DRAFT - Product Description - Walsh.docx

Walsh Software Licenses and Services TAC Number: VA-26-00047463

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (PD)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Environmental Management Service Bay Pines VA Healthcare System

Walsh Software Licenses and Services

Date: April 15, 2026

VA-26-00047463

PD Version Number: 2.0

Contents

PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Environmental Management Service (EMS), Bay Pines VA Healthcare System requires the continued procurement of annual software licensing and reporting services for the Brand Name Walsh QA Inspection Platform to ensure uninterrupted functionality of the existing quality assurance and environmental inspection system. The Walsh platform, originally procured in 2019 and deployed across the Bay Pines and Cape Coral facilities, supports four critical EMS section programs consisting of customizable checklists, accounts, web portal follow-ups, dashboards, and reports—along with 14 additional checklists, 48 inspector licenses, and 110 operator user licenses essential for EMS operations. The system integrates with UltraSnap ATP swabs and ATP handheld analyzers that transmit cleanliness data directly into the Walsh QA Inspection Platform, making compatibility and data integrity vital to EMS’s mission requirements. The contractor is the only source capable of providing the necessary brand‑specific licensing, system extensions, ATP integrations, and recurring on-site training delivered three times per year for new and existing EMS personnel. Continued acquisition from this source is required to maintain operational consistency, system interoperability, and compliance with established EMS processes.

Walsh QA Inspection Software empowers EMS managers, supervisors, housekeeping staff, and pest control personnel to perform inspections, track service quality, and ensure compliance with sanitation and environmental standards. The platform includes exclusive Walsh Ecosystem Extensions—Pest Control, Linen Management, Housekeeping, Fleet Management, and Mattress & Stretcher Accountability—delivering unmatched integration and operational continuity. Walsh Integrated also provides annual on‑site training (nine days) and full technical support to ensure optimal performance and VA compliance. The Walsh Integrated software licenses will not be used on the VA network.

The period of performance will be from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, consisting of one (1) 12‑month base period and one (1) 12‑month option period, to be exercised at the Government’s discretion.

Base Period Period of Performance (PoP): July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027

Walsh QA Inspector 3 Customizable Checklists, 1 Account, Web Portal Follow-Up & Reports

Walsh Pest Control Manager 2 Customizable Checklists, 1 Account, Web Portal Follow-Up & Reports

Walsh Linen Management Program 1 Account, with a package of 2 checklists, for 1 year.

Includes ongoing monitoring, data input and weekly meetings.

Walsh Housekeeper Task Management System 3 Customizable Checklists, 1 Account, Web Portal Follow-Up & Reporting Access

EVS Tech Task Management, New Hires & Refresh On-site Training Package, every 6 months On-site Training for 3 days 2 trainers.

Supervisors New Hire & Refresh, On-site Training Package, annual On-site Training for 3 days 2 trainers.

Option Year 1 Period of Performance (PoP): July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028

Walsh QA Inspector 3 Customizable Checklists, 1 Account, Web Portal Follow-Up & Reports

Walsh Pest Control Manager 2 Customizable Checklists, 1 Account, Web Portal Follow-Up & Reports

Walsh Linen Management Program 1 Account, with a package of 2 checklists, for 1 year.

Includes ongoing monitoring, data input and weekly meetings.

Walsh Housekeeper Task Management System 3 Customizable Checklists, 1 Account, Web Portal Follow-Up & Reporting Access

EVS Tech Task Management, New Hires & Refresh On-site Training Package, every 6 months On-site Training for 3 days 2 trainers.

Supervisors New Hire & Refresh, On-site Training Package, annual On-site Training for 3 days 2 trainers.

