SOW VA Lebanon Master Space Planning 2026.docx

Lebanon VA Medical Center Lebanon, PA

SCOPE OF WORK

FOR

FACILITY MASTER PLANNING 2026

--General Description--

The Lebanon VA Medical Center is located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The medical center is part of the VA Healthcare VISN 4 which includes eight other facilities is composed of 2 markets, east and west. The Lebanon VA Medical Center in the eastern market serves approximately 52,000 unique Veterans with a variety of inpatient, primary care, mental health and specialty care services spanning a 7-county catchment area across south central Pennsylvania. The main medical center campus is located in Lebanon, PA and has 5 community based outpatient clinics located in Berks County, Cumberland County, Lancaster County, Dauphin County, Schuylkill County and York County.

--Project Scope--

SCOPE:

The consultant will review information provided by the VA, such as but not limited to, population demographics, penetration rates, productivity measures, projected growth, current health care delivery systems, patient demographics, physical structures, strategic and operational plans, etc. to develop a clinical service delivery and master plan.

The consultant shall develop the overall strategy to meet the scope and achieve the goals of the master plan. That strategy shall be presented to the medical center at the initial meeting. The consultant will produce a master plan with a 10-year planning horizon. The master plan will include a comprehensive service delivery plan spanning the entire catchment area (including community-based outpatient clinics) and a master space plan of the main campus.

The consultant shall provide investigative, consultative, and design services to create and formalize a master space plan to include an option utilizing capital projects such as, Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) projects, Clinical Service Initiative (CSI) projects, Minor construction projects, Major construction projects as well as non-capital projects. The plan shall show proposed building(s) sizes, departmental locations (block stacking diagrams), and how the projects will be programmed over time. The consultant will have access to the facility’s current and future projects. Recommendations will also be made on which buildings to maintain and to dispose of.

The primary purpose of the healthcare service delivery and master plan is to recommend alignment improvements in clinical delivery based on demand, changes in population demographics, appropriate size and optimal location within the medical center’s catchment area for each of the clinical and administrative services. Changes in capital asset use may include modifying the physical layout/location of clinical and administrative services, consolidation of excess space with cost savings achieved and identification of each project required to further integrate services into a single seamless system.

The final plan and written deliverable shall include:

1. Strategic Assessment

The consultant will interview key internal and external stakeholders to understand the critical success factors to achieve over the 10-year planning horizon. Medical Center leadership and the consultant will dialog and develop a strategy and identify critical stakeholder groups and membership (examples: Steering Committee, executive leadership, service level leadership, employee groups, Veterans groups, elected representatives etc.) to ensure robust input to the master plan. These critical factors include:

· Mission, Vision and Values.

· Facility level short, intermediate and long-term strategic initiatives.

· Master plan objectives that are quantifiable and used to prioritize potential solutions

· Assess strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities to meet demand within market.

2. Demand Projections

The consultant will conduct a study that includes a Demand/Supply determination, analysis and validation as follows:

· Review official market level demand projections for each Strategic Planning Application (SPA) (compare/validate with private sector and industry projections).

· Validate market level demand projections (demographics, assumptions, industry trends, etc.).

· Reallocate demand for each SPA to all existing and future sites within each market based on users/enrollees and expected utilization in the immediate market service area (counties/market sectors) surrounding each site.

· The consultant will validate the VA’s market-level demand projections for each SPA based on the need to improve access and incorporate current planned initiatives such as new or expanded sites of care (CBOCs (both VA owned and contracted), Annexes, and Outreach Clinics) that impact the market. Validation will consider veteran users, enrollees and expected utilization in the immediate market service area (counties/market sectors).

· Demographic Mapping Support – Consultant will provide demographic mapping support of data provided by VA. Demographic data sets may require county and/or three and five-digit zip code mapping and display. Mapping requirements will often require the need to display counties and zip code areas, transportation routes and systems, cities and towns, waterways, geographic barriers, VA and DoD medical facilities and civilian medical facilities. Mapping methodology will display different data density levels as well as access times for various counties/sectors to primary, specialty, and tertiary care.

3. Space Determinations / Departmental Gross Space Needs

· Validate existing departmental square footages, utilizing V-Logic/Indus drawings and current departmental mapping, which may not be up to date in V-Logic.

