R426--Onsite Telephone Operators - San Diego VA Healthcare System

1. Why is this solicitation being released at this time?

ANSWER: The VA San Diego Healthcare System has a need for 24/7 Onsite Telephone Operators.

2. Are there any operator or supervisor workstations that have special equipment or software provided by the contractor such as software for the visually impaired? How many workstations have special equipment?

ANSWER: Equipment and software are provided by the VA San Diego Healthcare System. We are not allowing software by the contractor to be installed. If there is a special request for those equipment or software, it needs to be clearly stated in the proposal. We currently do not have any workstations that have special equipment.

3. How many of the current operators are full time?

ANSWER: VA San Diego Healthcare System has no official full time operators, the Call Center currently utilizes Medical Support Assistants as operators and rotate different Medical Support Assistants for the operator role.

4. How many of the current operators are part time?

ANSWER: VA San Diego Healthcare System has no official part-time operators, the Call Center currently utilizes Medical Support Assistants as operators.

5. How many new operators were onboarded in 2021 at San Diego VA Health Care System?

ANSWER: None.

6. Are there currently any lead operators in addition to the supervisor? How many lead operators?

ANSWER: We currently do not have anyone officially in a lead operator position that are contractors, we have Supervisory Medical Support Assistants that work in the Call Center who supervisor Medical Support Assistants.

7. How many operator positions are currently vacant?

ANSWER: We are currently utilizing on average two Medical Support Assistants as operators and we have two Supervisory Medical Support Assistants. Please see SOW for our Contracting needs.

8. What telephony platform does the switchboard team use at the San Diego VA Health Care System?

ANSWER: Per SOW, Telephone operators will use M2550 Nortel electronic telephone attendant consoles to process incoming and outgoing telephone calls. All calls will be recorded for quality assurance to ensure they are completed in a timely, courteous and efficient manner. Abandonment rate and average speed to answer are monitored with Cisco Finesse or Jabber software. Contractor employees are required to assist in placing outgoing local and long-distance calls, using the commercial system, to include, U.S. Sprint, AT&T, MCI and any other commercial phone service providers as necessary to conduct the daily activity at Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center.

9. What challenges are facing the switchboard operations program that the VA would like to see resolved?

ANSWER: We need 24/7 Onsite Operator(s) solely designated for Switchboard duties in order to take that workload off our current Medical Support Assistants that are currently doing this.

10. Please reconfirm the due date for this procurement by providing it in response to answers to questions.

ANSWER: Due Date is 08/08/2022 4:00PM PDT

11. What is the date by which you will answer these questions?

ANSWER: 07/28/2022

12. Why has this bid been released at this time?

ANSWER: See #1.

13. Is there a deadline for questions?

ANSWER: See Solicitation 36C26222Q0919, Section E.1 - Questions

14. When is the anticipated award date?

ANSWER: 09/01/2022

15. When is the contract start date?

ANSWER: Contractor will furnish all applicable employee information required within 10 days of contract award.

16. Are bidders permitted to deviate in any way from any manner of quoting fees you may be expecting? For example, if there is a pricing page in the RFP, can bidders submit an alternate fee structure? If there is no pricing page in the RFP, do you have any preference for how bidders should quote fees or can bidders create their own pricing categories?

ANSWER: See Solicitation 36C26222Q0919, Section E.1, Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors

17. Please describe your level of satisfaction with your current or recent vendor(s) for the same purchasing activity, if applicable.

ANSWER: No current contract

18. Has the current contract gone full term?

ANSWER: No current contract

19. Have all options to extend the current contract been exercised?

ANSWER: No current contract

20. Who is the incumbent, and how long has the incumbent been providing the requested services?

ANSWER: No current contract

21. How are fees currently being billed by any incumbent(s), by category, and at what rates?

ANSWER: No current contract

22. What estimated or actual dollars were paid last year, last month, or last quarter to any incumbent(s)?

ANSWER: No current contract

23. Is previous experience with any specific customer information systems, phone systems, or software required?

We will provide training to the Project Manager/Supervisor or if operators all onboard at the same time, we will train as well. In addition, Supervisory Medical Support Assistants are within close proximity to Contracted Operators to allow quick responses to questions during the 7a.m 5p.m timeframe that the Call Center is open. However, below are the personnel qualifications per the SOW.

PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS:

a) Project Manager Qualifications: Project Manager must have at least two years telephone

operating experience, of which one year involved substantial responsibility for placing a variety

of special calls (e.g. conference calls, collect calls, appointment calls) over varied circuits or

routings or performing information operator work which required a knowledge of organization.

The Project Manager must have one or more year of experience in the supervision, organization,

and training of staff. The Project Manager must be experienced in maintaining discipline,

devising work methods and assignments, establishing performance requirements, and in arranging

work schedules to conform to peak telephone requirements for adequate service.

b) Telephone Operator Qualifications: Telephone operator must be able to assume the

responsibility for placing a variety of special long-distance calls (e.g. conference calls, collect

calls, appointment calls) over varied circuits or routings, or performing information operator

work, which requires a knowledge of the organizational units and major functions of a large

multi-division organization. Operators must have the ability to meet and deal with people from a

variety of backgrounds with varying levels of understanding, work under pressure and stressful

conditions, and adapt to changing work conditions. PM must not allow new personnel to perform

duties alone until he/she has received at least two full, 7-days a week, On-The-Job Training (OJT)

on each tour of duty.

24. What is the minimum required total call capacity?

ANSWER: Based on time period 7/1/22-7/28/2022 Total calls received 16,022

25. What is the minimum simultaneous inbound call capacity?

ANSWER: We do not have this information at this time.

26. What is the maximum wait time?

ANSWER: Based on time period 7/1/22-7/28/2022 02:25 20:00 minutes, varies depending on the day and how many operators are on.

27. What is the maximum hold time?

ANSWER: Based on time period 7/1/22-7/28/2022 02:00 minutes.

28. What percentage of inbound calls must be answered by a live operator?

ANSWER: Based on time period 7/1/22-7/28/2022 - 100% of operator calls must be answered. For this time period 77% were answered.

29. What percentage of calls must be resolved without a transfer, second call, or a return call?

ANSWER: Based on time period 7/1/22-7/28/2022 -