36C26121Q0585_1.docx

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V212--Hired Car Services Federal contract opportunity
Solicitation number
36C26121Q0585
Issued by
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 21

About this file

This pre-solicitation notice announces an upcoming solicitation for hired car services to be issued by the VA Palo Alto Health Care System located in Palo Alto, California. Interested offerors are advised to review all forthcoming documents and submit any request for information or clarification needed. The solicitation is scheduled for release on April 27, 2021 with quote responses due by May 10, 2021 at 12:00 PM Pacific Time. The hired car services will provide transportation for patients between the VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Livermore, San Jose, and to the airports in San Jose and San Francisco.

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36C26121Q0585 0001.docx DOCX document
WD No 2015-5623 Rev. No 13 Date 12-21-20 - Alameda County.docx DOCX document
WD No 2015-5637 Rev. No 16 Date 12-21-20 - S.F. - San Mateo County.docx DOCX document
WD No 2015-5641 Rev. No 14 Date 12-21-20 - Santa Clara county.docx DOCX document
Contractor Security Requirements.docx DOCX document

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36C26121Q0585

PAGE 1 OF

1. REQUISITION NO.

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE

4. ORDER NO.

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

a. NAME

b. TELEPHONE NO. (No Collect Calls)

8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL

TIME

9.

ISSUED BY

CODE

10. THIS ACQUISITION IS

UNRESTRICTED OR

SET ASIDE:

% FOR:

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE

WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS:

SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15

CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ

IFB

RFP

15. DELIVER TO

CODE

16. ADMINISTERED BY

CODE

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

CODE

FACILITY CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

CODE

TELEPHONE NO.

DUNS:

DUNS+4:

PHONE:

FAX:

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER 18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED

SEE ADDENDUM

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

ITEM NO.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

QUANTITY

UNIT

UNIT PRICE

AMOUNT

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only) 27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE

ARE NOT ATTA

CHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _______________

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________________________ OFFER

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND

DATED ________________________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION

DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY

(BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE

ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED

SET FORTH HEREIN IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNAT

URE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR

31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER) 30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) 31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

(REV. 2/2012)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

STANDARD FORM 1449

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

640-21-3-469-0022 36C26121Q0585 04-20-2021 Olivia Duarte 559-228-5382 05-10-2021

12:00 PM

PDT

Department of Veterans Affairs

VA

Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21) VA Central California Health Care System 855 M Street, Suite 1020 Fresno CA 93721 X X 485310 $16.5 Million N/A X Department of Veterans Affairs VA Palo Alto Health Care System 3801 Miranda Ave.

Palo Alto CA 94304 Department of Veterans Affairs VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21) VA Central California Health Care System 855 M Street, Suite 1020 Fresno CA 93721

Department of Veterans Affairs FMS-VA-2(101) Financial Services Center

PO BOX 149971

Austin TX 78714-9971 See CONTINUATION Page NOTE: Offerors shall follow the submission instructions specified in FAR Provisions 52.212-1 and 52.12-2, and their addendums included in this solicitation. Failure to follow the instructions will result in an unfavorable evaluation and may not be considered for award.

See CONTINUATION Page 640-360/10160-469-829800-212 010041088 X Rico Johnson Contracting Officer Table of Contents

SECTION A1
A.1 SF 1449 SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS1
SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS3
B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA3
SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES22
C.1 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2018)22
C.2 SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS28
C.3 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)28
C.4 VAAR 852.212-70 PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES APPLICABLE TO VA ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS (APR 2020)29
C.5 VAAR 852.219-74 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING—MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUL 2018)30
C.6 VAAR 852.219-75 SUBCONTRACTING COMMITMENTS MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUL 2018)31
C.7 52.212-5 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT STATUTES OR EXECUTIVE ORDERS—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JAN 2021)32
SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS40
SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS41
E.1 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JUN 2020)41
E.2 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)46
E.3 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)46
E.4 VAAR 852.252-70 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS OR CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (JAN 2008)47
E.5 52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014)47
52.212-2 EVALUATION—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014)48
E.6 52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (FEB 2021)50

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

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

a. CONTRACTOR:

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer 36C261 Department of Veterans Affairs VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21) VA Central California Health Care System 855 M Street, Suite 1020 Fresno CA 93721

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

[X]
52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System For Award Management, or
[]
52.232-36, Payment by Third Party

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

a. Quarterly[]
b. Semi-Annually[]
c. Other[x] Monthly

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.

