S203--RFQ - drrtp catering (VA-26-00032464)

The purpose of this The purpose of this solicitation amendment is to extend the deadline of the requirement and answer questions from industry.

Extended Deadline:

The deadline for this solicitation quotes is hereby changed to 12:00 AM EST on 1/22/2026. All responses are to be emailed to Joseph.Horn@va.gov

Questions and Answers:

Question 1 Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) Permit Timing

For offerors that possess relevant domiciliary and VA food service experience but do not currently operate a permitted food service facility in the State of Georgia, will the Government consider it acceptable for the offeror to obtain the Georgia Department of Public Health Food Service Permit during the post-award phase-in period, provided all other technical requirements are met prior to commencement of performance?

Yes. The required GA Dept of Public Health Food Service Permit may be obtained after contract award, GA Department of Public Health Certificate must be obtained and submitted no later than 14 calendar days prior to the start of the period of performance.

Question 2 Applicability of Post-Award Phase-In Period

The solicitation anticipates a transition to performance beginning May 1, 2026.

Please confirm whether the Government intends to allow a post-award phase-in period (up to 30 days) to be used for finalizing state and local permitting (including GDPH permitting), staffing onboarding, and off-site kitchen readiness for non-incumbent offerors. Quote due date will be extended by modification,

Yes. The required GA Dept of Public Health Food Service Permit may be obtained after contract award, GA Department of Public Health Certificate must be obtained and submitted no later than 14 calendar days prior to the start of the period of performance.

Question 3 Fair Opportunity for Non-Georgia Domiciliary Vendors

Please clarify how the requirement to submit a current Georgia Department of Public Health Food Service Permit at the time of quotation submission is intended to provide a fair and equal opportunity for domiciliary-experienced vendors that do not currently operate in Georgia, but are otherwise fully capable of meeting all requirements prior to performance start.

All offerors will be evaluated solely on the contents of their submitted quotation for the referenced solicitation. The required GA Dept of Public Health Food Service Permit may be obtained after contract award, GA Department of Public Health Certificate must be obtained and submitted no later than 14 calendar days prior to the start of the period of performance.

Question 4 Conditional Technical Acceptability

Would the Government consider conditional technical acceptability, whereby offerors demonstrate the capability and documented plan to obtain GDPH permitting within a defined post-award period, rather than requiring the permit to be fully in place at the time of quotation submission?

All offerors will be evaluated solely on the contents of their submitted quotation for the referenced solicitation. The required GA Dept of Public Health Food Service Permit may be obtained after contract award, GA Department of Public Health Certificate must be obtained and submitted no later than 14 calendar days prior to the start of the period of performance.

Question 5 Five-Page Technical Capability Limitation

Attachment 1 (Technical Capability) is limited to five (5) pages; however, it also requires submission of permits, inspection reports, menus, certifications, HACCP descriptions, and insurance documentation.

Please clarify whether the five-page limitation applies only to the technical narrative, or whether supporting documentation must also be included within the five-page limit.

The five-page limit only applies to the technical narrative. Please submit permits, menus, inspection reports, certificates, HAACP descriptions, insurance documentation as individually labeled addenda.Â

Question 6 Use of Appendices or Exhibits

May offerors submit required supporting documentation (e.g., GDPH permits, inspection reports, ServSafe certificates, insurance declarations, menus) as appendices or exhibits to Attachment 1 that do not count toward the five-page technical narrative limit? No

The five-page limit only applies to the technical narrative. Please submit permits, menus, inspection reports, certificates, HAACP descriptions, insurance documentation as individually labeled addenda.Â

Question 7 Menu Submission Level of Detail

For the required three-week sample menu and holiday menus, is the Government requesting full detailed menus for each meal period, or will representative sample menus demonstrating compliance with nutritional and program requirements be considered sufficient?

A full-detailed 3-week sample menu for each meal period is require. The offeror may submit sample holiday menus for each holiday requiring a special meal.

Question 8 HACCP Transport Narrative Scope

Regarding the required HACCP description related to food transportation, is a high-level process narrative sufficient, or is the Government requesting full HACCP plans, logs, and monitoring documentation as part of Attachment 1?

The HAACP Plan should be sufficient enough to address all critical control points related to the transport of food. A detailed HAACP plan will be required no less than 14 days prior to the start of the POP. Logs and monitoring documents are not required for submission.

Question 9 Proof of Location and 60-Mile Radius

Please confirm the acceptable format for demonstrating proof of business location in the State of Georgia and confirmation that the off-site food preparation facility is within a 60-mile radius of the DRRTP.

Would a signed lease or a distance map be considered sufficient?

A signed lease with the full address of the facility or a distance map is sufficient.

Question 10 Incumbent Evaluation Parity

Please confirm that all offerors, including the incumbent, will be evaluated solely on the contents of their submitted quotation for this solicitation, and that no previously approved permits, menus, or operational materials will be relied upon unless expressly submitted as part of the current response.

All offerors, including incumbent, will be evaluated solely on the contents of their submitted quotation and all required documentation. The agency does not review previously submitted/approved permits, menus or operational materials for award. The agency only reviews documents submitted as part of the current solicitation.

Question 11: Current incumbent CBA. (Note: current contract does not successorship clauses)

Current (incumbent) contract holder employees are under Collective bargaining agreement (CBA) Information Below

Continuity of Workforce: The new quoter may have to retain some or all of the incumbent workforce covered by the CBA, affecting their staffing decisions and strategies.

Negotiation and Compliance: New quoters need to be aware of and comply with relevant labor laws and regulations, as the costs and terms set by an existing CBA can influence their ability to negotiate new terms or determine competitiveness.

