Inactive

This is a Sources Sought Notice. (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Sources Sought or to otherwise pay for the information solicited. (b) Although "proposal," ... This is a Sources Sought Notice. (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Sources Sought or to otherwise pay for the information solicited. (b) Although "proposal," "offeror," contractor, and "offeror" may be used in this sources sought notice, any response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c) Any information received from a contractor in response to this Sources Sought may be used in creating a solicitation. Any information received which is marked with a statement, such as "proprietary" or "confidential," intended to restrict distribution will not be distributed outside of the Government, except as required by law. (d) This Sources Sought is issued by VISN 2 Contracting Office in Buffalo, NY for the purpose of collecting information about Satellite/Cable TV Services for the Buffalo VA Medical Center and Batavia Medical Center. The VA is seeking to provide for this requirement within 60 days of the award of the contract. The NAICS code identified for this requirement is 515210 Exterminating and Pest Control Services. The requirement is detailed in the Statement of Work section of this document. (e) Cursory market research has identified small businesses that may be able to provide for this requirement. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation which shall be considered by the Buffalo and Batavia VA Medical Center s. Please note at least 50 percent of the cost of personnel for contract performance shall be spent for employees of the concern for a proposal to be considered for a small business set-aside. Contractors that are able to meet the requirements in the attachment are encouraged to email a capability statement and full information to Janine Childs at Janine.Childs@va.gov. Please send all inquiries to: Janine.Childs@va.gov by 10:00 am EST Friday, January 7, 2022. Phone calls will not be accepted. - Part of the purpose of this sources sought is to determine the viability of set aside to a specific socio-economic category. Contractors shall identify the NAICS code for the services being offered as well as their size status under said NAICS. This information will be used to determine the viability of a set aside for this requirement. - Contractors shall also identify any Federal Supply Schedules that may carry the desired services. - Contractors shall identify pertinent point of contact for company, contractor DUNS number for size standard and socioeconomic verification in SAM and VIP. - Contractors shall include any relevant comments about the Attachment(s) if applicable. STATEMENT OF WORK I. SUMMARY: This requirement is for Subscription satellite/cable television subscription services at the Buffalo VA Medical Center 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 and Batavia VA Medical Center 222 Richmond Avenue Batavia, NY 14020. The period of performance shall be from April 1, 2022 March 31, 2023 with the provision of four (4) option years. II. SCOPE OF WORK: The Contractor shall provide all parts, new equipment, materials, labor, supervision, test equipment, maintenance service, technical manuals, and transportation necessary to install equipment and provide and maintain satellite television programming subscription services. The satellite/cable TV signal shall be continuous, non-interrupted, with High Definition (HD) viewing quality. Monthly service costs shall be based on a minimum of 315 cable drops for the Buffalo VA Medical Center and approximately 125 cable drops for the Batavia VA Medical Center. The number of cable drops in corresponding systems are subject to change at any time for the duration of the contract. Additional cable drops above the initial quantities shall be added through a modification to the contract and shall have the same cost per drop as the existing cable drops noted within the contract. The VA may relocate existing drops no longer in use. The current satellite TV service provider at both facilities is Direct TV. No government equipment will be provided under this contract except the connection point to the TV distribution system and electricity service/connection. It is the desire of the Government for the vendor to maintain ownership and maintenance all equipment that is installed to provide TV service under this contract. III. SCHEDULE: All work shall be performed during normal business hours Monday Friday from 7:00 AM 3:30 PM, excluding federal holidays, except for unscheduled service calls. Any adjustments to this schedule must be coordinated in advance with the COR. No work should be planned on federal holidays. Current federal holidays shall be defined as: New Year s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. All work activities are not to interfere with patient and/or staff. The Medical Center must maintain its operation 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Therefore, any interruption in service must be scheduled and coordinated with the COR to ensure that no lapses in operation occur. IV. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall be licensed to provide satellite and/or cable television services and create and maintain television distribution systems. Contractor s staff shall include a "fully qualified" Field Service Representative assigned to the local area and a "fully qualified" Field Service Representative who shall serve as the backup. Fully qualified" is based upon training and on experience in the field. For training, the Field Service Representatives must have successfully completed a formalized training program for the equipment covered under this contract. For field experience, the Field Service Engineers must have a minimum of one (1) year of experience providing preventive maintenance and emergency repair services on the same make and model of equipment covered under this contract. V. SPECIFIC TASKS: Satellite/Cable Service Installation Buffalo VAMC The VAMC Buffalo has a new location where all Television distribution equipment shall be installed. If Satellite Television is the chosen media, the newest model of satellite dish being utilized shall be installed. Regardless of the chosen media (Satellite or Cable) and upon commissioning of the new system, the existing Television satellite dishes shall be removed and handed to VAMC Electrical staff, to ensure ownership with current contractor is retained. Contractor shall install new feed cables from the service entrance origin (Satellite Dish or Street) to the Television Distribution Room (TVDR) in continuous pulls; no splitters or splices shall be used in this process. Any penetrations made to exterior walls will be discrete and pre-approved by the facility. Transmission cables shall be shielded and adequate for transporting High Definition (HD) television services. From entry into the building, until inside the TVDR, all feed cables must be run inside conduit supplied and installed by VAMC staff. Contractor shall provide and install all necessary parts and equipment including, but not limited to; satellite dishes, connection cables, receivers, modulators, main splitters, and power supplies required to supply HD television service to all 315 cable drops covered by this contract, and in accordance with the Conformance Standards. Equipment racks with ample room for future upgrades shall be supplied by the contractor and utilized wherever possible. All equipment and corresponding cables shall be labeled and installed in a professional workman like manner with ease of maintenance and repairs taken into consideration. Contractor shall provide HD signal over the current COAX tv cable drops through the utilization of VECOAX Blade, NXG Platform, or similar device that does not require replacement of the existing cable drop infrastructure. All receivers shall be plugged into individually switched power supplies using a Tripp Lite model number TLP76MSG or similar device. The VAMC Buffalo Electrical Shop will connect the main splitters installed by the contractor to the facility s cable drop hub with patch cord, as the existing homeruns will be replaced by VAMC staff as time permits. In areas of the system where conduit is not utilized, all cables shall be installed in a professional workman like manner and must be properly secured. All cable installed by the contractor for this service will forever become Government owed property. All cables must be clearly labeled with individual markings at all termination points. All equipment installed shall be bonded to building steel, these bonds shall be visible and clearly marked. Upon completion of system installation, contractor shall supply wiring diagrams of the HD TV distribution system with tested measurement levels needed to maintain. Should any contractor owned system component fail, the contractor shall be responsible to supply all necessary replacement parts within 72 hours of notification at no cost to the government except for damage caused by negligence or abuse. All replacement parts supplied or installed shall be new or certified reconditioned by the manufacturer. For each type of power supply utilized on the system, the contractor shall at all times have one (1) spare on site. If adjustable frequency modulators are utilized, the contractor shall at all times have four (4) spare modulators on site. If fixed frequency modulators are utilized, the contractor shall at all times have one (1) spare modulator for each frequency used in the system on site. Satellite/Cable Service Installation Batavia VAMC At this time, the VAMC Batavia is unsure if the facility s TV distribution equipment will be relocated. This information will be provided during the initial site visit with potential contractors. If Satellite Television is the chosen media, the newest model of satellite dish being utilized shall be installed. Regardless of the chosen media (Satellite or Cable) and upon commissioning of the new system, the existing Television satellite dishes shall be removed and handed to VAMC Electrical staff, to ensure ownership with current contractor is retained. Contractor shall install new feed cables from the service entrance origin (Satellite Dish or Street) to the Television Distribution Room (TVDR) in continuous pulls; no splitters or splices shall be used in this process. Any penetrations made to exterior walls will be discrete and pre-approved by the facility. Transmission cables shall be shielded and adequate for transporting High Definition (HD) television services. From entry into the building, until inside the TVDR, all feed cables must be run inside conduit supplied and installed by VAMC staff. Contractor shall provide and install all necessary parts & equipment including, but not limited to; satellite dishes, connection cables, receivers, modulators, main splitters, and power supplies required to supply HD television service to all 125 cable drops covered by this contract, and in accordance with the Conformance Standards. Equipment racks with ample room for future upgrades shall be supplied by the contractor and utilized wherever possible. All equipment and corresponding cables shall be labeled and installed in a professional workman like manner with ease of maintenance and repairs taken into consideration. Contractor shall provide HD signal over the current COAX tv cable drops through the utilization of VECOAX Blade, NXG Platform, or similar device that does not require replacement of the existing cable drop infrastructure. All receivers shall be plugged into individually switched power supplies using a Tripp Lite model number TLP76MSG or similar device. Contractor shall make all connections from the newly installed main splitters to the facility s cable drop hub with contractor supplied cable. In areas of the system where conduit is not utilized, all cables shall be installed in a professional workman like manner and must be properly secured. All cable installed by the contractor for this service will forever become Government owed property. All cables must be clearly labeled with individual markings at all termination points. All equipment installed shall be bonded to building steel, these bonds shall be visible and clearly marked. Upon completion of system installation, contractor shall supply wiring diagrams of the HD TV distribution system with tested measurement levels needed to maintain. Should any contractor owned system component fail, the contractor shall be responsible to supply all necessary replacement parts within 72 hours of notification at no cost to the government except for damage caused by negligence or abuse. All replacement parts supplied or installed shall be new or certified reconditioned by the manufacturer. For each type of power supply utilized on the system, the contractor shall at all times have one (1) spare on site. If adjustable frequency modulators are utilized, the contractor shall at all times have four (4) spare modulators on site. If fixed frequency modulators are utilized, the contractor shall at all times have one (1) spare modulator for each frequency used in the system on site. Television Channels provided to Buffalo VAMC: Contractor shall create an onscreen channel guide specific to the Buffalo VAMC television channels and integrate it into the network. The Contractor shall integrate six (6) existing Buffalo VAMC in-house channels for patient information into the network. The in-house channels are required to remain in their current channel positions. Contractor shall provide a channel package that at a minimum contains the following Television Stations to the Buffalo VAMC. Buffalo VAMC Television Stations Channel Description Channel Description 2 WGRZ-NBC 33 TV Land 3 True TV 34 E! Entertainment TV 4 WIVB-CBS 35 A&E 5 WNYO 36 History Channel 6 VA Broadcast 37 GSN-Game Show Network 7 WKBW-ABC 38 TLC 8 VA Broadcast 39 WE-Women's Entertainment 9 ION TV 40 TBS 10 WUTV-FOX 41 Nat Geo 11 ABC Family 42 CNN 12 VA Broadcast 43 CNN-Headline News 13 FOX News 44 Lifetime 14 VA Broadcast 45 TNT 15 AHC-American Heroes 46 The Weather Channel 16 SYFY 47 ID-Investigation Discovery 17 WNED-PBS 48 CNBC 18 Paramount Network 49 TCM-Turner Classic Movies 19 CMT 50 YES Network 20 AMC 51 MSG-Madison Square Garden 21 Discovery Channel 52 Buffalo Sabres Games 22 FX 53 SNY-Sports New York 23 WNLO 54 ESPN 24 VA Broadcast 55 ESPN 2 30 VA Broadcast 56 ESPN News 31 MSNBC 57 ESPN Alt. 32 USA   Television Channels provided to Batavia VAMC: The Contractor shall integrate nine (9) existing Batavia VAMC in-house channels for patient information into the network. The in-house channels are required to remain in their current channel positions. Contractor shall provide a channel package that at a minimum contains the following Television Stations to the Batavia VAMC. Batavia VAMC Television Stations Channel Description Channel Description 2 WGRZ-NBC 29 MSNBC 3 VA Broadcast 30 USA 4 WIVB-CBS 31 TV Land 5 WNYO 32 E! Entertainment TV 6 VA Broadcast 33 A&E 7 WKBW-ABC 34 History Channel 8 WNED-PBS 35 GSN-Game Show Network 9 ION TV 36 TLC 10 WUTV-FOX 37 WE-Women's Entertainment 11 VA Broadcast 38 TBS 12 VA Broadcast 39 Nat Geo 13 VA Broadcast 40 CNN 14 VA Broadcast 41 CNN-Headline News 15 VA Broadcast 42 Lifetime 16 VA Broadcast 43 TNT 17 VA Broadcast 44 The Weather Channel 18 ABC Family 45 ID-Investigation Discovery 19 True TV 46 CNBC 20 FOX News 47 TCM-Turner Classic Movies 21 AHC-American Heroes 48 YES Network 22 SYFY 49 MSG-Madison Square Garden 23 WNLO 50 Buffalo Sabres Games 24 Paramount Network 51 SNY-Sports New York 25 CMT 52 ESPN 26 AMC 53 ESPN 2 27 Discovery Channel 54 ESPN Classic 28 FX 55 ESPN News VI. SAFETY: General Requirements: In the performance of this contract, the contractor shall take such safety precautions as the Contracting Officer may determine to be reasonably necessary to protect the lives and health of occupants of the building. The Contracting Officer or designee shall notify the Contractor of any safety issues and the action necessary to correct the issues. Such Notice, when served to the Contractor or their representative at the work site shall be deemed sufficient for the corrective actions to be taken. If the Contractor fails or refuses to comply promptly with notified safety deficiencies, the Contracting Officer may issue an order stopping all or part of the work and hold the Contractor in default. No tools or equipment shall be left unattended. All work areas must be clean at the close of the day and shall be left in the same condition as before work started. 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. B. 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 following website: a. COVID-19 Screening Tool*. Regularly check the website for updates. b. Contractor employees who work away from VA locations, but who will have direct patient 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. *COVID-19 Screening tool can be found at: https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.va.gov%2Fcovid19screen%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C180e5dd7385a45f5f9d008d98dcf9308%7Ce95f1b23abaf45ee821db7ab251ab3bf%7C0%7C0%7C637696745071149070%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=%2FbW28TlpVPgfBCmIs3K40g53HTGV0AKJmyKUDrl%2BMcg%3D&reserved=0 Contractor must immediately notify their COR or Contracting Officer if contract performance is jeopardized due to contractor employees being denied entry into VA Facilities. VII. PRE-PROPOSAL SITE VISIT: Offerors are highly encouraged to attend the site visit at both the Buffalo & Batavia VAMC locations to fully understand the nature of the work and conditions under which the work is to be performed prior to submitting an offer. Offeror shall be responsible for verifying existing site conditions. One Site visit for each site shall be scheduled during the solicitation period on a date to be determined by the Contracting Officer. VIII. POST AWARD: The contractor shall coordinate with current television service vendor as to the turnover schedule. Note: Current vendor shall be disclosed at time of award and not anytime sooner, even if questioned during solicitation. Contractor will be responsible to transition the service without disruption by working with the current vendor. Contractor shall provide detailed plans for this transaction during the solicitation as part of their quote package. New service is required to be fully operational no later than (NTL) April 01, 2022. IX. RISK CONTROL: The Contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits to perform this work. Contractor shall take all precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury or damage during performance of this contract. Contractor shall be responsible for any injury to any contractor representative, or others, as well as for any damage to personal or public property that occurs during the performance of this contract that is caused by the contractor s fault or negligence. X. CONFORMANCE STANDARDS: All services provided under the contract must be performed in conformance with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Original Equipment Manufacturer standards and specifications and the Federal Communications Commission regulations pertaining to television broadcast and receiving requirements. At all times, work shall be performed in compliance with industry standards and the manufacturer's commercial practices. XI. VA INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: COR or designee will verify that the equipment is working within manufacturer s specifications after completion of service or repair. XII. QUALITY ASSURANCE: The Government may inspect each task as completed. The contractor shall be notified within 3 duty days of unacceptable service. The contractor shall re-perform service within 15 duty days of notification of unacceptable service XIII. SECURITY: All contractor employees are subject to the same level of investigation as VA employees who have access to VA facilities. Security and badging process to be determined by COR. The purpose of Amendment 0001 is to provide an updated Statement of Work. Please see attached amendment for additional details.