Attachment 1 - FINAL AE SOW 549-090.pdf

Dallas VA Medical Center 4500 S. Lancaster Rd.

Dallas, TX 75216 1/22/2025

ARCHITECT-ENGINEER DESIGN SCOPE OF WORK

BUILD OUT OLD UNDERGROUND PARKING AREA

Project Number: 549-090

Project Name: Build Out Old Underground Parking Area

Estimated Construction Cost: $13,564,100

1. GENERAL INTENT

The Contractor, herein also referred to as “A/E”, shall provide Architect/Engineer (A/E) services to design a construction project at Dallas VA Medical Center in accordance with this design scope of work.

2. BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION

The Dallas VA Medical Center is currently working to increase the number of private inpatient bedrooms at the facility. This undertaking will greatly benefit our community of Veterans, but the conversion of administrative and facilities space into inpatient units in the hospital’s bed tower requires significant displacement of services. This project will create additional space to house the services displaced by the creation of new inpatient units.

Dallas VAMC is soliciting A/E Design Services to renovate and build out approximately 12,433 SF of unfinished space in the Basement of Building 2. This space was previously underground parking but is now used for storage. This space shall be designed to accommodate the following services:

Biomedical Engineering Service: Renovate approximately 6,000 GSF to include but not limited to administrative and operations area, workstations, engineering control center, biomedical engineering repair shop, shop support area, restrooms, and storage.

Clinical Support Services: Renovate approximately 6,433 GSF for multiple administration office suites and workstations, storage space, employee support space, and office operations space.

3. STATEMENT OF WORK

The Design phase includes all site visits, field investigations, studies, and user interviews to prepare drawings, specifications, and cost estimates for all facets of required work, and to provide a complete, construction-ready design, construction scope of work, construction cost estimate, and percent-loaded construction schedule for the work. The Contractor shall provide all labor, supervision, professional A/E services, materials, tools, equipment, testing services, disposal services, and design services necessary to accomplish the tasks required by this scope of work.

3.1 Investigation

The Contractor shall be required to perform a thorough site survey of the area and to verify existing conditions of all structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing elements. All site visits shall be coordinated with the COR, and the Contractor must abide by all security measures outlined in Section 21: SECURITY REQUIREMENTS.

Utility system verification shall include but is not limited to the necessary testing, adjusting, and/or balancing of systems to ascertain the existing condition, operational capacity, and performance that may impact the design process and subsequent construction process. Insufficient structural and architectural elements and insufficient utility systems shall be considered for repair and replacement and shall be included in the A/E design.

The results of the site survey and system verification shall be reflected in the design documents, which shall indicate the current system capacities and the necessary work required for the systems to adequately support the required additions, repairs, or replacements needed to make the area fully functional and operational.

Dallas VA Medical Center is an operational medical facility, and investigation of existing conditions involving invasive and/or destructive measures shall be approved in writing by and coordinated with the COR prior to execution and shall be repaired to equal or greater quality than the original condition.

3.2 Design

The proposed design shall include complete architectural, structural, electrical, civil, mechanical, plumbing, communication, and fire protection systems design. The design shall meet all current requirements: VA Design Guidelines, VA Physical Security Design Manual, NFPA, International Building Codes, ASHRAE, and any other applicable state or local codes.

Refer to Section 6: DESIGN CRITERIA.

Design objectives include:

Architectural: The A/E shall develop conceptual architectural layouts to incorporate biomedical engineering service and general clinical support spaces into the Building 2 Basement area. The layout shall maximize the efficiency of operations and incorporate all necessary aspects of each service as required by the VA Technical Information Library. The A/E team shall utilize the VA Design Model as a basis for their architectural design. The A/E shall include in the design any noise control, dampening, and insulation required to minimize disruption.

Structural: The A/E shall develop any necessary designs to repair and preserve the structural integrity of the area to ensure safety and compliance.

Life Safety: The A/E shall ensure that basic life safety requirements such as fire protection, travel distance, emergency lighting, egress, etc. are incorporated into the design, in accordance with all applicable codes and standards.

Electrical: The A/E shall design electrical systems for the area, including lighting, power, and emergency power as necessary, that comply with all applicable codes and standards and meet VA Design requirements. Any electrical systems designed by the A/E must seamlessly integrate into the current electrical system.

