H199--Legionella Water Sampling Service at VA Caribbean Healthcare System

SOURCES SOUGHT

LEGIONELLA ENVIRONMENTAL WATER

SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS SERVICES

AT VA CARIBBEAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 8 San Juan, Puerto Rico is issuing this sources-sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for Legionella Environmental Water Sampling and Analysis Services at VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) . The intent of this notice is to identify interested sources and their respective socio-economic group and to develop the Acquisition Strategy for this requirement.

Responses to this sources-sought notice/market research may be used to issue the requirement as set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition. However, the primary purpose of this notice is to identify potential Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and/or Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) companies that can fulfill this requirement.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: San Juan, PR

DISCLAIMER

This sources-sought is for informational purposes only. This is not a Request for Quote (RFQ) . It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the government. Responses in any form are not quotes and the government is under no obligation to award a contract as a result of this announcement. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this announcement. Any information submitted by respondents to this technical description is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned to the responder. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized through the Contract Opportunities webpage at https://sam.gov/content/opportunities. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the Contract Opportunities website for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

ELIGIBILITY

The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541620, Environmental Consulting Services with a Small Business Size Standard of $16,500,000. The Product Service Code is H946.

Responses to this notice shall include company/individual name, a service capability statement, examples of similar performances which you have provided services to, System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity ID (UEI), address, point of contact. Contractors should provide their size status for the above references NAICS code. (i.e. small, large) and whether they are certified SDVOSB, VOSB, HUBZone, 8(a), and/or women-owned concern. Standard company brochures will not be considered enough response to this Source Sought.

CONTRACTOR S QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform Legionella Environmental Water Sampling and Analysis Services at VACHS . Below are the minimum contractor s requirements for this acquisition. Interested vendors shall provide a statement certifying that they comply with the below requirements and that they possess necessary capabilities and certifications/licenses.

Responses shall address the following:

Please indicate if your company currently have, or have the ability to obtain, technically qualified technician that will be conducting the environmental sampling tasks and data entry into environmental databases. Provide evidence that the personnel is/are trained, physically capable, and qualified to perform required sampling.

Do you plan on subcontracting this service? If so, which company are you contemplating?

Yes ___No ___ If yes, please identify which company(ies) are you considering and provide a narrative explaining the scope of the proposed subcontracting services.

Provide evidence that the personnel that will be conducting HPC Analysis is licensed/certified by the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDH) as drinking water sampler.

Do you plan on subcontracting the HPC Analysis service? If so, which company are you contemplating?

Provide evidence that the Laboratory have experience in microbial testing of potable water and is accredited and proficient for culture detection and for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection. Laboratories that process water samples for microbiological testing must be accredited by a recognized regional, national, or international accrediting body as follows:

In accordance with laboratory accreditation standard (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025:2017, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories). Examples of such accrediting bodies include the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP); the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA); and the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program (EMLAP).

Do you plan on subcontracting the laboratory service? If so, which company are you contemplating?

Provide evidence that the laboratory is proficient with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention (CDC) Environmental Legionella Isolation Techniques Evaluation (ELITE) program or the Public Health England (PHE) Legionella External Quality Assessment (EQA) scheme at performing the culture of Legionella from environmental samples. If PCR will be used in addition to culture, then the laboratory also shall demonstrate proficiency at PCR detection of Legionella from environmental samples by the CDC-recognized lab conducting proficiency testing (currently the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) or by the PHE EQA Legionella molecular scheme. The method(s) used by the laboratory on the samples that the VA medical facility uses to determine Legionella positivity is to be the same method(s) used by the laboratory for proficiency testing. The selected contracted laboratory shall submit evidence of the ELITE or PHE EQA Laboratory Certification and any related documentation supporting the compliance with the program.

Identify any other companies owned (wholly or in-part) by the owners of this business who provide goods or services under the same or a related NAICS codes.

Identify any other companies owned (wholly or in-part) by the owners of this business who provide goods or services that are registered under the same or a related NAICS code with the Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE); Provide the certification type (SDVOSB/VOSB), Federal Identification Number, and state of incorporation for each.

Do you plan on responding to a solicitation for this requirement with a Joint Venture utilizing multiple owned companies as majority or non-majority owner?

Yes ___No ___ If yes, please identify which companies are considering a Joint Venture and the ownership of each company.

If you have a contract with GSA, please provide the schedule and contract number.

What type of work has your company performed in the past in support of the same or similar requirement? What was the awarded amount? Did your organization subcontracted any portion of the services? If so, what percentage of the total work was subcontracted?

What specific technical skills does your company possess which ensure capability to perform the tasks?

The estimated period of performance consists of 1 base year plus 4 (one-year) option periods.

The anticipated contract type is Firm-Fixed Price.

All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government.

Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement, information requested and answers to all questions indicated above. The deadline for response to this request is no later than September 6, 2022 at 10:00 AM, Puerto Rico local time. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to baryan.sierrapierluissi@va.gov.

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought.

Attached to this notice is a Draft Performance Work Statement. Interested vendors are encouraged to read the entire document in order to have a better understanding of the proposed acquisition and minimum requirements.