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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: The Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office (NCO) 7, Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC is performing market research to identify all potential sources which... SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE: The Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office (NCO) 7, Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC is performing market research to identify all potential sources which are currently capable of providing Courier / Messenger services for the Carl Vinson Veterans Administration Medical Center (Dublin, GA). Services are required by the Dublin, GA. VA Medical Center with points of origination and destination as follows: Origination: Carl Vinson A Medical Center 1826 Veterans Boulevard, Dublin, Georgia 31021 Destination: US Department of Veteran Affairs Albany VA Clinic, Building 7000 (Marine Corps Logistics Base) 814 Radford Boulevard Albany, GA 31704 Destination: Carl Vinson A Medical Center 1826 Veterans Boulevard, Dublin, Georgia 31021 An initial Statement of Work (SOW) follows. As permitted by FAR 5.201, a Sources Sought Notice is a government market research tool used to enhance the Governments understanding of current market conditions and to identify all potential vendors that are interested in providing a quotation. Responses will assist the government in the development of its acquisition strategy for a possible Request for Quote (RFQ) for Courier / Messenger services by determining if there are currently two (2) or more businesses that are currently capable of providing these services that fall into one or more small business categories (Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Women Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, HUBZone and Small Businesses) or whether full and open competition procedures should be utilized. The applicable Classification Code for this requirement is R602- Support Administrative: Courier/Messenger The applicable NAICS Code for this requirement is 492110 Couriers and Express Delivery Services Submission Instructions: Responses via e-mail are due No Later Than (NLT) 9:00AM EST on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, via e-mail, to joseph.locke@va.gov Responses provided over the phone will not be accepted by the Contracting Officer. Responses shall include all the following information: Contractor s company name Contractor s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) identification (System for Award Management UEI) Contractor s Street Address Contractor s City Contractor s State Contractor s ZIP Code Contractor Point of Contact (Name) Contractor Point of Contact (Phone Number) Contractor Point of Contact (email Address) Contractor s NAICS Code(s) Contractor s Business Type and Category OPTIONAL SUBMISSION: Contractor s capability statement to include and not limited to contract history (current/past performance) to further document the Contractor s capabilities to meet all objectives identified within the Statement of Work (SOW). Notes: An initial Statement of Work (SOW) follows. Late responses will not be accepted. This notice shall not be construed as a RFQ or as any commitment or obligation on the part of the Government to issue a solicitation. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this request; therefore, quotations will not be considered. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow-up information requests. Response is strictly voluntary; however, it should be noted that information gathered through this notice may significantly influence our acquisition strategy. All interested parties will be required to respond separately to any RFQ(s) posted because of this source sought notice. The Contracting Officer will only entertain questions submitted prior to the closing date via e-mail only. Submittals furnished will not be returned to the sender. No debriefs will be provided by the Contracting Officer Proprietary information is neither requested or desired. If such information is submitted, it must be clearly marked proprietary on every sheet containing such information, and the proprietary information must be separated to the maximum extent practicable from other portions of the response (i.e., use as an attachment or exhibit) This Sources Sought is for planning purposes only, and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action of any kind will follow. The Department of Veterans Affairs will use the information submitted in response to this notice at its discretion and will not provide comments to any submission; however, The Department of Veterans Affairs reserves the right to contact any respondent to this notice for the sole purpose of enhancing The Department of Veteran Affairs understanding of the notice submission. The content of any responses to this notice may be reflected in any subsequent solicitation, except for content marked or designated as business confidential or proprietary which will be fully protected from release outside the government. This Sources Sought document is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Statement of Work (SOW) 557-24-2-503-0018 1. Background The Dublin VAMC in Dublin, Georgia is operating a Veteran s Affairs (VA) Clinic at the Marine Corps Logistics Base located in Albany, Georgia to better serve the Veterans in and around those areas. With the Albany VA Clinic approximately 114 miles away from the main facility in Dublin, a courier service contract will be necessary to transport supplies to and from the Dublin main facility and clinic. The courier service will need to be daily, Monday through Friday, excluding all Federal Holidays. 