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This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services/items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 in conjunction with FAR Part 13, as supplemented with additional infor... This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services/items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6 in conjunction with FAR Part 13, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. This combined synopsis/solicitation is issued as a Request for Quote (RFQ) 36C24824Q0282. Submit written quotes in accordance with Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors. Oral quotes will not be accepted. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC-2021-05 / 03-10-2021. North American Industrial Classification Standard (NAICS) 621511, Medical Laboratories Services, with a Size Standard of $36.5M. Miami VA Healthcare Network intends to award a single firm fixed price contract for Medical Laboratories Testing Service. This procurement is Unrestricted quoters are encouraged to submit quotes. To be eligible for award quoter must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) at the time of the close of the RFQ and at the time of award. Quote shall be valid 90 days from the close of this solicitation. Questions are due No Later Than Tuesday December 26, 2023, at Noon ET. Only email questions will be excepted. Email questions to Contracting Officer Sylvia Nobles at Sylvia.Nobles@va.gov. Quotes are due no later than Thursday January 04, 2024, at 4pm ET. Quotes will only be accepted in Microsoft Word or .pdf format by email to: Contracting Officer Sylvia Nobles at Sylvia.Nobles@va.gov. Table of Contents SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS 3 B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 3 B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE 5 ITEM INFORMATION 5 SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES 9 C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 9 C.2 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999) 9 C.3 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000) 9 SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS 11 SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS 12 E.1 ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS COMMERCIAL ITEMS 12 E.2 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 14 E.3 52.212-2 EVALUATION OF QUOTES 14 SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 1. Contract Administration: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals: CONTRACTOR: (Company Name) (Address) (City-State-Zip) POINT OF CONTACT: PHONE NUMBER: E-MAIL ADDRESS: DUNS #: TAX ID (TIN) #: FSS #: GOVERNMENT: Sylvia Nobles, Contracting Officer (E): Sylvia.Nobles@va.gov Network Contracting Office 8 (NCO 8) Miami Services Team 1201 NW 16th St, Miami, FL 33125 2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with: [[X] 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer - System for Award Management (OCT 2018) 3. INVOICES/PAYMENT: Invoices shall be submitted electronically the following month services were performed in accordance with: 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2018) Upon acceptance of services. Payments shall be made in arrears upon receipt of a properly prepared invoice. In order to comply with the Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act of 2012 (IPERA), the VA has mandated electronic invoice submission to the Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center (VAFSC). VAFSC has partnered with Tungsten Corporation e-Invoicing network, for submissions of all electronic invoices to VA. Tungsten Network electronic invoicing is free to all VA vendors. In order to submit electronic invoices, all VA vendors must register with Tungsten Network by submitting an email to Tungsten Network VA.Registration@tungsten-network.com or calling 1-877-752-0900 option 2 for Enrollment. VA s Electronic Invoice (e-Invoice) system uses a third-party contractor (Tungsten Network) for submission of electronic invoices. Go to this website to begin submitting electronic invoices, free of charge: http://www.tungsten-network.com/customer-campaigns/veteransaffairs-us/ For assistance setting up e-Invoice, the below information is provided: Tungsten Network e-Invoice Registration: VA.Registration@tungsten-network.com Tungsten Network e-Invoice Setup Information: (877)752-0900 (Option 2 - Enrollment) Tungsten Network Customer Service: (877)489-6135 OB10 Portal to submit electronic invoices: VA.Registration@ob10.com VAFSC for Invoice receipt or payment questions, call: (877)353-9791 or VAFSC Email: vafsccshd@va.gov FACSIMILE, E-MAIL, AND SCANNED DOCUMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF SUBMISSION FOR PAYMENT REQUESTS ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the solicitation numbered and dated as follows: AMENDMENT NO DATE ___________ __________ ___________ __________ ___________ __________ CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements under this contract. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to make commitment or issue changes that will affect price, quantity or quality of performance of this contract. In the event the Contractor effects any such change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in cost incurred thereof. B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE ITEM INFORMATION CLIN Description of Supplies Quantity Unit Unit Price Amount 0001 Base Year: Kidney Gene Panel Testing in accordance with the PWS. 300 YR 1001 Option 1: Kidney Gene Panel Testing in accordance with the PWS. 300 YR 2001 Option 2: Kidney Gene Panel Testing in accordance with the PWS. 300 YR 3001 Option 3: Kidney Gene Panel Testing in accordance with the PWS. 300 YR 4001 Option 4: Kidney Gene Panel Testing in accordance with the PWS. 300 YR Grand Total REQUIREMENTS The Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service of the Miami VAMC has a requirement for a source for gene testing for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Contractors shall meet the minimum requirements as listed below. a. The Point of Contact (POC) shall be Alicia R. Garcia Anatomic Pathology Supervisor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service. b. The contractor shall be able to perform the required tests for the facility listed in the below and be incompliance with CLIA, the College of American Pathology (CAP), and/or the Joint Commission (TJC) standards: o Kidney Gene panel for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) o The contractor shall test at least 385 genes associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) o Shall test customized panel of chromosomal/DNA alterations associated with CDK in adults o Have implications on candidacy for transplant of kidney donation o Help provider understand the cause or risk of progression of kidney disorders that are typically uncommon and