Department of Veterans Affairs FMS-VA-2(101) Financial Services Center

PO BOX 149971

Austin TX 78714-9971 ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the Solicitation numbered and dated as follows:

AMENDMENT NO
DATE

Statement of Work Patient Transportation Services VA Palo Alto Health Care System Section 1: General Information

1.1 General: This is a non-personnel services contract to provide patient transportation services for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Period of Performance:

One Year: June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022

1.3 Place of Performance: The contractor shall provide transportation service to the following locations which are referred to as “standard” locations in the price schedule:

Palo Alto Medical Center 3801 Miranda Ave Palo Alto, CA 93404 Menlo Park Medical Center 795 Willow Road Menlo Park, CA 94025

Livermore Medical Center 4951 Arroyo Road Livermore, CA 94550 San Jose Outpatient Clinic 5855 Silver Creek Valley Place San Jose, CA 95138

Stanford University 450 Serra Mall Stanford, CA 94305 San Jose Airport 1701 Airport Blvd San Jose CA 95110

San Francisco Airport San Francisco, CA 94128

Other locations will be paid per mile at a rate that will be referred as “non-standard” locations in the price schedule. The overall geographic area covered by this contract will be Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Livermore, San Jose, Monterey, Capitola, Fremont, Stockton, Modesto, and Sonora.

1.4 Estimated Workload: The quantities in the price schedule are estimated quantities. The contractor will be paid for actual trips paid by the unit prices in resulting contract.

1.5 Hours of Operation: The contractor shall be available for service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Typically afterhours calls will be in the event an urgent need for lab work transport is required.

1.6 Type of Contract: The government will award a Firm Fixed Price contract.

1.7 Invoicing: All invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

VA’s Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment System – The FSC uses a third-party contractor, Tungsten, to transition vendors from paper to electronic invoice submission. Please go to this website: http://www.tungsten-network.com/US/en/veterans-affairs/ to begin submitting electronic invoices, free of charge.

More information on the VA Financial Services Center is available at http://www.fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp.

Vendor e-Invoice Set-Up Information:

Please contact Tungsten at the phone number or email address listed below to begin submitting your electronic invoices to the VA Financial Services Center for payment processing, free of charge. If you have question about the e-invoicing program or Tungsten, please contact the FSC at the phone number or email address listed below:

· Tungsten e-Invoice Setup Information: 1-877-489-6135

· Tungsten e-Invoice email: VA.Registration@Tungsten-Network.com

· FSC e-Invoice Contact Information: 1-877-353-9791

· FSC e-invoice email: vafsccshd@va.gov Section 2: Definitions & Acronyms

2.1 Definitions:

Contractor. A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

Subcontractor. One that enters into a contract with a prime contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

Work Day. The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

2.2 Acronyms:

AODAdministrator of the Day
CORContracting Officer Representative
VAVeterans Affairs
VAPAVeterans Affairs Palo Alto
VAPAHCSVeteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System
VHAVeterans Health Administration

Section 3: Government Furnished Property, Equipment, and Services None Section 4: Contractor Furnished Items and Services The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities and services required to perform work under this contract.

Part 5: Specific Tasks

5.1 Qualifications

A. Offers shall be considered only from contractors who are regularly established in the business called for and are financially responsible and have the necessary equipment and personnel to furnish service in the volume required under this contract. Contractors shall have been in the hired car (taxi) service business for at least two years. The awardee shall meet any and all requirements of Federal, State or City codes regarding operations of this type of service.

B. DRIVER: Record of each employee as to character and physical capabilities of performing the duties of driver must be maintained by the contractor and made available for inspection by the Government upon request.

5.2 Vehicle Requirements

A. The hired cars under the terms of this contract shall be licensed and shall meet the minimum vehicle requirements as mandated by the State of California Vehicle Code.

