Inactive

This is a Request for Information Only; it is not a request for quotations or offers. CLASSIFICATION CODE: V231 Travel/Lodging/Recruitment: Lodging, Hotel/Motel NAICS CODE: 721110: Hotels (except Casi... This is a Request for Information Only; it is not a request for quotations or offers. CLASSIFICATION CODE: V231 Travel/Lodging/Recruitment: Lodging, Hotel/Motel NAICS CODE: 721110: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels Network Contracting Office 16 on the behalf of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System located at 2400 Canal Street in New Orleans, LA, has developed this Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought Notice to solicit market research information from industry to assist the Government with analysis of a Government requirement and provide commercial insight on performance-based solutions, best practices, possible contractual arrangements, and potential issues. This RFI is to determine the availability of Small Business (preferably Service-Disabled and/or Veteran-Owned Owned) entities within ten (10) miles of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. It is not a Request for Proposal, a Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a Solicitation, or an indication that Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16 will contract for the items contained in the RFI/Sources Sought Notice. This RFI/Sources Sought Notice is part of a Government market research effort to determine the scope of industry capabilities and interest, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15.201(e), response to this RFI/Sources Sought Notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responses to this RFI/Sources Sought Notice are strictly voluntary and are consider as information only. The Government will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI/Sources Sought Notice. Responses to this RFI/Sources Sought Notice will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. If a solicitation is issued, it will be announced a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from any response to this announcement. This RFI/Sources Sought Notice do not restrict the Government s acquisition on a future solicitation. Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16 and Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System are conducting market research for Hoptel Services for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System located at 2400 Canal Street in New Orleans, LA Hoptel Service designed to provide temporary, off-site lodging for VA candidates/caregivers to include emergent and non-emergent lodging which could either be scheduled and non-scheduled. Please review the draft Statement of Need (SON) provided below before responding to the market research questions as the Government desires that respondents offer their experience and recommendations on the following questions and issues related to this requirement. When addressing these items, respondents should consider the size and scope of the requirement described herein. STATEMENT OF NEED: PURPOSE: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is authorized under 38 U.S.C. 1708 to furnish temporary lodging in a Fisher House or other appropriate facility to certain individuals in connection with the examination or treatment of a Veteran. Temporary lodging is granted on a space-available basis, with some consideration given to the compatibility of the applicant(s) and the room(s) available. Contractor shall furnish 3 rooms to VA beneficiaries as referred by authorized personnel of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. The contractor shall furnish all standard supplies/services included as minimum room requirements. Lodging shall be provided in accordance with HOPTEL standards to accommodate those Veterans receiving medical care who may have to travel long distances for evaluation the day before or the day after treatment received. Only medically stable patients who would normally be discharged to their home will be considered for lodging. Lodging facilities must be located within ten (10) miles of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. PURPOSE: a. Daily room rates shall include all fee and applicable taxes and any other no-charge services offered to guests such as shuttle service and continental breakfast. Rate quotes shall not include sales tax. The Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care is a Federal institution and therefore exempt from paying sales tax. Room rates offered shall be Single Occupancy, and shall provide a minimum of two (2) double beds. The VA patient shall be allowed one caregiver/driver/attendant to stay in the same room with the Veteran, at the single occupancy rate when pre-authorized by the VA. Any additional occupants are the responsibility of the veteran, and shall not lodge at VA expense. c. The fully furnished hotel/motel rooms shall include contractor provided utilities including heat, air conditioning, electricity, water and sewer, local telephone service (no deposit required), basic television cable service, and other specified services. The hotel/motel rooms shall comply with all city, county and state building codes and ordinances applicable to the ownership and operation of the building in which the rooms are located. Rooms shall comply with the applicable NFPA (Fire) 101, 2003 or latest edition, Chapters 28/29 specifications and American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. All rooms shall be located in a single hotel or motel. d. Vendor should have a certain amount of ADA rooms available upon request. e. Each room shall have a microwave and refrigerator. f. The rooms shall be smoke-free unless requested otherwise by the Veteran. g. On-site parking shall be available at no additional charge. 