VA791-18-R-0002-00002000.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2.

AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE

OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF

CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

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 electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT 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.

11/2016) 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 ITE

M 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 letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes r eference 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

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.)

(Number, 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)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

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) 00002 12-15-2017 Department of Veterans Affairs Commodities & Services Acquisition Svc (003B6E) 555 Corporate Circle Golden CO 80401-5621 Department of Veterans Affairs Commodities & Services Acquisition Svc (003B6E) 555 Corporate Circle Golden CO 80401-5621 To all Offerors/Bidders

VA791-18-R-0002

12-04-2017

X X The purpose of this amendment is to provide questions and answers received in regards to this solicitation.

Terms and conditions of solicitation remain unchanged.

CONTINUATION PAGE

1. On Form 1449, it states a due date of 12-22-2017 at 3:00pm MST. On page 4, under xii it states the next day (12-23-2017). Can you please clarify which date is correct?

The correct closing date is 12/22/2017 since 12/23 is a Saturday.

1. Can you please clarify if the Energy Star requirement mentioned on page 11 of the solicitation only applies to Cat 03 Moderate Gain Amplified Corded Telephones, or if it applies to all of the amplified phone categories (categories 03-06)?

The Energy Star requirement only applies to Cat 03 Moderate Gain Amplified Corded Telephones.

1. For Cat 09 Alarm Clocks, would an alarm clock with an automatically ascending audible alarm (starts quiet, gradually increases in volume until you turn it off) - that also spans multiple tones/frequencies - technically meet the requirement of “Adjustable Volume/Tone”? If not, would the VA be willing to make a small change to this requirement to allow an ascending audible alarm to meet the requirements? We believe doing so would increase competition in this category, while still meeting what we believe to be the VA’s intent of having alarm clocks that can produce a range of volumes & tones.

It would technically meet the requirement.

1. On page 24, it states that the VA’s required delivery schedule is within 10 days of Purchase Order. What are the consequences if a contractor is unable to deliver any of the products within 10 days of when the order is placed?

Please refer to the FAR clause 52.212-4 (f), Excusable Delays, included in the solicitation.

1. For Cat 01 Radio Frequency TV Amplification Systems, are we to assume by virtue of the title of this category that any items proposed are required to utilize Radio Frequency technology? Likewise, for Cat 02 Infrared TV Amplification Systems are we to assume by virtue of the title of this category that any items proposed are required to utilize Infrared technology? Other technologies, such as Bluetooth, exist so we feel the need to clarify exactly what the VA is seeking here, and would ask that any such requirements be explicitly stated in the specification sheets for Cat 01 and Cat 02, respectively, for the avoidance of any doubt.

Your assumptions are correct. Blue Tooth is considered a radio frequency technology, however, we know of no Blue Tooth device that will meet the operating range requirement.

1. For Cat 01 and Cat 02 (TV Amplification Systems), in parentheses for each category title it says “Stethoscope or Headphone Style.” However, this is not listed in the specifications as an actual requirement. Since there are other wearing styles available, including wireless speakers that allow you to plug in headphones, or Earphones, we feel the need to clarify whether there is a specific requirement for these two categories as to the actual wearing style or not. Similar to the above, we would ask that any such requirements be explicitly stated in the specification sheets for Cat 01 and Cat 02 respectively, for the avoidance of any doubt.

As the category name suggests, the requirement is for stethoset systems. If other wearing styles are included from the manufacturer, they are to be listed in the pricing schedule under the Category pricing under the phrase “Price Includes the Following items”. If other items are compatible that you would like to offer, those should be listed and priced in the accessories section of the pricing worksheets.

1. For Cat 01 and Cat 02, “Adjustable Tone Control” and “Hearing aid and direct audio input compatible, or TV Microphone” are two features listed as required on the category sheets for both categories, but these same requirements are not mentioned on pages 10-11 of the solicitation. Can the VA please clarify if these are in fact required features or not?

The requirements for adjustable tone control and hearing aid and direct audio input compatible will be removed as minimum requirements.

