Statement of Work.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

Water System Chemical Treatment Services — Cooling Towers, Boiler Plant, Closed-Loop/Hydronic Systems, Glycol Systems, Water Softeners, Dealkalizers, Deaerator, Reverse Osmosis (RO), and Deionizing (DI) Units for the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VA SLCHCS)

SECTION A — GENERAL INFORMATION

A.1 Scope of Work. The Contractor shall provide all labor, supervision, chemicals, testing reagents, basic laboratory equipment, materials, and reporting necessary to perform water chemistry testing, monitoring, chemical treatment, and preventive maintenance for Government-owned steam boilers, deaerator, cooling towers, water & glycol closed-loop systems, water softeners, dealkalizers, condensate systems, reverse osmosis (RO) units, and deionizing (DI) units, and shall furnish and deliver softener salt, as described in this SOW and the Equipment/Maintenance List in Section B. All treatment chemicals are included in and provided under this contract. Certification and Accreditation (C&A) requirements do not apply, and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

A.2 Location. VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VA SLCHCS), George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 500 Foothill Boulevard, Salt Lake City, Utah 84148.

A.3 Period of Performance (PoP).

A.4 Hours of Operation. All services shall be scheduled through the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to avoid operational conflicts and performed during normal business hours: 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday, excluding the following Federal holidays: New Year's Day, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day), Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Once scheduled, a visit shall not be canceled without the express consent of the COR.

A.5 Response Time. For unscheduled/urgent service, the Contractor's representative shall respond by telephone to the COR or designated alternate within two (2) hours of receipt of telephoned notification. A qualified technician shall respond on-site within twelve (12) hours of the initial request, unless the COR or designated alternate specifies otherwise. In an emergency, chemicals shall be capable of delivery to VA SLCHCS within twelve (12) hours of notification.

A.6 Access Requirements. All Contractor personnel working on-site shall check in and out with the on-duty Boiler Plant Operator in Building 6. The COR shall ensure Contractor personnel are badged in accordance with (IAW) applicable VA policy. Contractor personnel shall comply with all VA facility access, physical security, and identity-credentialing requirements.

A.7 Government-Furnished Property/Utilities. The Government will provide reasonable access to the systems, on-site water and electrical utilities for performance, and (if applicable) secured storage space for chemicals. The Contractor shall furnish all other equipment, tools, test kits, personal protective equipment (PPE), and consumables.

SECTION B — REQUIREMENTS, QUALIFICATIONS, AND DELIVERABLES

B.1 Contractor Qualification Requirements B.1.1 Firm Licensure. The Contractor shall be registered with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) in the license classification applicable to water treatment, mechanical, or boiler-related services. The Contractor shall maintain active, unrestricted licensure throughout the PoP and provide proof of current licensure to the COR upon request.

B.1.2 Chemist/Chemical Engineer (Key Personnel). The Contractor shall designate a chemist or chemical engineer to oversee all work performed by the Contractor's technicians. This individual shall:

· Hold a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, chemical engineering, or a closely related field (e.g., environmental engineering or industrial/applied chemistry) from an accredited U.S. university;

· Have a minimum of three (3) years of experience in water treatment services and in supervisory roles servicing boilers, cooling towers, RO, DI, water softeners, and closed-loop systems; and

· Hold at least one of the following current credentials, or an equivalent industry-recognized credential approved in writing by the Contracting Officer (CO):

· (a) Certified Water Technologist (CWT) — Association of Water Technologies (AWT); or

· (b) AMPP/NACE Corrosion Technologist certification.

The Contractor shall maintain on file, and provide to the COR upon request, the résumé, degree/transcript, and current professional certification for the designated chemist/chemical engineer. Degree verification: the Contractor shall furnish proof of the required degree (e.g., a copy of the diploma and/or an official transcript, with personally identifiable information (PII) redacted); the Government reserves the right to verify authenticity directly with the issuing institution's registrar.

B.1.3 Technicians. Each technician shall hold at least one of the following verifiable credentials:

(a) AWT technician-level certification;

(b) a manufacturer-issued water treatment training certificate specific to the equipment types serviced;

(c) a state-recognized water treatment operator certification (where applicable); or

(d) an equivalent certification approved in writing by the CO. To qualify as "equivalent," a certification shall be issued by a recognized water-treatment authority, require demonstrated competency by examination or documented supervised experience, and be current; self-attestation alone is not acceptable.

Each technician shall have a minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience, or work under the direct supervision of a technician with such experience, in sampling, testing and analysis, and servicing of boilers, cooling towers, RO, DI, water softeners, and closed-loop systems. Documentation of experience (e.g., employer verification letter, résumé, or reference letter) shall be submitted with the proposal.

B.1.4 Personnel Safety Certifications. All on-site personnel shall hold current:

(a) OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 (General Industry);

(b) Bloodborne Pathogens training (required for access to the Blood Pathogens Lab RO/DI system); and

(c) Hazard Communication (HazCom)/Globally Harmonized System (GHS) training consistent with the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and chemical-handling requirements in Section C. The Contractor shall maintain and provide to the COR, upon request and prior to any individual's first day of on-site work, current copies of all certifications.

B.1.5 Personnel Changes / Key Personnel Substitution. Any change in Contractor personnel shall be communicated by email and approved by the COR before the individual performs any service or testing. Substitutes for the designated chemist/chemical engineer (Key Personnel) shall possess qualifications equal to or exceeding those of the individual being replaced and are subject to CO/COR approval.

B.1.6 Unqualified Individuals. No unqualified individual shall perform services under this contract. Technician trainees or other unqualified individuals may assist or observe but shall not do so if their presence delays servicing. The Government shall not pay for unqualified individuals or technician trainees.

B.2 Equipment/Maintenance List B.2.1 System Data (Capacities and Baseline Usage) Provided in response to vendor questions to support accurate pricing. Figures are for planning; the Contractor is responsible for verifying field conditions at the site visit.

Steam Boilers (Bldg 6)

Plant total

118,120 lb/hr

Condensate return specification: 60–100%.

Cooling Towers (Bldg 27)

Total

Other make-up water: make-up for chilled water, glycol, and closed-loop systems is negligible.

Equipment/Maintenance List (quantities by location)

B.3 Boiler Plant and Cooling Tower Systems — Services The Contractor shall:

· Supply a formulation summary disclosing percent (%) actives for each product used to treat the cooling tower and boiler systems. A one-gallon sample of each formulation shall be submitted with the proposal, accompanied by an SDS and certificate of compliance so that % actives can be verified by the COR or VA technical designee. The Government reserves the right to analyze samples for formulation accuracy and to reject, and require re-testing and correction at the Contractor's expense, any product found out of specification.

· Feed condensate treatment IAW ASHRAE guidelines while maintaining condensate iron below 0.10 ppm as Fe.

· Provide all testing chemicals (reagents, titrants, indicators, etc.) at no additional cost to the Government.

· Deliver and pump chemicals into the VA SLCHCS bulk tanks. Each delivery shall be documented by a signed delivery ticket recording product, quantity, and tank levels before and after delivery, countersigned by the Boiler Plant Operator or COR designee.

· Perform water testing and service of the boiler and cooling systems every two (2) weeks, performing at minimum the tests in Tables 1–2. Additional testing beyond the minimum requires COR coordination and approval before performance.

· Provide chemical treatment and sampling/reporting for the CHP boiler and cooling tower.

· Provide the Boiler Plant Operator with a record sheet for the Operator's daily water test, as needed.

· On each visit, review trends/differences in results and provide recommendations to improve treatment.

· Provide, once per year, an analysis of water samples, inorganic and organic deposits, metallurgical samples, and scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of inorganic samples.

· Inspect boilers and chillers as they become available/open, with a written report of observations and recommendations for each inspection.

B.4 Reporting B.4.1 Post-Visit Report. Within twenty-four (24) hours of each visit, the Contractor shall email the COR a report including: each sample result; clear identification of any out-of-specification condition; corrective action taken; chemical tank levels and usage; and recommendations.

B.4.2 Monthly Report. At the end of each month, the Contractor shall provide a report with detailed summaries for each system, including charts and graphs showing trends per system.

B.4.3 Web Portal (if offered). Where the Contractor provides an online reporting portal, the Government shall have read access for designated personnel at no additional cost.

B.5 Testing Requirements (Minimum) The following tables establish the minimum required tests and reporting format. An alternate reporting format may be proposed but shall include, at minimum, these parameters for the equipment/system type. (Note: The tables below reference the type of equipment/system but do not list each individual unit or quantity, due to spacing constraints. Refer to the Equipment/Maintenance List in Section B.2 for equipment quantities by location, and Section B.2.1 System Data for system capacities.)

Table 1 — Steam Boiler & Condensate System (every 2 weeks) Note: The target/control range limits shall be IAW the current edition of the VHA Boiler and Associated Plant Safety Device Testing Manual.

Table 2 — Cooling Towers & Chilled Water Plant (every 2 weeks)

Table 3 — Glycol Systems (quarterly)

Table 4 — Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems (monthly) Table 5 — Closed Hydronic Systems (monthly) RO System Specifics.

· Research RO (Bldg 2) — Tested monthly; salt rejection %, normalized pressure drop, normalized permeate flow, and normalized salt rejection tracked and trended to determine membrane replacement timing. Membrane replacement is quoted to the VA and, upon approval, performed by the Contractor. DI bottles shall be replaced every ninety (90) days.

· SPS RO (Bldg 14) — Tested monthly, same trended parameters; membrane replacement quoted and, upon approval, performed. The SPS RO ultraviolet (UV) bulb shall be replaced once annually.

· Blood Lab RO/DI (Bldg 14) — Maintained by the Contractor; annual preventive maintenance parts and labor are included in the base service. Unique system failures are quoted to the VA for repair/replacement and performed upon approval.

B.6 Plant Softeners — Salt Supply The Contractor shall supply and deliver an estimated annual forecast of 800,000 lbs of salt that must be compatible for a sodium zeolite water softener system for the plant softeners located in Buildings 2, 6, 14, and 42, and shall add the salt into each softener system's tank. Delivery method by location:

· Buildings 6 and 42: each has an outdoor in-ground tank that accepts bulk salt delivery from a truck.

· Buildings 2, 6, and 14: each has an indoor tank requiring the Contractor's personnel to manually carry and load the salt (typically bagged).

Salt shall be delivered only upon COR-confirmed need, documented by signed delivery tickets showing pounds delivered, and invoiced on actual pounds delivered against the unit price. The Contractor shall provide design considerations and analysis for the softeners necessary to meet the hospital's process needs prior to supply and delivery.

B.7 Consultation and Annual Training The requirements for Water Safety Committee consultation and annual operator training are performed outside the routine monthly services and are addressed, together with their billing mechanism, under the Annual Labor Allowance in Section C.3.

SECTION C — SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

C.1 Hazardous Material Identification and Safety Data.

C.1.1 Definition. "Hazardous material" is defined in Federal Standard No. 313 (current revision).

C.1.2 General. OSHA issues and administers regulations requiring Government activities to inform employees of: all hazards to which they may be exposed; relevant symptoms and appropriate emergency treatment; and proper conditions and precautions for safe use and exposure.

C.1.3 Submission. Contractors and their subcontractors of any tier shall submit hazardous material data (SDS) for all hazardous materials brought on-site or delivered to the medical center, IAW Federal Standard No. 313 (current revision). SDS shall be provided prior to bringing any hazardous material on-site.

C.1.4 Compliance Failure. Failure to comply with this section may be cause for termination IAW the Default clause of the contract.

C.2 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Contractors and subcontractors of any tier shall wear PPE IAW the Occupational Safety and Health Act and other Federal, State, and local regulations. Personnel observed in violation may be removed from the medical center. The Government assumes no responsibility for injury to Contractor or subcontractor personnel resulting from noncompliance with these regulations.

C.3 Unscheduled (Non-Routine) Corrective Maintenance — Annual Allowance Structure. All corrective/unscheduled repair labor and parts (including RO membrane replacement, unique RO/DI system failures, and chemical/glycol replenishment arising from system water loss or leaks, which are not included in the routine base service) are funded through annual allowances established in the Price/Cost Schedule for each period of performance, as follows:

· Annual Parts Allowance. A Government-established annual not-to-exceed (NTE) dollar amount for unscheduled maintenance parts and non-routine chemicals (excluding routine softener salt resupply), set in the Price/Cost Schedule at $10,000 per period. The Contractor shall not exceed this allowance in any performance period without prior written CO authorization through a contract modification. Parts and non-routine chemicals shall be passed through at documented cost (i.e.: Contractor's supplier quote/invoice attached).

· Illustrative (not exhaustive) examples of critical parts/chemicals: boiler and cooling-tower chemical feed pumps; chemical feed injectors; motorized boiler blowdown valves; boiler conductivity sensors; cooling-tower pH/conductance/ORP/flow sensors; laboratory glassware (beakers, flasks, pipettes, graduated cylinders, vials, etc.); corrosion inhibitor for hydronic systems; chemical storage tanks; RO membranes, pressure gauges, filters, etc.; chlorine dioxide generating chemicals; chlorine dioxide analyzing reagents.

