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Contract Opportunity

Combined Synopsis-Solicitation for Commercial Products and Commercial Services
Revision 01
Effective: 05/30/2023
Description
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and services prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Products and Services, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as RFQ 36C24124Q0250. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-03.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is NAICS 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors) size standard $19 million.

This is being bid as a SDVOSB set-aside.

The VAMC West Haven 950 Campbell Ave West Haven, CT 06516 is seeking to identify any vendor capable of providing VAMC West Haven with regular equipment inspection, preventative maintenance, regular maintenance, and emergency repair services. Given that much of this equipment is specialized, this work must be performed by an authorized commercial vendor. This scope of work is to provide details related to a service contract to support this necessary work. This will be solicited as a base plus 3 potential option years. This means the quote should have the base plus 3 option years priced out.

All interested companies shall provide quotations for the following:







DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS
STATEMENT OF WORK
PM SERVICES- N&FS Equipment
Preventative Maintenance/Inspection and Emergency Services

1.0 Introduction
To maintain safe and efficient inpatient Food Service operations, Nutrition & Food Service (N&FS) VA Connecticut requires regular equipment inspection, preventative maintenance, regular maintenance, and emergency repair services. Given that much of this equipment is specialized, this work must be performed by an authorized commercial vendor. This scope of work is to provide details related to a service contract to support this necessary work. This will be solicited as a base plus 3 potential option years.

2.0 Background
To meet FDA Food code, Serve Safe and VA National and employee safety requirements, N&FS equipment is required to function per manufacturer s instructions. Given the complexity, expense and specificity of Food Service Operations equipment, any service agreement must include preventative maintenance to avoid costly and avoidable replacement. Preventative maintenance also minimizes the need for costly service and emergency calls. Specifically, the VHA Directive 1608 Comprehensive Environment of care program, and VHA Directive 1439 Food Service Management states that the equipment and components must be inspected, and maintained regularly to meet the facility efficiency, environmental and food safety requirements.
3.0 Scope
Contract includes full maintenance for the equipment listed in ATTACHMENT A, consisting of scheduled preventive maintenance (PM), inspections and periodic testing, corrective call back service for operational problems not successfully preempted by PM, corrective service for problems identified during inspections, and 24-hour 7-day per week after-hours emergency call back service.

Contractor shall provide all resources required in performing these maintenance services and inspections, including parts, materials, lubricants, fluids, cleaning fluids, equipment, tools, shipping, travel, and labor. Contractor is responsible to determine the nature and extent of any work required restoring equipment to satisfactory condition and operation, as determined by Veteran Affairs Healthcare Facility Management and Nutrition & Food Service. All equipment operations, tests, maintenance, alterations, and repairs performed under this contract shall comply and be in accordance with manufacturer guidelines and/or the following industry standards, as applicable, whichever is more stringent.

The vendor shall provide on-call services to include labor costs, unlimited service calls, semi-steam boiler descaling. The vendor will be able to respond to issues within six (6) hours. Vendor will conduct throughout inspection and shall provide to Nutrition and Food Service a detailed quote to include parts, labor cost supply minor parts and materials as needed for necessary upgrades, replacement, and repairs. During each visit the vendor shall perform inspection of the equipment, components, filters and must provide to Nutrition & Food Service a complete inspection report within 48 hrs. Monitoring should include, but not limited to filter cartridge, repair parts, temperature monitoring. The vendor shall provide action and services to ensure and correct any issue from the inspection/monitoring that is out of spec for the requirement according to the service contract.

4.0 ACCEPTANCES OF EXISTING EQUIPMENT:

a) In accordance with standard kitchen equipment industry practice this is a full maintenance contract. The Contractor shall, inspect, maintain, repair, test all the kitchen equipment.

b) The Contractor will accept all Nutrition & Food Service kitchen equipment "as is". All repairs shall be the Contractor s sole responsibility.

