Performance Work Statement.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1) Emergency Flood Response Services

A. GENERAL

1. Title of Project: Emergency Flood Response Services to provide the initial response to mitigate flooded building structures, components, systems and contents; for the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA New England Healthcare System, Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 (VISN 1).

Emergency Flood Response Services include but are not limited to: Initial on-site assessment;

mobilizing necessary personnel, equipment and materials; pumping standing water; extracting water from carpets and other porous materials; removing unsalvageable building materials, components, systems, and contents; drying salvageable building materials, components, systems and contents; and cleaning and/or disinfecting water-impacted interior building structures, components, systems and contents.

2. Scope of Work: Provide Emergency Flood Response Services at the following VISN 1 facilities including:

a. Edith Nourse Rogers Veterans Memorial Hospital, Bedford, MA (Level 3 medical complexity facility)

b. VA Boston Health Care System, MA (Brockton, Jamaica Plain and West /Roxbury Divisions (Level 1A facility)

c. VA Connecticut Health Care System, including the West Haven Campus, and the Newington Campus (Level 1A facility)

d. VA Central Western Massachusetts, Northampton, Massachusetts (Level 3 facility)

e. VA Medical Center, Manchester, New Hampshire (Level 3 facility)

f. VA Medical Center, Providence, RI (Level 1C facility)

g. VA Maine Healthcare System, Togus, ME (Level 1C)

h. VA Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont (Level 2 facility)

Period of Performance: April 12, 2021 – April 11, 2016. Task orders will be issued off the blanket purchase agreement (BPA) when services are required.

3. Background: VA Healthcare Facilities within VISN 1 have consolidated requirements for

Emergency Flood Response Services to include hospitals, outpatient clinics, administrative buildings and spaces, clinical and biomedical research laboratories, boiler plants, chiller plants, maintenance support buildings, ancillary structures, and other real property identified by the Government.

Depending on the areas impacted within the VA health care facility, Emergency Flood Response Services conducted under this contract may also require job-specific Infection Prevention and Control practices and procedures when determined necessary by an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) developed by the VA and provided with the Task Order. In addition to providing Emergency Flood Response Services to VA Medical Centers (VAMCs), the Contractor shall also be capable of providing services to off-campus properties (e.g., VA-owned CBOCs, Vet Centers, Community Care Centers) for more than one city/town and county in each state (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI and VT).

4. Requirements:

a. For purposes of this contract, “Emergency Response” is defined as the Contractor commencing an on-site assessment within four (4) hours, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year (except 366 days for “leap” years) of receipt of an emergency response request by phone, electronic mail (email), or in person from the VA Contracting Officer (CO). The Contractor shall provide a verbal report to the CO and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) within one (1) hour of completing the initial on-site assessment that:

(1) Describes the scope of water-impacted building structures, components, systems and contents; (2) Recommendations for immediate response actions to mitigate flooding; and (3) An Emergency Flood Response Plan and cost schedule estimates. Upon written or verbal approval of the CO, the Contractor shall commence on-site mitigation activities within four

(4) hours, as specified in the agreed-upon Emergency Flood Response Plan and schedule (e.g., removing flood waters and initiating drying response actions); 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365/366 days per year; at the specified VAMC, VA-owned CBOC, VA-owned Vet Center, and/or VA-owned Community Care Center. It is anticipated that the initial Emergency Flood Response Plan will become a dynamic document that will require periodic updating as the Emergency Flood Response work proceeds. All scope changes shall require the written approval by the CO, except that under exigent circumstances, the CO can verbally approve emergency actions necessary to preserve life and government property, but this verbal approval shall be ratified in writing by the CO as soon as possible thereafter.

b. The Contractor shall provide all consumable supplies, equipment (including tools, vehicles, apparatus), transportation and personnel (i.e., project management and appropriately trained, accredited and certified forepersons, supervisors, work leaders and workers with applicable accredited training certificates and/or State licenses), regulatory permits and notifications, and waste disposal necessary to perform Emergency Flood Response Services at VISN 1 facilities.

c. Emergency Flood Response Services at VISN 1 facilities must follow applicable Federal and

State Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) laws and their implementing regulations, Federal and State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) laws/regulations, local environmental and public health laws/regulations; VA and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) requirements set forth in this Performance Work Statement (PWS);

any VA facility-specific requirements; and any applicable Local and State business license, general contractor’s license, and/or specialty contractor’s license (e.g., HVAC duct cleaning contractors).

d. Contractor Qualifications:

1) The Contractor shall have at least three (3) years of professional experience providing Emergency Flood Response Services at VAMCs and ancillary facilities, and/or other comparable (in size and medical complexity) government agency hospitals (e.g. DoD) and/or private sector hospitals and ancillary facilities.

