R614--Document/Media Destruction Multiple Sites, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan

The purpose of this Solicitation Amendment is to answer questions from offerors.

Question 1. Only documents that are placed inside locked containers may be removed for shredding by the shredding technician, he may not even accept documents directly from a VA employee to shred the documents must be placed inside the locked shred container by the client. To request a technician to scout a ten-foot perimeter for the materials described in A. Description of Services places that person in a position of determining if any paper found needs to be shred, go in the trash, or be placed on a nearby desk. This is prohibited by VA, HIPAA and NAID regulations. Could this requirement please be removed?

Answer 1: The purpose of section M is to ensure that the containers are adequately maintained and completely emptied. This maintenance includes all materials inside of the collection bag and items that may have fallen outside of the collection bag. VA Personnel have been instructed to deposit all materials inside of the locked cabinets. If cabinets/containers/bins are too full to deposit items, then VA Personnel are to alert the Facility POC or EMS staff to the status of the bin and coordinate disposal of their materials. The PWS has been updated to reflect these changes. The contractor shall notify the Facility POC, Housekeeping or Local EMS staff if they find materials on or around the locked collection bins. Local staff shall collect and arrange disposal of these materials.

The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to provide answers to questions, provide an updated PWS, and to provide a new response time to the solicitation.

Questions and Answers

P. 2, Answer 1, 2.a. This states the elimination of the requirement that a contractor witnessing interim destruction provide a certification of destructions to the VA . Does this mean that no COD for onsite interim destruction is needed, only a COD provided monthly for instance with the invoice? Can the COD be consolidated for all locations within each healthcare system?

You are correct, no COD is required for interim destruction, only for final destruction. The vendor shall provide a COD for each VA facility: Dayton, Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Columbus, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Battle Creek. All the CBOCS that are listed under the main facility can be consolidated into one monthly COD and submitted to the main facility.

P. 3. Non-paper media pickups

In the Excel Price Schedule, it appears that only the VAMC s will need media pickup, please confirm.

Only the VA Medical centers require (non-paper) media shredding.

The Excel Price Schedule line items for media say NSP where or how should pricing for the quarterly media pickups be entered?

The pricing for Media Destruction shall be entered in CLIN 0003AA, 0006AA, 0009AA, 0012AA, 0015AA, 0018AA, 1022AA, and all of the subsequent option years (1000, 2000, 3000 Etc.) The CLIN 0003,0006,0009 etc is the label for media shredding the SLIN (0003AA etc.) is the location of where the bin is at, size of bin etc.

P. 4, C. Will the VA provide the labels for the vendor to install?

No, each container shall be labelled with Bin number, company name and phone number. It will be up to the vendor to provide adequate labelling to the containers. The contractor shall also permit VA staff to affix instructional signage on the bins, this signage will provide details for who to call if a user requires a purge etc.

P. 4, F. Collections. VA Directive 6371 does not mention that interim-shredded material must be shred within 24 hours of collection. It does state that the shredded material must be stored in a secure manner until it undergoes final destruction. Since the baler may take longer than 24 hours to move the shredded material to a pulp mill for final destruction, could the requirement to shred within 24 hours of collection please be changed to the secure manner verbiage found on page 12, #17 of Directive 6371?

Adjusted the PWS all material and shred in a secure manner per directive 6371 Page 12, #17.

P. 5, G. Since contractors have established routes that include other clients, to respond to a purge request or other unscheduled service requests within 48 hours can force us to cancel previously scheduled service for other clients. Could this please be revised to say that the two parties will work collaboratively to arrange the unscheduled service as soon as possible?

Adjusted the PWS Please see updated PWS.

P. 5, G. For the request to move or provide equipment within one business day could this please be revised to say at the next collection date (per K ), or that the two parties will work collaboratively to arrange the desired move/equipment as soon as possible?

Adjusted the PWS Please see updated PWS.

P. 5, H. If severe weather interferes with shredding, all client services for the days of severe weather must be re-aligned. Could this please be revised to say 72 hours, or that the two parties will work collaboratively to arrange a make-up collection as soon as possible?

Adjusted the PWS Please see updated PWS.

P. 6, N. VA Directive 6371 does not mention a particle size for either interim or final destruction. 1x5mm is generally reserved for classified material. For CUI, the 1x5mm particle size is achieved at a pulp mill through the de-inking and pulping process. This meets the two-step process described in CUI Notice 2019-03, attached. Since shredding companies do generally not own a pulp mill, can this paragraph please be revised to follow the wording in VA Directive 6371, with the NARA CUI Notice two-step process noted as guidance for achieving 1x5mm during the final destruction accomplished by the paper mill?

Please see updated PWS

P. 7, O., 2nd bullet. Please explain what recycling credits are and how they are calculated.

Removed Please see updated PWS

P. 7, O. last paragraph. This states weekly collection invoices will be delivered to the facility COR within five business days of collection. Is the VA requiring that the contractor invoice for services every week? If not, please define what weekly collection invoices are.

Removed See updated PWS

P. 9, Q. d. Mobile shred trucks cannot be opened onsite due to NAID and privacy regulations, but the VA may view the shredding via CCTV. Will this satisfy the requirement listed here?