B. Smoking, drinking of alcohol or alcohol on the breath of drivers and the use of profanity is prohibited when transporting Veterans.

C. Contractor shall ensure all vehicles used to transport veterans are air conditioned, clean and in proper operational condition.

5.3 Number of Patients

It is understood and agreed that only Veteran beneficiaries will be transported during a service call. When more than one beneficiary is transported on a trip from one location to the same destination, reimbursement will be made at the rate not exceeding the cost of transporting a single beneficiary. Contractor is required to have PRIOR approval if more than one veteran is to be transported at one time in one vehicle. In some instances an attendant at no additional charge may accompany beneficiaries.

5.4 Waiting Time

For time lost in waiting at either end or both ends of a trip due to causes beyond contractor’s control, the contractor will be reimbursed at the rate established for waiting time in the Price Schedule. The first 15 minutes will be included in the base charge. The contractor will call the VA Travel Clerk or his designee when he anticipates that a delay may develop for which he expects to claim reimbursement. This call is only for the purpose of verifying his arrival time at the pickup point.

5.5 Stops Between Destinations

Stops between VA authorized destinations are not allowed at any time under this contract.

5.6 Rates

A. Rates for hired car services are established in the Price Schedule of this solicitation and shall be at a firm fixed price.

B. Gratuity/Tips will not be authorized on vouchers/invoices under the terms of this contract. Drivers shall be instructed they may not solicit gratuity/tips under any circumstances.

C. Waiting time charges must appear on the trip vouchers/invoices at the time of submission to VA representative for approval. Subsequent requests to “add on” costs will NOT be allowed.

5.7 Orders

A. The VA Travel Clerk will fax a list of authorized Veterans requiring hired car service by the close of business the previous day. Will involve VA sensitive information.

B. Verbal request for hired car services will be made by telephone by the Travel Clerk or designee. The VA employee will issue instructions regarding the beneficiary’s pick-up location and destination. Requests for taxi service for VA beneficiaries made by VA Palo Alto Health Care System Administrator of the Day (AOD) are authorized. These requests will be reported to the VA Travel Clerk or designee the next working day. VA will not pay for any hired car services that have not been authorized.

C. The contractor agrees to provide all services specified in this contract for any person determined eligible by the Travel Clerk, or designee, regardless of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, diagnosis, or national origin of the person for whom such services are ordered.

D. The contractor further warrants that he will not resort to subcontracting as a means of circumventing this provision.

5.8 Response Time

A. Contractor shall be in route to destination within 30 minutes of a request to transport. The VA will be the sole judge in determining a reasonable waiting time, depending on destination requested, time, and weather conditions. In no instance will the contractor be required to furnish more than five (5) vehicles at one time.

B. Drivers are required to give light assistance to patients when transferring in and out of wheelchairs. They are also required to accompany patients to their destination, into buildings or into their home, as appropriate.

5.9 Quality Assurance

The Government will measure the standards of this contract by customer complaints/comments regarding the cleanliness of cabs, courtesy of drivers and timeliness of service. Service will be considered satisfactory with no more than four complaints per month. Contractor shall resolve all complaints with the COR in writing within three business days. If four or more complaints are received in any given month the VA will deduct 10 percent from the monthly invoice.

5.10 Insurance

Before award of contract, the Contractor shall furnish the Contracting Officer with a Certificate of Insurance. This certificate shall contain an endorsement to the effect that cancellation of, or any material change in the policies which adversely affect the interests of the Government shall not be effective unless a thirty (30) day written notice of cancellation or change is furnished to the Contracting Officer. Insurance must be carried at all times or contract shall be terminated.

5.11 Contractor’s Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to obey all laws of the State of California regarding the California Vehicle Code; i.e., wearing of seat belts, speed limits, etc. This also includes California Vehicle Code items such as Limitation on Driving Hours, Taxicab Signs, True Mileage Driven and Operation with Nonfunctional Odometer.

