Telephone Operator/Switchboard Services - VA Palo Alto Health Care System

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Integrated Service Network 21 seeks thirteen telephone operators to provide 24/7 switchboard services at VA Palo Alto Health Care System, with proposals due August 12. The procurement is set-aside exclusively for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.

Place of performance is 3801 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, California. The base contract period runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, with four one-year option periods extending through September 30, 2031. Staffing must support greatest demand Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with one operator required on graveyard shifts; at least one operator must remain physically onsite at all times. The NAICS code is 561421, Telephone Answering Services, with a small business size standard of $19 million.

Contractors must comply with Service Contract Act Wage Determination 2015-5641 for Santa Clara County, California. All contract line items are priced monthly for twelve months per contract year, with invoices submitted monthly in arrears through the Tungsten system. All staff require background checks and two Privacy and HIPAA training classes annually. Government furnishes all equipment, systems access, training, and workspace.

Performance standards include average speed of answer less than 20 seconds, average handle time less than 40 seconds, and abandonment rate less than 5%. Contractors must handle incoming calls in priority order with appropriate routing and professional emergency response (alarms, codes, bomb threats, fires, disasters), assist with outgoing commercial and Federal Telecommunication Systems calls, and maintain equipment malfunction and service complaint logs.

Evaluation criteria include Technical Capability, Past Performance (up to five contracts from the past five years; CPARS evaluations may substitute), and Price. Amendment 0002, posted August 7, extended the deadline from August 10 to August 12 at 10:00 AM PDT; offerors must acknowledge receipt of all amendments prior to submission.