Inactive

Page 1 of Page 33 of 33 Page 1 of Sources Sought Notice Switchboard Operator Services Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) 4801 East Linwood Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64128-2226 This Sou... Page 1 of Page 33 of 33 Page 1 of Sources Sought Notice Switchboard Operator Services Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) 4801 East Linwood Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64128-2226 This Sources Sought Notice is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this Sources Sought Notice will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs in developing its acquisition approach, statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Sources Sought Notice or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Businesses, 8(a), HUBZone and other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 15 located at 3450 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, KS, 66048-5055 is seeking a potential qualified contractor to provide a one-year Switchboard Operator Service with the possibility of option years in support of Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) 4801 East Linwood Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64128-2226. The NAICS code for this service is 561421 (Telephone Answering Services), with a business size standard of $19.0 Million. Performance Work Statement (PWS) a. Position is located in Business Operations Service. Coverage in this area is required 24 hours per day, seven (7) days a week and includes all holidays observed by the Federal Government. These holidays are: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, plus any other day specifically declared, by the President of the United States, to be a national holiday. Coverage shall be provided by no fewer than four (4) telephone operators during normal business hours of Monday thru Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and a minimum of two (2) telephone operator on the off hours of Sunday thru Saturday, 4:00 p.m. -12:00 Midnight, and a minimum of one (1) telephone operator on the off hours of Sunday thru Saturday, 12 Midnight - 8:00 a.m., and Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Contractor will adjust this schedule as needed to ensure adequate personnel are available for proper coverage. b. The work required by this specification consists of providing telephone service for the effective operation of the hospital. Operators are responsible for interval work that involves the operation of telephone switchboard equipment (currently a Cisco Finesse and Cisco Jabber system with 4 attendant consoles and 1 supervisor console). answering incoming calls and connecting callers with the appropriate party. Operators are required to use telephone courtesy and tact in dealing with a diversity of callers, sometimes under very complex and stressful circumstances. The work also requires speed, precision, and observing strict security measures. c. Operators handle emergency calls of all kinds and direct callers to appropriate employees(s) or service(s). Provide assistance and instructions for completing internal calls and outgoing calls local and long distance over the Cisco Finesse and Cisco Jabber Systems. Will place calls over the commercial telephone network when situations dictate (specific written guidelines for such use will be supplied). Will handle a variety of different calls requiring extensive personal involvement including emergencies such as cardiac arrest, fire, unidentified chemical spills, combative patients, missing patients, VA police, calls from confused patients, abusive threatening individuals, patients' relatives, and demanding personal contact with medical staff. Calls are received from the public requesting information, irate beneficiaries, and calls involving physicians on rotation schedules where locating the individual is complicated by continual turnover. Calls are at times received at such rapid speed that the tempo can create unusual demands on the operator. d. Operate a Motorola Page Bridge Paging System running software applications which has voice and digital radio pagers. Must also operate the Police Radio System, Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD), elevator phone, direct line to MAST, emergency phone, PC for patient inquiries, and must be aware of the numerous alarms located throughout the facility, i.e. code blue, code orange, intrusion alarms and be able to report each alarm to the proper authority with calmness, accuracy, and speed when an emergency occurs. e. Operators are required to assist in updating electronic files of various services, staff, public telephones, call lists, pager lists, key information, and will be required to maintain a current duty roster of all personnel on call. Operators are required to maintain records of significant events, telephone trouble calls, long distance calls, and other logs as may be required by the Government to provide complete information on telephone operations. Will report any and all telephone problems and paging problems to proper authorities for repair. f. Telephone personnel will perform functional operation of the automated attendant, paging system, and other computerized communications systems, but only at the specific direction of the Government. g. Telephone personnel will be required to know and enforce all the procedures in manuals contained within their area. Policy and procedure book will be maintained in the switchboard area. Policies and procedures shall be reviewed quarterly at a minimum and each employee shall be responsible for documenting review. h. Operators are required to perform the following ancillary duties: (1) Provides information such as extension numbers, pager numbers, call schedule information, area codes, FTS numbers, medical center numbers, etc. to inquiries. (2) Operates an awakening service for special-on-call individuals sleeping in the hospital. (3) Provides exchange service for Code Blue pagers only that are brought to the switchboard. Provides batteries only for all other staff pagers. (4) Monitors weather alerts and local radio and makes necessary notification when indicated for fires, disasters, and severe weather. Monitors HEAR radio and ham radios and makes necessary notifications when indicated. Attends training on radio equipment as needed or required by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). (5) Tests code blue pagers on a shift-by-shift basis. Tests of voice code blue pager responses are documented to insure operational status of pagers. (6) Performs other clerical duties, i.e., filing, arranging medical records, during hours when switchboard traffic is light, or as otherwise specified by the Government. 