RFI Water Monitoring FY25.rtf

The Baltimore VA Medical Center and the Loch Raven VA Medical Center is conducting this Sources Sought to identify contractors who possess capabilities to provide the services described in the Statement of Work below.

As permitted by the FAR Part 10, this is a market research tool being utilized for the informational and planning purposes. Your responses will assist the Government in the development of its acquisition strategy.

Response is strictly voluntary – it is not mandatory to submit a response to this notice to participate in formal RFQ process that may take place in the future. However, it should be noted that information gathered through this notice may significantly influence our acquisition strategy. All interested parties will be required to respond separately to any solicitation posted as a result of this sources sought notice.

Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. We appreciate your interest and thank you in advance for responding to the sources sought.

This service will be implemented using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 221310 If a small business is interested in this procurement, they must provide at least 51 percent of the services rendered.

NOTES

All Capability Statements/Responses to this Sources Sought Notice shall be submitted via email only to mark.smith25@va.gov. Telephone, Fax, or any other form of communication inquiries will not be reviewed or accepted. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received no later than October 17, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). This Sources Sought Notice may or may not assist the VA in determining sources only. A solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued, it may or may not be announced at a later date, and all interested parties shall respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this Sources Sought Notice.

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked a proprietary will be handled accordingly in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses incurred associated with responding to this RFI.

Water Monitoring

STATEMENT OF WORK

SCOPE OF WORK: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, management, material, parts, equipment, supplies, labor, and transportation in services needed for the online water monitoring treatment at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and the Loch Raven VA Medical Center. This will include continuing recurring service to the online monitoring system that was installed in FY19 that provides and records real time data on specific parameters of the incoming waters. Parameters include water pressure, dissolved solids, temperature, pH, and residual oxidants (free chlorine and total chlorine). The system will also transmit the data to a secure data base that is accessible to the VA so that the data can be viewed and downloaded in a tab ular format that is compatible with Microsoft Excel.

All chemical reagents, routine onsite service inspections, emergency service calls, and maintenance of the monitoring systems and its components will be performed and supplied by the contractor (this includes remote modems for transmittal and data backup functions). The systems are proprietary equipment and are installed at the Baltimore VA Medical Center providing this service on Cold Water (source 1PA102), Hot Water (source 7A101), and distal Hot Water Return (source 1C100). Installation at Loch Raven Medical Center monitors Cold & Hot water supplies (source Basement Boiler Mechanical room). The contractor shall also provide monthly written reports on the operation of the unit as well as necessary training to the VA staffing on operation of the system and any daily/weekly checks that are necessary. The period of performance will be for a five (5) year ordering period. Firm-Fixed-Price will be awarded to provide the required services. All work under this contract shall be monitored by the COR.

Requirements:

probe with distilled water.

DEFINITIONS/ACRONYMS

Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR): A report that the Government shall complete and issue to the Contractor when service is unsatisfactory and not in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

The Contractor is required to complete and return this form to the COR whenever p erformance is unsatisfactory. The CDR requires the Contractor to explain, in writing, the cause of the unsatisfactory performance, how performance will be returned to acceptable standards, and how reoccurrence of the problem will be prevented in the future.

Contracting Officer (CO): The individual with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts. The CO is the exclusive Government official authorized to execute changes and deviations or variations in the contract.

Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR): A Government representative, designated in writing by the Contracting Officer, to be responsible for quality assurance, inspection, surveillance, documentation and acceptance of the Contractor's performance. A copy of the letter of designation will be provided to the Contractor.

Preventive Maintenance (PM): Services which are periodic in nature and are required to maintain the equipment in such condition that it may be operated in accordance with its intended design and functional capacity with minimal incidence of malfunction or inoperative conditions. To clean, lubricate, calibrate, test and replace faulty or worn parts and/or parts which are likely to become faulty, fail or become worn, repair or adjust components, or assemblies of components as necessitated by wear, te ar, damage, or failure of parts, returning the equipment and/or instrument to the operating condition defined in the manufacturer’s specifications.

Repair Cost Estimate: The Contractors estimated cost (for parts, labor and freight) to repair a system according to manufactures' specifications and requirements.

Time: When hours are given, it shall mean clock hours exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays unless otherwise specified (i.e., 1:00 P.M. Monday to 1:00 P.M. Tuesday equals 24 hours; 12:00 P.M. Friday to 12:00 P.M. Monday equals 24 hours). If days are indicated it shall mean calendar days including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

Rework. Any work the Contractor is required to accomplish due to unsatisfactory performance or nonperformance in accordance with the stated quality and level of effort specified in the contract. Rework is performed at no additional cost to the Government.

ESR. Vendor Engineering Service Report. A documentation of services rendered for each incidence of work performance under the terms and conditions of the contract.

Plumbing Supervisor Facilities and Engineering Service 10 North Greene Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201

CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

Personnel Experience. All work shall be performed by competent mechanics, experienced and qualified to work on the specific makes and models of equipment listed in this contract. The Contractor shall submit to and for the approval of the Contracting Officer, certification, and a list of credentials of the approved mechanics. Personnel shall have a minimum of three (3) years recent experience related to this work. The contractor must provide a list of three (3) reference contacts that have been provided service on similar or identical equipment. The contractor must provide authenticated factory training certificates or credentials (or acceptable substitute as approved by the COTR) for any personnel who are working on any VA equipment. The VA specifically reserves the right to reject any of the contractor’s personnel and refuse them permission to work on VA equipment.

Conduct of Personnel. The Contractor shall ensure that his personnel always present a professional appearance and that their conduct shall not reflect discredit upon this facility or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Contractor shall remove from the job site any employee for reasons of misconduct or security. The removal from the job site of such a person shall not relieve the Contractor of the requirement to provide sufficient personnel to perform adequate and timely service. All employees shall be legal residents of the United States and be able to understand, speak, read and write the English language.

Identification of Employees.: The Contractor shall within 10 calendar days before beginning performance of work provide the Contracting Officer a list of all employees who will perform under this contract. The list shall include the full name, and work assignment of each employee. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing of any addition, deletion or change in work assignment within 10 days of such change. Each of the Contractor's employees shall conspicuously display on their person a badge provided by the Contractor that shall include the full name of the employee, the name under which the Contractor is doing business and a badge serial number.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Normal Duty Hours. The Contractor shall have employees available Monday through Friday, except legal public holidays at the times specified to perform routine work and inspections. All work will be performed between the hours of 7:00a.m. and 4:30p.m. on the prearranged dates.

Federal Holidays. Federal Holidays observed by the VA are:

New Year’s Day; Martin Luther King Day; President’s Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving Day; and Christmas.

CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL

The Contractor shall establish and maintain a Quality Control Program that ensures that all requirements of the contract are provided as specified.

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Final inspection and acceptance by the Government shall be made at the site of each system. However, final inspection and acceptance do not preclude the Government's right to inspect completed work prior to shipment from the Contractor's shop nor does it waive any rights of the Government.

frequency allocations and antennas, all accessories necessary for send or receive operation at no additional cost to the Government. An expanded radio system could possibly be utilized in conjunction with or instead of the telephone answering service described in the paragraph above.

REMOVAL AND/OR DISPOSAL

Removing Government-Owned Material: All property removed remains the property of the U.S. Government and shall be returned by the Contractor to a place of storage as designated by the CO or COTR.

Salvage: Items received by the Contractor that are non-repairable because of condition, or declared unfit for economical rehabilitation by the Contractor, shall be returned to the Government. All salvage remaining in the Contractor's shop shall remain Government property and may be used for repair of any Government-owned equipment when released by the CO. The Contractor shall be required to maintain an accountable record of inventory upon completion of the maintenance contract.

Inventories shall not be disposed of by the Contractor without inspection and written approval of the CO. Salvaged parts used in the repair of any government owned equipment shall be treated by the Contractor as Government furnished material and reflected as same on Contractor's invoices when submitted for payment. All salvage in the possession of the Contractor, upon expiration of the contract, will be returned to the Government within thirty (30) days after such expiration.

FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION

The Contractor shall fully acquaint himself and his personnel with the location of fire equipment before work, take all prudent measures to minimize fire hazards that result from work, complies with all ordering agency fire and safety regulations.

ENERGY CONSERVATION

The Contractor is required to comply with all energy conservation regulations and instructions that are applicable to Government-owned facilities including but not limited to thermostat settings.

CLEANING UP

The Contractor shall clean up after work, leaving each area where work is performed, neat and clean. All containers, trash and debris for which he is responsible shall be removed.

HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS

During performing work under this contract, should the Contractor find serious or hazardous conditions existing with or in any of the equipment the Contractor shall secure the equipment and immediately notify the COTR.

CLEANLINESS

The area immediately around the equipment provided for the Contractor’s use shall be kept in a clean and orderly condition. Trash and waste material shall not be permitted to accumulate but shall be removed by the Contractor’s employees.

SERVICE MANUALS

The VA shall not provide service manuals or service diagnostic software to the contractor. The contractor shall obtain, have on file, and make available to its FSEs all operational and technical documentation, (such as: operational and service manuals, schematics, and parts lists), which are necessary to meet the performance requirements of this contract. The location and listing of the service data manuals, by name, and/or the manuals themselves shall be provided to the CO upon request.

INSURANCE

Worker compensation and employer’s liability. Contractor and any subcontractor covered under this contract are required to comply with applicable Federal and State Worker’s Compensation and occupational disease statutes.

SMOKING POLICY

Smoking is prohibited inside all buildings except in designated areas.

BILLING AND PAYMENT

Each invoice shall contain the documentation required by this contract. The invoices shall be itemized to contain the equipment’s identifier. When parts are furnished by the Government, they shall be itemized on Contractor's invoice at no-cost and indicated as Government-furnished parts.

Contractor will forward invoices to the following address:

OB10 as per contract Austin, TX.

Payment. Payment will be made 30 days in arrears upon receipt of properly prepared invoice. Invoice must contain the contract number and the appropriation number.

PRICING SUBMITTAL

The annual pricing of the contract should be itemized by the bidders to reflect a cost per unit PM.

VENDOR REQUIREMENTS

The contractor must employ mechanics and technicians that are trained in the applicable codes, standards, and manufacturer requirements for water treatment and testing services. Supervision must be by a professional engineer.

The contractor must have at least 5 years experience satisfactorily performing such maintenance on comparable units, equipment, or systems.

The contractor must have sufficient supplies, tools, and equipment to perform all requirements of this contract.