4) ROOM RESERVATIONS: a. Room reservations, room occupancy and room payment will be on the following basis: (1) The Contractor shall allow the occupancy of the room covered by this contract only upon the specific individual referral by authorized personnel of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. The VA will inform the Contractor of each individual s name and the arrival date at the Contractor s motel/hotel. (2) Services shall be performed Sunday through Saturday for beneficiaries of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care. Saturday evenings are not authorized. The Contractor shall use its existing check in and checkout times. (3) Personnel of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care who are authorized to provide referrals to the contractor will identified following award of the contract and shall be accessible to the contractor from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. a. The authorized dates and length of stay will be documented on the hotel voucher issued by the authorized personnel and presented to the Contractor by the VA referred beneficiary. In the event that a VA referred beneficiary refuses to leave the room, the Contractor shall immediately notify authorized personnel. Also, in the event that a VA referred beneficiary checks out of the hotel/motel without prior notice from the VA the Contractor shall immediately notify authorized personnel at the VA. b. The Contractor shall submit an invoice to the VA for payment of actual room nights used monthly in arrears. Invoices are due by the 15th of the month following previous month s services. The invoice shall contain the contract number, name of beneficiary and dates of lodging. 5) PATIENT EMERGENCIES: In the event a VA referred beneficiary is in an emergency situation of any kind, the Contractor shall contact the 911 emergency medical services to respond to the emergency. Once the emergency has ended the Contractor shall notify the authorized personnel at the VA of the situation. 6) ROOM MAINTENANCE: Daily room maintenance shall include cleaning of baseboards and corners, all wall edges shall be free of dirt, dust, and debris. Glass and mirrors shall have no traces of smudges or water. Carpets shall not be torn and free of dirt debris litter and other foreign matter and shall be securely installed to avoid tripping hazards. Restrooms shall be cleaned daily and disinfected. All linen shall be changed and cleaned each day. 7) Pest Management: There shall be no observation of roaches, ants, or any other pest/vermin that will cause un unhealthy environment. 8) GENERAL BUILDING REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS: a. Heating and Cooling Requirements shall be in compliance with ADA and/or State of LA Laws. (1) All cooling and heating devices and appliances, including but not limited to furnaces, fireplaces, electrical baseboard heaters and water heaters, shall be an approved type in good and safe working order and shall meet all installation and safety codes. (b) Telephone Service Requirements: (1) Contractor shall provide local area, touch tone, telephone service (no deposit required) for each room. The telephone service shall be capable of long distance telephone service when long distance calls are placed using a telephone calling card or other telephone charge method. e. Fire Safety: (1) Buildings in which space is offered shall be evaluated in accordance with latest editions of the NFPA 101, LIFE SAFETY CODE and AMERICAN DISABILITIES (2) As required by code, smoke detectors/alarms shall be installed in each room, office, storage area, hallways and other common areas. a. Wheelchair Accessibility: Common areas such as hallways shall provide for accessible path of travel for wheelchairs. b. Elevators: If elevators are a part of the room complex, they shall conform to the latest requirements of the American National Standard A171 and A171a Safety Code for Elevators, except for elevator emergency recall and shall be inspected and maintained in accordance with American National Standard A17.1, Inspector s Manual for Elevators or equivalent local code. The elevators shall also comply with local codes and ordinances. c. To be eligible for award under this solicitation, the Contractor must propose for use a facility that is compliant with the requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-391) (15 U.S.C. 2201 et.seq.) and is listed on the US Fire Administration Hotel and Motel National Master List found at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/search.cfm and the System for Award Management (SAM) database found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ or by calling 1-866-606-8220. Offers proposing facilities that are not listed will be rejected as non-responsive. In addition, the Contractor facility must be compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Public Law 101-336) (42 U.S.C. 1210 et.seq.). 9) INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE: The Government reserves the right to fully inspect the Contractor lodging facility by a team of VA contract and safety team members at any time. Evaluation team will complete an inspection prior to the award of the contract. V.1 VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY/PRIVACY LANGUAGE FOR INCLUSION INTO CONTRACTS, AS APPROPRIATE GENERAL 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 contractor/subcontrator 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. 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 must 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. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor. If interested, provide email responses to this Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought Notice to arlene.blade@va.gov with RFI 36C25621Q1790 in the email Subject Line no later than 8:00 a.m. Central Time, Friday, September 3, 2021. The response time cannot be extended beyond the suspense date provided. Response shall include the attached Market Survey. This notice is to assist the VA in determining sources only. All contractors interested in doing business with the Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. The website for registration is www.sam.gov. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses should also indicate whether the company is verified by the VA in the Vendor Information Pages (VIP) Database at www.vetbiz.gov Point of contact:- Arlene A. Blade, Contracting Officer arlene.blade@va.gov  NO TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED.