(i) Delivering any FASC-prohibited unmanned aircraft system, which includes unmanned aircraft (i.e., drones) and associated elements (sections 1823 and 1826 of American Security

Drone Act of 2023, within the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, Pub. L.

118-31, Div. A, Title XVIII, Subtitle B, 41 U.S.C. 3901 note prec.);

(ii) On or after December 22, 2025, operating a FASC-prohibited unmanned aircraft system in the performance of the contract (section 1824 of Pub. L. 118-31); and

(iii) On or after December 22, 2025, using Federal funds to procure or operate a FASC-prohibited unmanned aircraft system (section 1825 of Pub. L. 118-31).

(2) Procedures. The Contractor shall search SAM for the FASC-maintained list of American

Security Drone Act—covered foreign entities before proposing, or using in performance of the contract, any unmanned aircraft system. Also, the Contractor shall ensure any effort or expenditure associated with a FASC-prohibited unmanned aircraft system is consistent with a corresponding exemption, exception, or waiver determination expressly stated in the contract.

(3) Exemptions, exceptions, and waivers. The prohibitions in paragraph (c) of this clause do not apply where the agency has determined an exemption, exception, or waiver applies, and the contract indicates that such a determination has been made. See sections 1823 through 1825 and 1832 of Public Law 118-31 for statutory requirements pertaining to exemptions, exceptions, and waivers.

(d) Prohibition on using or providing specific products or services or conducting certain transactions regardless of connection to contract.

(1) Certain telecommunications and video surveillance equipment, systems, or services.

(i) Unless an applicable waiver has been issued by the Government, the Contractor cannot use any equipment, systems, or services that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system (paragraph (a)(1)(B) of section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232)).

(ii) This prohibition applies to using covered telecommunications equipment or services, regardless of whether that use is in performance of work under a Federal contract. This does not prohibit the contractor from using—

(A) A service that connects to the facilities of a third party, such as backhaul, roaming, or interconnection arrangements; or

(B) Telecommunications equipment that cannot route or redirect user data traffic or cannot permit visibility into any user data or packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.

(2) Office of Foreign Assets Control Restrictions.

(i) Except as authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the Department of the Treasury, the Contractor shall not acquire, for use in the performance of this contract, any supplies or services if any proclamation, Executive order, or statute administered by OFAC, or if

OFAC’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR chapter V, would prohibit such a transaction by a person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

(ii) Except as authorized by OFAC, most transactions involving Cuba, Iran, and Sudan are prohibited, as are most imports from Burma or North Korea, into the United States or its outlying areas.

(A) For lists of entities and individuals subject to economic sanctions, see OFAC’s List of

Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons at https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/specially-designated-nationals-and-blocked-persons-list-sdn-human-readable-lists.

(B) For more information about these restrictions, as well as updates, see OFAC’s regulations at 31 CFR chapter V and at https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/office-of-foreign-assets-control-sanctions-programs-and-information.

(C) To conduct electronic screens of potential parties to regulated transactions, see the consolidated screening list at https://www.trade.gov/consolidated-screening-list, which consolidates multiple export screening lists of the Departments of Commerce, State, and the

Treasury.

(3) Sudan prohibition. The Contractor is prohibited from conducting any restricted business operations in Sudan in accordance with Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-

174).

(4) Iran prohibitions.

(i) Unless an exception applies according to paragraph (d)(4)(iii) or the Government grants a waiver, the contractor shall not engage in certain activities or transactions relating to Iran

(section 6(b)(1)(A) of Iran Sanctions Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 note).

(ii) Unless an exception applies according to paragraph (d)(4)(iii) or the Government grants a waiver, contractor shall not export certain sensitive technology to Iran, as determined by the

President, and has an active exclusion in SAM (22 U.S.C. 8515).

(iii) The prohibition in paragraphs (d)(4)(i) and (d)(4)(ii) do not apply if the acquisition is subject to trade agreements and the offeror certifies that all the offered products are designated country end products or designated country construction material (see part 25).

https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/specially-designated-nationals-and-blocked-persons-list-sdn-human-readable-lists https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/specially-designated-nationals-and-blocked-persons-list-sdn-human-readable-lists https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/specially-designated-nationals-and-blocked-persons-list-sdn-human-readable-lists https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/office-of-foreign-assets-control-sanctions-programs-and-information https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/office-of-foreign-assets-control-sanctions-programs-and-information https://www.trade.gov/consolidated-screening-list

(iv) Unless an exception applies or the Government grants a waiver, contractors are prohibited from knowingly engaging in any significant transaction (i.e., over $15,000) with Iran’s

Revolutionary Guard Corps or any of its officials, agents, or affiliates, the property and interests in property of which are blocked according to the International Emergency Economic Powers

Act (section 6(b)(1)(B) of Iran Sanctions Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 note)).

(e) Governmentwide exclusion and removal orders.

(1) Unless the Government has issued an applicable waiver, contractors shall not provide or use as part of the performance of the contract any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, if the covered article or the source is prohibited by an applicable FASCSA order as follows:

(i) For solicitations and contracts awarded by a Department of Defense contracting office, DoD FASCSA orders apply.

(ii) For all other solicitations and contracts, DHS FASCSA orders apply.

(2) The Contractor shall search for the phrase “FASCSA order” in the System for Award

Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov to locate applicable FASCSA orders.

(3) The Government may identify in the solicitation other FASCSA orders that are not in SAM, which are effective and apply to the solicitation and resulting contract.

(4) A FASCSA order issued after the date of solicitation applies to this contract only if added by an amendment to the solicitation or modification to the contract (see FAR 40.204-1(c)).

