FA301021R0011- Questions and Answers v1.docx

FA301021R0011- 11 FTE Clinical Registered Nurses

1. Our company would like to know if we can use past performance questionnaires from other contracts that have been signed by the COR or CO to submit in place of new PPQs?

No previous PPQs will be allowed. Please follow the instructions located in the solicitation.

2. Would the Government please consider providing additional time for completion of the Past Performance Questionnaires (Attachment 4)?

Addendum 1 corrects the due date for PPQ submittals.

3. Would you consider extending the due date for the PPQs? The current due date of 15 July is only 72 hours after release of the RFP (12 July).

See question 2.

4. In regards to Solicitation #: FA301021R0011 11 FTE Clinical Registered Nurses, can the government confirm that the due date for the questionnaires is 7/15/2021 at 2:00PM CST?

Questionnaire due date has been adjusted per Amendment 01.

5. Can the government confirm if there is incumbent staff? If there are incumbent staff, can the government provide the average length of service, on the whole span of continuous service, with present and/or successor contractors, to ensure compliance with the vacation accruals required under the attached Wage Determination?

There is incumbent staff. All positions are currently filled as of 7/15/2021. The government is unable to calculate an average span of continuous service.

6. Looking at www.fpds.gov, is this contract a combination of several different contracts? Can you please provide a list of the specific contract numbers?

MAXMED Healthcare - FA301019CA012

7. Since this is a personal services contract, will the Government require contractors to cover "Professional Liability - Medical" insurance? If yes, what are the coverage requirements per occurrence and per aggregate?

Clause 52.237-7 “Indemnification and Medical Liability Insurance” applies to non-personal services.

8. Which of the specific registered nurses correspond to OCCUPATION CODE 12314 - Registered Nurse III and which to OCCUPATION CODE 12316 - Registered Nurse IV?

Information supplied regarding Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires is for informational use only and should not be used as a Wage Determination.

9. We intend to comply fully with the ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTION TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS; in addition to the required proposal items, is there a specific format that contractors should follow (e.g. Volume I - Technical, Volume II - Price, etc.)?

There is no specific format required. (e.g. Volume I - Technical, Volume II - Price, etc.) Ensure compliance with instructions at Addendum to FAR 52.212-1

10. Does the government require nursing related past performance for a credible bid? We have several physician and allied health staffing quals, however our nursing past performances are more than 3 years old.

PWS Section 1.3 – 1.3.2.3.10.2 state the required skills, abilities, experience, etc for each position. Candidates must meet these specific qualifications.

11. Is there an incumbent company currently performing these services?

See Question 6.

12. If there is an incumbent, what is the contract number?

See Question 6.

13. If there is an incumbent, is the incumbent eligible to bid?

See Question 6.

14. Would the Government consider adding a CLIN for relocation?

No relocation CLIN will be included.

15. Can we submit a pricing narrative?

Pricing must be submitted in accordance with instructions at Addendum to 52.212-1(b)(6)

16. Should we complete and return the entire RFP document? Or only the sections requiring fill-ins?

Compliance with instructions at Addendum to 52.212-1 is required.

17. Are any parts of the Offeror’s proposal subject to page limitations?

No page limitations

18. Are any parts of the Offeror’s proposal subject to any font, margin size, or other formatting requirements?

None of the above.

19. If the Offeror’s Representations & Certifications are accurate and up to date in SAM.gov, is the Offeror still required to complete and submit all fill-ins in the section of the RFP title Representations, Certification.

Not required IAW 52.212-3(b)

20. And, and other Statements of Offerors?

Unless otherwise stated, fill-ins must be completed/returned.

21. Would the Government consider extending the recency criteria of the past performance evaluation from 3 years to 5 years?

The government will not consider extending the recency criteria.

22. Are all incumbent positions filled and if not, which positions are open?

See Question 5.

23. Will BLS and ACLS be required for all RN positions?

PWS Section 1.3.2.3 states Certifications and Experience.

24. As the Services roll out mandatory COVID vaccination, will RNs on this contract be required to have COVID vaccination proof at start of contract or can they wait until the DoD/USAF makes it mandatory?

It is not mandatory for RNs on this contract to be vaccinated. Keesler AFB/KMC guidelines for mask wear will be followed by contractor personnel.

25. Per 1.8.1. the ER RN may need to travel 3x a month for patient transfer between KAMC and other hospitals. Will any incidentals and billing associated with this travel be handled by the Government?

No incidentals or billing will be associated with travel associated with PWS para. 1.8.1.

26. To be clear, this contract includes Juneteenth as a federal holiday?

PWS Section 1.9.5 states Federal Holidays.

27. As contracting activities clear PTO and other time off, it's much harder to contact KO/CORs for PPQ fill and return. Can we submit a previously filled/signed PPQ that meets time criteria (within the last 3 years) in response to this solicitation?

See Question 1

28. Will the Government please clarify if an Alaska Native Corporation’s use of prior experience and/or past performance from a predecessor company will or will not be allowed?

Allowed. Please see instructions at Addendum to 52.212-1(b)(10)

29. Are there incumbents on the contract? And, if so, what percentage of the contract is currently staffed?

See Question 5.

30. If a CPAR is available for your reference, can a Past Performance Questionnaire (PPQ) still be submitted in addition to the CPARS?

Yes

31. Attachment 4: PPQ lists the due date for completed questionnaires as 7/15/2021 at 2:00 p.m. CST. Would the Government please consider extending the due date for completed questionnaires until the RFP due date of 7/30/2021 at 10:00 a.m. CST?

See Question 2.

32. Can the government please provide the contract number for the incumbent contract for these services?

See Question 6.

33. Are all positions currently filled?

See Question 5.

34. Can the Government provide the average length of current employment for incumbent staff?

The Government cannot calculate the average length of current employment.

