Attachment A Statement of Work.pdf

TAXI TRANSPORT SERVICES FOR NIH THE CLINICAL CENTER

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STATEMENT OF WORK

PATIENT TAXI AND RIDESHARE TRANSPORT SERVICES

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all necessary services, qualified personnel, dispatch capability, and properly equipped vehicles needed to provide patient taxi and rideshare transportation services for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center (CC). Services shall be provided in accordance with the terms of the resultant contract and all applicable Federal, state, and local requirements.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

NIH Mission

NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.

NIH provides leadership and direction to program designed to improve the health of the nation by conducting and supporting research with the following goals:

Foster fundamental creative discoveries, innovative research strategies, and their applications as a basis to advance significantly the Nation's capacity to protect and improve health.

Develop, maintain, and renew scientific human and physical resources that will assure the Nation's capability to prevent disease.

Expand the knowledge base in medical and associated sciences to enhance the Nation's economic well-being and ensure a continued high return on public investment in research;

and

Exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center (CC) serves as the Nation's premier research hospital for conducting clinical research to improve human health. Through its intramural research programs, the Clinical Center supports studies involving rare diseases, chronic illnesses, and emerging therapies in a highly specialized care environment.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center (CC), located in Bethesda, Maryland, serves as the NIH research hospital. The CC complex includes 240 inpatient beds, 82 day hospital stations, 15 outpatient clinic locations, diagnostic and treatment areas, public waiting areas, and adjacent research laboratory facilities. The complex is composed of the Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, totaling approximately 661,600 square feet, and the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, totaling approximately 870,000 square feet.

Patients may be referred to the Clinical Center through self-referral or by a primary care physician or tertiary care facility for participation in an approved clinical research protocol. Patients are not admitted on a walk-in basis. As volunteer research participants, Clinical Center patients are not

NIH Clinical Center Page 2 of 8 charged for the care they receive. The majority of inpatient admissions and outpatient visits are planned in advance.

To facilitate access to care and protocol participation, eligible patients and authorized guardians may require transportation services to and from NIH, local hospitals/medical offices, hotels, and residences. In some instances, transportation of oxygen or other medically necessary items may also be required and shall be coordinated upon request. Throughout this Statement of Work, the term "patient" shall mean protocol participants and their authorized guardians.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

This Statement of Work establishes the requirements for patient taxi and rideshare transportation services for the NIH Clinical Center. The objective is to provide safe, timely, reliable, and cost-effective transportation for authorized patients and guardians traveling to and from NIH, local hospitals, hotels, residences, and other Government-approved destinations.

The Contractor shall support both scheduled and same-day transportation requests for ambulatory inpatients, outpatients, and authorized guardians. Services may be furnished through taxi vehicles, rideshare vehicles, or a combination of both, provided all contract requirements for safety, privacy, documentation, and timeliness are met.

The Contractor shall deliver high-quality transportation services that protect patient privacy, maintain dispatch responsiveness, and support continuity of Clinical Center operations.

Performance objectives and surveillance standards will be established by the Government and monitored throughout contract performance.

3. WORK TO BE PERFORMED

A. General Requirements

It is anticipated that one or more contracts may be awarded to support transportation requirements within the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. The Contractor shall maintain sufficient staffing, dispatch capability, and vehicle availability to meet routine and surge transportation needs.

B. Description of Technical Requirements

The Contractor shall furnish passenger transportation services on a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year basis for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, Building 10, Bethesda, Maryland, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Medicine Branch program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. Services will be provided continuously throughout the year, including all Federal holidays and Government closures, including furloughs and periods of inclement weather. The Contractor shall comply with all applicable taxicab and transportation laws, regulations, and licensing requirements in the jurisdiction(s) in which services are performed.

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Transportation service pickup locations may originate in Maryland, the District of Columbia, or Virginia, and the Contractor shall be capable of providing service from any of these jurisdictions.

1. Authorized Pickups: The Contractor shall provide transportation services for patients/guardians only when authorized by the Government. The Government will identify the authorized pickup location, destination, and any trip-specific instructions necessary for performance.

a. Contractor(s) shall transport patients/guardians ONLY to authorized locations. Additional stops or detours without prior approval or authorization will not be paid by the government.

b. Patients are allowed to request a particular driver assigned to the Contractor; however, all assignments shall be made through the Contractor dispatch office. Patients may not make private transportation arrangements directly with individual drivers under this contract.

2. Local Transportation: Passengers shall be transported within the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, including local airports that provide international service, and other destinations specifically authorized by the Government.

• Trips exceeding 50 miles one way must be approved in advance by NIH Clinical Center authorized exception approver, prior to dispatch or performance by the Contractor.

3. Transportation of Items: In addition to passenger transportation, the Contractor shall provide transportation of small apparatus equipment (e.g., oxygen cylinders), specimens, medications, luggage, and other approved medically necessary items when requested by the Government.

