S02 - RFQ 3677626Q0240 - Attachment A - FPLS PWS V1.0.pdf

Fire Protection and Life Safety (FPLS) BPA(s)

Design Review and Statement of Conditions Services PWS v1.0

Professional Services Performance Work Statement (PWS)

1. GENERAL INTENT: The Veterans Health Administration Healthcare Environment and

Facilities Programs of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Program Contracting

Activity Central (PCAC) (herein referred to as “the Government”) intends to procure professional and technical services to provide third-party fire and life safety professional services for VA Healthcare Systems across the United States and its territories. As its own Authority

Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), the Veterans Health administration is responsible for ensuring its adopted fire and life safety codes and standards are adhered to in the design, construction and operation of its facilities. Task orders issued under this BPA will either be for services to perform fire protection and life safety reviews for design and construction projects, or to develop and update healthcare facility Statement of Conditions (SOC) drawings, in accordance with the requirements of the individual task order’s scope of work (SOW). The task orders may span multiple Federal fiscal years depending on the type of work required. All work performed under this BPA shall be compliant with all Federal laws, executive orders, and regulations and VA adopted codes and standards related to the planning, design, leasing, construction, operation and disposal of VA facilities and infrastructure.

2. DEFINITIONS: The following definitions are fundamental to the understanding of the requirements of this BPA SOW and all task orders issued under it.

a. Architect/Engineer (A/E) – The qualified design professional who oversees and leads the study for, design of and construction period services efforts for a project.

When used in a group context, it refers to the design team that is working together to prepare, deliver and oversee the construction of a project’s design.

U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Acquisition University (DAU), ACON 002, Architect-Engineering Contracting, https://www.dau.edu/acquipedia-article/architect-engineering-contracting

b. Commissioning / Commissioning Process (Cx) – A quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project. The process focuses on verifying and documenting that all of the commissioned systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the owner’s project requirements.

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers / National

Institutes of Building Sciences (ASHRAE/NIBS), Guideline 0-2019 The Commissioning

Process dated Jan 2019, https://www.ashrae.org/news/esociety/updated-commissioning-guideline

c. Commissioning Agent (CxA) – The qualified commissioning professional who administers the commissioning process by managing the commissioning team. Where https://www.dau.edu/acquipedia-article/architect-engineering-https://www.dau.edu/acquipedia-article/architect-engineering-https://www.ashrae.org/news/esociety/updated-commissioning-guideline https://www.ashrae.org/news/esociety/updated-commissioning-guideline

CxA is used it means the Commissioning Agent, members of the staff or appointed members of the commissioning team. Note that U.S. Green Building Council in its

Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) program uses the term

Commissioning Authority in lieu of Commissioning Agent.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Whole Building Commissioning Process Manual dated Nov 1, 2013, https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/PG-18-10

d. Life Safety Agent (LS Agent) – A term used in some VA design and commissioning services scopes of work to refer to the third-party fire protection engineer (FPE) performing the independent fire protection and life safety design review for projects.

Third-party FPE or LsA may be used interchangeably. May also be used to describe an engineer or firm working on a Statement of Conditions drawing set update.

e. Third-Party Reviewer – A qualified fire protection engineer(s) who is not associated with (i.e., having a financial or contractual relationship) the design team.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Directive 7712, Fire Protection Code

Reviews of Delegated Construction Projects, dated May 19, 2022, https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9797

f. Veterans Affairs Clinic (VAC) – Formerly Community-Based Outpatient Clinic

(CBOC), a VA Clinic is a VA-operated, VA-funded, or VA-reimbursed site of care operating under the administrative control of a VA Healthcare System and is located separate from a VA Medical Center. This is the most numerous type of outpatient site of care in VHA. A VAC can provide primary, specialty, subspecialty, mental health, or any combination of healthcare delivery services that can be appropriately provided in an outpatient setting. There are two recognized outpatient VAC classifications in VHA:

Multi-Specialty VACs and Primary Care VACs.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Directive 1229(1), Planning and Operating