Communication Systems: The A/E shall design a communication network to integrate into the current VA facility infrastructure (LAN) that supports the new Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) system in accordance with VA OEHRM Site Infrastructure Requirements (provided by VHA). Each data drop shall consist of two Category 6A cables installed based on the VA Technical Information Library (TIL) available at http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/index.asp.

Mechanical: The A/E shall design an HVAC system for the area that complies with all applicable codes and standards and meets VA Design requirements. Any mechanical systems designed by the A/E must seamlessly integrate into the current mechanical system.

Plumbing: The A/E shall design a plumbing system for the area, including restrooms, that complies with all applicable codes and standards and meets VA Design requirements. Any plumbing systems designed by the A/E must seamlessly integrate into the current plumbing system.

Interior Work: The Contractor shall develop and design a concept layout that will meet VA Model Design requirements. The A/E shall incorporate the Dallas VA Signage and Finish Standards into the design as recommended by the VA Interior Designer. The A/E shall include in the design all finishes for floors, walls, drop ceilings, millwork, fixtures, window treatment, signage, and furniture. All furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) and signage must be coordinated and approved by the VA Interior Designer. The Contractor shall provide physical samples of all finishes to the VA Interior Designer for review. After the final design is approved, the Contractor shall provide the VA Interior Designer with a complete floorplan in Revit as well as a furniture plan in Revit and AutoCAD.

3.3 Construction Period Services

Construction Period Services (CPS) are required after design completion.

This requirement includes:

Requests for Information: The A/E shall respond to construction contractor Requests for Information (RFIs) during solicitation and throughout the construction project phases as requested by the VA.

RFI answers shall be submitted by the A/E within three days of submittal to the A/E.

Attendance: The A/E shall be in attendance at pre-bid, post-award, commissioning kickoff, and the final acceptance inspection meetings for the construction project. A/E attendance for additional meetings during the construction phase may be requested by the VA.

Review: The A/E shall assist the VA in reviewing construction material submittals and shop drawings to ensure compliance with the design drawings and specifications. The A/E shall review any construction project modifications for cost and technical acceptability. Review comments shall be provided to the VA from the A/E within seven calendar days of the review submittal to the A/E.

Documentation: The A/E shall maintain an RFI log and provide meeting minutes from all attended meetings. The A/E shall produce site visit reports within seven calendar days of any site visit attended during the construction phase.

Modification/Change Order Requests: The A/E shall review the construction contractor’s modification/change order proposals for construction modifications/change orders. The A/E shall assist with the formulation of an updated IGCE for the modification/change order as requested. The A/E’s reply regarding their review of the modified scope and cost proposals shall include their recommendations, an independent breakdown of costs in detail, quantities, and unit prices, and shall cover both additions and deductions of labor, materials, and equipment. The A/E shall also provide cost estimates as requested by the COR for Requests for Proposals (RFP) anticipated changes. The A/E shall provide this report within seven calendar days after receipt of the modification/change order.

Note: For major modifications, the VA will provide additional time and document format guidance.

Punch List: The punch list shall be submitted by the A/E to the VA within seven days of the final inspection acceptance.

Record Drawings: Record drawings shall be delivered to the VA from the A/E within 30 calendar days after VA acceptance of the construction project and shall be in AutoCAD (.dwg) formant.

4. TELECOMMUNICATIONS DESIGN:

In accordance with “Telecommunications and Special Telecommunications Systems Design Manual,” February 2016, found at https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dManual/dmTelecomm.pdf, Paragraph 1.2(d): telecommunications design must be performed and stamped by a BICSI Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) for all projects.

Local Area Network (LAN):

References: Telecommunications and Special Telecommunications Systems Design Manual, https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dManual/dmTelecomm.pdf and Infrastructure Standard for Telecommunications Spaces https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dguide/OIT-InfrastrucStdTelecomSpaces.pdf.

Horizontal cabling shall be Category 6A.

Telecommunications outlets/connectors and the horizontal cross-connects

(patch panels) shall be of equal or greater Category to connected horizontal cable.

Installation shall be compliant with the BICSI standards (ANSI/NECA/BICSI 568, Standard for Installing Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling and ANSI/TIA-1179-A Healthcare Facility Telecommunications Infrastructure for new installations).

New cable installations additionally shall be compliant with TIA 568.2-D, TIA TSB-184-A, and NFPA-70 Section 725.144 to prevent PoE heat accumulation.

