Fisher House ABQ- Linen Services
PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)
Background:
The contractor shall provide linen laundry service for the Fisher House in a manner that will maintain a satisfactory facility condition as determined by the COR. The Contract will consist of a Base Year with an estimated commencement date of 1 August 2019 through 31 July 2020 followed by four consecutive Option Years. The contract will be Firm Fixed Price. Service shall be required two (2) days a week; The contractor shall be responsible for laundering and processing all linens, which shall include bath towels, washcloths, shower curtains, sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, pillow shams, blankets, comforters, mattress pads, and pillows. The Fisher House consists of 16 private (bedroom/bathroom) suites and is approximately 13,500 square feet.
Scope:
All work shall be performed by skilled and trained personnel who are able to converse in English. The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, travel, supervision, equipment, supplies and coordination.
The contractor shall perform these services in Compliance with Standards for hotel laundry operations (Association of Linen Management) to include Infection Prevention and Control Guide. All services shall be performed by qualified Contractors who are licensed and authorized to perform the work defined herein. It is expected that all tasks shall be performed in a neat, professional manner, to present a professional appearance.
The contractor shall be fully responsible for any repairs and all damage to VA property, which results from the activities, negligence, or carelessness of its employees or subcontractors. All damages shall be immediately brought to the attention of the COR by the end of the workday of occurrences. If damage is not discovered on the day the work is performed, it shall be repaired within 72 hours of notification of the contractor by the VA. In cases of disputes between the COR and the contractor, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer, in writing as soon as possible, to avoid any delay in conflict resolution. If the Contracting Officer is not notified in writing within thirty (30) days of the date of the incident, the incident shall be considered to have been resolved to the satisfaction of the contractor.
Specific Tasks
Contractor s Personnel
Contract Manager/Point of Contact (POC): The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the contract. The contract manager shall have full authority to act on behalf of the contractor on all contract matters relating to the daily operation of this contract. The contract manager shall be able to read, write, speak, and understand English. The contract manager or alternate(s) shall be available during normal business hours and be able to meet, either in-person or telephonically, with VA personnel designated by the Contracting Officer within 24 hours to discuss deficiencies.
Contractor Employees: Contractor personnel shall present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contract employees. This may be accomplished by wearing distinctive clothing bearing the company name and/or by wearing appropriate badges that prominently display the contractor s company name or a professional appearance commensurate with standards delineated for Government civilian personnel acting in similar capacities.
Contractor personnel shall conduct themselves in a professional manner (i.e. timeliness, communication; spoken and written etc.). The Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to remove from the job site any employee working under this contract for reasons of suspected misconduct, a suspected security breach, or suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other incapacitating agent.
The contractor shall not employ persons for work on this contract if such an employee is identified to the contractor by VA Police or Contracting Officer as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being, or mission of the medical center and the VA.
The contactor shall not employ any person who is presently an employee of the U.S. Government when and if the employment of that person would create either a conflict of interest or the perception of such a conflict.
Pick Up and Delivery Schedule
The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, travel, supervision, equipment, supplies and coordination. Contractor is to pick-up soiled linens between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm two days per week (days are negotiable) and to deliver clean linens (wrapped in clear plastic or in covered cart) from previous pick-up on next pick-up (i.e.: Monday pick-up delivered completed on Thursday, and Thursday pick-up delivered on Monday.
Contractor will pick up soiled laundry two days per week, excluding all holidays, from the Fisher House.
Contractor will provide pick-up and delivery between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm of clean linen two days per week, excluding all holidays.
All exchanges should be completed at agreed time.
If an emergency situation causes laundry to be missed on one of these days, the Contractor shall pick-up/drop-off the laundry on the following business day.
The Contractor shall provide a copy of an invoice identifying items picked-up and delivered, including the time and date, driver and cost of the invoice to the Fisher House Manager upon scheduled pick-up / delivery timeframes.
Additional As-Needed Services
Due to the possible variations of lodging census and emergent situations, additional services may be required on an as-needed basis on off schedule days. Contractor shall respond to immediate calls within two (2) hours during regular working hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Following Federal legal holidays are observed by this facility: Any holidays falling on Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday; holidays falling on Sunday will be observed on the following Monday.
