Inactive Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)

36C24824Q1373 Responses to Questions Miami Locations: P. 4, 2nd paragraph if certain types of non-paper media such as hard drives, floppy disks, film, plastics, or quantities of CDs/DVDs are shred wit... 36C24824Q1373 Responses to Questions Miami Locations: P. 4, 2nd paragraph if certain types of non-paper media such as hard drives, floppy disks, film, plastics, or quantities of CDs/DVDs are shred with the paper they will contaminate the truckload, rendering the material unrecyclable, sending it to landfill, which does not constitute final destruction and is contrary to several VA policies. Please confirm that non-paper items will not be mixed in with the paper to be shredded.  Answer: This contract is for paper only. Non-paper items will not be mixed in with paper to be shredded. Non-paper media has been removed from the PWS. P. 4, 4.1. and other pages. The requirement to be certified by ARMA is not a requirement for any other known shredding contract. Asset and Risk Management Associates International, LLC (ARMA) is a commercial technology integration company that has nothing to do with secure document destruction. Another company called ARMA is an organization that is the driving force in the promotion and advocacy of information management professionals that provides unparalleled networking opportunities . It is not a company that certifies shredding companies. Could the requirement to be certified by either of these companies please be explained or removed?  Answer: The ARMA requirement is removed. P. 4, 4.4. This states that 450 bins are needed for the Miami system, the description in 4.7 states, enough lockable containers and appropriate sizes this isn t sufficient information to formulate an accurate quote. Could you please provide the quantity and size of containers (32g consoles, 64/65g bins, 95/96g bins, etc.) needed at each of the locations listed in the chart at the top of page 7? Answer: There will be a mix of different sized bins needed at each location. Specific sizes for each location may change and will be determined after award during the kick off meeting/onboarding period which will include a site visit. Please see current chart below. Miami VA Healthcare System Performance Locations Consoles Gallons Bins Bruce W. Carter VAMC 305 Consoles 15-96 Gallons bins in Cage Broward VA Outpatient Clinic N/A 4 -96 Gallons Bins Key West CBOC 13 Consoles 2-96 Gallons Bins Homestead CBOC 5 Consoles 1-96 Gallons Bins Key Largo CBOCV 1 Console N/A Pembroke Pines CBOC N/A 2-96 Gallons Bins Hollywood CBOC N/A 1-96 Gallon Bin Deerfield Beach, CBOC N/A 1-96 Gallon Bin MVAHS, Fiscal/Contract Services 2 Consoles 1-96 Gallon Bin P. 4, 4.6. A large quantity of pill bottles per container cannot be shred along with the paper since the plastic will contaminate the load and render the material unrecyclable. This will cause it to be dumped at a landfill, contrary to VA policy. Can pill bottles be collected and shred off-site with a COD and chain of custody documentation provided post-destruction? Answer: On-site shredding is required. P. 5, 4.13. Will VA Directive 6371 be the guiding document for shredding at the Miami system? Answer: VA Directive 6371 Destruction Of Temporary Paper Records does apply. P. 6, 4.19. Will special services be handled via purchase orders and paid via government purchase card? If these are to be provided under the award, please clarify the needs (frequency, container quantities, number per year) so that they can be priced to include with the bid submission.  Answer: This section is removed. Any additional services required will be negotiated and added by contract modification if necessary. P. 7, 5.2. Can the days of the week listed here be collaboratively agreed to post-award in order to mesh the VA services with the contractor s existing routes? Answer: Dates are flexible and must be agrees upon. P. 7, 5.2. It would be unusual for VA supervisory staff to be onsite on the weekends or before/after normal business hours. Historically, how frequently has the VA requested shredding services to be conducted on a Saturday or Sunday, or before or after normal business hours? Answer: May require occasional weekend service. P. 7, 5.3. What size are the two containers used at the Pharmacies for pill bottles? Can the Inpatient Pharmacy service be every 4 weeks instead of monthly (13 annual services rather than 12 annual services)? This fits better with the weekly service schedule for the VAMC Answer: As stated in the PWS the requirement is for monthly service. P.11, 12.4. This states IDIQ Contract Management Plan. IDIQ doesn t appear anywhere else in the document or in the synopsis/solicitation. Please confirm that this will be a firm fixed price contract. Answer: IDIQ has been removed. This is a firm fixed price contract. P. 12, 12.5. Since only badged and trained access personnel can perform the service at the various facilities, would the VA consider using a contractor-provided master list of trained and badged employees to reference for individuals who are available to service the various facilities in the system rather than numerous emails to confirm which employee is servicing a facility on a particular day? Answer: As stated in the PWS. For the Medical Center, how far apart are the buildings where service is needed in other words will our shred truck need to move multiple times to service the various locations on campus? Answer: Please refer to p. 7, 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3 for this information. Please confirm if there is a loading dock, and is there a ramp to the ground? Answer: Yes, there is a loading dock. Is there sufficient and appropriate parking for our truck at each location for the time it will take to perform the work? Answer: Yes Please confirm that removing/returning containers at each facility does not involve negotiating any steps at any of the facilities in the contract. Answer: -Miami location, there are freight elevators. Other locations are either one story or have an building elevator. West Palm Beach Locations: P. 1, Scope of Work. Will hard binders be presented separately from the paper needing destruction since they can jam/break/disable the shredding equipment? Answer: On rare occasions we do receive them. They will be placed in a separate container/bag. P. 1, Scope of Work. If certain types of non-paper media such as hard drives, floppy disks, film, plastics, pill bottles, or quantities of CDs/DVDs are shred with the paper they will contaminate the truckload, rendering the material unrecyclable, sending it to landfill, which does not constitute final destruction and is contrary to several VA policies. Please confirm that non-paper items will not be mixed in with the paper to be shredded but instead placed in dedicated containers. Answer: Non-paper items will not be mixed