RFI - Sources Sought.docx

Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16 Request For Information (RFI)

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE, PROPOSAL, OR BID. This notice is not a solicitation as defined by FAR 2.101, therefore it shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to an acquisition approach. All information contained in this Request for Information (RFI) is preliminary as well as subject to amendment and is in no way binding on the Government. Information submitted in response to this notice is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. The Government is requesting that restrictive or proprietary markings not be used in response to this notice. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the Federal Contract Opportunities website or GSA. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this RFI

1. Title: _ HOUSEKEEPING PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

2. Purpose: The purpose of this RFI is to identify potential sources which will aid in defining the procurement strategy (e.g., set-aside, sole source, unrestricted) for a solicitation the VA intends on issuing shortly for the following:

SEE BOTTOM OF DOCUMENT

The anticipated Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard for the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 561720 ___________ is ___1000_________ (employees or dollars).

3. Responses Requested: The following questions must be answered in response to this RFI.

Answers that are not provided shall be considered non-responsive to the RFI:

a. Where are the requested items/equipment manufactured?

Vendor must attach documentation of this information to be viewed by the government to be considered as part of the Market Research and responsiveness to this Sources Sought notice

b. Are the requested items/equipment manufactured by a Small or Large business? Is the potential vendor in compliance with the Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR)?

Vendor must attach documentation of this to be viewed by the government to be considered as part of the Market Research and responsiveness to this Sources Sought notice

c. Is the Vendor an authorized distributor with access to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts which may be required in performance of this requirement?

The VA does not accept grey market items and therefore the Vendor must attach evidence of this access (Authorized Distributor letter) to be viewed by the government to be considered as part of the Market Research and responsiveness to this Sources Sought notice.

d. Name of potential Contractor that possess the capability to fulfill this requirement. Contractors shall also provide the following:

Point(s) of contact name: _______________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________ Telephone number: ___________________________________________ Email address: _______________________________________________

Company's business size: ________________________________________________ Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) #: _______________________________

e. Is your company considered a small business concern, SB, SDVOSB, VOSB, HUBZone, or 8A concern, with the requisite __________________ NAICS code?

· Please provide proof of qualifications.

f. Is your company available under any Government Wide Agency Contract (GWAC), General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), and/or Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)?

If so, please identify the contract number for the Government to review as part of this Market Research.

4. Opportunity/Market Pricing: Fayetteville VAMC is seeking information from potential vendors on their ability to provide the required items/equipment. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. Small Business Concerns are encouraged to provide responses to this RFI in order to assist the GVMVAMC in determining potential levels of competition and general market pricing available in the industry. Therefore, vendors are requested to submit estimated market research pricing along with their responses to the above. The estimated pricing will be considered when determining the procurement strategy for the forthcoming solicitation.

5. Instructions and Response Guidelines: Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted no later than 04:00 pm (CST), Monday October 13, 2025 via email to stephanie.watts@va.gov

RFI responses are due by 04:00pm (CST), Monday October 13, 2025; size is limited to 8.5 x 11 inches, 12-point font, with 1-inch margins in Microsoft Word format via email to stephanie.watts@va.gov The subject line shall read: Fayetteville VAMC. NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. There is no page limitation on subparagraphs 3(a) - 3(f).

Please provide the information you deem relevant in order to respond to the specific inquiries of the RFI. Information provided will be used solely by Fayetteville VAMC as “Market Research” and will not be released outside of the Fayetteville VAMC Purchasing and Contract Team.

7. Contact Information:

Stephanie Watts stephanie.watts@va.gov

Your response to this notice is greatly appreciated!

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Housekeeping Preventive Maintenance and Repair G. V. Sonny Montgomery 1500 E Woodrow Wilson Ave Jackson MS 39216

1. GENERAL: This is a non-personnel services contract to provide all labor, equipment, tools, supervision, transportation, administration and parts and materials (including lubricants) to provide repairs to all housekeeping equipment and provide a scheduled preventative maintenance (PM) and testing. This effort is to support the continuous operation of housekeeping equipment located at the Jackson VA medical center. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government.

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform Housekeeping Equipment Preventative Maintenance and Services as defined in this Performance Work Statement except for those items specified as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

3. BACKGROUND: This is a hybrid EMS equipment preventive maintenance service that combines our in-house servicing capabilities with the flexibility to use contracted labor for more complex repairs.

