R614--CT shredding 2/28/2025 - 2/27/2029.

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THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as quotes, nor will any award be made as a result of this Sources Sought. Any information provided by businesses to the Government is strictly voluntary. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by interested businesses responding to this Sources Sought. The purpose of this notice is to conduct market research only.

Description of Requirement:

DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION-SHREDDING SERVICES

SUMMARY

This contract is for on-site shredding and disposal of paper materials. This contract shall be effective from February 28, 2025 through February 27, 2026. This agreement may be extended for 4 option years at the request of the Government.

SCOPE OF WORK

The US Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System intends to use the services of a contractor to provide document destruction for documents containing classified, sensitive and medical information.

GENERAL REQUIRMENTS

a. The items for the disposal of shredding shall include and not be limited to records, Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Cards, records containing carbon, binders, folders, types and colors of paper as well as staples and fasteners, other non-paper materials to include sensitive and non-sensitive information. Throughout the life of the award various items for shredding may be added and removed accordingly and shall be within scope.

b. The contractor shall provide all labor and equipment to include collection bins and shall be responsible for disposing of shredded materials throughout medical center campuses and Clinic s.

Shredding may be witnessed by a VA employee authorized to witness destruction of sensitive material. All collection bins shall be securely locked configured to not allow user access paper through opening.

c. Contractor is responsible for maintaining liability insurance for the duration of the award, and for following all pertinent federal and state regulations with regards to destruction of medical documentation.

d. While on VA property for both on-site and off-site locations, contractor employees will wear a company uniform and a visible identification badge which contains a photograph of the employee. All contractor vehicles and collection bins will be clearly identified with the company's name.

e. The contractor will provide the service identified in this award between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

f. The contractor will provide for inspection, upon request by a VA representative, of the contractor's facilities where the records are processed, and final destruction takes place.

g. The contractor must use shredded paper for recycling purposes, but not sell it as packaging material. Transferring contents of collection containers is not authorized.

h. Contractor will ensure an acceptable alternative method of destruction for facility records when shredders are not operational. Alternative methods for destruction should be described in the request for quote.

i. Contractor must describe how material that is not shredded to VA specifications is to be recycled (e.g. pulverized, bleached, pulped) and how it will be protected until such time that the final recycle process in completed to protect the material until it is no longer readable and not re¬ constructible.

j. Contractor vehicle(s) used in the performance of this award will be licensed, registered and insured. The VA reserves the right to inspect the Contractor's equipment and vehicles.

k. Business Associate Agreement shall be completed by contractor at time of award.

l. Contractor shall shred documents in accordance with shredding specifications outlined in most recent VA Directive 6371 guidelines.

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Prior Government contract work is not required to submit a response under this Sources Sought synopsis. The intent of the project is to award a firm fixed price purchase order agreement for one base year and four possible option years. The limitations of subcontracting will apply to any potential contract. The NAICS Code is 561990 and the size standard is $14.5 million. This notice is published to conduct market research to determine if there are any small businesses that can perform this requirement to warrant a solicitation set-aside. Registration for any SD/VOSB s interested may be accomplished at https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov/. All SD/VOSB interested firms must be registered in VETBIZ.GOV and Verified by VA CVE and registered in SAM to be eligible for award of Government contracts.

Interested parties responding to this Sources Sought shall submit the following information at a minimum: (1) company name and address, point of contact with phone number, and DUNS number; (2) documentation relating to technical capability of performance for requirements to include references with current point of contact and phone number); (3) companies seeking preference based on being a veteran owned business concern must provide proof of registration in the VA Vet Biz.

The response date to this notice is 10/24/2024 at 4:00 PM EST. This market research is for informational and planning purposes only. This is not a solicitation and does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation. Please be advised the Government will not pay any costs for responses and information submitted. Electronic submissions are acceptable via Ian.Herrick@va.gov. RESULTS INFORMATION: Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Firms responding to this notice who fail to provide ALL of the required information requested, will not be used to help the Government make the acquisition decision, which is the intent of this notice.