with paper to be shredded. They will be placed in a separate container/bag. Can the referenced above non-paper items be collected and shred off-site with a COD and chain of custody documentation provided post-destruction? Answer: Yes in the event of non-paper items (which is rare) the VA will accept a off-site with COD and chain of custody documentation provided post-destruction. P, 1, B. This mentions classified medical and personal identifying documents . Healthcare facilities do not normally produce classified material, which requires special security measures to store, handle, and destroy. Could you please confirm that the material presented for destruction will be the typical healthcare CUI type of documents such as PHI and PII, and that no classified documents will be presented for destruction? Answer: Re-phrased it is only PII and PHI not classified documents to be destructed. P. 2, D. This presents a fairly narrow timeframe for service, could it be extended to match a more typical 8:00a-4:00p service window, or at least more than four hours? Answer: There is limited flexibility with schedule at this facility due to staffing. Wednesdays between 9:00 a.m. and 1 p.m. meet the needs on this location. P. 2, F. This section uses the term approximately 225 consoles and 40 95g bins. Could you please confirm that this is a firm fixed price contract rather than an IDIQ? Answer: This is firm fixed price contract. P. 2, F. Please elaborate on the VA s right to purchase containers for example, does the VA anticipate buying its own containers at some point during the duration of the contract to replace the containers provided by the contractor? This would impact pricing so is important to know. Answer: Additional containers may be purchased in the future. If required they will be added by contract modification if necessary. P. 3, Equipment. VA Directive 6371 does not mention a particle size, only a definition of interim shredding and a definition of final shredding. Could the phrase referencing a particle size of 1x5mm (and 3/32 security screen) please be removed as 1x5mm particle size is impossible to achieve onsite? Answer: The particle size is removed P. 3, Interim Destruction. There is an extra phrase in this definition that is more restrictive than what is defined as interim destruction in VA Directive 6371. Could it please be revised to reflect what is stated in VA Directive 6371 or simply state that Directive 6371 will be the guiding document? Answer: Directive 6371 will be the guiding document. P. 3, Final Destruction. NAID does not certify paper mills, and only certifies recycling facilities if the facility also shreds paper in addition to baling it. Could this phrase be removed or revised to reflect the parameters of NAID certification? Answer: Final Destruction shall be in accordance with VA Directive 6371. P. 3, Deliverable. In order to price accurately, please confirm that the requirement is to shred at the Medical Center, the Port St. Lucie Clinic, and the Delray Beach Clinic every week.  Answer: The Medical Center is weekly (Wednesdays) the Port St. Lucie Clinic would be serviced as needed (Usually every 6 weeks) and the Delray Beach Clinic once a month scheduled. For the Medical Center, how far apart are the buildings where service is needed in other words will our shred truck need to move multiple times to service the various locations on campus? Accessibility Answer: For the Medical Center basement of Parking Garage is the staging area EMS Personnel will place the toter right at the lift of the truck and the contractor personnel will then weigh and operate the lift into the shredding machinery on board the truck the assigned person EMS will view the camera to ensure shredding is being done. It is ground level and adjacent to the locked room where the toters are securely kept. VA EMS Personnel do all the collection throughout the Medical Center. There is a ample space for the truck to be parked while the shredding is being performed. There are no steps or removing of containers. There is ample space at the Port St. Lucie Clinic and Delray Beach Clinic for parking. There are no stairs they are both ground level. Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice P. 3, Evaluation. With the bid closing the afternoon of Monday 7/29 and the POP beginning the following Monday, is there going to be a time accommodation that allows the awardee to order, receive, and deploy containers prior to starting service at the two systems? Answer: The POP will be determined at the time of contract award. There will be a transition period. P. 4-5, Information to be submitted Can the information requested in this section be included in a stand-alone cover letter, or would you like it to be placed at the beginning of the technical document? Answer: I prefer the beginning of the document. P. 6, d., Technical. Could you please state what certifications and training certificates for employees are needed? Typically access employees undergo specific VA training post-award, and if certificates is in reference to NAID AAA Certification, NAID does not certify individuals, could you please explain what certifications you need? Answer: Any applicable training/certification. P. 6, Past Performance. The first paragraph requests examples of the offeror s commercial experience rather than government contracts similar to the solicited work. Could you please explain why commercial contracts are being required as proof of performance rather than government contracts? Answer: Commercial is defined as commonly used by the general public. The majority of VA (Government) contracts are commercial. P. 6, Price. This states that there will only be three option years, could you please confirm that there will be four option years? Answer: This solicitation is for a base year, plus four (4) option years. P. 6, last paragraph. If offeror s Representations and Certifications are up to date on SAM, does FAR 52.212-3 need to be completed and submitted? If so, is it sufficient to fill out just part (c) to meet this requirement? Answer: Yes, an update reps and certs in SAM is accecptable. P. 11, 52.252-1. VAAR 852.219-75 is not included in the solicitation notice, is there a requirement to sign and submit it to document intention to adhere to 52.219-14? Answer: Yes, offerors need to submit VAAR 852.219-75 with quote. Will a price schedule be provided for bidding, or does the VA want the bidder to provide its own price schedule? If the latter, how would the VA like that organized for evaluation? Answer: Offeror must submit Price Schedule with line items a base and each option year. Will any changes affecting the scope of work at any of the locations serviced under the award (adding/deleting containers or locations, or changes in frequency of service) be handled via contract modification? Answer: Yes, a modification will be issued for changes.