S06 - 36C26324Q0317 0002 - Pest Control Solicitation Amend 2.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

36C263 Department of Veterans Affairs

NETWORK 23 CONTRACTING OFFICE

316 Robert Street N. STE. 506 St. Paul MN 55101

Department of Veterans Affairs

NETWORK 23 CONTRACTING OFFICE

316 Robert Street N. STE. 506 St. Paul MN 55101 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C26324Q0317 02-06-2024

X

X

X 12:00 PM Central Time on 03/05/2024 See CONTINUATION Page

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Provide answers to questions that have been submitted regarding the solicitation.

2. Provide an updated Statement of Work.

3. Provide Site Plans for the Fort Meade and Hot Springs VAMC locations.

4. Update the Base Period of Performance to 06/01/2024 – 05/31/2025 with four option years.

See CONTINUATION PAGES for additional information.

Traci Johannes Contracting Officer

VA-VHA-RPOC-2023-0035

CONTINUATION PAGE

***NOTE TO VENDORS: All responses to vendor questions are noted in BOLD RED.***

1. What is the number of bed bug service requests at VA BHHCS over the past 24 months? (Page 8, Section B.3, Item D.2.g)

· Fort Meade VA Medical Center (FM VAMC)

· Hot Springs VA Medical Center (HS VAMC)

· Rapid City Community Based Outpatient Center (RC CBOC)

· Sturgis Transitional Residence

· Rapid City Transitional Residence

· Hot Springs Transitional Residence

· Pine Ridge Transitional Residence

Historical Data for bed bugs and other emergent issues is limited to 2023. See document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item E.3.a.

2. Can the government clarify how many emergency service requests there have been in the past 24 months? (Page 9, Section B.3, Item E.3)

· Fort Meade VA Medical Center (FM VAMC)

· Hot Springs VA Medical Center (HS VAMC)

· Sturgis Transitional Residence

· Rapid City Transitional Residence

· Hot Springs Transitional Residence

· Pine Ridge Transitional Residence

Historical Data is limited to 2023. See document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item E.3.a.

3. What is the amount of hours each month the previous contractor spent on-site at VA BHHCS to provide the pest services to all areas outlined within the scope of service? (Page 9, Section B.3, Item E.1 & E.2)

· Fort Meade VA Medical Center (FM VAMC)

· Hot Springs VA Medical Center (HS VAMC)

· Rapid City Community Based Outpatient Center (RC CBOC)

· Sturgis Transitional Residence

· Rapid City Transitional Residence

· Hot Springs Transitional Residence

· Pine Ridge Transitional Residence

Approximately one (1) hour per response.

4. Can the government clarify how many emergency service requests there have been in the past 24 months? (Page 9, Section B.3, Item D.2.k)

· Rapid City Community Based Outpatient Center (RC CBOC)

Historical Data is limited to 2023. See document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item E.3.a.

5. Servicing the 100-year-plus buildings located in S. D., the annual service is truly not enough for any of the buildings. That said, all buildings, other than the hospital and numerous kitchens, including residents, are currently treated semi-annually which is satisfactory, requesting the annual treatment for the other building be elevated to semi-annual service.

For an updated building inspection and treatment schedule, see document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item D.2.l.i. - vii.

6. The SOW mentions “outbuildings”, please provide a descriptive explanation identifying what a VA “out building” is. By definition, the Firehouse is not considered as an “outbuilding” and is not listed in the areas of coverage in the SOW. Recommend this building be added to the solicitation.

See documents: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 2 – Fort Meade Site Map and Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 3 – Hot Springs Site Map. All buildings identified on these site maps are either “main buildings” or “outbuildings”.

7. The office buildings, laundry, maintenance shops, receiving warehouse, student quarters, water plant and several other areas have been treated on at least a quarterly basis. Under the current requirement, neither of these locations and treatment frequencies are effective because of the incoming traffic, open doors, foot traffic, etc. providing for potentially additional pest(s) problems where they are re-introduced to these areas, requiring numerous call-back treatments. There have been excessive calls for Emergent and non-emergent calls. Recommend the semi-annual treatment be broadened to once every four months service and the treatments for the noted quarterly services be moved to three-month intervals.

For an updated building inspection and treatment schedule, see document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item D.2.l.i. - vii.

8. The VA Cornerstone homeless shelter and the Ft Meade nursing home are other facilities that are not included in the SOW. Recommend these shelters be added to the SOW.

The VA Cornerstone homeless shelter is not included in this solicitation. The VA is a tenant in that building and is not responsible for the pest control services as a tenant.

The Fort Meade nursing home (CLC) is already included as a part of building 148.

9. Noted in the statement of work on page 8 of 78 in paragraph 2 “g. and h.” calls for the clean-up of bat guano and pigeon droppings in ceilings. Both are hazardous material and must be treated as such. From numerous experiences, the insulation is saturated, unfinished ceilings / attic spaces have guano/pigeon fetuses that must be removed, and replacement of any contaminated insulation and wood areas needs to be accomplished prior to any new treatment. Bat guano/pigeon waste removal, re-insulating and repair cost can run $18.00 to $20.00(est.) per square foot and there is no way to determine the cost estimate without knowing the buildings and the amount of contamination and clean-up cost to add to the bid. Recommendation is to allow a separate cost-plus option to the contract to address this issue.

We are currently working on a separate contract for the guano abatement for several of the buildings at the Fort Meade campus. This is, and will continue to be, a separate issue from the Pest Control Services described in this solicitation as it is a clean-up in the attics of buildings that have not been cleaned out for many years. The bat guano and pigeon droppings clean-up referred to in the Statement of Work is for new damage created by current pests that is identified during the upcoming Pest Control Services contract’s period of performance. Vendors should price their offers accordingly.

10. There are termite issues in the Hot Springs facility and those treatments also need to be on a bid-per-job outside of the normal treatment plans because of the numerous call backs, complexity, and area size variations. This application is not addressed in this solicitation, Recommendation is to allow a separate cost-plus option to the contract to address this issue.

Termite issues will be handled by the facilities department on a case-by-case basis and are not a consideration for this contract.

11. Regarding “Emergency Call Back” (ECB) calls, respond within 4 hours. Request an assessment to reconsider a limit per month policy for the seven different facility locations. In the past, there have been multiple re-infestation of bed bugs at all three facilities each month (some small and some large areas) that were not caused by any lack of service or performance but because the mission of the VA facility in treating all patients has ongoing bedbug issues beyond their control. If it could be arranged to implement suggested corrective measures for an in-house policy, it may well reduce the numerous call-backs or tenaciously eradicate the “issue(s)”. Handling numerous "ECB" call backs over a certain service point will add additional supplies and man hours that are over and above an acceptable quantity of emergency service intervals. Recommend a max of two-times-a-month per facility (7 facilities - which could be floated between them) for emergency call back service at no charge, additional ECB calls as a cost-plus option per service.

As it is difficult to predict emergencies, or their frequency, we will not be able to quantify the number of call backs needed and will not establish a set number of call backs within the contract. We also do not want to incur additional costs due to call backs. A 12-month history is provided in document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item E.3.a. Vendors shall take the provided historical information into consideration when submitting their offer.

12. Should non-emergent services be completed for no additional charges and no limits for call backs. What is emergent and what is non-emergent?

Emergent issues include bed bugs, wasp nests, and any other pest-related situation that could present immediate health or safety issues.

Non-emergent includes any other pest-related requests for services that do not present an immediate health or safety concern.

All calls, emergent and non-emergent, are included in the contract at no additional cost.

13. Preventative pest control measures include spaying monthly or quarterly at all locations. To take preventative measures recommend you add monthly or quarterly treatment at all locations.

For an updated building inspection and treatment schedule, see document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item D.2.l.i. - vii.

14. Recommend a waiting period to clean after treatment of an area to ensure the best outcome for the treatment.

EMS Staff will wait for 30 minutes before cleaning the affected area.

15. What prep work is completed prior calling for pest control treatment?

EMS closes the affected area prior to calling for pest control treatment.

16. The SOW needs to identify any crawl spaces or other confined areas that require treatment?

Confined and crawl space areas within a designated building will be considered a part of that building. See document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item D.2.l.viii.

17. What are the common types of pests will we be treating for at the identified locations?

See document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item D.2.g. Please note that the referenced list is not all-inclusive.

18. Will this contract include mosquito treatment in the proximity of buildings at VA BHHCS? What would be the frequency of treatments?

No, mosquito treatment is not included in this contract.

19. Do the entry exit doors to VA BHHCS buildings include a blower to create a positive air flow from inside building too outside?

No, they do not.

20. Do we treat residential houses at Hot Springs and Fort Meade? Residential houses?

No, they are not included. For the buildings included at these locations, see documents: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 2 – Fort Meade Site Map and Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 3 – Hot Springs Site Map.

21. Do we treat the daycare center(s) at VA BHHCS?

Yes, both daycare centers at Fort Meade and Hot Springs are included in the treatment plans.

22. Can you identify bate station locations at FM, HS and RC CBOC?

It will be the responsibility of the awarded contractor to identify where they will locate and place bait stations and list how often the stations are checked.

23. Do we need to sign in and sign out for a record logbook?

Yes, the contractor will sign in and treat the area of focus and then sign out upon completion. At Fort Meade VAMC it is located in building 89; in Hot Springs it is located in building 43; at RC CBOC it will be in EMS Supervisors office (room 1720); There will be no need for this requirement at the four TR Houses when treated.

24. How do we record and invoice for emergent treatment and is there a defined number of treatments per month. After that defined amount of treatment do we invoice for additional services beyond the monthly allotted number of treatments? If stated that there will be 15 emergency treatments in a month, and we complete 20 treatments do we invoice for additional treatments over 15?

There is no defined number or limit of emergent treatments, per month at any of the locations. Treatment of the area should be treated as a normal servicing of contract. A 12-month history is provided in document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item E.3.a. Vendors shall take the provided historical information into consideration when submitting their offer.

25. Is there a need for electronic irradiation device at any of these locations?

Yes, see document: Solicitation Amendment 2 – Attachment 1 – Revised Statement of Work, Section B.3, Item F.3.