Y1NE--Construct Contingency Water Supply 583-17-102

RFI Question: As a result of the effect of COVID-19 throughout the U.S., and the resulting Federal, State and local governments responses /requirements of safe distancing and potential advocations of working remotely and/or complete organization closures, please advise how the Government intends to address delays resulting there as it pertains to the current solicitation schedule for this and all future projects.

Answer: We can only speak for this project. Communication between the awardee and the government - and proof that items are taking longer than expected.

RFI Question: For planning the preliminary project schedule, what is the anticipated award date?

Answer: The government is expecting to award this project before September 30, 2022.

RFI Question: What is the anticipated duration between issuance of contract award and issuance of the NTP?

Answer: That is a discussion that will take place between the COR, Contracting officer and awardee at time of the pre-construction meeting.

RFI Question: Can the structural steel fabrication and erection AISC (American Iron and Steel Certification) certification required for the structural steel fabrication and/or erection for this project be waived by VA?

Answer: Storage (water) tank materials, fabrication, installation/construction, and testing should be in accordance with the most current applicable American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards. AWWA D100 Welded Carbon Steel Tanks for Water Storage would be the recommended standard to be used for the fabrication and installation of a water tank. Any structural steel supports or structural steel items not addressed by AWWA standards will be required to follow Specification 05 12 00.

RFI Question: Due to the unprecedented and unpredictable material price increases occurring in the nation, will the CO/VA/Owner allow a fixed price contract with economic price adjustments per FAR 16.203 to be used as the basis for contract award? This will allow the most competitive price to be offered at this time.

Answer: The VA does not have this authority at this time. So, no. This is a firm fixed price contract.

RFI Question: Spec 05 12 00 3, 1.5 Quality Assurance, requires AISC Quality Certification for fabrication and Installation. Tank manufacture typically do not carry this certification. We are told by multiple manufacturers that they do not have this certification. Also, it is likely will not receive any tank bids meeting the AISC certification requirement. Will the VA waive this AISC requirement for tank fabrication and installation?

Answer: Storage (water) tank materials, fabrication, installation/construction, and testing should be in accordance with the most current applicable American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards. AWWA D100 Welded Carbon Steel Tanks for Water Storage would be the recommended standard to be used for the fabrication and installation of a water tank. Any structural steel supports or structural steel items not addressed by AWWA standards will be required to follow Specification 05 12 00

RFI Question: If the answer to AISC RFI question above is no, is there another method by which the tank manufacturer can meet the VA quality requirements?

Answer: Storage (water) tank materials, fabrication, installation/construction, and testing should be in accordance with the most current applicable American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards. AWWA D100 Welded Carbon Steel Tanks for Water Storage would be the recommended standard to be used for the fabrication and installation of a water tank. Any structural steel supports or structural steel items not addressed by AWWA standards will be required to follow Specification 05 12 00

RFI Question: With the erection of the new tank, there is a safety concern for the general public in the area of Porto Alegre Street. Can a portion of this street be shut down during the tank erection period for public safety?

Answer: The parking lot and streets adjacent to the contractor staging area will remain open during construction activities. Periods of work where a lift and/or overhead work will be completed must be scheduled beforehand and completed during non-normal hours (i.e evening or weekend). During that scheduled time period, the parking lot and other adjacent areas may be closed following coordination with the VA Police.

RFI Question: Public safety in the parking lot is a concern during the tank installation phase. Can the parking lot outside the contractor staging area adjacent to the new tank location be shut down/closed for safety concerns during the tank erection period?

Answer: The parking lot adjacent to the contractor staging area will remain open during construction activities. Periods of work where a lift and/or overhead work will be completed must be scheduled beforehand and completed during non-normal hours (i.e., evening or weekend). During that scheduled time period, the parking lot and other adjacent areas may be closed following coordination with VA Police.

RFI Question: The parking garage top floor is exposed during the insallation of the tank. The shrouding of the garage will not protect the top exposed parking level. Can an amount of 200' raduis or some determined distance be used as a barricade line at the parking garage top floor closed off to parking?

Answer: As needed throughout the project, the parking garage top floor can be closed to staff use. This will be coordinated through the project COR and VA police on an as needed basis. The top parking garage level cannot be closed for the entirety of the project.