Alternatively, new UTP cabling shall carry a UL listed "LP" (Limited Power) rating.

Cat6A cable shall be terminated to a CAT6A RJ-45 patch panel in IT closet and CAT6A RJ-45 jack at wall plate and labeled at both ends.

Use a cable analyzer to determine cable length (max cable length 90M/295 linear feet) and certify that cable meets or exceeds TIA-EIA-568-C.2.

Cables shall be installed in continuous lengths from origin to destination, no splices with a 1’ service loop.

All new cable installation shall be tested and certified that cable meets or exceeds TIA-EIA-568-C.2. Provide the certification report to COR.

All patch cables shall be Category 6A for copper, OM4 for multi-mode fiber or OS2 level for single mode fiber.

Cable management shall be implemented for all patch cables in accordance with Infrastructure Standard for Telecommunications Spaces, Version 3.0, ensuring proper bend radius, bundling, airflow, support and labeling.

1 GbE connectivity to desktops, and other EUD.

End-to-End latency from the user desktop to Cerner Data Center of equal to or less than 90ms for Citrix connection.

Provide additional data drops and network ports in Telecommunication Rooms

(TR) to support required network printers and medical devices per Cerner Current State Review (CSR). If the CSR is not provided as an attachment to this document, an additional Supplemental Lease Agreement may be required.

Copper structured cabling shall be certified as meeting or exceeding TIA-EIA- 568.1-D (max fixed cable length 90M/295 linear feet) independent of media type.

Note: The cable installation, labeling, and testing standard operating procedure (SOP) shall be included in this scope of work as Attachment 05.

5. DESIGN WITHIN FUNDING LIMITATIONS

The design shall be prepared by the A/E to permit the award of a construction contract, using Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) procedures for the construction of the facilities, at a cost that does not exceed the project’s estimated construction, which will be included in the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued to the highest-rated firm.

The A/E shall develop a design for a total construction budget of $13,564,100.

The A/E shall review FAR 52.236-22 “Design within Funding Limitations”.

The Contractor shall provide a fee for the required services using the format applicable to the Request for Proposal (RFP) document issued by the Government Contracting Officer, VA Form 10-6298.

The Contractor shall describe how they will structure a team, the approach to manage and accomplish the work, list the professional experience of team members, and provide a Project Management Plan.

Designs will stay within the statutory limitation of 10% of the indicated construction budget, with the inclusion of bid alternate items where necessary, to assure full utilization of the project’s provided budget.

6. DESIGN INDEPENDENCE, FURNITURE, AND EQUIPMENT

Designs for construction must produce a “complete and usable” facility or improvement when constructed. VA policy (VHA Office of Capital Assets Management, Engineering and Support memo Updated Construction Guidance and Expectations dated September 12, 2016) requires the A/E to certify that their design, including all bid alternates and bid deducts, is independent of any future construction project. In addition, the A/E must certify that it has produced a design that does not include furniture and equipment that will be procured separately.

Equipment that can be part of the design includes: items required to meet code requirements for building occupancy; items covered in VA’s Master Construction Specifications (PG-18-1) Divisions 1 through 10, 13 through 26, and 28 through 48; non-IT equipment items covered by Division 27 and items covered by Division 27; and items covered by Division Numbers 12-31-00, 12-32-00, 12-34-00, and 12-36-00.

The A/E shall submit, as part of the Final Bid Documents submittal, a signed letter on company letterhead stating the design’s independence.

7. DESIGN CRITERIA

The VA Technical Information Library (TIL) available at http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/index.asp is managed by the VA Office of Construction and Facility Management and is the master repository for all VA Numbered Standards for Construction, to include design and construction specifications, procedures, standard details, BIM/CAD standards, equipment guides, space planning and design guides. The documents in the TIL shall be the minimum design criteria for all VA projects performed in the construction of new facilities and the modernization, alteration, addition, or improvement of the VA’s real property.

