RFI TRANSCOM26C004 Q and A.pdf

Q # RFI or Atch Reference Question Answer

1 Para 1.a.

Requirement: "The aircraft and medical crew may be required to be ready for immediate departure (not later than two hours) after confirmed notification of an air ambulance requirement."

OCONUS air ambulance services may require "fly-over" or similar permits prior to mission start. Permits may take more that two hours to acquire. Will the Government take this into consideration when establishing mission departure time requirements?

The "immediate departure (not later than two hours)" requirement applies to urgent or priority patient movements. For OCONUS missions, the Government recognizes permit acquisitions may require additional time. If the contractor notifies the Government point of contract of permit constraints at initial contact, the Government may accommodate the timeline, if mission requirements allow.

Most Air Ambulance missions are routine. USTRANSCOM TPMRC-S prefers departure at least 8-16 hour after confirmed notification to coordinate ground transportation to and from the hospital to the aircraft.

2 Para 1.a.

Requirement: "The aircraft and medical crew may be required to be ready for immediate departure (not later than two hours) after confirmed notification of an air ambulance requirement."

Missions like NICU and ECMO transports require specific aircraft configurations and specially trained personnel not consistent with a standard air ambulance configuration/staffing. Does the government intend to allow more than two hours to reconfigure the aircraft and/or await the arrival of qualified personnel to support these specialized flights?

The "immediate departure (not later than two hours)" requirement applies to urgent or priority patient movements. For missions requiring specialized personnel, such as NICU or ECMO, or specific aircraft configuration, the Government may accommodation additional time if the contractor communicates constraints at initial contact, if mission requirements allow.

Most missions are routine, and USTRANSCOM TPMRC-S prefers departure at least 8-16 hours after confirmed notification.

3 Para 1.a.

Requirement: "The aircraft and medical crew may be required to be ready for immediate departure (not later than two hours) after confirmed notification of an air ambulance requirement."

A two-hour callout mandates that an operator have an aircraft on standby, as well as a minimum of three flight/med crews per 24-hour period (numerous FAA opinions note that a crew with a duty to respond is not in rest) at the airport and unavailable for other work. However, there is no provision in the contract to pay for that availability and the loss of revenue that these assets might otherwise generate. It also seems impractical for the Government to pay multiple operators for this daily availability on a BPA. Please explain how the Government intends for operators to meet this obligation without compensation.

The "immediate departure (not later than two hours)" requirement applies to urgent or priority patient movements and may be extended based on aircraft and medical crew availability and Government mission requirements. If the contractor communicates availability restrictions at initial contact, the Government may consideration them, if mission requirements allow. However, the Government may select the lowest priced, first available contractor, with appropriate capability.

Most missions are routine, and USTRANSCOM TPMRC-S prefers departure at least 8-16 hours after confirmed notification.

4 Para 10.d

Multiple contracts have transitioned to using Flight hour pricing instead of GCSM as stated in the Requirements Description. This allows for a more efficient pricing and invoicing system and may save the Government time and funds. Would the Government consider using Flight Hour pricing in lieu of

GCSM.

Other Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 135 contracts/task orders have dedicated aircraft, with weekly or monthly schedules, and do not necessarily have the short notice requirements and time constraints compared to Air Ambulance Services. Historically, Air Ambulance services operates under a multiple award agreement with the Government making a best value decision for each mission based on pre-priced, lowest priced, capable contractor with aircraft and crew availability. GCSM pricing enables rapid service requests for non-dedicated aircraft and multiple carriers. The Government will continue to use GCSM for pricing and invoicing on any resultant solicitation.

5 N/A

Historically on missions that involve military bases where there is significant down time to include RONs, medical and aircrew have encountered delays in getting on base to complete the missions. Would the Government consider issuing CAC Cards to be used for military base missions.

The Government has not observed significant mission delays due to installation security. The Government will not issue CAC cards upon award. The Government will monitor and evaluate the situation as needed and ensure compliance with DoDM 1000.13-M-VI Guidance for CAC issuance:

“For the populations described in this paragraph, the applicant’s sponsor must confirm that the applicant meets one of the requirements in section 1.b.(1) through 1.b.(3) of this enclosure:

(1) Both physical access to a DoD facility and access, via logon, to DoD networks on-site or remotely. Access to the DoD network must require the use of a computer with Government-controlled configuration or use of a DoD-approved remote access procedure in accordance with the Defense Information Systems Agency Security Technical Implementation Guide (Reference (h)).

(2) Remote access, via logon, to a DoD network using DoD-approved remote access procedures.

(3) Physical access to multiple DoD facilities or multiple non-DoD federally controlled facilities on behalf of the DoD (applicable to DoD contractors only) on a recurring basis for a period of 6 months or more.

(a) The frequency of “recurring basis” for access shall be determined by the DoD Component concerned in coordination with installation security policies.

(b) CAC eligibility for applicants requiring physical access to multiple DoD facilities on a recurring basis for less than 6 months are risk-based decisions that shall be made by the DoD Component concerned in coordination with installation security policies. These applicants may instead be eligible for local or regional base passes in accordance with Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) and local installation security policies and procedures.”

Air Ambulance Services Request For Information (RFI) TRANSCOM26C004

Questions and Answers #1 - 6

6 N/A

Will the Government consider adding a section into the BPA allowing proposed individual specialized air ambulance transports to be individually negotiated with the Government under one (1) all-inclusive Special Aircraft Service Request (SASR) quote which includes all of the non-standard (higher fuel burn to operate at a lower altitudes, subcontractor personnel and specialized equipment to augment onboard medical crew, decontamination services for biocontainment use, etc.? Our opinion is that there are far too many variations in each “non-standard” medical flight to capture all of the costs under the BPA as written.

The Government will not negotiate individual missions due to time constraints. Only the Contracting Officer can negotiate terms and conditions. Ordering Officers, requesting personnel, and CORs do not have negotiation authority. Offerors should include specialized items in proposed price in any resultant solicitation. The Government will make a best value decision for each mission and will award to the lowest priced contractor that is capable and available.

Q&A 1-6