RFI Question: Drawing MES-001 shows existing fiber optic cable that will need to be relocated. Is this the main campus Fiber Optic cable? Or is this a branch Fiber Optic cable to the existing garage? Will this Fiber optic cable relocation work affect the VA campus daily routine and services?

Answer: VA OIT has confirmed that this is not the main campus fiber optic cable and is it a branch to the existing garage and provides data for the systems located within the garage. The Contractor will need to be verify and confirm before relocation to not affect the main facility operations.

RFI Question: Drawing MES-001 shows existing fiber optic cable that will be relocated. Is this cable in existing concrete duct bank?

Answer: The conduit, fiber type, and pairs for the fiber being relocated will be verified in the field prior to relocation. The conduit is assumed to be (2) 4 and (1) 1 PVC conduit in a duct bank. The fiber is assumed to be four strands, most likely to be 62.5 micron, but must be confirmed in the field prior to rerouting/splicing.

RFI Question: Drawing MES-001 shows existing fiber optic cable that will be relocated. The plans do not show the makeup of the existing fiber cable. Is this fiber optic installed in a concrete duct bank? How many fiber optic conduits and cables are existing? The electrical contractor needs existing information in order to relocate and splice. Will the VA provide as-built existing information for the fiber optic?

Answer: The conduit, fiber type, and pairs for the fiber being relocated will be verified in the field prior to relocation. The conduit is assumed to be (2) 4 and (1) 1 PVC conduit in a duct bank. The fiber is assumed to be four strands, most likely to be 62.5 micron, but must be confirmed in the field prior to rerouting/splicing.

RFI Question: Drawing MES-001 fiber optic cable. Can this relocation work to be done on normal business hours?

Answer: Relocation work may be completed during normal business hours upon r review/confirmation that the relocation will not impact normal VA operations.

RFI Question: Note 26 on noise, drawing GI-002. How should noise that is over the stated threshold of 75db for normal standard and compliant construction equipment meeting all guidelines be handled? There is potential for higher sound thresholds with some activities. Also a potential for sound noise to travel since the tank is over 150' above the ground.

Answer: Nose dampening blankets may be required to be installed along the perimeter fencing to reduce noise pollution during normal working hours. Operations that will generate excess noise may need to be scheduled during non-normal working hours (evenings on weekends) to limit impact.

RFI Question: Boring logs are noted on drawing GR-002. We request the government provide the full geotechnical report provided for this project.

Answer: Geotechnical report will be provided as a component of amendment.

RFI Question: Would you consider CPARS in Lieu of PPQ if we are unable to obtain a PPQ?

Answer: As the solicitation already states, we will be utilizing CPARs. It is not in lieu of If we don t receive any PPQs, then we will mark the evaluation as such.

As already stated in the solicitation - Offerors without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, will receive a neutral rating (neither favorable nor unfavorable) (FAR 15.305)(a)(2)(iv). See page 24.

RFI Question: Will you allow us to submit previously filled out PPQ s? We are weary of the turn around time to obtain these back from the client.

Answer: No. These need to come directly from your reference, not from you.

RFI Question: Note 10 points to a conduit run that appears to feed light poles in adjacent parking lot. The note also states that the circuit is believed to be a 4 C w/ 600 Kcmil conductors. This appears to be much larger than what would be typical. Is there a particular reason to hold this opinion? Also, the circuit terminates at the generator location. Is it meant to terminate at panel MDP ?

Answer: Based upon our field observations during the design, it is our opinion that the existing feeder shown to be intercepted is a 4 C, 4-600kcmil w/ #3 gnd. However, the contractor shall verify once they have opened the ground and exposed the circuitry. The panel schedule (Panel DP on Sheet EK-001) indicates to re-feed the existing panel MDP with the above noted circuitry as well.

RFI Question: It mentions that the minimum requirement for this factor is one to five projects by the offeror that have a minimum of 500,000-gallon water tank experience. If the Offeror has no prior experience with water tanks but are partnering with a subcontractor that has this experience, Will you allow us to submit past experience from our subcontractor we are teaming with if we are in a teaming agreement?