2. Objectives The Contractor will furnish all personnel, equipment, vehicles, and supplies necessary to provide courier services for the Albany CBOC for the term of the contract as per section four (4) Statement of Required Goods/Deliverables in this document. 3. Scope The Dublin VAMC is seeking a contract courier service to transport supplies, lab specimens, and documentation daily, Monday through Friday, excluding all Federal Holidays between Dublin VAMC in Dublin, GA, and the Albany VA Clinic located at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, in Albany, GA. This contract will be a firm-fixed price contract and payment will be on a cost-per-delivery run basis for a period of one (1) year firm and four (4) option years for Albany VA Clinic. 4. Statement of Required Goods/Deliverables The Contractor will furnish all personnel, equipment, vehicles and supplies necessary to provide courier services for the Albany VA Clinic as outlined herein. Albany VA Clinic: The contractor shall provide a daily pick-up of supplies from the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia (Monday through Friday, excluding Holidays) from the following departments with the facility: Lab, Pharmacy, Prosthetics, and SPD. The pick-ups will need to be coordinated so that the courier is leaving Dublin no later than 12 Noon each day to make the delivery to Albany VA Clinic by 3:00 p.m. The contract shall provide a daily pick-up of laboratory specimens, to include blood, urine, and tissue used instruments that need to be reprocessed by SPD, and any pharmacy medications or prescriptions that need to be delivered back to the main facility in Dublin from the Albany VA Clinic no later than 3 p.m. each day. The laboratory specimens will be delivered to the main laboratory at the Dublin VAMC on the same day that they are picked-up from the Albany VA Clinic. The used instruments for SPD and items for the Pharmacy can be delivered to their respective departments the following business day when the new items for delivery to the Albany VA Clinic are picked-up. The contractor shall provide all supplies needed to meet this task including coolers and/or refrigeration needed to transport medications and laboratory specimens that require refrigeration during transport. These containers need to be lockable with detachable locks, such as combination locks, as to maintain the confidentiality of Patients Identifiable Information (PII). The contractor will also be responsible for developing and maintaining appropriate logs to document supplies that are received and delivered to each destination. The couriers used to provide this service should be appropriately licensed, bonded, and insured. The government in no way assumes liability for lost, stolen, or damaged equipment that is being transported in accordance with the delivery of these services. The couriers should also be trained appropriately for safe handling of laboratory specimens that are potentially hazardous to the health of the handler, if correct precautions are not observed. This training is the responsibility of the contractor and should be maintained on an annual basis. The Laboratory Department is a controlled access space and the Contractor will announce visit by way of the audio buzzer at the Laboratory Department entry. Some specimens will require room temperature transport and will only need to be protected from the heat the Contractor will ensure appropriate measures are taken to protect these types of specimens. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that an accidental/emergency spill kit is always carried in the transporting vehicle. The drivers and vehicles used in the performance of this contract must be licensed, registered, and insured to meet all State and City requirements. The Contractor must ensure compliance with Federal and State requirements for transporting specimens over ground. The Nurse Manager at Albany VA Clinic reserves the right to adjust the pick-up hours as needed to meet the mission of the VA Clinic. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will notify the contractor within two (2) days of any changes to pick- up or delivery times. Again, personnel assigned by the Contractor to perform services covered under this contract shall be trained and qualified in transporting biohazard/diagnostic specimens. The qualifications of such personnel shall also be subject to review by the Dublin VA Chief of Staff and approval by the facility Director. Each person assigned to work under this contract shall be well trained in federal, state, and local requirements in which the services are being provided. The contractor shall comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws, executive orders, rules and regulations applicable to its performance under this contract. VA reserves the right to refuse employment, under this contract, or require dismissal from contract work any contract work any contract employee who, by reason of previously unsatisfactory performance at the VA or unsatisfactory performance under the contract was dismissed. The contractor shall be responsible for protecting