All design documents shall be developed in accordance with the VA TIL, including but not limited to the following listed Department of Veteran’s Affairs References:

PG-18-1 Master Construction Specifications

SOW Attachment 1 VHA Required Division 01 Specification Section List

PG-18-3 Design and Construction Procedures [Including but not limited to: codes, standards, and executive orders]

PG-18-4 Standard Details and CAD Standards

PG-18-5 Equipment Guide List

H-18-8 Seismic Design Handbook

PG-18-9 Space Planning Criteria

PG-18-10 Design Manuals (by discipline) [Including but not limited to: Guiding Principles checklists as indicated for Minor projects in Sustainable Design Manual, Life Cycle Cost Analysis]

PG-18-12 Design Guides (graphical, by function)

PG-18-13 Barrier Free Design Guides

PG-18-14 Room Finishes, Door, and Hardware Schedules

PG-18-15 Minimum Requirements for A/E Submissions

PG-18-17 Environmental Compliance Manual

H-7545 VA Cutural Resources Management Procedures

OIT Infrastructure Standard for Telecommunications Spaces v3.0 (21 August 2020)

The following references should also be used to complete the design documents:

VA Standards Alert 017 – Infrastructure Standards for Telecommunications Spaces and all standards, guides, and manuals incorporated by reference https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/sAlert/sAlert017.pdf

Where conflicts exist between VA adopted codes and standards and the documents on the TIL, the A/E shall bring this to the attention of the VA. The resolution of the conflict shall be made by the authority having jurisdiction for the VA to ensure consistency department-wide.

8. DESIGN COLLABORATION

The A/E during this design project shall collaborate with the VHA Office of Healthcare Environment and Facilities Programs Special Engineering Program (HEFP/SEP) staff, VISN 17 and the Independent Life Safety Review Agent (LS Agent) for the project. Design submittal comments from these contractors, if concurred with by VA, shall be incorporated into the design. HEPF/SEP and/or VISN deliverables shall be coordinated with the A/E’s design submittals to ensure compliance with all requirements are met.

The A/E is required to ensure all elements of the design adhere to the Life Safety Code, including recommendations for temporary construction barriers, prior to the Independent Life Safety review.

9. INDEPENDENT LIFE SAFETY REVIEW

The A/E shall incorporate into the design any comments from the VA 3rd party life safety review.

10. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The A/E shall assist the VA with the completion of a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessment as required by the Dallas VA Medical Center. If the NEPA assessment results in potential environmental impacts, the A/E shall be responsible for completing any auxiliary documentation required per PG-18-17 NEPA Interim Guidance for Projects located on the VA TIL:

(http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/etc/NEPAGuidance.pdf). Additional requirements may include, but are not limited to, Environmental Assessment, Environmental Impact Statement, and Record of Decision. The NEPA analysis and concluding documentation must be completed by the Final Bid Documents submittal.

11. PHYSICAL SECURITY

Reference: Telecommunications and Special Telecommunications Systems Design Manual, https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dManual/dmTelecomm.pdf.

Provide an electronic Security Management System (SMS) with a Physical

Access Control System (PACS).

Doors shall include a mechanical spring loaded “deadlocking feature” (not separate “deadbolt” lock), PACS associate electronic Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card access device with keypad, electric strike and digital Closed Caption Television (CCTV) color camera routed to and directly controlled by the facility SMS.

Telecommunication Room security system shall be connected to a UPS or emergency backup power system.

Facility programmable door controller shall be fully functional in a standalone status if connection to the SMS is lost. Once the connection is restored, the local door control system shall update the SMS, regarding all operations that occurred after the connection was interrupted. Then, the SMS shall update the local door control units to current operational function.

The PACS and SMS shall be fully compliant with VA’s PII, PIV "Smart" ID Card and at a minimum, FIPS 201-1 and NRTL (i.e. UL) listed and labeled.

12. SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

Design submittals shall follow the requirements of Program Guide, PG-18-15, Volume C - A/E Submission Instructions for Minor and NRM Construction Program dated November 2008, found in the VA TIL. Submittal documents shall be prominently marked “For Official Use Only (FOUO)” if they contain qualifying data as defined in VHA Memorandum 2019-11-13 Sensitive Infrastructure Data Classification – For Official Use Only (FOUO). This memo is included as SOW Attachment 04, as it is hosted on a non-public VHA site:

https://vaww.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8949

The A/E shall deliver design submittal documents that follow the iterative phase breakdown for design work in PG-18-15 and as additionally specified below.

Specific requirements for each discipline/work product listed under each phase can be found in PG-18-15; it is expected for the phase of design that each of the checked items in the SD/DD/CD columns will be completed for the submittal. The A/E shall attend a review meeting following each design submittal as indicated under the Project Schedule section of this Scope of Work. Each new submittal will incorporate all VA comments from the previous submittal.