2) Contractor personnel shall have professional knowledge of the practices and procedures of the Emergency Flood Response Services industry as outlined in ANSI/IICRC S500- 2015 Water Damage Restoration, Section A.1 Scope including but not limited to:

a) Principles of Water Damage Restoration

b) Microbiology of Water Damage

c) Health Effects from Exposure to Microbial Contamination in Water-Damaged

Buildings

d) Building and Materials Science

e) Psychrometry and Drying Technology

f) Equipment, Instruments and Tools

g) Antimicrobial (biocide) Technology

h) Safety and Health

i) Administrative Procedures, Project Documentation and Risk Management

j) Limitations, Complications, Complexities and Conflicts

k) Specialized Experts

l) Structural Restoration

m) Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) Restoration

n) Contents Evaluation, Restoration and Remediation

o) Large or Catastrophic Restoration Projects

p) Materials and Assemblies

3) The Contractor shall be knowledgeable of applicable laws and regulatory requirements for occupational safety and health (OSH), environmental protection, public health;

standards and professional reference publications (see Section 21 below) for the Water Damage Restoration industry, and for hospital infection prevention & control; and methods to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and eliminate, or satisfactorily control environmental health & safety, health care infection prevention & control, and public health hazards, in compliance with applicable regulations and industry standards, using engineering controls, administrative controls, and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing.

4) The Contractor must at all times throughout the Period of Performance possess sufficient resources to be able to rapidly mobilize sufficient personnel, equipment and materials within the response timeframes specified in Section 4a, to respond to floods impacting up to 200,000 square feet in any one incident, of clinical and/or administrative spaces at VAMC and ancillary facilities within VISN 1.

5) The Contractor must be an Institute for Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) certified Water Damage Restoration firm and listed in the IICRC “Global Locator” at https://www.iicrc.org/page/IICRCGlobalLocator .

6) All on-site Contractor personnel performing under this Contract must individually have at least three (3) years of professional experience in the Emergency Flood Response Services industry at their level of performance AND possess the following valid applicable professional accreditations and certification(s) for the type of work being performed from either the Institute for Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) or the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) throughout the Period of Performance:

a) IICRC certified technicians in one or more of the following disciplines (see https://www.iicrc.org/page/IICRCCertifications ):

Applied Structural Drying (ASD) Technician Commercial Drying Specialist (CDS) Water Damage Restoration Technician (WRT)

b) ACAC certified technicians in one or more of the following disciplines (see https://www.acac.org/cert/programs.aspx ) as appropriate for the project work to be performed:

Indoor Environmental Remediation:

o Council-certified Indoor Environmental Supervisor (CIES) o Council-certified Indoor Environmental Remediator (CIER)

Structural Drying Certification:

o Council-certified Structural Drying Supervisor (CSDS) o Council-certified Structural Drying Remediator (CSDR) Environmental Infection Control Remediation (when required by project-specific

Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) – see Section 14:

o Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Supervisor (CEICS) o Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Remediator

7) In addition, all Contractor on-site project personnel must have appropriate current OSHA General Industry (29 CFR 1910) training as applicable for the work being performed including but not limited to:

a) Compressed Gas and Compressed Air Equipment (29 CFR 1910 Subpart M)

b) Electrical Safety (29 CFR 1910 Subpart S) and NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical

Safety in the Workplace (current edition)

c) Exit Routes and Emergency Planning (29 CFR 1910 Subpart E)

d) Fire Protection (29 CFR 1910 Subpart L)

e) Hand and Portable Powered Tools and Other Hand-Held Equipment (29 CFR 1910

Subpart P)

f) Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)

g) Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147)

h) Machinery and Machine Guarding (29 CFR 1910 Subpart O)

i) Occupational Noise Exposure (29 CFR 1919.95)

j) Permit-Required Confined Spaces (29 CFR 1910.146)

k) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (29 CFR 1910 Subpart I)

l) Powered Industrial Trucks (29 CFR 1910.178)

m) Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms (29 CFR 1910

Subpart F)

n) Respiratory protection (29 CFR 1910.134)

o) Toxic and Hazardous Substances (29 CFR Subpart Z)

p) Ventilation (29 CFR 1910.94)

q) Walking Working Surfaces (29 CFR 1910 Subpart D)

5. Definitions:

ABIH – American Board of Industrial Hygiene. 6015 W. St. Joseph, Suite 102, Lansing, MI 48917. 517-321-2638. www.abih.org. Certifies professional industrial hygienists in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene, i.e., Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).

ACAC – American Council for Accredited Certification. PO Box 1000 Yarnell, AZ 85362 TEL:

(888) 808-8381. https://www.acac.org. Offers various certifications for indoor environmental professionals (IEPs) and IEP Technicians. Some states require ACAC-accredited IEPs.

ACGIH – American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. 1330 Kemper Meadow Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240. 513-742-2020. www.acgih.org.

AIHA – American Industrial Hygiene Association. 3141 Fairview Park Dr., Suite 777, Falls Church, VA 22042. 703-849-8888. www.aiha.org.

