Inactive

This is a Sources Sought Notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, nor quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capabi... This is a Sources Sought Notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, nor quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. Purpose and Objectives: Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method. NAICS Code: 722310 / Size Standard: $47M Project Title: STX Food Service Workers Base Plus 4 Option Years PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Chapter 1 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES and GENERAL INFORMATION Scope. The contractor shall provide services for sanitation and nourishment/floor stock/snack functions for Nutrition and Food Services (NFS). These services are provided in accordance with this PWS and are intended to perform sanitation/nourishment/snack functions inside the kitchen that are functions that the federal food service workers do not perform. The contractor will provide labor and supervision to support these functions as outlined in the PWS. The contractor shall meet the operational requirement of the South Texas Veteran Healthcare System (STVHCS) for Audie L. Murphy Medical Center (ALM) in San Antonio (232 active beds) and Kerrville Medical Center (KMC) in Kerrville (78 active beds, unit with 14 closed) as defined in this PWS. The contractor shall perform the requirements in this PWS and conform to the professional standards of the STVHCS food service operations, 2022 FDA Food Code, National Restaurant Association ServSafe certification training, and VHA Directive 1439, Food Service Management. It is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to meet all requirements of this contract without any assistance from the Government. The Government will provide access, information and supplies & equipment as listed in Chapter 2 for this requirement. STVHCS Background. STVHCS is an appropriated funded food service that operates food production, meal assembly, and meal delivery to acute care patients in ALM, Community Living Centers (CLC) residents in ALM and KMC, mental health treatment center (Villa Serena), and off-site service to the resident Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program (PTRP) facility. The current departmental workload includes food production for a 21-day menu cycle for CLC residents at both ALM and KMC, Room Service for acute care inpatients at ALM, and a cycle menu at Villa Serena. Service includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, food production, meal selection assistance, ticket preparation, tray assembly, meal delivery, ware washing, floor stock and snack preparation and delivery, stocking subsistence and patient refrigerators on each unit, transport of food to off-site resident centers, general sanitation and food safety and support for our Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) activities. Current Service is a select menu, prepared in the cook/serve method of food prep, assembled on trays, and served by staff to the patients on a schedule. Veteran-centered dining from the cafés occurs in the CLCs. This paragraph describes the tasks included in daily operation of STVHCS NFS, not the services requested for this contract. Scope of work/contract requirements: General certification requirements. All Contractor personnel must be National Restaurant Association ServSafe Food Handler Certified. Contract Supervisors, Leads, and Person in Charge , must have a ServSafe Managers Certification. Customer Eligibility. The customers for meal services are the residents of our CLCs, Villa Serena and PTRP as well as inpatients in the acute care facility at ALM. We do not operate a retail cafeteria or feed staff or visitors unless the facility is under emergency plan operations. This contract is to cover ALM and KMC operations (duties outlined below) and will not include Villa Serena or PTRP. Specific Operational Requirements and Tasks: The contractor shall provide the following services. Nourishment/Snack/Supplement Preparation. Prepares snacks and nourishments (floor stock) in accordance with the PAR levels and recipes submitted and approved by the Executive Chef. Recipes must be followed as some snacks and nourishments may be contraindicated for modified diets, allergies, and texture consistencies. Safety for mental health areas will comply with Mental Health Environment of Care, SOP 120-24-48. Follows recipes for simple snacks and drinks and floor stock items. Food preparation will include the use of knives, mixers, blenders, and slicers. Follows the safe food handling/HAACP requirements for sanitation and storage from the FDA 2022 Food Code and other internal guidance. Operates under clean as you go work practices and ensures that all equipment and utensils are cleaned and/or removed from the work area when changing from one food item to another item. This will avoid cross-contamination or exposure to allergens from different types of ingredients and foods. Nourishment and snack prep area will be mopped, tables sanitized and cleaned to include the undershelves and legs and all clutter to be removed from the area at the end of the nourishment and snack preparation. May not permit any cardboard box containers into the work area IAW STVHCS Policy 120-20-30. Practice safety precautions when cleaning sharp objects like slicers, blenders, and knives as well as cleaning ovens, kettles, mixers, griddles, and tilt fryers. Comply with personal appearance and hygiene requirements of STVHCS Personal Appearance Policy, MCP-05-21-39, and NFS Standards of Appearance, Policy 120-23-1, and Cell Phone and Electronic Devices Policy 120-23-47 Clean and sanitize the trayline or serving areas and tray holders, sweep and mop the tray assembly area, and clean and sanitize the worktables in the area. Once Items removed from tray assembly area refrigerators, clean and sanitize any spills and remove food particles. Nourishment/Floor Stock and Snack operations. NFS