PMCE-Consolidated_Vendor_Questions_&_Responses-final_rev1.pdf

DLA SOLICITATION NOTE

Pages 29 and 30 of the Original solicitation are corrected to read as follows:

XI. CONTRACT AND DELIVERY ORDER PRICING REQUIREMENTS,

(3.) At a minimum, vendors shall provide one of the following types of price support information in accordance with the following order of precedence for each item. At the discretion of the Contracting Officer a random sample may be used to limit the number of items for which a vendor has to provide price support information, both for items in initial offers or for product additions after contract award. The vendor will be provided direction on which items require price support information as part of clarifications prior to initial contract award, or when vendors submit product addition requests after contract award. Summary information should be provided in the Attachment #1, price book tab “OFFER-MOD REQUEST,” columns AD through AM (see below for further details on each field) along with actual documents. The following price support information order of precedence shall apply unless directed otherwise by the Contracting Officer. The more recent commercial invoice that is no older than 12 months or an existing group purchasing organization (GPO) pricing for exact items, this shall be provided for all items requested by the Government. If a vendor does not have any invoices from the last 12 months or existing GPO pricing for a given item, then the vendor can provide current or most recent commercial quotes as long as they agree to provide reduced pricing in the event the actual invoice price will be lower than the originally provided quote. The Government may request invoices for these items at a later date. In event that the item is completely new and has not yet been quoted, but where a similar item exists on contract, the vendor can provide the similar item along with information outlining differences between the items. The Government reserves the right to require other pricing information or use other price support procedures during the life of the contract to ensure that all prices are fair and reasonable. Failure to provide adequate supporting information for the Contracting Officer to determine pricing as fair and reasonable shall result in rejection of the offer or addition request.

(4.) Along with providing actual invoices or quotes, the Attachment #1 price book tab “OFFER- MOD REQUEST,” columns AD through AM shall be used to provide summary pricing information requested by the Government. The price book modification/award format fields are as follows:

Column AD - Invoice Number: Input the invoice number of most recent invoice. Must have been issued within the last 12 months. Actual invoice must also be provided. Also complete Commercial Customer, Comparison List, Comparison Discount, Comparison Net, and Net Price Difference columns.

Column AE - GPO: If a vendor has a GPO(s), provide the name of GPO(s). Also complete Comparison List, Comparison Discount, Comparison Net, and Net Price Difference columns.

Column AF - Quote Number: If there are no invoices or GPO pricing but the item has been quoted to commercial customers, provide quote number to correspond to attached quote (may be audited later on to confirm invoice price was the same as quoted price). Also complete Commercial Customer, Comparison List, Comparison Discount, Comparison Net, and Net Price Difference columns.

Column AG - Commercial Customer: Provide the commercial customer name for invoice or quote.

Column AH - Similar or Item being Replaced: If this is a change to existing item or there is no GPO, Invoice, or quote a similar item or replacement an existing contract item, provide p/n of existing item. Complete the Reasonableness note field with details describing the differences between proposed and existing item that justifies any price difference.

Column AI - Comparison List: List Price from attached invoice, GPO or quote Column AJ - Comparison Discount: Discount from attached invoice, GPO or quote Column AK - Comparison Net: Net Price from attached invoice, GPO or quote Column AL - Net Price Difference: Provide net price difference between offered net price and comparison net price from invoice, GPO, quote or similar/replacement item.

Column AM - Reasonableness Note: Provide explanation, if any, if the comparison prices are lower than offered price. If similar/replacement is being offered, provide explanation for item and item pricing, particularly if there is a difference in pricing.

PMCE – Vendor Questions and Responses

VENDOR A

Are you requesting we provide our entire catalog in relation to those items in #3 and prices?

DLA:

Attachment #3 is requesting just a YES or NO answers (Row 1) for various columns or POC type info for products you wish to offer under this program.

Attachment #1 is requesting pricing and nomenclature, discounts, etc. YOUR company chooses what it wants to offer that meets the scope of the solicitation.

Attachment #2 is a summary sheet of various informational points required.

VENDOR B

Proposal pricing:

What tabs need to be filled out at the time of proposal submission on17 Oct 17?

DLA: IF you are referring to Attachment #3 – Tab titled “Offer-Mod request”. This info should auto populate into other columns.

What columns on those tabs need to be filled out at the time of proposal submission on17 Oct 17?

DLA: Attachment #3: B,C,D,E,F,G and H, I and so on as needed.