5.0 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Definition. "Preventive Maintenance (PM) is regularly scheduled work on the kitchen equipment(s) that the Contractor must do to accomplish the following:

1. Ensure their safe, reliable, and continued operation.
2. Prevent breakdowns due to worn parts.
3. Maintain equipment above the point where deterioration begins.
4. Preventative maintenance service shall include, but is not limited to:
Corrective and Preventative Maintenance Checklist shall be provided for each equipment inspected. Scheduled service includes, but is not limited to, items on attached PM check charts. During all PM service, any specific device cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, or part replacement, which is performed, shall be indicated on an accompanying service report.
Each contract year, all items that rely on cleaning, lubrication, or routine part replacement shall receive such service at least once as indicated by service report. Failure to provide that report may result in non-payment until such time as they are presented.
The vendor shall submit the inspection report and preventative maintenance checklists to the N&FS department and Facility Maintenance Service (FMS) via email within 48 hours after work completion.
The vendor shall submit technician certification/licensure prior to work start. Copies of these are also to be submitted with the completed checklists.
Vendor shall submit all necessary safety plans to include, but not limited to; equipment specific Lock-Out Tag Out procedures, Electrical Safety, plan and SDS for any chemicals used to the Contracting Officer representative (COR) for approval prior to working at the Medical Center.
Vendor shall schedule all site visits, to include emergencies, with the COR.
Vendor shall furnish authentic parts from the equipment manufacturer and the recommendation from the operational manual. The determination of when to replace parts is at the recommendation of the technician, with the COR s concurrence. Additional service charges may be incurred to install parts during scheduled inspections or callbacks as specified in this agreement. Any additional service required will need to take place on an alternate day after review and approval of scope of work by NFS and FMS services.
Vendor shall operate on the premises during the hours of 0700 and 1630, unless otherwise authorized by the COR.
Work sites shall be left in the same manner of cleanliness and order in which they were found. Vendor will provide their own waste disposal, if any.
All vendor technicians performing work on site must report to Facility Service in Building 15 to the contractor badge check in/out room to sign in on the contractor log and get a Contractor badge. Badges must be returned, and log signed out prior to departing the premises. Vendor shall then coordinate with the COR prior to performing their work.
Personnel must always wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) (Per recommend guidance of the Medical Center) Work done under this project must comply with infection control requirements.
The contractor shall receive all deliveries of materials, equipment, tools, or other goods off station, and bring them to the job site. The West Haven VA Connecticut shall not accept deliveries for project purposes.

6.0. SERVICE CALLS:
a) A "Service Call" is a report of an equipment malfunction made by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or designated building occupants and the Contractor' s subsequent response to and correction of the problem.
b) Whenever called by the COR or his designee (seven days per week, 24 hours per day) the Contractor shall respond promptly. In no case may the arrival time exceed that listed in the contract.
c) For each service call the Contractor shall provide to the COR documentation that contains the following minimum information:

1. A description of the problem.
2. The location of the problem.
3. A description of the action taken to resolve the problem.
4. The time and date corrective action was completed.
5. The name of the person, or persons, who corrected the problem.

7.0 SCHEDULE:

a) Not later than ten (10) working days after contract start date the Contractor shall submit to COR for approval an annual work schedule designed to meet the requirement. A simple schedule indicating, for example, "the technician will be in a particular building the first Tuesday of every month" will be sufficient. The Contractor does not have to indicate what work will be done. The purpose is to let the Building Manager and the COR know when to expect the technician.
b) PM shall be performed during normal business hours at times convenient to VA, with quarterly PM being conducted according to a pre-arranged recurring schedule that must be approved by the VA prior to contract start date.
d) After Hours No after hour work will be performed on any equipment unless the malfunction inhibits operation or appears to make the unit unsafe.
e) Recording Presence. Each contract employee must sign in at building 15 when entering the premises and state the purpose of the visit (for example, scheduled maintenance, service call or repairs) and sign out when leaving the building. Upon completion of service the Contractor shall report to the Engineering Officer or designee.