AFU - Air Filtration Unit – Professional quality air filtration unit with sealed High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (or Air; HEPA) filter system per ANSI/AIHA® Z9.2-2012 Fundamentals Governing the Design and Operation of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems. HEPA filters shall capture at least 99.97 percent of 0.3-micron diameters per UL 586 High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter Units (8/14/2009) or equivalent specifications. Replacement HEPA filters shall meet the requirements of DOE-STD-3020-2005 (December 2005) or equivalent specifications. AFUs are used to create a negative pressure differential in the remediation area relative to outside the remediation area, and to and capture airborne spores generated by mold remediation activities.

ASCS – Air Systems Cleaning Specialist – Certification from the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.

ASHE – The American Society for Health Care Engineering of the American Hospital Association, 155 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 400. Chicago, IL 60606, 312-422-3800, http://www.ashe.org/ .

ASHRAE – American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. 1791 Tullie Circle, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30329. 404-636-8400. www.ashrae.org .

ANSI – American National Standards Institute International, 25 West 43rd Street, 4th floor, New York, NY , 0036. 212-642-4900. www.ansi.org

ASTM International – 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. 610-832- 9500. www.astm.org .

CBOC – VHA Community-Based Out-Patient Clinic.

CDC/HICPAC – Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) / Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). Publishes the Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities (2003).

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental/index.html

CIH – Certified Industrial Hygienist. A professional industrial hygienist who is certified in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene

(ABIH).

CIH/IEP – A Certified Industrial Hygienist who also meets the requirements of an Indoor Environmental Professional.

CFM – Cubic-Feet-Per-Minute, a measurement of volumetric airflow.

CFM – VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management, Washington, DC.

CO – Warranted VA Contracting Officer, who has the authority to bind the government in a contract and is the authority in all contractual matters relating to this Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) as well as any related design, construction, or other related contracts. The CO has overall responsibility for administration of this BPA, and is authorized to take action on behalf of the Government to amend, modify, or deviate from contract terms, conditions, requirements, specifications, details and/or delivery schedules as may be reasonably necessary from time-to-time in the interest of the Government and is allowable by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR). The CO may delegate certain responsibilities to the COR.

Containment Area – An enclosed area contained to prevent the spread of particulates including dust, microbial growth and spores generated during water damage restoration activities. The containment area consists of one (or when specified in the Task Order) two layers of 6-mil polyethylene sheeting (fire-resistant when specified in the Task Order), and is isolated by physical boundaries to prevent unauthorized entry of personnel and is maintained under negative pressure by utilizing one or more HEPA-filtered local exhaust ventilation (LEV) units as specified by the COR VA CIH/IEP.

Contractor – Prime or General Contractor

COR – VA Contracting Officer’s Representative. The Task Order (TO) will indicate who is designated as the COR for that project to assist the Contracting Officer in the discharge of contract administration responsibilities.

CVI – Certified Ventilation Inspector - Certification from the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.

DOE – U.S. Department of Energy

DPH – State or Local Department of Public Health

Emergency Flood Response Services – The process of removing excess water in buildings, and drying or removing impacted building components and/or structures to prevent microbial growth;

and cleaning, drying, or removing water-damaged furniture, textiles, personal property and business records. Emergency Flood Response Services are performed by an IICRC-accredited Water Damage Restoration Services contractor guided by ANSI/IICRC S500 Water Damage Restoration - Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration (4th Edition, 2015) and other relevant guidance documents (see Section 21 - Professional Reference Publications, Codes and Standards). The VA CIH/IEP may perform oversight of a Emergency Flood Response Services when specified in the applicable TO.

EMLAP – AIHA Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program

Environment / Environmental – For purposes of this contract, “environment” and “environmental” refer to the indoor environment of a building or other structure, i.e., the “built” environment.

Environmental Information Association, Inc. (EIA), Environmental Information Association.

6935 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 306, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6112, 301-961-4999, info@eia-usa.org.

EPA – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

FAR – Federal Acquisition Regulations.

FGI – Facilities Guidelines Institute. https://www.fgiguidelines.org/

GEMS – Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) program to comply with Federal, State and local environmental protection regulatory requirements.

Hazardous Chemical – Any substance meeting the definition of “hazardous chemical” as defined in the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200.

Hazardous Material – Any material or substance meeting the definition of a “hazardous chemical” in 29 CFR 1910.1200; a “hazardous waste” regulated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, pesticide, or rodenticide regulated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of (FIFRA); any pollutant regulated under the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP); any substance regulated under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA); and any substance regulated as a “hazardous material” by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 49 CFR parts 100 - 185.

HEPA – High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (or Air) filter, 99.7% efficient at the 0.3 micron most penetrating particle challenge aerosol size tested in the unloaded state by U.S. DOE or equivalent protocol. A sealed HEPA filtration system is required in local exhaust ventilation (LEV) units and sealed HEPA vacuum cleaners used during water damage restoration and microbial remediation to capture and remove bioaerosols (e,g., mold spores) prior to discharge.

HEPA Vacuum – A vacuum cleaner with a sealed HEPA filtration system.

HUD – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HVAC – Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. Generally, consists of one or more air-handling units (AHUs), supply air ducts, return air ducts, exhaust air ducts and related components and system controls.

