Vendor Questions and Answers- W81K00-24-R-0010.docx

Questions and Answers- W81K00-24-R-0010

1. Will BAMC provide all materials necessary for packaging of trays (e.g., sterile wrapping, etc.)?

Answer: Affirmative.

2. Is there a limitation on the number of workstations or amount of workspace available for vendor use (or the number of personnel that can be accommodated in the available workspace at any one time). I.e., is there sufficient workspace if the contractor elected to have 8 personnel working at one time over a single shift vs. 2 personnel per shift working over multiple shifts?

Answer: SPD is projecting to have 12 individual workstations, and 2 specialty table workstations available for use.

3. Because inspection and assembly of trays of different types can take substantially different amounts of time to complete, can the government provide an estimate of the number of man-hours required to complete the inspection, assembly, and packaging of the 200 to 230 trays of the type anticipated under this contract? If not, can the government either provide estimates as to the number of identified trays by instrument type and/or existing BAMC statistics on the time its personnel have taken to complete processing of this volume & composition of trays in the past?

Answer: As indicated in the SOW, every official Surge Event must be completed “upon the next immediate weekend between the hours of 0600 on Saturday and 2200 on Sunday”. It is up to the vendor to determine the number of contract personnel needed to complete this requirement, as the required number of man-hours can vary based on the level of knowledge and/or expertise of its contract personnel/staff.

4. The RFP proposes a purchase order for 11 “surge events.” Is 11 a guaranteed number, or is it possible that the actual number of surge events will be higher or lower?

Answer: The current goal is to request no more than 11 official Surge Events within the proposed period of performance, however it is difficult to determine the results of BAMC’s increased surgical workload in the future. That being said, should SPD determine the need for any changes to the current contract requirement, all requests must first be submitted to the Contracting Officer for approval, prior to implementation.

5. The contract start date, February 1, 2024, is after the 72-hour notice cut-off for conducting a surge event on the immediately following weekend of February 3-4. Is it possible that the vendor could be asked prior to 0600 on Wednesday, January 31 (prior to commencement of the contract) to perform a surge that upcoming weekend, February 3-4, or will the earliest possible surge event under this contract be the weekend of 10-11 February?

Answer: The earliest in which the first official Surge Event would be requested is not until the weekend of 10-11 February, but may vary depending on how quickly the vendor can on-board its contract personnel/staff.

6. The volume range estimate of 200-230 trays per surge event is specific enough to suggest that the government anticipates surge events occurring on a regular interval. Are the government’s expectations that there will be a surge event approximately every other weekend, or does the vendor need to be prepared to, for example, staff zero surge events until May 18th, and then work one surge event every weekend through the conclusion of the contract?

Answer: Although the expectation for official Surge Events is high, the need is currently not projected for implementation every other weekend.

7. Will the government provide the specific manufacturer Instruction for Use (IFU) detailing cleaning and other procedural requirements for every instrument and other item subject to processing under this RFP to permit proper inspection and assembly? If so, how will this information be provided (e.g., hard copy, electronic reference access, etc.), or is it the vendor's responsibility to source these documents?

Answer: SPD currently utilizes “One Source” as an electronic reference.

8. The Statement of Work, Section 6.2, requires a minimum of 15 days prior to the first Surge Event for the vendor to submit personnel information required to complete the necessary Local Background Check. That time period would require submission of personnel information no later than the due date for response to this RFP (1/19/2024) to have staff cleared by the first weekend of the contract period. Does the government expect names and associated information for the vendor’s staffing pool to be submitted with this RFP response? Alternatively, is it anticipated that the first surge event will not occur until at least 15 days after the contract starts on 2/1/2024 to permit time to complete these background checks?

Answer: Same response as Question #5 - The earliest in which the first official Surge Event would be requested is not until the weekend of 10-11 February, but may vary depending on how quickly the vendor can on-board its contract personnel/staff.

9. Please confirm that this outsourced solution is on an as-needed arrangement. In other words, the team will be on-call for when any surplus sets need to be reprocessed.

Answer: This contract requirement is “as needed”, in which the number of sets in que for processing will be SPD’s measure for activating an official Surge Event.

10. Would BAMC consider a full-time contractor team to supplement the existing SPD staff?

Answer: Same response as Question #1 – This contract requirement is “as needed”, in which the number of sets in que for processing will be SPD’s measure for activating an official Surge Event.

11. Please advise what is included in the surgical instrumentation. Does this include minimally invasive instruments, robotics, open soft tissue instruments or all the above?

Answer: All of the above – As indicated in the SOW, “a set is defined as a group of instruments classified as having a unique entry in the CensiTrac system”.

12. Would BAMC consider separating out the minimally invasive and robotic instruments?

Answer: No, As indicated in the SOW, “a set is defined as a group of instruments classified as having a unique entry in the CensiTrac system”.

13. Please confirm that the term is a 6-month base year (1 Feb 2024 – 31 July 2024).

Answer: The resulting period of performance would depend on the actual date of contract award if not made by Feb 1 2024 however 6 months is the intended POP.

14. Are there subsequent option years to follow 31 July 2024?

Answer: No option years anticipated at this point in time – However, it is difficult to determine the results of BAMC’s increased surgical workload in the future. That being said, should SPD determine the need for any changes to the current contract requirement, all requests must first be submitted to the Contracting Officer for approval, prior to implementation.

15. Are there any metrics related to anticipated number of surge events/year?

Answer: Negative, the current goal is to request no more than 11 official Surge Events within the proposed period of performance – However, it is difficult to determine the results of BAMC’s increased surgical workload in the future. That being said, should SPD determine the need for any changes to the current contract requirement, all requests must first be submitted to the Contracting Officer for approval, prior to implementation.