Service: HOPTEL Temp Lodging GVL

Added: Sep 21, 2016 9:44 am Modified: Nov 17, 2016 1:16 pmTrack Changes The purpose of this amendment is to:

Extend the close date of the solicitation from 11/18/2016 to 12/09/2016.

Added: Sep 21, 2016 9:44 am Modified: Nov 04, 2016 10:30 amTrack Changes The purpose of this amendment is to answer the following questions from prospective Vendors:

Are we able to partner with other hotels and submit the two hotels as one hotel?

Yes, all hotels must meet minimum requirements of 3. 5 stars per Hotels.com. There must be one avenue of reservation scheduling for all hotels.



Both of our hotels have a total of 4 ADA rooms each, can the hotel still be considered?

Yes. Vendor must be able to provide a minimum of 5 ADA rooms across all hotels.

3) Under Section 6 Room Rates, the solicitation states, The Veteran beneficiary will not be asked to provide a credit card to the hotel to have on file for damages. The NF/SG VHS or veteran beneficiary shall not be liable for any incidentals, loss or damage to the property of the contractor; this is the responsibility of the contractor. No incidental expenses will be borne by the VA, nor shall the veteran be asked for any deposit or security. All incidental expenses shall be borne by the Hotel or Motel.  

Under Section 14 Amenities, the solicitation states, Any amenities offered to non-Veteran beneficiary guest staying at the hotel/motel the contractor shall also offer to our Veteran beneficiaries.  Amenities, if not included with the hotel/motel regular night stay, shall be the responsibility of the individual Veteran beneficiary (s) (room service, pay-per view, movies, etc.). It will be the contractor s responsibility to collect payment for all non-included amenities from the Veteran beneficiary guest. Section 6 states that the hotel is not allowed to ask for a credit card.  If the Veteran is responsible for amenities (room service, pay-per view, movies, etc.) as stated in Section 14, can the hotel request a credit card from the Veteran?

Yes, but only if the Veteran asks for the amenity can the credit card be used to pay for the extra amenity.  Credit cards cannot be collected for damages and neither VA nor the Veteran will be responsible for damages.

4) Under Section 2 General Requirements, the solicitation states, Vendor shall guarantee the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center a number of rooms set by the scope of work. After 5:00 pm each day, all unreserved rooms except for three (3) will be automatically released to the contractor. Malcom Randall VAMC shall not be financially obligated to pay for rooms that are not used.

See #5 

5) Section B.7.2: notes all but 3 rooms are to be released if not reserved by 5 pm each day.  It does not note when to release the final 3 rooms however it notes the VA will not pay for unoccupied rooms.  Will you please clarify the release time for the final 3 rooms?

VA agrees that if the rooms are not occupied by 7:00 p.m., the hotel can release them. VA will not be charged for any rooms that are not reserved.

6) Section B.7.6:  notes:   The NF/SG VHS or veteran beneficiary shall not be liable for any incidentals, loss or damage to the property of the contractor; this is the responsibility of the contractor.    And this one:  All incidental expenses shall be borne by the Hotel or Motel.     This first statement says that if a veteran goes into one of our rooms and destroys it you will not allow us to go after the veteran for the damages.  Hopefully I am misunderstanding this because we have several HOPTEL contracts and veteran do smoke in non-smoking rooms, destroy carpet with spills, and etc. so we will have to have a recourse with the veteran in some instances especially smoking.  I understand the VA won t pay for damages or smoking charges but we must have the right to secure payment from the veteran when they damage the facility.  Will you please clarify this statement?  Section B.7.14 notes the veterans are responsible for incidental charges but damages (to include smoking) are not mentioned.

B.7.14 deals with charges for amenities such as Pay-per-View movies and room service. See #3 above.

7) Section B.7.7:  Please clarify:  The contractor will notify the VA representative on the contact listing, of the reservation, if it is made after 4:30 pm and on weekends.     We will not be making reservations unless the VA specifically requests a reservation for a veteran and that is to be confirmed in writing with a confirmation number. 

Correct.

8) Section B.7.11:  It states weekly billing; can calendar month billing be acceptable?

No. Invoicing will be done on a weekly basis.

9) Section B.7.12:  If the Veteran beneficiary is admitted or stays overnight in the VA facility, stays of family members or guests in the contracted lodging facility shall be at their own expense unless special permission is given ..   We would have no way of knowing the veteran was admitted. 

