Inactive

Sources Sought Forthcoming

Inactive

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY The intent of this Sources Sought Announcement is to assist in our decision-making process for services procurement. This is not a solicitation, nor reques... This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY The intent of this Sources Sought Announcement is to assist in our decision-making process for services procurement. This is not a solicitation, nor request for quotes or proposals. Through the receipt of responses, this will enable a more precise type of procurement process. 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 of a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. Any inquiries are to be made in writing by email to the point of contact, Larry Facio, Contracting Officer. Responses to this notice shall be sent by email to larry.facio@va.gov by the due date and time of 08/06/2021 by 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). Please ensure responses are in accordance to Response Method (pages 9 and 10).  Period of Performance: December 01, 2021 to November 30, 2022. The Contractor shall furnish all personnel to provide services necessary to perform onsite Cardiology Physician Services to eligible beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gastinell Central California Health Care System (hereinafter referred to as VACCHCS). Estimated 1,080 hours for base period and 1,080 hours for option period 1, (2 x 6-month Period of Performances). The Contractor s physician(s) care shall cover the range of Cardiology services as would be provided in a state-of-the-art civilian medical treatment facility and the standard of care shall be of a quality, meeting or exceeding currently recognized national standards as established by The American College of Cardiology (ACC): https://www.acc.org Place of Performance: Services shall be provided on site at VACCHCS, 2615 E. Clinton Ave, Fresno, CA 93703. QUALIFICATIONS: Staff/Facility License: The Contractor s physician(s) assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall have a current license to practice medicine in any State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia) when services are performed onsite on VA property. All licenses held by the personnel working on this contract shall be full and unrestricted licenses. Contractor s physician(s) who have current, full and unrestricted licenses in one or more states, but who have, or ever had, a license restricted, suspended, revoked, voluntarily revoked, voluntarily surrendered pending action or denied upon application will not be considered for the purposes of this contract. Board Certification: All Contractor s physician(s) shall be Board Certified /Board Eligible by the American Board of Internal Medicine in cardiology http://www.abim.org/, and be currently certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or equivalency. All continuing education courses required for maintaining certification must be kept up to date at all times. Documentation verifying current certification shall be provided by the Contractor to the VA COR on an annual basis for each year of contract performance. Credentialing and Privileging: Credentialing and privileging is to be done in accordance with the provisions of VHA Handbook 1100.19 and VHA Directive 2012-030 referenced above. The Contractor is responsible to ensure that proposed physician(s) possesses the requisite credentials enabling the granting of privileges. No services shall be provided by any Contractor s physician(s) prior to obtaining approval by the VACCHCS Professional Standards Board, Medical Executive Board and Medical Center Director. If a Contractor s physician(s) is not credentialed and privileged or has credentials/privileges suspended or revoked, the Contractor shall furnish an acceptable substitute without any additional cost to the government. Technical Proficiency: Contractor s physician(s) shall be technically proficient in the skills necessary to fulfill the government s requirements, including the ability to speak, understand, read and write English fluently. Contractor shall provide documents upon request of the CO/COR to verify current and ongoing competency, skills, certification and/or licensure related to the provision of care, treatment and/or services performed. Contractor shall provide verifiable evidence of all educational and training experiences including any gaps in educational history for all Contractor s physician(s) and Contractor s physician(s) shall be responsible for abiding by the Facility's Medical Staff By-Laws, rules, and regulations (referenced herein) that govern medical staff behavior. Continuing Medical Education (CME)/ Certified Education Unit (CEU) Requirements: Contractor shall provide the COR copies of current CMEs as required or requested by the VAMC. Contractor s physician(s) registered or certified by national/medical associations shall continue to meet the minimum standards for CME to remain current. Contractor shall report CME hours to the credentials office for tracking. These documents are required for both privileging and re-privileging. Failure to provide shall result in loss of privileges for Contractor s physician(s). Training (ACLS, BLS, EHR and VA MANDATORY): Contractor shall meet all VA educational requirements and mandatory course requirements defined herein; all training must be completed by the contractor s physician(s) as required by the VA. Other training may become required. VA will communicate any changes to the training requirement to the contractor. Training Frequency (once a