1. Line Item 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001 & 4001 - Rental of Contractor Owned Portable

Concentrator System Priced Per Month. HCPCS CODE E1390.

Question: HCPCS CODE E1390 is for a stationary concentrator system. The proper

HCPCS CODE for rental of a portable oxygen concentrator system is 1392. Please clarify.

Response: They are revised to all reflect 0001.

2. Pricing Schedule - The pricing schedule shows an estimated quantity of zero stationary concentrator rentals for this contract.

Question: Since the VA will not be renting stationary concentrators from the contractor, does the VA own the stationary concentrators? If so, how many are owned by the government? And shouldn’t there be a line item on the pricing schedule to reflect the 90-day visit?

Response: As noted on page 4 section B.2 of the solicitation, the quantities are estimates only. Numbers could fluctuate due to our Veteran’s needs.

3. PWS Section 1.2 Contractors shall have a facility or resources physically located in the geographic area in which they shall provide service.

Question: The requirement that contractors shall have a facility or resources physically located in the geographic area in which they shall provide service is a condition of operating the contract, correct? In other words, this location doesn’t need to be in place prior to an award, just as long as the location is in place prior to contract start date, correct?

Response: May be established after award but must show binding evidence prior to start of performance.

4. PWS Section 4.1 4.10 Portable Concentrator: Portable Concentrator (FAA Approved) shall be a minimum of 5 LPM, weight 20 pounds or less, AC/DC capability, 12 hours battery life, continuous and pulse doses (40 ml or greater) flow option. Available for travel purposes only.

Question: Are POCs only used for travel purposes in the operation of this contract?

Response: No. It depends on the RX from the provider. It can be used for travel, exercise or daily use.

5. What FAR is being used for the Evaluation and award for this contract?

Response: RFO Part 12.

6. What are the average number of monthly patients? Both home oxygen and ventilation.

7. For CLIN 0001 (Portable Concentrator System), please confirm whether this CLIN includes a stationary concentrator (HCPCS E1390), or only a portable concentrator

(HCPCS E1392).

Response: No

8. If CLIN 0001 includes a stationary concentrator, please clarify why there is only 1 quantity under CLIN 0001a (Low Decibel Concentrator System, HCPCS E1390).

Response: Since this is a low decibel concentrator system. We’ve only done 1. All of our usage is under CLIN 0001.

9. If CLIN 0001 does NOT include a stationary concentrator, please confirm that CLIN

0001a represents all stationary concentrator utilization, and explain why CLIN 0001 is assigned HCPCS E1390 rather than E1392.

Response: CLIN 0001 does include stationary concentrator. Will update PWS.

10. For patients assigned to CLIN 0001 (Portable Concentrator System), please confirm the expected standard configuration (portable only, portable + stationary, portable + backup cylinder system, or other).

Response: This will depend on what is on the RX. Common orders are for stationary with backup cylinder system but could include everything outlined in the question.

11. Are CLIN 0001, 0001a, and 0001c intended to represent mutually exclusive patient populations?

Response: 0001, 0001s and so on represent the option years. Patients can change depending on RX’s from providers. Numbers can increase or decrease.

12. Please confirm that there are no current high-flow patients.

Response: We currently have high-flow patients.

13. Please identify all documents that are part of each solicitation package. At present, the package appears to include only the solicitation document, the Quality Assurance

Surveillance Plan, and the Past Performance Questionnaire. Please confirm whether any additional attachments, exhibits, maps, utilization schedules, incumbent inventories, or transition data exist.

Response: Those are all the documents at the time of the posting.

14. Please provide an editable Microsoft Excel version of the full price schedule for this solicitation.

Response: An excel spreadsheet will be provided but only to enter pricing. No other edits will be allowed.

15. Please provide actual utilization by Contract Line Item Number for the incumbent contract, by month, for at least the prior twenty-four months and year-to-date, in

Microsoft Excel format.

16. Please provide the current number of unique active patients by major modality, including oxygen concentrator, gaseous oxygen, liquid oxygen, portable oxygen concentrator, suction, ventilator, and government-owned ventilator setup.