9.0 CONTRACTOR CONDUCT:

a) All persons furnished by the Contractor, including subcontractors, are the sole responsibilities of the Contractor. The Contractor shall be responsible for their compliance with all laws, rules and regulations and conduct at the respective medical centers.
b) Contractor shall always, and all cases be treated as an independent contractor solely, and not as an employee of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Contractor shall not accrue any employee benefits from the VABHS, including but not limited to, insurance, workmen's compensation, vacation pay, sick pay or holiday day. Contractor shall assume full responsibility for all state and Federal withholding taxes, FICA and all other tax payments which may become payable on account of any payment or services rendered pursuant thereto. VACT shall not be liable to Contractor, its agents, and employees for damages or injuries.

10. PERFORMANCE STANDARD:

a) Records regarding downtime will be kept by the COR and the maintenance Contractor.
Equipment downtime is calculated only from those normal hours of coverage that the scheduled equipment is not fully operational. Downtime will begin when the Contractor is required to be on site (see Call Back Service on-site requirement) after notification by the CO, COR, or designee. Downtime will accumulate until the scheduled equipment is returned to full and usual operation and accepted as such by the Contracting Officer, COR, or designee. This does not include scheduled maintenance for PM purposes or refusal of access to the equipment by the VA.

11. CONTRACT CLOSEOUT INSPECTION:

a) No later than two (2) months before the expiration of the contract period of performance a joint inspection of all equipment will be made by the Contractor and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or designee.

b) The COR will prepare an Existing Deficiency Report that lists the deficiencies found. All defective parts mutually found during this inspection will be replaced within thirty (30) days, except for parts requiring purchase and delivery, these parts shall be replaced within sixty (60) days.
c) The Contracting Officer may take deductions from moneys due the Contractor for any deficiency that remains uncorrected when this contract expires. Such deductions will be based upon the cost to the Government of having the deficiencies corrected by other means.
d) The Contractor may dispute the Contracting Officer's decision concerning responsibility for deficiencies and file a claim under the "Disputes Clause" of this contract. However, pending a resolution the Contractor shall perform the work.

12. DEFINITIONS/ACRONYMS:

CO - Contracting Officer is a person with the authority to enter, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings.

COR - Contracting Officer's Representative

Preventive Maintenance Inspection - Services that are periodic in nature and are required to maintain the equipment in such condition that it may be operated with minimal incidence of malfunction or inoperative conditions.

Normal business hours are 7:00A.M. to 7:30 P.M., Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays.
Federal Holidays Observed by the VA Connecticut
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Day
Presidents' Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans' Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Emergency Service- Services/repairs to be performed (excluding regularly scheduled inspections, maintenance, and repairs) upon Government notification 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Response Time- refers to the physical presence of a qualified service technician/mechanic on site to perform repairs within stipulated time frames within the contract.

Service Report I Job Ticket I Vendor Engineering Service Report. A documentation of the services rendered for each incidence of work performance under the terms.
Evaluation Process
Award will be made to the best price, as determined to be the most beneficial to the Government. Please read each section below carefully for the submittals and information required as part of the evaluation. Failure to provide the requested information below shall be considered non-compliant and your quote could be removed from the evaluation process.
Vendors quotes shall be evaluated under FAR Part 13.106-2(b) -- Evaluation of Quotations or Offers. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible vendor whose quote conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price, past performance, and capabilities. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:

1. Price (Follow these instructions):
a. Vendor shall provide a quote for the scheduled drop off dates above. Vendors must also provide all applicable labor rates for the solicited services so they can be compared to the applicable wage determination for compliance with the Service Contract Labor Standards (SCLS) if applicable.

b. Ensure your validation is current in the System for Award Management (SAM)( https://www.sam.gov). Federal Acquisition Regulations require that federal contractors register in the SAM database at http://www.sam.gov and enter all mandatory information into the system. Award cannot be made until the contractor has registered. Offerors are encouraged to ensure that they are registered in SAM prior to submitting their quotation.

