Inactive

This is a Sources Sought notice only. This is not a request for quotes and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. The Government will not provide any reimbursement for responses submitted... This is a Sources Sought notice only. This is not a request for quotes and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. The Government will not provide any reimbursement for responses submitted in response to this Source Sought notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interest parties must response to that solicitation announcement separately. Responses to this notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation The purpose of this announcement is to perform market research to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 561320, with a size standard 34 million dollars. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is seeking to identify any vendor capable of providing In Person Live Reader Services in Zion Illinois per the Statement of Work below. This Sources Sought notice provides an opportunity for respondents to submit their capability and availability to provide the requirement described below. Vendors are encouraged to submit information relative to their capabilities to fulfill this requirement, in the form of a statement that addresses the specific requirement identified in this Sources Sought. Information received from this Sources Sought shall be utilized to facilitate the Contracting Officer s review of the market base, for acquisition planning, size determination, and procurement strategy. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 08-Nov-2023 by 5:00 PM EST. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Joshua.Gallien@va.gov with RFI # 36C10D24Q0017 Live Reader Services in the subject line. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Interested parties should complete the attached Sources Sought Worksheet. Parties may submit additional information related to their capabilities, provided it contains all the requirements contained in the Sources Sought Worksheet. Responses to this Sources Sought shall not exceed 8 pages. In addition, all submissions should be provided electronically in a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Attachment 1 Sources Sought Worksheet QUALIFICATION INFORMATION: Company / Institute Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ________________________________________________________________ Point of Contact: _______________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: ________________________________________________________________ Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) #: ___________________________________________________ CAGE Code: __________________________________________________________________ SAM Registered: (Y / N) Other available contract vehicles applicable to this sources sought (GSA/FSS/NASA SEWP/ETC): __________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS: VIP Verified SDVOSB: (Y / N) VIP Verified VOSB: (Y / N) 8(a): (Y / N) HUBZone: (Y / N) Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business: (Y / N) Women-Owned Small Business: (Y / N) Small Business: (Y / N) NOTE: Respondent claiming SDVOSB and VOSB status shall be registered and verified in VetCert (Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov). BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SDVOSB, VOSB, SMALL BUSINESSES OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION. CAPABILITY STATEMENT: Provide a brief capability and interest in providing the service as listed in Attachment 2 DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK with enough information to determine if your company can meet the requirement. The capabilities statement for this Sources Sought is not a Request for Quotation, Request for Proposal, or Invitation for Bid, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach, but rather the Government is requesting a short statement regarding the company s ability to provide the services outlined in the SOW. Any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material may also be submitted with the capabilities statement. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Attachment 2 (DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK) Veterans Benefits Administration Milwaukee Regional Office 5400 W National Ave Milwaukee, WI 53214 BACKGROUND The Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a diverse pool of employees which contributes to the strength of the Regional Office and enables us to assist and provide benefits to those who have served our nation honorably. To enable our visually impaired employee(s) the ability to fully contribute to the team s efforts, our goal is to establish a contract to provide Reader Services to assist them in their duties. SCOPE OF WORK The Reader Services shall be provided in-person. Up to forty (40) hours per week of Reader Services and minor computer assistance will be required to include the Reader will notify the employee if/when items pop up on the computer monitors. The average estimated weekly number of hours is expected to remain consistent at forty (40). The hours will be for an 8-hour workday Monday through Friday. If the reader anticipates being unavailable for any day, an alternate/backup reader, who has taken all mandatory Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) training courses, will need to be provided. Period of Reader Services will be from 01/12/2024 to 02/23/2024. Job Duties and Responsibilities: Successfully pass background checks and complete the VA mandatory training for access to PII. Provide reading support via Microsoft Teams, Adobe, and WebEx (or other platform) in an in-person environment. Read aloud materials not accessible with screen reader. Navigate many different VA computer systems to include but not limited to CAPRI, TMS, VBMS, Examination Portal, JLV, WATRS, and SHARE screens not accessible with screen reader. Ensure formatted letters and forms are correct. Assist in reading/digitally signing PDF documents. Assist in navigating, reading, and operating Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Assist with mouse/cursor manipulations. Provide such other visual aid services as may be needed and reasonable under the circumstances to assist the employee with completion of job assignments. KEY PERSONNEL Contractor shall demonstrate the ability to provide qualified and experienced personnel in the completion of this requirement. Key project personnel shall have successfully participated in the completion of similar projects. Job skills and requirements for Reader Contractor shall demonstrate the ability to provide qualified and experienced personnel in the completion of this requirement. An associate degree or equivalent Extensive knowledge of composition, grammar, spelling, and punctuation Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite Requires at least one year experience working in an office environment. Prefer previous experience working with the Blind/Low Vision NOTE: Key personnel may not be added nor removed from the task without express approval of the Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officer s Representative (COR). The CO or COR will provide approval via electronic mail when the contract employee may begin work. The contract employee level of background investigation and clearance required for this effort is NACI. Contract performance shall not commence before confirmation is received that the investigative documents are complete, and that the background investigation has begun. Once the Contractor's background investigation has been initiated, contract performance may commence. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The contract will cover the IWT and local classroom phases of the VIP National Training Curriculum which will run from 01/12/2024 to 02/23/2024. Services will be required on January 12, 2024, soon after contract award but not until the Background Investigation has commenced. If necessary, the Government reserves the right to terminate the contract within the base period or any option period(s) of performance if the services are no longer required. HOURS OF OPERATION The employee requiring the Reader Services will work Monday through Friday with an 8-hour standard shift with a start time between 730 am CST with a 1-hour time start flexibility. The employee will notify the contractor of the start time for each workday. The contractor is responsible for Reader Services except Federal holidays or when the Government is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government-directed closings. The readers daily schedule shall include a thirty (30) minute unpaid lunch break which shall follow the VA employee s lunch break time. PRIMARY PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: The primary place of work to be performed under this contract will be in-person in Zion, Illinois. The exact street address will be provided at the time of contract award. 7. TRAVEL: The contractor is expected to travel to Zion, Illinois. Services will be provided in at the employee s alternate work site environment (residence). 8. RECOGNIZED HOLIDAYS The contractor will not be expected to perform on recognized federal holidays as listed below: New Year s Day January 1st Martin Luther King s Birthday 3rd Monday in January President s Day 3rd Monday in February Memorial Day Juneteenth Last Monday in May June 19th Fourth of July July 4th Labor Day 1st Monday in September Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October Veteran s Day November 11th Thanksgiving Day Last Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25th 9. SECURITY Strict security and personnel access control shall be maintained. The contractor shall obtain Government identification requests for all contractor personnel, by submitting an application to Milwaukee RO SSD in advance. The contractor must provide the full name, social security account number (SSAN), driver's license, and hours of required access, for each contractor employee. Any contractor must provide two forms of identification and those who do not have a driver's license must provide another official form of photo ID. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that all identification credentials are returned to the Government when a particular Contractor or subcontractor employee will no longer be providing service under the Contract at the building(s) covered by the Credential. The Contractor will notify the Government when Credentials are lost. In that event, the Contractor will be responsible for reimbursing the Government for its cost in issuing a replacement Credential. 10. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS All contract employees who require access to the VA site(s) or employee alternate work sites and/or access to VA local area network (LAN) systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Security and Investigations Center (SIC). These requirements are applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same NACI Background Investigation. At a minimum, this Contract/Task Order requires the individuals to undergo a National Agency Check & Inquiries (NACI). The level of background security investigation will be in accordance with VA Directive 0710 dated June 4, 2010 and is available at: http://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=487&FType=2 The contract employee level of background investigation and clearance required for this effort is NACI. Work may not commence until the appropriate background investigation has commenced. Immediately after contract or task order award, the Contractor must submit a completed (Attachment A in section D form- VBA Contractor Background Investigation Request Worksheet) for all contract employees working the contract, who have access to VA facilities, VA systems, or privacy data, to the Milwaukee Regional Office SSD. The Contractor shall prescreen all personnel who require access to VA site(s) and employee alternate work sites and/or access to VA LAN systems to ensure they maintain a U.S. citizenship or Alien Registration, which authorizes them to work in the U.S., and are able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. Contractors who have current favorable background investigation conducted by OPM or Defense Security Service (DSS) may be accepted through reciprocation. However, it does not preclude the Contractor from submitting a completed Attachment A form immediately after contract or task order award for all contract employees working the contract to the COR. Contract performance shall not commence before confirmation is received that the investigative documents are complete, and that the background investigation has begun. Once the Contractor's background investigation has been initiated, contract performance may commence. SSD will forward the Contractor a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility (form 4236) when the investigation has been favorably completed and adjudicated. The Contractor, if notified of an unfavorable adjudication by the Government, shall withdraw the contract employee from consideration from working under the contract. 13. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining satisfactory standards of contractor employee competency, conduct, appearance, and integrity and shall be responsible for taking such disciplinary action with respect to its employees as may be necessary. Weapons, Firearms, and Ammunition. Contractors are prohibited from possessing weapons, firearms, or ammunition, on themselves or with-in their contractor owned vehicle or privately owned vehicle while parked at the government facility. Reporting Requirements. Contractor personnel shall immediately report to an appropriate government authority any information or circumstances of which they are aware may pose a threat to the security of the Department of Veterans Affairs personnel, contractor personnel, resources, and classified or unclassified VA information. The contractor must not employ persons for work on this contract if such personnel are considered by the contracting officer or contracting officer s representative to be a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being, or operational mission of the installation and its population. Contractor personnel must present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contractor employees. All personnel must wear agency provided visitor/contractor badges when on site at a VA Facility. The contractor must not employ any person who is an employee of the U.S. Government if employing that person would create a conflict of interest. Additionally, the contractor must not employ any person who is an employee of the government facility, unless such person seeks and receives approval according to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and VA Acquisitions Regulations (VAAR). The contractor may at no time prevent VA Regional Office employees from completing day-to-day operations. At no time can service to Veterans be halted or impeded. REMOVAL FROM CONTRACT WORK - As provided in the clause entitled "Qualifications of Employees", the contracting officer or contracting officer s representative may require the Contractor to remove any of their employee(s) from GSA or VA controlled buildings or other real property should it be determined that the individual(s) is either unsuitable for security reasons or otherwise unfit to work on federally controlled property. This shall include, but not be limited to, instances where a contract employee is determined, in the Government's sole discretion, to be incompetent, careless, insubordinate, unsuitable or otherwise objectionable. A contractor employee may also be removed where the continued employment of the contractor employee in connection with the Government work is deemed, in the Government's sole discretion, contrary to the public interest, inconsistent with the best interests of security, or a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being or operational mission of the facility and its population. Where a contractor employee is granted a temporary suitability determination and an unfavorable final suitability determination is later rendered, the Government may insist on the employee's removal from work in connection with the Contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing replacement personnel in cases where contract employees are removed at no additional cost to the Government.