the personnel furnishing services under the contract. To carry out this responsibility, the contractor shall provide workers compensation, professional liability insurance, health examination, income tax withholding and social security payments. The parties agree that the contractor, its employees, agents and subcontractors shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose. The Contractor will make no substitution of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer (CO) and COR in writing within 15 calendar days of the occurrence of these events and provide the following required information: Temporary substitutions where the key personnel shall not be reporting to work for three (3) consecutive work days or more, the contractor will provide a qualified replacement for the key person and notify the CO and COR. The substitution shall have comparable qualifications to the key personnel. The CO or COR shall notify the contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on the proposed substitutes. The contract shall be modified to correct any approved changes to key personnel. 5. Tasks: The Contractor must maintain a record and log of daily courier pick-up and deliveries indicating time and date of pick-up / delivery, number of specimens and/or items, and signatures of VA employee at the pick-up and delivery sites. A copy of these logs will be furnished upon request to the VAMC COR for this contract. 6. Training: In the performance of this contract the contractor shall take such safety and infection control precaution necessary to protect the lives and health of those personnel transporting lab specimens. Personnel must be trained in accordance with Occupation Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requirements on proper specimen handling procedures, temperature control, record keeping and infectious disease (biohazard/diagnostic) specimen handling in case of an accidental spill, Universal precautions training, blood-born pathogen training from OSHA or equivalent. Contractor will ensure that personnel are trained in patient privacy which includes the requirements of the Privacy Act5 U. S. C. section 552a, and 38 U. S. C. sections 5701,7705, and 7332., the Health Insurance portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and VA privacy policies and procedures. The Contractor will provide a training program that describes initial training and annual training and provide such proof to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and the Laboratory Department Manager. 7. Government-Furnished Property: The Government will provide the appropriate OSHA approved laboratory containers and refrigerant packs required for the transport of lab specimens. The Contractor is responsible for returning all containers at the end period of the contract. 8. Security Requirements: A. Position Sensitivity - The position sensitivity has been designated as low risk. B. Background Investigation - The level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI). C. Contractor Responsibilities (1) The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducts the investigation, the contractor shall reimburse VA within 30 days. If timely payment is not made within 30 days from date of bill for collection, then VA shall deduct the cost incurred from the contractor s 1st month s invoice(s) for services rendered. (2) It is imperative for the contractor to provide, at the request of VA, a listing of contractor personnel performing services under the contract for the background investigation process to commence. This list will include name (first, middle, last) social security number; date of birth; city, state, and country of birth. (3) The contractor or their employees shall submit a complete background investigation packet. Additional guidance and information in completing the required forms, and examples of the forms, can be found at http://www1.va.gov/VABackground_Investigations/page.cfm?pg=2. The following required forms must be submitted to the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement before contract performance begins: (i) Standard Form 85, Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (ii) Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment (iii) Electronic Fingerprint Form Fingerprinting is required with the background investigation. Fingerprinting can be done at the local VA Facility. The Electronic Fingerprint Verification Form must be submitted with the above required forms. (4) The Contractor shall inform the contract employee that when filling out Standard Form 85, that there should be no gaps in employment history. Any gaps in employment history on Standard Form 85 may result in OPM rejecting the documentation for investigation and delay contract performance. (5) The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract, and at the request of the VA, submit another employee for consideration. (6) The contractor may utilize a private investigating agency if such agency possesses an OPM and Defense Security Service certification. A Cage Code number must be provided to the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement. VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement will verify the information and advise the contracting officer whether contractor s access to the computer systems can be authorized. (7) All contractor employees and subcontractors are required to complete VA s Privacy training