Outpatient Sites of Care, amended Oct 14, 2019, https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5439

g. Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center (VAHCC) – A VA-owned, VA-leased, contract, or shared clinic operated at least five days per week that provides primary care, mental health care, on site specialty services, and performs ambulatory surgery and/or invasive procedures, which may require moderate sedation or general anesthesia. A VAHCC may be designated as an ambulatory surgery clinic (ASC) if it meets the requirements of the assigned surgical complexity level and provides all associated support infrastructure, such as pharmacy, laboratory, and x-ray, to perform these healthcare services safely and effectively. A VAHCC may be the parent facility of a VA Healthcare System.

https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/PG-18-10 https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9797 https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5439

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Directive 1229(1), Planning and Operating

Outpatient Sites of Care, amended Oct 14, 2019, https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5439

h. Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VAHCS) – An integrated healthcare delivery system under the direction of one administrative parent facility and comprised of multiple healthcare facilities, offering an array of healthcare services to Veterans in a defined geographic area. A VAHCS is the collection of VAMCs, VAHCCs, VACs, other sites of care and administrative sites it operates to deliver services.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Handbook 1006.02, VHA Site

Classifications and Definitions, dated Dec 30, 2013, https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2970

i. Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) – A VA point of service that provides at least two categories of care (inpatient, outpatient, residential, or institutional extended care). Typically, a VAMC is the parent facility of a VA Healthcare System.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Handbook 1006.02, VHA Site

Classifications and Definitions, dated Dec 30, 2013, https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2970

3. STATEMENT OF WORK: The LsA shall serve as an objective, independent third-party advocate for the Government on the project with internal and external stakeholders, and with other Government consultants and contractors.Work performed under this BPA will be done to enhance the performance and safety of VA buildings and infrastructure designed in compliance with VA’s adopted codes, standards and manuals, as well as constructed with elements from the following specification divisions (as defined by the VA Technical Information Library [TIL] and the Construction Specifications Institute [CSI] MasterFormat 2004 as updated):

Division Number Division Title

Division 01 General Requirements

Division 07 Thermal and Moisture Protection

Division 08 Openings

Division 10 Specialties

Division 14 Conveying Equipment

Division 21 Fire Suppression https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5439 https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2970 https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2970

Division 23 Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning

Division 26 Electrical

Division 27 Communications

Division 28 Electronic Safety and Security

Additional work elements include supporting VAHCSs with Joint Commission

(https://www.jointcommission.org/en-us) accreditation inspection readiness tasks as VHA voluntarily submits itself for healthcare facility accreditation.

Task orders under this BPA shall be one of two types:

a. Fire Protection and Life Safety (FPLS) Design Reviews – FPLS task orders are issued to support new VA capital and non-capital projects, as well as leases. The LsA will review the following items (at a minimum) from the project’s design documents:

i. Classification of Occupancy

ii. Minimum Construction Requirements (and separation)

iii. Means of Egress

iv. Protection Measures

v. Building Services

vi. Design Specifications (if provided)

vii. Design Narrative (if provided)

viii. Design Specifications

ix. Confirmation that an A/E’s FPE has performed fire alarm, fire suppression, and life safety design for the project (for projects not designed by VA staff)

Typical VA capital projects require two FPLS reviews at the Schematic Design

(SD)/35% submittal and at the Construction Documents (CD)/95% submittal. Other project types may only require one review. Individual reviews are not complete until all identified review comments are resolved to the LsA’s and VA’s satisfaction and are certified by the LsA and VA project manager.

https://www.jointcommission.org/en-us)

Follow-up technical support shall be provided by the LsA as needed to respond to A/E, CxA or VA questions regarding the FPLS review comments.