4. OBJECTIVE: The Contractor shall provide services, which include repair, scheduled preventative maintenance (PM) and testing for Housekeeping located at 1500 E Woodrow Wilson Ave Jackson MS 39216.

5. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The expected period of performance for this requirement is a base year and four options years (which may or may not be exercised based on the needs of and at the discretion of the government).

6. WORK HOURS AND SCHEDULING ARRANGEMENTS: Except by special alternative arrangement, scheduled preventive maintenance/services will be performed only during the facility’s normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays). Downtime of laundry machines for preventive maintenance/services must be scheduled through the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) at least 2 days in advance. When downtime for service/repairs is needed, the contractor shall notify the COR the same day (as soon as possible) upon observation. The Federal Holidays which are observed by the federal government are annotated below.

-New Year’s Day -Martin Luther King’s Birthday -President’s Day -Memorial Day -Juneteenth -Independence Day -Labor Day -Columbus Day -Veterans Day -Thanksgiving Day -Christmas Day -Any other day specifically declared to be a national holiday (per Federal Statute, Executive Order, or by the President’s Proclamation).

Usually holidays that fall on Saturday are observed on the preceding Friday and holidays that fall on Sunday are observed on the following Monday. Any questions pertaining to scheduling will be directed to the COR.

7. CONTRACTOR REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & TECHNICAL CAPABILITY (TO PERFORM SERVICES) The contractor shall have at least 3 years’ experience in preventative maintenance of housekeeping floor care machines equipment in VA Medical Center and/or facilities of comparable size, scope, and complexity. Relevant experience is experience that took place in hospitals/medical facilities that are the same in size, scope, complexity that are/were fully operational.

Contractor employees shall be knowledgeable of original equipment manufacturer standards associated with conducting Preventative Maintenance and repairs floor care machines, the types of equipment listed in Equipment Listing (Schedule A). Contractor will be required to provide proof of their experience and technical capabilities/qualifications of technicians by submitting certifications or written letter of qualification from the equipment manufacturer. During the formal bid submission process, contractors shall include a description of the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience of the personnel who will be responsible for carrying out Performance Work Statement tasks. Resumes shall be provided for each personnel/staff member that will be performing work and/or the progress of the requirement in a director or indirect capacity. Required documents (or other documents that are provided) are required for both the prime contractor and subcontracting personnel to verify their capabilities, qualifications, and experience. Subcontractors (and subcontracting personnel) that are to be utilized for this requirement shall be identified by the prime contractor. Subcontracting personnel must meet the minimum qualification standards.

Special Qualifications. Contractor’s shall provide correspondence from ALL original equipment manufacturers indicating that the vendors’ technicians have been properly trained and are qualified to service the equipment as detailed/annotated in EQUIPMENT LISTING (SCHEDULE A). The training certification/documentation that is provided shall be current (within the past year).

8. SCOPE OF SERVICES-PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, SCHEDULED/UNSCHEDULED SERVICES, AND REPAIR:

Required Deliverables

DELIVERABLE #1:

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE (PM) CHECKS AND SERVICES:

Contractor shall perform all preventative maintenance (PM) checks and services according to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) recommendations to include all labor, travel, shipping, replacement parts, and materials required to perform Preventative Maintenance checks and services, all included in the total cost of the maintenance service agreement for the equipment specified. See Equipment Listing (Schedule A). A preventative maintenance schedule/checklist for all included equipment is required and shall be provided by the contractor.

DELIVERABLE #2:

REPLACEMENT PARTS (FOR NON-ROUTINE PM CHECKS AND SERVICING)

Contractor will annotate an hourly rate all-inclusive of labor and travel for any repair and/or replacement of parts not deemed routine PM checks and servicing. Those parts will be paid for outside of this Preventive Maintenance contract. Refurbished parts or gray market parts will not be accepted.