annually. All Contractor employees and subcontractors requiring access to VA computer network are required to complete Cyber Security training courses annually either on-line or hard copy. Documented proof must be provided to the Contracting Officer. (8) The contractor will notify the COTR immediately when their employee(s) no longer require access to VA computer systems. D. Government Responsibilities: (1) The contracting officer will request the contractor employee s background investigation by the Office of Security and Law Enforcement. (2) The Office of Security and Law Enforcement will notify the contractor with instructions for the contractor's employees, coordinate the background investigations, and notify the contracting officer and contractor of the results of the investigations. (3) The VA facility will pay for requested investigations in advance. A bill for collection will be sent to the contractor to reimburse the VA facility. The contractor will reimburse the VA facility within 30 days. If timely payment is not made within 30 days from date of bill for collection, then VA shall deduct the cost incurred from the contractors 1st month s invoice(s) for services rendered. SAC (Special Agreement Check) All Contractor Employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs computer systems or who have access to sensitive information shall be required to have, at a minimum, a Special Agreement Check (SAC) which includes electronic fingerprinting. A Contractor Employee shall not perform any contract work (except for any other required orientation and training that does not require access to a VA computer system) until fingerprinting is completed by the local Human Resource Management Service. Fingerprinting should take place on the first day that a Contractor Employee enters on duty. The Contracting Officer s Technical Representative shall facilitate the SAC process for the Contractor and Contractor Employee. If the SAC identifies potentially actionable issues in connection with a Contractor Employee and it is determined that the Contractor Employee needs to be removed, the Contracting Officer shall notify the Contractor and the Contractor shall immediately remove that Employee from contract work. The removal of the Employee shall not excuse any failure to meet contract requirements. SACs and fingerprinting of Contractor Employees will be required even when an Employee will not be working on site at a VA Facility. The Contracting Officer can identify other options for accomplishing these SACs. 9. Point of Contact COR: Yolanda Rolison, 478-272-1210 Ext 73497 email:Yolanda.Rolison@va.gov 10. Place of Performance or Delivery Address Origination: Carl Vinson A Medical Center 1826 Veterans Boulevard, Dublin, Georgia 31021 Destination: US Department of Veteran Affairs Albany VA Clinic, Building 7000 (Marine Corps Logistics Base) 814 Radford Boulevard Albany, GA 31704 Destination: Carl Vinson A Medical Center 1826 Veterans Boulevard, Dublin, Georgia 31021 11. Period of Performance or Required Delivery Date This contract will be a firm fixed price contract with a base year and four (4) option years. Payment will be monthly. Period of Performance dates are provided below. Base period: August 31, 2024 September 1, 2025 Option year 1: September 1, 2025 August 31, 2026 Option year 2: August 31, 2026 September 1, 2027 Option year 3: September 1, 2027 August 31, 2028 Option year 4: August 31, 2028 September 1, 2029 12. Inspection and Acceptance The contractor shall be required to meet the standards set forth in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). Failure to meet the Performance Standards set forth in the QASP will results in a negative rating for the contract evaluation period and will be considered in determining award of contract option years. Failure to meet the Performance Standard for delivery of service will result in financial penalties if additional expenses are incurred by the facility to provide the needed service at the last minute. 13. Invoices Vendor Electronic Invoice Submission Methods Facsimile, e-mail, and scanned documents are not acceptable forms of submission for payment requests. Electronic form means an automated system transmitting information electronically according to the accepted electronic data transmission methods below: 1. VA s Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment System The FSC uses a third-party contractor, Tungsten Network (Formerly OB10), to transition vendors from paper to electronic invoice submission. Please go to this website http://www.tungsten-network.com/us/en/veterans-affairs-us/ to begin submitting electronic invoices, free of charge. 2. A system that conforms to the X12 electronic data interchange (EDI) formats established by the Accredited Standards Center (ASC) chartered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The X12 EDI Web site (http://www.x12.org). Vendor e-Invoice Set-Up Information: Please contact OB10 at the phone number or email address listed below to begin submitting your electronic invoices to the VA Financial Services Center for payment processing, free of charge. If you have question about the e-invoicing program or OB10, please contact the FSC at the phone number or email address listed below: OB10 e-Invoice Setup Information: 1-877-489-6135 OB10 e-Invoice email: VA.Registration@ob10.com FSC e-Invoice Contact Information: 1-877-353-9791 FSC e-invoice email: vafsccshd@va.gov