provides a variety of items to inpatient units for patient snacks and nourishments when needed for nursing to offer between meal snacks and administering medications. NFS also provides between meal snacks to inpatients when prescribed by their care provider as well as providing stocking of Resident sleeping areas, select outpatient clinics snacks for treatment of hypoglycemia upon request. Contract personnel conducting these operations will: Prepare simple snack items, individually bagged, and labeled and bulk stocks for patient nourishment refrigerators and food pantries. The list of items to be prepared for snacks will be provided by the Meal Support Office daily. Follow the guidelines of proper food handling as outlined in 2022 FDA Food Code in the preparation of snacks and nourishments. Follow the recipes for preparing snacks and will label snacks with preprinted labels from the Meal Support Office. Snacks will be delivered by contract staff to unit refrigerators, pantry areas or outpatient clinics. If patient room delivery is needed, NFS employees will provide that service. Restock the nourishment preparation area with all required items as per PAR levels (or per direction of VA supervisor until PAR levels can be adjusted). Maintain the nourishment area in a clean and organized manner. Inspect daily for expired items. Remove any expired items. Prepare the nourishment cart with bulk items that are stocked in each area according to the daily delivery schedule and requisition sheets provided by the supervisor. Push nourishment cart to each unit from the main kitchen. Conduct nourishment inventory, remove and dispose of any items that are expired, replace items to the PAR level using First in First out method of stocking. Remove items that are not properly stored or dated that non-NFS personnel may have placed in the unit refrigerator/freezers. Annotate items removed on the daily restock sheet. Clean and sanitize refrigerators and freezers ensuring that there are no spills or food particles on shelves, drawers, doors, or door handles. Clean the door gaskets. Maintain a clean exterior and top of the refrigerator. Follow the process for verifying the delivery, stocking, and time of day it was completed. Remove all cardboard boxes except those that are permitted in the NEED Policy number: STVHCS Cardboard Box Policy. Sanitation in all designated NFS areas. NFS operates under the clean-as-you-go principles but also must maintain a sanitized operation for food prep and service. Sanitation duties will be conducted in all areas with oversight by NFS, to include main kitchen, HTK, serving cafes in CLC s, Physician sleeping areas, nourishment/snack rooms on nursing units. Contract staff will: Spot clean any floors, tables, food prep or service equipment in the event of a spill or dropped items. Surface cleaning IAW the requirements of the 2022 FDA Food Code. Clean and sanitize equipment inside and out after food prep or as scheduled around daily use for meal service. Clean and remove outdated items from refrigerators at the end of each day or end of each meal service for those on the tray line. Trash will be tied and removed to the trash cart before it becomes overfilled and overflowing. New trash bags will be placed in the empty trash can or bin. Trash receptacles will be maintained covered except when in use. Trash cans will be cleaned as needed and as directed on the cleaning schedule. Floors will be mopped daily. Floor mats will be cleaned daily. Trash on the floors will be removed and placed in a trash can. Splashes on walls, baseboards, refrigerators, and other food service equipment will be cleaned immediately. Cardboard boxes will be broken down and removed to the designated place inside the kitchen. Cardboard will be further removed from the kitchen area to the back-dock cardboard recycle bin daily. Recycle bins for cans and paper will be used for recyclable items IAW with the STVHCS recycle program. This requires segregating recyclables and placing them in the appropriate containers provided by NFS. All cans will be rinsed before placing them in the recycle bin. Contract services will include staff performing daily/weekly/monthly cleaning based on a cleaning schedule developed for each campus kitchen. Duties will include cleaning walk-in and reach-in refrigerators and freezers, sinks, carts, dishwashers, shelves, equipment, walls, vent hood, ice and coffee/beverage machines, floor fans, and floors. Ware Washing Operations. NFS does not use disposable food containers, plates, or cups unless required by unit specification or emergency operations. The contractor will conduct ware washing operations as indicated below. Remove pots and pans from the food production area to the pot and pan wash area as soon as possible during food prep and production. Wash pots and pans using the 3-sink method IAW with the 2022 FDA Food Code. Record water temperatures and sanitation levels per protocol. Report any issues with temperatures that are not in compliance with the wash, rinse, and sanitize cycle minimum requirements. Report any equipment malfunction. All reports should be to the NFS Supervisor, Kitchen Operations Manager (KOM), or Chef. Organize washed pots and pans on shelves as indicated. Ensure that all items washed are not put away until they are thoroughly air-dried, inside, and out. Mop and clean the pot and pan area when there is standing water, trash, or food particles on the floor. Place a wet floor sign in any wet areas. Clean all floor mats. Follow the safety requirements for putting food into the disposals in both the pot and pan wash area and the dish room. Remove dirty tray retrieval carts from the units according to the posted schedule. Replace the dirty tray cart with a clean retrieval cart in the designated area of the unit. Bring tray retrieval carts back to the kitchen through the soiled cart door of the dish room. Break down carts by removing all utensils to a soaker bin, domes, cups and lids to appropriate processing bins and