· Determine any space need changes based upon utilization of existing facilities.

· Determine future anticipated total space needs assuming total interior renovation of existing buildings. It must be noted that the space efficiencies of the existing buildings, particularly with existing partitions, are limited. Even after space renovations, the configuration of the facility’s existing buildings may not allow for ideal space efficiencies.

· Determine the appropriate amount of space, size and number of alternate care sites for each program and facility to meet the current and projected workload demand. Utilize space planning criteria from the Construction and Facilities Management website to identify anticipated departmental square footage requirements.

· Evaluate space gaps based on the Capital Asset Inventory (CAI) space inventory and Veterans Health Administration Service Support Center (VSSC) Space Calculator. Assist the facility with requesting changes to the ideal square footage per the annual CAI action item.

· Analyze/Compare existing departmental space configuration and capacity with needed future departmental space allocations based on VSSC Space Calculator and Strategic Planning Categories.

· Identify current and projected staffing requirements for a five to ten-year planning period.

· Identify key service line/services, including interaction and adjacency of relevant programs both internal and external to the facility. The consultant will analyze the allotment and configuration of existing space and acreage and recommend changes to meet the facility’s strategic planning goals, including facilitation of both patient care and support operations.

· The consultant will determine the functionality and efficiency of existing space (functional adjacencies) at the department block level to ensure ease of access, patient flow and continuity of care.

· Analyze the impact of any planned construction or demolition projects on the overall space needs.

· Evaluate research and education services requirements.

· Provide a plan for improving the location and function of all clinical and administrative services. Plan includes improving wayfinding to multiple entrances to the Lebanon main campus with accessible parking for patients and visitors with ample/priority parking to all outpatient clinics.

· Identify improvements to increase efficiency, productivity, and reduce operating costs. The plan will consider the impact of pending and planned renovations / construction.

· Assess condition/economic feasibility of existing space (age, condition, architectural constraints that might make replacement via lease or new construction more cost effective than renovation).

· Determine opportunities resulting from staffing efficiency, creation of regional centers of excellence, extended hours of operation, etc.

4. Master Plan

· Develop a capital strategic plan (list of specific clinical/programmatic initiatives) to meet the site-specific demand for the medical center and CBOCs (includes non-capital, Non-Reoccurring Maintenance (NRM), minor, CSI, major, leases, sharing agreements, EU proposals etc.)

· Assess and identify infrastructure related initiatives that will be required to maintain condition of site and structures for the planning horizon (roofs, equipment, roads, parking, electrical and mechanical systems etc.) Primarily, the consultant will review facility conditions through evaluation of the most current Facility Condition Assessment and incorporate correction of the D and F deficiencies into the planned capital improvements.

· Assess and identify infrastructure related initiatives necessary for an Emergency Preparedness Sustainment Plan based on The Joint Commission (TJC) standards and VA regulations.

· The consultant will incorporate into the planned capital improvements specific energy initiatives that will be required to meet energy goals during the planning horizon.

· Identify predecessor/successor relationships for all initiatives in the master plan.

· Develop a space projection requirement for the medical centers to include projections by current and future program needs. Space projections will be predicated on the official workload projections for each department (SPA). The space projections will also provide an estimate for total facility space needs (Facility gross square feet).

· Develop a traffic and parking assessment to identify opportunities to enhance traffic and pedestrian circulation, overcome current deficiencies and meet all parking requirements. Plan shall consider ADA/ABAAS requirements for access.

· Develop a timeline for each initiative in the master plan to ensure that activation of each initiative can be accomplished so that activation is consistent with the timing of the need that was identified, and which initiative will be addressed.

· Develop cost estimates for each capital initiatives in the master plan.

· Capital needs can be met through different capital programs within the VA. Obtaining approved projects within the various programs can often be difficult and therefore drives the need to create options for executing capital plans. Therefore, the consultant will provide a preferred and at least one other feasible alternative planning option to address the needs identified incorporating various strategies such as lease versus purchase and phased Minor and CSI initiatives versus Major Construction projects. As part of preparing and evaluating the options, providing these alternatives shall occur in the overall planning process. These alternative strategies shall be evaluated during the third submittal phase. The recommendation for each project shall be provided in the final report.

