R699--Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center Temporary Receptionist / Screener Services

The purpose of this RFQ amendment is to answer vendor questions. The following information is hereby incorporated into solicitation 36C24420Q0970:

A. Vendors submitted the following questions. The government has provided a response to each question.

1. Is this a new requirement?

Answer: Yes.

2. We do not see a Register Of Wage Determination Under The Service Contract Act document for this solicitation. Is there a document that you can provide us?

Answer: The applicable DOL wage determination numbers are included in attachment Section D Attachment 1 of the initial RFQ posting. See attachment Section D Attachment 1 . The wage determination numbers are also re-attached to this solicitation amendment. The attachment includes a link to beta.SAM.gov, where the full-text determinations are accessible by searching the WD number. The applicable wage determinations are:

Wilkes-Barre - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4239

Allentown - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4205

Sayre - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4257

Williamsport - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4243

3. Which Service Contract Act (SCA) Wage Determination occupation code is recommended for this contract ?

Answer: The contractor is responsible for selecting the correct title classification of workers and compliance with all applicable wage and hour laws per locations of service. All DOL SCA wage determinations and revisions are indicated in the solicitation and this amendment, and accessible in full-text at https://beta.sam.gov.

4. Are we the contractor required to provide Fringe Benefits to the employees hired to provide the service this solicitation is requesting. If so can you provide us the detailed information about the dollar amount we need to include with the compensation for the employees.

Answer: The contractor is required to comply with requirements of the SCA, including benefits, as indicated in the applicable Department of Labor Wage Determinations.

5. Will the government provide the contractor with the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) or will the contractor be responsible for this?

Answer: Yes. The Government will provide all PPE in compliance with VA and CCD regulations, and as detailed in Statement of Work, Section F, Government Responsibilities, Item 3.

6. The PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) will this consist of face shields, face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer?  Please clarify.

Answer: The Government will provide all PPE in compliance with VA and CCD regulations, and as detailed in Statement of Work, Section F, Government Responsibilities, Item 3. The Contracted employees will be provided the same PPE and usage guidance as Federal Employees at the facility.

7. Regarding the Price/Cost Schedule Item Information documents, we need clarification for what quantity 3.00 Unit EA means? For example Item number 001 on page 8 of 42 details quantity of 3.00 and a unit EA . Would this mean we need to provide 3 employees at this building location? Please clarify.

Answer: The government has revised the CLIN structure to clarify the effort required by indicating the quantity of contracted employees in the CLIN description, and changing the unit to indicate Month. Please see Attachment B to this solicitation amendment: REVISED CLIN STRUCTURE 36C24420Q0970.

8. Please explain the D.1 Wage and Determination Attachment: There are no attachments or documents that we can see. Please provide.

Answer: See attachment Section D Attachment 1 . The Wage Determination is also re-attached to this Solicitation Amendment and includes a link to beta.SAM.gov, where the full-text determinations are accessible by searching the WD number. The applicable wage determinations are:

Wilkes-Barre - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4239

Allentown - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4205

Sayre - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4257

Williamsport - Service Contract Act WD #: 2015-4243

9. Will there be progress meetings that the contractor will have to attend on a monthly or weekly basis and if so are these meetings going to be virtual meetings such as zoom or facetime ? Â

Answer: The initial post-award kick-off call will be a virtual meeting between the contractor and Government. Future meeting platforms will be coordinated between the Government COR/POC and Contractor POC post-award.

10. From the previous solicitation we understand that the quantity shown is the number of receptionists. However it is not defined what price should be proposed. If we populate an hourly rate per person, the extended calculation does not capture the level of effort. The description states this will be an FFP IDIQ. If the level of effort is constant, will the government consider changing the CLIN structure and description to Qty=6 FFP monthly price?

Answer: The government has revised the CLIN structure to clarify the effort required by indicating the quantity of contracted employees in the CLIN description, and changing the unit to indicate Month. Please see Attachment B to this solicitation amendment: REVISED CLIN STRUCTURE 36C24420Q0970.

11. Is a company uniform required or will contracted personnel be authorized to wear business casual attire?

Answer: Uniform requirements are outlined in Statement of Work Section E., Contractor Personnel Requirements, Item 1: Contracted personnel must wear a pristine and professional company uniform.

12. To clarify the quantities listed within the Price/Cost Schedule, in Item 0001 (3) Receptionist Screener Staff are required at the Bldg 1 Chapel Entrance M-F between the hours of 6am 1pm EST. The requirement decreases to (2) Receptionist Screener Staff at the Bldg 1 Chapel Entrance between 1-5pm EST (Item 0002). Is this correct?

Answer: The government has revised the CLIN structure to clarify the effort required by indicating the quantity of contracted employees in the CLIN description, and changing the unit to indicate Month. Please see Attachment B to this solicitation amendment: REVISED CLIN STRUCTURE 36C24420Q0970.

13. My business is new to the Federal Contracting process so I'm trying to learn my way around Solicitations. I'm registered in SAM and verified through the VIP database. One big question I have is that; Can this be subcontracted out? And if so, is there a template to follow, literature I can read or anything that would help me with the bidding process when subcontracting?

Answer: All quotes must be in compliance with subcontracting regulations as defined in VAAR 852.219-74 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUL 2018), and quotes must certify to compliance with the aforementioned clause.

14. One of the attachments references the requirement for hourly wage requirements at the four different locations (Wilkes-Barre, Allentown, Sayre, and Williamsport) but doesn t have specific amounts listed. Is there a specific rate that we are required to use?

Answer: The contractor is responsible for selecting the correct title classification of workers and compliance with all applicable wage and hour laws per locations of service. All DOL SCA wage determinations and revisions are accessible at https://beta.sam.gov.

15. Are the 30 minute lunch breaks and the two 15 minute breaks billable hours towards the total amount or do we deduct those times? If we deduct them, which positions would we deduct them for specifically? Item numbers 2 and 4 are only 4 hour shifts so I don t think they would require breaks but item number 1 and 3 are 7 hour shifts that I could see either way. Can you please clarify?

Answer: The CLINs are not defined as hourly rates. Instead, the CLIN is fixed price by shift per number of contracted employees required. The Contractor unit rate must be fully burdened; it will not be prorated or otherwise adjusted for breaks or other schedule changes.

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All vendor questions have been addressed in this amendment, and further questions may not be submitted. The response time for solicitation 36C24420Q0970 remains 2:00 PM EDT on 08/26/2020.