Response: This will not be provided. Please use the estimated quantities on page 4 section B.2 of the solicitation.

17. Please provide patient distribution by county and, if possible, by ZIP code or service area cluster, so offerors can price travel, staffing, and transition requirements accurately.

Response: See page 34, section 1.2 of the Performance Work Statement.

18. Please provide the current number of ventilator patients by invasive versus non-invasive modality and identify whether any patients are dependent on government-furnished equipment.

19. Please identify the incumbent contractor for each catchment area and confirm whether the incumbent is currently using contractor-owned equipment, government-owned equipment, or a mixed inventory.

Response: This will not be provided.

20. Please provide historical actual utilization for all Contract Line Item Numbers, including line items presently shown as zero quantity, because quantities are estimates only and many line items appear materially understated or unused.

21. Please confirm whether zero-quantity Contract Line Item Numbers must still be priced and, if so, whether those prices will be evaluated for reasonableness or only retained for possible future use.

Response: As stated on page 4, section B.2 “Each item requires a quoted price even if the item reflects a quantity of zero (0).” Also, page 96 RFO 52.212-2(a) “The quotes will undergo a comparative evaluation to determine which vendor provides the best value to the government in terms of meeting the performance work statement, while also providing a competitive price.”

22. Please confirm unit for each Contract Line Item Number is consistent quantity (e.g., CLIN 0009 reflects a quantity of 2 with a unit of “month,” which creates ambiguity for extended price calculations).

Response: Confirmed

23. Please confirm the descriptions for Contract Line Item Number 0010 (HCPC E0465) and

0011 (HCPC E0565) (and subsequent option periods), differentiating between invasive home ventilator and air compressor.

Response: 0010 E0465 home ventilator used with an invasive interface, trach tube and 0011 E0565 is an air power source compressor for nebulizer medication.

24. Please confirm whether the maximum ceiling of $6,000,000.00 for this solicitation is based on historical actual utilization, a budget cap, a planning estimate, or another methodology.

Response: This will not be responded to.

25. Please clarify whether the Government intends to evaluate extended prices using the estimated quantities shown in the schedule, notwithstanding the statement that quantities are estimates only.

Response: Not sure what you are asking. The ordering periods are clearly defined.

26. Please provide a schedule showing historical annual spend under the incumbent contract, by base year and option year if available, to explain the relationship between historical award values and the current maximum ceiling.

Response: Denied

27. Please confirm whether delivery charge Contract Line Item Number A9901 is intended only for deliveries not otherwise compensated through monthly rental line items, and please provide historical utilization for that line item.

Response: Correct. A9901 is intended only for delivery outside of this contract monthly rental line items. Historical utilization is none. We’ve never used this line item but included it in case a scenario presents itself.

28. Please confirm whether Respiratory Therapist visit line item VA120 applies only to

Government-requested visits outside the standard statement of work cadence or whether it may also apply to additional medically necessary visits requested by the facility.

Response: Correct. This can apply to both but, it is rarely used.

29. Please confirm whether offerors may propose equivalent equipment and supplies meeting the required function and performance characteristics wherever a particular branded or specific named item appears in the schedule or narrative. If so, please revise the schedule and solicitation to state 'or equal' or 'same/similar' as appropriate.

Response: No brand names mentioned.

30. Please confirm whether maintenance of government-owned ventilator systems is limited to the listed model(s) or whether other government-owned ventilator makes and models may be issued during performance.

Response: Government doesn’t own ventilators. Ventilators will be rented from the contractor and aren’t limited to the listed models. The modules aren’t specific, as long as they meet the medical needs.

31. Please provide the current population, historical usage, and expected ordering assumptions for government-owned ventilator setup and maintenance Contract Line Item

Numbers.

32. Please confirm the correct product/service for this solicitation.

Response: Line items have been revised to reflect W065.

33. Please confirm HCPCS codes are consistent for the base year and option years CLINs

(e.g., CLIN 0001 lists E1390, while corresponding option year CLINs 1001–4001 list

E1392).

Response: CLINS 1001 – 4001 corrected.