DELIVERABLE #3:

STANDARD AND EMERGENCY SERVICES (NON-PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE) AND RESPONSE TIMES

Standard service requests made, beyond the preventative maintenance services provided above, will be responded to via phone, email or in person, within four (4) business hours of the request with a timeline for the repair. Every effort is made to reduce downtime and ensure the facility continues to operate at peak performance. ‘Emergency’ service requests, beyond the preventative maintenance services provided above, will require a four (4) hour response by phone, email or in person and a qualified technician directly engaged either onsite or via a remote internet connection, within 24 hours. Service work requested, either ‘Standard’ or ‘Emergency’ will be started within three (3) business days, of the request from the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and guaranteed up time shall be within five business days, unless a part is not on hand or has to be ordered. In that situation the contractor will give notification to the COR of Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of the part(s) and estimated up time in writing/e-mail. Contractor shall only respond to requests for service from VA Medical Center COR or the Contracting Officer. If service is requested from any other source the Contractor is to advise the caller of this requirement and refuse to respond. Any billing resulting from unauthorized service will not be paid by the government.

DELIVERABLE #4:

SCHEDULE/FREQUENCY OF SERVICES AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION (CHECKLISTS)

Preventive maintenance services and corrective maintenance & repairs shall be conducted during the following intervals monthly Preventive Maintenance-one (1) day each month during the first week of the month for a minimum of eight (8) hours during business hours.

Corrective Maintenance & Repairs-one (1) day each month during the third week of the month for a minimum of eight (8) hours during business hours.

Quarterly Contractor Performance and Quality Control Meeting: On a quarterly basis (every four months) an appropriate amount of time shall be set aside by the government and the contractor to conduct a Quarterly Contractor Performance and Quality Control Meeting. If the government determines that this meeting is not required or is not preferred than this meeting will not be conducted. Please refer to

Deliverable #8.

**The exact day each month that services will be performed shall be mutually established between the government and the contractor to include the date for the Quarterly Contractor Performance and Quality Control Meeting if held.

Eight (8) hours per month has been allotted for Preventive Maintenance and eight (8) hours per month has been allotted for Corrective Maintenance and Repairs for a total of sixteen (16) hours monthly. This schedule may be adjusted if there is mutual agreement between the government and the contractor however, the following conditions shall apply.

i. Contractor is on site for a minimum of two (days) each month to perform services.

ii. When on site, Contractor’s total work/service effort shall be no less than (and no more than) sixteen (16) hours per month.

**Depending on the state of the equipment more or less time may be needed for Preventive Maintenance or more or less time may be needed for Corrective Maintenance & Repairs. Therefore scheduling flexibly is permitted under this contract within the thresholds described above.

DELIVERABLE #5:

REQUIRED REPORTING (FOR SERVICES RENDERED)

Contractor shall provide the government individual service reports within ten (10) business days of maintenance/service (e-mailed to the COR for verification), which describes the maintenance, repair, work, and/or services that were performed on the equipment. This report must also include any needed repairs, other work/service, and recommended parts for future visits to keep machines in good running condition. No additional work will be conducted outside of the scope of work of the contract without a Purchase Order being issued to the contractor from the government for the required parts/work.

DELIVERABLE #6:

CHECK IN AND CHECK OUT PROCEDURES

Prior to commencement of and immediately after each service visit, the contractor and/or contractor’s authorized repair technician must check in and out with the COR. Due to heightened security requirements, the contractor and/or contractor’s authorized service representative will be required to wear an ID Badge which will be signed for upon arrival and turned in when leaving. This badge must be turned in before leaving the premises; otherwise the vendor/contractor will be required to pay for the unreturned ID Badge.

DELIVERABLE #7:

SUPERVISION, COMMUNICATION, ACCESSIBILITY (DURING PERFORMANCE OF WORK)

Qualified, capable, and skilled personnel are necessary to ensure the successful execution of the tasks/deliverables stated herein. In addition to the other qualification standards already stated in this PWS, during all performance periods of the contract a “Competent Person” shall be assigned in order to provide the necessary supervision, oversight, inspection, and accountability for all work that is being performed. A Competent Person” is defined as a superintendent and/or other technical expert/manager who possesses the required 30-hour and 10-hour OSHA qualifications and who is accessible/reachable by the government when contacted. It is not required that this competent person be on site at all times when work is being performed however the following minimum conditions shall be satisfied by the contractor.

Quality Assurance: On a weekly basis a competent person must review the work that has been performed and must certify/verify the following: 1). Work was performed by qualified/certified/trained technicians and 2) Such work was performed accurately and in accordance with the appropriate quality assurance standards (i.e. manufacturer/contractual). Such reviews can take place on site or may be done off site (remotely) by the contractor.