5.12 Medical Emergency

In case of a medical emergency as expressed by the patient or as observed by the driver, the driver is to proceed to the nearest hospital emergency room. Contractor is to inform emergency room personnel as to the nature of the emergency and contact VA Patient Travel at

(650) 493-5000 ext 65686/65687.

1. GENERAL

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.

2. ACCESS TO VA INFORMATION AND VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS

a. A contractor/subcontrator shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order.

b. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures.

c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness.

d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor.

e. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor’s employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.

3. VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL LANGUAGE

a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data- General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor’s information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA’s information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA’s sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements.

c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract.

d. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract.

e. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed.

f. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12.

g. If a VHA contract is terminated for cause, the associated BAA must also be terminated and appropriate actions taken in accordance with VHA Handbook 1600.01, Business Associate Agreements. Absent an agreement to use or disclose protected health information, there is no business associate relationship.

h. The contractor/subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated.

i. The contractor/subcontractor’s firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA’s minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request.

j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor/subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA’s prior written approval. The contractor/subcontractor must refer all requests for, demands for production of, or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer for response.

k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor/subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus. If the contractor/subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above mentioned information, that contractor/subcontractor shall immediately refer such court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response.

l. For service that involves the storage, generating, transmitting, or exchanging of VA sensitive information but does not require C&A or an MOU-ISA for system interconnection, the contractor/subcontractor must complete a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) on a yearly basis and provide it to the COTR.

4. INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT (if applicable)

a. Information systems that are designed or developed for or on behalf of VA at non-VA facilities shall comply with all VA directives developed in accordance with FISMA, HIPAA, NIST, and related VA security and privacy control requirements for Federal information systems. This includes standards for the protection of electronic PHI, outlined in 45 C.F.R. Part 164, Subpart C, information and system security categorization level designations in accordance with FIPS 199 and FIPS 200 with implementation of all baseline security controls commensurate with the FIPS 199 system security categorization (reference Appendix D of VA Handbook 6500, VA Information Security Program). During the development cycle a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) must be completed, provided to the COTR, and approved by the VA Privacy Service in accordance with Directive 6507, VA Privacy Impact Assessment.

b. The contractor/subcontractor shall certify to the COTR that applications are fully functional and operate correctly as intended on systems using the VA Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC), and the common security configuration guidelines provided by NIST or the VA. This includes Internet Explorer 7 configured to operate on Windows XP and Vista (in Protected Mode on Vista) and future versions, as required.

c. The standard installation, operation, maintenance, updating, and patching of software shall not alter the configuration settings from the VA approved and FDCC configuration. Information technology staff must also use the Windows Installer Service for installation to the default “program files” directory and silently install and uninstall.

d. Applications designed for normal end users shall run in the standard user context without elevated system administration privileges.

e. The security controls must be designed, developed, approved by VA, and implemented in accordance with the provisions of VA security system development life cycle as outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-37, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems, VA Handbook 6500, Information Security Program and VA Handbook 6500.5, Incorporating Security and Privacy in System Development Lifecycle.

f. The contractor/subcontractor is required to design, develop, or operate a System of Records Notice (SOR) on individuals to accomplish an agency function subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (as amended), Public Law 93-579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and applicable agency regulations. Violation of the Privacy Act may involve the imposition of criminal and civil penalties.

g. The contractor/subcontractor agrees to:

(1) Comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 (the Act) and the agency rules and regulations issued under the Act in the design, development, or operation of any system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function when the contract specifically identifies:

(a) The Systems of Records (SOR); and

(b) The design, development, or operation work that the contractor/subcontractor is to perform;

(2) Include the Privacy Act notification contained in this contract in every solicitation and resulting subcontract and in every subcontract awarded without a solicitation, when the work statement in the proposed subcontract requires the redesign, development, or operation of a SOR on individuals that is subject to the Privacy Act; and

(3) Include this Privacy Act clause, including this subparagraph (3), in all subcontracts awarded under this contract which requires the design, development, or operation of such a SOR.

h. In the event of violations of the Act, a civil action may be brought against the agency involved when the violation concerns the design, development, or operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function, and criminal penalties may be imposed upon the officers or employees of the agency when the violation concerns the operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function. For purposes of the Act, when the contract is for the operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function, the contractor/subcontractor is considered to be an employee of the agency.