In regards to invoices:

Are any invoices or invoice data required at the time of proposal submission on17 Oct 17?

DLA: If you are providing a large volume of items, then it would be prudent to provide the data later during negotiations as part of a sample size determined by DLA.

In regards to the Discount and Pricing information Document:

Can you please define “customer class”? Do we group together facilities with similar terms and conditions for committed and non-committed customers? Do we have to list out every contract term and condition for each customer both committed and non-committed? Or is the definition of this something entirely different?

DLA: Customer class could be defined as groupings (e.g. Hospitals, Dealers, etc.) that your company uses to categorize your customer base

For “absolute best offered price” do you want that information for committed or non-committed customers?

DLA: Yes for both.

For “worst offered price” do you want that information for committed or non-committed customers?

DLA: Yes for both.

For “who is your most favored customer” do you want this from a committed or non-committed customer?

DLA: Yes for both.

For “Type of Discount Offered”, how would you like us to handle a product line that has multiple different discount percentages due to different sourcing lines, reseller agreements, etc.?

DLA: Attachment #1, Tab identified above; Columns G through U are provided for this situation.

General Questions:

We are in the process of adjusting our list prices for patient monitoring which will be completed sometime in the next six (6) months. Per the solicitation, there is a requirement to update list prices if they are changed which we are willing to do once completed. However, will we be able to also adjust our discounts in conjunction with this? The Government net price would remain the same, and we would still provide the most favored customer net pricing.

DLA: You must provide your current list price in accordance with the commercial price structure you are using at time of offer submission. You may change your pricing prior to award only in the event that the Government decides to conduct discussions. After award, you are able to change a list price in the DLA price book with the use of an EPA adjustment AND you are NOT ABLE TO adjust your discounts UNLESS they are improved (an increased percentage).

VENDOR C

1. What is the previous iteration of this contract?

DLA: This is a solicitation for Patient Monitoring and Capital Equipment items (to include Pharmacy Automation products). This is the renewal of the Patient Monitoring Program, a multiple award type program that has multiple vendors on contract, along with expanded scope to cover other Capital Equipment product lines.

2. Will this new contract eliminate or augment existing ECAT contracts?

DLA: It is unclear which ECAT contracts/program you are referring to. ECAT is an ordering software and not a program on its own. This is not a new program and the program scope is meant to cover products lines not on other multiple award programs. ECAT may be used for ordering under this program but is not anticipated to be main ordering method.

3. For Offerors currently holding ECAT contracts, should all items listed on ECAT contracts be migrated to this contract?

DLA: Those items can be listed as items for the new contracts and pricing should be identical wherein possible as prior pricing will be evaluated. Generally there should not be overlap between different programs, for example the Hospital Equipment Program and PMCE Program.

Certain products lines are no longer within scope of the Hospital Equipment Program and those can be now offered under the PMCE Program.

4. For solicitation page 22, IV.c. Delivery Requirements, how should the Offeror provide different FOB Destination pricing for OCONUS locations?

DLA: FOB Destination OCONUS would be determined at time of a delivery order issuance. For ECAT, OCONUS pricing would need to the same as CONUS pricing OR not offered on ECAT.

5. For solicitation page 23, VIII.1. Delivery items requiring installation, is installation a separately quoted item? Or is installation included as part of the item price?

DLA: Orders that required installation would be separately quoted and installation could be a product/service part number. If the item requires installation and the installation price is uniform, it could be included as a part number on a price list submitted.

6. For solicitation page 26, IX. Warranty, c. Emergency and Routine Service, the solicitation requires that "When the Government notifies the Contractor of an emergency service request, the Contractor shall provide a qualified engineer within 4 hours of the Government's request to perform repairs if the notification is made during normal work hours excluding weekends and federal holidays. Telephone response does not satisfy this requirement. An emergency service request will be issued upon any failure in normal equipment operation which disrupts continued patient care." Is this separate pricing or to be included as part of the contractors offer?

DLA: This is required and should be included as part of having the contract, built into the vendors offered pricing.

7. For solicitation page 27, X.b. Operator Training, is this Operator Training required for every item delivered CONUS & OCONUS, or will it be spelled out on a case-by-case basis at the time of order?

DLA: Per order.

a. Is Operator training on cost reimbursement, or should the training be calculated into the cost of the item?

DLA: Operator Training is basic training of personnel at the Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) and priced according the vendors commercial pricing.

b. Please list which items the Government requires Operator Training for?