· Annual Labor Allowance. A Government-established annual labor-hour quantity, priced at the Contractor's fixed hourly rate(s) as a separate Line Item Number for each period of performance in the Price/Cost Schedule. This allowance funds Contractor labor performed outside the routine sampling, testing, and preventive-maintenance services billed under the fixed monthly price, namely: (i) unscheduled/corrective maintenance labor authorized under this Section C.3; (ii) technical consultation on the VA Water Safety Committee; and (iii) the required annual operator training. All such labor shall be billed only at the fixed contract hourly rate(s) and charged against this allowance. The COR shall reserve sufficient labor hours within this allowance to ensure the required annual training and Water Safety Committee consultation can be performed and are not displaced by unscheduled-maintenance draws.

· Consultation (Water Safety Committee). The Contractor shall participate, as required, as a technical consultant on the hospital's Water Safety Committee, estimated at two to three (2–3) times per year, generally short in duration and able to be conducted remotely. Consultation labor is charged against the Annual Labor Allowance at the fixed hourly rate for actual time worked; remote consultation is not subject to the on-site one (1) hour minimum in the billing increments below.

· Annual Training. The Contractor shall provide annual training to all boiler operators, the COR, and the COR's designated representatives, based on the Contractor's inspection checklists, record sheets, test equipment, and proper handling/use of the chemicals supplied. Training shall establish continuity of processes and standards between Contractor technicians and VA operators, review common issues to establish preventive controls and best practices, and consist of formal classroom instruction followed by on-site hands-on training on VA equipment using the Contractor's equipment and supplies. Training shall be coordinated by the COR at contract start and annually thereafter. Training labor is charged against the Annual Labor Allowance at the fixed hourly rate.

· Travel and transportation are not separately billable. Travel and transportation are not separately billable. The Contractor's fixed monthly price for scheduled routine services and its fixed hourly labor rate are fully inclusive of all overhead, travel, transportation, mileage, per diem, lodging, fuel, vehicle, and mobilization costs. Travel time to and from the Place of Performance is not billable labor and shall not be charged against the Annual Labor Allowance or invoiced under any line item. Only billable labor hours actually worked on-site at the Place of Performance (or, for remote consultation, actual time worked) are chargeable.

· Labor billing increments. Billable on-site labor under the Annual Labor Allowance shall be billed as follows: (a) a minimum of one (1) hour shall be billed per site visit, and on-site labor of one (1) hour or less is billed at the one (1) hour minimum; (b) on-site labor exceeding one (1) hour shall be billed for actual time worked, rounded up to the nearest thirty (30) minutes, not to exceed actual time worked plus the applicable rounding increment; (c) the Contractor shall not impose any minimum-hours-per-visit policy (e.g., a 2-, 3-, or 4-hour minimum) greater than the one (1) hour minimum stated in this Section, regardless of the Contractor's standard commercial practice, and no such minimum shall be billed to or paid by the Government; and (d) labor hours are billable only against non-routine labor authorized under this Section C.3 (unscheduled maintenance, consultation, and annual training); labor inherent in a scheduled routine service is included in that period's fixed monthly price and shall not be separately billed hourly.

· Quote and Approval Process. Before initiating any unscheduled maintenance work, the Contractor shall submit a written quote to the COR identifying:

(a) Estimated labor hours at the fixed contract hourly rate;

(b) An itemized parts quote with the Contractor's supplier(s) quote attached; and

(c) The proposed completion date. No work shall begin and no parts/supplies/chemicals shall be ordered until the COR provides written confirmation of price reasonableness and sufficient remaining allowance funds.

· Allowance Tracking. The COR shall track a running balance of parts costs expended and labor hours charged against each annual allowance. When cumulative charges approach exhausting any annual parts or labor line item before period end, the COR shall immediately notify the CO in writing. No further unscheduled maintenance work shall proceed until the CO authorizes additional funds and/or hours through a written contract modification.

C.4 Invoicing and Payment. The Contractor shall submit invoices through the VA's designated electronic invoicing system, Tungsten IAW the Prompt Payment Act. Invoices shall reference the purchase order (PO) #, the line item number, and the Contractor’s itemized supporting documentation (e.g.: work order(s), delivery tickets, etc.) from the period of performance.

C.5 Transition / Phase-In. The Contractor shall be prepared to assume full performance on the PoP start date with no lapse in water treatment.

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