ICRA – Infection Control Risk Assessment – As the term is used by The Joint Commission and The Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI).

IICRC – Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification, 4043 South Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89119. 844-464-4272. www.iicrc.org .

IEP – Indoor Environmental Professional – A person with a bachelors, masters, or doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in bacteriology, biology, mycology, microbiology, engineering, architecture, building construction, occupational and environmental medicine, or related natural or physical scientific discipline; and who has at least eight (8) years specialized experience in conducting and directing indoor mold (microbial) and water damage investigations and assessments, developing mold (microbial) remediation plans and specifications, overseeing mold (microbial) remediation and water damage restoration projects in commercial and/or governmental office buildings, comparable governmental and private sector acute medical/surgical hospitals and related health care facilities, conducting post-remediation final visual inspections and any related surface and air sampling for residual mold (microbial) and dust (particulate) contamination. The IEP shall also have a working knowledge of, and substantial experience in interpreting and applying the professional reference publications listed in Section 21 below, with an emphasis on ANSI/IICRC S500 (Water Damage Restoration) in hospitals and other health care facilities.

The IEP shall be certified by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) as a Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC) or equivalent certification that is acceptable to the Government. NOTE: In New Hampshire, the IEP must be a Council-certified Microbial Consultant (CMC).

In addition, for assessments and project design for critical care areas of the hospital where sensitive patients are evaluated and treated (e.g., Chemo Infusion Suite, Pulmonary Clinic, MICU, OR, PACU, SICU), the IEP shall also be an (ACAC) Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant (CEICC).

Other desirable certifications for the IEP include (ACAC) Council-certified Moisture Control Consultant (CMCC), Council-certified Environmental Thermography Consultant (CETC), and/or Council-certified Fire and Smoke Damage Consultant (CFSC), or equivalent certification(s) that is/are acceptable to the Government.

IEP Technician – An industrial hygiene professional who has at least an Associate Degree in a relevant physical or life science, engineering, or architecture; and specialized training, certifications, licenses; and at least two (2) years professional field experience in in the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) professional discipline.

IEP Technicians working under the direction of a CIH/IEP shall be certified by the ACAC as a Council-Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE) or equivalent certification that is acceptable to the Government.

Other desirable certifications for the IEP Technician include (ACAC) Council-certified Microbial Investigator (CMI), Council-certified Moisture Control Investigator (CMCI), Council-certified Environmental Thermography Investigator (CETI), and/or Council-certified Fire and Smoke Damage Technician (CFST), or equivalent certification(s) that is/are acceptable to the Government.

LEV – Local exhaust ventilation unit equipped with a sealed HEPA (99.97%) filtration system, to capture and remove bioaerosols and other airborne particulates prior to discharge.

MICU – Medical Intensive Care Unit

NADCA – National Air Duct Cleaners Association. 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. 856-380-6810. https://nadca.com/#

NFPA – National Fire Protection Association. 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169. www.nfpa.org

NIOSH – National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati, OH 45226. 513-533-8236

NIST – National Institute of Standards and Technology. 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. 301-975-8000 or 800-437-4385. https://www.nist.gov/

OR – Operating Room Suite

OSHA – U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA Competent Person (CP): Contractor’s on-site foreperson or supervisor capable of identifying hazards in work area, and authorized to take prompt corrective action to eliminate or satisfactorily mitigate identified hazards to comply with applicable OSHA regulations.

PACU – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

PCRA – The Joint Commission Pre-Construction Risk Assessment Standard.

PEL – OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit.

QA/QC – Quality Assurance/Quality Control.

REL – NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit.

Restoration – See Water Damage Restoration

TJC – The Joint Commission. Health care facility accrediting body. One Renaissance Blvd., Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, 630-792-5800. www.jointcommission.org (see also Joint Commission Resources at https://www.jointcommission.org/jcr.aspx)

TLV® – Threshold Limit Value established by the ACGIH.

TO – Task Order.

UL – Underwriters Laboratories. 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. 847-272-8000.

www.ul.com

VA – Veterans Administration – Comprised of three administrations: Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and National Cemetery Administration (NCA).

VA CIH/IEP – The VA’s Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) who also meet the requirements of an Indoor Environmental Professional (IEP). The VA CIH/IEP is responsible for ensuring the safety and health of VA patients, visitors and staff, and representing the VA’s interests throughout the Environmental Remediation and Restoration project life cycle including the pre-project onsite assessment and documentation of existing conditions, environmental remediation/restoration project oversite, and post-remediation verification.

VAMC – VA Medical Center

VAAR – VA Acquisition Regulations

VHA – Veterans Health Administration

ISN – Veterans Integrated Service Network

6. Applicable Regulations:

a. FEDERAL REGULATIONS:

1) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR Part 1910 Occupational

Safety and Health Regulations for General Industry

2) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 40 CFR – As specified in the applicable Task Order

3) U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 49 CFR Part 178 Specifications for Packaging

– As specified in the applicable Task Order (waste materials)

b. STATE REGULATIONS - As specified in the applicable Task Order.

c. LOCAL REGULATIONS - As specified in the applicable Task Order.