DLA: All equipment/devices/software require operator training. Consumables and most accessories would not require training.

ADDITIONAL VENDOR C

1. Please provide a listing of FSCs for categories of equipment not provided on other current contracts which are applicable to PM&CE.

DLA: There is no FSC category list. There may be NSNs assigned for items procured under the program but FSC's and NSN's are not actually used on the program or for ordering. The Statement of Work governs what is acceptable under the program.

2. Is there a maximum dollar amount for each order?

DLA: No.

3. Does the scope of this contract include both commercial items and NSNs?

DLA: Only commercial items but these may have NSNs (see #1 for NSN discussion).

4. To further clarify DLA's response to our previous question #4: If DLA requires only one quoted price for items regardless of delivery location (CONUS or OCONUS), will the offeror be able to ship items to a central depot for distribution by the customer? Shipment costs for OCONUS deliveries will be substantially different from those incurred from CONUS deliveries.

DLA: Please see page 22. This applies to basic contract and manual orders. ECAT which is a secondary order method will not allow for variation beyond having a CONUS price and maybe a separate Alaska, Hawaii and US territory price. The program does not envision using depots or Government transportation so all deliveries must be made by vendor directly to customer location.

5. To further clarify DLA's response to our previous question #6: We are understanding that regardless of final equipment location, the Government expects the offeror to provide all repair and maintenance services within four (4) hours of request. This will require a number of personnel on call around the clock, which will be costly for OCONUS locations. Can the Government confirm that this is the intention of this requirement?

DLA: This is a requirement for all orders. OCONUS offering/coverage beyond Alaska, Hawaii and US territories is not required.

VENDOR D

CONTRACT

• Will multiple vendors be awarded for each category? The solicitation highlights FAR

16.505 that it is according to multiple award ordering procedure but doesn’t confirm that each category will for sure have multiple award winners.

DLA: Multiple contracts will be awarded to multiple vendors covering the entire modality matrix to promote competition.

• Can pricing vary from year-to-year in the five-year pricing proposal?

DLA: Pricing is set at time of award based on the vendor’s current Commercial Price Book and can only be changed using the EPA provision is described in the solicitation for other potential price changes.

• If the five-year extension is enacted, is pricing allowed to change and if so, do we put in pricing now or at the time of the extension?

DLA: See above discussion of EPA.

• Does DLA prefer to utilize small businesses for services and support? For example, having a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business that can contract for preventive maintenance, would that be interesting or does DLA prefer to deal directly with manufacturers?

DLA: This is an unrestricted procurement with no preferences for vendor size. However, all large vendors are required to submit a Subcontracting Plan that requires the vendor to utilize other small business and small business type vendors. DLA deals directly only with the Prime, Contracted vendor.

• The solicitation allows for lease options; does DLA want these included with pricing or simply a confirmation that leasing is available?

DLA: Confirmation that leasing is available. Leasing is extremely rare for DLA ordering but vendors may also provide firm lease pricing if offered commercially.

• While the solicitation outlines that trade-in offers will be site specific, is it desirable to include trade-in terms and pricing for products if a set policy within the company already exists?

DLA: That is not required at time of contract award but that information would facilitate orders issuance in event the vendor is selected for order with trade-in.be

• Do we need to include brochures for each product quoted?

DLA: All products should include a brochure.

• What are the connectivity expectations to MUSE? To Cerner?

DLA: To be determined on a site by site basis. Cerner requirements have not yet been finalized for DoD.

• How does the workflow work? Is it barcode-driven?

DLA: Not clear on the questions. If referring to connectivity of systems then that would be specified when requesting a quote, with site specific requirements.

• What is the expected role of the manufacturer in connectivity implementation?

DLA: The contractor is expected to meet the requirements of the solicitation and any resulting order. The actual site connectivity requirements would be spelled out in the Request for Offers (RFO).

ECG

• Are the Federal Information and Processing Standards (FIPS), specifically FIPS Publication 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, a hard requirement or can we show progress towards it? (Page 38)

DLA: That is dependent on exact requirement and procuring Service. That will be determined for each individual requirement.

• Are the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), specifically NIST Special

Publication 800-37 –Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework (RMF) to Federal Information Systems a hard requirement or can we show progress towards it?

(Page 38)

DLA: RMF is a requirement for all electronic devices, with each Service having supplemental requirements provided for with each requirement.