year, etc.) Hours Age Specific and Cultural Competencies One Time Training 1 Active Threat Training Every Year 1 BLS Every 2 years 3 CPRS One Time Training 2 Government Ethics Every Year 1 Military Sexual Trauma (MST) for Medical Providers Every Year 1 Prevention of Workplace Harrassment/No Fear Act Every Year 1 Privacy and HIPAA Every Year 1 VA Core Values Training (ICARE Recommitment) One Time Training 1 VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior Every Year 1 Patient Safety Every Year 1 Patient Rights Every Year 1 Patient Abuse Every Year 1 Prevention/Management of Disruptive Behavior/Violence Prevention Every 2 Years 1 Suicide Prevention Suicide Risk Management Training for Physicians Every Year 1 Standard Personnel Testing (PPD, etc.): Contractor shall provide proof of the following tests for physicians within five (5) calendar days after contract award and prior to the first duty shift to the COR and Contracting Officer. Tests shall be current within the past year. TUBERCULOSIS TESTING: Contractor shall provide proof of a negative Tuberculosis Skin Test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) for all Contractor s physician(s) {This is applicable to all health care workers}. A negative chest radiographic report for active tuberculosis shall be provided in cases of positive TST or IGRA results. The TST or IGRA testing shall be repeated annually. MEASLES, MUMPS, & RUBELLA TESTING: Contractors shall provide proof of immunity for all Contractor physicians {This is applicable to all health care workers}. VARICELLA: Contractors shall provide proof of immunity for all Contractor physicians {This is applicable to all health care workers}. ACELLULAR PERTUSSIS: Contractors shall provide proof of 1 dose of Tdap vaccination for all Contractor physicians {This is applicable to all health care workers}. INFLUENZA: Contractors shall provide proof that all Contractor physicians have received the annual Influenza vaccine unless it is contraindicated. If the Contractor physician has a medical contraindication to the vaccine they shall be required to wear a mask during the Influenza season. {This is applicable to all health care workers}. OSHA REGULATION CONCERNING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS: Contractor shall provide evidence of completing and passing generic self-study blood-borne pathogen training for all Contractor s physician(s) {This is applicable to all health care workers}; provide their own Hepatitis B vaccination series and hepatitis B surface antigen test results following the hepatitis B vaccination series; maintain an exposure determination and control plan; maintain required records; and ensure that proper follow-up evaluation is provided following an exposure incident. The VAMC shall notify the Contractor of any significant communicable disease exposures as appropriate. Contractor shall adhere to current CDC/HICPAC Guideline for Infection Control in health care personnel (as published in American Journal for Infection Control- AJIC 1998; 26:289-354 http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/InfectControl98.pdf) for disease control. Contractor shall provide follow up documentation of clearance to return to the workplace prior to their return. Policy/Handbooks the contractor shall be subject to the following policies, including any subsequent updates during the period of performance: VHA Handbook 1100.17: National Practitioner Data Bank Reports: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2135 VHA Handbook 1100.18: Reporting And Responding To State Licensing Boards: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1364 VHA Handbook 1100.19: Credentialing and Privileging: http://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2910 VHA Directive 1003.04: VHA Patient Advocacy: https://vaww.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5970 VHA Directive 1088: Communicating Test Results to Providers and Patients: https://vaww.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=3148 VHA Directive 1192.01: Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8948 VHA Directive 1220(1): Facility Procedure Complexity Designation Requirements to Perform Invasive Procedures In Any Clinical Setting: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8365 https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8579 VA Directive 1663: Health Care Resources Contracting Buying: https://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=969&FType=2   VHA Directive 1907.01: VHA Health Information Management and Health Records: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9235   VHA Directive 2012-030 Credentialing of Health Care Professionals: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2815 Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) as amended: http://www.justice.gov/oip/foia_updates/Vol_XVII_4/page2.htm Clinical/Professional Performance: The qualifications of Contractor personnel are subject to review by VA Medical Center COS or his/her clinical designee and approval by the Medical Center Director as provided in VHA Handbook 1100.19 and VHA Directive 2012-030. Clinical/Professional performance monitoring and review of all clinical personnel covered by this contract for quality purposes will be provided by the VAMC COS and/or the Chief of the Service or his designee. A clinical COR may be appointed, however, only the CO is authorized to consider any contract modification request and/or make changes to the contract during the administration of the resultant contract. Non- Personal Healthcare Services: The parties agree that the Contractor and