Attachment A - Statement of Work (SOW).docx

Statement of Work Cremation/Inurnment Services for Unclaimed Remains for Veterans Affairs Medical Center Altoona, Pa

1.0 General Information

The James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Altoona, Pennsylvania requires mortuary services for deceased Veterans. The Contractor shall provide the facilities, cremation services, resources, and transportation necessary to support the handling of unclaimed remains of deceased Veterans from the Altoona VAMC. The offeror shall comply with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requirements and specifications and federal, state, and local health laws, statutes, and regulations in the performance of the following tasks as identified in this Statement of Work (SOW). The Altoona VAMC is located at 2907 Pleasant Valley Blvd. Altoona, PA 16602.

1.1 Period of Performance: Firm Fixed Price, One 5-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Anticipated period of performance: 07/27/2023 – 07/26/2028

1.2 The Contractor shall not discriminate in the handling of remains due to race, creed, sex, or national origin of the deceased.

2.0 Description of the Work to be performed

2.1 Altoona VAMC estimates 1-2 cremation services/year.

2.2 The Contractor shall be responsible for providing professional services of the highest quality for the cremation/inurnment of the deceased Veteran.

2.3 Transport Vehicles, supplies, equipment and technical procedures shall conform to standards and professional techniques acceptable to the State Funeral Service Industry and the National Cemetery.

2.4 The Contractor shall be within a 25-mile radius from the Altoona VAMC.

2.5 Contractor’s Facility shall meet Federal, State, Local and National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) Fire and Life Safety Codes. Any change of the Contractor’s facility location during the BPA term shall be approved in advance by the Contracting Officer (CO).

3.0 VAMC Responsibilities

3.1 In the event that a Veteran’s remains go unclaimed due to no next of kin or close friend not coming forward to claim the deceased Veterans remains, Altoona VAMC will advise the Contractor and request direct cremation services.

3.2 The Program Point of Contact (POC) and Alternate for this acquisition will be named at time of award.

3.3 Notification to pick-up unclaimed remains: The Program POC will notify the Contractor of unclaimed remains.

3.4 Inspection of the remains: Prior to transporting to final destination, the urn and remains shall be inspected by the funeral home.

4.0 Scope of Work – General Tasks by the Contractor

4.1 Cremation (Inurnment) Services: When ordered by the Program POC, this service shall include making the necessary arrangements with the crematorium and furnishing a suitable urn for the cremated remains.

4.1.1 Suitable Urn with a secure closure shall be made of durable material, such as wood, metal, glass, resin, or ceramic, and designed to hold cremated human remains.

4.2 Preparation of Remains for Inurnment.

4.3 All supplies and technical procedures shall conform to standards and professional techniques acceptable to the Funeral Service Industry and shall follow all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

4.4 The Contractor shall ensure that all permits/licenses to operate are within accordance with the PA State Board of Funeral Directors.

4.5 The Contractor shall respond for removal of unclaimed Veteran’s remains within 12 hours during weekdays and within 24 hours on weekends and holidays. The Contractor shall complete the cremation process within 10 days of notification by Altoona VAMC.

4.6 The VA will notify the National Cemetery office of beneficiary’s death and the contractor will follow up with the cemetery office

5.0 Transport and Storage of the Deceased Veteran.

5.1 Transport Vehicles. The Contractor shall have the necessary vehicles to transport the body from the VAMC to the funeral home/crematorium and then subsequently to the National Cemetery for inurnment.

5.1.1 Loading the Cremated Remains. The remains shall be carefully and professionally placed in the type of vehicle normally used for funeral services.

5.2 Transportation of Remains. The Contractor shall coordinate and transport the unclaimed remains in a funeral coach, ambulance, hearse, or service car to the Contractor’s facility; and when ready for inurnment, the Contractor shall transport the remains to the National Cemetery.

5.3 Storage of Deceased Veteran. The Contractor shall have adequate storage space to hold and store (refrigeration) the remains until inurnment arrangements are confirmed.

6.0 Permits/Licenses to operate.

6.1 Transit permits shall be obtained and paid by the Contractor. Permits covering burial, cremation, or removal of the body, if required, are to be secured and paid for by the Contractor.

6.2 The Contractor shall ensure that all permits/licenses to operate are within accordance with the State Board of Funeral Directors – Pennsylvania.

6.3 The Contractor shall provide proof of required permits/licenses to operate for the establishment, funeral director(s), funeral supervisor, and all other applicable permits/licenses/certification within 30 days of the effective date of award prior to commencing any work under this BPA.

6.4 The Contractor shall ensure that all personnel meet the required qualifications, training, certification, and licensing requirements per state and federal regulations.

6.5 The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining Workers Compensation and Professional Liability Insurance, as well as remaining current on Federal, State and Medicare payments.

6.6 Funeral home/crematorium shall follow all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations

7.0 Miscellaneous Items

7.1 Coordination with the National Cemetery and the Program POC is to ensure the deceased veteran is buried properly and timely. The Contractor shall keep the Program POC or alternate informed as to the timeline of events.

7.2 Program POC will coordinate with the Contractor to ensure the proper documents and items are provided such as the DD 214, Death Certificate, and/or other documents to verify Veterans Eligibility to be buried at the National Cemetery.