New Year s Day 1 January
Martin Luther King s birthday 3rd Monday in January
President s Day 3rd Monday in February
Memorial Day Last Monday in May
Independence Day 4 August
Labor Day 1st Monday in September
Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October
Veteran s Day 11 November
Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November
Christmas Day 25 December
Procedures and Documentation: Contractor will be subject to frequent unannounced safety and environmental inspections. Contractor will have ten (10) working days to correct sanitation infractions designated as non-critical and two (2) working days to correct critical infractions.
Compliance Standards
All workmanship shall be in accordance with practices/guidelines established by the Association for Linen Management (ALM) and accepted industry standards. It is intended that services shall include all processes necessary for the laundering and finishing of the articles even though every step involved is not specifically mentioned.
All services shall be performed by qualified Contractors who are licensed and authorized to perform the work defined herein.
All services shall be completed in a timely manner and in accordance with the state, local, federal, and VA standards as listed in the Performance Work Statement.
In no case shall clean and soiled linen share the same physical space.
The Laundry Plant shall be open to inspection of sanitary conditions by the COR and/or the Fisher House representatives.
After processing, laundered articles shall be in serviceable and sanitary condition, meeting established quality and performance requirement standards.
The Contractor shall report any circumstances, which may affect the performance of the work, unhealthy or hazardous conditions, or any delays or interference with work. Such reports shall be made immediately upon discovery by the Contractor to the COR and Fisher House Manager by phone. A follow-up shall be sent to the COR and Fisher House Manager via email.
Training and Records Maintenance: Orientation and initial training of all personnel shall be accomplished within the first fourteen (14) days of employment with written documentation furnished to the COR. All training shall be documented, and written copies of signed attendance sheet provided to COR within ten (10) days of completion of training.
Documentation of Services Performed: Contractor shall maintain documentation
Linen Laundry: Fisher House will be supplied with an inventory of linens. On an as-required basis, the Fisher House will replace these linens. The contractor will not be required to replace linens, except in the case where linens are lost and/or damaged through the negligence of the contractor. The contractor shall however inventory the outgoing soiled linens; re-inventory the incoming clean linens. Items deemed too fragile to be cleaned by the laundry service due to high-temperature levels will be cleaned by housekeeping staff in the Fisher House washers and dryers as needed. NOTE: Fisher House utilizes hotel quality linens (high thread count, satin banding, etc.) vs. hospital quality linens.
Linen Handling Instructions: Refer to handling instructions on linen tags if available, otherwise:
Flat Bottom Sheets are to be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.
Flat Top Sheets - are to be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.
Pillow cases must be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.
Pillow protectors must be cleaned, tumble dry on low, and folded immediately to avoid excessive wrinkling. They are to be kept separate from other items.
Pillow shams must be cleaned, dried, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). They are to be kept separate from other items.
Mattress Pads/protectors are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. NO HOT DRYERS
Down Comforters are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. Must be dried on low setting.
Quilts are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.
Duvets to be dry cleaned, and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed).
Bath Towels to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.
Hand Towels - to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.
Wash Cloths - to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items.
Bath Mats - to be cleaned, dried and kept separate from other items.
Miscellaneous blankets and comforters are to be cleaned, dried and folded.
Contaminated Laundry:
The contractor shall ensure articles identified as contaminated with potentially infectious material (material soaked in blood, other body fluids, feces, or human tissue) shall be separated from other soiled articles for scouring them before laundering.
Articles identified as contaminated with potentially infectious material will be collected by housekeeping in such a manner as to prevent the spread of microorganisms to the environment, or personnel who may be required to handle such items during transportation, cleaning or scouring in the performance of the contract.
The housekeeping contractor shall ensure double bagging of all soiled potentially contaminated linens to prevent any instance where the outside of a bag used in the carrying of such linen may become contaminated, when given to the linen contractor.