2. Capable: The vendors quote shall be evaluated to determine if the organization has the experience and capabilities to provide the requested services in accordance with the Statement of Work in a timely efficient manner.
a. Contractor shall demonstrate their corporate experience and approach to meet all requirements.

b. Contractor shall provide a list of all services included in the price.

c. Contractor shall provide all current and relevant licenses and/or certifications for the State of Massachusetts if applicable.

d. If you are planning to sub-contract some or all of this work, please provide the name and address(s) of all subcontractor(s) (if applicable) and a description of their planned subcontracting effort.

e. Contractor shall state and/or demonstrate their ability to meet all requirements and deliverables stated in this solicitation and Statement of Work. Any additional information to further identify how the company is experienced and capable of performing the requested work is welcome.

3. Veterans Preference Factor (per 852.215-70): The Government will assign evaluation credit for an Offeror (prime contractor) which is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB) or a Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB). Non-SDVOSB/VOSB Offerors proposing to use SDVOSBs or VOSBs as subcontractors will receive some consideration under this evaluation Factor.
a. For SDVOSBS/VOSBs: In order to receive credit under this Factor, an Offeror shall submit a statement of compliance that it qualifies as a SDVOSB or VOSB in accordance with VAAR 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors . Offerors are cautioned that they must be registered and verified in Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database (http://www.VetBiz.gov).

i. Verified SDVOSBs will receive a 5% price credit (e.g. if a SDVOSB submits an offer of $100.00, it will be evaluated as if it submitted an offer of $95.00).

ii. Verified VOSBs will received a 2.5% price credit (e.g. if a VOSB submits an offer of $100.00, it will be evaluated as if it submitted an offer of $97.50).

The full text of FAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

(x) Please include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, with your offer via the SAM.gov website or a written copy.

(xi) Clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition in addition to the following addenda s to the clause: 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998), 52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights (JUN 2020), 52.204-4 Printed or Copied Double-Sided on Postconsumer Fiber Content Paper (MAY 2011), 52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance (OCT 2018), 52.204-18 Commercial Government Entity Code Maintenance (AUG 2020), 52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000), 52.228-5 Insurance-Work on a Government Installation (JAN 1997), 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontracting (DEC 2013),

852.212-70 Provisions and Clauses Applicable to VA Acquisitions of Commercial Items (APR 2020)
852.203-70 Commercial Advertising
852.219-74, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside
852.232-72 Electronic Submissions of Payment Requests
852.233-70 Protest Content/Alternative Dispute Resolution
852.233-71 Alternate Protest Procedure
852.270-1 Representatives of Contracting Officers

852.219-74 Limitations on Subcontracting Monitoring and Compliance (JUL 2018)

As prescribed in 819.7203(a) insert the following clause:

(a) This solicitation includes 852.219-74, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside,

(b) Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation is subject to the limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 125.6. The Contractor is advised that in performing contract administration functions, the Contracting Officer may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the Contractor s compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to Contractor s offices where the Contractor s business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the Contractor s compliance with this requirement.

(c) All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement to ensure the Contractor s business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the Contracting Officer in assessing the Contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs.

(d) Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the Contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, Obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The Contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the Contracting Officer to assess the Contractor s compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement. (End of clause)

852.219-77 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction.

As prescribed in 819.7009(c) insert the following clause:
VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SERVICES AND CONSTRUCTION (SEP 2021) (DEVIATION)

(a) Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 8127(k)(2), the offeror certifies that

(1) If awarded a contract (see FAR 2.101 definition), it will comply with the limitations on subcontracting requirement as provided in the solicitation and the resultant contract, as follows: [Contracting Officer check the appropriate box below based on the predominant NAICS code assigned to the instant acquisition as set forth in FAR 19.102.]

(i) [X] Services. In the case of a contract for services (except construction), the contractor will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs as set forth in 852.219-74 or VOSBs as set forth in 852.219-11. Any work that a similarly situated VIP-listed subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the 50% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. Other direct costs may be excluded to the extent they are not the principal purpose of the acquisition and small business concerns do not provide the service as set forth in 13 CFR 125.6.

(ii) [ ] General construction. In the case of a contract for general construction, the contractor will not pay more than 85% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs as set forth in 852.219-74 or VOSBs as set forth in 852.219-11. Any work that a similarly situated VIP-listed subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the 85% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. Cost of materials are excluded and not considered to be subcontracted.