(1) “Operation of a System of Records” means performance of any of the activities associated with maintaining the SOR, including the collection, use, maintenance, and dissemination of records.

(2) “Record” means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and contains the person’s name, or identifying number, symbol, or any other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a fingerprint or voiceprint, or a photograph.

(3) “System of Records” means a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual.

i. The vendor shall ensure the security of all procured or developed systems and technologies, including their subcomponents (hereinafter referred to as “Systems”), throughout the life of this contract and any extension, warranty, or maintenance periods. This includes, but is not limited to workarounds, patches, hotfixes, upgrades, and any physical components (hereafter referred to as Security Fixes) which may be necessary to fix all security vulnerabilities published or known to the vendor anywhere in the Systems, including Operating Systems and firmware. The vendor shall ensure that Security Fixes shall not negatively impact the Systems.

j. The vendor shall notify VA within 24 hours of the discovery or disclosure of successful exploits of the vulnerability which can compromise the security of the Systems (including the confidentiality or integrity of its data and operations, or the availability of the system). Such issues shall be remediated as quickly as is practical, but in no event longer than ____ days.

k. When the Security Fixes involve installing third party patches (such as Microsoft OS patches or Adobe Acrobat), the vendor will provide written notice to the VA that the patch has been validated as not affecting the Systems within 10 working days. When the vendor is responsible for operations or maintenance of the Systems, they shall apply the Security Fixes within ____ days.

l. All other vulnerabilities shall be remediated as specified in this paragraph in a timely manner based on risk, but within 60 days of discovery or disclosure. Exceptions to this paragraph (e.g. for the convenience of VA) shall only be granted with approval of the contracting officer and the VA Assistant Secretary for Office of Information and Technology.

5. INFORMATION SYSTEM HOSTING, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, OR USE

a. For information systems that are hosted, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA at non-VA facilities, contractors/subcontractors are fully responsible and accountable for ensuring compliance with all HIPAA, Privacy Act, FISMA, NIST, FIPS, and VA security and privacy directives and handbooks. This includes conducting compliant risk assessments, routine vulnerablity scanning, system patching and change management procedures, and the completion of an acceptable contingency plan for each system. The contractor’s security control procedures must be equivalent, to those procedures used to secure VA systems. A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) must also be provided to the COTR and approved by VA Privacy Service prior to operational approval. All external Internet connections to VA’s network involving VA information must be reviewed and approved by VA prior to implementation.

b. Adequate security controls for collecting, processing, transmitting, and storing of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as determined by the VA Privacy Service, must be in place, tested, and approved by VA prior to hosting, operation, maintenance, or use of the information system, or systems by or on behalf of VA. These security controls are to be assessed and stated within the PIA and if these controls are determined not to be in place, or inadequate, a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) must be submitted and approved prior to the collection of PII.

c. Outsourcing (contractor facility, contractor equipment or contractor staff) of systems or network operations, telecommunications services, or other managed services requires certification and accreditation (authorization) (C&A) of the contractor’s systems in accordance with VA Handbook 6500.3, Certification and Accreditation and/or the VA OCS Certification Program Office. Government-owned (government facility or government equipment) contractor-operated systems, third party or business partner networks require memorandums of understanding and interconnection agreements (MOU-ISA) which detail what data types are shared, who has access, and the appropriate level of security controls for all systems connected to VA networks.

d. The contractor/subcontractor’s system must adhere to all FISMA, FIPS, and NIST standards related to the annual FISMA security controls assessment and review and update the PIA. Any deficiencies noted during this assessment must be provided to the VA contracting officer and the ISO for entry into VA’s POA&M management process. The contractor/subcontractor must use VA’s POA&M process to document planned remedial actions to address any deficiencies in information security policies, procedures, and practices, and the completion of those activities. Security deficiencies must be corrected within the timeframes approved by the government. Contractor/subcontractor procedures are subject to periodic, unannounced assessments by VA officials, including the VA Office of Inspector General. The physical security aspects associated with contractor/subcontractor activities must also be subject to such assessments. If major changes to the system occur that may affect the privacy or security of the data or the system, the C&A of the system may need to be reviewed, retested and re-authorized per VA Handbook 6500.3. This may require reviewing and updating all of the documentation (PIA, System Security Plan, Contingency Plan). The Certification Program Office can provide guidance on whether a new C&A would be necessary.