1. For Cat 08 Signaling/Alerting System (kit), can you please clarify if a carbon monoxide detector/alarm/transmitter is required to be included as part of the main package? Or does it simply need to be available and can be quoted as a separate accessory?

A CO detector is NOT required as part of the basic package, however there must be one available that is compatible with the basic package. It is to be listed and priced in the accessories section of the pricing sheet. Alternately, a combined smoke and CO detector may be included in the basic package.

1. Is the VA able to share bid tabulations for all bids that were received in response to the last solicitation # VA791-16-R-0023? More specifically, we are wondering if we can get the names, items, and prices bid for each item (to include companies who did not receive awards). If that will not be possible, would it be possible just to get the names of the companies who submitted bids in response to solicitation # VA791-16-R-0023?

The VA follows the debriefing guidelines in FAR 15.506 and information on unsuccessful offerors is not available.

10) SF 1449 and E.1 Notice to Offerors, page 38: These sections specify different dates that questions and requests for clarification are due (12-15-2017 and 2 weeks prior, 14 calendar days, to the closing date of the solicitation marked in block 8 on the SF1449). Confirm the correct deadline for questions and requests for clarifications to be submitted.

Questions and requests for clarifications are to be received by the Contracting Officer not later than 12/15/2017.

11) SF 1449 and Section M, Continuation Page, page 4: Two different due dates (12/22/17 and 12/23/17) are referenced. Please confirm the correct proposal due date.

Please see the answer to question #1, above. Proposals are due in the contracting office by 3:00 p.m. MST on 12/22/2017.

12) Section M, Continuation Page, page 4 / 7. Product Delivery, page 7: The solicitation states, "(vi) Deliveries are due 10 days from the receipt of the delivery order to Denver Logistics Center (DLC), 555 Corporate Circle, Golden CO 80401." With a short delivery schedule, will expedited shipping costs be allowed as a direct charge?

Offers are solicited on an f.o.b. destination basis to include shipping charges. They cannot be charged separately.

13) Guaranteed Minimum, page 8: Minimum contract value equals 10 times the unit price for the full five option periods, so if the offeror bids $1 /unit, would the contract minimum be worth $10? The solicitation states "...In other words, the guaranteed minimum does not apply to each contract year, but to the entire contract period." Please provide clarification.

The amount of $10 is correct and covers the entire contract period.

14) B.4 Subcontracting Commitments - Monitoring and Compliance, page 10: Will SDVOSB and VOSB bidders be provided preference in evaluation? Per the cover page, this is a full an open unrestricted solicitation. RFP states "This solicitation includes VAAR 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors, and VAAR 852.215-71, Evaluation Factor Commitments."

Please refer to Amendment 1 to the solicitation. SDVOSB and VOSB offerors will be given an evaluation preference.

15) B.5, page 10: The solicitation states, "A pricing sheet must be completed in its entirety, with all requested information fields in the form completed." It does not appear that pricing sheets allow for the pricing of different models of the same type of device. a) How should Offerors price different models? b) If we offer two different models of a TV amplification system - 1) digital and 2) dual digital (2 headsets and 2 charging cradles), how should we use the pricing sheets to price the different models? c) How will the Government evaluate the pricing of different models to ensure accurate comparisons for fair competition?

If you are offering two or more products for a given category you will need to duplicate the blank pricing sheets that have been provided to you and submit a completed one for each product offered. The same is true for the Technical Reference Sheets.

16) Small Business Subcontracting Plan: If the offeror is a small business, a) will the Government require the small business subcontractor to submit a Subcontracting Plan? b) Is the small business offeror required to have subcontracting goals?

The requirement for a small business subcontracting plan does not apply to any type of small business.

17) Offeror Pricing tab: May the offeror modify the spreadsheet? Excel formula in cell F15 should sum the total from the Option Year CLINs above.

You may modify the pricing sheets accordingly.

18) Offeror Pricing tab: a) How will pricing be evaluated for system accessories? b) With no quantities, how will the total price impact be considered? c) What quantity will the Government expect to purchase for accessories? d) If we offer accessories (e.g. headsets, ear tip, batteries), are these to be priced separately without regard to quantity?