34. The Performance Work Statement requires monthly home visits for ventilator patients and every ninety days for home oxygen patients, but the Quality Assurance Surveillance

Plan measures only a ninety-day assessment and report. Please revise the Quality

Assurance Surveillance Plan so it aligns with the Performance Work Statement and includes ventilator-specific surveillance metrics.

Response: This is something that is not being measured on the QASP, but is being monitored monthly on a separate excel sheet by the COR.

35. The Performance Work Statement requires quarterly infection control and performance improvement reports due by the fifth working day after quarter-end, while the Quality

Assurance Surveillance Plan refers to semiannual reports due by the eighth calendar day of the sixth and twelfth months. Please identify which requirement governs and revise the documents to eliminate the discrepancy.

Response: has been corrected on the QASP see attachment. It is quarterly.

36. The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan references patient refusals, patient decline of back-up systems, emergency service not provided within six hours, ninety-day assessment and report, and semiannual reports, but does not expressly measure order confirmation timeliness, same-day setup, ventilator setup, monthly ventilator home visits, or local after-hours coverage. Please confirm whether the Quality Assurance Surveillance

Plan will be amended to match the full statement of work.

Response: It’s all part of the 90 day assessments and will not be amended, when they are being set-up all the paperwork is being turned in within 5 business days to the

COR.

37. The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan provides that the Contractor shall be given two hours after notification to correct unacceptable performance. Please clarify how this cure concept applies to completed service failures that cannot be retroactively corrected, such as a missed same-day setup or missed emergency response timeline.

Response: Please be more specific on where this is found on the QASP we were unable to find this information.

38. Please confirm whether the home visit report requirement in the Performance Work

Statement, including date of last home visit, due date of next home visit, incomplete visits, action plan, and individual visit reports within five business days, will be incorporated into surveillance metrics or otherwise enforced only through statement of work compliance

Response: It will not be monitored through the QASP only enforced through the statement of work.

39. Please clarify whether the Contractor is responsible only for equipment-related assessment and education or whether the Government expects broader clinical reassessment functions. The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan states patient assessment and plan of care are solely provided by Department of Veterans Affairs staff, while the Performance Work Statement requires extensive Respiratory Therapist activity.

Response: the expectation will be that the contractor will send out a Respiratory therapist to educate and assess on the equipment issued.

40. Please confirm the required timing for order confirmation. The ordering section states confirmations are required for any order placed, but does not specify a uniform deadline.

Please define the required acknowledgment timeframe for routine, urgent, and emergency orders.

Response: All orders should be confirmed within an hour of receipt regardless of urgency.

41. Please confirm whether 'same day when the prescription is received by 3:00 PM local time' governs across all days, including weekends and holidays, and whether that same standard applies to ventilator setups or only oxygen/service calls.

Response: It applies for all days and includes all equipment.

42. Please confirm whether the requirement for a staffed branch office or available resources within fifty miles of each medical center applies to every solicitation location and whether a shared regional resource model satisfies the requirement.

Response: We are requesting that the contracted vendor be within 50 miles of our

VA locations and/or CBOC locations.

43. The current phase-in period is up to ninety days after award. Given the need to safely transition oxygen patients, ventilator patients, government-furnished equipment, and incumbent-owned equipment without interruption, please extend transition-in to a minimum of one hundred eighty days.

Response: Please explain why it would take 6 months (180 days) to transition? 90-

Days is an acceptable timeframe and the government doesn’t want to pay two vendors during the transition period.

44. If the Government will not extend transition-in to one hundred eighty days, please provide the rationale for a ninety-day phase-in and identify the assumptions underlying that timeline, including expected patient volume, incumbent cooperation, and the number of ventilator patients.

Response: Less then 10 ventilators patients and less then 500 home O2 patients.

45. Please clarify whether the incoming contractor is expected to replace all contractor-owned incumbent equipment within ninety days even where the incumbent equipment remains clinically appropriate and no patient-safety issue exists.

Response: Correct. You’ll be requested to replace all the devices within this timeframe.

46. Please provide a transition roster showing current active patients by modality, county, and equipment type, including identification of government-owned equipment and any ventilator-dependent patients.