The linen carts shall protect the linen from spreading microorganisms when soiled and from the environment (rain, dust, contamination) and shall have closable lids. Before the linen carts (clean or soiled) are moved from; the storage location, linen facility, or mode of transportation, the lid shall be closed to protect the linen.
All Fisher House linen should be processed separately from other linen using keep-separate techniques.
The Fisher House COR and/or Manager reserves the right to visit Contractor s plant at any time to ensure that the Contractor is using the proper procedures to process the Fisher House linen separately from any and all other linen.
Unserviceable articles
Unserviceable and non-repairable articles no longer usable for the purpose intended shall be returned by the contractor to the Fisher House Manager in a separately marked bundle, prior to mending or patching, for directions and approval
Items Found in Linen
a) Personal items & photos (billfolds, jewelry, glasses, dental devices, etc.), medical items (splints, etc.), found in the soiled linen carts should be safely packaged and returned to the Fisher House promptly.
b) Any hazardous item (sharps, etc.) found in the soiled linen should be documented with a photo and then properly disposed of by Contractor.
c) Please describe your company s procedure for lost and found items, and attach copy of the written procedure to your bid.
Cleanliness and Finish:
Contractor shall supply all carts required for the delivery of clean linen as well as carts for the pick-up of soiled linen.
The linen storage carts used for the transportation shall be kept clean, neat and sanitary at all times. All linen carts of cleaned and packaged linen will be covered while in transit or laundry will be wrapped in plastic to protect the packaged linen from environmental contamination, i.e. rain, dust, or other such hazards.
The COR and Fisher House Manager, prior to the beginning of the service, shall approve all carts supplied by the Contractor. Carts will be of generally uniform weight and size.
All carts and other equipment must be appropriately cleaned and sanitized between loads or uses.
Please submit a written copy of the procedure used for cleaning and sanitizing carts and other equipment.
Lost/Damaged Items: The contractor shall replace any items lost or damaged due to negligence or poor work performance at no additional expense to the VA.
The contractor shall indemnify the VA for any loss or damage to articles furnished for service under the contract.
Validation of any claims for loss or damage shall be made by the Contracting Officer (COR) based on factual (documentary) evidence produced by the VA s representatives and/or contractor.
Packing Slip and Manifest
A packing slip should be attached to each cart indicating item description, actual verified quantities (pieces) and/or weight, cart number, and packer s initials (legible).
If any cart does not have the required packing slip, or if any part of the packing slip does not meet these requirements, or if the returned items do not match the count of the packing slips, the Contractor will be required to pick up the cart and return it with the proper quantity of clean linen to match the attached packing slip.
The cart must be returned to the designated site by 2:00 p.m. the same day. A consolidated manifest is required for each delivery.
Performance Monitoring
The New Mexico VA Medical Center (NMVAMC) will appoint a Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) to monitor performance to ensure services are received. The COR will evaluate the contractor s performance through intermittent on-site inspections of the contractor s quality control program and receipt and investigation of complaints from personnel. The VA may inspect each task as completed. The COR will inspect and make shall make final determination of the validity of customer complaint(s) in cases of disagreement with customer(s). Ten days prior to the implementation of this contract, contractor shall provide the COR with written copies of procedures to be used to carry out the requirements of the contract.
Please review Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), see below:
Purpose
This quality assurance surveillance plan (QASP) is a government-developed and applied document used to make systematic quality assurance methods used in the administration of the performance-based service acquisition (PBSA) standards included in this contract. The intent is to ensure that the contractor performs in accordance with performance metrics set forth in the contract documents, that the government receives the quality of services called for in the contract, and that the government only pays for the acceptable level of services received.
Authority
Authority to issue this QASP is provided under Federal Acquisition Clause (FAR) 52.212-4(a) Inspection and Acceptance, which provided for inspections and acceptance of the articles, services, and documentation called for in the contract to be accomplished by the contracting officer or a duly appointed representative.
Scope
The contractor, and not the government, is responsible for management and quality control actions necessary to meet the quality standards set forth by the contract. The QASP is put in place to provide government surveillance oversight of the contractor s quality control efforts to assure that they are timely, effective, and delivering the results specified in the contract. The QASP is not a part of the contract, nor is it intended to duplicate the contractor s quality control plan.