e. The contractor/subcontractor must conduct an annual self assessment on all systems and outsourced services as required. Both hard copy and electronic copies of the assessment must be provided to the COTR. The government reserves the right to conduct such an assessment using government personnel or another contractor/subcontractor. The contractor/subcontractor must take appropriate and timely action (this can be specified in the contract) to correct or mitigate any weaknesses discovered during such testing, generally at no additional cost.

f. VA prohibits the installation and use of personally-owned or contractor/subcontractor owned equipment or software on VA’s network. If non-VA owned equipment must be used to fulfill the requirements of a contract, it must be stated in the service agreement, SOW or contract. All of the security controls required for government furnished equipment (GFE) must be utilized in approved other equipment (OE) and must be funded by the owner of the equipment. All remote systems must be equipped with, and use, a VA-approved antivirus (AV) software and a personal (host-based or enclave based) firewall that is configured with a VA approved configuration. Software must be kept current, including all critical updates and patches. Owners of approved OE are responsible for providing and maintaining the anti-viral software and the firewall on the non-VA owned OE.

g. All electronic storage media used on non-VA leased or non-VA owned IT equipment that is used to store, process, or access VA information must be handled in adherence with VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization upon: (i) completion or termination of the contract or (ii) disposal or return of the IT equipment by the contractor/subcontractor or any person acting on behalf of the contractor/subcontractor, whichever is earlier. Media (hard drives, optical disks, CDs, back-up tapes, etc.) used by the contractors/subcontractors that contain VA information must be returned to the VA for sanitization or destruction or the contractor/subcontractor must self-certify that the media has been disposed of per 6500.1 requirements. This must be completed within 30 days of termination of the contract.

h. Bio-Medical devices and other equipment or systems containing media (hard drives, optical disks, etc.) with VA sensitive information must not be returned to the vendor at the end of lease, for trade-in, or other purposes. The options are:

(1) Vendor must accept the system without the drive;

(2) VA’s initial medical device purchase includes a spare drive which must be installed in place of the original drive at time of turn-in; or

(3) VA must reimburse the company for media at a reasonable open market replacement cost at time of purchase.

(4) Due to the highly specialized and sometimes proprietary hardware and software associated with medical equipment/systems, if it is not possible for the VA to retain the hard drive, then;

(a) The equipment vendor must have an existing BAA if the device being traded in has sensitive information stored on it and hard drive(s) from the system are being returned physically intact; and

(b) Any fixed hard drive on the device must be non-destructively sanitized to the greatest extent possible without negatively impacting system operation. Selective clearing down to patient data folder level is recommended using VA approved and validated overwriting technologies/methods/tools. Applicable media sanitization specifications need to be preapproved and described in the purchase order or contract.

(c) A statement needs to be signed by the Director (System Owner) that states that the drive could not be removed and that (a) and (b) controls above are in place and completed.

The ISO needs to maintain the documentation.

6. SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

a. The term “security incident” means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the COTR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/subcontractor has access.

b. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/subcontractor’s notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor/subcontractor considers relevant.

c. With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement.

d. In instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors and their employees shall cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor/subcontractor shall cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident.

7. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES FOR DATA BREACH

a. Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. §5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any SPI the contractor/ subcontractor processes or maintains under this contract. However, it is the policy of the VA to forgo collection of liquidated damages in the event the contractor provides payment of actual damages in the amount determined to be adequate by the agency.

b. The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to VA of a “security incident” as set forth in the Security Incident Investigation section above. Upon such notification, VA must secure from a non-Department entity or the VA Office of Inspector General an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach. The term 'data breach' means the loss, theft, or other unauthorized access, or any access other than that incidental to the scope of employment, to data containing sensitive personal information, in electronic or printed form, that results in the potential compromise of the confidentiality or integrity of the data. Contractor shall fully cooperate with the entity performing the risk analysis. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination.

c. Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following:

(1) Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access);

(2) Description of the event, including:

(a) date of occurrence;

(b) data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code;

(3) Number of individuals affected or potentially affected;

(4) Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected;

(5) Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text;

(6) Amount of time the data has been out of VA control;

(7) The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons);

(8) Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any;

(9) Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals;

(10) Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Security and Privacy Incidents, as appropriate; and

(11) Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised.

d. Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the contractor shall be responsible for paying to the VA liquidated damages in the amount of $___37.50___ per affected individual to cover the cost of providing credit protection services to affected individuals consisting of the following:

(1) Notification;

(2) One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports;

(3) Data breach analysis;

(4) Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution;

(5) One year of identity theft insurance with $20,000.00 coverage at $0 deductible; and

(6) Necessary legal expenses the subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories, or financial affairs.

8. SECURITY CONTROLS COMPLIANCE TESTING

On a periodic basis, VA, including the Office of Inspector General, reserves the right to evaluate any or all of the security controls and privacy practices implemented by the contractor under the clauses contained within the contract. With 10 working-day’s notice, at the request of the government, the contractor must fully cooperate and assist in a government-sponsored security controls assessment at each location wherein VA information is processed or stored, or information systems are developed, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA, including those initiated by the Office of Inspector General. The government may conduct a security control assessment on shorter notice (to include unannounced assessments) as determined by VA in the event of a security incident or at any other time.

9. TRAINING

a. All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:

(1) Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix E relating to access to VA information and information systems;

(2) Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security training;

(3) Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually complete required privacy training; and

(4) Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document – e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.]

b. The contractor shall provide to the contracting officer and/or the COTR a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required.

c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete.

Price Schedule

Year – June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022

Part 1 – Short Trips

Line Item
Description
Est Qty

Per Mo

Unit
Base Rate

Price Total

1001
VAPA to/from San Jose Airport
800
Per trip
1002
VAPA to/from SF Airport
530
Per trip
1003
VAPA to/from Stanford
1,000
Per trip
1004
VAPA to/from Menlo Park
1,087
Per trip

Part 1 Short Trips - Estimated Total

Part 2 - Long Trips - Mileage per trip is over 25 miles

Line Item
Description
Est Qty

Per Mo

Unit
Base Rate

Price Total

1005
VAPA to/from Livermore
400
Per trip
1006
Non-Standard-Trip
1,268
Mile

Wait Time

1,000
Per ¼ hr

Part 2 Long Trips - Estimated Total

Page 1 of Page 1 of

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2018)

(a) Inspection/Acceptance. The Contractor shall only tender for acceptance those items that conform to the requirements of this contract. The Government reserves the right to inspect or test any supplies or services that have been tendered for acceptance. The Government may require repair or replacement of nonconforming supplies or reperformance of nonconforming services at no increase in contract price. If repair/replacement or reperformance will not correct the defects or is not possible, the Government may seek an equitable price reduction or adequate consideration for acceptance of nonconforming supplies or services. The Government must exercise its post-acceptance rights—

(1) Within a reasonable time after the defect was discovered or should have been discovered; and

(2) Before any substantial change occurs in the condition of the item, unless the change is due to the defect in the item.

(b) Assignment. The Contractor or its assignee may assign its rights to receive payment due as a result of performance of this contract to a bank, trust company, or other financing institution, including any Federal lending agency in accordance with the Assignment of Claims Act (31 U.S.C. 3727). However, when a third party makes payment (e.g., use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card), the Contractor may not assign its rights to receive payment under this contract.

(c) Changes. Changes in the terms and conditions of this contract may be made only by written agreement of the parties.

(d) Disputes. This contract is subject to 41 U.S.C. chapter 71, Contract Disputes. Failure of the parties to this contract to reach agreement on any request for equitable adjustment, claim, appeal or action arising under or relating to this contract shall be a dispute to be resolved in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.233-1, Disputes, which is incorporated herein by reference.

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