Response: Any transition information will be provided AFTER award to the awardee.

47. Please confirm whether the Government will require a formal transition plan as part of the technical submission and, if so, please provide evaluation criteria or a template.

Response: See page 93 of the RFQ for required items to be submitted.

48. Please clarify how proration will be handled when the incumbent remains in place during phase-in, including the treatment of partial-month rental, Respiratory Therapist visits, and delivery line items.

Response: See page 63, section 5.4 of the Performance Work Statement.

49. Please identify whether the Government will facilitate joint transition meetings among the incoming contractor, incumbent contractor, Contracting Officer’s Representative, Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, and clinical leadership.

Response: See page 63, section 5.4 of the Performance Work Statement.

50. Please confirm whether the incumbent must continue service beyond contract expiration under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.237-3 Continuity of Services if transition is incomplete, and please identify whether that clause will be expressly incorporated in the awarded contract.

Response: Beyond 52.237-3, no.

51. Please identify whether the Government anticipates any patient populations that will require delayed transition, such as ventilator patients, pediatric-equivalent complex respiratory patients, skilled nursing facility residents, or patients using unique home modifications.

Response: This will not be responded to.

52. Please clarify what documentation is sufficient to establish capability to meet contractor qualifications in Performance Work Statement section 5.2, including licenses, certifications, staffing rosters, and resumes or curriculum vitae.

Response: The Performance Work Statement section 5.2 explains what needs to be met.

53. Please confirm whether a subcontractor’s Respiratory Therapist staff, branch resources, accreditation support, and equipment resources may be relied upon to satisfy technical capability and geographic coverage requirements, provided limitations on subcontracting are met.

Response: No. We need to be able to audit the contractor to ensure they’re meeting every aspect of the PWS and QASP. Subcontractors can’t be held to those standards since the contract wasn’t awarded to them.

54. Please clarify whether a certified Respiratory Therapist and a registered Respiratory

Therapist are both acceptable for all required setup and home-visit tasks or whether any tasks require only a registered Respiratory Therapist.

Response: They are both acceptable to all tasks.

55. Please identify the minimum staffing assumptions expected by the Government for after-hours service, ventilator coverage, and local branch support.

Response: That is at your discretion. As long as you can still perform the work needed in the PWS without delays.

56. Please confirm whether proof of accreditation by a nationally recognized organization other than The Joint Commission will be accepted as equivalent and identify any specific documentation the Government expects with the quote.

Response: Contractor can get accreditation from any nationally recognized organization but must still meet all Joint Commission standards since the VA is measured by TJC.

57. Please confirm whether the requirement for a direct local number with an employee on duty for after-hours orders prohibits the use of an after-hours call service that escalates to local on-call personnel, or whether a local live-answer model is sufficient.

Response: If the call service is a person who the patient or VA staff can talk to and can answer questions regarding issues or statuses, that is fine.

58. The posted Past Performance Questionnaire refers to 'temporary medical staffing or similar services.' Please confirm that the form is intended for these home oxygen and ventilator procurements and that references for home oxygen, ventilator, respiratory therapy, durable medical equipment, or analogous in-home respiratory support services will be considered relevant.

Response: Form has been updated.

59. Please clarify how many past performance references are required if the offeror has relevant Federal contracts in Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System and also intends to submit non-Federal references.

Response: The Past Performance Questionnaire is not required. If the vendor is satisfied with their CPARS record, then that it sufficient.

60. Please confirm whether the Government will consider subcontract past performance or key personnel past performance where the prime offeror can demonstrate direct relevance to home oxygen or ventilator service delivery.

Response: All performance will be evaluated if in the quote.

61. Please confirm whether the evaluator must use the posted questionnaire verbatim or whether a letter on the evaluator’s letterhead addressing the same topics will be accepted if the evaluator declines to complete the form.

Response: The attached questionnaire is required if not using only CPARS.

62. Please clarify whether references received after April 16, 2026 but before quote closing will be considered, especially where evaluator response timing is outside the offeror’s control.

Response: Questionnaires received after the cutoff date will not be accepted.

