Lackland Laundry and Linen Q_and_A HT940826QE029.pdf

LACKLAND LAUNDRY AND LINEN Q&A

HT940826QE029

1. Is there any incumbent/recompete or is this a brand-new project? If yes, could you please provide us with their award number or even if the customer bought similar services in the past.

a. BPA HT940823A0002

2. Are CLINs 0004 and 0009 for coats and specialty piecework intentionally priced per pound rather than per piece, and how will these items be weighed and accepted?

a. Yes, CLINs 0004 and 0009 are intentionally priced per pound rather than per piece, as specified by the "Unit of Issue" in the contract's Price Sheet for both the Wilford Hall and Randolph locations.

3. For CLIN 0007, should veterinary/research laundry follow the veterinary segregation requirements in PWS 3.1.6.8, the contaminated-laundry requirements in PWS 3.1.6.4, or both?

a. Based on my review of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) in the provided contract, veterinary/research laundry under CLIN 0007 should follow the requirements for both contaminated laundry and the specific veterinary segregation rules.

b. Here is a breakdown of the requirements:

c. Contaminated Laundry (PWS 4.1.6.4): This section provides the general instructions for all soiled and contaminated laundry. It requires the contractor to pick up laundry in government-provided bags and process it in strict accordance with healthcare industry standards. Since veterinary laundry is a type of soiled laundry from a medical facility, these baseline handling procedures apply.

d. Veterinary Laundry (PWS 4.1.6.8): This section adds a specific, more stringent requirement on top of the general handling rules. It explicitly states that "Veterinary laundry shall be laundered separately." This ensures it is not mixed with laundry from human patient care areas.

e. Therefore, the contractor must manage veterinary laundry by first following the general contaminated laundry procedures (PWS 4.1.6.4) and then applying the additional requirement to launder it separately from all other items (PWS 4.1.6.8).

4. What is the exact deadline and required submission route for completed PPQs?

a. The deadline is the losing date of the solicitation, and the submission route is via email to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer.

5. Is this a new requirement or is there an incumbent currently fulfilling this need? If there is an incumbent, could you please share the current contract number?

a. Current BPA HT940823A0002

6. For the previous 12 months, what were the average soiled pickup weight and clean delivery weight per scheduled pickup day for (a) all Lackland locations combined and (b) Randolph? If available, please break the weight out by service category.

a. Based on the 10 months of data provided the updated calculations reflect clean delivery weights per scheduled day.

b. Lackland (Combined): Average 1,941.52 lbs clean delivery weight across 129 scheduled delivery days.

c. Randolph: Average 2,234.30 lbs clean delivery weight across 18 scheduled delivery days.

d. Note: Soiled pickup weights are not separately recorded in these call lists.

e. Clean Delivery Weights: Lackland Locations (Combined)

f. Service Category Average Clean Weight per Delivery Day (lbs)

g. Bulk Laundry 1,189.67

h. Microfiber 55.46

i. Scrub Pants MF 46.51

j. Special Items Weight 185.83

k. Coat, Doctor/PA 24.32

l. Stain Wash 32.74

m. Veterinary – Bldg 7602 108.63

n. Clin Research – Bldg 4430 114.73

o. Other 183.63

p. Total Combined Average 1,941.52 lbs / day

q. ________________________________________

r. Clean Delivery Weights: Randolph Location

s. Service Category Average Clean Weight per Delivery Day (lbs)

t. Bulk Laundry 2,176.31

u. Coat, Doctor/PA 57.99

v. Total Combined Average 2,234.30 lbs / day

7. PWS 3.1.1.1 references minimum clean weights that are not listed in the solicitation.

What is the contractual minimum clean weight for each service category?

Here are the minimum batch poundage requirements for each service category:

CLIN Service Category Minimum Batch Poundage (lbs) 0001 Wilford Hall - Bulk Laundry 900 0002 Microfiber 100 0003 Special Items 100 0004 Wilford Hall - Coat, Doctor/PA 50 0005 Stain Wash 100 0006 Veterinary laundry for Building 7602 200 0007 Veterinary laundry for Building 4430 200 0008 Randolph - Bulk Laundry 300 0009 Randolph - Coat, Doctor/PA 10

8. Are invoices based on the soiled pickup weight or clean delivery weight?

a. The invoices are based on the clean delivery weight.

9. Is this a laundry processing BPA only (ie the clinics own their own linen & garments and the contractor is just providing laundering/dry cleaning, transportation, etc. service) ~ OR ~ is this a rental and laundry processing BPA (ie the clinics are renting the linen & garments from the contractor and the contractor is also providing laundering, transportation, etc services)?

a. This is a laundry processing contract only. The clinics own their linen and garments.

10. Please clarify if billing from the contractor will be based on: soiled pounds picked up from the clinics – or - clean pounds delivered to the clinics. PWS mentions clean but Section 3.1 ‘Bulk Laundry Service’ seems open to interpretation.

a. Billing from the contractor will be based on the clean pounds delivered to the clinics.

b. Here is the key section from the PWS that clarifies this: PWS Section 4.1.1.1:

This section states, "The minimum weights shall be written as ‘clean’ weights, meaning the weight of clean laundry returned by the contractor."

c. While the process involves weighing the soiled laundry at pickup (as described in PWS 4.1.6), this is primarily for tracking and establishing a baseline for acceptable weight loss during laundering (the "shrinkage factor" mentioned in

PWS 4.1.2).

d. The contractual basis for billing, however, is tied to the price list, which PWS

4.1.1.1 explicitly links to the final clean weight of the laundry returned to the facility.

e. In short: Both soiled and clean weights are measured for tracking and control, but the final invoice is calculated based on the weight of the clean laundry delivered.

11. According to the PWS, pickup/delivery is expected to occur 3 times per week. Is 2 times per week acceptable? No 2 times not acceptable. This is based on mission requirements.

We expect pickup/delivery 3 times a week.

12. Is a site visit for either the client’s clinics or the contractor’s facility required?

a. A site visit is not required, but the Government has the right to inspect the contractor's facility at any time.

b. PWS Section 3.3.9 states: "The WHASC Infection Control Nurse, Government POC and/or FRED may conduct a separate inspection (announced or unannounced) of the Contractor's facility and operations to ensure compliance with CDC and Joint Commission infection control standards."

c. This means that while there is no mandatory scheduled site visit, the Government can choose to inspect the contractor's laundry facility whenever necessary to ensure it meets health and safety standards.

13. Why is option year 1 poundage half of the base year?

a. This will be for one year to possibly consolidate with other military treatment facilities in the future. We added a six-month extension IAW FAR Part 52.217-8 just in case extra time is required for consolidation.

14. Can we include proof of insurance as exhibits to volume 1 instead of as a page to volume

1? This way it doesn’t count against our page limit?

a. There will be no exceptions to page limits to ensure that all potential offers are treated fairly.

15. If subcontracting the service out, can we submit (1) Past Performance Eval for the Prime Contractor and (1) Past Performance Eval for the Subcontractor?

a. Yes, but we would also need a breakdown who will accomplishing the labor for the contract.

16. In the ‘Instructions to Offerors, 1.9 Volume IV: Price Proposal’ it states: Offerors will submit their fully-burdened unit rates along with total price information directly within the CLIN. Does this mean to itemize the price total? For example (using fictitious numbers): rental $1.00; washing $1.00; transportation $1.00 etc for a total of $3.00. OR, are you just asking to input the $3.00 total and leave the itemization out?

a. Place the full amount in the unit price so that we can evaluate all prices the same.

17. Considering the blind evaluation factor, can we use terms such as “close proximity;

reasonable proximity; a challenged proximity, etc” when discussing the logistics plan for transportation to and from the facility?

a. You can state an approximate distance to be sure we understand the logistics plan.

18. Why is this opportunity available?

a. The opportunity is to provide ongoing laundry and dry-cleaning services for the

Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center (WHASC) and other outlying clinics at Joint Base San Antonio. The government has a continuous need for these services to support its medical facilities.

19. What were the strengths and challenges that the incumbent faced in regard to performing this work?

Strengths Our last inspection report highlights numerous strengths, noting "great improvements" from the previous year and concluding that the "inspection was a success." Key strengths include:

• Infection Control and Safety: The facility maintains proper negative air pressure in contaminated areas, has ample handwashing stations and personal protective equipment (PPE), and posts clear warning signs. The contractor also has a current hazardous materials safety plan and provides required employee training on bloodborne pathogens and other regulations.

• Process and Equipment Handling: The majority of the laundry process is automated, minimizing handling and agitation of soiled linens. The contractor uses EPA-approved disinfectants for working surfaces and vehicles, and equipment is used according to manufacturers' instructions.

• Quality Assurance: The report notes that all other machines that had issues in the previous year now have "innovative remedies" to prevent linens from touching the floor.

Proper procedures for packaging, transport, and storage of clean linens were consistently followed.

• Transparency and Cooperation: The inspection team offered "special thanks" to the contractor's management for hosting, assisting, and providing detailed information, noting that their "service and transparency is greatly appreciated."

Challenges The report identified a few areas for improvement, which are categorized as challenges:

• Lint Accumulation: While minimal, there was "some accumulation of lint noted on the vents/pipes" above the clean-side folding stations. The report does mention that the contractor was already aware of this and was in the process of acquiring more blowers to resolve it.

• Linen Handling at One Machine: At the Jensen Jenfeed machine, there were "a few instances where the clean linens were observed as touching the floor/metal plate area."

The inspectors recommended continuing to work with engineering to find a permanent solution.

• Employee Personal Items: An employee's water bottle was observed on a table on the dirty/soiled linen side. The report recommends that employees keep all food and drinks in designated clean areas to prevent any risk of contamination.