The Asbestos Abatement requirements in PG-18-15 are applicable.

The following submittals will be required for this project:

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Plan Basis of Design (BD) – 10% o In addition to the requirements in PG-18-15, a Basis of Design is required. Basis of Design is a narrative presentation of facts, sufficiently complete, to demonstrate that the project concept is fully understood, and that subsequent design details, and their ultimate presentation in the final drawings and specifications, will be based on sound architectural and engineering decisions. Conceptual drawings of the planned design and the initial cost estimate will additionally be included.

Design Program (DP) – 10% Schematic Design (SD) – 35% Design Development (DD) – 65% Construction Documents (CD) – 95% Final Bid Documents (Bid) – 100%

13. DRAWING FORMAT

All drawings shall adhere to VA project software requirements for Computer Aided Design (CAD) available at http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/projReq.asp.

14. SUBMITTAL FORMATS

Submittals shall be submitted in electric format and hard copy formats as listed below. Portable Document Formant (.pdf), Microsoft Office Suite formants (.doc, .xls, and .ppt), and AutoCAD (.dwg) files are acceptable. Submittals shall additionally be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. ‘794 d); information on the requirements for accessible media can be found at http://www.section508.gov/. The A/E shall be responsible for providing:

Meeting/Conference Minutes:

Meeting minutes for all formal meetings and conferences held with the VA;

including weekly construction meetings. Meeting minutes shall be submitted within seven (7) calendar days of the meeting or conference. All documents shall be in any of the electronic formats listed above.

Minimum meeting minutes requirements:

o Project name, project number, meeting host, meeting name o Date, time, meeting ID, call-in number, duration, and consecutive number of total related meetings o Participant list (name, title, phone number, email, attended meeting yes/no check box) o Meeting purpose, roll call, and additional items o Agenda items (decisions, action items, and fixes or next steps) o Next meeting date and time o Detailed attachment list

Construction Cost Estimates

Construction cost estimates shall comply with Manual for Preparation of Cost Estimates & Related Documents for VA Facilities dated March 8, 2011.

This document is available on the TIL at:

http://www.cfm.va.gov/cost/index.asp.

All estimates shall be in any of the electronic formats listed above.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC Plan)

All QA/QC documents shall be submitted in electronic format.

Schematic Design (SD)

Submit all documents in electronic format and:

o Two (2) half-size paper bond sets of drawings o Two (2) paper bond sets of specifications o Two (2) paper bond sets of investigation reports, design calculations, space planning data, and cost estimate

Design Development (DD) and Construction Documents (CD)

Submit all documents in electronic format and:

o A memo annotating what was not upgraded and corresponding justifications o One (1) full size paper bond set of drawings o Two (2) half-size paper bond sets of drawings o Two (2) paper bond sets of specifications o Two (2) paper bond sets of investigation reports, design calculations, space planning data, construction schedule, construction statement of work, and cost estimate

Final Bid Documents (Bid) o PDF files of drawings, specifications, and any miscellaneous design analysis documents such as submittal log and physical security compliance report o Certified memo annotating what areas/times were not upgraded and the corresponding justifications o Certified memo that the A/E design is independent of future projects and includes all equipment required for the project to be activated/fully functional o Word files of specifications o AutoCAD files of drawings o One (1) full size paper bond sets of drawings o Two (2) half-size paper bond sets of drawings o Two (2) paper bond sets of specifications o One (1) paper bond sets of investigation reports, design calculations, space planning data, construction schedule, construction SOW, and cost estimate

15. OPTION ITEM REQUIREMENTS

Solicitation Support Services:

Pre-bid site visit to include meeting and project walk around. This is the meeting where contractors are invited to the job site to visually inspect the construction site to accurately develop a construction bid package.

Answer any technical questions/requests for information (RFIs) received from contractors over the duration of the solicitation, including questions asked during the site visit. Questions from contractors may come at multiple times and cover several questions over the course of the solicitation period. Technical question responses will be provided to the Contracting Officer who will distribute the information via amendment to the solicitation.

Answers to RFIs will be required from the A-E within five calendar days of the date the questions are sent to the A-E from either the project COR or CO. An alternate response period may be submitted for review, however, unless approved by the CO and COR, the A-E is required to comply with the five-calendar-day requirement.

