HT940723Q0001 - Questions and Answers.pdf

Question/Comment # Document in Question Page/Paragraph in Question Question/Comment Government Response/Disposition

1 PWS Section 3.2 Would the ambulances provided be able to housed/posted at the Air Force base? Or would we need to have quarters in that region?

The Government is not providing ambulances. The Government will make available two facilities which can house contractor ambulances and crews. The two locations are listed in PWS paragraph 3.2, Government Furnished Facilities.

2 PWS Section 1.9 Is reimbursement for the agency only off of transports or is there any other reimbursement built into this contract?

The Contractor will be reimbursed for services performed under this contract in accordance with the firm fixed price CLIN schedule (RFQ Section B). Refer to PWS paragraph 1.9 for details regarding Tricare and Non‐Tricare Reimbursements.

3 PWS Section 5.3.6.1.1 Would the ambulances you are requesting need to be ALS ambulances or are BLS ambulances sufficient?

ALS ambulances are required.

PWS 1.3 Background and 5.1 Minimum Requirements for

Coverage of Service

pp. 2 & 14

Please confirm USAFA intends for the selected provider to deploy all three (3) ALS ambulances (the North Cadet Area ambulance, the Rover, and the Flight Line ambulance) 24 hours per day / seven days per week (i.e., 72 unit hours per day).

No. In accordance with PWS paragraph 5.3.2, only the North Cadet Area and Roving Area require 24/7 coverage.

Flight Line coverage is required during the times indicated in PWS paragraph 5.3.3. Amendment 01 to the solicitation will better clarify the required coverage.

PWS 4.0. CONTRACTOR

FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

p.13 Does the selected provider need to provide dispatch services? No.

PWS 1.11. Quality

TE 1, PERFORMANCE

REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS)

pp. 5 & 20 As part of your evaluation will you be considering or assigning points related to quality ratings and certifications such as CAAS (the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services) accreditation?

Evaluation for award will be conducted in accordance with FAR 52.212‐2, "Evaluation ‐ Commercial Products and Commercial Services" (RFQ Section M).

7 PWS 1.12.3.5 Compliance Items p. 6

Does USAFA have any requirements regarding a minimum number of years the selected provider should have with experience providing ambulance services in the state of Colorado, or is USAFA willing to use a provider that has never provided ambulance service in the state of Colorado previously?

Experience will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 52.212‐2, "Evaluation ‐ Commercial Products and Commercial Services" (RFQ Section M). As stated in that provision, "more relevant experience may be evaluated more favorably than less relevant experience."

8 PWS Unspecified Please provide detail on current / historic utilization ‐ e.g., How many responses occurred in CY2022 and what percentage of those responses resulted in transport.

In 2022 there were approximately 700 calls, approximately 40% of which resulted in transport.

9 PWS Unspecified Please confirm it is the government’s expectation that all patient transports to EACH or civilian MTFs will be handled by the provider and not sent to third‐party ambulance providers, even if doing so would leave USAFA without an available ambulance.

Yes, all patient transports to EACH or civilian MTFs shall be handled by the Contractor and not sent to third‐party ambulance providers. It is the Contractor's responsibility to ensure PWS requirements can still be met to the required standards ‐ see PWS paragraph 5.3.6.1.

10 PWS Unspecified Please specify the particular type of ambulance (e.g., a type I or type III "box" style ambulance vs. a type II "van" style ambulance) required for this contract.

This contract does not specify a specific type of ambulance as long as it is certified by the state of CO, can properly transport patients in accordance with stated regulations, and has the necessary clearance from all over‐hangs on base.

11 PWS Unspecified Does USAFA have any requirements related to at least one ambulance having four‐ wheel drive capabilities for responses in heavy snow or other weather?

USAFA does not have specific requirements for ambulances; however, the Contractor shall ensure its ambulances meet state requirements for inclement weather capabilities.

12 PWS Unspecified Does USAFA have any requirements related to the maximum allowable age and/or mileage of the contractor‐provided ambulances?

USAFA does not have specific requirements for ambulances; however, the Contractor shall ensure its ambulances meet state requirements.

13 PWS Page 20, Performance Objective #1 Are there exceptions to response times in extenuating circumstances, i.e., snow, ice, severe weather, truly unforeseen circumstances of a serious nature?

No. Refer to PWS paragraph 5.3.6.1.1. for more information regarding response times.

14 PWS Page 20, Performance Objective #1

In relation to above, how might extenuating circumstances be defined as agreeable between the parties? Considerations could be in added time or possibly in the impact of the 90% level contract expectation. Discussions could be had as appropriate between the parties.

The 90% acceptable quality level gives flexibility for the Contractor to still meet standards in the event extenuating circumstances results in some response times exceeding the maximum.

15 General N/A What is the anticipated call volume per truck? Historically, approximately 21 per month, but can vary.

16 General N/A What are the number of emergency vs non‐emergency transports per month? This varies. For recent reference, approximately 35% of calls for the month of May 2023 were emergencies.

17 General N/A What is the anticipated payor mix? The Government does not have this data to provide.

18 General N/A What are the average number of uninsured, self‐pay patients? The Government does not have this data to provide.