7. VA Requirements:

a. VHA Directive 7701 Comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Program (May 5, 2017)

b. VHA Directive 7702 Industrial Hygiene Exposure Assessment Program (April 29, 2016)

c. VHA Directive 7707 Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) and Governing Policy Statement (December 29, 2015)

d. VHA Directive 1028 Facility Electrical Power Systems (February 24, 2020) – Requires compliance with the latest edition of NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace

These Directives are incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein. If there are any conflicting provisions between these Directives, this PWS, and applicable regulatory requirements, the most stringent requirements shall apply.

8. Emergency Flood Response Procedures:

a. Pre-Emergency Flood Response Phase:

1) Prior to the start of any Task Order for Emergency Flood Response Services, the Contractor shall:

a. Conduct an assessment of all flooded areas to ascertain the scope and extent of the impacted areas,

b. Document existing site conditions (photographs and field notes)

c. Identify safety and health hazards, and

d. Develop an Emergency Flood Response Plan that provides water damage mitigation and response procedures; worker safety procedures; protection of patient, visitor and staff safety and health; and documentation of environmental parameters (e.g., temperature and humidity levels within the building spaces undergoing Emergency Flood Response activities).

2) The VA may, at its discretion, elect to hire a Certified Industrial Hygienist/Indoor Environmental Professional (CIH/IEP) to conduct an independent site assessment prior to commencement of work by the Contractor. This site assessment may include ascertaining the scope of the impacted areas; documenting existing site conditions (e.g., photographs, field note, moisture levels); identifying safety and health issues for VA patients, staff and visitors; and collect any pre-Emergency Flood Response background indoor environmental samples (air, surface, floodwater) for submission to an environmental microbiology laboratory that is currently satisfactorily participating in the AIHA Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program (EMLAP) at https://www.aihaaccreditedlabs.org/lab-accreditation-programs/environmental-microbiology/ and any floodwater samples to an appropriately and currently accredited (and, when applicable, State-licensed) environmental testing laboratory approved by the VA COR and CO.

b. Emergency Flood Response Phase:

1) The VA COR will:

a) Coordinate the relocation of government property (e.g., furniture) and staff personal effects in the work area with the Contractor

b) Coordinate the recovery, drying and/or proper disposal (including secure shredding) of Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and sensitive information with the facility Privacy Officer, facility Records Administration Officer, and affected Service Chiefs (e.g., VA Police, Office of Inspector General, VA Office of Regional Counsel)

c) When applicable, coordinate site visits with the VA CIH/IEP

3) Contractor personnel shall at-all-times fully cooperate with the VA CIH/IEP, who represents the VA’s interests as the subject matter technical expert.

c. Completion of Emergency Flood Response Phase:

1) At the completion of the Emergency Flood Response work, the Contractor shall notify the VA COR and CO that the work area(s) is/are ready for final visual inspection and any final clearance indoor environmental testing and analysis (air, surface) to be performed by the VA or the VA CIH/IEP, to determine if the work area(s) are safe for re-entry by patients, visitors, staff and others (e.g., volunteers).

2) The Contractor’s CIH/IEP may, at their discretion, also take indoor environmental samples (air, surface and/or floodwater) in work areas during and at the end of the Emergency Flood Response work at their own expense, to assist them in determining the adequacy of their Emergency Flood Response actions and cleaning/disinfection methods.

However, under no circumstances shall the Contractor, or any person retained by the Contractor, obtain indoor environmental samples (e.g., air, surface, floodwater) and submit them to an environmental microbiology laboratory and/or an environmental testing laboratory on behalf of the VA.

3) Only the VA CIH/IEP final visual inspection and final clearance sampling results shall be used for purposes of determining whether the space is safe for re-entry by patients, visitors, staff and others.

4) To ensure scientific reliability of environmental sample date, it is strongly recommended that the Contractor’s CIH/IEP submit their indoor environmental samples to an environmental microbiology laboratory that is successfully participating in the AIHA EMLAP, and floodwater samples to accredited/state-licensed water quality laboratories, to ensure the data quality is comparable to the data quality from the samples obtained by the VA CIH/IEP.

5) The VA CIH/IEP, when retained by the VA, will submit a final report to the COR and CO within five (5) working days of completion of their final inspection and receipt of any final clearance indoor environmental sample results, documenting their oversight activities throughout the Emergency Flood Response work.

6) Contractor personnel shall at-all-times fully cooperate with the VA CIH/IEP, who represents the VA’s interests as the subject matter technical expert.