When responding to an RFQ, it's important for new quoters to thoroughly understand the terms of the incumbent s CBA to ensure they can meet or negotiate these terms and accurately price their proposals. They may also need to consider future labor negotiations and potential changes to the CBA that might come into effect after they are awarded the contract.

CBA Wages:

CLASSIFICATION

Wage

Cook I

$20.07

Lead Cook 2

$22.23

Food Service specialist

$18.50

Lead Food Service specialist

$18.50

CBA Health and Welfare Benefits:

Health and Welfare benefits will be paid directly to the employees at the sum of five dollars and thirty-six cents ($5.36) per hour for all the straight time hours worked plus all hours paid for vacation, holiday, and sick leave for each and every employee covered by this Agreement, not to exceed forty (40) hours in any one week.

Sick Leave:

All employees shall accrue paid sick leave on the basis of (.0585)hours per month paid sick leave earned, not to exceed (7) paid sick days per year. Unused sick leave shall be paid to all employees at the end of each government year or contract period of

Pension :

The Company shall contribute to the ITPEU Pension Fund the sum of thirty cents ($0.30) per hour, for all straight time hours worked plus all hours paid for vacation, holiday, and sick leave for each and every employee covered by this agreement, not to exceed forty (40) hours in any one (1) week.

In executing this Agreement, the Company agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust establishing the ITPEU Pension Plan and any amendments duly adopted thereto.

The Company further agrees to be bound by all resolutions and other actions taken by the Board of Trustees of the ITPEU Pension Fund

Jury Duty :

Employees who are called for Jury Duty and serve as jurors on regularly scheduled work days shall be paid the differences between the amount received for such services and their basic hourly earnings, not to exceed eight (8) hours per day, forty {40) hours in any one (1) week, up to a maximum of ten (10) eight (8) hour days, per contract year and provided they have passed their probationary period.

Vacation:

Two (2) weeks paid vacation after one (1) year of service.

Three (3) weeks paid vacation after five {5) years' service.

Four (4) weeks paid vacation after ten (10) years' service.

Five (5) weeks paid vacation after fifteen (15) years' service

Within thirty (30) days of the termination of the Company's Contract at the Base, the Company will provide the successor contractor and the union a list of employees accrued vacation credits. All Vacations will be pro-rated on hours worked.

Bereavement Leave:

In instances of the death of a member of the immediate family of a regular employee occurring after the completion of the employees probationary period, the Company will grant a paid leave of absence not to exceed Three (3) days to enable such employee to attend the funeral and otherwise assist in arrangements pertaining to the burial of such

member of the family. A day's pay will consist of the employee's regular base rate for the hours scheduled for the day during which the bereavement leave occurs and shall be applicable only to days within his regular work week. The employee is also entitled to an additional Two (2) days unpaid bereavement leave. The term "immediate family" as

used herein, is defined as consisting of the following members only:

MOTHER, FATHER, SPOUSE, CHILDREN AND SIBLINGS, GRANDPARENTS, FATHER

AND MOTHER IN-LAWS

No employee otherwise entitled to bereavement leave under this Article shall receive such benefits unless he give reasonable notice to the Company prior to taking time off for bereavement purposes and provides appropriate documentation of his bereavement upon request of the Company. In order to qualify for bereavement leave, an employee must

have completed the period set forth herein.

Employees shall be entitled to paid bereavement leave. In instances of the death of a member of the immediate family of a regular employee occurring after the completion of the employee's probation period, the Company will, where required, grant a paid leave not to exceed three (3) days to enable such employee to attend the funeral or otherwise

assist in arranging the burial of such member of the family, the pay will consist of the employee's regular rate of pay for the hours scheduled for the days which the bereavement leave occurs and shall be applicable only to days within this regular work week. The term

"immediate family", as herein is defined as consisting of the following members only: mother, father, spouse or children. The Bereavement leave may be extended two additional days, which additional days shall be without pay. No employee otherwise entitled to bereavement leave under this article shall receive such benefits unless he gives reasonable notice to the Company prior to taking time off for bereavement leave.

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

Page 3 of 3

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation number 36C24726Q0195 is issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ), for temporary lodging services for Birmingham VA Medical Center. This acquisition is set-aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) concerns. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 722310 is assigned to this requirement with a small business size standard of $47.0 million. The FSC/PSC is S203.

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Atlanta VA Medical Center located at 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur Georgia , requires Food Catering services to Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (DRRTP) facility located at Fort McPherson in Atlanta GA. The Fort McPherson (DDRP) facility is located at Fort McPherson. The performance work statement, line-item descriptions, quantities, period of performance, applicable terms and conditions, and instructions to offerors are all specified in the attachments. Interested parties are encouraged to review this entire solicitation, including all attachments before responding to this solicitation.

This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov and www.acquisition.gov/vaar.

Questions regarding this combined synopsis/solicitation must be e-mailed to Joseph E. Horn at Joseph.Horn@va.gov no later than 10:00 AM ET, on Jan 9, 2026.

Deadlines: Quotes must be submitted via e-mail to Joseph E. Horn at Joseph.Horn@va.gov , and received no later than 12:00 AM EST, on Jan 16, 2026.

VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting - Certificate of Compliance: To be eligible for evaluation and consideration for award, offerors must return the entire Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance clause containing a fully completed certification at the time offers are due or the offer will be rejected and not forwarded for evaluation. In addition to completing the offeror fill-in requirements for this clause, offerors must insert the offeror s name in the brackets containing the following verbiage [Insert Name of Offeror] to have a fully completed certification.

See attached Document: Past Performance Template

See attached Document: Location Photos additional information

See attached Document: Wage Determination