Solicitation Questions and Answers 9-20-2010.doc

Questions and Answers 09-20-2010

1. Reference(s): (1) FBO Combined Synopsis/Solicitation and (2) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work

Appendix XI Definitions was listed in Section XIII of the SOW and again under the Listing of Attachments and Appendices in reference (1) but was not provided with the documents to be downloaded.

Please provide Appendix XI Definitions.

ANSWER: Appendix XI is hereby provided.

2. Reference(s): (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, (2) Attachment 2 – Schedule of Supplies and Services, (3) Attachment 4 – Submission Instructions

The title of the SOW includes psychological services on the same level with the other major examination/screening requirements. The only other mention of psychological screening in the SOW is one item (Psychological/Psychiatric testing) among many in the list found in paragraph IV, c. Routine and Specialized Medical Tests. Like the SOW title, the Evaluation Factors in Attachment 4 lists "psychological screening services" on the same level with the other major examination and screening requirements. Psychological screening is also not included in the pricing spreadsheet.

a. For proposal purposes, should Offerors treat psychological screening as a major requirement? In other words, is psychological screening on par with pre- and post-employment medical exams, fitness exams, drug/alcohol testing, etc., whereas a psychological screen will be given to all potential hires? Or should it be treated as simply a component of 'medical examinations' to be handled, at least initially, by the examining physician and not a specialist (psychiatrist or psychologist)? ANSWER: Psychological screening should be treated as a component of the Pre-Employment Medical Examination. If requested as part of a Fitness For Duty exam it would require a specialty consultation with a psychologist or psychiatrist.

b. If psychological screening is a major requirement, please describe the psychological services to be performed (pre-employment; fit for duty). Can Offerors utilize their own screening tool? Can the screen be performed virtually (i.e., online)? If a face-to-face is needed, can the face-to-face be performed virtually as well? ANSWER: See answer 2a. When requested as part of a Fitness For Duty the request will describe the services requested. During a Pre-Employment Medical Examination any tool commonly employed in a primary care setting is appropriate. A “virtual face-to-face” is not specific and would not be appropriate for either a Pre-Employment or Fitness For Duty medical examinations.

c. Please identify how psychological/psychiatric testing is to be priced. ANSWER: A revised Schedule of Supplies and Services is presented where Specialty Consultations is to be priced under (1) Sub Contract Line Items (SubCLINs) 0001AC, 1001AC, 2001AC, 3001AC, and 4001AC for the Pre-Employment Medical Examination area and (2) SubCLINs 0003AB, 1003AB, 2003AB, 3003AB, and 4003AB for the Fitness For Duty area.

d. Would a psychological evaluation be required for any fit for duty examination or would it be on a case by case basis? ANSWER: A psychological examination for a Fitness For Duty Examination would be specifically requested.

e. If Fit for Duty psych evaluations are needed, is there a protocol or specific form that must be utilized? ANSWER: There is no specific protocol or specific form for Fitness For Duty Psychological or Psychiatric evaluations but are expected to be consistent with the usual commonly accepted consultation documentation.

Based on the above answers the Statement of Work and Schedule of Supplies and Services have been revised accordingly.

3. Reference(s): (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and (2) Attachment 2 – Schedule of Supplies and Services

Many items mentioned as requirements in the Statement of Work do not have a corresponding line items in the pricing spreadsheet. Please provide guidance as to how Offerors should treat these items, especially regarding pricing.

a. Section IV. C. Page 9 List of exam components that may be ordered. ANSWER: These ancillary tests are not to be billed separately but bundled as a package into SubCLINs 0003AA, 1003AA, 2003AA, 3003AA, and 4003AA – Fitness For Duty Examination. The Schedule of Supplies and Services has been revised accordingly.

b. Section IV. E. Page 10 list of services (Are this related to the physician advisory services and IMEs?) ANSWER: Yes, the items in Section IV, paragraph E are items that will supplement the Return To Duty or Fitness For Duty Examinations. Pricing for items 1 through 5 shall be covered under SubCLINs 0003AC, 1003AC, 2003AC, 3003AC, and 4003AC. Pricing for items 6 and 7 shall be covered under SubCLINs 0006AA, 1006AA, 2006AA, 3006AA, and 4006AA, 0007AA, 1007AA, 2007AA, 3007AA, and 4007AA, as applicable.

c. Section V expert witness (should include legal case (paper review) and preparation for hearings and attending meetings). ANSWER: A revised Schedule of Supplies and Services is presented with new SubCLINs for Expert Witness Case Preparation and Testimony (See SubCLINs 0007AA, 1007AA, 2007AA, 3007AA, and 4007AA).

d. Section VI commercial driver’s license exams ANSWER: A revised Schedule of Supplies and Services is presented with new SubCLINs for CDL examinations (See SubCLINs 0003AD, 1003AD, 2003AD, 3003AD, and 4003AD).

e. Section IX. A. Page 27 Hazmat exams ANSWER: A revised Schedule of Supplies and Services is presented with new SubCLINs for HAZMAT examinations (See SubCLINs 0003AE, 1003AE, 2003AE, 3003AE, and 4003AE).