8.0 Hours of Operation. The VA will conduct business with the Contractor during its normal operational hours, including Federal Holidays.

9.0 Invoicing Instructions:

Payment to the Contractor shall be made monthly, in arrears, upon receipt of a properly prepared invoice. Payment for services will be at the rates specified in the Price Schedule. All monthly invoices from the Contractor will be electronically submitted through the Tungsten Network within 15 days following the end of the month of services rendered.

Vendor Electronic Invoice Submission Methods: Facsimile, e-mail, and scanned documents are not acceptable forms of submission for payment requests. Electronic form means an automated system transmitting information electronically according to the accepted electronic data transmission methods below.

The information page for the Financial Service Center (FSC) of the Department of Veterans Affairs that includes information regarding electronic invoice submission can be referenced at:

http://www.fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp

Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center PO Box 149971 Austin TX 78714-8971 Customer Support Help Desk (877-353-9791)

Invoices must be approved by the Designated Representative prior to payment release. Invoices without the required information will be rejected.

If the Designated Representative refuses an invoice due to incorrect billing, subsequent changes or corrections to the monthly invoice shall be resubmitted by the Contractor with a corrected invoice. In addition to information required for submission of a “proper” invoice in accordance with FAR 52.212-4 (g), all invoices must include:

● Name and Address of Contractor

● Invoice Date and Invoice Number

● Task Order Number and Purchase Obligation Number

● Name, title, and phone number of person to notify in event of defective invoice

● Total Price

Failure to comply with all terms and conditions of this Agreement shall result in invoices/claims submitted for reimbursement during that period to be considered incomplete. Interest penalties imposed under the Prompt Payment Act shall not apply to incomplete invoices or invoices received after the established invoice due date.

Contractor Remittance Address: All payments by the Government to the Contractor will be made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

10.0 Special BPA Requirements:

10.1 Reports/Deliverables: The Contractor shall be responsible for complying with all reporting requirements established by the BPA. Contractor shall be responsible for assuring the accuracy and completeness of all reports and other documents as well as the timely submission of each. Contractor shall comply with BPA requirements regarding the appropriate reporting formats, instructions, submission timetables, and technical assistance as required.

10.2 The following are brief descriptions of required documents that must be submitted by Contractor: weekly; monthly; quarterly; annually, etc. identified throughout the SOW and is provided here as a guide for Contractor convenience. If an item is within the SOW and not listed here, the Contractor remains responsible for the delivery of the item.

What

And annually thereafter Program Point of Contact

And annually thereafter Program Point of Contact

11.0 Security Requirements/ISO

11.1 Contractor will be required to check in with the VA Police each time they come on-site to perform services.

11.2 Contractor must always be escorted by VA staff or VA Police.

11.3 Contractor may not connect any computer equipment to the VA Network at any time.

12.0 VA sensitive information/Privacy Office

12.1 In the course of the Contractor providing services, it may be necessary for the Contractor to, view and receive protected health information (PHI), and personnel identifiable information (PII).

12.2 BPA, in which VA sensitive information are accessed by a Contractor require the following requirements per 38 U.S.C 5723 and 5725:

12.2.1 A prohibition on unauthorized disclosure: “Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this BPA or information developed by the contractor in performance or administration of the BPA shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA’ See VA Handbook 6500.6, Appendix C, paragraph 3.a.

12.2.2 A requirement for data breach notification: Upon discovery of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor /subcontractor has access, the contractor/subcontractor shall immediately and simultaneously notify the Program POC, the designated ISO (Installation Security Officer), and Privacy Officer for the BPA. The term ‘security incident’ means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures.

12.2.3 LIQUIDATED DAMAGES FOR DATA BREACH: The contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any Sensitive Personal Information (SPI) the contractor/subcontractor processes or maintains under this BPA. The contractor shall be liable to VA for liquidated damages to cover the cost per affected individual of providing credit protection services to those individuals. See VA Handbook 6500.6, Appendix C, paragraph 7a and 7d.

12.2.4 A requirement for annual security/privacy awareness training/Signed Contractor Rules of Behavior: See VA HANDBOOK 6500.6 APPENDIX C TRAINING. https://www.va.gov/vapubs/

All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:

· Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix D, relating to access to VA information and information systems

· Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually thereafter.

· Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually thereafter.

The contractor shall provide to the Program POC a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the BPA and annually thereafter, as required. If the vendor anticipates that the services under the BPA will be performed by 10 or more individuals, the Contractor Rules of Behavior may be signed by the vendor’s designated representative. The BPA must reflect by signing the Rules of Behavior on behalf of the vendor that the designated representative agrees to ensure that all such individuals review and understand the Contractor Rules of Behavior when accessing VA’s information.

Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the BPA Agreement until such time as the training and documents are complete.

12.2.5 The Certification and Accreditation (authorization) (C&A) requirements do not apply. A security Accreditation Package is not required.

12.2.6 A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is required before execution of BPA.

13.0 Commonly Used Acronyms

13.1 CO – Contracting Officer

13.2 VAMC – Veterans Affairs Medical Center

13.3 SOW – Statement of Work

13.4 POC – Point of Contact

13.5 DFAS Austin –Defense Finance and Accounting System in Austin, Texas

13.6 FSC – Financial Service Center (VA)