Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT AND REQUIREMENTS GENERAL PROCEDURE: 1. Title of Project: Tai Chi and Qigong for Whole Health 2. Scope of Work: Request is for Contractor to provide Tai Chi an... DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/WORK STATEMENT AND REQUIREMENTS GENERAL PROCEDURE: 1. Title of Project: Tai Chi and Qigong for Whole Health 2. Scope of Work: Request is for Contractor to provide Tai Chi and Qigong services to promote health and well-being for VA Connecticut Healthcare System s (VACHCS) veteran population. The Tai Chi and Qigong contractor will be responsible to develop an 8-week Tai Chi program and a weekly Qigong class for veterans. Contractor will seek input from the VA Whole Health staff or their representative(s) during the process of developing this program. Contractor must meet the minimum requirements and deliverables as stated below. 3. Type of Contract: One Year Contract beginning September 6, 2022, with One Additional Year Renewal Option. REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES: Taking into consideration VA policy during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, Contractor will work with VA staff to deliver in-person and virtual services based on available space, weather conditions, social distancing guidelines, and VA policy. Face-to-face classes will be held outdoors whenever possible or moved indoors based on weather conditions if space is available and social distancing guidelines can be followed. Face-to-face classes will be held at both the greater West Haven campus (or Orange Annex) and the Newington campus. The Contractor must also have the ability to provide virtual classes covering the same material. Virtual classes will be offered using one of the VA approved virtual platforms and will be managed by VA staff. The contractor must be able to offer these classes from home or studio location using the approved platform. The Contractor shall be required to provide the following deliverables: 1. Qi Gong for Whole Health 2 classes will be offered weekly to veterans over the course of one year for FY22 Q4 starting the week of . a. The sessions will be offered once a week at the West Haven (or Orange Annex) campus and once a week at the Newington campus. b. This class will be a drop-in class. c. Each class will be 75 minutes. 2. Tai Chi Basics for Whole Health One class will be offered weekly at the Newington campus beginning FY22 Q4, starting the week of . a. This class will be offered as an 8-week closed group to run on a continuous basis. b. Each session will be 75 minutes. 3. There will be a maximum of 20 participants for any outdoor or virtual session and a smaller number for any indoor session, as dictated by social distancing guidelines, space availability and VA policy. Each participant will be offered educational/reference materials as needed. 4. Contractor must have at least: a. 1,000 teacher certification hours in Tai Chi and Qigong b. 200 documented hours of training in Medical Qigong and 200 hours in documented clinical practice c. 1500 contact/teaching hours in Tai Chi and/or Qigong d. 75 contact/teaching hours in Trauma-based Movement Therapy e. 50 contact/teaching hours for the people with disabilities and other physical limitations 5. Contractor must be able to modify positions as needed to accommodate veterans with physical limitations, including making sure participants have access to chairs if anyone has trouble standing for the whole length of the class. 6. Contractor must create a safe environment of healing and restoration for veterans. 7. Contractor may be asked to go through training to be able to complete clinical notes for each Tai Chi and Qigong session in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health record system, known as CPRS. This will be determined by the Director of Whole Health and the Program Manager as they deem appropriate. 10. Contractor should be able to present either a CD/DVD of his/her Tai Chi and Qigong teaching sessions or allow a designated VA staff to attend/visit one of the Tai Chi and/or Qigong classes offered by the contractor in the community if requested. 11. Contractor shall maintain up-to-date trainings that are required by the VHA for all personnel involved in patient care and/or research studies. Training certificates must be given to the Program Manager or other appropriate Whole Health staff at VACHCS. 12. Contractor should also be able to demonstrate an understanding of VHA guidelines and policies and will be required to follow all VHA guidelines and policies affecting patient care. This includes any mandatory vaccinations as required for contractors per VA policy. SUMMARY OF SERVICES: Estimated Cost below: Qi Gong for Whole Health o One class at West Haven and one class at Newington = 2 classes/week o Total number of weeks = 45 weeks o Total number of classes/year 90 o Total cost per class o Predicted cost estimate: 90 classes Tai Chi Basics for Whole Health o Six 8-week sessions (Newington campus only)/year = 48 classes o Total cost per class = o Predicted cost estimate: 48 classes @ Total estimated cost for 138 classes/year @ PRIOR TO DELIVERY OF SERVICE: 1. Session dates will be finalized no later than 30 days after contract award. 2. Session dates may be subject to change. SAFETY AND FIRE PREVENTION: 1. In the performance of this contract, the Contractor shall take such safety precautions as necessary to protect the lives and health of the participants. The Contractor shall comply with applicable Federal, State, and local safety and fire regulations and codes which are in effect during the performance period of the contract. The Contractor shall follow applicable facility policies concerning fire/disaster programs. 2. Contractor must have experience working with patients who have physical and/or mental health conditions. 3. Contractor must have training and experience in providing trauma informed Tai Chi and Qi Gong classes. EVALUATION METRIC: Contractor will provide services set forth in the contract. NORMAL WORKING HOURS: Regular business hours are defined as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of recognized Federal holidays. FEDERAL HOLIDAYS: Listed below are the eleven Federal holidays: New Year s Day January 1 Martin Luther King s Birthday Third Monday in January President s Day Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Juneteenth June 19 Independence Day July 4 Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Veteran s Day November 11 Thanksgiving Day Fourth Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25 Note: When a Federal holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies. When a Federal holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies. Also included would be any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States as a Federal Holiday. COMPLAINTS: The Contractor shall promptly and courteously respond to complaints, including complaints brought to the contractor s attention by the Contracting Officer acting as the common agent, or the Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE). The Contractor shall maintain a written record of all complaints, both written and oral showing the identity of the person, the nature of the complaint, and the Contractor s response. The Contractor shall permit the Government to inspect such records upon reasonable notice. MONITORING PROCEDURES: The Program Manager shall be responsible for monitoring the Contractor's performance. Performance deficiencies or poor performance identified during the term of the contract shall be reported to the Contractor. Upon notification of deficiencies or poor performance, the Contractor shall be given a reasonable time to take corrective action. If determined appropriate, the Contracting Officer, Program Manager and/or other VA staff members shall meet with the Contractor to review performance and resolve issues. All deficiencies or poor performance shall be documented and MUST be corrected within the timeframe specified in the cure notice. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and the Whole Health Program Manager when correction(s) have been made. If the appropriate correction is not made within the timeframe specified in the cure notice, the Government shall have the right to terminate the contract in its entirety. ORDERING ACTIVITY: The Contractor shall not accept any instructions issued by any other person(s) other than the Contracting Officer or the delegated Government representative acting within the limit of his/her authority. CHANGES TO CONTRACT: Only those services specified herein are authorized. Before performing any service of a non- contract nature, the Contractor shall advise the Contracting Officer of the reason(s) for the additional work, equipment, or service. Changes to the resulting contract shall not be authorized and reimbursement shall not be made for equipment provided or services performed outside the scope of this contract, unless prior authorization is obtained in writing from the Contracting Officer. DENIAL/TERMINATION OF SERVICES: Action to limit, suspend or revoke service contract shall be in accordance with the procedures outlined in VA guidelines or Federal Acquisition Regulations. The Contractor shall be notified by the Contracting Officer, when the necessity becomes apparent to exercise such authority. The Contracting Officer shall provide the Contractor with copies of documentation initiating the revocation process if such action becomes apparent. The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of service provided by Contractor due to poor performance or failure to comply with the requirements specified in the resulting contract. The Contractor and Program Manager shall deal with complaints concerning unacceptable performance. However, the Contracting Officer is the final authority on validating complaints. In the event that the contractor is involved and named in a valid complaint, the Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of the services of such contractor. The Contracting Officer shall be the final arbiter on questions of acceptability. PERSONNEL POLICY: The Contractor shall assume full responsibility for the protection of its personnel furnishing services under this contract, such as providing Workers Compensation, professional liability insurance, health examination and social security payments. Payment for any leave, including sick leave or vacation time is considered the responsibility of the Contractor. The Contractor shall follow all existing local, state, federal employment laws and/or union regulations relevant to fringe benefits and premium pay for their employees. Such personnel shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose. Cost quoted in the solicitation is all- inclusive of all incidental costs including housing, transportation and premium payments for applicable insurance coverage. CONTRACTOR SUBMITTALS/INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: Contractor shall be required to provide copies of the following: The Contractor shall be required to comply with Federal and State Workers Compensation and liability insurance. Reference FAR clause 52.228-5-Insurance and Subpart 28.307-2-Liability. Prior to contract award, the Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer certification from the insurance company indicating that the coverage has been obtained and that it may not be changed or cancelled without guaranteed thirty (30) day notice to the Contracting Officer. New certifications shall be furnished at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date of the current insurance policy. CONTRACTOR POINT OF CONTACT: The Contractor shall designate one (1) employee as the Point of Contact (POC) responsible for administrative matters in the performance of services under this contract. The POC shall have full authority to act for Contractor on all matters relating to the daily performance of this contract. An alternate may be designated, but the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and Program Manager in writing those times when the alternate shall act as the POC. The Contractor shall provide the name and telephone number of the person designated as Point of Contact and Alternate upon contract award. The POC shall be available by telephone Monday through Friday, between 8:00a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding Federal holidays. The parties agree that the Contractor s personnel including POC and subcontractors performing under this contract shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose. They all shall be considered employees of the Contractor. PROJECT MANAGER: The Project Manager for this contract is designated as Aysha Saeed, MD, Phone 860-666- 6951 ext 7758. Delegation of Authority letters shall be forwarded to the using service and Contractor after agreement has been signed, identifying the individual(s) as the Program Manager. No service shall be provided without the approval of the Program Manager or the designee of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall not accept any instructions issued by any other person(s) other than the Contracting Officer or his/her delegated representative(s) acting within the limits of his/her authority. BADGES: All Contractor personnel are required to wear identification (I.D.) badges during the entire time they are on the VA grounds. I.D. badges shall have an identification picture, name of the individual and the represented company depicted on it. I.D. badges shall be returned at the end of the day or on completion of the service. PARKING POLICY: It is the responsibility of Contractor personnel to park only in designated parking areas. Parking information is available from the VA Police. The VA shall not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor's personnel under any circumstances. SMOKING POLICY: Smoking is not permitted in any building or on VA facility grounds, except in designated areas. INVOICE REQUIREMENT: The invoice shall be itemized to include the information listed below. Incomplete and incorrect invoices shall be returned for correction. Invoice Number and Date Contract Number Purchase Order/Obligation Number Line item from Schedule of Service associated with each charge Net Payment Due Contractor shall submit original invoice with pre-printed company name. For the Government invoice/billing address information, reference Contract Administration Data section. POST-AWARD PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE: The Contracting Officer shall schedule a post-award performance conference with the Contractor, if deemed necessary, for contract orientation purposes. Records Management The following standard items relate to records generated in executing the contract and should be included in a typical procurement contract: Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data. Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.]. No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules. Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information.