· Develop a logistical schedule of moves and temporary space requirements as necessary.

· Address management of vacant underutilized space that currently exists or will exist in the future because of workload projected for each site.

· Address management cost of asset ownership. The consultant will identify excess capital to be mothballed; identify excess capital to be re-used (EU, leased, sharing, etc.); identify excess capital to be demolished/disposed (include CEA to evaluate continued cost of own vs. lease infrastructure to meet health care demand)

· Provide a video or computerized automation model utilizing sketch-up or other program showing the time lined progression and location of current and future projects.

The final Strategic Assessment and Service Delivery Plan shall include a listing of all selected project descriptions, drawings and blueprints showing each approved project in the complete spatial arrangement of services.

All plans shall be compliant with space criteria referenced in VA space planning criteria. http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/space.asp. The AE shall ensure patient privacy criteria are met (i.e. computerized information, patient privacy, HIPPA).

The master space plan will address all VA Physical Security and Resiliency Design Manual (PSRDM) Standards and alternatives will be presented for facility determination. The facilities in this scope are considered “Mission Critical” and the appropriate guide will be followed. If a section of the manual cannot be met, the Consultant will notify the VA immediately and assist the VA in the security waiver process. The Physical Security Guidelines can be found at this link: https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/PhysicalSecurity/dmPhySec.pdf

--Site Investigations—

EXPECTATION: The consultant will develop an understanding of site limitations and possibilities through narrative discussions and interviews with VA leadership.

Make site visits as required to determine existing as-built conditions affecting this project. Note: Information including drawings and other documentation provided to the CONSULTANT is used as reference only. All additional references and specifications are available in VHA’s Technical Information Library at address http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/ . Coordinate visits with the COR/Project Manager as assigned after award. The consultant will arrange for and oversee the performance of such investigations as he/she determines are required for the proper design of the project. Auto CAD background drawings will be provided by the VA upon request.

Collaboration: Consultant shall meet with key staff at appropriate points throughout the process, including the facility Director, Associate Director, Chief of Staff, Facility Planner, Engineering representatives, impacted service chiefs and selected stakeholders. VA key staff will form a Master Plan Steering Workgroup to assist the consultant by providing needed data as well as other information and development/prioritization of planning solutions within available capital budget allowances. Onsite stakeholder/user meetings will be scheduled as necessary to develop/review the preliminary planning options along with the facility Master Plan Steering Workgroup, with follow-up phone conferences as necessary. The point of contact for the study is the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

--Phasing Review Schedule--

Summary of meetings:

The consultant will coordinate with the local COR to coordinate the agenda as well as the logistics for the site visit including but not limited to the schedule for the physical walk through; the schedule for stakeholder face-to-face interviews with program offices at each facility, and the schedule for the entrance and exit meetings with the facility executive leadership team.

For all review meetings:

· All review submission documents and materials, including the agenda, should be provided to the Medical Center and shared with appropriate content experts at the facility at least 2 weeks in advance of each meeting.

· Approximately 1 week in advance of the scheduled site visit/meetings the consultant will coordinate with the COR, lead a conference call to go over the agenda and previously referenced data and any other issues that need to be addressed prior to the site visit.

Kickoff meeting: Following issuance of the notice to proceed and before the kickoff meeting, the Consultant will issue a Request for Information (RFI) to include a wide variety of information. Once VA provides the information requested in the initial RFI, the first meeting will be a “kick-off” meeting for review of information, additional material gathering, knowledge transfer, guideline establishment, objective identification, schedule review, constraint discussion and format review. The kick-off meeting will signify the official start of the contract period. The RFI may include and is not limited to:

· Any existing programs and planned programs not in the current clinical inventory

· All planned CBOCs (new and expansion).

· A summary of projected workload for each Strategic Planning Application (SPA). This will be provided in an excel format comparing the baseline year, the projection year, and the % change from the baseline year for each SPA.

· The Health Systems Planning Application.

· Electronic copies of all existing space and building floor plans.

· Current performance assessments and strategic plans at the facility and/or service line levels.

· Facility and department level strategic plans in progress and future planned.

