36C77623R0021 Amendment 0004.pdf

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER3. 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 CODECODE

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)

1 5

0004 None

36C776

Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central

6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

36C776

Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central

6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

To all Offerors/Bidders

36C77623R0021

12-06-2023

X

X X

** HOUR & DATE for Receipt of Offers is EXTENDED to: 12/15/2023 3:00 PM ET

The purpose of Amendment number 0004 is the following:

1) Extend the offer due date to 12/15/2023, 3:00 PM, ET.

2) Answer additional questions asked by Industry.

3) An additional amendment is anticipated to answer the remaining questions received.

4) All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

Stephanie Pascale, Contracting Officer

VA-VHA-RPOC-2024-0005

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

QUESTION (1): P5. Item i. mentions “Ordering officers (OOs) will be authorized to place orders against this contract.” a. Please clarify if the ordering officers will receive the original consult and have the authority for authorizing the purchase.

ANSWER: Whichever Government personnel that will place the order, such as the Ordering Officer, will make the original consult and have the authority for authorizing the purchase.

QUESTION (2): P7. mentions “All ramp systems shall be of lightweight, aluminum construction, durable, with either mesh non-slip or solid non-slip, skid-resistant surface, rust free, easily installed, and removed, compact and recyclable.” a. Please confirm if the patient or ordering officer will have the option to request a mesh non-slip or solid non-slip surface, or if the contractor will decide which surface to use.

ANSWER: For each order, the contractor will be expected to make recommendations as to whether to use mesh or solid Surfaces. The Government will make the final decision of whether to use mesh non-slip or solid non-slip surfaces. The contractor will be required to have both mesh and solid available.

QUESTION (3): P8. Item E. mentions “Ramps requiring accommodation for a rise of 30” or greater will require use of balusters/guardrails.” a. Please provide the historical quantities of ramps that required a rise over 30”, and the quantities of ramps that required a rise under 30”. b. Will the government add a CLIN to the Schedule of Items for the ramps that require a rise of 30” or greater, and 30” or less?

ANSWER: The Government has only limited access to historical data. CLINs have been added for the balusters/handrails. See attached replacement Schedule of Items, Attachment 2.

QUESTION (4): P13. Item iii. mentions “Digitally generated layout/diagram of proposed ramp.”

a. Please confirm if a CAD drawing is acceptable or if another software is requested by the government.

ANSWER: CAD drawings are acceptable.

QUESTION (5): Volume I Price, Attachment 2 – Price schedule does not have a column for Item Part Number or Item Part Name, please confirm which column must be filled in.

ANSWER: Columns BX, BY and CS were inadvertently left of off Attachment 2. Please see attached for an updated corrected version of the Schedule of Items, Attachment 2, which should be used to submit proposed pricing.

QUESTION (6): Volume I Price, Attachment 2 – Please explain the difference between CLINs 0012AA

– Administrative Fee, 0017AA Permit Fees-reimbursable for actual costs, and 0018AA Permit Administrative Fee.

ANSWER: The line items for “Administrative Fee” remain. The line items for “Permit Fees-reimbursable” and “Permit Administration Fee” have been determined to be duplicative and have therefore been removed. See updated corrected version of Attachment 2, Schedule of Items.

QUESTION (7): Volume I Price, Attachment 2 – If submitting a proposal for only one of the Regions, will the other require any type of notation, I.e., N/A, NO BID?

ANSWER: Offerors should provide a notation to indicate if they are not proposing on one of the Regions.

QUESTION (8): Proposal Volumes – Is there a page limit for volumes 2, 3, and 4?

ANSWER: There are no page limits for Volumes 2, 3 and 4.

QUESTION (9): Section B.3, 2.1e (Page 8): Balusters/guardrails over 30” or greater. a. Due to the increase in price this requirement will cause, would the government consider adding labor for balusters to their pricing structure to mitigate the direct impact to potentially the 1-foot labor CLIN or others? b. Did the government take into consideration, when setting the price ceiling for this solicitation, the additional cost associated with this requirement as part of its determination?

ANSWER: CLINs have been added for the balusters/handrails. See attached replacement Schedule of Items, Attachment 2.

QUESTION (10): Section B.3, 2.2c (Page 9): “All inclined runs of ramp will have a minimum of three points of support separate from the other ramp structures.” a. Did the government take into consideration, when setting their price ceiling for this solicitation, the additional cost associated with this requirement? It was not a requirement in the past contract for this region and is outside of some current manufacturers’ practice for installation.

ANSWER: The wording of the SOW has been updated to the following: “All inclined runs of ramp 6 feet or more consisting of multiple sections of ramping will have a minimum of three points of support separate from the other ramp structures.” Please see the attached replacement SOW.

QUESTION (11): Section B.3, 3.2d (Page 11): “It is expected that submitted ramp designs will comply with ADA guidelines.” a. Some of the requests in the government’s SOW for this contract conflict with the ADA. i. For Example: Section B.3, 2.3d and 2.3e (Page 9-10): “Layouts and quotes must ensure a landing at the start of the ramp to be of the same level as the interior floor, provide a transition over the threshold to the top platform if needed.” b. This requirement is in direct conflict with SOW B.3, 2.1c and 2.3a which state the use of Threshold ramps being used up to 3” and 36” or 48” wide. c. Would the government please provide clarification - Are Contractors to comply with the callouts in the SOW only or the entirety of the ADA (to furthest extent) as referenced?

ANSWER: Ramp systems shall comply with the SOW and the ADA to the greatest extent practicable. In the event of conflict between the SOW and the ADA, the SOW shall control. See language added to SOW paragraph 2.0.

QUESTION (12): Section B.3, 4.0k (Page 15): “The Contractor shall return 90-180 days or after snow-thaw, whichever occurs earlier, after installation.” a. The requirement to return to an installation 90-180 days post install due snow or thaw is not a current requirement and it is assumed it will increase the Contractors cost and an assumption could be made that the cost would be passed on to the government.

Did the government take this potential cost into consideration when setting their price ceiling? b. Would the government consider adding a CLIN, for this specific return visit situation, to the price schedule?

c. Would the government please clarify if they are looking for returns only when snow or thaw occurs?

d. Would the government consider adding “or earliest convenience” after 90-180 days for this requirement?

ANSWER: A separate CLIN is being added for this requirement (see attached replacement Schedule of Pricing, Attachment 2). The requirement for the number of days stands. The Government is requiring returns only when a snow or thaw occurs (not when the weather is dry with no snow).

QUESTION (13): Regarding the use of EDI, if a required communication type for this contract:

a. Will there be a Single Point of Contact at the Finance Center for transaction processing, or will there be transactions sent from each VISN and/or Facility? b. Will each Facility or VISN be their own EDI Partner, if even from one source at the Finance Center? c. Setting up new Partners for EDI can be costly, with additional per transaction costs. Did the government consider the additional EDI costs in their market research? d. Would the government consider dropping EDI as a requirement and instead list it as an option for communication? (If this is a required form of communication). e. EDI was an option that was available for the Tri-West contract but was never used for the contract award period.

ANSWER: The Awardee will work with the Finance Service Center (FSC) immediately after contract award to establish connection between the government and the contractor’s EDI system. This process takes 30 days at a minimum. After the Awardee is setup, each purchasing agent of the participating NCO/VISN will be required to go into IFCAAP and add each line item then they will be able to start placing orders. The purchasing agents from each participating facility will be able to submit orders. EDI is required to be set up only once per contract so the contractor will be working with FSC to establish a connection. The Awardee will not have to establish EDI partnership with each VISN or facility. Each offeror shall factor in EDI costs into their proposals. EDI will remain as a requirement.

QUESTION (14): The West (WSNC) Ramp Solicitation refers to “assembly” of ramp systems instead of “installation” of ramp systems in their Statement of Work which has helped with the West region local tax code. a. Would the government consider changing all references of “Installation” to “Assembly” in the Central Ramp Solicitation SOW to comply with local tax code? b. If the government changes the wording in the SOW, would the government also consider updating the price schedule CLIN from “Installation” to “Assembly” to be consistent with the SOW and to comply with local tax code?

ANSWER: “The Government intends to maintain the use of the word “installation” as it is the most accurate word to describe its requirements.”

QUESTION (15): Is pricing for installation to be broken down to linear feet based on the Quantity reflected in attachment 2?

ANSWER: The “Installation” CLINs have been updated to reflect Lineal Feet for the unit of measure.

Please see attached for an updated version of Attachment 2 which should be used to submit proposed pricing. A number of other line items have been changed with updated units of measure and/or quantities in order to simplify and add consistency to the pricing schedule.

QUESTION (16): Section B.3, 2.3c (Page 9): “If there is not a paved or solid landing point a landing pad is required, a rubber landing pad may be used.” d. Will the government require tapers on rubber landing pads?

ANSWER: Tapers are not required.

End of Document