VA240-14-R-0002-A00003.docx

5. PROJECT NO.

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED

PAGE OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR AC- KNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 10-83)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

BY

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(No., street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required) (If applicable)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X) (X)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) 1 5 A00003 3-18-2014 512-14-2-3585-0030 None 00240E US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Service Area Office (SAO) East 323 North Shore Drive, Suite 500 Pittsburgh PA 15212-5319 00240E US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Service Area Office (SAO) East 323 North Shore Drive, Suite 500 Pittsburgh PA 15212-5319 To all Offerors/Bidders

VA240-14-R-0002

03-02-2014 X X X

March 25, 2014 at 3p.m. E.S.T.

N/A X See attached text.

Ms. Cheryl Homison Contracting Officer

The purpose of this amendment is to provide the following clarifications and answers to questions received in response to the solicitation:

1. Tasks that service dogs must be trained per contract Statement of Work, and applicability to Veterans with PTSD.

The only service dog tasks that will be required and therefore proofed prior to acceptance by VA are listed in item 11.4 (Task 4) of the Statement of Work. To maintain experimental consistency between Contractors and VA study sites, unless exceptional circumstances dictate otherwise, trained tasks will not be tailored for individual Veterans in the study. After a Veteran receives a service dog, VA will not discourage a Veteran from training their dog to do additional behaviors or tasks, but the Contractor will not assist the Veteran in additional training unless requested by VA.

To maintain consistency with standard operations in their organization, Contractors may teach additional tasks to VA service dogs routinely taught to all service dogs at that organization. Those tasks may also be taught to Veterans during the pairing process if the Veterans are mingled with other candidates, but those additional tasks will not be tested as part of the proofing process.

In addition to the tasks in item 11.4, the obedience commands required to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen and ADI Public Access Test will also be tested as part of the proofing process.

Regarding which tasks are best suited to assisting with PTSD disabilities, VA is aware that differences of opinion exist in the service dog community and among mental health professionals. As noted in RFP Amendment 1, item 3, the tasks listed in item 11.4 are entirely consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act regulatory guidance provided by the Department of Justice. These tasks collectively are designed to help Veterans with PTSD become more comfortable when venturing out into public places.

2. Per item 1.0.2, and as listed in item 1.3.1 as Contract Line Item Numbers 0001 (Base year), 1001 (Option year 1), 2001 (Option year 2), 3001 (Option year 3), and 4001 (Option year 4), VA will provide compensation of $10,000 for Contractor procurement of each service dog in the study.

This Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) may be applied to any costs related to acquiring a puppy or dog to be trained as a service dog. VA will not reimburse a Contractor for CLINs until the service dog meets all health, confirmation, and training criteria in the Statement of Work, and passes the proofing process described in items 11.4.2-11.4.5.

As noted previously in RFP Amendment 2, item 5, all costs associated with obtaining, maintaining, and training dogs must be amortized into one of the CLINs shown in items 1.3.1 (service dogs) and 1.3.2. (Emotional support dogs) in the Statement of Work. Contractors may not add additional CLINs for reimbursement. This is a firm fixed price contract, accordingly contractors are requested to submit firm fixed unit prices for each CLIN (amortized/burdened as the contractor requires) to arrive at the total proposed firm fixed unit price. The Government will evaluate each of these proposed prices IAW the pricing evaluation section of the solicitation to arrive at the total evaluated price.

2. Regarding Statement of Work item 3.4, if VA decides to return a dog to the Contractor because the dog has developed disqualifying health or behavioral problems that prevent it from functioning properly as a service dog, then according to item 3.4.1 VA will be due a refund from the Contractor on the complete cost paid for a dog. Given the fact that all Contractors have pairing failures despite much effort, and given the fact that the Contractor will have limited contact with Veterans after service dog pairing, what measures will VA dog trainers take to help ensure success of the Veteran/service dog pair, and how can VA hold Contractors responsible for post-pairing failures if a dog passes the proofing process?

VA understands that some service dog pairings fail despite the best efforts of reputable organizations, but it is committed to doing everything it can to limit the number of pairing failures. The proofing process is expected to help reduce failures due to dog problems, and the Veteran enrollment and screening process is expected to reduce failures due to handler problems (addressed by items 3.3 and 3.5). In general, Veterans volunteering for the study have been very motivated to learn how to handle and care for their dog, and are very receptive to making corrections as needed.

The goal of VA trainers will be to maintain the best possible pairing relationship for each Veteran throughout the study, and VA will not hesitate to consult with Contractors and/or engage Contractors at the first sign of problems. VA does not intend to make hasty decisions on such important matters as described in item 3.4, and VA is committed to excellent communication with Contractors so that they would be well aware of any developing or ongoing problems in a pair, and would be well aware of the correction plan, even to the extent of providing direct training if requested by VA.

3. Item 5.4 stipulates that "Any and all external requests for information about the study or Veterans participating in the study must be referred immediately to the Contracting Officer."

While the study is ongoing, is our organization allowed to disclose to any party other than staff that we are participating in this study?