Throughout the solicitation period, the A-E shall provide addenda as necessary if required to revise specs and drawings.

In response to any technical questions and/or addenda issued during the solicitation period, the A-E shall provide any final revisions to the 100% FC CD as part of the construction contract. These documents shall be labeled Final Construction.

Construction Period Services (CPS):

See section 3.3.

Third-Party Commissioning:

The A/E shall provide Commissioning and Commissioning Agent services and deliverables in accordance with the reference document, OCFM Whole Building Commissioning Process Manual located on the TIL:

(https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/Cx-RCx/CxManual.PDF).

See Section 5.3 of the above reference document “Commissioning Agent Tasks”.

The Commissioning Agent shall be involved in all phases of the project, including both design and construction. It is anticipated that the Commissioning Agent shall participate in design reviews, requirement update meetings, construction project meetings, construction observation site visits, equipment startup and testing, and Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) verification. It is anticipated that the Commissioning Agent shall facilitate design phase commissioning planning, commissioning specification reviews, and project commissioning in coordination with General Contractor.

The commissioning process shall be adapted to the size and complexity of the project. Deliverables shall be as described in the above reference document.

Additionally, the A/E shall develop the commissioning plan, pre-functional checklists, systems functional performance test checklists, integrated system test checklists, and edited master specification templates to serve as a starting point for the commissioning process on all projects based on the following Systems to be Commissioned:

HVAC (VA Master Specifications 23-08-00): Direct Digital Control System, Chilled Water System, Condenser Water System, Steam/Heating Hot Water System, HVAC Air Handling System, HVAC Ventilation/Exhaust Systems, HVAC Terminal Unit Systems, Decentralized Unitary HVAC Systems, Humidity Control Systems, Hydronic Distribution Systems

Electrical (VA Master Specifications 26-08-00): Grounding and Bonding Systems, Electric Power Monitoring Systems, Low-Voltage Distribution System, Emergency Power Generation Systems

Electronic Safety and Security (VA Master Specifications 28-08-00):

Grounding and Bonding, Physical Access Control Systems, Access Control Systems, Security Access Detection Systems, Video Surveillance System

16. PROJECT SCHEDULE/PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The A/E shall perform the design work according to the schedule shown below. If a due date on the timeline below falls on a Holiday or Weekend, the submittal shall be due the following business day. The remaining timeline will not be shifted to accommodate Holidays or Weekends.

The A/E shall provide their own preliminary schedule and provide it to the COR during the 10% phase. Any and all changes to the expected duration of the design period must be discussed thoroughly with the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representative; must receive approval in writing from both the CO and COR; and the Contractor must send a revised schedule to the CO and COR after approval.

The estimated design phase duration is as follows:

Design Phase: Total Duration:

Post-Award Administration 7 calendar days

Design Kickoff Meeting 1 calendar day

10% BD and DP Programming 30 calendar days

10% BD and DP Review 7 calendar days

35% SD Schematics 45 calendar days

35% SD Review 14 calendar days

65% DD Schematics 45 calendar days

65% DD Review 14 calendar days

95% CD Schematics 45 calendar days

95% CD Review 14 calendar days

100% Bid Documents 14 calendar days

236 Calendar Days

17. CONTRACT OVERSIGHT

All contracts for this project shall be awarded by the Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC); only a warranted VA Contracting Officer shall have authority to change the terms and conditions of a contract. These changes may involve the contract award amount, contract period of performance, issuance of stop work orders and changes to the statement of work.

PCAC shall designate a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to monitor and manage the A/E’s performance under the design project contract. The COR shall be a representative of the Dallas VAMC Engineering Service Projects Section and have the technical knowledge required to monitor and oversee the project.

A COR from the Dallas VAMC Engineering Service Project Section shall also be designated for the construction project contract to monitor and manage the construction contractor’s performance under the construction project contract.

This designation under the construction contract shall be considered equivalent to the industry standard of “Owner’s Representative” and does not supersede or eliminate the A/E’s responsibility for Part Two Services/Construction Period Services. The A/E ultimately shall be responsible for any errors and omissions with the design discovered during and after the construction phase.

18. A/E QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL

To reduce errors and omissions, the A/E design team shall develop and execute a Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) plan that demonstrates that the project plans and specifications have undergone a rigorous, thorough review and coordination effort.