Government Resources
The following definitions for government resources are applicable to this plan:
a) Contracting Officer
A person duly appointed with the authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government.
b) Contracting Officer s Representative (COR)
An individual designated in writing by the contracting officer to act as his or her authorized representative to assist in administering a contract. The source and authority for a COR is from the contracting officer. COR limitations are contained in the written letter of designation.
Responsibilities
The government resources shall have responsibilities for the implementation of this QASP as follows:
Contracting Officer
The contracting officer ensures performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting and ensures compliance with the terms of the contract and safeguards the interests of the United States in the contractual relationship. It is the contracting officer who assures that the contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment under the contract. The contracting officer is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the contractor s performance.
COR
The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract and assures proper government surveillance of the contractor s performance. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the government s behalf. Any changes that the contractor deems may affect contract price, terms, or conditions shall be referred to the contracting officer for action.
Methods of Surveillance
The below listed methods of surveillance shall be used in the administration of this QASP.
Periodic Surveillance by the COR
The COR periodically sit in on the classes to verify that the contractor is meeting the goals of the training course.
Customer complaint
The COR is the point of contact and will collect all customer complaints. The COR will review all complaints and contact the originator to determine the validity of any claims. Customer complaints will become a permanent part of the COR surveillance records.
100% Inspections
Complete evaluation of the performance element.
Random Sampling
Method used to evaluate performance by randomly selecting and inspecting a sample of cases.
Identified QA Surveillance Tasks
The following PBSA items are identified within the contract performance work statement and will be monitored by period surveillance from the COR and customer complaints in the event that a task is not be adequately performed. Please refer to Documentation of Services Performed ( item vii. of the PWS, begins on page three).
Documentation
The COR will, in addition to providing documentation to the contracting officer, maintain a complete quality assurance file. The file will contain copies of all reports, evaluations, recommendations, and any actions related to the government s performance of the quality assurance function, including the originals of all surveillance activity checklists. All such records will be retained for the life of this contract. The COR shall forward these records to the contracting officer at termination or completion of the contract.
Performance Objective
Laundry Services not to exceed two (2) customer complaints per month.
Security Requirements
The C&A requirements do not apply, and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required.
Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI)
Fisher House will be supplied with an inventory of linens. On an as-required basis, the Fisher House will replace these linens. The contractor will not be required to replace linens, except in the case where linens are lost and/or damaged through the negligence of the contractor. The contractor shall however inventory the outgoing soiled linens; re-inventory the incoming clean linens. Items deemed too fragile to be cleaned by the laundry service due to high-temperature levels will be cleaned by housekeeping staff in the Fisher House washers and dryers as needed. NOTE: Fisher House utilizes hotel quality linens (high thread count, satin banding, etc.) vs. hospital quality linens.
Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations:
Contractor will be trained by Fisher House manager what the exact expectation of the linen are to look like once cleaned and returned to Fisher House.
Risk Control
The C&A requirements do not apply, and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required.
Place of Performance
The contractor shall clean all linen at its place of business; pick-up and delivery of all lines will be directly to the Fisher House located at:
New Mexico VA Medical Center
1501 San Pedro SE
c/o Fisher House
Albuquerque, NM 87108
Period of Performance:
Base Year: 1 August 2019 31 July 2020
Option Year 1: 1 August 2020 31 July 2021
Option Year 2: 1 August 2021 31 July 2022
Option Year 3: 1 August 2022 31 July 2023
Option Year 4: 1 August 2023 31 July 2024
Delivery Schedule
The contractor shall provide all necessary labor, travel, supervision, equipment, supplies and coordination. Contractor is to pick-up soiled linens between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm two days per week (days are negotiable) and to deliver clean linens (wrapped in clear plastic or in covered cart) from previous pick-up on next pick-up (i.e.: Monday pick-up delivered completed on Thursday, and Thursday pick-up delivered on Monday.
Tammy Perrine
tammy.perrine@va.gov
tammy.perrine@va.gov