9. Required Documentation: The Contractor shall make the following documentation available to the CO and COR immediately upon request at any time before, during and after the Task Order work:

a. Site-specific Health & Safety Plan that meets applicable OSHA standards; and contact numbers for Federal and State OSHA, Federal and State EPA, and State and Local Department of Public Health (DPH) as applicable.

b. Applicable regulatory notifications.

c. Copies of accredited professional training records (initial and most recent refresher) and State licenses, as applicable for the Task Order, for each on-site Contractor manager, foreperson, supervisor, work leader and employee.

d. Copies of applicable OSHA regulatory training records (initial and most recent refresher) as applicable for each on-site Contractor manager, forepersons, supervisor, work leader and employee.

e. Documentary evidence (see Note below) that each on-site Contractor manager, foreperson, supervisor, work leader and employee who wear respiratory protection during Emergency Flood Response Services activities has been:

(1) Medically cleared to wear the same class of respirator that will be used on the project work required by 29 CFR 1910.134(e); e.g., disposable filtering facepiece air-purifying respirator (APR), elastomeric half-face APR, elastomeric full-facepiece APR), powered, air-purifying respirator (PAPR)).

(2) Satisfactorily fit tested in the same make and model of tight-fitting respirator within the past twelve (12) months as will be used on the project, as required by 29 CFR 1910.134 (f).

f. Hazardous chemicals/materials inventory and corresponding Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each biocide, cleaner, disinfectant and water treatment product to be used at the VA facility during the project.

g. For non-hazardous products, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for biocides, cleaners, disinfectants and water treatment products documenting that there are no hazardous ingredients.

h. Documentation of the EPA Registration Number for all biocides, cleaners, disinfectants, pesticides and other water treatment chemical products to be used during the project.

10. Project Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Requirements: Contractor personnel shall observe all required Federal and State OSHA laws and implementing regulations for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH); Federal and State EPA laws/regulations for environmental protection; Federal, State and Local Public Health laws/regulations; VA and VHA OSH and environmental (GEMS Program) requirements; and any special requirements in this PWS and individual Task Orders including NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (current edition).

a. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for Hazardous Chemicals/Materials:

1) Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Safety Data Sheets (SDS) required by OSHA 29

CFR 1910.1200 Hazard Communication Standard. Contractor shall submit an SDS for all proposed cleaners, disinfectants and water treatment chemicals to be used on the project for approval by the VA COR and facility Safety Manager/Officer in consultation with the facility Industrial Hygienist, GEMS Coordinator and, as necessary, the VA CIH/IEP.

SDS 313 form shall include information on nanoparticles when present in the product.

2) All chemical products used during the Water Damage Restoration project shall be non-flammable, non-combustible, environmentally acceptable (e.g., no ozone-depleting constituents), and “green” (e.g., soy-based), and do not contain any constituent that would cause the chemical product to become regulated as a Federal or State EPA hazardous waste when spent (e.g., “D-listed” characteristic wastes, “F-listed” solvents).In addition, chemical products shall not create any noxious, irritating, or offensive odors outside of the Emergency Flood Responses Services work area.

FAILURE TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

(OSH) and GEMS REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBJECT THE CONTRACTOR TO A

SUSPENSION OF WORK BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER UNTIL THE

IDENTIFIED ISSUE IS CORRECTED TO THE VA’s SATISFACTION, OR

TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER.

11. Life Safety Code (NFPA 101):

Contractor shall at all times comply with NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code, most current edition) and participate with the VA facility Chief Engineering Service/FMS and Safety Manager/Officer in the preparation of Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSMs) that will be implemented during the Emergency Flood Response Services work as necessary (e.g., impairment of fire detection and suppression equipment, impaired fire exits, non-illuminated fire exits). At a minimum, Contractor shall at-all-times during onsite work fully comply with the all requirements of a VA facility’s Fire Protection Plan (FPP) including but not limited to the following:

a. Ensure that all required exits provide free and unobstructed egress with required illumination and exit markings. Contractor shall always maintain adequate escape routes for VA patients, employees, visitors and their personnel. Means of egress in Emergency Flood Response work areas shall be inspected and documented EVERY SHIFT by the Contractor’s onsite foreperson. If required by the project’s ISLM, Contractor shall establish and mark alternate means of egress. Impaired exits must always be adequately illuminated and prominently marked as such, and include signage directing patients, visitors, staff and Contractor employees to designated alternate egress pathways/emergency exits.

b. Ensure free and unobstructed access to all areas of the project site for emergency services (e.g., no temporary accumulation or storage of equipment and/or wastes in hallways, or blocking building egress points).

c. Ensure that existing fire alarm, smoke detection, and fire suppression systems are not impaired by Contractor’s operations. If fire detection and/or suppression systems must be taken off-line during Emergency Flood Response Services work, the appropriate ILSMs to be implemented by the Contractor must be approved in advance in writing by the COR.

d. Provide written procedures for Emergency Flood Response Services personnel to use in providing emergency notifications (Police/Fire/EMS) and post immediately outside the work area.

e. Maintain the Emergency Flood Response Services work area to minimize the potential for fire, safety and health hazards resulting from energized temporary electrical circuits and equipment, storage of construction materials, hazardous chemicals/materials/wastes and non-hazardous wastes.

f. All temporary Emergency Flood Response Services work area partitions shall be constructed from noncombustible/fire resistant materials with an appropriate fire rating and shall be smoke tight. All fire barriers and smoke barriers must be approved in writing by the COR and the facility Chief Engineering Service/FMS and Safety Manager/Officer prior to commencement of the project.

g. No Flammable or Combustible Materials in construction areas without the written approval of the COR and the facility Safety Manager/Officer.

h. All “hot work” requires a permit approved in writing by the Engineering/FMS or Safety Office

BEFORE commencing hot work and shall be submitted to the COR for approval.

i. The Contractor shall report damage to, or destruction of, any component of the fire detection and suppression to the COR and CO immediately upon discovery. Any sprinkler heads and/or smoke detectors that have been impaired, damaged, or destroyed during Emergency Flood Response Services work must be promptly replaced at the Contractor’s expense following notification to, and approval by, the CO.

j. Any obscurant resulting from Emergency Flood Response Services work on color coded fire detection system conduit and fire suppression system piping and accompanying labels/placards/data plates must be adequately cleaned by the Contractor before the end of each shift.

k. Enforces storage, housekeeping, and debris-removal practices that reduce the building’s flammable and combustible fire load to the lowest feasible level and in compliance of Federal, State, Local and VA requirements.

l. Remove temporary covers on smoke detectors and sprinkler heads at the end of each workday.

Coordinate with COR.

m. Penetrations of Fire and Smoke Barriers:

Prior to Emergency Flood Response Services work involving cables, power connections, conduit, piping or other building utilities that penetrate a smoke and/or fire barrier, all such work must be approved in writing by the facility Chief Engineering Service/FMS for each VA Medical Center. Engineering Service/FMS or Safety Manger/Officer will identify all fire and smoke barriers in the Emergency Flood Response Services work area. A Penetration Permit must be secured from the facility Chief Engineering Service/FMS or Safety Manager/Officer prior to disturbing the integrity of any fire and/or smoke barrier(s). The permit must be available at all times for inspection at the project location. After the work is completed, the Contractor must repair (seal) any resulting penetrations according to accepted practices and utilizing materials (including UL/FM-listed through penetration fire stopping materials) that meets current barrier construction requirements and are approved by the facility Chief Engineering Service/FMS, and Safety Manager/Officer in order to restore the impaired smoke and/or fire compartments to VA design requirement specifications. All penetrations and miscellaneous openings must be protected according to NFPA 101, Section

8.3.5. Upon completion of any penetration repair, a visual inspection for approval must be requested from, and completed by Engineering Service/FMS.

n. If at any time it becomes necessary to deviate from the requirements of the Life Safety Code to perform the required services, a request for an Interim Life Safety Measure (ILSM) shall be made to the COR. Deviations of the Life Safety Code shall not occur until the ILSM is approved in accordance with the VA Medical Center’s policies and directives, and the measures required by the ILSM are activated.

o. If at any time a malfunction or error causes a deviation from the Life Safety Code, all work will immediately stop if it is safe to do so, the immediate safety of all affected people will be established, and further immediate damage will be prevented if it is safe to do so.

Immediately following these steps, the COR shall be notified, an ILSM shall be requested, and the managers or supervisors of the affected area(s) shall be informed.

FAILURE TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO LIFE SAFETY CODE AND ILSM

REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBJECT THE CONTRACTOR TO A SUSPENSION OF

WORK BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER UNTIL THE IDENTIFIED ISSUE IS

CORRECTED TO THE VA’s SATISFACTION, OR TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT

BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER.

12. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC): Emergency Flood Response Services activities in certain clinical areas may require the VA to develop an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) Plan, which may require specific protective and mitigation measures to prevent project-related infections depending on the risk to patients (e.g., chemotherapy infusion suites, operating rooms, critical care areas such as but not limited to the Operating Room (OR) Suite, Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Step-Down Unit, Pulmonary Clinic, Community Living Centers (VA nursing homes) and Pharmacy Sterile Compounding Clean Rooms.

All work shall be performed by the Contractor in accordance with the ICRA Plan specifications for Infection Prevention and Control provided by each facility. For purposes of any Emergency Flood Response Services, the work shall be considered and identified as an Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) Class I, II, III or IV project, and shall be accomplished using the controls indicated on the ICRA Work Permit. The VA ICRA Plan may require certain work in these and similar areas to use ACAC Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Supervisors (CEICS) and Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Remediators. No work will be allowed to proceed in areas where vulnerable patients are present in adjacent areas until the applicable ICRA Work Permit has been completed and signed by the Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner/Supervisor, Chief Engineer Service/FMS and the Safety Manger/Officer, and all protective and mitigation measures required by the ICRA Work Permit are in place and verified by the COR and Infection Prevention and Control prior to the start of Emergency Flood Response work. The Contractor is responsible for maintaining all ICRA controls throughout the duration of the project.

FAILURE TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL

(ICRA) WORK PERMIT REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBJECT THE CONTRACTOR TO

A SUSPENSION OF WORK BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER, UNTIL THE

IDENTIFIED ISSUE IS RESOLVED TO THE VA’s SATISFACTION, OR

TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER.

13. Environmental Compliance: Contractor shall at-all-times comply with all required Federal, State and local Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental regulations, VA Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) requirements, and any special environmental requirements in this PWS and individual Task Orders.

a. Biocides, Cleaning Agents, Disinfectants and Water Treatment Chemicals.

Submit, before the start of work, the manufacturer's Safety Data Sheets (SDS), technical data and application instructions cleaning agents, disinfectants and water treatment chemicals to be used throughout the Emergency Flood Response Services work for approval by the COR, in consultation with the facility Safety Manager/Officer, Industrial Hygienist and/or GEMS Coordinator.

b. All pesticides brought onto federal property must be registered and labeled in accordance with the applicable Federal and State regulations.

FAILURE TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

WORK BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER UNTIL THE IDENTIFIED ISSUE IS

CURED TO THE VA’s SATISFACTION, OR TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT BY THE

CONTRACTING OFFICER.

14. Physical and Information Security: The Federal Government has stringent laws and regulations pertaining to privacy and information security, and physical security, including possession of prohibited weapons and contraband (including marijuana which is still classified as a DEA Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act even though some U.S. states have legalized marijuana for personal, recreational, and/or medical use).

All on-site Contractor personnel must individually receive a visitor’s ID from the VA Police, which will be coordinated by the COR.

The Contractor shall follow all Federal government laws, rules and regulations pertaining to privacy and information security, to prevent intentional and inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information to unauthorized individuals or organizations, and shall adhere to all VA Privacy & Information Security requirements including the Privacy Act and the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) when performing Water Damage Restoration activities in areas containing Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). In addition, the Contractor and any applicable subcontractors will be required to enter into a HIPPA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) prior to restoring or disposing of PHI. Emergency Flood Response work in areas containing classified information will require that Contractor employees receive applicable security clearances before entering the area. Other approvals may also be required (e.g., work with water-damaged law-enforcement documents and records, and other sensitive information). The CO and COR will coordinate these approvals when required.

FAILURE TO STRICTLY ADHERE TO PHYSICAL AND INFORMATION SECURITY

WORK BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER UNTIL THE IDENTIFIED ISSUE IS

CURED TO THE VA’s SATISFACTION, OR TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT BY THE

CONTRACTING OFFICER.

15. CO Verbal and Written Stop Work Order:

a. OSHA “Imminent Danger” Situation. Upon notification or discovery that an “imminent danger” (sometimes called an “imminent hazard”) as defined by OSHA in Section 13(a) of the OSH Act of 1970 is present within the Emergency Flood Response work area, the COR shall immediately notify the Contractor of the issue. If the Contractor does not take immediate corrective action to satisfactory resolve the imminent danger/imminent hazard, the COR shall immediately notify the CO, who may to issue a verbal STOP WORK ORDER to the Contractor, and then follow-up with a written STOP WORK ORDER as soon as reasonable feasible. Section 13(a) of the OSH Act defines “imminent danger” as "... any conditions or practices in any place of employment which is such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through the enforcement procedures otherwise provided by this Act.

b. Actual or Imminent OSHA, Environmental and Public Health Regulatory Violation. Upon notification or discovery that a significant violation of Federal, State and/or local Occupational Safety and Health, Environmental Protection and/or Public Health laws and/or their implementing regulations has occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur, the COR shall immediately notify the Contractor of the issue, and if the Contractor does not take immediate corrective action to satisfactorily resolve the issue(s), the COR shall notify the CO, who may issue a verbal STOP WORK ORDER to the Contractor, then follow-up with a written STOP WORK ORDER as soon as reasonably feasible.

c. The Contractor shall immediately stop Emergency Flood Response Services work and immediately initiate dust reduction activities and, where appropriate, containment measures, whenever their work activities results in:

1) Damage to Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) such as Thermal System Insulation (TSI), Surfacing Materials (SM) and/or Miscellaneous Materials (MM) such as vinyl asbestos tile (VAT).

2) Damage to Lead-Based Paint (LBP)

3) Damage to window caulking known or suspected of containing asbestos and/or PCBs.

4) Any visible emissions (e.g., dust or other particulate) are observed outside of an Emergency Flood Response work area.

5) Elevated airborne levels of mold spores or other viable or non-viable particulates are detected outside a Water Damage Restoration work area (e.g. by Air-O-Cell cassette, bioaerosol samplers (e.g., Anderson N-6) or traditional particulate sampling/analysis methods).

6) Breach or break in an Emergency Flood Response work area containment barrier;

7) Less than –0.02-inch water gauge (w.g.) negative pressure differential between the inside of the Emergency Flood Response work area containment area vs. outside;

8) Serious injury or death of on-site Contractor personnel;

9) Serious injury or death of one or more VA patients, visitors, staff, and/or other government contractors;

10) Fire/safety…