• What are the required quantities, including consumables (electrodes, paper)?

DLA: These are determined on an order by order basis and vendors offering.

• What is the use case for the ECGs?

DLA: Not clear on the question.

• What additional security features are required? (e.g. user authorization, data encryption)

DLA: Determined on a case by case basis, generally determined by individual Services RMF requirements.

• Does the modality need to be able to import patient data (orders)?

DLA: Determined on a case by case basis.

• What number of leads are required? 12, 15?

• Is an ECG management system being used today? Which EMR/EHR system is being used?

• Are there any storage requirements for the device itself?

• Is additional service coverage required after the standard warranty period?

PRODUCT/SERVICES

• What specifications are we quoting towards?

• Are you looking for us to provide specifications on our own for what is quoted?

DLA: You should provide brochures on your items so they can have a technical determination of acceptability for basic contract award. For individual requirements you must meet the individual Government requirements to be considered for selection.

• In each category, e.g. EKG’s, or monitors, if we have several models do you want us to quote all of them to give options or only one version per category?

DLA: It is your option what to offer. Do note that you can only quote items for individual RFO’s that are already on your basic contract.

• The outline had strong requests for service support, do you want products quoted as stand-alone and then quoted as product with preventive maintenance and then again with product, preventive maintenance and service support or do you want all three quoted separately?

DLA: You should quote these separately and as service maintenance would be purchased separately of the equipment in almost all cases.

• If we offer services such as delivery assist where the products are unpacked, assembled and trash taken away, do you want services like this quoted?

DLA: You may wish to offer this service as a separate part number to add to product price for a customer.

• For a category like vital signs monitors do you want ALL trailing consumables quoted?

For example, there are over 100 different blood pressure cuffs that can be used with our and any other monitor; would you want all these quoted?

DLA: Yes, anything that you wish to sell to DoD customers

• One note is that “installation” is to be included; in some contracting methods this means getting the products ready to mount but not penetrating walls, in this situation is the term “installation” for actual fixation to the wall or building?

DLA: Both would be considered installation of varying degrees and would be specified when applicable in the RFO.

• Does “Clinical Information Systems” also include Nurse Call?

DLA: No.

HOLTER

1. Are there any best estimates on the required quantities?

DLA: No.

2. Will networked systems with review/download stations be required?

DLA: Potentially.

3. What EMR/EHR system is currently being used?

DLA: This potentially varies by customer with Cerner being the future HER for DoD.

4. How many leads are required? 5 or 12 lead?

5. Is a turnkey system required, or software only?

6. Will additional coverage (Service Contracts) be required after warranty period?

STRESS

1. What are the required quantities?

DLA: Unknown.

2. Will networked systems with central server be required?

DLA: Determined by the customer at time of quote.

3. What EMR/EHR system is currently being used?

DLA: This potentially varies by customer with Cerner being the future EHR for DoD.

4. Is DICOM needed?

DLA: Depending on requirement.

5. Are stress tests typically done with exercise equipment or pharmacologically?

DLA: Determined by the Customer

6. What interface devices will be used with the stress system? Treadmill, ergometer, automatic blood pressures, Echo machine?

DLA: This will determined at the time of quote to the customer per their needs.

7. Is any legacy/competitive equipment currently being used?

DLA: DoD does have equipment at some facilities.

8. Which additional features are desired with the stress system? Wireless data acquisition, touchscreen?

DLA: This will determined at the time of quote to the customer per their needs.

9. Will additional coverage (Service Contracts) be required after warranty period?

VENDOR E

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 21) Section II(b.)(5.) Critical Care Systems including, but not limited to, Defibrillators, Defibrillator/Monitors, and Ventilators. What does “not limited to” mean?

Is this where we would categorize our products that don’t fall into any of the other product groups (e.g. Aspirator, Temperature Management System, Power Infuser, AED Program Management Software, and AutoPulse®ResuscitationSystem)?

DLA: This means there are other products that fall under these scope categories but which are not specifically cited. .

Can you please define “modality” as used in this solicitation?

DLA: A modality is defined as product category for items with the same or similar clinical purpose, therapeutic method, and/or process.

In the Modality Matrix Attachment #3, there is no modality for Critical Care Systems. Should there be? If not, which modality should our company’s other product groups, listed in questions one (1), fall under?