Yes, CCTV will satisfy the requirement

P. 26, Price Schedule. The Cleveland HCS calls for only 95-gallon bins. Since this size container is generally not allowed to be permanently located in patient areas, will they be centrally located at each facility for the driver to collect and service, or presented at the dock for service?

The CLIN/SLIN for Cleveland states: 95 Gallon Containers - Picked up Weekly

Collected by Medical Center Staff and deposited into holding area for pickup and destruction.

Will each facility provide an initial list of container placement since a new contractor will not be familiar building and room numbers?

Yes, The facilities will all provide a list of containers and room numbers.

Is this a firm-fixed price contract?

Yes, this is a Firm Fixed Price Contract

Accessibility

For each of the Medical Centers, how far apart are the buildings where service is needed in other words will our shred truck need to move multiple times to service the various locations on the various campuses?

You will need to move your truck between buildings. We provided site visits for each of the main hospital locations for prospective vendors to verify this data.

At the Medical Centers, please confirm if there is a loading dock, and is there a ramp to the ground? Yes there are docks at each of the medical centers.

Is there sufficient and appropriate parking for our truck at each location for the time it will take to perform the work? Yes

Please confirm that removing/returning containers does not involve negotiating any steps at any location where shred containers are located above/below the egress floor.

All medical centers have elevators and/or freight elevators to move containers to the ground level or dock level.

Please see updated PWS, Attached below.

The deadline for responses is hereby changed to 13:30 EST (1:30 PM) on 01/05/2023. All responses shall be sent via email to Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov and shall be received no later than 13:30 EST (1:30 PM). Any responses received after this time shall be considered late.

Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f)

The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to update the CLIN/SLINS, answer questions from industry, update the PWS, and update quote preparation instructions and evaluation factors.

CLIN/SLIN 0004AA, 1004AA, 2004AA, 3004AA has been increased from 242 to 243 bins at the main facility.

Question 1: In the SOW on page 87 it states that "The Contractor shall be certified by (NAID) National Association for Information Destruction. The contractor shall perform to the standards in the contract as well as all local, state, and federal regulations." I am a member of i-SIGMA, which is a governing body for document destruction. It was formed in 2018 when NAID and PRISM international joined (please see the attached screenshot). Our industry still refers to i-SIGMA as NAID, despite it no longer existing. It may be more accurate to update the SOW to reflect that all offerors must be i-SIGMA members in good standing.

Answer 1: Upon further guidance the criteria stating that offerors shall be NAID certified in order to be considered for this requirement have been removed. The current VA Directive 6371 states the following:

2. SUMMARY OF CONTENTS/MAJOR CHANGES: This revision is being implemented to increase the security and protection of personally identifiable information (PII), personal health information (PHI), and VA sensitive information contained in temporary records. Revisions include;

a. Revision of the definitions for interim and final destruction of temporary paper records; certification of destruction, clarification of circumstances requiring interim destruction of temporary paper records; elimination of the requirement that a contractor witnessing interim destruction provide a certification of destruction to the VA organization that created the temporary paper records; and

b. Elimination for the requirement that an information destruction contractor be National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) certified and the establishment of minimum standards instead.

Therefore, offerors shall provide any industry certifications however NAID certification will not be an evaluation factor requirement. Instead, Offerors shall be evaluated on their ability to perform in accordance with VA Directive 6371 as reflected in the changes to the PWS and Technical Factors (please see below).

Please see Performance Work Statement Updated 12/13/22

Please see Price Cost Schedule UPDATED 12/13/22

Please see UPDATED Quote Preparation Instructions Evaluation Factors 12-13-22

Please utilize Price-Cost Schedule Q23D0035-v4.xls to provide your quote (attached).

The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to update POC for Indianapolis Site Visit and provide an alternative date for a NE Ohio VA Healthcare System Site Visit. (Changes/additions are Highlighted)

SITE VISITS: It is strongly suggested and expected that the offeror inspect the campuses to be serviced to fully understand the nature of the work and the conditions under which the work is to be performed. In no case shall failure to inspect the campus constitute grounds for a claim after contract award. A site visit is not a requirement to offer a quote. The Government has allocated the following Date/Times for site visits. All prospective quoters shall check in with Police Services to obtain a visitor s badge. All prospective quoters shall follow Covid Protocols as directed by VA / CDC guidance. All times below are EST.

Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center | 12/7/22 | 0100-0230 PM

1481 W 10th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202

Main entrance, front lobby, please call Ian Speed (317) 794-4661

Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System | 12/09/22 | 0200-0330 PM

10701 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106

Main entrance, front lobby, please call/text Shawn Huelsman (216) 466-7721

Alternative Date Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System

Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System | 12/15/22 | 0200-0330 PM

10701 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106

Main entrance, front lobby, please call/text Shawn Huelsman (216) 466-7721

The purpose of this amendment is to provide an updated price/cost schedule that corrects dates from OY1 POP. A new Price-Cost Schedule and Excel File are attached to this document.

Please utilize Price-Cost Schedule-Q0035-v3.xls

The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to provide updated Site Visit Information.

The Site Visit for Chillicothe VAMC has been changed to:

Chillicothe VA Medical Center | 12/15/22 | 1000-1130 AM

17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, OH 45601-9718

Main entrance front lobby, please have reception call George Fowler and/or Ashley Conrad

Submission of your response shall be received not later than 12/29/2022 at 1:30PM via email to Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov. (Please see note below regarding email attachment limitations)

Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f).

Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Point of Contact listed below.

Point of Contact

Josh Kovar

Joshua.Kovar@va.gov

All questions SHALL be submitted no later than 12/20/2022 by 13:30 (1:30 PM EST) via email. Phone queries will not be entertained. Questions received after the Q/A deadline may not be answered.

*VA has a maximum allowable incoming email size limitation including attachments of seven megabytes. Offerors submitting responses via email which exceed seven megabytes shall split their response into multiple email messages so as to not exceed the maximum allowable email size limitation. The VA is not responsible for late responses due to undelivered e-mails that exceed seven megabytes

The purpose of this email is to answer questions from industry, update the PWS, Update Price/Cost Schedule CLIN/SLINs, and to issue a new pricing sheet that will be utilized for quote responses.

Questions and Answers:

Some of the frequency of pickups vary from location to location (i.e. 2X month or bi-weekly) would it be possible to adjust "monthly" to "Every 4 weeks" and "2X Month" to "bi-weekly"?

The Government changed the frequency to every 4 weeks and bi-weekly to allow for ease of invoicing. If any instances of monthly pickup exist in the PWS or CLIN/SLINS they shall be considered as every 4 weeks and bi-weekly.

On page 112 of the solicitation there are 2 separate addresses for Bloomington. 1 is Bloomington CBOC and the other is the Mental Health Facility. There are no container counts for either facility and unless I've overlooked it, I don't believe it is listed in any of the CLINs or SLINs.Â

The Government removed the instances of these 2 locations (Bloomington CBOC and Bloomington Mental Health) from the PWS.

On the pricing spreadsheet in Battle Creek's Grand Rapids CBOC (frequency = Bimonthly), it shows a quantity of 26. Is that correct or should it be 6

The CLIN is now correct, changed to Bi-Weekly service

In the pricing schedule document, I see on line-item 0015 - BATTLE CREEK VA MEDICAL CENTER - MEDIA SHREDDING SERVICES: Main Campus, they are in need of the Location and Bin Size for a Quarterly pickup. Has the location and bin size been determined for this line item?

The CLIN, 0015 has been updated along with all the option years, 1015, 2015, 3015 to include QTY 1 (23-Gallon SlimJim) bin. The location is still being isolated and shall be forthcoming.

Can you please confirm that NORTHEAST OHIO VHS - CBOCs - DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION SERVICES do not begin until Option year 2?

They do not start in OY2, they start in OY1, but previously referenced OY2 due to an unseen error with the contract writing system. Northeast Ohio VA Healthcare System Facilities AND CBOCs do not start until OY-1, on 1/1/25: CLINS 1019AG, 1020, 1021, 1022 See note below regarding CLIN restructuring.

Can you provide the incumbent information? Contract Number? Vendor?

36C25023C0013 The Rapid Group LLC

36C25023C0014 Dunlap Government Solutions

36C25022P1136 Chermat Holdings LLC

36C25020C0052 Gateway Recycling

End of Questions and Answers

Additional Changes to the CLINS/SLINS not specifically addressed in the QA portion of this document.

To ease vendor input and Government evaluations the following CLINS/SLINS have been restructured. (X is the OY POP.)

CLIN X019 Facility Purging

CLIN 1020, 2020, 3020 NE Ohio VA main Facility

CLIN 1021, 2021, 3021 NE Ohio CBOCs

CLIN 1022. 2022, 3022 Media Destruction NE Ohio.

X0011 Kettering Contracting Offices has been changed to (every 4 weeks of service).

Please see below for updated PWS and Location information.

Please see updated Excel attachment: Price-Cost Schedule_Q0035-v2.xls.

Submission of your response shall be received not later than 12/29/2022 at 1:30PM via email to Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov. (Please see note below regarding email attachment limitations)

Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f).

Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Point of Contact listed below.

Point of Contact

Josh Kovar

Joshua.Kovar@va.gov

All questions SHALL be submitted no later than 12/20/2022 by 13:30 (1:30 PM EST) via email. Phone queries will not be entertained. Questions received after the Q/A deadline may not be answered.

*VA has a maximum allowable incoming email size limitation including attachments of seven megabytes. Offerors submitting responses via email which exceed seven megabytes shall split their response into multiple email messages so as to not exceed the maximum allowable email size limitation. The VA is not responsible for late responses due to undelivered e-mails that exceed seven megabytes

The purpose of this solicitation modification is to update the Solicitation response due date due to an error. Contract opportunities originally posted an end date of 12/29/2023.

The solicitation due date was edited in SAM.gov on Nov 28, 2022 at 12:29 pm EST, which was prior to this amendment.

The solicitation shall hereby close on 12/29/2022. All responses shall be received via email no later than 13:30 (1:30 PM EST) to Joshua.Kovar@VA.gov.