2. SUPERVISION BY CONTRACTOR a. The contractor shall assign a Project Manager (PM) for the purpose of supervising and training Contractor personnel and ensuring compliance with all provisions of this contract. The PM shall be dedicated to service solely in the Medical Facility during normal working hours and be available by telephone or pager to operators after normal working hours for any problems that may occur including staffing problems. The PM will act as an alternate operator only in times of personnel shortages or absences. b. When the PM is absent or plans to be absent for more than one 8-hour shift, the Contractor must appoint a stand-in representative acceptable to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to ensure adequate coverage. The Contractor shall notify the COR, in writing, of who will be the stand-in representative during his/her absence. The PM and his/her alternate must be able to read, write, speak and understand English. The contractor's PM, or stand-in, shall be available by phone and pager to the Government at all times. 3. PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS a. Training: (1) No contract personnel shall be assigned to work under the contract until initial orientation and training are completed and documented. (2) All contract personnel will participate in mandatory, annual, commercial customer service training, approved by the COR in advance, with wages paid for by the contractor. (3) All contract personnel will be required to participate with VA employees in regularly scheduled, annual Joint Commission training offered by the government. b. Uniforms and Personnel Identification: (1) Contractor personnel will not be required to wear a distinctive uniform. However, contractor personnel shall dress appropriately for the mission of the facility and in good taste. (2) All personnel assigned to perform under this contract shall display on their clothing, a clearly readable name identification device, consisting of the person's name and the company name. This name device is to be VA furnished. (3) "Normal business hours" will include two-15 minute breaks (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) and a half-hour lunch period. During this tour drinking and eating will be restricted to the cafeteria and break rooms. Contractor's personnel are not required to remain at the switchboard during their lunch period. "Off-tours" do not include break times or a lunch period. A lavatory is located in the switchboard area, as personnel may not leave their work site. Drinking and eating will be allowed in the switchboard area as overwhelming workload permits, determined by the supervisor. However, no food or drinks are allowed around any computer/phone equipment. (4) Smoking is not permitted on facility premises. c. Miscellaneous: Personnel rosters: Current written rosters of all regular and alternate personnel will be provided to the COR. Personnel not listed will not be allowed to work in the medical facility. The selection, assignment, reassignment, transfer, supervision, management, and control of contractor employees in performance of this work statement shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. When the Government directs, the Contractor shall remove from performance on the contract, any person who is identified as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general wellbeing, or operational mission of the activity and its population. The Government will perform surveillance. The COR will utilize electronic surveillance, random calls and bill review in addition to utilizing validated complaints in accordance with attached standard sheets at end of the Statement of Work. 4. QUALITY CONTROL/QUALITY ASSURANCE a. Quality Control: The Contractor shall have a quality control program to assure the requirements of the contract are provided as specified. One copy of the Contractor's basic quality control program shall be available for review and approval by IRM. In addition to this basic quality control program, which will be incorporated into the contract, an updated copy must be provided to the COR within four (4) weeks after award of the contract and as changes occur. The program shall include, but not be limited to the following: An inspection system covering the services stated in the Performance Standards. It must specify the areas to be inspected on either a scheduled or unscheduled basis, how often inspections will be accomplished, and the title of the individuals who will perform the inspection. A method for identifying and preventing deficiencies in the quality of services performed before the level of performance becomes unacceptable. The contractor is required to perform two (2) quality assurance reviews per year. The subjects of these reviews will be developed by the contractor or directed by the COR at the discretion and with the approval of the COR. The Contractor shall not employ any person who is an employee of the United States Government, if the employment of that person would create a conflict of interest. A copy of all employee reviews conducted by the Contractor and any corrective action taken will be given to the COR on a quarterly basis. b. Quality Assurance: The Government will monitor the Contractor's performance under this contract using the quality assurance procedure in the Performance Standards. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) Unique Entity Identification Number (UEI) (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned small Business, Veteran-owned small business, 8(a), HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business, Small disadvantaged business, or Small Business HUBZone business and (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below. Important information: The Government is not obligated to, nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. Currently a total set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSBs) are being sought based on the Veterans Administration requirement with Public Law 109-461, Vets First Contracting Program. However, if response by SDVOSB or VOSB firms proves inadequate, an alternate set-aside or full and open competitive solicitation may result. Notice to potential offerors: All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) located on the web at www.sam.gov. Additionally, all Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses who respond to a solicitation on this project must be registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert) Registry located at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/. All interested Offerors should submit information by e-mail: to Aubrey.Visocsky@va.gov. All information submissions should be received no later than 11:59 pm CST on May 31, 2024. After review of the responses to this announcement, the Government intends to proceed with the acquisition and a subsequent solicitation will be published.