DLA: Critical Care Systems is not a modality but a general class of products covering multiple modalities.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 22) Section IV (f.) our company cannot generalize the delivery date per modality. Our delivery dates are based on the product group. Some product groups’ delivery times will not meet the requirement of 60 days ADO. How/where should we indicate this in our response?

DLA: That would constitute taking exception to the solicitation terms and would not be acceptable. If the specific items are not specifically referenced in the delivery timeframe table, then those could be offered with proposed delivery timeframes. The Government will review if these warrant a new timeframe category or whether the deliveries must adhere to one of the existing delivery timeframes.

Our company would like guidance on how to complete the Contract Price Book Template Attachment #1. Our company’s discounts are based on product groups and then by capital equipment, accessories, and consumables, not by modalities. Our discounts are structured this way to provide the best value to the government (i.e. we are able to give higher discounts on capital equipment verses accessories and consumable). Is it possible to fill in the Contract Price Book Template using our company’s product groups and not modalities?

DLA: Yes. The template is meant to capture the vendor’s specific commercial price structure and there is no Government mandated discount structure beyond providing a list and discount for each item, including one based on the modalities. The discount categories should match commercial practice and generally columns should capture the vendor commercial discount categories that are similar in nature. If more than one discount category/column is being used, the vendor must provide explanation.

Attachment #1 only gives vendors the ability to discount by percentage. Our company’s products are discounted based on cost & margin and do not have consistent percent discounts.

Please provide guidance on how to complete Attachment #1 so our company can provide the best value to the government for each product.

DLA: DLA cannot accept items that have varying pricing, only commercially available fixed prices that are maintained in a commercial catalog used in the commercial marketplace. If this refers to volume pricing, then that could be accommodated using the additional discount category columns to denote quantity or quantity range along with associated pricing.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 23) Section VIII(b.)(1.) There is concern that a there is no differentiation between installed and non-installed items. Our company’s Capital Equipment items are portable and not installed thus the final acceptance procedure listed would be extremely cumbersome for the government to accept items. Would it be possible to break out the acceptance procedure for installed items verses non-installed items final acceptance procedures?

DLA: No. The same procedures would apply whether the order has installation or no installation.

Only difference is that with installation the vendor would have to follow the directions on page 23 at two different times, once for the 80% portion and later on the 20% portion.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 24) Section VIII(b.)(1.) it states, “Upon completion of installation and after contractor makes available to the using activity any training (e.g. initial applications and operator training) required by the manufacturer to properly use the equipment, the equipment shall be turned over to the facility for clinical use and the contractor shall furnish a written notice of readiness for inspection using the WAWF system”. Is a written notice of readiness still required if installation and training are not required (e.g. Accessories, Consumables, and Products)?

DLA: Yes.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 27) Section X(a.) it states, “The contractor shall ensure servicing and replacement parts are available, and that it is able to provide the parts for a period of eight (8) years after final acceptance”. Our company’s policy is to provide parts availability for seven (7) years. Is eight (8) years mandatory?

DLA: Eight years is mandatory.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 29) Section XI(c.)(3.) it states, “At the discretion of the Contracting Officer a random sample may be used to limit the number of items for which a vendor has to provide price support information”. Our company is proposing to add over one thousand (1000) items to this contract. Is it possible for the Contracting Officer to approve this random sampling prior to bid submission as to limit the number of items our company has to provide detailed pricing support information on?

DLA: If you are providing a large volume of items, then it would be prudent to provide the data later during negotiations as part of a sample size determined by DLA.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 30) Section XI(c.)(4.) it states, “Along with providing actual invoices or quotes, the Attachment #1 price book tab “OFFER-MOD REQUEST,” columns BM through BV shall be used to provide summary pricing information requested by the Government”.

Is this information required for all items? If a random sample is pre-approved would the data be required of only the sample items? There is an order of operation listed, if we have the first item listed are we required to provide the other data? For example, if we have an invoice less than 12 months old, do we also need to provide the GPO pricing?

DLA: See answer to #10 above. Only items requested as part of sample would need to be input into the price support columns. Please note that the columns mentioned above in #11 have been corrected per the notice update to the solicitation in FedBizOpps.

In the Statement of Work (Pg. 30) Section XI(c.)(4.)(c.) it states, “An item may have multiple discounts based on configuration”. Can you please clarify the meaning of this and where/how the multiple discounts are to be submitted?

DLA: This is vendor specific that should match the vendors’ commercial price structure or be based on the commercial price structure. See #5 above.