Simply provide firm fixed unit prices for accessories in the accessories section of the pricing sheets. Offered prices will be evaluated for “price reasonableness” as described in FAR 14.408-2. Unfortunately the Government does not have a reliable estimate as to the quantities of accessories that may be ordered.

19)Offeror Pricing and Sheet 1 tabs: CLIN #01 is for a “radio frequency” TV amplification system and CLIN #02 is for an “infrared” TV amplification system. The technical requirements for each show that the only difference between the two is that CLIN #01 requires a “100 foot operating range” and CLIN #02 requires a “40 foot operating range”. a) Does CLIN #01 “radio frequency” require a transmission method like Bluetooth that can go through walls, unlike “infrared” which is a line of sight transmission that cannot go through walls? Please clarify the difference in functionality between CLIN #01 and CLIN#02.

Please see the answer to question #5, above.

20) Offeror Pricing and Sheet 1 tabs: CLIN #01 and CLIN #02 have a line item requirement for “hearing aid and direct audio”. a) We need clarification of exactly what is being requested. For example, if an Offeror has a stethoscope style (under the chin) headset for which a jack can be added to attach a neck loop audio device. b) Is the neck loop that is to be plugged into the jack considered an accessory or part of the base system?

Using your example, if the manufacturer packages the two together, the neck loop would be considered part of the system. If they are normally packaged and sold separately, it would be considered as an accessory and should be separately priced.

21) Sheet 1 tab: Please clarify "Separately Priced Items" (row 29) on this file. a) Should the offeror provide a short technical description and corresponding location in the proposal? b) When developing the pricing, would these items be incorporated into the unit pricing or added separately?

Do provide technical information, but if they are normally separate items, list them as accessories and price them separately in the price sheets.

22) The SDVOSB credit is not defined though – can you please clarify?

The Contracting Officer has wide latitude in how to give evaluation credit to SDVOSB and VOSB offerors. In a commercial-item procurement such as this, the general practice is to either inflate the price of an offer from a non SDVOSB/VOSB by a percentage or to discount the price offered by an SDVOSB/VOSB to determine evaluated prices and use those evaluated prices to determine the successful offer. The percentage applied varies with the circumstances.

23) For last year’s solicitation # VA791-16-R-0023-001, the required specs for the TV Listening category were initially the exact same as the specs you just released on this new solicitation for Categories 01 and 02. However, on 6/24/16 the VA issued Amendment 1, which changed the TV Listening specifications to the attached. The key changes in the Amendment were as follows:

Adjustable Volume/gain and adjustable tone control were combined into one specification where having either/or would meet the requirement, instead of the item needing to have both.

The requirement of “Hearing aid and direct audio input compatible, or TV Microphone” was deleted entirely.

The modified specifications, especially the 2nd one mentioned above, made more sense to us than the original specifications, and also allowed for more competition in the category. Did the VA intend to revert back to the old specifications on this new solicitation, or is it possible this was an oversight? We believe the amended specifications from last year, as attached, make more sense, increase competition in the category, and better reflect today’s technology and available options. Would the VA like to amend these specifications in Cat 01 and 02 to match the amended specifications from last year?

We will remove the requirement for “Hearing aid and direct audio input compatible, or TV Microphone.” We do want an adjustable volume, and adjustable tone could be included.

24) For Cat 10 (Tinnitus), if a proposed item in this category comes with a USB charging cable in the box, but not an AC adapter that the USB charging cable can plug into, would this still meet Requirement #3 of having a “power supply/charger included or battery operated”? Or would both the USB charging cable as well as the AC adapter the cable would plug into all need to be included in the package to meet the requirement? For last year’s solicitation, we were told the AC adapter needs to be included as well, but since this is a new solicitation with a new Contracting Officer we wanted to re-clarify this point with you and be absolutely sure.

The AC adapter is to be included in the package.

25) In all of the phone categories, the last specification mentions “specialty buttons” as one of several features that can be counted towards meeting the requirements. Can you clarify in more detail what is meant by “specialty buttons”?

Specialty buttons would include buttons such as emergency button, voice assist, visual memory buttons, Braille buttons, etc.