Documentation and Reporting: In addition to the reporting requirements already stated herein, the Contractor shall maintain an internal record keeping system to document the work being performed to include the personnel who will be performing such work. The contractor shall ensure that only personnel possessing the appropriate knowledge, skills, training, qualifications, and certifications will be performing work. If requested by the government, such documentation shall be made available.

Monthly Site Inspection: On a monthly basis an on-site review will be conducted to assess work progress and to address other issues if needed. The date/time of this on-site review shall be mutually established between the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) (or other authorized designee) and the Contractor. A “Competent Person” must attend/participate in this site review when held. (If the government determines that a monthly on-site review is not needed the government reserves the right (and may elect) to have on-site reviews on a quarterly basis or not at all). However, if conducted, on-site reviews will not occur more than once a month.

DELIVERABLE #8:

CALIBRATION OF CONTRACTOR’S EQUIPMENT

Contractor shall provide proof of certification annually which certifies/verifies that all gauging and Measurement equipment used has been currently calibrated according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Contractor is required to provide documentation (proof) of yearly calibration to the COR.

DELIVERABLE #9:

PROTECTION OF PROPERTY, INSURANCE, AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

Contractor shall provide all labor, materials, and equipment necessary for protection of VAMC personnel, furnishings, equipment and buildings from damage, and shall replace or repair any damage due to work performed under this contract equal to its original construction and finish. Contractor must have adequate insurance protection against negligent work and other forms of liability and follow all federal, state, local, and VA Regulations related to this requirement. Contractors shall refer to the appropriate clauses/provisions in the solicitation and final contract which govern such requirements.

8.1 SCOPE OF ADDITIONAL REQUIRED SERVICES: The contractor shall provide the following additional services in addition to regular preventive maintenance/services and repair.

Miscellaneous repairs (to include associated parts and labor) that are out of scope (i.e. not covered by/not included in the Statement of Work) not to exceed $40,000 during the performance period indicated—Base Year $40,000. Contractor shall provide detailed repair logs, reports, and invoices for all repair work that is done on the equipment. Contractor shall only be paid for actual repair work that was successfully completed during the performance period indicated.

9. MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER INFORMATION:

Contracting Officer Representative (COR): The (COR) will be identified by separate letter. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions:

i) Assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract ii). Performs inspections necessary in connection with contract performance.

iii). Maintains written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract iv). Issues written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications v). Monitor Contractor's performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and Contractor of any deficiencies vi). Coordinate availability of government furnished property and provide site entry of Contractor personnel.

A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the Contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order.

Identification of Contractor Employees / Credentials Contractor employees should be uniformed, displaying their contractor name or logo. A uniform can consist of collared or tee shirts if they are clean and are in good condition. Contractor staff who performing services, executing deliverables, or otherwise performing work on this contract are required to have a VA Contractor identification badge. A VA Contractor Badge Application will be provided to these personnel at the earliest available time following contract award so that the appropriate credentials are made available (to these personnel) before the start of performance. This application must be filled out prior to initiating any further application procedures with the Security Office on site. Contractor badges are to be worn at all time while on the premises of the Jackson VA Medical Center. Badges must be placed in a visible location, above the waist, clipped to the front of apparel with photo and name clearly visible. Contractor ID badges will be turned in to the assigned VAMC representative (COR) on duty when the contract has expired. The COR will then forward the badges to the VA Police Service within (5) working days.

Contractor must ensure that the following Identification Requirements are followed by each staff member applying for a VA Contractor Badge at the Security Station on campus:

1. Must provide (1) photography ID consisting of either a current Driver’s License, Military ID, U.S. Passport, Student ID which includes a Social Security number (will not accept expired IDs)

2. Must provide either an original Social Security card or Birth Certificate (a copy will not be accepted) If both valid ID requirements are not present at time of badge processing, the incompliant Contractor staff will not be able to work on Jackson, MS VA Hospital premises.

EQUIPMENT LISTING (SCHEDULE A)

The contractor shall perform all preventative maintenance (PM), maintain, check and calibrate according to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) recommendations and at intervals indicated below on all equipment as follows: