Performance Work Statement.pdf

36C24826Q0330

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

1. Overview: The VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) at Puerto Rico has a requirement for recurring roundtrip air transportation services from the US Virgin Islands (USVI) to the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) located at Carolina, PR. This air transportation will originate in the Cyril E. King Airport (STT) located at St. Thomas, VI, and the Henry E Rohlsen Airport (STX) located at St. Croix, VI, and will transport eligible beneficiaries (Veterans) to SJU, along with their medical companion (as needed).

It will then transport such passengers from SJU to the airport from which the passenger came.

2. Period of Performance: The Period of performance for this Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) is from May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2031.

3. Jet Fuel Adjustments: Due to the fluctuating market conditions of jet fuel, this BPA is subject to price revisions. The basis for the jet fuel rates shall be the “Weekly U.S. Gulf Coast Kerosene-Type Jet Fuel Spot Price” found at https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EER_EPJK_PF4_RG C_DPG&f=W.

3.1. The base price for jet fuel shall be the current price found from the above database, which is $4.038/gallon.

3.2. Before the issuance of a BPA order, and six (6) months into a BPA order, the most recent Weekly U.S. Gulf Coast Kerosene-Type Jet Fuel Spot Price shall be reviewed, to determine if there is a significant increase or decrease from the base jet fuel price of $4.038/gallon.

3.3. In cases where there is an increase of more than 3% from the base fuel price

($4.159/gallon), or a decrease of more than 3% from the base fuel price - ($3.916/gallon), the BPA holder shall send a fuel adjustment quote to the Contracting Officer, which shall state how much is the increase or decrease changes their initially quoted price for charter flights.

3.4. The BPA holder shall clearly demonstrate that this increase or decrease is directly associated with only the jet fuel portion of their charter flights services.

In order to aid the Government in its review of increases or decreases, the BPA holder shall state what percentage of their quoted charter flight service price constitutes jet fuel.

3.5. Once the CO determines that the increase or decrease is due to the changes in market conditions, and upon determining that the new price is fair and reasonable to the Government, a supplemental agreement shall be made to add such fuel adjustment to the BPA and current BPA order.

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EER_EPJK_PF4_RGC_DPG&f=W https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EER_EPJK_PF4_RGC_DPG&f=W

4. Description of Services:

4.1. Services shall include roundtrip air transportation services to and from the aforementioned locations, for up to nine (9) eligible beneficiaries (Veterans) along with their medical companion, as authorized, under a BPA. The BPA will be adjusted to account for any changes in market conditions. The basis of these flights is on an estimated basis of twice (2) a week. The Government will request a flight departure/arrival time within the VACHS normal business hours (see section 6 of the PWS). The BPA shall provide the equipment necessary for the boarding of such personnel and must provide disinfection of the passenger seating area prior to the boarding of patients.

4.2. All services related to this BPA will be performed in accordance with any applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, as well as applicable State health and safety regulations.

4.3. All aircraft used in the performance of this agreement must be maintained in an airworthy condition in accordance with all applicable FAA Regulations procedures by means of an established inspection and maintenance plan. Line inspections shall be performed at least once in the twenty-four (24) hour period preceding a flight. Aircraft shall be handled exclusively by trained personnel. Additionally, the vendor shall also provide preventative maintenance inspections of the aircraft to be used for the provision of these services, as required by the FAA on a monthly basis to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or designee.

5. General Requirements:

4.1 Non-Personal Services: The Government shall neither supervise BPA holder employees nor control the method by which the BPA holder performs the required tasks. Under no circumstances shall the Government assign tasks to, or prepare work schedules for, individual BPA holder employees. It shall be the responsibility of the BPA holder to manage its employees and to guard against any actions that are of the nature of personal services, or give the perception of personal services.

If the BPA holder believes that any actions constitute, or are perceived to constitute personal services, it shall be the BPA holder’s responsibility to notify the CO immediately.

4.2 Business Relations: The BPA holder shall successfully integrate and coordinate all activities needed to execute the requirement. The BPA holder shall manage the timeliness, completeness, and response to quality deficiencies identified. The BPA holder shall provide corrective action plans, proposal submittals, effective management of subcontractors, and the timely identification of issues which should be reported no later than 24 hours after they are noticed. The BPA holder shall seek to ensure customer satisfaction and professional and ethical behavior of all his personnel.

6. BPA Administration and Management:

5.1 BPA holder Licenses and Permits: The BPA holder shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform this work. He/she shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury or damage during the performance of this BPA. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees, as well as for any damage to personal or public property that occurs during the performance of this BPA that is caused by his/her employees fault or negligence, and shall maintain personal liability and property damage insurance having coverage for a limit as required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Furthermore, it is agreed that any negligence of the Government, its officers, agents, servants and employees, shall not be the responsibility of the BPA holder hereunder with the regard to any claims, loss, damage, injury, and liability resulting there from.

5.2 BPA holder Management: The BPA holder shall establish clear organizational lines of authority and responsibility to ensure effective management of the resources assigned to the requirement. The BPA holder shall maintain continuity between VACHS ongoing operations and the BPA holder 's corporate offices.

5.3 BPA holder Administration: The BPA holder shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer the requirement. The BPA holder shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions in no later than three

(3) business days. The BPA holder shall have a single point of contact between the Government and BPA holder personnel assigned to support the BPA or BPA orders. The BPA holder shall assign work effort and maintaining proper and accurate time keeping records of personnel assigned to work on the requirement.

5.4 Personnel Administration: The BPA holder shall maintain the proficiency of their employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the PWS requirements. The BPA holder shall provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (time keeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs).

5.5 BPA holder Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties: The BPA holder shall accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with the necessary combination of education, training, and experience, as required by the FAA. The BPA holder shall match personnel skills to the work or task with a minimum of under/over employment of resources. The BPA holder shall provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to manage, perform, and administer the BPA.

5.6 BPA holder Identification: BPA holder personnel shall wear the BPA holder 's ID badge at all times with name clearly visible and it shall be consistent with the BPA holder’s personnel roster.

5.7 VetRide: The BPA holder shall use the VA VetRide portal to receive transportation requests and invoice such transports. All invoices for transportation requested by authorized VA staff shall be entered into the VetRide portal.

7. VACHS Normal Business Hours: VACHS normal business hours are Monday through Friday, from 07:30 AM to 4:00 PM AST (Atlantic Standard Time), excluding the Federal Holidays as listed below:

New Year’s: Day 1 January Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday: 3rd Monday in January Washington’s Birthday: 3rd Monday in February Good Friday: Varies Memorial Day: Last Monday in May Juneteenth: 19 June Independence Day: 4th of July Labor Day: 1st Monday in September Columbus Day: 2nd Monday in October Veterans Day: 11th of November Thanksgiving Day: 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day: 25 December

And any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National holiday.

8. Additional Requirements:

8.1. Check- Ins: All passengers will be at the airport no later than one (1) hour prior to flight boarding time. The BPA holder will provide the equipment necessary to safely load passengers on the aircraft and assist with securing wheelchairs are other mobility aids to include oxygen. This assistance shall also apply upon passengers with limited mobility upon their departure from the aircraft. BPA holder personnel shall be available for each transport within an agreed upon response time between the BPA holder and the Department of Veteran Affairs.

8.2. Service Animals: BPA holder shall allow service animals to accompany individuals with disabilities in the aircraft with previous approval of VACHS. Service animals must comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definitions and regulations.

BPA holder is not required to transport service animals that pose a direct threat to the health or safety of pilot or other travelers, are seriously disruptive, or are otherwise not under the traveler’s control.

8.3. Layovers: VACHS will authorize payments for layovers only if these were required by the passenger(s), the Government, or FAA pilot duty requirements.

8.4. Smoking Regulations and Precautions: In accordance with VA smoking policy and FAA regulations, no smoking will be allowed in the aircraft. BPA holder shall comply with Federal Aviation Regulation 135.91b which prohibits smoking within 10 feet of oxygen storage and dispensing equipment carried on aircraft.

8.5. Lifeguard Flight Plans: Operators engaging in air operations should use the word "Lifeguard" in the remarks section of their flight plan (see Airman's Information Manual). The term "Lifeguard" should only be used when expeditious handling is required. An Air Traffic Controller can help a pilot avoid significant weather and turbulence and can pass information to ground personnel to help expedite the handling of passenger. These additional services will be provided when the controller's workload permits, and shall be submitted to the CO or Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

8.6. Ambient Control: The aircraft should have the capacity of maintaining the cabin temperature at about 75⁰ Fahrenheit, or as per FAA regulations during all phases of operation.

8.7. Communication System: The aircraft must have radio capability to communicate air to ground and air to air which meets/exceeds standards of FAA.

8.8. Unusual Events: BPA holder shall notify the CO or his/her designee of any unusual events, including but not limited to accidents or safety problems that occur involving any VA beneficiary being transported under this agreement. This notification will be made within one (1) hour by telephone and, if requested by the VA, a written report of the event will be delivered to the CO or his/her designee by close of business the next working day.

8.9. Aircraft Equipment: All aircraft shall comply with the regulations of the FAA, Federal Aeronautics Regulations (Parts 135/121) and rules and regulations of the state in which BPA holder conducts business. Furthermore, all aircraft used in the performance of this agreement must be equipped with functioning two-way radios.

Such aircraft must be equipped with all flight instruments required by the FAA regulations for the type of flight operations to be conducted. Such aircraft must also have the facilities to maintain proper cabin temperatures under all flight conditions.

8.10. Aircraft Information: The BPA holder shall also include the following information related to the aircraft:

• Type of Aircraft

• Adequate Seat Capacity

• Certificates of Insurance

8.11. Maximum Payloads:

• Maximum payload without passengers shall not exceed 25,000 lbs.

• Maximum payload, assuming 9 passengers or more if needed, is 15,000 lbs.

8.12. Deviations from FAA Regulations: Deviations from Federal Aviation

Administration Regulations shall be reported in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration Regulations Part 91.3 and 135.19. Deviation decisions related to flight safety can only be made by the pilot who must consider the safety of all persons aboard as well as the needs of the patient.

8.13. Insurance: The BPA holder shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits, equipment and supplies required to perform this service. The BPA holder shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury, damage, and danger during the performance of this BPA. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees as well as for any damage and/or loss of federal, personal, or public property that occurs during the performance of this BPA that is caused by his/her employee's fault or negligence, and shall maintain personal liability and property damage.

9. Inspections: Prior to the start of the BPA, the Government may thoroughly inspect the proposed awardee’s facilities, aircraft, and equipment, to ensure these will ensure acceptable performance of the services being procured. Additionally, if any aircraft and/or equipment is added after the initial inspection, it may also be inspected by the CO/COR before being placed in use under the agreement.

10. Applicable Directives:

9.1 14 CFR Part 119: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 119, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

9.2 14 CFR Part 121: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, issued by

9.3 14 CFR Part 135: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 135, issued by

11. Quality Control Plan (QCP): The BPA holder shall develop a QCP to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The BPA holder shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The BPA holder 's QCP is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the BPA.

The finalized QCP will be submitted to the Government at the time of the BPA award. The CO/COR may notify the BPA holder of any required changes to the plan during the period of performance. The BPA holder then shall coordinate suggested changes and obtain acceptance of the plan by the CO/COR.

Any further changes to the program during the period of performance shall be provided to the CO/COR for review no later than ten (10) working days prior to proposed date of the change.

The QCP shall be subject to the Government's review and approval. The Government may find the QCP "unacceptable" whenever the BPA holder's procedures do not accomplish quality control objective(s). The BPA holder shall revise the QCP within ten

(10) working days from receipt of notice that QCP is found "unacceptable."

12. INFLUENZA VACCINATION:

12.1. All BPA employees shall comply with VHA Directive 1192.01, Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program for VHA Healthcare Personnel. This policy applies to all individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other Health Care Personnel (HCP) as part of their duties.

12.2. Masking requirements for unvaccinated HCP: HCP who do not receive influenza vaccination due to medical or religious exemptions must designate this at the VA Employee Health Unit on the HCP Influenza VA Form 10-9050 and wear a face mask while in any VHA location, including both clinical and non-clinical areas. In addition, HCP are required to wear a face mask during performance of their assigned duties and responsibilities. The face mask shall be worn throughout the influenza season, or until the individual HCP receives a flu vaccination and completes the required VA Form 10-9050.

13. Performance Requirements Summary (PRS):

Performance Objective (Task)

Performance Standard

Monitoring Method

Acceptable Quality Level

(AQL)

Incentive

(Positive/Negative)

Perform Charter Flight Services on Time

PWS Section 4

By physical inspection and/or customer engagement

Charter Flight Services shall be on-time 95% of the time

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government

Provide the equipment and assistance necessary for the safe onboarding/offboardi ng of passengers

PWS Section 4

By physical inspection and/or customer engagement

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the

Government

Conduct Services and Operations in accordance with FAA Regulations

PWS Section 4

By physical inspection and/or customer engagement

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the

Government

Perform Aircraft Maintenance in accordance with FAA Regulations

PWS Section 4

By inspection of aircraft maintenance inspections logs

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the

Government

Aircraft compliance with FAA Regulations

PWS Section

8.8 – 8.10

By validation of BPA holder’s submitted aircraft specifications

100% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the

Government

Reporting of Unusual Events

PWS Section 8.7

By COR validation

95% of all validations

Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the

Government

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)