· Additional information requested by the consultant

First Submittal: Provide Strategic Assessment, Demand Projections as identified above. Provide draft Market Maps and Health Systems Planning Applications. Review models and assumptions and facilitate VA comments. Additionally, include:

· A list of potential “areas of interest” that may be emphasized during the second meeting. This will include a list of SPAs with significant (eg. >10%) increases or decreases in projected workload; along with any other areas of interest that are identified during the initial review of the data.

· A list of identified program offices/departments with which further face-to-face interviews are requested during the site visit.

In preparation for the next phase, the consultant will meet with the leadership group to review:

· VSSC workload data, VSSC reallocated workload models, current spatial allocations, functional/delivery parameters, future plans, and VA intent for future facility development, use and allocation.

· Conduct walk throughs of space

· Review current strategic and capital plans

· Obtain historic and projected budget allocations for each of the VA’s capital programs

Second Submittal: A design workshop session will be conducted with stakeholders identified by VA to develop and prioritize an inventory of strategic issues to be solved, provide space determinations and solidify departmental gross square footage needs. This must be a thorough analysis of all departments / services as described above. In this meeting, emphasize departments with the greatest space gaps. Also, provide Care in the Community recommendations for capital and non-capital solutions. This becomes the raw data essential for master plan development. It also ensures that VA’s Capital Assets Inventory is up-to-date and accurate.

Third Submittal: The contractor will develop 4 preliminary master planning concepts for review and discussion that address the strategic issues to be solved inventory to include historic asset impact. In this design review session, topics of special emphasis must be addressed, along with all relevant factors influencing decision making. A wide variety of master planning concepts must be presented that represent significant gaps in department condition assessment, market planning gaps, gaps in clinical/administration service provision. misalignment and/or inefficient space to meet projected demands over the 10-year period. Any concepts involving demolition of existing buildings may require VA communication with the VA Historic Preservation Office for review.

Show functional correlations with other Medical Center services. Show any new buildings in conceptual form, using actual square footage and recommended configurations as shown in the VHA Space Planning Criteria. These conceptual buildings must be shown to scale on site plans, showing realistic siting. Parking must be shown in block diagram form as well, identifying the number of parking spaces incorporated. Represent pedestrian and vehicular pathways. Account for site physical security requirements, and safety considerations.

Fourth Submittal: Two selected master planning concepts must be further developed to identify projected total implementation costs, and a projected implementation phasing timeline. Uncertainties due to unknown historic preservation approvals must be communicated, along with contingencies. Along with tabulated data, provide block diagrams, graphically showing space utilization for each department / service in each building.

The purpose of this submission is to consolidate, prioritize solutions, costing considerations and feasibility considerations in order to facilitate a final concept selection for final development. Include infrastructure factors necessary to fully integrate the concepts on the facility property. The estimates must account for construction cost escalation.

Include phasing descriptions indicating one possible scenario for construction project phasing for each master planning concept. The projects must all fit within the current VA construction programs’ (NRM, Minor and CSI) criteria.

Fifth Submittal: A single master planning concept must be fully developed to a pre-final submission. Review comments must be incorporated into the plan for final submission. All aspects of the scope identified above must be fully incorporated. Develop written information for each change in service delivery and each space change describing backfill and move requirements, phasing, optimal locations for each change, and cost estimates (based on VA cost data) to support each project. Develop a draft 3D illustration of future projects progression over time in the form of a walkthrough/flyby of prosed improvements in the proposed Master Plan over the entire 10-year period.

Final Submission: In the final meeting, the Facility Level Strategic Capital Master Plan, Strategic Assessment, and Service Delivery Improvement Plan will be delivered. Submit final animated time-based video rendering (utilizing sketch-up or similar program) future projects in the form of an area walkthrough walkthrough/flyby of prosed improvements in the proposed Master Plan over the entire 10-year period.

The contractor is required to attend and take minutes of each meeting. Minutes shall be submitted electronically to the Contracting Officer’s Representative and Contracting Officer within five business days of each meeting. All deliverables with the exception of the final report will be electronic PDF submissions.

--VA Obligations--

VA will provide the following information or support to the Consultant:

· VA will name a COR/Project Manager who will provide consistent oversight through duration of the contract.

