36C25918Q0109-00002001.docx

68--VISN 19 IDIQ for Medical Gases Base + 4 Option Years - Solicitation Number: 36C25918Q0109

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Q1. SATOC OR MATOC SDVOB AWARD: Does the Government intend to award this Regional Contract to one vendor or multiple SDVOB Vendors (SATOC or MATOC)?

A1. Award will be made to one vendor for this VISN IDIQ contract.

Q2. HYDROSTATIC TESTING OF GFE: Can we provide a CLIN for 5 and 10-year Hydrostatic Testing of GOV owned Cylinders? Paragraph 5.5.2 Page 14 of 57 has no correlating pricing Line Item (no CLIN) to charge the GOV for GFE that cannot be used if they are out of Certification?

A2. GOV (VA) Furnished cylinders quantities for each station are identified on Attachment 2 under the “# of VA Furnished Tanks” column. Hydrostatic Testing should be priced on attachment 2 for each applicable station with VA Furnished Tanks.

Q3. ESTIMATED QUANTITIES FOR CONTRACTOR OWNED RENTALS: Can the GOV confirm the estimated rental quantities and rework the ATTACHMENT 2 to reflect the estimated refill quantities (GOV & Contractor owned cylinders) AND provide the estimated annual rental quantities for Contractor Owned cylinders? NOTE: Could the GOV “black out” those Base & Option Year Rental for GOV (G) Cylinders to focus our pricing effort ensuring we do not incorrectly price rentals?

A3. Because the fill need is not exactly the same monthly (it’s as needed), an annual estimate of fills is provided on the attachment 2.

Q4. VAMCs & CBOCs/LABs SUPPORT STRUCTURE: Could you please clarify what Parent Healthcare System specific CBOCs & LABs “come under?” This is key because the consolidated pricing on Pages 5 of 57 to 11 of 57 list aggregate pricing by Parent Healthcare System, -- the CBOCs & LABs are not priced separately? This is a key task so that vendor accurately depict costs by Healthcare System.

A4. Each tab on the attachment 2 identifies the parent station. Only Eastern Colorado Health Care System identified multiple CBOCs for their needed deliveries. Each location is listed in attachment 1 of the solicitation. All other stations did not break-out their CBOCs, deliveries will be made as identified on the attachment 1.

Q5. VAMCs & SUBORDINTE CBOCS: The Eastern Colorado HCS based VAMCs have several CBOCs listed for Colorado VAMC(s) - which require pricing in ATTACHMENT 2 “Medical Gas Items” – by Cylinder type & Quantity -- yet the remaining (5) VAMCs do not have any CBOCs or LABs listed to price in ATTACHMENT 2?

Can we confirm that there are no additional CBOCs covered under this bid for the remaining (5) VAMCs – and if so, can we revise ATTACHMENT 2 to reflect pricing by cylinder type and quantities? The VISN 19 area is largely rural, and the time/distance supportability factors could incur additional costs due to distances, and therefore do not readily conform to unscheduled/emergency deliveries. Can the GOV “scrub” the actual requirements -- as to which CBOCs require recurring gas deliveries subordinate for all (6-7) Primary VAMCs?

A5. Each tab on the attachment 2 identifies the parent station. Only Eastern Colorado Health Care System identified multiple CBOCs for their needed deliveries. Each location is listed in attachment 1 of the solicitation. All other stations did not break-out their CBOCs, deliveries will be made as identified on the attachment 1.

Q6. ATTACHMENT 2 MEDICAL GAS ITEMS FORMATTING: Could we please emplace1) a separate column to delineate Government owned, versus Contractor Owned Cylinders? It is very difficult to read as the annotation between GOV Owned and Contractor owned is embedded within the description. A column that “stands alone” would help greatly.

For example, the very first line item (note no CLINs) on ATTACHMENT 2 depicts a “G” in the description Paragraph 1.2 Page 13 of 57 – yet on ATTACHMENT 2 the “number of VA Tanks is a quantity of zero? Can the GOV please explain this? If the “G” identifier is codified for a particular line item, should the quantity of “VA owned tanks” be consistent with the quantity required?

A6. For the attachment 2 pricing sheet, # of Vendor Furnished Tanks is Number of Tanks to be provided by the vendor, # of VA Furnished Tanks is number of tanks owned by VA, and Annual estimated quantity is the number of estimate fills per year.

Q7. CLINS: Could we please emplace Contract Line Items (CLIN) for the gases listed in ATTACHMENT 2, 0001, 10001, 20001, 3001, & 40001 –v so we can isolate a CLIN for common recognition, as well as TUNGSTUN NETWORK BILLING – where a CLIN is required to bill a specific Line Item of service? Additionally, our order forms the facility use are also delineated by CLIN, as the description of certain gases are very similar, yet are different Line Items, separately priced (hence he need for a CLIN) A7. Unit pricing should be quoted on the attachment 2. The total estimated annual pricing will for each respective parent station will be input on IDIQ SF1449 B.3 PRICE/COST SCHEUDLE. Individual Delivery Orders will be placed against the resulting IDIQ for billing.