35. Is orientation billable?

Yes

36. Can the Government disclose why these services are not being procured under DHA’s MQS vehicle?

These services have been approved for procurement under 8(a) Business Development Program.

37. If offerors are relying on an existing CPARS to prove past performance, should offerors submit a copy of the CPARS with submission or will the Government look those up independently?

A copy of the CPARS can be submitted and the Government will look those up independently if annotated on Attachment 3, Past Performance List of References.

38. Is the provision related to non-displacement of current personnel in effect for this solicitation?

All applicable provisions and clauses are included in the posted solicitation.

39. Will the government provides the names of Incumbent personnel following award?

Yes.

40. Please consider extending the deadline for receipt of proposals by at least two weeks, as many Past Performance references are not immediately available within this narrow window to respond in the absence of advance notice, especially because we did not see locate either a Sources Sought or Pre-solicitation notice.

Extension of proposal deadlines is not being considered at this time. Past performance questionnaire due dates have been extended via Amendment 1.

41. Is the existing contract also a personal services contract?

Yes

42. Are CPARS completed for personal services contracts in the same way as for non-personal services contracts?

There is no difference between the two regarding CPARS

43. The applicable NAICS is listed as 622110, General Medical and Surgical Hospitals. While this describes where services are to be performed, it does not accurately describe the type of services to be acquired. We ask that you consider changing the NAICS to a more relevant code for the services to be acquired.

The NAICS code will not be changed at this time.

44. Can you please explain why this applies to this solicitation?

"Para. 52.219.14 ""Limitations on Subcontracting: (c) Limitations on subcontracting. By submission of an offer and execution of a contract, the Contractor agrees that in performance of the contract in the case of a contract for- (1) Services (except construction). At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern."" We understand that with recent changes to SBA rules, the 50% rules may be satisfied by the contractor on its own, or collectively by the 8(a) contractor plus similarly situated contractors; in this instance, by an 8(a) prime, plus one or more 8(a) firms. Please advise."

The government is required to use this clause in all small business solicitations and contracts as applicable.

45. If CPARS is available for a past performance, would the government like for it to be included in the Past Performance section of the solicitation, or just include by reference?

If there is specific past performance the offeror would like considered, the offeror need only identify via Attachment 3 whether or not a CPAR is available, along with other requested information on Attachment 3.

46. Can the government confirm that the proposal should be submitted in only one volume? If not, please advise how the volumes should be arranged.

There is no specific template for submittal (e.g. volume I, II, III). Offeror shall follow instructions at Addendum to 52.212-1.

47. Does the government have any specific requests that offerors are required to address in the technical volume?

No.

48. Is there a current incumbent? If so are all the positions filled?

Yes. All positions are filled.

49. Can the government include virtual meetings (in addition to on-site meeting outlined in the PWS) between the contractor and the CO, CA, and FSM?

Yes.

50. Will the government accept previously filled PPQs from the offerors?

No, previously filled PPQs will not be accepted.

51. Are there any font size and style requirements for the proposal?

No.

52. Is this a new requirement?

This is a follow-on requirement.

53. Is there an incumbent?

See Question 5 and 6

54. If so, can the Government please provide the anniversary date of hire of contractor employees?

Anniversary date of hires cannot be provided.

55. RNs must be credentialed by the MTF which can take up to 30 days following the credentialing manager’s receipt of the credentialing package from the awardee. Is the contract awardee penalized for the time it takes for the Government to credential the healthcare provider?

No, the contract awardee is not penalized for the time it takes the Government to credential.

56. Is mileage reimbursable for local travel? Would there be times when the travel would exceed three times per month?

Three times per month is an estimate based off of historical data and may vary slightly. Mileage is not reimbursable.

57. The Government has not provided information related to how offerors demonstrate their solution to meeting the solicitation requirements, i.e. recruiting approach, management and quality control, etc.

What “other factors” will be considered so that offerers may prepare the “most advantageous” proposal submission?

The Government evaluates confidence ratings based on recency and relevancy of past performance provided by the interested party (see addendum to 52.212-1) as well as information available through CPARS, FAPIIS, and other available resources. A more in depth explanation as to how the Government will reach “Substantial Confidence” can be found throughout Section 3.1.3 (page 26), to include Tables 4 and 5 here: https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/policy/policyvault/USA004370-14-DPAP.pdf

If the link above does not work, please search “Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Procedures, Guidance and Information Subpart 215.3--Source Selection”

58. The instructions to offerer(s) does not include any information related to whether a technical volume is required, page limits, font size, evaluation criteria for rating, or how the offerer demonstrates to the Government their approach/solution to meet the requirements.

There are no additional requirements for volumes required, page limits, font size, etc. other than those already included with the solicitation. See question 57 for evaluation criteria.

59. Please advise total number of FTEs on the incumbents contract and if these positions are filled.

There are 11 FTEs on the current contract. 11 FTE positions are currently filled.

60. Please advise the length of time it takes the government to clear a candidate through security/Occ Health and credentialing.

Approximately 30 days.

61. Please advise if any of the contractors working on this contract have been with Keesler for over 14 years?

Information not available.

62. Within the contract, I did not see a mention of the COVID vaccine. Can the government provide us with the immunization requirements for this base.

Personnel are not required to be vaccinated. However, personnel must comply with safety regulations set forth for Keesler AFB as well as KMC (mask wear, etc)

63. Within the last FY, how often was the ER Overage CLIN line used? There are 300 hours set aside, want to get an idea of how much overtime an ER nurse will see.

Monthly

64. If the prime’s relevant past performance exceeds the three year timeframe, will three contract references from the subcontractor suffice?

Past performance from the proposed subcontractor may be submitted. Please follow instructions at Addendum to 52.212-1.