Additional Questions and Answers - DEA Hazardous Drug Waste.docx

Additional Questions and Answers

1) Clarification to Question and Answer #1 on Amendment 0001. Answer shows an average disposal rate of 4 containers per month. Question and Answer #2 states all locations must be serviced monthly. Does the VA actually mean checked for full or actually serviced, since servicing a unit would mean that all the units are actually removed and replaced with new units. When currently the facility is only disposing of only ~12 per month not 54 per month. Unless this is a new change from the previous contract requirement.

a) Answer: Please refer to the revised Statement of Work (Section 8, Page 6) for pickup frequencies. Containers must be checked for full at those pickup frequencies.

2) Clarification to Question and Answer #7 on Amendment 0001. The salient characteristics are for the MAX size of the bracket mounted to the wall. Does the facility have a size of disposal container requirement? That is not listed. Ie. 5 qt, 1 gl, 32 oz. ect.

a) Answer: There is not a specific size requirement listed in the Statement of Work. However, this should be detailed in your technical submission.

3) Clarification to Question and Answer #17 on Amendment 0001. If Stericycle has this contract under 36C25925P0129, then why is this being solicited. The current end date of that contract is Dec 14, 2029.

a) Answer: Due to contract formation issues, a decision was made to solicit this requirement as a new contract.

4) Clarification to Question and Answer #21 on Amendment 0001. Our company for the last 12 months has been servicing and disposing of the hazardous waste. Every time we are there the containers from Stericycle are in the hazardous waste containers we dispose of. Is this a new change? Since we have seen this for some time.

a) Answer: It is a standard and required practice for smaller point-of-use to be placed inside a larger, Department of Transportation (DOT) approved hazardous waste container for transport and final disposal. This procedure is not a recent change but a long-standing requirement by multiple regulatory agencies to ensure vendor safety and compliance during the handling, storage, and transport of DEA neutralized pharmaceutical waste. In this case, adjustments might be made if there are not enough clean, safe and secure containers available. Any adjustments would be for the vendor’s safety and security. In essence, the smaller containers serve as the primary containment at the point of use, and the clean, UN rated drum with properly fitting top acts as the secondary, shipping-ready containment. It is standard for smaller, DEA neutralized pharmaceutical waste containers to be placed inside a larger, Department of Transportation (DOT) approved hazardous waste container for transport and final disposal. Please refer to the revised Statement of Work (Section 2, Page 1).

5) Clarification to Question and Answer #28 on Amendment 0001. Is the date annotated on the side of the container only for the VA to check to see if the contractor is walking around on a weekly basis? The only time the container is actually swapped out for a new container is if it is “Full”.

a) Answer: The date tracks weekly mandatory compliance inspections. Please refer to the revised Statement of Work (Section 7, Page 3).