19 General N/A What is the anticipated radius of drop‐off locations? Approximately a 25 mile radius. (EACH is approx. 25 miles from USAFA)

20 General N/A Approximately how many transports monthly are to Fort Carson? Approximately 8 per month.

21 General N/A What is the average number of transports that transport out of the area entirely? Approximately 1%.

22 General N/A What volume of transports stay within El Paso County? Approximately 99%.

23 PWS Info Request What is the daily or annual call volume? Are they primarily 911 calls or interfacility transfers?

Approximately 700 calls annually, roughly 40% are interfacility transfers.

24 PWS 5.1 Are all three ambulances supposed to be ALS capable and staffed with Paramedics? Yes. Refer to PWS paragraph 4.1.2 for the required range of services.

25 PWS Info request

Does the contractor have to be a licensed ambulance service in the state of Colorado at the start of the period of performance, or will holding a license to be an ambulance in their home state suffice until the process in CO is complete . Or will interstate compact be accepted?

The Contractor shall be fully licensed at the start of the base period of performance.

26 PWS 1.7.3

What are the lengths of the shifts? Or is it up to the contractor to create provider schedule?

It is up to the Contractor to create a provider schedule that meets PWS requirements. See PWS paragraph 5.3.6.1.

27 1449 1449 Will bid for solicitation be by item, units or hours? Unit of issue is "months" ‐ see Solicitation Attachment 03 ‐ Pricing Worksheet.

28 PWS Section 5 It mentions around 780 hours for additional coverage, Will this be covered by one of the three on shift ambulances or will additional units need to be on base to cover these events/trainings?

In accordance with PWS paragraph 5.3.4, the stand‐by coverage is in addition to the normal services specified in PWS paragraphs 5.3.2 and 5.3.3.

29 PWS Info request How many total ambulances are being used right now? (on shift and backups) The Government will not provide this information. Aside from the three dedicated ambulances required by the PWS, shift scheduling and use of backup ambulances is at the Contractor's discretion.

30 PWS Info request Current ambulance Equipment list? Or just Colorado state checklist? The Contractor shall meet the Colorado State checklist for required equipment.

31 PWS Info request Can we get any data to the nature of the calls, most used equipment and consumables etc. ?

The nature of calls include, but is not limited to, transport and ALS response. The Government does not have any data on consumables for this contract. In accordance with PWS paragraph 1.2, the Contractor is responsible for providing all equipment, supplies, tools, and materials necessary to perform services (except for those items specified as Government‐furnished equipment in PWS paragraph 3.3.)

32 PWS 3.2 Recommend In government quarters adding “A/C and refrigerators”.

At this time the Government will not update the PWS to include this language. The Contractor may provide refrigerators (meeting safety standards) for those facilities at no cost to the Government.

33 PWS 5.1 Recommend adding hours of operation for the Roving Ambulance. In accordance with PWS paragraph 5.3.2, the Roving Area (Southern and Central areas) shall be covered 24/7.

34 PWS 5.4.2

Recommend having radios issued from MDG that have military frequencies. Contract companies are no allowed to have the encrypted frequencies on non‐government radios. Recommend having 4 issued.

The Government plans to furnish 4 radios equipped with military frequencies to support this contract. The amended RFQ will include the relevant Government Furnished Property clauses and information.

35 PWS Page 20 TE1, 4

Tri‐Care now requires collection of co‐pays from some Tri‐Care beneficiaries.

Recommend updating this section to reflect new insurance collection rules. By not billing, we are actually breaking laws created by CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).

At this time the Government will not update PWS section 1.9. The Contractor may contact the relevant TRICARE points of contact listed in that section to further clarify billing rules.

36 PWS / Site Visit Unspecified

We were able to see the crew quarters / ambulance sites for the North Cadet‐Area ambulance and for the Flight Line ambulance...However, the SOW indicates there are three ambulances – North, Flight Line, and a Rover. Regarding the Rover:

The other two ambulances and crews appear to have locations where the ambulance can be parked and crews can station. Is the Rover intended to run 24/7 with the crew kept in the cab of the ambulance? That would appear to cost a significant amount of fuel and wear and tear on both the vehicle and the crew.

Does the Rover have any specific location for garaging / crew swaps?

The Government only has two facilities on USAFA specifically dedicated for housing contractor crew and ambulances, as listed in PWS section 3.2. It is the Contractor's discretion which ambulances use those facilities and when, so long as all PWS requirements are met and all services meet the required response time. There is no dedicated "quarters" for ambulances and crew in the Roving Area; however, the Contractor may park the ambulance at various locations within the Roving Area while awaiting calls.

37 Attachment 3 Pricing Worksheet

On the pricing worksheet, is CLIN X001 – Ground Ambulance Services (24 hour) intended to include pricing for both the North ambulance and Flight Line ambulance?

We see CLIN X002 is specific for the Roving ambulance, so we are assuming the other two are lumped together in CLIN X001

The amended RFQ will update the CLIN schedule (RFQ Section B) and Pricing Worksheet (RFQ Attachment 03) for clarity. CLIN X001 will cover pricing for all 24/7 services (North Cadet area and Roving area). CLIN X002 will cover the Flight Line services.