all Contractor s physician(s) shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose. Indemnification: The Contractor shall be liable for, and shall indemnify and hold harmless the Government against, all actions or claims for loss of or damage to property or the injury or death of persons, arising out of or resulting from the fault, negligence, or act or omission of the Contractor, its agents, or employees. Prohibition Against Self-Referral: Contractor s physicians are prohibited from referring VA patients to contractor s or their own practice(s) Inherent Government Functions: Contractor and Contractor s physician(s) shall not perform inherently governmental functions. This includes, but is not limited to, determination of agency policy, determination of Federal program priorities for budget requests, direction and control of government employees (outside a clinical context), selection or non-selection of individuals for Federal Government employment including the interviewing of individuals for employment, approval of position descriptions and performance standards for Federal employees, approving any contractual documents, approval of Federal licensing actions and inspections, and/or determination of budget policy, guidance, and strategy. No Employee status: The Contractor shall be responsible for protecting Contractor s physician(s) furnishing services. To carry out this responsibility, the Contractor shall provide or certify that the following is provided for all their staff providing services under the resultant contract: Workers compensation Professional liability insurance Health examinations Income tax withholding, and Social security payments. Tort Liability: The Federal Tort Claims Act does not cover Contractor or Contractor s physician(s). When a Contractor or Contractor s physician(s) has been identified as a provider in a tort claim, the Contractor shall be responsible for notifying their legal counsel and/or insurance carrier. Any settlement or judgment arising from a Contractor s (or Contractor s physician(s)) action or non-action shall be the responsibility of the Contractor and/or insurance carrier. Key Personnel: The VA Full Time Equivalency (FTE) for the services required is 1 (one). FTE is defined by VA as a minimum of 80 hours every two weeks and does not include holidays. The minimum number of Board Certified /Board Eligible Cardiology physicians required to be on site daily is 1 (one) to be on site at the same time as defined in paragraph Hours of Operation in this section. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing coverage to the VA during periods of vacancies of the Contractor s personnel due to sick leave, personal leave, vacations and additional coverage as required. In the event a scheduled physician is unable to complete an assigned shift, the contractor shall provide replacement physician coverage within 2 hours and notify the Contracting Office Representative (COR) at VACCHCS immediately of the schedule change. Personnel Substitutions: During the first ninety (90) calendar days of performance, the Contractor shall make NO substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the CO, in writing, within 30 calendar day(s) after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required below. After 90 days, the Contractor shall submit the information required below to the CO at least 30 calendar days prior to making any permanent substitutions. The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the CO. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The CO will notify the Contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on the proposed substitutes. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel. For temporary substitutions where the key person shall not be reporting to work for 2 (two) consecutive work days or more, the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement for the key person. The substitute shall have comparable qualifications to the key person. Any period exceeding two weeks will require the procedure as stated above. The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of any Contractor personnel at any time after performance begins, if personal or professional conduct jeopardizes patient care or interferes with the regular and ordinary operation of the facility. Breaches of conduct include intoxication or debilitation resulting from drug use, theft, patient abuse, dereliction or negligence in performing directed tasks, or other conduct resulting in formal complaints by patient or other staff members to designated Government representatives. Standards for conduct shall mirror those prescribed by current federal personnel regulations. Should the VA COS or designee show documented clinical problems or continual unprofessional behavior/actions with any Contractor s physician(s), s/he may request, without cause, immediate replacement of said Contractor s physician(s). The CO and COR shall deal with issues raised concerning Contractor s physician(s) conduct. The final arbiter on questions of acceptability is the CO. Contingency Plan: Because continuity of care is an essential part of VAMC s medical services, The Contractor shall have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if the Contractor s physician(s) leaves Contractor s employment or is unable to continue performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. HOURS OF OPERATION VA Business Hours: 0800-1630 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Hours required: :Cardiology Clinical Physician Services: 0800-1630, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays (40 hours/week) Contractor s Physician will be responsible for the management and treatment of patients seen at VACCHCS Cardiology Clinic. Patients must be seen by a Contractor s physician(s) on-site at VACCHCS in a timely manner in accordance with VA Rules and Regulations on clinic wait times and consult completion. Contractor shall notify the COR at least monthly about any obstacles to meeting this performance measure. Contractor s physician(s) shall be available and present in clinic during normal VACCHCS clinic hours which will be established, and may be revised, as deemed appropriate for patient care by the Chief of Staff. Currently, normal clinic hours begin Monday through Friday 0800-1200 and resume 1300-1600. Off-hours Coverage: No off-hour/On-call coverage is required Federal Holidays: The following holidays are observed by the Department of Veterans Affairs: New Year s Day President s Day Martin Luther King s Birthday Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Christmas Any day specifically declared to be a national holiday. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES Clinical Personnel Required: The Contractor shall provide Contractor s physician(s) who are competent, qualified per this performance work statement and adequately trained to perform assigned duties. Contractor s physician(s) shall be responsible for signing in and out when in attendance. Time sheets will be used by the COR to confirm hours/day and services provided against the contractor s invoices. Standards of Care: The Contractor s physician(s) care shall cover the range of cardiology services as would be provided in a state-of-the-art civilian medical treatment facility and the standard of care shall be of a quality, meeting or exceeding currently recognized national standards as established by: The American College of Cardiology (ACC): http://www.cardiosource.org/Science-And-Quality/Practice-Guidelines-and-Quality-Standards.aspx . The professional standards of the Joint Commission (TJC): http://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/hap_requirements.aspx The standards of the American Hospital Association (AHA): http://www.hpoe.org/resources?show=100&type=8 and; The requirements contained in this PWS Clinical Direction and Oversight: Contractor s physician(s) shall provide clinical Performance Standards: Measure: Provider Quality Performance Performance Requirement: Standard: OPPE documentation for all (100%) staff providing services under the contract. All staff (100%) meet Standards. Acceptable Quality Level 100% meet Standards Surveillance Method: Ongoing Provider Performance Evaluation (OPPE) data pertinent to care performed for each provider working under this contract. OPPE data will review the following elements: Patient Care Performance Medical/Clinical knowledge Practiced Based Learning and Improvement Interpersonal and Communication Skills Professionalism System Based Practice Frequency: Every 6 months Measure: Qualifications of Key Personnel Performance Requirement: All Contractor s physician(s) shall be Board Certified /Board Eligible in accordance with ACC Standards. Standard: All (100%) Contractor s physician(s) s are board certified. Acceptable Quality Level: 100% Surveillance Method: Periodic Inspection or Random Sampling of qualification documents Frequency: Beginning of Base period of contract and every Option period of the contract Measure: Scope of Practice/Privileging Performance Requirement: Contractor s physician(s) perform within their individual scopes of practice/privileging. Standard: All (100%) Contractor s physician(s) perform within their scope of practice/privileges 100% of the time. Acceptable Quality Level: 100% Contractor s physician(s) perform within their scope of practice/privileges 100% of the time. Surveillance Method: Random sampling of records. Frequency: As required by Quality management Service Measure: Patient Access Performance Requirement: The Contractor shall provide Contractor s physician(s) in accordance with the operating hours and VA clinical schedule outlined in this PWS. Standard: All (100%) Contractor s physician(s) are on time and available to perform services. Acceptable Quality Level: Contractor s physician(s) are on-time and available to perform services 97% of the time Surveillance Method: Periodic Inspection of Time and Attendance Sheets Frequency: Monthly Measure: Patient Safety Performance Requirement: Patient safety incidents shall be reported using VA Patient Safety Reporting System. All incidents reported immediately (within 24 hours.) Standard: All (100%) of patient safety incidents are reported using VA Patient Safety Reporting System within 24 hours of incident. Acceptable Quality Level: 100% of patient safety incidents are reported using VA Patient Safety Reporting System within 24 hours of incident. Surveillance Method: Periodic inspection or random sampling Frequency: As appropriate and necessary; Reported by Safety staff or others Measure: Maintains licensing, registration, and certification Performance Requirement: Updated Licensing, registration and certification shall be provided as they are renewed. Licensing and registration information kept current. Standard: All (100%) licensing, registration(s) and certification(s) for Contractor s physician(s) shall be provided as they are renewed. Licensing and registration information kept current. Acceptable Quality Level: 100% licensing, registration(s) and certification(s) for Contractor s physician(s) shall be provided as they are renewed. Licensing and registration information kept current. Surveillance Method: initial and Periodic Inspection or Random Sampling Frequency: Upon renewal and at re-credentialling and re-privileging, Measure: Mandatory Training Performance Requirement: Contractor shall complete all required training on time per VAMC policy Standard: All (100%) of required training is complete on time by Contractor s physician(s) Acceptable Quality Level: 100% completions, Surveillance Method: Periodic Inspection Frequency: Yearly Measure: Privacy, Confidentiality and HIPAA Performance Requirement: Standard: All (100%) Contractor s physician(s) comply with all laws, regulations, policies and procedures relating to Privacy, Confidentiality and HIPAA Acceptable Quality Level: 100% compliance Surveillance Method: Periodic Inspection; Contractor shall provide evidence of annual training required by VAMC, reports violations per VA Handbook 6500.6. Frequency: Yearly Registration with Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.15, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates Contractor past performance on all contracts that exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, and shares those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the Contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement VA uses an online database, CPARS, which is maintained by the Naval Sea Logistics Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. CPARS has connectivity with the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) database, which is available to all Federal agencies. PPIRS is the system used to collect and retrieve performance assessment reports used in source selection determinations and completed CPARS report cards transferred to PPIRS. CPARS also includes access to the federal awardee performance and integrity information system (FAPIIS). FAPIIS is a web-enabled application accessed via CPARS for Contractor responsibility determination information. Each Contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold requires a CPARS evaluation.  A government Focal Point will register your contract within thirty days after contract award and, at that time, you will receive an email message with a User ID (to be used when reviewing evaluations). Additional information regarding the evaluation process can be found at www.cpars.gov or if you have any questions, you may contact the Customer Support Desk @ DSN: 684-1690 or COMM: 207-438-1690. For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the Contractor s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract, when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the Contractor s designated representative for comment. The Contractor representative will have sixty (60) days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the CO. Failure for the Contractor s representative to respond to the evaluation within those sixty (60) days, will result in the Government s evaluation being placed on file in the database with a statement that the Contractor failed to respond; the Contractor s representative will be locked out of the evaluation and may no longer send comments Response Method: The Government requests capability statements and comments from interested businesses regarding the requirements described above. Responsible sources are encouraged to submit a response to this notice with a statement of interest on company letterhead. When responding, in Subject line insert: Sources Sought VACCHCS 1.16 FTE Cardiologoy Physician  At a minimum, the following information shall be provided:  1. Company Name;  2. Company Mailing Address;  3. Point(s) of Contact including telephone number(s) & email address(es);  4. Socio-Economic (i.e. Small/Large Business, HUBZone, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), etc.) as it relates to NAICS Code 561320 Temporary Help Services (Small Business Size Standard $30 Million) and Product Services Code Q502 Medical Cardio/Vascular, or relatable NAICS and PSC.  5. Provide a summary of the type of services performed and experience as it relates to staffing Physician Services, specifically Cardiology Services, if applicable.    6. DUNS Number  7. If FSS/GSA are held. Provider contract # and expiration date.  Veterans First Contracting Program and the VA Rule of Two (Kingdomware v. United States) 38 U.S.C. 8127 - 8128: Service-disabled veteran owned small business (SDVOSB) or Veteran owned small business (VOSB) concern must be registered and verified in VA's Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database at www.vip.vetbiz.gov to be eligible for award as a SDVOSB or VOSB if/when a solicitation is issued for this requirement as a SDVOSB or VOSB set aside. In addition, this requirement has been determined to be set aside as SDVOSB or VOSB acquisition, only SDVOSB or VOSB that respond to this specific notice with in the above stated due date will be eligible for award.   As this is a service acquisition, the Small Business Administration and the Federal Acquisition Regulation have a Limitations on Subcontracting requirement. For all small businesses, to include SDVOSB and VOSB, At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern.  See FAR 52.219-14 and FAR 52.219-27 available in full text at https://www.acquisition.gov/far/html/52_217_221.html   The anticipated need for the Health Care Systems may be significant, and the needs may change significantly over the course of the next few weeks and months. Contractors must be able to quickly identify, screen, and process employees for rapid on-boarding with the healthcare facilities identified. Contractors must be able to quickly adapt to changing needs. Â