4. Additional Charges: Additional charges shall be limited to those unforeseen circumstances requiring re-routing such as fire, accidents, road repairs, inclement weather, etc. The Contractor shall notify the Contractor Dispatch Office and the CC Transportation Office or Admissions Office (after hours, weekends and holidays) as soon as the delay is known. Only delays authorized by the Government shall be paid for by the Government.

a. Contractor will not be reimbursed for extra charges/fees for wait times without prior Government approval.

b. The Contractor shall provide an electronic trip receipt, driver identification, hours of service, total trip cost, mileage or other fare basis, and any pertinent facts or circumstances affecting the charge.

5. Jurisdiction Compliance: All services provided under this contract shall comply with the rate requirements applicable to taxi regulations for the jurisdictions the Contractor is licensed in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan areas.

6. Contact Information: The Contractor shall provide a point of contact and phone number for the Government to use for troubleshooting, urgent coordination, and complaints twenty-four (24) hours per day.

7. List of Drivers: Within (24) hours of contract award, the Contractor shall supply to the Contract Officer and Contracting Officer Representative a list of all drivers who are insured in accordance with FAR Clause 52.228-10 to transport patients/guardians in accordance with the requirements as

NIH Clinical Center Page 4 of 8 identified in this statement of work. The Contractor must promptly notify the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representative of any changes to the list of available drivers in accordance with contract terms.

8. Vehicle Reliability: The Contractor shall meet inspection certification requirements based on the specified jurisdictions for all vehicles reliability and safety prior to award. The Contractor shall delineate the number, age and type of vehicles that will be utilized when the contract is first awarded.

Submission of the certificate shall be provided within three days, after award.

9. Specially Equipped Vehicles: The Contractor shall have specially equipped vehicles for the handicapped that meet American with Disabilities Act requirements. As part of the service request process, the designated Government official shall notify the Contractor when these vehicles are required for the transport of patients to or from the Clinical Center.

10. Annual Drug Testing: The Contractor shall be responsible for annual drug testing. Drivers failing to satisfactorily pass drug testing shall not be permitted to drive under this contract. Drug testing is the responsibility of the Contractor and will be at no charge to the Government. The Contractor shall have proof of drug testing on file and have available upon request. The Contractor shall notify the Government, in writing, when drivers have been removed from the contract’s list of drivers.

11. Direct Route of Travel: The Contractor(s) shall provide the most economical and direct route of travel by means of transportation resulting in the lowest mileage between point of pickup and destination.

Procedures

The Clinical Center will arrange either a scheduled trip or same-day on-demand request. A large number of trips will be scheduled in advance; however, same-day requests may also occur based on patient care needs, discharge timing, lodging arrangements, or other operational requirements.

1. Dispatcher Calls:

a. Scheduled trips: The designated Clinical Center staff will provide scheduled pickup information to the dispatcher the day or night before service. For scheduled trips, the assigned vehicle shall arrive at or before the requested pickup time unless otherwise approved by the Government.

It is extremely important that the Contractor meet the on-time performance requirement for scheduled trips. Any anticipated delay affecting a scheduled trip shall be immediately communicated to the Government-designated point of contact.

b. Same-day service

Upon receiving a request for same-day service, the driver shall arrive within 30 minutes of the call. Arrival more than 30 minutes after the request shall be considered a late pickup.

The Contractor shall provide the Government a confirmation number or other unique trip identifier for all scheduled and same-day requests.

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2. Vouchers:

a. Upon arrival at the Clinical Center, drivers shall complete any required voucher or trip record documentation, copies of which may be retained by the driver and the Contractor.

During normal working hours, Government-designated staff will provide instructions regarding voucher handling and documentation requirements.

b. The drivers shall then submit the vouchers or trip documentation to the Contractor, and the Contractor shall submit a weekly invoice, itemized by trip, to the Government for payment in accordance with contract instructions.

3. Stopovers (Additional Destinations):

• Each request for transportation services shall be to a specified destination(s) without any additional stops unless, authorized by the Transportation or Admissions Office when arranging the trip.

4. Delays: If the Contractor is experiencing delays in meeting transportation requests, the dispatcher or driver shall immediately notify the Government-designated point of contact and provide an estimated arrival time.

5. Authorized Passengers Only: The Contractor shall instruct all drivers performing under this contract that they are prohibited from transporting unauthorized passengers while carrying NIH-authorized passengers under this contract.

6. Tips: Authorized passengers and their family members are not expected to tip and shall not be charged gratuities. Drivers may not ask for or should not expect tips for services performed under this contract.

7. Unexpectedly Ill Patient: If a patient becomes suddenly ill in the vehicle, the driver shall immediately contact emergency medical services 911 or go to nearest emergency room. If the patient refuses, contact their clinical emergency point of contact identified by the patient before proceeding further, unless emergency medical services are required. (Call 911)

• Call the NIH Clinical Center Transportation Office at 301-496-1161 to provide information on what occurred during the transport and the current location of the patient.