are considered idiopathic c. The contractor shall be able to provide transportation of test kit from our main laboratory Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am to 4pm via courier or prepaid shipping label and shipping supplies. Insurance and shipping costs shall be at the expense of the vendor. If vendor chooses to ship, in any event of loss or damaged samples, the vendor will re-test an no additional charge. d. The contractor shall be able to report test results back to the facility in electronic format in a time frame that is commercially acceptable for that test, no later than 21 days from sample arrival. The referral lab should provide any/all special collection containers necessary to be compatible with the methodologies of the particular tests performed at your facility. e. The vendor shall provide an invoice via transmission to Austin, Tx through the OB10 Tungsten system within twenty days of monthly arrearage, not later than thirty days arrearage. f. If vendor chooses to use a courier, said courier shall sign a log documenting who picked up specimens, time of pick-up, and number of specimen bags including storage condition at that time. This will be done at the time of pick-up. It will be the responsibility of the COR to ensure that procedure is followed. g. When supplies are needed, they are delivered within two business days of order under normal circumstances. Supplies under emergency circumstances shall be determined as needed, with delivery within industry accepted time for the circumstance. h. Vendor shall be able to provide statistics on specimen transport, integrity, and acceptability; Vendor should be able to demonstrate a limitation of specimen interactions by external entities that are not affiliated with the vendor or the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services. i. Vendor shall be able to provide interactive assistance with test building with no charge to Pathology and Lab services; This during the start-up phase. j. Specimens shall only be used for the CKD panel. k. Genetic counseling for patients shall be available for consultation. l. Vendor shall be able to accept both blood and saliva samples. SECURITY Vendor shall follow all HIPPA rules and regulations. The vendor will be required to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with the VA prior to contract award. Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. ACCESS TO VA INFORMATION AND VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS a. A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order. b. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors shall be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures. TRAINING a. All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems: (1) Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the VA Rules of Behavior, Appendix E relating to access to VA information and information systems; (2) Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security training; (3) Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually complete required privacy training; and (4) Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.] b. The contractor shall provide to the contracting officer and/or the POC a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required. c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete. VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL LANGUAGE a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1). b. The contractor/subcontractor shall store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated. SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION a. The term security incident means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the POC and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/subcontractor has access. b. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/subcontractor s notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor/subcontractor considers relevant. SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES C.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): (End of Clause) FAR Number Title Date 52.204-19 INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS DEC 2014 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS COMMERCIAL ITEMS OCT 2018 52.232-40 PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTORS DEC 2013 852.203-70 COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING MAY 2018 852.270-1 REPRESENTATIVES OF CONTRACTING OFFICERS JAN 2008 852.232-72 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS NOV 2018 C.2 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 15 days of the expiration of this contract. Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. This includes options under FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which applies to this solicitation. Evaluation of options under FAR 52.217-8 will be accomplished by using the prices offered for the last option period to determine the price for a 6-month option period, which will be added to the base and other option years to arrive at the total price. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). NOTE: The specified rates under this clause will be those rates in effect under the contract each time an option is exercised under this clause. (End of Clause) C.3 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 5 days; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 7 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension. (b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause. (c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 5 years. (End of Clause) SECTION D - CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, OR ATTACHMENTS SECTION E - SOLICITATION PROVISIONS E.1 ADDENDUM to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS COMMERCIAL ITEMS Provisions that are incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date), have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The following provisions are incorporated into 52.212-1 as an addendum to this solicitation: Submit your company s quote in writing via email utilizing either PDF or Word format. You may not submit more than one quote. If a concern submits more than one quote all quotes will be rejected, and the company will be considered nonresponsive. Quotes received that do not include all information in accordance with this RFQ will be considered unacceptable and the company will be deemed nonresponsive. Information to be submitted: Provide the following information on the first page of your quote: Contractor s Cover Page Contractor: Address: (address line 1) (address line 2) (City, State Zip Code) Point of Contact: Phone Number: Email Address: UEI (SAM): Second page, provide the following information: All quotes shall include at a minimum a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows: The terms and conditions contained in the RFQ are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion or addition. Or The terms and conditions in the RFQ are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following: ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the Solicitation numbered and dated as follows: AMENDMENT NO DATE The above amendment section must be filled out if an Amendment(s) is sent to the offeror or posted on Contract Opportunities at https://beta.sam.gov and must be returned with the RFQ package. Failure to acknowledge amendment(s) may constitute rejection of the offer. The Government intends to award a contract as a result of this RFQ to the responsible quoter whose quote conforms to the RFQ requirements and is the lowest price. Quotes will be evaluated for acceptability only and shall not be rated. Quoters must be determined responsible per the standards of FAR Part 9 to be eligible for award. Quoter shall complete Section B.2 Price/ Cost Schedule. Quoter shall at a minimum provide a statement that the service meets all requirements of the Performance Work Statement. Quoter shall provide up to three (3) past performance references of a Federal, State, local government, or private contracts under which Quoter has provided similar services, of similar size and complexity required in this solicitation within the last five (5) years. Provide a narrative description of the service rendered and how it is like the services required by this solicitation. Facility/ Company Name: Address: Phone Number: Point of Contact: Start/End of contract: Narrative: E.2 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es): http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/ (End of Provision) FAR Number Title Date 52.204-7 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT OCT 2018 52.204-16 COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY CODE REPORTING AUG 2020 52.204-24 52.212-1 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS-COMMERCIAL ITEMS OCT 2020 JUN 2020 (End of Addendum to 52.212-1) E.3 52.212-2 EVALUATION OF QUOTES Basis for Award Commercial Items is applicable to this procurement. This requirement will be awarded to a responsible contractor whose proposal represents the best value to the Government, considering price and technical factors, with technical and past performance factors more important than price. The Government will evaluate quotes for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that a quote is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). Evaluation factors will be considered in descending order of importance: Technical Capability: Provide technical performance plan and proof of applicable certifications, license, and insurance. Past Performance: Prospective contractors may provide a list of five business references for which the contractor performed the same or similar scope as required in the performance work statement. The reference information shall include: name of business; name and title of point of contact; brief description of services performed; and date services performed. Contractor s Proposed Rate for: Providing One Year Base Period and Four One Year Separately Priced Option Years. Following receipt of quotes, the Government will perform a comparative evaluation of the services quoted. The Government will compare quotes to one another to select the service that best benefits the Government by fulfilling the requirement. The evaluation of Government requirements outlined in this request for quote will determine suitability. Once the Government determines there is/are a contractor(s) that can provide a service that meet(s) the requirements of this request for quote, the Government reserves the right to communicate with only those contractors quoting the best-suited service to address any remaining issues. The Government will evaluate quotes for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that a quote is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). TECHNICAL APPROACH OUTLINE (TAO): The quoter shall provide its proposed solution to meeting the requirements outlined in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The TAO shall clearly demonstrate the quoter s understanding of the requirement and that the contractor is capable of meeting the specific tasks listed in the PWS. This document shall describe in detail the activities and measurable outcomes required to implement and perform its proposed solution. The government will evaluate the quoter s Technical Approach to determine the manner and extent to which the quoter s proposed technical approach will meet the government s objectives as described in the PWS and the requirements in the RFQ. The government will evaluate the quoter s TAO based on its feasibility and appropriateness in accomplishing the objectives of the PWS and this RFQ. Additionally, the government will evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness applied in the TAO, effectiveness of the schedule, and work approach. The government will also evaluate the quoters on the clarity of their approach and their ability to convey to the government their capability to perform the requirements of the PWS and this RFQ with minimal risk and cost-effective ideas. PAST PERFORMANCE: Past Performance Information and Retrieval System (PPIRS) information and Dun and Bradstreet will be utilized for the past performance evaluation. The Government shall review available past performance data in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System found in the Past Performance Information Retrieval System found at https://fapiis.ppirs.gov/. Quoters shall identify up to five (5) current or recently completed (within the last five [5] years) contracts that are the same or similar in volume, complexity and dollar value to the contract being solicited herein. Quoter shall provide the information as fully set forth in Paragraph E.1, page 19 of this solicitation. Additionally, the Government reserves the right to obtain past performance information from any available source and may contact customers other than those identified by the offeror when evaluating past performance. PRICE EVALUATION: The Quoter's Total Evaluated Price (TEP) will be determined by multiplying each price proposed in the schedule by the applicable estimated quantity and adding all of these together. The Quoter s TEP will be evaluated by the Contracting Officer for reasonableness. The individual prices proposed in the schedule may also be evaluated for reasonableness. Reasonableness may be determined by comparing the quoted price to historical prices for similar efforts, comparison to the Independent Government Estimate (IGE), or other methods at the sole discretion of the Government. A reasonable price represents an amount that a prudent person would pay in a competitive business environment. The Government intends to evaluate the Option to Extend Services, provided under FAR 52.217-8 as fully set forth in Paragraph C.3 of this Solicitation . (End of Provision)