VA will pay for reservations made by VA and not canceled by VA. The VA does not pay for family members/caregivers to lodge alone, without the Veteran in the room. The family member/caregiver will be responsible to pay.

10) Section B.7.13:  If the VA lodging block estimated in B.7.5 if fully occupied, will the contractor be required to honor any further reservations under the SOW terms?

Yes, in good faith VA would like the contractor to find equitable lodging in a partner hotel within the contract, if available. Otherwise, VA has alternative options if the contractor does not have available lodging over the stated number (35) rooms. These rooms shall be at the same contractual rate as for the block of 35. The VA removes from B.7.6 sentence 2 the phrase, the contractor must propose as part of his/her offer, any rates above and beyond the daily room requirement.

11) Section B.7.19:  Notes When rooms are not ready for check-in within 30 minutes of arrival upon request by the veteran the Contractor will arrange for alternate accommodations that meet or exceed contract requirements and transportation when necessary at contractor s expense.   The solicitation does not note that check in and check out times are to be the facilities standard times.  If patience arrives at 9 am they cannot expect to be placed in their rooms that early and the contractor cannot be expected to provide alternate accommodations with such an early arrival.  We will accommodate all veterans for early and late arrival but this statement should only apply AFTER the facility check in time.  Will you please clarify this statement?

Rooms will be available based on the hotel standard check in time. If rooms are not available the Contractor will arrange for alternate accommodations that meet or exceed contract requirements and transportation when necessary at contractor s expense.

12) Section B.7.18:  Wheelchair assisted transportation, Section B.7.15 does not state the transportation is to be wheelchair compliant and Section B.7.2 notes all occupants ..must be medically stable and capable of self-care.   Will you please clarify the transportation needs regarding wheelchair veterans?

Many veterans who require a wheelchair for mobility are still capable of self-care. The contractor must have a wheelchair accessible vehicle but the Veteran and/or caregiver will assist the Veteran as needed. Wheelchair taxi cab is okay.

Also, the above referenced sections note different times for transportation.  Will you please provide the hours also?

4:45 am -1100pm.

13) Section B.7.23:  The VA has the right to terminate the contract at any time.  Does the contractor also have the right to terminate the contract at any time or when can the contractor terminate the contract if chosen to do so?

Section B.7.23 TERMINATION is removed from the solicitation.



14) Do we have to own a hotel or motel to provide the services for the Veterans or can we have an agreement with a hotel or motel to lease rooms in order to accommodate the requirements to provide housing for veterans in solicitation VA248-16-Q-1794? ALSO, is the award required to go to the host lodging facility?

VA will only contract with a company that owns, manages, and operates a facility in the Gainesville area.

15) Can I be awarded the contract and then secure a suitable lodging facility to be a subcontractor? 

No.

16) B.7.7 on page 10 states, Reservations may be requested as late as the day of need, in such cases, the reservation must be completed within 30 minutes of request. In the past that took an employee to stay on the phone and not take care of anything else, so they had to hire another employee just for VA reservations and then fill in to do other work. The front desk had to continue to run. Most corporations or reservations are verified with fax or scan and done in a timely manner not a 30 minute window only.

The contractor must have enough staff to be responsive to reservation request, cancellations, etc. A 24-hour continuously staffed Front Desk is required.

Added: Sep 21, 2016 9:44 am Modified: Oct 26, 2016 9:56 amTrack Changes The purpose of this amendment is to:

Extend the close date of the solicitation from 10/28/2016 to 11/18/2016.

Added: Sep 21, 2016 9:44 am

This is a PRE-solicitation notice that the Veterans Health Administration intends to solicit offers to provide temporary lodging under the Hoptel program in Gainesville, FL.



This requirement will be set-aside 100% for small businesses (SBs). To be eligible for a SB set aside contractors must meet the small business size standard for NAICS 721110.



The solicitation is anticipated to be posted on www.fbo.gov for download on or about September 26, 2016. Potential offerors are advised that there will be truncated response time on the solicitation. Anticipated closing date of the solicitation will be October 31, 2016. Solicitation posting and closing dates are subject to change as necessary and amendments will be issued as accordingly. Potential offerors may submit questions regarding the project's requirements as of the date of this posting through a date that will be identified in the solicitation. All questions should be directed to Christopher Brailer at 352-381-5730 or via e-mail at Christopher.brailer@va.gov; e-mail is preferred.



This PRE-solicitation notice does not constitute a request for proposals.