Review comments shall be provided to VA by the LsA in the format specified in the attachment to this SOW (example comment provided for formatting guidance; use of either the Microsoft Word or Excel version of the report template is at the LsA’s discretion). Once the report is certified, it becomes part of the project’s records.

b. Statement of Conditions (SOC) Drawings Preparation and Updates – SOC task orders are issued to support VA Joint Commission (JC) accreditation requirements for drawing sets of covered buildings that comply with the Physical Environment Essentials for

Health Care Standards for Hospital Accreditation, the Environment of Care Standards for Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation, and other applicable JC standards for other accreditation programs the VAHCS may participate in. SOC drawings additionally serve as record drawings for facility operations and maintenance, as well as an existing conditions reference document for development of capital and non-capital construction project scopes, budgets and design documents. Accreditation inspections occur approximately every three years for each VAHCS. Drawings and associated documents include:

i. Areas of building fully sprinklered (if building only partially sprinklered)

ii. Locations of all hazardous storage areas

iii. Locations of all fire-rated barriers

iv. Locations of all smoke-rated barriers

v. Sleeping and non-sleeping suite boundaries, including size of identified suites

vi. Locations of designated smoke compartments

vii. Locations of chutes and shafts

viii. Any approved equivalencies or waivers

Drawings shall be provided to VA by the LsA in the format specified by VA’s Building

Information Modeling (BIM) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) standards found in

VA Program Guide PG-18-13 Topic Specific Standards and Criteria

(https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/PG-18-13). Specific file formats will be provided in the task order SOW.

https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/PG-18-13)

The above paragraphs constitute the basic outline of the work to be accomplished and in no way comprises all the details for task orders issued under this BPA. The LsA shall be solely responsible for the management, including all associated labor, equipment, materials, mailing costs, and inspections, to meet the requirements of the individual project. The LsA shall further provide meeting minutes for all meetings held under each task order.

4. TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE CRITERIA: The primary criteria for LsAs on task orders issued under this BPA shall be the most current versions of:

a. VHA Directive 7712 Fire Protection Code Reviews of Delegated Construction

Projects (https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9797)

b. VA Qualifications and Scope of Services, Project Fire Protection Engineer

(https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/Miscellaneous%20Scopes%20of%20Servi ce%20and%20Checklists)

c. VA Fire Protection Design Manual

(https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/PG-18-10%20Design%20Manuals)

d. International Building Codes (IBC) as noted below

(https://www.iccsafe.org/products-and-services/i-codes/the-i-codes/)

e. NFPA 101 Life Safety Code as noted below

(https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-101-standard-development/101)

f. NFPA National Fire Codes, with the exception of NFPA 5000 and NFPA 900

(https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/codes-and-standards)

g. The VHA-Joint Commission Clarification Document

(https://vaww.hefp.va.gov/fire-protection)

Note: this is an internal VA website that is not available to the public; the most current document will be provided to the LsA upon contract award and when it is updated

h. Joint Commission Accreditation Standards

(https://www.jointcommission.org/en-us/standards)

NFPA 101 primarily addresses life safety and fire protection features while the IBC addresses a wide range of considerations, including, but not limited to, structural strength, seismic stability, sanitation, adequate light and ventilation, and energy conservation. VA buildings must meet the https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9797) https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/Miscellaneous%20Scopes%20of%20Servi https://vatilms.va.gov/vatilms/reports/PG-18-10%20Design%20Manuals) https://www.iccsafe.org/products-and-services/i-codes/the-i-codes/) https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-101-standard-development/101) https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/codes-and-standards) https://vaww.hefp.va.gov/fire-protection) https://www.jointcommission.org/en-us/standards) requirements of NFPA 101 and documents referenced by NFPA 101 in order to comply with the accreditation requirements of Joint Commission. Therefore, designs shall comply with the requirements of the latest edition of NFPA 101 and documents referenced therein. Design features not addressed by NFPA 101 or documents referenced therein shall comply with the requirements of the latest edition of the IBC or as otherwise addressed in other VA adopted criteria. For design features that are addressed by both the IBC as well as NFPA 101 or a document referenced by NFPA 101, the requirements of NFPA 101 or the document referenced by NFPA 101 shall be used exclusively (this applies even if the IBC requirements are different).