4. Reference(s): (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and (2) Attachment 4 – Submission Instructions Attachment 4 instructs Offerors to describe their approach to satisfying the requirements for pre-employment medical services, employee medical services, fitness for duty, psychological, and drug/alcohol screening services, urine collection procedures, providing expert testimony, and training of contractor personnel. Attachment 4 also indicates that these topics will be sub-factors for evaluation of the technical approach. Attachment 1, the SOW, includes no significant requirements for psychological services and providing expert testimony but does provide information concerning significant requirements that are not mentioned in Attachment 4, such as Quality Assurance, Security, Deliverables, etc.

Please provide the following guidance to Offerors:

a. Should Offerors address all requirements of the SOW (except for Key Personnel) in Part 1 of their Volume I or should they address only those requirements listed in the Attachment 4 instructions and evaluation factors?

ANSWER: Note that nowhere in Attachment 4 the Government states that these topics will be sub-factors for evaluation of the technical approach. A revised Attachment 4, Submission Instructions Offerors and Evaluation Procedures, is presented with new description for the Offeror’s Technical Approach/Capabilities. The offerors shall now also describe how they will train not only contractor personnel, but subcontractor personnel as well and carry out the security and quality assurance requirements.

b. If Offerors are to follow the Attachment 4 instructions and evaluations factors, please provide detailed requirements for psychological services, and providing expert testimony, and training of contractor personnel.

ANSWER: The requirements for psychological services are dependent upon the circumstances of the Fitness For Duty Examination requests and must be consistent with common medical practice for either primary care screening (in the case of Pre-Employment Examinations) or specialty consultation as indicated. It is possible that an evaluation with a provider may be the only requirement necessary; in contrast, psychometric testing may be necessary. Expert testimony is also case-by-case specific, e.g. testimony may be required in relation to a recommendation whether to hire or not, or in response to a query concerning the results of a drug testing. Expert testimony would involve case review, a narrative summary and in some case in-person testimony. The training of contractor personnel will be in accordance to the HHS Drug Free Workplace Program and the DOT drug testing program.

5. Reference(s): (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and (2) Attachment 2 – Schedule of Supplies and Services

Medical Review Officer (MRO) services for drug testing are described in the SOW (Section V. C. page 12) but are missing from the pricing spread sheet (attachment 2).

Please identify how MRO services are to be priced.

ANSWER: The MRO services are included in the Drug Testing SubCLNs (0004AA through 0004AF and their respective option periods).

6. Reference: (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work Time requirements are generally defined as calendar days or working days, however, a few requirements just say “day.”

Page 6: “The test administrator shall sign and date the document, notify the contractor of the failure within 1 day and . . .”

Page 15: “Provide a facilities plan 45 days . . .”

Page 25: “The contractor shall provide an invoice statement of all individualized services performed within 10 days following the close of each billing cycle.”

Page 29: “Provision of Test Contents, 3 days prior to examination”

Page 31 and 32: “. . . Personnel Security Unit through the COTR, no less than 5 days before the starting date of the contract or 5 days prior to the expected entry on duty of any employees . . .”

Page 33: “The OPR-PSU must be notified of all terminations/ resignations within five days of occurrence.”

If no distinction is made, can we assume it is working days?

ANSWER: Concerning the time requirements for the facility plan, invoice statement, and PSU requirements these would be calendar days. For the test administrator and examination reports they would be working days. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

7. Reference: (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work Information appears to be missing/incomplete sentences:

a. Page 7 – last item:

d.

indicating to the Government’s Designated Medical and Drug Program Coordinator staff through written report within nine (9) working days of receipt of a file whether and what ??????????

ANSWER: The paragraph should read:

d. indicating to the Government’s Designated Medical and Drug Program Coordinator staff through written report within nine (9) working days of receipt of a file whether and what additional documentation is necessary to clarify the status of a particular medical condition(s).

The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

b. Page 22 – last item:

3.