63. Please confirm whether the Government will consider past performance for home oxygen and ventilator contracts that include similar service components even if the reference contract used a different North American Industry Classification System code or product/service code.

Response: The evaluation of past performance will be on the performance of the vendor regardless of the NAICS.

64. Please confirm whether adverse Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System information will be evaluated in context, including evidence of correction, rebuttals, and subsequent performance improvement.

Response: If additional information is required then this will be at the discretion of the Contracting Officer.

65. Standard Form 1449 states Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.212-5 is attached, but the contract clause section as posted does not clearly reproduce or itemize the specific

52.212-5 clauses applicable to this acquisition. Please provide the full text or attachment for Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.212-5 and identify all checked subclauses applicable to this procurement.

Response: The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) has removed 52.212-5 regardless of what the SF 1449 states in block 27a and 27b. All clauses and provisions by reference can be found in section C & D of the RFQ.

66. The transition section expressly references Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.237-3

Continuity of Services, but that clause does not appear to be expressly listed in the clause section provided. Please confirm whether Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.237-3 is intended to be incorporated into the awarded contract and, if so, amend the solicitation accordingly.

Response: If required, this clause may be utilized through a bilateral modification but the RFQ does include RFO 52.217-8 which can meet this need.

67. Please confirm whether the use of Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8 Option to

Extend Services is intended to operate in addition to the phase-out language in the

Performance Work Statement and how the two provisions should be read together if transition extends beyond expiration.

Response: See response above.

68. Please confirm whether the checked and unchecked commercial item clause structure on

Standard Form 1449 is final and whether any additional addenda to Federal Acquisition

Regulation 52.212-4 or 52.212-1 are anticipated by amendment.

Response: If you are referring to block 27a it states “by reference” which they are not. They are provided in full text.

69. Please confirm whether the product/service code shown in the price schedule is correct and amend if necessary.

Response: This is a repeat question. See response above.

70. Please confirm whether quotes, rather than proposals, are the intended submission format, given the Standard Form 1449 reflects a request for quote. If the Government expects proposal-style narratives, please identify any page limits, formatting requirements, and file naming conventions.

Response: This is solicited under RFO Part 12 utilizing Simplified Procedures so an

RFQ is correct.

71. Please confirm whether there are any page limits, file size limits, or file format limitations for the technical submission, pricing schedule, certifications, and past performance materials.

Response: There is no page limit but if you send large files, please note that our servers cannot receive large files so, please send multiple emails. It is the

Contractor’s responsibility to ensure all emails and files are received PRIOR to the date and time cutoff.

72. Please confirm whether offerors may submit a subcontractor Letter of Intent or Teaming

Agreement in support of technical capability and geographic coverage.

Response: Offerors may send. This does not change the evaluation factors.

73. Please confirm whether the Government will permit clarifications if a required attachment is inadvertently omitted, given the statement that award may be made without discussions.

Response: If clarifications are needed, this will be made at the discretion of the

Contracting Officer.

74. Please clarify whether 'facility or resources physically located in the geographic area within fifty miles of each medical center' must exist at the time of quote submission or may be established by award with binding evidence of capability.

Response: May be established after award but must show binding evidence prior to start of performance.

75. Please confirm whether proof of local resources may include subcontractor resources, leased space, warehousing arrangements, or service agreements rather than only a wholly owned staffed branch.

Response: Yes, but if working with a different subcontractor after award then this will need to be verified prior to start of performance.

76. Please confirm whether technical capability, location/geographic coverage, past performance, and price are listed in descending order of importance or whether they are of equal importance. The current evaluation language does not expressly state relative weight.

Response: They are not weighted.

77. Please confirm whether the Government will evaluate only compliance with the three items listed under Factor 1 Technical Capability or whether broader Performance Work

Statement requirements will be comparatively assessed.

Response: See RFO 52.212-2 on page 96 of the RFQ.

78. Please confirm whether make and model information will be required in the quote where the Government requests commercial product debrief information on make and model of the delivered product.

Response: No. We will request this information once the contract is awarded. We will need this information to request maintenance requirements from the manufacturer.