Secondary criteria is hosted on the VA Technical Information Library (TIL) available at http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/index.asp. The TIL is managed by the VA Office of Construction and

Facility Management and is the master repository for all VA numbered standards for construction to include design and construction specifications, procedures, standard details, BIM/CAD standards, equipment guides, space planning and design guides. The documents of the TIL shall be the minimum design criteria for all VA projects performed in the construction of new facilities and the modernization, alteration, addition, or improvement of its real property to include commissioning, recommissioning and retro-commissioning projects. All SOC drawings as well as design and commissioning documents which are reviewed by the LsA shall be developed in accordance with the VA TIL, including (but not limited to) the following listed

VA references (most recent version/edition):

Program Guide

Number

Program Guide Title

PG-18-1 Master Construction Specifications

PG-18-3 Design and Construction Procedures [Including but not limited to: Codes, Standards, and

Executive Orders]

PG-18-4 Standard Details and CAD Standards

PG-18-10 Design Manuals (by discipline)

PG-18-13 Topic Specific Standards and Criteria

PG-18-14 Room Finishes, Door, and Hardware Schedules

PG-18-15 Minimum Requirements for A/E Submissions http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/index.asp

ALERTS VA Standards and Design Alerts

Where conflicts exist between VA adopted codes and standards and the documents on the TIL, the LsA shall bring this to the attention of the Government. The resolution of the conflict shall be made by the authority having jurisdiction for VA to ensure consistency department wide.

5. POLICY CRITERIA: Federal laws and executive orders, as well as VA and Veterans

Health Administration (VHA) policies in the form of plans, directives, handbooks, operational memos, notices and manuals mandate requirements for the design, construction, operations, energy efficiency and sustainability of Government capital assets that are owned and leased.

Federal laws and executive orders impacting Government capital assets are numerous and subject to periodic change. If a new or changed Federal policy imposes new requirements or changes existing policies (Federal, VA or VHA), they will be referenced in the task order SOW as a mandatory criteria to follow.

VA and VHA policies are available at https://www.my.sites.va.gov/policy, https://www.va.gov/vapubs/ and https://vaww.va.gov/vhapublications/ (Note: the last link is an internal VA websites that is not available to the public). The most current revision of a document shall be used and may be annotated by a “(#)” added to the document number.

Additional changes to policies may be in a separate publication with the same document number annotated by “/#”. As applicable to FPLS reviews, these include, but are not limited to:

a. VA Directive 0055 VA Energy and Water Management Program

b. VA Handbook 0730/4 Security and Law Enforcemen

c. VHA Directive 7515 Medical Gas and Vacuum Systems

d. VHA Directive 1028 Facility Electrical Power Systems

e. VHA Directive 1810 Boiler and Boiler Plant Operations

f. VHA Directive 1811 VHA Healthcare Engineering Program Requirements

Where conflicts exist between VA/VHA policy or other Federal requirements, the LsA shall bring this to the attention of the VA. The resolution of the conflict shall be made by the authority having jurisdiction for VA to ensure consistency department wide.

https://www.my.sites.va.gov/policy https://www.va.gov/vapubs/ https://vaww.va.gov/vhapublications/

6. COLLABORATION REQUIREMENTS: The LsA during work on task orders, in addition to the members of VAHCS integrated project team, shall collaborate as needed with

VHA Office of Healthcare Environment and Facilities Programs (HEFP) staff, Veterans

Integrated Service Network (VISN) Capital Assets Management staff, the CxA for the project and any VA or VHA program office that by policy has review and oversight responsibilities for certain types of capital projects (i.e., sterile processing spaces, operating rooms, radiology departments, sterile compounding pharmacies, etc.). Design review comments from these entities that impact the fire and life safety elements of the design, shall be incorporated into the review comments. For all LsA task orders, any LsA deliverables shall be coordinated with the project’s design submittals to ensure compliance with all project FPLS requirements are met.

7. FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY FIRM QUALIFICATIONS: Offering firms for this BPA shall have at least five years of experience performing fire protection and life safety design services for healthcare facilities. If, for any reason, the firm is subjected to disciplinary action by a licensing authority during this period, the LsA shall immediately notify the

Contracting Officer. Any firm that has been the subject of disciplinary action by their licensing authority within the five years preceding the solicitation of this BPA contract is not eligible for an award.

8. FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER QUALIFICATIONS: Offering firms for this BPA shall assemble a LsA team with the following minimum disciplines (as W-2 employees):

Position Quantity

Project Manager 1

Fire Protection Engineer (FPE) 2

Drafter and/or BIM/CAD Technician 1

The project manager shall not be the same person as one of the FPEs. Discipline specific qualifications by position are:

a. Project Manager – A minimum of two years of experience in healthcare facilities project management. No other specific qualifications, but rates charged for project management work shall not be the same as a firm Principal (or equivalent title) as the work managing task orders is not equivalent to business development and firm management work.

b. Fire Protection Engineer – Shall meet the requirements below:

i. A licensed professional engineer (P.E.) who:

(1). Has obtained an ABET-accredited bachelor’s degree in fire protection engineering or a master’s degree or other advanced degree in fire protection engineering (“fire safety” or similar degrees are not acceptable), (2). Has passed the principles and practices examination in fire protection engineering, and

(3). Maintains a current professional engineer license in fire protection engineering from a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S.

territory. It is understood that some jurisdictions do not issue dedicated

P.E. licenses in fire protection engineering; in such cases, an individual’s licensure must be predicated upon passing the principles and practices examination in fire protection engineering.

ii. Five years of experience developing life safety drawings (i.e., Statement of

Conditions drawings) for complex healthcare occupancies (occupancies containing NFPA 101 suites, high-rise buildings, horizontal exits, separated and mixed occupancies, etc.) to be used for healthcare facility accreditation compliance purposes.

iii. Five years of experience in application and interpretation of National Fire

Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards and the model building codes.

iv. Five years of experience in the design/review of automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems, including:

(1). Automatic sprinkler and fire alarm system shop drawings

(2). Automatic sprinkler system hydraulic calculations

(3). Fire alarm system voltage drop and battery calculations

v. Five years of experience in the application and interpretation of NFPA codes and standards, including, but not limited to, NFPA 1, 3, 4, 10, 13, 14, 17A, 20, 24, 25, 30, 45, 72, 75, 80, 82, 90A, 96, 99, 101, 110, 220, 241 and 2001.

vi. Five years of experience in the design of healthcare facilities

vii. Five years of experience in acceptance testing of fire protection systems

c. Drafter and/or BIM/CAD Technician – A minimum of two years of experience in healthcare facilities BIM and CAD drawing work. Must be knowledgeable in Autodesk

Revit 3D modeling and Autodesk AutoCAD 2D/3D modeling as VHA facilities are in various states of adopting BIM models as their standard for facility record drawings and project design drawings. No other specific qualifications.

The selected firm shall ensure that LsA team staff presented for this BPA remain available for task orders for the duration of the contract (to include all option years). If an originally proposed staff member becomes unavailable for work under the BPA for a continuous period exceeding

20 working days or are expected to devote substantially less effort to the work than indicated in the proposal, the firm shall propose a substitution of such staff for review and acceptance by the

Contracting Officer. All proposed substitutions shall be submitted, in writing, to the Contracting

Officer at least 15 days prior to the proposed substitution. All proposed substitutes shall have qualifications equal to or higher than the qualifications of the person being replaced.

9. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: All security requirements will be specified per order in accordance with each VAHCS’s policies to include but not limited to ID badging, check-in/check-out processes, photography rules, escort needs and training requirements.

10. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS: Travel and Per Diem are not “reimbursable” expenses under firm fixed price contracts. Compliant General Services Administration (GSA) rates and guidance available online at https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates.

Additional administrative requirements may be defined per task order.

11. CONTRACT OVERSIGHT: All orders under this BPA will be awarded in support of VA requirements by any office within the VA; only a warranted VA Contracting Officer shall have authority to change the terms and conditions of the BPA or individual order. These changes may involve the award amount, period of performance, issuance of stop work orders and changes to the statement of work.

The awarding office shall designate a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) per order to monitor and manage contractor performance under the order. The COR shall be a representative of the servicing VAHCS and have the technical knowledge required to monitor and oversee the project.

(End of PWS) https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-