Q8. DELIVERIES: Can we please annotate, by Facility, the current/desired delivery days for each facility? This would be extremely helpful, and several existing Regional Cylinder Contracts clearly annotate “deliveries are on TUES & FRI each week,” for example.

A8. Vendors should identify their normal delivery times in their proposal as well as any fees for emergency same day/next day deliveries.

Q9. PROJECTED DELIVERY TIMES & SCHEDULED DELIVERY DAYS: Could the GOV clarify what Paragraph 3.1 intends to relate to bidders?

3.1 The delivery time is specified per Order. The number of days specified shall be the number of calendar days after an order is placed. FOB point is destination. All transportation charges for cylinders shall be included in the price of the gas. Additional charges such as delivery fees, hazardous materials fees, fuel surcharges, etc. shall NOT be billed to or collected from the facilities for orders received under this contract.

Discussion: A bidder cannot plan, nor accurately price orders that “are specified by the time of order” meaning the GOV may need an item the very next day for a geographically distant location, and not be able to deliver in time (order to delivery time), especially in rural areas. Succinctly, there is no metric to calculate our costs given this open-ended statement. This matter is made worse given there are no additional fees authorized? Please Clarify the standard delivery reaction time, or more importantly, can the GOV reach back out to the VAMCs to identify standard delivery days the GOV is comfortable with (i.e. the current support rhythm), so vendor can provide the GOV our best price. As is (Open ended “the delivery time is per order”) is not definitive enough to bid. The facilities know what schedules they are on, please inculcate this in a modification where the questions answered, perhaps in ATTACHMENT 2.

A9. The pricing proposed should be inclusive of all associated charges (other than emergency delivery fees).

Q10. EMERGENCY DELIVERY: Can we please provide a Column for EMERGENCY DELIVERY FEE for each location and codify what constitutes an emergency delivery? For example, a facility could request product be delivery the very same day, a situation that never made the dispatch schedule, hence it requires vendors to reallocated resources as well as return to the fill plant and in turn delivery to the VAMC/LAB/CBOC after hours (as a practical matter), which constitutes an Emergency Delivery specific to each location. We submit “delivery time is specified in the order” would lead to vendors mitigating risk and overpricing product to the GOV as we have no metric to accurately price.

A10. Vendors should identify their normal delivery times in their proposal as well as any fees for emergency same day/next day deliveries.

Q11. TRANSITION TIME ALLOTTED: Paragraph 8 Page 16 of 57. Recommend transition occurs No Later than 60 days after award. The reason being is it takes from 3 – 6 weeks to order product/cylinders, as well as coordinate and conduct transition inventories within the first 10 days, to identify actual quantities used in the facility, which often conflicts with the RFP amounts listed – yet still needed in the facility, and “once identified” have to be ordered to replace quantities resident within the facilities to meet the documented need of the facility. Recommend no later than 60-day transition. In sum, a shorter transition time requirement favors those vendors who partner with the incumbent/current subcontractor as already have product in place, vice a new vendor who must order product for deployment to the hospital.

A11. A 45 day transition period allotted for this requirement.

Q12. TRANSITION PRIORITY: Does the GOV have a transitional priority (by location) for Transition? Having been awarded several Regional Bulk and Cylinder Gas Contracts, the GOV usually has a decrement list of “transition first or in priority” meaning select facility require priority transition.

A12. The 45 day transition period applies to all station on this requirement.

Q13. END OF CURRENT CONTRACT TRANSITION: Do all facilities have the same Contract “end date” for the (6 - 7) VAMCs, or will utilize a GOV directed transition priority for specific Facilities listed – due to certain facilities being “out of contract tolerance,” and others may have some additional months on the existing Contract? This is a key point often overlooked on Regional Contracts because not all current contract end dates are the same (for various reasons). If so, can the awarded vendor(s) expect to implement based on these priorities communicated by the GOV Post Award. Please Note: The VAMC Oklahoma City and the VAMC Muskogee were in VISN 16 prior to last year, so it would appear they may not have a same “last Option Year” end date.

A13. The period of performance for all stations is identified on the solicitation. To include a 45 day transition period.

Q14. EXISTING CONTRACT EXPIRATION DATES: Is the existing Medical Oxygen and Specialty Gas Cylinders Contract(s) for VISN 19 an existing regional contract?

A14. This is for a new VISN 19 Medical Gas IDIQ.

Q15. ATTACHMENT 2 DELIVERY LOCATIONS: Please confirm that within the ATTACHMENT 2 listing of delivery locations -- several delivery locations are listed as a “Health Care System,” depicting a single entity, with no subordinate CBOCs listed?

[for example: the Oklahoma City (OKC) VA HCS “stands alone” when www.va.gov lists (10) CBOCs] – it would be reasonable to evaluate that some of the VA OKC (10) CBOCs would require direct delivery of Medical Cylinders?].