Answer: If you are using someone other than yourself as the company with 500,000-gallon experience, then the government would request that you either form a Joint Venture (JV) or enter into a teaming arrangement. The concern that if the there is no financial arrangement when the award is made, the awarded offeror may not be what is on paper. You would need to include in your technical package, a copy of the team arrangement or JV paperwork.

considered for evaluation. See attachments Past Performance Questionnaire and Past Performance Relevancy.

RFI Question 2: Technical Factor: Management states the offeror shall submit a listing of at least three similar projects the subcontractors have completed in the last 5 years. Are we to provide 3 similar projects for each subcontractor separately?

Answer: If you are using the subcontractor because they have experience with constructing water towers, then yes, we need three similar projects.

Two sole source items were found in the specs.

Some of the equipment is manufactured by Johnson Controls (JCI), so offeror shall use this brand of equipment where specified. (see attached JCI sole source). This is stated in the Statement of Work and Spec 23 09 23.

Because this water tower needs to tie into the Building Management System (BMS), a certified JCI contractor must be utilized to update the system. The government, as such, requires offerors to subcontract with ConServ, Inc. (Building Automation Systems) to complete this work (see attached ConServ sole source). This is stated in Spec 23 09 23.

All other terms and conditions remain the same.

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IMPORTANT OFFEROR INFORMATION

PROPOSAL MATERIALS Proposal materials consisting of drawings, specifications, contract forms and any issued Amendments will be posted at www.sam.gov . Enter 36C25022R0134 into the search box to access the proposal materials. This is the only official location where these documents can be obtained and where updates are posted. No hard copy bidding materials are available.

The offerors will not be relieved from assuming all responsibility for properly estimating the difficulties and cost of performing the work of this RFP because of the failure to become acquainted with all the information concerning the services to be performed

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION The following documents are to be included in the offer submission: (1) An original, fully completed and signed SF 1442 Offer page ( wet ink signature ), (2) Acknowledgment of any amendments issued either via completing block 19 of the SF1442 or completing blocks 15a, b, and c of the Amendment and attaching to the SF 1442 Offer page; (2) Completed Representations and Certifications section; (3) Fully completed Contractor EMR Certification page; (4) Fully completed proposal section (see FAR 52.215-1 and Preparation and Evaluation of Proposals section following 52.215-1); and (5) Subcontracting Plan (for other than small businesses- see FAR 52.219-9 and instructions below under Other Important Information ).

Offerors are cautioned that failure to submit any of the documents identified in items (1) through (5) in the paragraph above by the date and time specified for receipt of offers may render the offer ineligible for award.

PROJECT INFORMATION

PROJECT TITLE AND NUMBER: Construct Contingency Water Supply 583-17-102

PROJECT LOCATION: Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, 1481 W. 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202

MAGNITUDE OF CONSTRUCTION: Between $5,000,000.00 and $10,000,000.00

TYPE CONSTRUCTION: Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction

NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM CODE: (NAICS): 237110

SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD: $39.5 Million

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 550 calendar days from receipt of Notice to Proceed.

WAGE DETERMINATION Department of Labor General Decision Number IN20220002 is included as an attachment to solicitation and is applicable to any resultant contract. If necessary, subsequent revisions will be posted to the solicitation via amendment prior to the date and time specified for receipt of proposals. Revision may also be applicable prior to any contract award. Wage decisions are available at www.SAM.gov.

REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION (RFI) To obtain clarifications and/or additional information concerning the contract requirements, specifications and/or drawings, submit a written RFI utilizing the RFI Form attached to this Solicitation, send via email to julie.stout@va.gov. The subject line of the email must read RFI ## 36C25022R0134 Construct Contingency Water Supply 583-17-102 . RFIs must be specific identifying section, paragraph and page no. of the specifications or cite the drawing number and must be in question format. All RFIs submitted shall include the solicitation number and title, contractor name, city, state, telephone, email address, date submitted, and the RFI question(s). RFI responses will be posted to www.sam.gov as necessary in amendment format. Deadline for submission of RFIs for this solicitation is 4:30pm local time on July 29, 2022. No questions will be answered after this date unless determined to be in the best interest of the Government as deemed by the Contracting Officer. Telephone requests for information will not be accepted or returned.

