Vendor questions and Answers II.docx

1. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: PG 31 of 68 in the RFQ (Section 1.5) states that the “period of performance shall be for (1) year of 24 months” and goes on to list MARCH 2025-MARCH 2026 AND MARCH 2026-MARCH 2027 as the expected “24 months.” What is the rationale for a Base plus 1 Option Year period of performance rather than the standard Base plus 4 Option Years POP?

Answer-please provide your quote in accordance with the solicitation.

1. GFE CYLINDERS: PG 32 of 68 in the RFQ (Section 3.1) states that “The government does not provide cylinders for refilling by the vendor,” but the RFQ references GFE cylinders throughout the statement of work (e.g., hydrostatic testing, GFE cylinder inspections, damaged GFE cylinders, etc.). Because there is included language referencing government-owned cylinders, but no GFE CLINs provided for pricing, please confirm the above quote is correct and that the GOV does not have any GFE requirements under this solicitation.

Answer- The Government does not have any GFE requirements

1. ANNUAL AUDIT CLIN: PG 37 of 68 (Section 5.38) requires an annual audit between the Government and the Contractor. Will the GOV please add a CLIN for the annual audit at Fort Eisenhower? There are actual costs associated with having the Prime Contractor send a POC to the Base each contract year to perform this (travel, lodging, etc.). Providing an audit CLIN is common in the industry in multi-year contracts so that Contractors are able to charge/account for these annual audit costs.

Answer: please provide quote in accordance with the solicitation

1. EVALUATION: PG 40 of 68 in the RFQ (Addendum to Evaluation Provision 52.212-2) states that the “Award will be made using the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection process.” What is the GOV’s rationale for evaluating on a LPTA basis in awarding work as critical as the distribution of medical-grade oxygen, a prescription drug, to an Army Medical Center? How will the GOV deem an offeror is technically acceptable without the requirement of past performance submission requirements as an evaluation factor? We recommend a “Best Value” evaluation approach to ensure the VA receives the best possible offer/service instead of just awarding to the offeror with the lowest price that meets the minimum technical requirement. NOTE: Please note that the RFQ does reference a “Best Value” award decision when referring to the LPTA basis for award, but LPTA is not consistent with the “Best Value” evaluation method as LPTA emphasizes the minimum eligibility requirements and does not consider historical experience/performance.

Answer- Please provide quote in accordance with the solicitation.

1. PROPANE CLARIFICATION: Can the GOV please provide some additional information regarding ITEM 0030, (1) CY of “Bulk Propane?” Is this a permanent GOV Owned tank that requires refill or does the facility require propane in a rented cylinder form (e.g., 20 LB container)? Please also provide size requirements. Bulk Propane is mentioned only on PG 47 of 68 and not anywhere else in the RFQ (to include list of gases on PGs 33-34 f 68).

Answer- The item number for propane should not be priced. Any reference to propane in this solicitation should be ignored. Propane is not needed for the solicitation

1. INSURANCE: There is no mention of liability insurance requirements in the RFQ (standard for contracts under NAICS 325120). How is the GOV going to validate that offerors are properly insured for NAICS 325120 – the actual requirement for this work to comply with the RFQ? How do offerors confirm to the GOV that they have the correct type of Liability Insurance, and does this need to be affirmed at the time of bid submission (if not, an awarded firm could be turned down or not be able to afford this coverage in the amounts the GOV requires, respective to NAICS 325120)? This is important because there are very few underwriters that will insure small businesses for the distribution of compressed gases and why confirmation of the applicable NAICS is being requested, in accordance with paragraph (a) of FAR 52.228-5 – Insurance Work on a Government Installation.

Answer- Please provide quote in accordance with the solicitation.

1. LICENSING REQUIREMENTS: Please confirm that the Prime Contractor must comply with the FDA/Code of Federal Regulations at the time of bid submission in order to meet the requirements of the Statement of Work in this RFQ (wholesale distribution of medical-grade oxygen/compressed gases where medical-grade oxygen is defined by the FDA as a prescription drug) as the bid states multiple times that the offeror must be compliant with federal, state, and local regulations, including requirements for licensing.

Answer- Please provide quote in accordance with the solicitation