NOTICE OF THE FEDERAL ACCESSIBILITY LAW AFFECTING ALL INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) PROCUREMENTS (SECTION 508) On January 18, 2017, the Access Board issued a final rule that updated accessibility requirements covered by Section 508 and refreshed guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act. The final rule went into effect on January 18, 2018. The revisions and updates to the Section 508-based standards and Section 255-based guidelines are intended to ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) covered by the respective statutes is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

SECTION 508 – INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) STANDARDS

The Section 508 standards established by the Access Board are incorporated into, and made part of all VA orders, solicitations and purchase orders developed to procure ICT. These standards are found in their entirety at: Revised 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines (access-board.gov). A single PDF file version of the Revised Section 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines will be supplied upon request, or can be obtained from the Access Board website. Federal agencies must comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

The Contractor shall comply with “508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements” for all electronic ICT and content delivered under this contract. Specifically, as appropriate for the technology and its functionality, the Contractor shall comply with the technical standards marked here:

COMPATABILITY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

The standards do not require installation of specific accessibility-related software or attachment of an assistive technology device. Section 508 requires that ICT be compatible with such software and devices so that ICT can be accessible to and usable by individuals using assistive technology, including but not limited to screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software.

ACCEPTANCE AND ACCEPTANCE TESTING

Deliverables resulting from this solicitation will be accepted based in part on satisfaction of the Section 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements standards identified above.

The Government reserves the right to test for Section 508 Compliance before delivery. The Contractor shall be able to demonstrate Section 508 Compliance upon delivery.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

The Contractor shall comply with Sections 524 and Sections 525 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; Executive Order 13221, “Energy-Efficient Standby Power Devices,” dated August 2, 2001; and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to provide ENERGY STAR®, Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) designated, and products and services that meet EPA Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels in effect as of October 2023 (e.g. Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) registered products) in providing information technology products and/or services. The Green Procurement Compilation (GPC) website available at Green Procurement Compilation - GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool (sftool.gov) provides a comprehensive list of sustainable products and services and sustainable acquisition guidance.

The Contractor shall provide products that meet the definition of sustainable products and services if the products are delivered to the Government; furnished by the Contractor for use by the Government, incorporated into the construction of a public building or public work, or acquired by the Contractor for use in performing services under a Government contract where the cost of the products is a direct cost to a Government contract (versus costs which are normally applied to a contractor's general and administrative expenses or indirect costs).

Specifically, the Contractor shall provide sustainable products under this contract in accordance with FAR 52.223-23. The applicable products with their associated certification, designation, and/or ecolabel (e.g. Energy Star, FEMP, and/or EPEAT) are identified within the product specifications in this PD. The Contractor shall ensure proposed products meet the certification(s) / designation(s) / ecolabel(s) specified at the time of submission of proposals and at the time of award.

SHIPMENT OF HARDWARE OR EQUIPMENT

Inspection: Destination Acceptance: Destination Free on Board (FOB): Destination

Ship To and Mark For:

Primary

Alternate

Bldg. 37, Room 102 Bay Pines, FL 33744

Bldg. 37, Room 102 Bay Pines, FL 33744

ELECTRONIC SHIPPING OF LICENCES

Electronic delivery of licenses is required for this procurement because each license consists of individualized website access credentials (unique username and password) assigned to EMS personnel. The Contractor shall provide the initial setup and account activation information directly to each authorized user via email, ensuring secure and immediate access. Once logged into the system, users are able to access all electronic checklists, dashboards, and reports necessary to perform required EMS quality assurance and inspection functions. This method of electronic distribution is integral to the operation of the Walsh QA Inspection Platform and aligns with the system’s design and workflow requirements. The Walsh QA Inspection Platform is not accessed on the VA network.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

VA TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

The Contractor shall comply with the VA OIT Technical Reference Model (VA TRM). Compliance with the VA TRM is achieved by using only technologies and standards that are listed as approved for use in the VA TRM. The Contractor shall provide all necessary information requested by VA to ensure TRM approval is obtained prior to use on VA’s network.