(iii) Special trade construction contractors. In the case of a contract for special trade contractors, the contractor will not pay more than 75% of the amount paid by the government to it to firms that are not VIP-listed SDVOSBs as set forth in 852.219-74 or VOSBs as set forth in 852.219-11. Any work that a similarly situated subcontractor further subcontracts will count towards the 75% subcontract amount that cannot be exceeded. Cost of materials are excluded and not considered to be subcontracted.

(2) The offeror acknowledges that this certification concerns a matter within the jurisdiction of an Agency of the United States. The offeror further acknowledges that this certification is subject to Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, and, as such, a false, fictitious, or fraudulent certification may render the offeror subject to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties, including prosecution.

(3) If VA determines that an SDVOSB/VOSB awarded a contract pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 8127 did not act in good faith, such SDVOSB/VOSB shall be subject to any or all of the following:

(i) Referral to the VA Suspension and Debarment Committee;

(ii) A fine under section 16(g)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 645(g)(1)); and

(iii) Prosecution for violating section 1001 of title 18.

(b) The offeror represents and understands that by submission of its offer and award of a contract it may be required to provide copies of documents or records to VA that VA may review to determine whether the offeror complied with the limitations on subcontracting requirement specified in the contract. The Contracting Officer may, at their discretion, require the Contractor to demonstrate its compliance with the limitations on subcontracting at any time during performance and upon completion of a contract if the information regarding such compliance is not already available to the Contracting Officer. Evidence of compliance includes, but is not limited to, invoices, copies of subcontracts, or a list of the value of tasks performed.

(c) The offeror further agrees to cooperate fully and make available any documents or records as may be required to enable VA to determine compliance with the limitations on subcontracting requirement. The offeror understands that failure to provide documents as requested by VA may result in remedial action as the Government deems appropriate.

(d) Offeror completed certification/fill-in required. The formal certification must be completed, signed, and returned with the offeror s bid, quotation, or proposal. The Government will not consider offers for award from offerors that do not provide the certification, and all such responses will be deemed ineligible for evaluation and award.

I hereby certify that if awarded the contract, [insert name of offeror] will comply with the limitations on subcontracting specified in this clause and in the resultant contract. I further certify that I am authorized to execute this certification on behalf of [insert name of offeror].
Printed Name of Signee: _________________________________
Printed Title of Signee: ________________________________
Signature: ______________________________________________
Date: ___________________________________________________
Company Name and Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________
(End of clause)

852.242-71 Administrative Contracting Officer.

As prescribed in 842.271, insert the following clause:

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICER (OCT 2020)

The Contracting Officer reserves the right to designate an Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) for the purpose of performing certain tasks/duties in the administration of the contract. Such designation will be in writing through an ACO Letter of Delegation and will identify the responsibilities and limitations of the ACO. A copy of the ACO Letter of Delegation shall be furnished to the Contractor. (End of clause)

(xii) Clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and in addition to the following FAR clauses cited, which are also applicable to the acquisition: 52.203-6, 52.204-10, 52.209-6, 52.219-4, 52.219-8, 52.219-6, 52.219-28, 52.222-3, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.222-40, 52.222-50, 52.223-18, 52.225-3, 52.225-13, 52.232-33, 52.222-41 (Wage Determination Central Western Massachusetts VAMC Hampshire County WD 2015-4095 (Rev-21), 52.222-42, 52.222-43, 52.222-55, 52.222-62

(xiii) All contract requirement(s) and/or terms and conditions are stated above.

(xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating are not applicable to this requirement.

(xv) RFQ questions are due NLT 01/17/2024 at 17:00 PM EST. RFQ responses are due NLT 01/21/2024 at 17:00 PM EST. RFQ responses must be submitted via email with RFQ #36C24124Q0250 in the subject line to: Nathan.Langone@va.gov Hand deliveries shall not be accepted.

(xvi) The POC of this solicitation is Nathan Langone (Nathan.Langone@va.gov)

Attachments/Links