The Salt Lake City VA HCS is a similar situation as OKC [(9) CBOCs listed on www.va.gov]);

The Rocky Mountain Network has the Eastern Colorado VA HCS; and is the only system listed with CBOCs). Confirm Eastern Colorado is the only HCS that requires direct delivery to CBOCs?

A15. Each tab on the attachment 2 identifies the parent station. Only Eastern Colorado Health Care System identified multiple CBOCs for their needed deliveries. Each location is listed in attachment 1 of the solicitation. All other stations did not break-out their CBOCs, deliveries will be made as identified on the attachment 1.

Q16. ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL VAMC (Aurora, CO): Can we please get a status of what is located at the Rocky Mountain REGIONAL VAMC as listed in ATTACHMENT 2? Is there a separate VAMC for “Rocky Mountain” as Denver and Aurora Co are in very close proximity to each other? It appears (ATTACHMENT 2) that VISN 19 has (7) Parent VA Hospitals, yet the status of the “Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC is unclear?

A16. Each tab on the attachment 2 identifies the parent station. Only Eastern Colorado Health Care System identified multiple CBOCs for their needed deliveries. Each location is listed in attachment 1 of the solicitation. All other stations did not break-out their CBOCs, deliveries will be made as identified on the attachment 1.

Q17. CYLINDER REQUIREMENTS IN ATTACHMENT 2: Regarding Attachment 2, Medical Gas Items, Sheridan Wyoming lists an annual requirement for 564 Liters of Liquid Nitrogen without tank sizes outlined, yet all other locations in VISN 19 specify the Dewar size (i.e., 25L or 50L). Is this a mobile VA Dewar or stationary bulk tank, and if so what is the size? Can we clarify the tanks size requirements for the VAMC Sheridan and if they are GOV or Contractor owned?

A17. Sheridan’s Nitrogen Dewar is GOV Owned. Size is 25L and mobile tank.

Q18. RENTALS BY SIZE GROUPINGS: QUANITIES

A18. Sizes are listed on the attachment 2 and number of tank to be furnished by the vendor are listed as well.

Q19. OKC LIQUID NITROGEN (NO CLIN) Regarding OKC Liquid Nitrogen, is this priced per fill (by Tank Size) or per liter? In general there are inconsistencies with how Liquid Nitrogen is priced (some appear per liter while others appear per fill) for the entire bid? Can we please standardize this, so all vendors are being evaluated using the same cost metric?

A19. The OKC VAMC orders a 180L VGL Container for the medical center about 2-3 times per month and orders 25L Dewar refills about 1-2 times per month charged per liter.

Q20. GOVERNMENT OWNED OR CONTRACTOR OWNED DEWARS: Will the VA be purchasing any of their own Dewars at the start of the Contract for Liquid Nitrogen -- or will they be renting all that aren’t already owned? (for example) Cheyenne VAMC has a requirement for two Vendor 25L Liq Nitrogen Dewars)

A20. # of Vendor Furnished Tanks is Number of Tanks to be provided by the vendor (rented), # of VA Furnished Tanks is number of tanks owned by VA (no rental cost).

Q21. CART LEASING/PURCHASES: Does Government anticipate purchasing/leasing any Carts that transport cylinders throughout the hospital? We do not know what the previous arrangements were, and what often happens is an outgoing vendor “removes their carts (not GFE)” and in transitioning, the GOV has not way to transport cylinders within the hospital – this is one situation where having prioritized (up to) 60 Day transition is necessary.

A21. Carts are not part of this requirement.

Q22. RENTAL INCONSISTENCIES: (REF: ATTACHMENT 2) What is the relationship between the # of Vendor Furnished Tanks, # of VA Owned Tanks, & Estimated Quantity? Some locations have Vendor Furnished Tanks + VA Owned Tanks = Estimated Annual Quantity however this concept is not consistent throughout Attachment 2. This will affect our submittal pricing.

A22. # of Vendor Furnished Tanks is Number of Tanks to be provided by the vendor, # of VA Furnished Tanks is number of tanks owned by VA, and Annual estimated quantity is the number of estimate fills per year.

Q23. EVALUATION: Regarding E.3 52.212-2 EVALUATION (PG 38 of 57), are technical and price equivalent in value to the overall proposal? Can you confirm what the subfactors are, and confirm is this Regional RFP Best Value Trade Off, Lowest Price Technically acceptable (not the norm on Regional Contracts due to the Capability and Capacity of a vendor required to support a geographically dispersed areas, often outweighs a low price.

A23. Reference 52.212-2 for evaluation factors. This is for a VISN 19 IDIQ contract, not regional.

Q24. INCUMBENT CONTRACTORS: Can we please provide the current Contractors and Contract Number for the following Locations:

1. VAMC Denver –

2. Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC (if applicable) –

3. VAMC Oklahoma City, OK –

4. VAMC Muskogee, OK –

5. VAMC Salt Lake City, UT –

6. VAMC Sheridan, WY –

7. VAMC Cheyenne, WY –

A24. Request for information on current contracts should be requested through the FOIA office.