The contractor’s responsibilities shall include, but not limited to, providing all labor, materials, and equipment necessary for the applicant/employee medical examination services, fitness/performance assessments, and for the collection and transportation of all ??????????

ANSWER: The item should read:

3. The contractor’s responsibilities shall include, but not limited to, providing all labor, materials, and equipment necessary for the applicant/employee medical examination services, fitness/performance assessments, and for the collection and transportation of all specimens except where it is necessary for the Government to provide property or information.

The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

c. Page 34 – last paragraph of section XII

The following computer security requirements apply to both Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operations and to the former Immigration and Naturalization Service operations (FINS). These entities are hereafter referred to as the Department.

No computer security requirements are listed.

ANSWER: The above paragraph has been deleted. The computer security requirements are referred to on page 24, paragraph D Contractor’s Data and Reporting Requirements. The Government requires the contractor to have a web-based protected site in compliance with the Privacy Act at 5 USC 522a.

8. Reference: (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work

The last two paragraphs of the Introduction indicate the sources of requests for services. However they do not indicate the types of information the requests will contain, nor do they indicate how those requests will be communicated to the contractor, e.g., phone, email, data transfer, fax, etc.

a. Please clarify the format and content of the Government's requests for examination and other medical and drug testing services ANSWER: The SOW makes reference on Section V (Drug Testing) subsection D (Scheduling) paragraph 1 (Applicants) of a daily electronic file to be sent to the contractor to notify them concerning drug tests. This same system is used to notify the contractor of a request for medical examinations. The Introduction section of the SOW has been revised accordingly.

b. How will exam requests be communicated from the Government to the Contractor?

ANSWER: On occasion it may be necessary to notify the contractor by phone and/or mail of the need to schedule an employee for a Fitness For Duty examination.

c. Are Offerors free to suggest methods of communication, e.g., Web-enabled application?

ANSWER: Offerors may suggest methods of communication within their proposals.

9. Reference(s): (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (1) Section III Pre-Employment Medical Services, (2) Section VIII General Requirements, and (3) Appendix IX - Medical Examination and History Report (part 1) Reference (2) item C.1.d. top of page 24 says the examining physician gives a suitability opinion. Reference (1) item D. page 7 says the examining physician should not make recommendations. Reference (3), the pre-placement form, page 10 of 10 states the examining physician is not to provide conclusions regarding fitness for duty, that the Agency MRO gives the opinion.

Does this refer to Independent Medical Evaluation (IME) Physicians?

ANSWER: No, on occasion an Independent Medical Evaluation may be necessary for a Fitness For Duty Examination and if this is needed the request will specifically state this. However, the majority of Fitness For Duty Examinations do not require this level of consultation. Pre-Employment Examinations do not require Independent Medical Evaluations.

In the case of Reference (1) Section III of the SOW it states “The examining physician shall refrain from making recommendations verbally or in writing to the individual regarding the individual’s medical suitability for the position.” In the case of Reference (2) item C.1.d. should state, “The reviewing physician and not the examining physician. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

10. Reference: (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work Section V Drug Testing Services, Subsection F. 4. d. Collection Control The reference mentions, "... the designated contract Drug Testing Laboratory.” We assume this is a Contractor-designated laboratory and not a Government-designated or contracted laboratory.

Is our assumption correct? If not, please clarify.

ANSWER: Yes, it is correct. The Drug Testing Laboratory refers to a Contractor-designated laboratory in compliance with the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) HHS/SAMHSA Mandatory Guidelines for Drug Testing. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

11. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section VII Key Personnel Requirements The SOW states the MRO must have successfully passed the Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC) examination. The American Association of Medical Review Officers (AAMRO) also provides examinations certification and is recognized by DOT and other agencies that require MRO certification. The AAMRO is an independent organization dedicated to establishing national standards for the certification of medical practitioners who perform drug and alcohol testing.

Is successfully passing the AAMRO examination an acceptable substitute for the MROCC exam?

ANSWER: The AAMRO is an acceptable alternative. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

12. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section VII Key Personnel Requirements The requirement for Primary Reviewing Physicians states they must be Board-certified in Occupational Medicine, or Internal Medicine.

Is board certification in Emergency Medicine with several years experience in Occupational Medicine and extensive knowledge of the various positions’ medical guidelines/standards, physical requirements, critical tasks, as well as the positions’ environmental hazards and stressors an acceptable substitute for board certification in Occupational Medicine, or Internal Medicine?

ANSWER: No

13. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section IX Hazardous Material and Health and Wellness Screenings

Cardiac Risk Profile is listed as a screening component.

What are the components of a Cardiac Risk Profile?