(f)Reasonable inquiry. The contractor shall conduct a reasonable inquiry to determine if there are any prohibited products or services. The inquiry will look at any information in the entity’s possession but does not need to include an internal or third-party audit.

(g) Removal of prohibited products and services. For Federal Supply Schedules, Governmentwide acquisition contracts, multi-agency contracts or any other procurement instrument intended for use by multiple agencies, upon notification from the Contracting Officer, during the performance of the contract, the Contractor shall promptly make any necessary changes or modifications to remove any product or service produced or provided by a source that this clause prohibits.

(h) General report.

(1) If the Contractor identifies or is notified by any source, (including a subcontractor at any tier), that any product or service provided or used (or to be provided or used) during contract performance does not comply with any prohibition in this clause, then the Contractor shall report the following information, or as much information is known, in writing to the contracting office as identified in paragraph (h)(2) within 72 hours:

(i) Contract number and order number, if applicable;

(ii) The specific prohibition the product or service is not complying with;

https://www.sam.gov/

(iii) A description of the products or services that the Contractor identifies or has reason to suspect is prohibited (include brand; model number, such as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and item description, as applicable);

(iv) The entity that produced the product or service (include entity name, unique entity identifier, Contractor and Government Entity (CAGE) code, facilities responsible for design, fabrication, assembly, packaging, and test of the product, and whether the entity was the OEM or a distributor (provide manufacturer codes and distributor codes used for the product));

(v) Description of the functionality of the product or service and how that functionality impacts the risk to the product or service;

(vi) An explanation of any factors relevant to determining if the product or service should be permitted by an applicable exception, exemption, or waiver (if the contractor would like the

Government to consider a waiver, and asks for such a waiver);

(vii) Whether alternative products or services are available that would comply with the prohibition;

(viii) If the product or service is related to item maintenance, include the following information on the item being maintained:

(A) Brand;

(B) Model number, OEM number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number; and

(C) Item description, as applicable.

(ix) Any readily available information about mitigation actions implemented or recommended.

(2) If a report must be submitted to a contracting office, the Contractor shall submit the report as follows:

(i) If a Department of Defense contracting office, the Contractor shall report to the website at https://dibnet.dod.mil.

(ii) For all other contracting offices, the Contractor shall report to the Contracting Officer.

(iii) For indefinite delivery contracts, the Contractor shall report to both the contracting office for the indefinite delivery contract and the contracting office for any affected order.

(3) If the report provided does not contain any of the information required by paragraph (h)(1) of this clause, and the contractor later discovers new information that is required by paragraph

(h)(1) of this clause, then the contractor shall submit a subsequent report within 72 hours of discovering the new information.

(4) The contractor shall also report the information in paragraph (h)(1) if the contractor wishes to ask for a waiver of the requirements of a new FASCSA order being applied through modification.

https://dibnet.dod.mil/

(i) New FASCSA orders report.

(1) During contract performance, the Contractor shall review SAM at least once every three months, or as advised by the Contracting Officer, to check for covered articles subject to

FASCSA order(s), or for products or services produced by a source subject to FASCSA order(s) not currently identified under paragraph (e) of this clause.

(2) If the Contractor identifies a new FASCSA order(s) that could impact their supply chain, then the Contractor shall conduct a reasonable inquiry to identify whether a covered article or product or service produced or provided by a source subject to the FASCSA order(s) was provided to the Government or used during contract performance. The inquiry will look at any information in the entity’s possession but does not need to include an internal or third-party audit.

(3) The Contractor shall submit a report to the contracting office identified in paragraph (h)(2) of this clause if the Contractor identifies, including through any notification by a subcontractor at any tier, that a covered article or product or service produced or provided by a source was provided to the Government or used during contract performance and is subject to a FASCSA order(s). For indefinite delivery contracts, the Contractor shall report to both the contracting office for the indefinite delivery contract and the contracting office for any affected order. The

Contractor shall report the following information within 72 hours for each covered article or each product or service produced or provided by a source, where the covered article or source is subject to a FASCSA order:

(i) Contract number and order number, if applicable;

(ii) Name of the covered article or source subject to a FASCSA order;

(iii) The specific FASCSA order the product or service does not comply with;

(iv) The elements of (h)(1)(iii) through (ix) of this clause.

(j) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (j) but excluding subparagraphs (d)(1) and (i)(1), in all subcontracts and other contractual instruments, including subcontracts for acquiring commercial products or commercial services.

C.7 VAAR 852.219-73 VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED

SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES (JAN 2023)

(DEVIATION)

(a) Definition. for the Department of Veterans Affairs, ‘‘Service-disabled Veteran-owned small business concern or SDVOSB’’:

(1) Means a small business concern—

(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more service-disabled Veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled Veterans or eligible surviving spouses (see VAAR

802.201, Surviving Spouse definition);

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled Veterans (or eligible surviving spouses) or, in the case of a service-disabled

Veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such

Veteran;

(iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North

American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document;

(iv) The business has been certified for ownership and control pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 8127, 13 CFR 128, and is listed as certified in the SBA certification database at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/; and

(v) The business agrees to comply with VAAR subpart 819.70 and Small Business

Administration (SBA) regulations regarding small business size, government contracting, and the Veteran Small Business Certification Program at 13 CFR parts 121, 125, and 128.

(2) The term ‘‘Service-disabled Veteran’’ means a Veteran, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service-connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16).

(3) The term ‘‘small business concern’’ has the meaning given that term under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

(4) The term ‘‘small business concern owned and controlled by Veterans with service-connected disabilities’’ has the meaning…