· VA will be responsible for scheduling internal/external stakeholder attendance at meetings, and Consultant interviews with persons who may have information required to complete work on project. VA will provide Consultant with special VA space/functional requirements for services or programs unique to the Lebanon VA Medical Center or to VA.

· Access to a sizable room(s) for stakeholder meetings and consultant work space that includes sufficient space stakeholder meeting sessions, set up/compatible with electronic presentations, sufficient wall space for displacing large posters for work sessions and additional breakout rooms/sessions, as needed.

· VA will make decisions on options in the timetable presented and ensure participation of key decision makers at scheduled work sessions.

-- General Expectations for Design Submissions --

Deliverables:

All deliverables except for the final report will be electronic PDF submissions and will build toward completion of the final report.

The final Master Plan Report will comprise of a written document with extensive charts and graphical material describing chronologically the identified facility needs related to program objectives, strategies, options considered, and a detailed development of the recommended options with cost estimates and an implementation plan. Plan to be reviewed with individual facility Master Plan Steering Group as a complete package prior to final presentation. The master plan will include an executive summary which summarizes the major workload and space gaps along with proposed capital projects to solve the identified gaps as well as the pros and cons of the preferred option by the VA. Other components of the final report will include:

· Site Development Drawings that will illustrate existing buildings by categories (clinical essential, administrative, support, out leased, vacant, etc.) along with new and expanded space, disposals, and timeframes for execution.

· Traffic flow patterns and parking to include off campus traffic circulation. Off campus traffic circulation will be shown to nearest major intersection from each campus entry

· Existing and proposed Department space block plans for each building and floor. These drawings will include the complete spatial arrangement of services by building and floor identified by colorized service areas. The proposed drawings should also incorporate necessary moves, phasing and timeframes associated with the implementation of projects consistent with the three service delivery options identified.

· Current space allocations per the Capital Asset Inventory compared to 5 and 10 year needs based on VA projections of workload and the VSSC Space Calculator.

· Logistical schedule of moves and temporary space requirements

· Listing of approved and planned projects by capital program category (Minor, NRM, CSI, leasing, etc.) needed to accomplish the plan within projected funding allocation to include a cost analysis (construction cost assumptions and overall project costs). Design and Construction costs will be provided as part of the overall construction assumption data, overall project costs will not be included in this study because it is calculated independently by the VA.

· A detailed implementation timeline using MS Project Schedule (Gantt Chart) or equivalent shall be provided that will identify all capital and non-capital task, task duration, task schedule (timing of activation to meet projected demand), task phasing (successor/predecessor relationships).

· Cost distribution assumptions over time relative to program resources required for accomplishment (NRM, Minor, CSI, Lease, Disposal, etc.)

Consultant will provide support materials that may be necessary to display demographics e.g. charts, table, graphs. Presentation media will vary and may include full size (approximately 36 inches by 48 inches) color maps on foam boards, smaller half size versions of the full-size maps and electronic presentation materials.

At the conclusion of the master plan and acceptance by the Contracting Officer and COR, as well as the Steering Group, the consultant will provide the following:

· Twelve (12) paper bond or spiral bound color presentations of Final Master Plan.

· One (1) paper bond on foam board (30”x42”) color full size rendering of the campus end state for the 10-year planning horizon.

· One hundred (100) flyers (2-sided, zero border, tri-fold, color, glossy) of master plan highlights.

· Consultant to provide the VA with electronic (CD) and PDF copies of materials developed to present Final Master Plan. This would include such items as: Power Point files, Excel spreadsheets, and AutoCAD files (2022), Access files, Word files, Story/Presentation Boards, etc.

Performance Period: The consultant is expected to develop an agreed upon timetable outlining the milestones for each specified task of the study. The total period of performance would be one year.

Phasing Schedule

Calendar Days

The contracting period and phasing schedule is predicated upon VA’s timely review and response to each submittal. Any delays in VA’s ability for timely response will result in extending the deadline for the subsequent deliverable without negative impact to the Consultant, including extending the contracting period, if necessary.

Type of Contract: SDVOSB set aside, firm-fixed-price agreement will be utilized.