DATABASE REGISTRATION INFORMATION

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT REGISTRATION The System for Award Management (SAM) is the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of the Central Contractor Registration (CCR including FedReg), Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA), and the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS). Federal Acquisition Regulation requires that federal contractors register in SAM at www.sam.gov and enter all mandatory information into the system. Warning: Award cannot be made to unregistered contractors. If not registered, offerors are advised to do so immediately. If registration is not active at the time of proposal submittal, the offer is ineligible for award.

THE EXCLUDED PARTIES LIST SYSTEM (EPLS) To ensure that the individuals or businesses providing services under the contract have not engaged in fraud or abuse regarding Sections 1128 and 1128A of the Social Security Act regarding federal health care programs, the contractor is required to check the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) located at www.sam.gov for each person or business providing services under this contract. During the performance of this contract the Contractor is prohibited from using any individual or business listed on the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities.

VETS-4212 REPORTING REQUIREMENT Contractors are required to submit a required annual Form VETS-4212, Federal Contractor Veterans' Employment Report in all cases where the contractor or subcontractor has received an award of $150,000 or more in any fiscal year. Contracting Officers are prohibited from awarding a contract to a contractor that has not submitted a required VETS-4212 Report with respect to the preceding fiscal year if the contractor was subject to the reporting requirement of 38 U.S.C. 4212(d). Submit this report as soon as possible, if not already submitted, to avoid delays in the contract award process. For more information on this requirement and/or for completing the web-based reporting form, check the following website https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/programs/vets4212. See FAR clause 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (JUN 2020) under the General Conditions.

BONDING INFORMATION

PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BONDS In accordance with Contract Clause 52.228-15, and FAR 28.102, Contractors are reminded that any amount awarded over $35,000.00 shall require a Payment Bond (SF 25A), and awards exceeding $150,000.00 shall require both Payment and Performance Bonds (SF 25). Payment and Performance bonds are due no later than 10 days after notification of award. Bonds must be provided with original wet ink signatures - no white outs or other corrections are allowable. Copies and facsimiles of bonds shall not be accepted.

SECURITY

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS All contractor employees are subject to the same level of investigation as VA employees who have access to VA Sensitive Information. The level of background investigation is commensurate with the level of access needed to perform the statement of work. This requirement is also applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same level of access.

Levels and associated types of Background Investigations:

If the project requires that workers have only limited physical access to the VA facility for a period of one year or less, a local flash badge with fingerprint check is issued.

If the project requires that workers require un-supervised, logical and/or physical access for 180 consecutive or aggregate days in a 365 day period, over a 3 year period, a background investigation may be required (Special Agency Check (SAC)) which must be completed prior to being allowed access.

If the project requires that workers have access to a VA Network (such as the Building Management System) or un-supervised, full-time, logical, and/or restricted physical access for more than 6 months or more than 180 aggregate days in a one year period, a background investigation is required (Special Agency Check and National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI)) and access is not allowed until a favorable SAC completion.

All costs for SAC and NACI checks are borne by the contractor. The VA may at its discretion make deductions against the contract in order to recoup the investigation costs. Current cost for a SAC is $25.00 per employee and the current cost for a NACI check is $182.00 per employee (subject to change at any time).

MEDICAL CENTER ACCESS Anyone participating in the site visit, or for any other reason that involves visiting the medical center related to this solicitation, must have a valid ID on their person and their vehicle must be properly registered and insured. Visitors are prohibited from possessing weapons while on a federal installation (See 18 USC 930 Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities). Handheld cellphone use or texting while driving is also prohibited. All VA Medical Centers and associated properties are Federal Property.

PRIVACY TRAINING All workers regardless of project length must take VA Privacy Training which will be coordinated after project award with the Contracting Officer s Representative.

E-VERIFY SYSTEM Companies awarded a contract with the federal government shall enroll in E-Verify within 30 days of the contract award date. They shall also begin using the E-Verify system to confirm that all of their new hires and their employees directly working on federal contracts are authorized to legally work in the United States. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows an employer, using information reported on an employee's Form I-9, to determine the eligibility of that employee to work in the United States. There is no charge to employers to use E-Verify. (FAR 52.222-54).

