J045--Water System Testing and Maintenance | Hyperchlorination Service | 693 (VA-25-00006637)

Hyperchlorination Services for the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center

Sources Sought

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended for information and planning purposes only at this time and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because this is a Request for Information announcement, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. No solicitation exists. Therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation. The VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA requires the services to hyperchlorinate, test, and flush its water distribution system. The work must be performed in phases to limit impacts on the operation of the facility and to ensure complete disinfection of the entire distribution system. All testing shall be performed by a licensed and certified testing lab acceptable to the facility. The Contractor shall employ at minimum, a representative certified in biocide treatment. The Contractor shall also employ and have available onsite a minimum of 4 personnel to perform the work in a timely and expeditious manner. Infection control measures in certain areas such as PPE and masking may be required for some areas.

Requirements

Submittals: Before commencing any work, the Contractor shall provide the Point of Contact (POC) with the following:

Copies of all licenses (water system operator certification), resumes and/or certifications for the Project Manager, Testing Lab(s).

A detailed Work Plan describing phasing and the proposed protocol for conducting the hyperchlorination including points of injection, injection rates, equipment used, testing points, testing methods, testing equipment, and flushing procedures.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS)s for Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO) and any other chemicals to be used and documentation that the materials are certified for use in drinking water systems.

Description of Facility Water Distribution System: The Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center purchases its potable water from Pennsylvania American Water. Water enters the VA Facility through a single main metering pit. Water then enters a loop main that encircles the facility and provides water for distribution to the facility including, but not limited to: a 400,000 gallon elevated storage tank; the main Medical Center (Bldg. 1); the Community Living Center (CLC); the New Clinical Addition (NCA); various administrative outbuildings; fire hydrants; and, yard spigots.

Water is supplied to the areas used for clinical operations at three points: the main boiler plant which serves Bldg. 1; the CLC Mechanical Room which serves the CLC; and, the NCA Mechanical Room which serves the NCA. At each of these locations, water is filtered through a bank of 10 bag filters prior to distribution to the points of use. In Building 1, water leaving the filters is pumped up to the 8,000 gallon day tank on the 13th Floor for gravity storage prior to distribution to the points of use. In the CLC and NCA, water leaving the filters goes directly to the points of use. Each of these three distribution systems provide hot and cold water, which are isolated from each other and have no cross-connections.

All hot water for the Medical Center is on-demand using steam heat exchangers and is distributed through a recirculating distribution system.

(Note: The following information is provided to assist the Contractor in developing a Work Plan to perform the hyperchlorination.)

Proposed Procedure: The contractor shall visit the site prior to the commencement of hyperchlorination and determine the locations for injection of NaClO. The contractor shall install injection ports, valves, and other appurtenances as necessary to allow for the attachment of chemical injection pumps. Actual work performance dates/times shall be coordinated with VA staff and require a 2 week minimum notification. These dates/times shall include nights and weekends as required by VA staff. Due to patient care, it is anticipated that the work will occur over two separate consecutive days starting on a Friday after 7:30 pm until the system is chlorinated and returning on Saturday afternoon/evening until the system is cleared for use. The Contractor shall locate any points of injection for the sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for the potable hot and cold water distribution system. The contractor shall then inject a sufficient amount of NaClO to create a free chlorine residual of 5.0 mg/l (ppm) at the furthest point of the distribution system. The Contractor may work onsite prior to testing to locate and prepares the injection points.

The Contractor shall verify chlorine residuals by using a calibrated colorimeter testing apparatus such as a HACH DR820 or similar approved unit. The chlorine test unit shall utilize an EPA approved method to measure Free Chlorine and Total Chlorine in the range of 0 to 10 mg/l (ppm). The Contractor shall also measure pH using a calibrated portable pH Meter such as a HACH HQ40d or similar approved unit.

The VA will have a minimum of 4 staff member available to assist the contractor in accessing sinks and showers throughout the distribution system being tested. VA staff will assist the contractor in running the faucets and showers, isolating the fixtures and providing access to all areas as required. However, the contractor shall supply a minimum of 4 personnel and each will have testing equipment to ensure each fixture has an elevated chlorine residual after starting the treatment. Chemical droplet testing is acceptable for verification of individual fixtures. Chemical testing paper strips will not be acceptable for chlorine level testing at each fixture. Each fixture will be flushed with elevated levels and tested to ensure minimum levels of NaClO are discharged. This will require running all faucets and sinks and taking representative samples to ensure a sufficient residual is present.

From the moment testing begins and until it ends, no water will be used for potable purposes in the area being treated. Fixtures will be isolated by VA staff prior to introduction of NaClO. Upon verification of sufficient residual in the distribution system, the chlorine injection shall stop and the injection equipment shall be removed from the system. Throughout testing, the use of cold water shall be allowed for the flushing of toilets only. However, no hot water shall be used for a period of 24-hours. The second day, the contractor shall return and, with the assistance of VA Staff, flush the entire distribution system (hot and cold) until sufficient testing indicates that the water has returned to background residual levels. Each fixture shall be verified as having less than 4ppm levels at the discharge. Chemical droplet testing is acceptable for verification of individual fixtures. Once the system has been flushed, the contractor shall have a CDC Elite Certified Testing Lab and Technician test the water at six locations (total 18) on the distribution system that was just treated (3 cold-water and 3 hot-water) and have the samples tested for Total Coliform, Legionella (large volume test (1000 ml) for all serogroups of L. Pneumophila), Bac-T, TSS, TDS and inorganics.

When flushing is completed, up to 35% of the sinks and showers on each floor shall be tested and recorded to assure proper chlorine residual. The Contractor shall record all chlorine and pH measurements noting time and location and provide that information to the VA in the form of an Excel Spreadsheet along with the original results of all of the laboratory tests prior to final payment.

The inventory of fixtures in Appendix A is an estimate and should be used as a general reference, the numbers are subject to change. All sinks and showers in the system will be chlorinated and flushed. Field verification shall be conducted by the Contractor if needed.

Schedule of Work: Hyperchlorination shall consist of three annual hyperchlorination events (occurring on separate weekends) and on a smaller scale, as needed loop/piping section hyperchlorination to address legionella positives.

Annual Hyperchlorination: once per period of performance

Building 1

New Clinical Addition

Community Living Center

Loop/piping hyperchlorination: up to ten per period of performance

Responses to this RFI should include company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and point of contact e-mail, UEI Number, Cage Code, size of business pursuant to North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 221310 (size standard of $ 30 Million). Please answer the following questions:

Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.)?

Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI?

If you intend to subcontract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and completion of job.

Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number.

If you are an FSS GSA/NAC contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract?

General pricing of your solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate for any type of award.

Please submit your capabilities regarding the salient characteristics detailed above to establish capabilities for planning purposes.

Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A.

Please provide your UEI number.

This RFI will be conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received via e-mail to edward.ferkel@va.gov no later than, 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on September 3, 2024. This notice will help the VA in determining available potential sources only. Do not contact VA Medical Center staff regarding this requirement, as they are not authorized to discuss this matter related to this procurement action. All questions will be addressed by the Contracting Officer, Edward Ferkel.

All firms responding to this Request for Information are advised that their response is not a request for proposal, therefore will not be considered for a contract award.

If a solicitation is issued, information will be posted on the Contract Opportunities website for all qualified interested parties at a later date and interested parties must respond to the solicitation to be considered for award. This notice does not commit the government to contract for any supplies or services. The government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Request for Information. Information will only be accepted in writing by e-mail to Contracting Officer, Edward Ferkel at Edward.ferkel@va.gov

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.