J041--FY23: Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Services

The purpose of this amendment is to answer questions made by vendors that arose during the site visit conducted on 06/22/2023.

Question: Has this contract been previously awarded?

Answer: Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) services at the VACHS are currently provided under contract number 36C24818P7191.

Question: Can the Air Handling Units (AHU) and Exhaust Fan numbers associated with area to be balanced be provided?

Answer: A table containing this information has now been added to the revised Contract Exhibits and Attachments documents, which can be seen attached to this modification.

Question: Will the TAB services contractor that is awarded this contract be responsible for managing and troubleshooting Building, Automation Systems (BAS) controls that are related to the areas covered under the TAB services contract?

Answer: No. BAS managing and troubleshooting services are provided under another VACHS contract.

Additionally, section 4.8 of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) has been updated to reflect the new quantity of isolation rooms to be serviced, which is thirty-nine (39).

Finally, the quote submission date will now be July 7, 2023, at 10:00 Atlantic Standard Time (AST).

Quotes shall be submitted to wilfredo.perez3@va.gov.

The purpose of this amendment is to provide answers to the questions made by vendors in

response to solicitation no. 36C24823Q1149.

1. Question: Is the Government planning to issue a solicitation notice (i.e., Form 1449)?

Answer: No. The solicitation has been issued as a combined synopsis. Therefore, an SF1449 will not be issued.

2. Question: Section 3.3 states that the contractor shall replace the thirteen (13) new 24 x 24 HEPA filters located at the Inpatient Pharmacy and Chemo Preparation rooms. The section also requires that this replacement be performed annually. What make and model number of these HEPA filters shall be used?

Answer: Terminal HEPA Filters CAMFIL D5-23.62-23.62-2-02-00-1D-C2 DIF, HEPA, 41MM, 4.73"FH, 10"COL

3. Question: Many of these pharmacy supply HEPA filters are not room-side replaceable. Is the intention of the Government to have the Contractor replace any non-room side replaceable filter system with a room-side replaceable filter system? If so, what are the upgrade requirements?

Answer: No, the intention is to replace the filter for the same product.

4. Question: Is the Government willing to shut down the VACHS Pharmacies for multiple days or weeks to allow the Contractor to replace the HEPA filter of such areas?

Answer: No. HEPA filters replacement needs to be coordinated through the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and may be done at a different times and dates. A twelve (12) hour window per day has been used in the past.

5. Question: Has the Government confirmed if the non-room side HEPA filters located in their Pharmacy rooms can be replaced without having to cut into the facility s hard ceilings? If it is necessary for the Contractor to cut into the facility s hard ceilings, who is responsible for repairing and re-painting such hard ceilings?

Answer: Work can be performed without impacting the ceiling. The Contractor shall correct any damages caused to the facility during these services.

6. Question: Non-room side replaceable HEPA filters have to be removed from above the ceilings. What is the access height between the hard ceiling and the interstitial floor?

Answer: Approximately three (3) feet at Inpatient Pharmacy, and four (4) to five (5) feet at the Out-patient Pharmacy.

7. Are the HEPA filter boxes connected to the supply system with hard duct or flexible ducting?

Answer: A combination of both. Some HEPA filter boxes are connected to hard ducts while others use flexible ducting.

8. Question: HEPA filter replacement in the pharmacy compounding areas require that the compounding rooms be re-certified. Is the re-certification and HEPA filter leak testing part of this contract?

Answer: Yes. Contractor shall be responsible of replacing the HEPA Filter and certify them by performing a leak test.

9. Question: Section 5.7 requires that The Contractor shall take readings on any external extraction or supply unit within area in order to properly calculate the area parameters. Please provide a complete list of all external extraction or supply units that the Contractor would be responsible for. Is the Contractor responsible for taking readings only, or is he also responsible for making corrections to the extra systems?

Answer: It will depend on the respective Air Handling Unit s ductwork distribution. Contractor shall be responsible of performing system adjustments in order to achieve parameters and compliance to the area as indicated in the PWS.

10. Question: Section 9.5 requires that the contractor provide work plan status for all areas on a monthly basis. Can all TAB services be completed in one (1) or two (2) site visits? What does the Government wish to have reported each month if only one (1) or two (2) site visits are completed each year?

Answer: The PWS includes over ten (10) areas within the VACHS main facility, and some include multiple rooms. Historically, the work has been distributed throughout the year in different dates. This allows to coordinate effectively with each area to minimize impact to patient care and operation logistics. The intention of the work plan status is to keep track of what areas TAB have been performed and which are pending.

11. Question: Section 19 (Performance Requirement Summary) requires that A total of 12 reports with updated information shall be submitted within established contract period. This seems to indicate that the contractor is expected to perform TAB services every month. Is this correct? The rest of the PWS seems to indicate that this is an annual requirement. Is the government requiring a single annual TAB report or twelve (12) monthly reports? If twelve (12) reports, is the Government then expecting the Contractor to be on-site each month?

Answer: TAB is only required one time in a year period. Only one TAB report is required per area (including the details for all rooms within such area). Section 19 of the PRS item refers to the same work plan report as described in question 10 of work progress.

12. Question: Will there be a site-visit conducted?

Answer: Yes, a Site Visit will be conducted on June 22, 2023, at 10:00 AM in the VACHS main facility. The meeting point will be near the front lobby desk.

As a reminder, quotes submission deadline is June 30, 2023 at 10:00 AM, Atlantic Standard Time (AST). Quotes shall be submitted via email to wilfredo.perez3@va.gov.