stack trays for washing operations. Remove tray tickets and put them in the shredder bin. Scrap leftover food items in the scrapper table per instruction on safe use of disposal. Scrap paper and disposables in trash cans. Load dishwasher according to NFS Ware Washing Instructions. Record dish machine temperature according to protocol. Make a notification to the NFS Supervisor or KOM if temperatures are not in compliance with recommended ranges. Ensure that all items are cleaned and stacked to dry in the appropriate racks, carts, lowerators, or bins and that all remain on the clean area of the dishroom. Ensure that dishes are not stacked until completely dry. Clean and sanitize meal delivery carts and spray and sanitize all tray retrieval carts. Drain liquids from drain pans and clean on a regular cleaning schedule for both delivery and retrieval carts. Place all carts back in designated places at the tray assembly areas and in the dishroom. At the end of each meal remove all trash, clean the scrapper table according to NFS Ware Washing Instructions, mop floors, and organize the dishroom as necessary. Contract personnel will notify NFS Supervisors of any malfunctioning equipment or lack of supplies that affect compliance or performance. Take cart divider walls apart in delivery carts, clean in hot soapy water, rinse allow to dry, and reassemble carts according to cleaning schedule. Clean the dishwasher per instructions in the dishwashing manual daily. Perform de-liming procedures as per dish machine instructions and deep clean as per cleaning schedule. Contractor Personnel Management: The contractor must provide on-site management/ supervisory staff necessary to meet requirements. The on-site manager will coordinate with the COR for any issues concerning meeting the requirements. Conduct: Contract staff are expected to perform their duties professionally, treat all persons with respect and dignity, and avoid the use of profanity, aggressive or bullying behavior, and gossip to ensure a safe, peaceful, disruptive-free environment for all staff. Uniforms: The contractor will provide black uniforms for personnel that are appropriate for working in a food service environment. Uniforms will be well fitting, clean, and in good condition without rips or tears, and must be hemmed so that the pants do not drag on the floor. Shirts should be long enough not to expose the skin between the pants and shirt. The contractor will provide skid resistant (comply with AST F3445) shoes as part of the uniform. Contract Supervisors/leads will ensure compliance with uniforms. General Information. Period of Performance. This is for a one-year base period with four (4) one-year optional renewals beginning 5/7/25. Normal Hours of Operation. The Contractor will provide staffing as determined by workload for operating hours of ALM and KMC. Operation hours for VA employees are anytime as assigned between the hours of 0500-2000 hours at both ALM and KMC. Contract supervisors should keep COR/KOM apprised of any staffing issues that they determine could impact the services provided by the contractor. Contract workers will be expected to arrive on time and stay until the end of their assigned shift. Lunch breaks will be allocated by contract company, however, should not interfere with meal service timelines. Holidays. STVHCS meal services operate 7 days a week and all holidays to include New Year s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth holiday, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and any holiday declared by Presidential decree that is not part of the regular federally recognized holiday schedule. Contract staff is expected to work all weekends and holidays. Special Meals. The CLC s often have special meals coordinated by Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), donor groups and recreation therapy. Contractor staff will support the meal service with clean-up of the area, wiping down serving spaces, removing trash and soiled dishware or china and utensils, and mopping the floor. Emergency/Contingency Services. STVHCS has an emergency plan that will provide scaled-back services and disposables. The plan will be executed by government employees, advising contract staff how they can assist. Contract staff is considered to be essential personnel and to report to work during inclement weather, as specified by contract company. Contract staff is considered essential personnel and is expected to report during inclement weather. Pandemic Operations. Contract staff will adhere to the PPE requirements as mandated by STVHCS Infection Prevention. Quality Control (QC). NFS supervisors conduct daily inspections in the kitchen for safety and sanitation. NFS participates in the organization-wide Environment of Care and Office of Investigative General Food Service inspections. These are conducted quarterly with an interdisciplinary team. The contractor will participate in correcting any deficiencies noted during all inspections. The contractor will be responsible for participating in any additional training requirements indicated because of findings on any inspection. Training. Contract personnel will complete the National Restaurant Association ServSafe Essential program or Texas Food Handlers License for Food Service Workers. ServSafe Manager program is required for the Supervisors, Leads and person in charge. They will have record of certification of completion and maintain certification throughout the contract period. Contractor personnel will not participate in the NFS quarterly training sessions unless the sessions are specific to food service operations. The contractor will ensure that pertinent information for operations and the organization is disseminated, and quality control reporting occurs. Contractor personnel will attend annual fire-safety training with the NFS staff. Contractor will provide training on the proper wearing of N95 masks and will ensure they are fitted for a mask if a medical center requirement. VA 10204 Privacy & HIPPA (print copy) course (course number may change throughout contract duration) provides the mandatory yearly privacy training requirement for personnel such as volunteers and contractors without access to VA computer systems or VA sensitive information. Contractor employees will have access to meal tickets which are considered Private Health Information (PHI). They will be required to take the HIPPA training, provided by contract supervisor (print version of training). Security Requirements. Identification Badges: The Contractor shall ensure that their staff wear visible identification above the waist and company uniforms, at all times while on the premises of the VAMC. Parking: It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Locations where contractors can park are regulated by the Police Service and may change during the duration of the contract. Contractors must comply with parking regulations imposed by the Police Service. Contract staff may not part in the patient or visitor parking lots. Parking information is available from the VA Police Section. The VAMC will not invalidate or make reimbursement for any parking violations of the contract employees under any conditions. Smoking: Smoking including vaping is prohibited inside any buildings or outside anywhere on the grounds or campus at any of the VA Medical Centers. Weapons: Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to a search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citations answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state, or municipal court. Protection of Government Property. During work execution, the Contractor shall take special care to protect Government property including furniture, walls, baseboards, and other surfaces. Accidental splashes shall be removed immediately. Damage resulting from the Contractor operations shall be repaired by the Contractor, including painting, refinishing, or replacement, if necessary, at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall be responsible for meeting OSHA/Safety requirements in the performance of the work. This shall include, but not limited to, taking all the necessary precautions to protect the patients, visitors, and/or staff at each location. The Contractor shall be held responsible for any injuries and/or damage, which may be caused because of the Contractors failure to adhere to these requirements. Employee Campus Access Badges. Contract Personnel will not be sponsored for a badge until the contract staff is fully adjudicated through the Personnel Security Adjudication Center (PSAC) and a Certificate of Investigation (COI) has been issued. The Contract Supervisor shall submit requests for adjudication to the contract COR or designated sponsor for their personnel. When submitting documents for adjudication, the contract supervisor will have the requestor complete the following forms: Declaration for Federal Employment, Additional Information form, and Self-certification of Continuous Service (and any other documents requested by the Personnel Adjudication Center, as they may vary over the course of the contract). These forms should be sent via secure messaging or hand delivered to the contract COR or designee. Initially, an applicant will be sponsored for fingerprinting. Renewal of badges shall be submitted at a minimum of 30 workdays before expiration to the VA NFS Sponsor. The contract COR will notify the Contractor site supervisor when the applicant is favorably adjudicated, and the employee may start to work. Badge requests shall not be resubmitted if the National Security Agency (NSA) has deemed the individual a mitigated security risk. Once the notice has been given to the contract COR of the rejected badge, the COR will not entertain further requests for the individual for at least 180 days or until notified by the NSA office of mitigated security risk. The process for badging may change throughout the contract, the process is not determined by NFS but by the PIV office. Badging has to be reissued each option year. Physical Security. The contractor shall safeguard all Government property. Contract staff will have limited access to subsistence storage. Information System Officer, Information Protection. Contract personnel shall not have access to VA desktop or laptop computers, nor will they have access to online resources belonging to the government while conducting services in the applications of complex adaptive system theory to health care organizations. The certification and accreditation requirements do not apply to this contract procurement nor is a security accreditation package required. Contract personnel will not have access to the food service operations software. Privacy Officer. Contract personnel will not have access to computerized systems containing PHI nor will they access patient information during the services provided to the VA. The contractor nor contract personnel will have no access to the NFS fiscal information, workload data, patient workload data, or equipment purchasing information. Contract personnel will see tray tickets that may contain protected personal information (PPI). Contractor Automation Security Requirements. Contractor personnel will not use any form of removable storage media when providing services under the terms of this contract. Removable storage media includes but is not limited to, USB thumb drives, MP3 Players, and external hard drives. Contract personnel under this contract should not have access to VA information. Under the terms of this contract, there should be no requirement for the Contractor to request any exception to this clause. Records Management: Citations to pertinent laws, codes, and regulations such as 44U>S>C Chapter 21, 29, 31, and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the I.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. The contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using the Government IT equipment and/or Government records. The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act. The contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. The contractor must deliver enough technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data. Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] mode of transmission [email, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.] No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage, or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C.2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules. Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer s approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under or relating to this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information. HIPPA Compliance: Contractor must adhere to the provision of Public Law 104-191 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and the National Standards to Protect the Privacy and Security of Protected Health Information (PHI). As required by HIPAA, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has promulgated rules governing the security use and disclosure of PHI by covered entities, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In accordance with 45 CFR 164.502 , the Privacy Rule includes exceptions to the Business Associate Standard. This requirement meets the exception and does not require a Business Associate agreement for the Covered Entity to disclose PHI to a healthcare provider for treatment. There will not be federal records created, maintained, used, or dispositioned with this contract; regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [email, fax, etc.]. The Joint Commission (TJC), Long Term Care Institute (LTCI), VHA, and Other Standards. The Contractor must perform work required to meet the regulations and requirements of regulatory agencies TJC, VHA standards for food service operations, and LTCI Life Safety Code. Failure of Contractor staff to adhere to the requirements and standards of these external monitoring agencies indicates poor quality of care and may be grounds for termination of the contract. NFS COR will notify CO within 24 hours of any incidences of Contractor personnel to follow regulatory standards, processes and standards which violates regulatory requirements. Personnel Policy. The Contractor shall be responsible for protecting the personnel furnishing services under this contract. To carry out this responsibility, the contractor shall provide the following for these personnel: Worker s compensation Liability insurance Health examinations Income tax withholding Social Security payments The parties agree that such contractor-furnished personnel shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose and shall be considered employees of the contractor. The contractor will provide current copies of these records at the time of the contract award and annual on the anniversary date of the contract award to the VA Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR), or upon request, for each of the contractor employees working on the contract. Candidates are required to be eligible for US employment and able to provide proof of employment eligibility. IT is the responsibility of the Contractor to assure their candidates have proof of citizenship or proof of the candidates right to work under a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) VISA program. Submit the proper documentation and reports to receive payment for this service. See the information below: Invoices and Payment Payment to be made monthly, in arrears, following satisfactory performance by Contractor s personnel and upon receipt of a properly prepared invoice. Contractor shall be required to invoice through the Tungsten System at http://www.tungsten-network.com/us/en/veterans-affairs/. Additional information regarding Tungsten shall be provided upon award. The contractor shall have current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) for this solicitation; URL: www.sam.gov. The invoice MUST be itemized to include the following information. Any information listed below, and not provided on an invoice, will render that invoice incomplete and the invoice will be returned for immediate correction. Time period being invoiced for. Description of services performed. Unit Cost billed. Extended amount due. Invoice number, date, and amount partial or full Contract and obligation numbers. CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE AND NOTIFICATION: In the event, that the Contractor is unable to perform services or have services performed as required, the Contractor shall immediately notify the VA COR manager and provide a justification for non-performance. The VA will re-procure services that cannot be performed by the Contractor. The Contractor shall indemnify the VA for excess re-procurement cost, which may result from the Contractor's inability to perform the required service or for non-response during off business hours. Payment of re-procurement costs shall not relieve the Contractor from any other provision in this contract. The VA will be the sole judge in determining when services will be re-procured. The failure of the Contractor to perform services within the required time frames and in accordance with terms and conditions may result in termination of the contract. PERFORMANCE MONITORING Performance under the contract will be monitored and evaluated as per Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) by VA Nutrition and Food Service Supervisors, Managers and Leadership. Performance objectives may be modified during program operation, upon written agreement of the contractor and VA NFS Leadership and COR. The contractor shall comply with the following performance objectives: TRAINING/LICENSES/QUALIFICATIONS: The Contractor shall provide fully trained, experienced, professional food service staff, legal residents, or U.S. citizens and be fluent in the English language. Contractor personnel shall be at least 18 years of age, have no criminal history, and be able to perform all general duties, ...