The Contractor’s QA/QC plan shall describe each task to be performed during design development and the name of the design team member who is responsible for executing each task. Each task shall be initialed and dated by the responsible design team member upon task completion.

The Contractor’s QA/QC plan must be submitted before or by the 10% submission.

19. RISK CONTROL

The Dallas VAMC is an active hospital and therefore will require consideration of areas with patients and staff. The Contractor shall be responsible for the administration and management of all aspects of this SOW, including responsibility for all Contractor employees, subcontracts, agents, and anyone acting for or on behalf of the Contractor.

The Government is authorized to restrict the employment under the contract of any Contractor employee or prospective Contractor employee who is identified as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general wellbeing, or operational mission of the Dallas VAMC patients, caregivers, and staff.

Contractor personnel shall present a neat appearance and shall be easily recognizable when performing on-site visits. This shall be accomplished through the wear of distinctive clothing, overcoats, rain gear, or hats bearing the company name or logo. The coloring or design of the items selected should be such that identifies personnel easily and quickly for reasons of safety and personal protection.

Contractor personnel are required to read, write, speak, and understand the English language unless otherwise specified in this contract or agreed to by the Government.

Contractor personnel are required to notify the COR or other on-site representative of their presence on VA grounds. The COR must approve the date and time of requested site visits. The COR shall accompany the Contractor to their destination within hospital buildings unless dictated otherwise.

The parties of this contract agree that Contractor personnel working as a result of this contract shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose and shall be considered employees of the Contractor.

20. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall be required to report to the Dallas VAMC Engineering Service Building 9 to obtain their Contractor ID badge during normal working hours (8:00 AM to 4:30 PM). This check-in is mandatory for each site visit. Issued badges must be returned at the end of the workday.

21. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The A/E is responsible for ensuring that all their employees, subcontractor employees, and consultant employees working on the project comply with the following regulations:

Employees shall not be on-site without the appropriate badge. Employees are responsible for reporting to Dallas VAMC Engineering Building 9 with valid photo identification (e.g., driver’s license) to obtain a badge. The VA-approved badge shall be worn with the identification visible, facing forward, and above the waist. Employees may be subject to inspection of their personal effects when entering or leaving the facility.

No photography or video recording on VA premises is allowed without prior authorization. With the approval of the COR, the Contractor may photograph the area to be designed, but photographs cannot contain images of employees, patients, other VA personnel, personal health information, or personally identifiable information of any kind.

VA-issued keys are to remain on VA property. Keys that are checked out from the Engineering office shall be returned each day.

Before starting any work, the A/E shall submit an electronic security memorandum describing the approach to following goals, maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information.

The A/E is responsible for the safekeeping of the project manual, all drawings, and other project information. This information shall only be shared with those with a specific need to accomplish the project.

All paper waste or electronic media such as CDs shall be shredded and destroyed in a manner acceptable to the VA.

VA Information Custodial Information:

o The following standard items relate to records generated in executing this contract:

Citations to pertinent laws, codes, and regulations such as 44

U.S.C. Chapter 21, 29, 31, and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and 1228.

The Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest.

The Contractor shall not create or maintain records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records.

The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act.

The Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

The Government Agency owns the rights to all data and records produced as a part of this contract.

The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information and all supporting documentation created as a part of this contract. The Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data.

The Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format, mode of transmission, or state of completion.

No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage, or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the Agency records schedules.

The Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer’s approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (subcontracting) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material, and/or any records generated under or relating to this contract. The Contractor and any Subcontractor is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information.

o Prior to termination or completion of this contract, the 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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.

o 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

Privacy:

o VA Privacy Training for employees without access to VA computer systems or VA sensitive information.

VA Talent Management System (TMS) training course VA20939 provides the mandatory privacy training requirements for any contractor without access to VA computer systems or VA sensitive information.

o Each employee self-enrolls for a profile on the VA TMS by visiting https://www.tms.va.gov/plateau/user/login.jsp. Once there, employees should follow the steps below to create a profile, launch the mandatory training, and complete the content prior to starting work at the VA.

o Provide the COR with each employee’s printed certificate of completion from the TMS. This certificate displays the employee’s TMS User ID.

22. SOW AND ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 01: Area Floor Plan

Attachment 02: Area CAD Drawing (.dwg)

Attachment 03: Campus Map

Attachment 04: VHA Memorandum 2019-11-13

Attachment 05: Cable Installation, Labeling, and Testing SOP