8. Accidents: The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer Representative as soon as practicable of any accidents, injuries, security incidents, or other significant events that occur while transporting passengers under this contract and shall provide written follow-up documentation when requested.

9. Accessible Transportation / ADA Compliance: The Contractor shall provide transportation services in compliance with all applicable Federal, state, and local accessibility and nondiscrimination requirements for individuals with disabilities, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as applicable. The Contractor shall maintain the capability to furnish wheelchair-accessible or otherwise appropriately equipped vehicles when requested by the Government for transport to or from the Clinical Center.

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The Contractor shall provide service to individuals with disabilities in a manner equivalent to that provided to other passengers with respect to response time, service availability, hours of operation, reservation capability, and geographic coverage. Passengers with disabilities may travel with wheelchairs, walkers, canes, portable oxygen, or other medically necessary mobility or support equipment that can be safely accommodated.

The Contractor shall permit service animals accompanying individuals with disabilities and shall ensure that drivers and dispatch personnel provide reasonable assistance, including assistance with entering and exiting the vehicle and stowing mobility aids or medically necessary items when safe to do so. The Contractor shall ensure that personnel performing under this contract are trained on ADA-related responsibilities, disability etiquette, service animal requirements, and procedures for arranging accessible transportation.

Period of Performance

This requirement covers a 12-month base period with four (4) one-year option periods to extend the term of the contract, if exercised by the Government.

Quality Control/Performance Monitoring

This shall be a Performance-Based Service contract, and performance monitoring measures shall be used to define the applicable service standards.

a. The Government may deduct $25.00 from an invoice for each group of four (4) occurrences in which a driver is 15 minutes or more late for a scheduled pickup, when the pickup was requested the prior business day, unless the delay was caused by Government direction or other excusable circumstances.

b. For same-day requests, a driver arrival more than 30 minutes after the request may be counted as a late pickup. Repeated late pickups may result in corrective action, invoice adjustment, or other remedies authorized by the contract.

The Contractor and the Government may review performance of the services for timeliness, reporting, billing accuracy, and customer service under the terms of the contract during weekly or monthly meetings, as determined by the Government.

The vendor shall immediately report any problems or difficulties to the Patient Support Services Department, which shall promptly notify the Contracting Officer. Recommended solutions shall be discussed and mutually agreed upon by the Government and the Contractor. The Contracting Officer shall be kept fully informed of all contract performance issues so that appropriate action may be taken. The status of such issues, including progress and proposed resolutions, shall also be reviewed during weekly or monthly meetings, as determined by the Government.

The Government reserves the right, upon receipt of invoice, to withhold payment until problems encountered, such as late pickups or billing conflicts, are resolved.

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Privacy Act Compliance

The patient has the right to privacy concerning medical care. The patient has the right to expect that all communications and records pertaining to care, and transportation services will be treated as confidential to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Any patient data identified, utilized, stored, or transmitted in connection with this contract shall be subject to the Privacy Act and other applicable confidentiality requirements under which the Clinical Center operates. The Contractor shall not disclose patient full names to drivers through routine dispatch communications when a lesser identifier will suffice.

The Confidentiality of Information clause (HHSAR 352.224-70), or its successor provision, will be included in the resultant contract.

The Contractor shall establish and maintain a dispatch process that identifies patients using initials, a unique numeric identifier, or another minimum-necessary identifier rather than full patient names, except when disclosure is specifically authorized by the Government or required for safety or emergency purposes.

Invoice Requirements

A Task Order number or other billing authorization number shall be provided to the Contractor by the Government at the beginning of each month, as applicable. The Contractor shall not accept an order unless it has been authorized in accordance with Government instructions.

The Contractor shall submit weekly invoices itemized by trip with the following information:

1. CC Dispatch Authorization Invoice with trip receipt attached

2. Date of service

3. Driver identification

4. Begin and end time of service

5. Metered receipts

6. Written justification for any additional fees

7. Total for entire invoice

8. An electronic copy of the invoice with the following headers:

a. Common Accounting Number (CAN)

b. Call Number

c. Trip Amount

d. Additional Taxi Fees

e. Total Cost of Trip

f. Subtotal Amounts for Each CAN

g. Invoice Totals

(1) The contractor shall submit the original and a copy of the invoices concurrently as follows:

a. An original to the Administrative Officer at:

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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Patient Support Services Department 10 Center Drive, MSC 1172 Building 10 (CRC), Room 1-5640 Bethesda, Maryland 20892

b. One copy to the Contracting Officer at the following address:

Contracting Officer National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Office of Purchasing and Contracts 6707 Democracy Boulevard MSC 5480 Democracy II, Suite 106 Bethesda, MD 20892-5480

Inquiries regarding payment of the invoices should be directed to the Office of Purchasing and Contracts payment office at (301) 496-1446.