Inactive

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought Notice only and is issued to conduct market research and gain knowledge of current market capabilities. Responses to this notice are not offers and... THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought Notice only and is issued to conduct market research and gain knowledge of current market capabilities. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or a guarantee to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. This announcement is based on the best information available at this time and is subject to future amendment. No solicitation document is available at this time; this notice is to acquire information only. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 4, is conducting a market survey to identify potential sources to perform a firm fixed price contract for procurement of Board-Certified Pathologist Physician services, as synopsized below. The Government anticipates a performance period of one year. **NOTE: THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE WAS ALSO POSTED ON 7/19/2023 UNDER RFI 36C24423Q1046. CONTRACTOR NEED ONLY SUBMIT ONE RESPONSE TO EITHER NOTICE** SYNOPSIS (NOT COMPREHENSIVE) The Contractor shall furnish all key personnel to provide services necessary to perform onsite Pathology and Laboratory Services to eligible beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The Contractor s physician(s) care shall cover the range of Pathology and Laboratory services as would be provided in a state-of-the-art civilian medical treatment facility and the standard of care shall be of a quality, meeting or exceeding currently recognized national standards as established by the American Board of Pathology (ABPATH): American Board of Pathology (abpath.org) Place of Performance: Services shall be provided onsite, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15240 GENERAL: Services Provided: The Contractor shall provide Board Certified Pathologist Physician Services onsite in accordance with the specifications contained herein to beneficiaries of the VA and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Place of Performance: Contractor shall furnish services at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15240. Policy/Directives/Handbooks. The contractor shall be subject to the following policies, including any subsequent updates during the period of performance. The policies listed below can be accessed electronically at the following: VA Publications VHA Publications VA Directive 1663: Health Care Resources (HCR) Contracting Buying Title 38 U.S.C. 8153 VHA Directive 1003.04: VHA Patient Advocacy VHA Directive 1065: Productivity and Staffing Guidance for Specialty Provider Group Practice VHA Directive 1088(1): Communicating Test Results to Providers and Patients VHA Directive 1100.18: Reporting and Responding to State Licensing Boards VHA Directive 1100.20: Credentialing of Health Care Providers VHA Directive 1100.21: Privileging VHA Directive 1192.01: Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program for VHA Health Care Personnel VHA Directive 1220(1): Facility Procedure Complexity Designation Requirements to Perform Invasive Procedures in Any Clinical Setting VHA Directive 1400.01: Supervision of Physician, Dental, Optometry, Chiropractic, and Podiatry Residents: VHA Directive 1605.01: Privacy and Release of Information VHA Directive 1907.01: VHA Health Information Management and Health Records VHA Handbook 1100.17: National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Reports VHA Handbook 1400.04: Supervision of Associated Health Trainees: Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) as amended: http://www.justice.gov/oip/foia_updates/Vol_XVII_4/page2.htm QUALIFICATIONS: Staff/Facility License: The Contractor s physician(s) assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall have a current license to practice medicine in any State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia when services are performed onsite on VA property. All licenses held by the key personnel working on this contract shall be full and unrestricted licenses. Contractor s physician(s) who have current, full and unrestricted licenses in one or more states, but who have, or ever had, a license restricted, suspended, revoked, voluntarily revoked, voluntarily surrendered pending action or denied upon application will not be considered for the purposes of this contract. Board Certification: All Contractor s physician(s) shall be Board Certified Pathologist by the American Board of Pathology (abpath.org) and be currently certified in BLS, ACLS or equivalency. All continuing education courses required for maintaining certification must be kept up to date at all times. Documentation verifying current certification shall be provided by the Contractor to the VA COR on an annual basis for each year of contract performance. Credentialing and Privileging: Credentialing and privileging is to be done in accordance with the provisions of VHA Directive 1100.20 and VHA Directive 1100.21 referenced above. The Contractor is responsible to ensure that proposed physician(s) possesses the requisite credentials enabling the granting of privileges. No services shall be provided by any Contractor s physician(s) prior to obtaining approval by the Facility Medical Executive Board and Medical Center Director. If a Contractor s physician(s) and/or other contract provider(s) are not credentialed and privileged or has credentials/privileges suspended or revoked, the Contractor shall furnish an acceptable substitute without any additional cost to the government. Technical Proficiency: Contractor s physician(s) shall be technically proficient in the skills necessary to fulfill the government s requirements, including the ability to speak, understand, read and write English fluently. Contractor shall provide documents upon request of the CO/COR to verify current and ongoing competency, skills, certification and/or licensure related to the provision of care, treatment and/or services performed. Contractor shall provide verifiable evidence of all educational and training experiences including any gaps in educational history for all Contractor s physician(s) and Contractor s physician(s) shall be responsible for abiding by the Facility's Medical Staff By-Laws, rules, and regulations (referenced herein) that govern medical staff behavior. Continuing Medical Education (CME)/ Certified Education Unit (CEU) Requirements: Contractor shall provide the COR copies of current CMEs as required or requested by the facility. Contractor s physician(s) registered or certified by national/medical associations shall continue to meet the minimum standards for CME to remain current. Contractor shall report CME hours to the credentials office for tracking. These documents are required for both privileging and re-privileging. Failure to provide shall result in loss of privileges for Contractor s physician(s). Key Personnel: The VA Full Time Equivalent (FTE) for the services required is _1.00. FTE is defined by VA as minimum of 80 hours every two weeks (after Contractor vacation, holidays, and continuing medical education days are subtracted). The minimum number of Board Certified Pathologist physicians required to be onsite daily is __1.00_ as defined in Hours of Operation. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing coverage to the VA during periods of vacancies of the Contractor s personnel due to sick leave, personal leave, vacations and additional coverage as required. In the event a scheduled physician is unable to complete an assigned shift, the Contractor shall provide replacement physician coverage within 2 hours and notify the COR immediately of the schedule change. Personnel Substitutions: During the first ninety (90) calendar days of performance, the Contractor shall make NO substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the CO, in writing, within _15__ calendar day(s) after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required below. After 90 days, the Contractor shall submit the information required below to the CO at least _15__ calendar days prior to making any permanent substitutions. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the CO. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The CO will notify the Contractor within _15__ calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on the proposed substitutes. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel. For temporary substitutions where the key person shall not be reporting to work for _3__ consecutive workdays or more, the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement for the key person. The substitute shall have comparable qualifications to the key person. Any period exceeding two weeks will require the procedure as stated above. The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of any Contractor personnel at any time after performance begins, if personal or professional conduct jeopardizes patient care or interferes with the regular and ordinary operation of the facility. Breaches of conduct include intoxication or debilitation resulting from drug use, theft, patient abuse, dereliction or negligence in performing directed tasks, or other conduct resulting in formal complaints by patient or other staff members to designated Government representatives. Standards for conduct shall mirror those prescribed by current federal personnel regulations. Should the VA COS or designee show documented clinical problems or continual unprofessional behavior/actions with any Contractor s physician(s), s/he may request, without cause, immediate replacement of said Contractor s physician(s). The CO and COR shall deal with issues raised concerning Contractor s physician(s) conduct. The final arbiter on questions of acceptability is the CO. Contingency Plan: Because continuity of care is an essential part of Facility s medical services, The Contractor shall have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if the Contractor s physician(s) leaves Contractor s employment or is unable to continue performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. 3. VA HOURS OF OPERATION/SCHEDULING: VA Business Hours: _Monday through Friday 7:00 am 3:30 pm The following terms have the following meanings: (1) Work hours: Personnel shall typically perform services 40 hours a week, seven days a week, including Federal Holidays with actual work schedules to be mutually agreed upon by Contractor and VA based on patient care needs. A 30 minute, unpaid, lunch break is included in each shift. The shift has two 15-minute paid breaks. (2) Alternate Shifts are acceptable provided they are approved by the COR prior to implantation. 3.1.1 Patients must be seen by a Contractor s physician(s) onsite at the (VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System) in a timely manner in accordance with VA Rules and Regulations on clinic wait times and consult completion. Contractor shall notify the COR at least monthly about any obstacles to meeting this performance measure. **End Requirement Synopsis** Capabilities Statement and Documentation: Vendors are invited to provide their capabilities, experience, and knowledge in the provision of Board-Certified Pathologist Physician services. Vendors are asked to provide information to demonstrate their answers to the following items of information: 1. General information about your firm to include: Company Name: Company Address: Socioeconomic Status: GSA Contract Number covering these services and Expiration Date (if applicable): Additional Contract Vehicles covering these services and Expiration Date (if applicable): Company System for Award Management Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): Company NAICS Code(s): Point of Contact Name: Point of Contact Phone Number: Point of Contact Email Address: Company Website (if available): 2. Provide a general summary of your firm s ability to provide the services described in this announcement. In addition to a Capability Statement, submissions can include specifications, brochures, and manuals as attachments. 3. The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) is 561320 Temporary Help Services, and the Small Business Size Standard is $34.0 million. If your firm considers a different NAICS code more appropriate for this procurement, please indicate such in the response. 4. Based on market response, the following clauses may be included in a resulting solicitation, should one be issued: VAAR 852.219-10, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside VAAR 852.219-11, VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside Accordingly, prospective vendors will be required at time of solicitation response to certify to the applicable limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 125.6, with reference to the appropriate set-aside. Please include in the response to this sources sought notice your ability or inability to certify to the clause applicable to your organization. Please note that SDVOSB and VOSB vendors must be registered and verified in the Small Business Administration VetCert database to participate in VA procurements set aside for SDVOSB or VOSB competition. Additionally, in accordance with FAR 4.11, prospective vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database and must complete electronic annual representations and certifications in SAM prior to award of a contract. SAM is located at https://sam.gov/SAM/ and consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. There is no cost to use SAM. 7. Response: Submit responses via email to Contract Specialist Jami Cade at jami.cade@va.gov no later than 3:00 PM ET, 07/25/2023, with Sources Sought number 36C24423Q1047 in the subject line. Telephone responses will not be accepted. The government will not provide feedback in response to vendor questions about the requirement at this time. If you identify ambiguities or have concerns about anything in the description of the requirement, however, please include them with your response. Confirming receipt of the response is the responsibility of the vendor. Contact the contract specialist if the government does not confirm receipt of the sources sought response within 2 business days.