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

SUBCONTRACTING PLAN

If the prospective awardee is other than a small business, as determined by the applicable small business size standard associated with the NAICS code assigned to the procurement, the prospective awardee, upon request by the Contracting Officer, is required to submit a subcontracting plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9. The approved plan will be included in

and made a part of the resultant contract. The subcontracting plan must be submitted and negotiated within the time specified by the Contracting Officer. Failure to submit and negotiate the subcontracting plan shall make the offeror ineligible for award of the contract.

An acceptable template/format for submission of the plan can be found on the following website: HTTP://WWW.VA.GOV/OAL/BUSINESS/FSS/SBSP.ASP. This is a suggested format only. Other formats are acceptable; however, all identified elements must be included for your plan to be processed and approved. Additional guidance is included in FAR 52.219-9.

ADDITIONAL PRIME CONTRACTOR INFORMATION- SAFETY OR ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS AND EXPERIENCE MODIFICATION RATING INFORMATION

All Bidders/Offerors shall submit information pertaining to their past Safety and Environmental record. (using the attached EMR information and certification form) pertaining to their past Safety and Environmental record. The information must contain a certification that the bidder/offeror has no more than three (3) serious, or one (1) repeat or one (1) willful OSHA or any EPA violation(s) in the past three years. If such certification cannot be made, a Bidder/Offeror shall explain why and submit as much information as possible regarding the circumstances of its past safety and environmental record, including the number of EPA violations and/or the number of serious, repeat, and/or willful OSHA violations, along with a detailed description of those violations.

All Bidders/Offerors shall submit information regarding their current Experience Modification Rate (EMR). This information shall be obtained from the Bidders/Offeror s insurance carrier and be furnished on the insurance carrier s letterhead. If a Bidder/Offeror s EMR is above 1.0, Bidder/Offeror must submit a written explanation of the EMR from its insurance carrier furnished on the insurance carrier s letterhead, describing the reasons for the elevated EMR and the anticipated date the EMR may be reduced to 1.0 or below.

Self-insured contractors or other contractors that cannot provide their EMR rating on insurance letterhead must obtain a rating from the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI) by completing/submitting form ERM-6 and providing the rating on letterhead from NCCI. Note: Self-insured contractors or other contractors that cannot provide EMR rating on insurance letterhead from the states or territories of CA, DE, MI, NJ, ND, OH, PA, WA, WY, and Puerto Rico shall obtain their EMR rating from their state-run worker s compensation insurance rating bureau.

If the NCCI cannot issue an EMR because the Bidder/Offeror lacks insurance history, Bidder/Offeror shall submit a letter indicating so from its insurance carrier furnished on the insurance carrier s letterhead and include a letter from the NCCI indicating that it has assigned Bidder/Offeror a Unity Rating of 1.0.

The above information, along with other information obtained from Government systems, such as the OSHA and EPA online inspection history databases, will be used to make a Determination of Responsibility.

This requirement is applicable to all subcontracting tiers, and prospective prime contractors are responsible for determining the responsibility of their prospective subcontractors.

CONFORMANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS  The Contractor shall perform work under this contract consistent with the relevant policy and objectives identified in the agency, organizational, or facility Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) applicable for the contract. The Contractor shall perform work in a manner that conforms to all appropriate Environmental Management Programs and Operational Controls identified by the agency, organizational, or facility GEMS, and provide monitoring and measurement information as necessary for the organization to address environmental performance relative to the environmental, energy, and transportation management goals.  In the event an environmental nonconformance or noncompliance associated with the contracted services is identified, the contractor shall take corrective and/or preventative actions.  In the case of a noncompliance, the Contractor shall respond and take corrective action immediately. In the case of a nonconformance, the Contractor shall respond and take corrective action based on the time schedule established by the facility GEMS Coordinator. In addition, the Contractor shall ensure that their employees are aware of the roles and responsibilities identified by the environmental management system and how these requirements affect their work performed under this contract.

 All on-site contractor personnel shall complete yearly EPA sponsored environmental training specified for the type of work conducted on-site. Upon inclusion in the contract, the Contracting Officer's Representative will verify that all contractor personnel have acquired EMS Awareness Training at their appropriate site or location.