ANSWER: The Cardiac Risk Profile is a very standard phrase referring to a laboratory determination of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, and a ratio estimating a person risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The information has been added to the Statement of Work.

14. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section XI Deliverables

Discrepancies between SOW text and Section XI Deliverables table

Please clarify the discrepancies between the SOW text and the deliverables table.

ANSWER:

Schedule Fitness For Duty Examination:

Text Section IV.B page 8: The contractor shall schedule a FFD examination to take place within five (5) working days of the Government’s request.

Table: 5 working days from notification by government Complete Fitness For Duty Medical Examination:

Text Section IV.B page 8: The contractor shall schedule a FFD examination to take place within 5 working days of the Government’s request.

Table: 5 working days from notification by government The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

15. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section XI Deliverables

The table of deliverables describes the “FORMAT” for these reports in terms such as “Electronic or paper,” “Telephone,” “Mail,” etc. Some deliverables such as scheduling applicants for examination or test by telephone require no further description of format. Other deliverables such as the Complete Pre-Employment Medical Test with the only format requirement as “electronic or paper” appears inadequate. For example, the contractor’s “electronic” submittal could take the form of a spreadsheet, PDF file, MS Word file, etc. The information contained in either the electronic or paper submittal may be presented in a variety of ways

Will the Government accept the deliverables required at paragraph XI in the format of the contractor’s choosing so long as it meets all of the requirements of the SOW?

ANSWER: A PDF or Microsoft Word file are acceptable electronic deliverables, however no spreadsheet. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

16. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section XI Deliverables

Several of the Reference citations in the last column are misleading. The following corrections are assumed to be the correct references.

Random Testing results notification and Random Testing “no show”

Was: V.C.2 (p.13)

Should be: V.C.2 (p.12) Set up Facility

Was: VII.B.5 (p.21)

Should be: VIII.B.5 (p.23) Provision of Applicant/Employee File for Scheduling

Was: VII.C.1.a (p. 22)

Should be: VIII.C.1.a (p. 23)

Scheduling of employee for general medical services

Was: VII.C.1.b (p.22)

Should be: VIII.C.1.b (p.23) Notification of Results following general medical services

Was: VII.C.1.d (p.22)

Should be: VIII.C.1.d (p.24) Suitability determination following general medical services

Was: VII.C.1.d (p. 23)

Should be: VIII.C.1.d (p.24) Notification of Failure to Schedule

Was: VII.C.1.e (p. 23)

Should be: VIII.C.1.e (p. 24) Provision of chain of custody

Was: VII.C.1.f (p.23)

Should be: VIII.C.1.f (p. 24) Are our assumptions correct?

ANSWER: Yes, however the page numbers have changed. (See revised Statement of Work).

17. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Appendix V – Duty Locations Appendix V lists ICE employees in international locations such as Austria, Bermuda, Canada, etc. The SOW states potential areas of service include all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Mariana Islands.

Will the contractor be expected to provide services outside the 50 States for locations other than Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Mariana Islands?

ANSWER: The contractor will not be expected to provide services for locations outside the 50 states other than Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Mariana Islands to include Guam.

18. Reference: Attachment 2 – Schedule of Supplies and Services Several line items from the Schedule of Supplies require clarification in order to provide accurate pricing. See column to the right.

a. 4001AF – What does Medical Review and Report refer to? What service is this?

b. 4004 – The only employee service listed is Return to Duty however Pre-employment lists several components. How are other employee services to be priced?

c. 4004AB – The FFDE general exam is listed. Where are the extra components for FFDE, such as EKG, vision, etc.? Also many times these are followed by IMEs; how is that to be priced?

d. 4001AA –Please clarify Urinalysis Collection Services. Is this a urine drug screen? Is this for urine drug screen collection only? Does it include lab analysis? Does it include MRO services and reporting to client?

ANSWER (18a through 18d): A revised Schedule of Supplies and Services is presented with a new CLINs and SubCLINs.

19. Reference(s): (1) Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and (2) Attachment 3 - Additional Provisions, Clauses, Terms and Conditions in Full Text Including Ordering Procedures The SOW at paragraph F “Random, and injury, illness, or unhealthy practices collections will be conducted primarily at Government locations.” Attachment 3 does not include the FAR Clause at 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, and we cannot find said clause anywhere else in the RFP.

Will contractor employees who perform work at “Government locations” be covered by the provisions of the Service Contract Act?

ANSWER: The answer to this question will be provided on a separate amendment.

20. Reference: Attachment 4 – Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures Page 1 states the email copy will be the copy used to determine the time of receipt of the proposals.

Does this mean that if the email copy is received by the August 13, 2010 2pm deadline, the hardcopy and CD copy can be shipped on August 13 for overnight delivery the next business day?

ANSWER: Please note the submission instructions have been revised and only an email copy is required by the solicitation due date (See revised Attachment 4, Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures).

21. Reference: Attachment 4 – Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures The proposal instructions state: Paper size shall be 8.5” x 11” and Font size no smaller than “12” in Times New Roman. A double-sided page will count as 2 pages. Volume I: Technical (25 page limit)

· Some graphics such as process flow charts and Gantt chart schedules may not fit on 8.5” x 11” paper and be legible.

· Twelve point Times New Roman, a seriffed typeface, is not considered ideal for graphics and tables. Smaller sans serif fonts such as 8 or 10 point Arial Narrow is usually permitted in proposals to the Government.

· Twenty-five pages appear to be too few to adequately address offerors’ technical approach/capabilities for pre-employment medical services, employee medical services, fitness for duty, psychological, and drug/alcohol screening services, urine collection procedures, providing expert testimony, and training of contractor personnel.

a. May Offerors use 11” x 17” foldout pages for large graphics with single sided foldouts counting as two pages?

ANSWER: Yes, the offeror may use 11” x 17” foldout pages for large graphics with single sided foldouts, which shall count as two pages. Attachment 4, Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures, has been revised accordingly.

b. May Offerors use Arial Narrow font, 8 point or larger, as notations and labels on graphics and text in tables?

ANSWER: Yes, Offerors may use Arial Narrow font, 8 point or larger, as notations and labels on graphics and text in tables. Attachment 4, Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures, has been revised accordingly.

c. Suggest that the page limit for Volume I be increased to 75 pages.

ANSWER: The page limit for Volume I is 30 pages. Attachment 4, Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures, has been revised accordingly.

22. Who currently provides the following services to ICE and FPS:

a. Medical, psychological, and fitness tests

ANSWER: Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.

b. Specimen collection services for drug testing

ANSWER: Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.

c. Laboratory drug screening services

ANSWER: Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

d. Medical review officer services

ANSWER: Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.

23. What do ICE and FPS currently pay for each of the services listed in the Schedule of Supplies and Services (Attachment 2)? If you cannot disclose that information, can you provide the total dollar amount that ICE and FPS pay for each of the types services listed above (on either a yearly or total contract basis)?

ANSWER: Please submit your request to the following:

http://www.ice.gov/foia/index.htm#office

24. Where can I find the documents referenced in Items o. and p. on page 6 of the Submission Instructions?

ANSWER: For item o. see provision A.14 on Attachment 3, Additional Provisions, Clauses, Terms and Conditions in Full Text Including Ordering Procedures. For item p. see provisions A.1 and A.8 on Attachment 3, Additional Provisions, Clauses, Terms and Conditions in Full Text Including Ordering Procedures. Please note that provision 52.232-28 – Invitation to Propose Performance Based Payments (March 2000) is not applicable to this solicitation thus it will be deleted from item p. Attachment 4, Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures, has been revised accordingly.

25. The Subcontracting Plan is not listed as one of the evaluation factors, so what role does it play in the evaluation of proposals?

ANSWER: It is now an evaluation factor (See Revised Attachment 4, Submission Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Procedures).

26. Who is currently providing these services for ICE/FPS?

ANSWER: See answer to question #22

27. What is the anticipated date for services to begin?

ANSWER: December 1st.

28. What is expected of role of Contract Administrator?

ANSWER: The Contract Administrator shall act as the central point of contact in all contract matters for the company. The Contract Administrator shall monitor company performance for conformance to original proposal and maintains continual review to ensure that all terms and conditions are in accordance with legal requirements, the Statement of Work specifications, and government regulations. The Contract Administrator shall prepares and disseminates information to the Program Manager regarding contract status, compliance, modifications, deviation, negotiation, etc. The Contract Administrator and the Program Manager shall participate in post award kick-off meetings and contract set-up meetings. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

29. There is no line item on Attachment 2 for psychological evaluation, is this assessment expected to be performed as part of the pre-employment evaluation?

ANSWER: See answer #2

30. On Attachment 2, 4001 AD/AE, what does Special Physician Advisory Services mean?

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

31. On Attachment 2, 4003 AA & AB, Post Accident and Reasonable Suspicion respectively, is this for drug and alcohol screening or medical evaluation/consultation?

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

32. Reference: Synopsis of RFP on Federal Business Opportunity The synopsis indicates that the Government anticipates awarding a single hybrid IDIQ contract as a result of this solicitation whereby Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Labor Hours (LH) task orders will be issued. Attachment 2 to the SOW, Schedule of Supplies, does not contain a schedule for the identification of labor classifications and rates to respond to the LH task orders.

Will this LH schedule be included upon award or does the government request that a schedule to address this to be included as part of our response to the solicitation?

ANSWER: This will be answer on a separate amendment

33. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section III Pre-Employment Medical Services; B. Pre-Employment Physical Fitness Test (PFT); item 3 (page 6) “…The test administrator shall sign and date the document, notify the contractor of the failure within 1 day and forward all materials, documentation, score sheets, etc. to the contractor within 3 working days of the test.”

“The contractor shall review the PFT upon conclusion of the medical screening, and should submit PFT results to the Dallas Service Center within one (1) working day of the screening.”

The timeframes indicated for fitness notification to the Dallas Service Center are not in accord with the timeframe requirements for testing administrator to return results to the contractor (i.e., the contractor cannot review until the documents are received).

ANSWER: The test administrator will be employee of the contractor. The test administrator shall perform the test and submit the results to the Dallas Service Center within one working day. The reference of sending the materials, documentation to the contractor would be for billing purposes and will not be at the same place as the testing (in most cases) is performed.

The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

34. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section III Pre-Employment Medical Services; D. Medical Conclusion/Recommendation Process..., item 1.d. (page 7)

“Indicating to the Government’s Designated Medical and Drug Program Coordinator staff through written report within nine (9) working days of receipt of file…” Previous statement…within 9 calendar days of pre-employment medical exam.

Please clarify the timeframe requirement for written medical opinion.

ANSWER: The question is not clear, but if the Pre-Employment Medical Exam must be completed in 7 days from the notification by the Government, then the Primary Reviewing Officer has 2 days more to issue the written report with a recommendation concerning hiring.

35. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section VIII General Requirements; C. Contractor Quality Assurance Plan; item 1.b. (page 23)

“Within seven (7) calendar days of initial notification, the contractor shall be responsible for coordinating scheduling of the service with the individual and with the collection facility…A medical exam must be conducted within seven to fourteen calendar days of notification…”

These timeframes differ from those provided in Section III.C “The contractor shall have five (5) working days from Government notification to contact applicants to schedule medical test and PFTs and seven (7) working days to complete the pre-employment medical screening and PFT Process…” Please clarify timeframe requirements.

ANSWER: The medical examination must be scheduled within 7 calendar days and completed within 14 calendar days. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

36. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, C. Categories of Drug Screening

The statement “For all services below, the Medical Review Officer (MRO) shall notify the Government’s Designated Medical and Drug Program Coordinator within 24 hours of a test result that is positive prior to confirmation of the positive result…”

This requirement is against SAMSHA MRO Manual guidelines, which addresses HHS MRO procedures “The MRO must review all non-negative test results (i.e.: positive, adulterated, substituted, invalid) and all non-negative and dilute specimens before reporting the results to the Federal Agency’s designated representative” This condition applies regardless of the type (or reason) for testing.

Please clarify if ICE/FPS will deviate from the guidelines in this regard.

ANSWER: The Statement of Work has been revised to read as follows:

For all services below, the Medical Review Officer (MRO) shall notify the Government’s Designated Medical and Drug Program Coordinator within 24 hours after confirmation of the positive result, and within 1 (one) working day for a negative test result. The contractor shall notify the ICE or FPS requesting office within 4 hours of the scheduled appointment for those applicants/employees who do not report for their scheduled test.

37. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, C. Categories of Drug Screening, Item 2

The SOW describes Random drug screens as taking place at Government workplace locations.

Will all random drug screens take place at the workplace location or will there be a mix of onsite (for multiple collections at one location) and clinic collections (for those areas that have a small number of employees to be tested)?

ANSWER: Random drug screenings will take place at the workplaces and at clinic collection sites. There will be a mix of collections at the workplace and at the clinic collection sites. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

38. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, C. Categories of Drug Screening, Item 2

With regard to Random collections, the SOW states “Collector will be provided two weeks’ notice”

Notification in less than 3 weeks will result in additional costs for expedited shipping of supplies to the local collector. Exceptions would be STAT testing (i.e.: reasonable suspicion, post-accident) Please consider changing the time to 3 weeks unless the government is willing to except the additional cost for expedited shipping.

ANSWER: The Government will not change the time to two (2) weeks.

39. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site The section states: “Random, injury, illness, or unhealthy practices collections will be conducted primarily at Government locations”

Will the workplace locations maintain custody and control forms on file for use in STAT services such as these?

ANSWER: Yes, when collections take place at Government facilities, there will be appropriate forms and secure custody facilities available.

40. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site The section states: “The contractor shall assume responsibility for ensuring that specific collection site requirements are maintained” Please clarify if this expectation is for the ICE/FPS workplace locations. If it is, “maintained” may need to be replaced with “adhered to” as the contractor will not have a permanent area at the ICE/FPS location.

ANSWER: We can accept the word change from “maintained” to “adhered to” in the last sentence of Section V, first paragraph under F. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

41. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site

Throughout the section, collections are discussed as taking place at the workplace location and at a facility (within 60 miles) but it is unclear, specifically, what drives the decision for onsite versus clinic.

Please specify the circumstances under which onsite testing and clinic testing would take place.

ANSWER: All Pre-Employment Drug Test Collections will occur at the clinic. Under the Random Drug Test collections will be made at government facilities where large numbers of employees are assigned. The number of government facility collection sites will be small and arranged with the ICE Office of Human Capital Drug Program Coordinator. Most of the urgent collection, e.g. Post-Accident, Reasonable Suspicion would be made at a clinic site. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

42. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site, item 4.b

Applicant/Employee Identification

Will the agency utilize full SS#, Badge #, or some other unique identifier in communications with contractor?

ANSWER: Full social security #.

43. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site, item 4.c

The SOW states:“If the individual is unable to provide a second specimen within 2 hours, the collector must contact the contractor for instructions”

Regulation allots 3 hours in cases such as these.

Please confirm ICE/FPS guidelines will be more restrictive (2 hours).

ANSWER: The SOW states that if unable to provide a specimen within 2 hours the collector must contact the contractor just for instructions not to end the time when a specimen can be collected.

44. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site, item 4.c

The SOW state: “In no instance shall the specimen be stored longer than 24 hours after collection”

If the collection is on the weekend or on Friday afternoon after shipping pickup, the specimen cannot logistically go out until the next business day (Monday). This would be more than the stated requirement limit of 24 hours.

Under the conditions stated, what is the acceptable limitation to ICE/FPS?

ANSWER: There should be no collection on Friday afternoon or weekends to avoid delays. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

45. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site, item 4.d

The SOW state: “In no instance shall the specimen be stored longer than 24 hours after collection”

If the collection is on the weekend or on Friday afternoon after shipping pickup, the specimen cannot logistically go out until the next business day (Monday). This would be more than the stated requirement limit of 24 hours.

Please clarify if the Government will be deviating from the regulations in this regard by requiring permissions from the Government.

ANSWER: The HHS and DOT guidelines apply and allow direct observation; however, direct observation is not authorized under this contract without specific verbal authorization from the Government. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

46. Reference: Attachment 1 – Statement of Work, Section V Drug Testing Services, F. Collection Site, item 4.d

The SOW states: “The contractor shall notify the Government promptly prior to closing a designated collection facility.”

Given the scope and breadth of a contractor’s network, and the fact that few facilities are contractor-owned, this could be difficult for the contractor to comply with.

Please consider deleting this requirement.

ANSWER: No, federal agencies must inspect 5 percent of the collection sites per year and the Government needs to maintain an accurate list of collection sites for this purpose.

47. Reference: Section II.D of the SOW (p. 4) references “DOT rule 40 CFR part 40”.

Is this correct? Should it be “DOT rule 49 CFR part 40”?

ANSWER: DOT 49CFR part 40 is correct. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

48. Reference: Section III.B.2.a and III.B.2.c of the SOW (p. 5) mentions an audiotape as part of the Physical Fitness Test (PFT).

Will DHS provide this to the contractor?

ANSWER: No, the audiotape mentioned in Section III B.2.a and B.2.c. is the responsibility of the contractor. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

49. Reference: See SOW Section III.B.3 on p. 6

Please clarify whether the test administrator has 1 working or 1 calendar day to notify the contractor “in the event that an applicant fails to successfully complete any one component of the PFT” ANSWER: 1 working day. Also see answer to question #6.

50. Reference: Section II.C.1 (p. 7) of the SOW

States that the “Primary Reviewing Physician shall render a written medical opinion . . . within nine (9) calendar days of the . . . medical exam. However, Section II.D.1.d and II.D.1.e (p. 7 and 8) state that the written report must be submitted within “nine (9) working days from receipt of records”. Please clarify.

ANSWER: Section II.C.1 should read nine (9) working days. Also see answer to question #6.

51. Reference: SOW Section II.D.1.d (p. 7) ends in an incomplete sentence. Is there text missing in this subsection?

ANSWER: See answer to question 7a.

52. Who is the incumbent for this contract?

ANSWER: See answer to question #22

53. Reference: SOW Section V.C on p.12 Can the MRO’s certified MRO-Assistant(s) (MRO-A) report positive results that are reviewed by the MRO, as well as all negative results, to the Government’s Designated Medical and Drug Program Coordinator?

ANSWER: No, it is the responsibility of the MRO to report positive results to the Drug Program Coordinator. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

54. Reference: SOW Section V.D.1 on p.13

Please clarify what type of electronic file will be sent to the contractor “to notify them of an applicant’s drug screening tests” How will this file be transmitted?

ANSWER: This notification will be an electronic web-based data file. The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

55. Can the contractor’s response to “Part 4: Past Performance” of Volume I Partially include contract information held by its subcontractor(s)?

ANSWER: Yes

56. Reference: SOW Section V.F.1 on p.15 Please clarify what is meant by a “facilities plan”.

ANSWER: The collection site facilities plan referred to in Section V.F.1. outlines how the contractor proposes to meet the collection site requirements of the HHS/SAMHSA Mandatory Guidelines available at http://www.workplace.samhsa.gov/DrugTesting/Level_1_Pages/mandatory_guidelines5_1_10.html The Statement of Work has been revised accordingly.

57. Reference: Specified in Appendix VI of Attachment 1

Can DHS provide an estimated volume break down for each line item by location (both duty station and pre-employment cities)?

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

58. The requirements for the Program Manager (PM) stated in Section VII (p. 21) of the SOW include either an MHA (Masters in Healthcare Administration) and/or an MBA.

Will DHS accept a PM who has “at least seven (7) years of managing programs of the same size” that holds an MPH and/or MD?

ANSWER: No

59. Reference: Section VIII.B.3 of the SOW (p. 22)? Is there missing text?

ANSWER: See answer to question 7b.

60. Reference: SOW Section III.D (p. 7) states that the “examining physician shall forward the exam/history data to the Contractor’s Primary Reviewing Physician”.

However, Section VIII.C.1.d (p. 24) states that the examining physician shall include a “written medical opinion of the applicant’s suitability”.

Please clarify what the examining physician is to forward to the Primary Reviewing Physician.

ANSWER: These two sections refer to different types of examinations. Section III.D refers to Pre-Employment Examination where the Examining Physician sends the history, physical and ancillary and supporting data to the Board-certified Primary Reviewing Physician for a suitability recommendation whether to hire the applicant. Section VIII.C.1. refers to general/Return to duty/fitness for duty examinations where the Examining Physician may give their opinion of an employee’s suitability to return to work.

61. Reference: SOW Section VIII.H on p. 25

What agency compatible software is to be used to submit the monthly invoices and supporting documents?

ANSWER: ICE and FPS employ a web-based system for submitting invoices and documents.

62. Reference: The last paragraph on Page 34 of Section XII of the SOW state, “the following computer security requirements”. However, this text is missing. Please clarify.

ANSWER: See answer to question 7c.

63. Reference: SOW Section IX.A on p. 27.

Describes the Hazmat examinations that are required for FPS hazardous response personnel, but are not listed in Attachment II (“Schedule of Supplies and Services”) How shall these exams be priced?

ANSWER: See answer to question 3e.

64. Please clarify the component break down of the following line items included in Attachment 2 (“Schedule of Supplies and Services”):

a. 0001AB – Does this cover only the items listed in SOW Section III.C.1 on p. 6-7?

b. 0004AA

c. 0006AC ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

65. What item number in Attachment 2 should be used when pricing the components listed in Section III.C of the SOW (p. 9-10)?

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

66. Do all item numbers in Attachment 2 associated with drug testing (i.e. 0001AA, 0003AA, 0003AB, 0005AA, 0005AB, 0005AC) include MRO review?

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

67. How are item numbers 0001AD, 0001AG, 0001AO, 0001AR, and 0007AA of Attachment 2 to be billed (i.e. hourly rate, etc.)?

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

68. Reference: SOW Part IV.C on p. 10

What type of Psychological/Psychiatric tests would be required?

ANSWER: See answer to question 2b.

69. Please clarify item numbers 0003AC and 0003AD as the total time requirements included in Section V.C (p. 12) and V.C.2 (p. 13) are less than 5 working days.

ANSWER: A revised Schedules of Supplies and Services is presented with new CLIN and SubCLINs

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