Please refer to page 60 of the solicitation that includes VAAR clause 852.203-70 “Commercial Advertising (Jan 2008).” The bidder or offeror agrees that if a contract is awarded to him/her, as a result of this solicitation, he/she will not advertise the award of the contract in his/her commercial advertising in such a manner as to state or imply that the Department of Veterans Affairs endorses a product, project or commercial line of endeavor.

4. Will Contractors be responsible for recruiting Veterans into the study?

No. VA is responsible for recruiting Veterans for the study and for providing the names of Veterans to the Contractor. Interested Veterans who contact the Contractor should be referred to a designated VA study team member, whose contact information will be provided.

5. What responsibilities will participating Veterans incur for the duration of the study once paired with a service dog?

The Veterans will be expected to:

· Care for the dog;

· Reinforce tasks and provide daily exercise;

· For service dogs, demonstrate continuing competence in handling the dog in public places, upon request;

· Schedule and make routine wellness visits to a veterinarian (at 6, 12, and 18 months);

· Visit a veterinarian whenever the dog shows signs of illness or lameness;

· Communicate any problems with the dog immediately to a VA dog trainer;

· Host quarterly in-home visits by a VA study team, which will include a VA dog trainer;

· Maintain a suitable home environment for a dog;

· Complete written study questionnaires; and

· Continue to see their VA mental health provider on a regular basis;

· Call the study team immediately if the dog bites anyone, if the dog is injured or dies, or if the dog is admitted to an animal hospital.

For at least 3 months before receiving either an emotional support dog or a service dog, the Veteran will be enrolled in the study and must complete questionnaires. All Veterans must also pass a basic dog care course to be eligible to receive a dog. The course covers a variety of topics on responsible dog ownership and care.

6. Certification and selection of the VA dog Trainers.

Please see item 4 in RFP Amendment 2. In addition, all VA dog trainers are expected to be certifiable as AKC evaluators for the basic (Canine Good Citizen) and advanced (Community Canine) examinations. The VA dog trainers have not been hired yet.

7. Is the Technical Proposal due in its entirety on March 21, 2014?

The solicitation closing date as a result of this amendment is hereby extended until March 25, 2014 at 3 p.m. E.S.T.

8. On page 79 of the RFP document, Sub factor a specifies that the Project Management Plan (PMP) must be part of the proposal due by 3 PM EST on March 21st, but on page 30 in Task 1, the PMP must be delivered within 30 calendar days of contract award.

Page 79 of the solicitation refers to the proposed Project Management Plan which needs to be submitted as part of the technical proposal. All areas listed under the Project Management Plan should be addressed in the proposal submittal.

Page 30 refers to Project Management Plan “Contract Tasks and Deliverables.” The Project Management Plan is a deliverable and the final plan is due “within 30 days of contract award.”

9. Clarification of the intent of the $10,000 payment for a service dog in CLINs 0001 through 4001, and assignment of proposed costs to CLINs.

The original authorizing legislation (Public Law 111-84, Section 1077(b)(2)) stipulated that VA would reimburse partners $10,000 for each service dog provided to a Veteran who enrolled in the study and successfully completed the training program offered by the partner Contractor. Per item 1.0.2, and as listed in item 1.3.1 as Contract Line Item Numbers 0001 (Base year), 1001 (Option year 1), 2001 (Option year 2), 3001 (Option year 3), and 4001 (Option year 4), VA will provide compensation of $10,000 for Contractor procurement of each service dog in the study. No additional compensation will be provided for the purchase of the dog.

All other CLIN’s listed in the B.2 Price Cost Schedule (page 15 of the solicitation) for Service Dog training, Emotional Support Dog, Emotional Support Dog Training, Veterinary Care, Housing Routine Care, Food are firm fixed price items which the contractor must propose in its offer to the VA. As noted previously in the RFP and Amendment 2, item 5, all costs associated with obtaining, maintaining, and training dogs must be amortized when contractors are proposing prices for these CLINs. Again, this is a firm fixed price contract, accordingly contractors are requested to submit firm fixed unit prices for each CLIN (amortized/burdened as the contractor requires) to arrive at the total proposed firm fixed unit price. The Government will evaluate each of these proposed prices IAW the pricing evaluation section of the solicitation to arrive at the total evaluated price. NOTE: Contractors may not add additional CLINs for reimbursement.

All costs of producing a service dog each year of the contract must be assigned to one of the corresponding CLINs that year as follows:

And likewise, all costs of producing an emotional support dog each year of the contract must be assigned to one of the corresponding CLINs that year as follows:

10. Clarification is provided for CLIN 0003. The cost of obtaining a dog for training in the organization’s emotional support dog program, is not set by the authorizing legislation at $10,000. All contractors shall propose its firm fixed price for the purchase of an emotional support dog.

11. Clarification is provided as it relates to the travel expenses incurred by the contractor: Dogs to the VA (CLINs: 0008-4008) and Veteran Reimbursement (CLINs: 0009-4009) are not to be reimbursed until after the actual cost of the travel is incurred. The contractor shall be required to submit an invoice for the actual travel cost, which will then be reviewed by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for approval.

12. As a result of this amendment, the solicitation closing date is hereby changed to March 25, 2014 at 3p.m. E.S.T.

13. All other terms and conditions of the solicitation remain unchanged.