REFERENCES TO VA ENGINEER, RESIDENT ENGINEER, SENIOR RESIDENT ENGINEER, OR PROJECT MANAGER Any reference contained within contract specifications and/or drawings to the VA Engineer , Resident Engineer , Senior Resident Engineer , Project Manager , or their abbreviations are to be replaced with Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) .

PAYMENT FOR MATERIALS STORED OFF-SITE Payment in advance of installation for materials stored off-site is not authorized under this contract.

PROGRESS SCHEDULE The schedule required by FAR 52.236-15 shall be provided after receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

REVIEW REQUIRED REGISTRATION WITH CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (CPARS)

As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.15, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates contractor past performance on all contracts that exceed $750,000 and shares those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement VA uses an online database, CPARS, which is maintained by the Naval Sea Logistics Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. CPARS is available to all Federal agencies and is the official source for past performance information. CPARS also includes access to the federal awardee performance and integrity information system (FAPIIS). FAPIIS is a web-enabled application accessed via CPARS for contractor responsibility determination information.

Each contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed $750,000 is required to register with CPARS database at the following web address: www.cpars.csd.disa.mil. Help in registering can be obtained by contacting Customer Support Desk at DSN: 684-1690 or COMM: 207-438-1690. Registration should occur no later than thirty days after contract award, and must be kept current should there be any change to the contractor's registered representative.Â

For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the contractor's performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract, when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the contractor's designated representative for comment. The contractor representative will have thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer.Â

Failure to have a current registration in the CPARS database, or to re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer within those thirty days, will result in the Government's evaluation being placed on file in the database with a statement that the contractor failed to respond.

SEASONAL INFLUENZA WITH VACCINES (VHA DIRECTIVE 1192.01)

The Construction Contractors representatives performing construction activities on VA campus must validate the following additional requirements are in place before starting construction activities on campus:

1. Daily visit at check-in station for COVID and temperature screening a sticker/device must be worn visibly

2. Annual influenza shot is required for all staff performing work on campus

3. Contractor badge must be obtained and worn by contractor or representative at all times while on campus

The contractor will validate in writing via signed memo to the Contracting Officer that the above items are being done after award and before contract performance. No Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will be collected.

The temperature checks are performed on the VA campus and must be performed immediately when the contractor arrives on site. Temperature checks are currently performed at front entrance. If at any time an employee of the Construction Contractor is found in deficiency of the listed, a stop work order will be issued for safety of VAMC patients and staff. Any further questions please refence the below document.

VHA SUPPLEMENTAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS FOR ENSURING ADEQUATE COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

Contractor employees who work in or travel to VHA locations must comply with the following:

Documentation requirements:

If fully vaccinated, shall show proof of vaccination.

NOTE: Acceptable proof of vaccination includes a signed record of immunization from a health care provider or pharmacy, a copy of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (CDC Form MLS-319813_r, published on September 3, 2020), or a copy of medical records documenting the vaccination.

If unvaccinated and granted a medical or religious exception, shall show negative COVID-19 test results dated within three calendar days prior to desired entry date. Test must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use or full approval. This includes tests available by a doctor s order or an FDA approved over-the-counter test.

Documentation cited in this section shall be digitally or physically maintained on each contractor employee while in a VA facility and is subject to inspection prior to entry to VA facilities and after entry for spot inspections by Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) or other hospital personnel.

Documentation will not be collected by the VA; contractors shall, at all times, adhere to and ensure compliance with federal laws designed to protect contractor employee health information and personally identifiable information.Â

Contractor employees are subject to daily screening for COVID-19 and may be denied entry to VA facilities if they fail to pass screening protocols. As part of the screening process contractors may be asked screening questions found on the COVID-19 Screening Tool. Check regularly for updates.

Contractor employees who work away from VA locations, but who will have direct contact with VA patients shall self-screen utilizing the COVID-19 Screening Tool, in advance, each day that they will have direct patient contact and in accordance with their person or persons who coordinate COVID-19 workplace safety efforts at covered contractor workplaces. Contractors shall, at all times, adhere to and ensure compliance with federal laws designed to protect contractor employee health information and personally identifiable information.Â

Contractor must immediately notify their COR or Contracting Officer if contract performance is jeopardized due to contractor employees being denied entry into VA Facilities.