ZERO TRUST – VA CRITICAL SECURITY CONTROLS

VA has established minimum mandatory security requirements and requires that any network connected software system or service must meet the VA Critical Security Controls as outlined in the VA Memorandum, “VA Security Controls”, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=5010. VA Critical Security Controls identify the minimum mandatory requirements that must be implemented across all VA enterprise infrastructure, cloud computing environments, information systems, networks, and specialized devices (medical devices/systems, special-purpose systems, and research scientific computing devices) that process, store, and/or transmit VA data. Effective July 1, 2025, the Contractor shall implement these VA Critical Security Controls, within any network connected software system or service prior to being authorized for use in the VA. This functional requirement is not negotiable, and Plan of Action & Milestones (POAM) will not be accepted in the event these controls cannot be implemented for new systems. Critical Security Controls are intended to increase VA’s security posture and provide security and privacy risk visibility into the VA network and is not a new requirement. The Contractor’s failure to maintain these VA Critical Controls after implementation will result in VA discontinuing the use of the system.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) REDUCTION

The Contractor solution shall support the Social Security Number (SSN) Fraud Prevention Act (FPA) of 2017 which prohibits the inclusion of SSNs on any document sent by mail. The Contractor support shall also be performed in accordance with Section 240 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) 2018, enacted March 23, 2018, which mandates VA to discontinue using SSNs to identify individuals in all VA information systems as the Primary Identifier. The Contractor shall ensure that any new IT solution discontinues the use of SSN as the Primary Identifier to replace the SSN with the Integrated Control Number (ICN) in all VA information systems for all individuals. The Contractor shall ensure that all Contractor delivered applications and systems integrate with the VA Master Person Index (MPI) for identity traits to include the use of the ICN as the Primary Identifier. The Contractor solution may only use a Social Security Number to identify an individual in an information system if and only if the use of such number is required to obtain information VA requires from an information system that is not under the jurisdiction of VA.

INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPV6)

The Contractor solution shall support IPv6-Only based upon the memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 19, 2020 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/M-21-07.pdf). Which defines IPv6-only as the state of an operational system or service when IPv4 protocol functions (addressing, packet forwarding) are not in use. The NIST USGv6 profile defines technical requirements for a product to be capable of operating in IPv6-Only environments. IPv6-Only technology, in accordance with the USGv6 Program (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/usgv6-program/usgv6-revision-1), NIST Special Publication (SP) 500-267B Revision 1 “USGv6 Profile” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.500-267Br1), and NIST SP 800-119 “Guidelines for the Secure Deployment of IPv6” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-119), compliance shall be included in all IT infrastructures, application designs, application development, operational systems and sub-systems, and their integration. In addition to the above requirements, all devices, applications, and systems shall support all applicable functionality on native IPv6-Only as well as dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) connectivity without additional memory or other resources being provided by the Government, so that they can function in a mixed environment. All public/external facing servers and services (e.g., web, email, DNS, ISP services, etc.) shall support native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) users and all internal infrastructure and applications shall support using native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) for all functionality and operations.

SOFTWARE AND LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall be responsible for the provision of all software licenses and any associated licensing maintenance required for any development, delivery, integration, operation, and/or maintenance associated with its proposed application(s), software products, software solution, and/or system including, but not limited to, any and all application(s), software and/or software products that comprise, are a part of, or integrate with the Contractor’s proposed application(s), software products, software solution, and/or system for the life of any resulting contract.

TRUSTED INTERNET CONNECTION (TIC)

The Contractor solution shall meet the requirements outlined in Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-19-26, “Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative“ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/M-19-26.pdf), VA Directive 6513 “Secure External Connections”, and shall comply with the TIC 3.0 Core Guidance Documents, including all Volumes and TIC Use Cases, found at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/tic-30-core-guidance-documents.)

POINTS OF CONTACT

VA Program Manager:

Contracting Officer’s Representative:

Bldg. 37, Room 102 Bay Pines, FL 33744

Contracting Officer:

Contract Specialist:

INFORMATION SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

All VA sensitive information shall be protected at all times in accordance with local security field office System Security Plans (SSP’s) and Authority to Operate (ATO)’s for all systems/LAN’s accessed while performing the tasks detailed in this Product Description.

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