Water Treatment System Services
THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation for bids, proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. The responses received from interested contractors will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 20, is conducting market research to identify potential sources which can provide the following services and consumables:
The VA Puget Sound Health Care has a requirement for maintenance services and consumables for the water systems currently in place at both laboratories, to provide de-mineralized water to process lab tests for quality control purposes. Contractor shall provide De-Ionized Water Tank Exchange service (Type 1) for the Seattle and Tacoma facilities. The services provided shall include all labor, parts, tools, equipment, supplies, materials, travel, and specified emergency on-call repair services.
Specific Tasks
Provide Type I water with the following criteria:
Resistance at 25B0C with a in-line meter: 10 megohms/cm
Silicon: 0.05 mg/L
Bacteria colony forming units/mL: 10 CFU/mL
Note: Type I water is required for all taps in chemistry, hematology's tap by the flow cytometer, microbiology's glasswash and serology taps, and American Lake's Cobas.
Vendor shall provide access to 24/7 technical support hotline.
Vendor shall provide training to VA lab staff on how to react to alarms or actual water problem.
Vendor shall provide scheduled service at agreed upon intervals in the contract, unless a change of date is agreed upon by both sides.
Vendor shall respond within 4 hours for emergency service during off shift, weekends, holidays for emergency service dispatch.
Vendor shall respond within 8 hours for emergency service during M-F 9am-5pm for emergency service dispatch.
Vendor shall respond with 48 hours for non-scheduled, non-emergent service dispatch.
Vendor shall have documented past performance of services, in order to maintain current system as well as respond to emergencies with water system.
When specific parts are needed to upgrade or maintain current Type I water service, vendor must be able to purchase and install new equipment.
Integration Management Control Planning
The laboratory will monitor system provided, using education/training of water system that the vendor has provided. Quality assurance is a specific position in the laboratory and will be designated by the VA Point of Contact (POC). The QA/QI Representative for the lab will maintain direct contact with the vendor. VA POC will report to the company any problems via phone, and documents all service to the system by the vendor. Specific laboratory employees have been identified for each shift to review the competency of the water system, and ensure it is working properly.
Contract Management
All services completed by the vendor shall be signed by the VA Point of Contact or a designated VA Lab representative to validate the service call. The vendor shall send all invoices to the address in block 18a on the SF 1449.
Deliverables
All monthly service calls shall be coordinated with the VA Point of Contact or another designated VA Lab representative.
Performance Monitoring
The point of contact will monitor the contract via verbal communication. The VA POC will maintain documentation of the specific levels of competency for a laboratory and the designee, shall document all service calls. On emergency calls, the laboratory representative on duty shall sign and date the service call and insure that the purchase order number is noted on the work order. The work order shall be provided to POC the following workday (M-F, 9am-5pm).
Security Requirements
The tasks are well defined and can, therefore, be easily monitored by the Government POC, who shall represent the Government for this process. The POC will assure contractor quality by routine inspections and certify the work as being completed by the vendor.
The water service technician shall report on a designated day (scheduled routine service and maintenance), or by special request (emergency or non-scheduled service).
The water service technician shall be admitted to the laboratory by lab personnel via the main lab entrance (close to the administrative offices) or by the QC office entrance, if someone is available in the QC office to admit him/her.
The service technician is not escorted unless he/she is new to the site, in which he/she is accompanied to the sites where he/she will be performing the service. The service technician shall check in with the QC coordinator, the Chemistry supervisor, or designated lead tech upon arrival.
The majority of the service takes place in areas of the lab where no sensitive data is handled. In the locations where there is sensitive data, there are always lab personnel on hand. The service technicians have no access to VA computers/network.
Normal Business Hours.
Normal business hours and days are defined as the time of 8:00AM to 4:30PM, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. Work outside the normal working hours when directed by the VA must be with the written approval of the Contracting Officer unless those hours have been included. Work outside these hours at the request of the contractor shall not result in any increase in price
Federal Holidays.
Deliveries shall not be performed on the following legal government holidays:
New Year s Day Jan 1st
Martin Luther King Day 3rd Monday in January
President s Day 3rd Monday in February
Memorial Day Last Monday in May
Independence Day July 4th
Labor Day 1st Monday in September
Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October
Veteran Day November 11th
Thanksgiving 4th Thursday in November
Christmas December 25th
If a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as the national Holiday. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the proceeding Friday is observed as the national Holiday. Also included would be any day specifically declared by the President of the United States as a National Holiday.
In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days:
Any other day designated by Federal Statute
Any other day designated by Executive Order
Any other day designated by the President s Proclamation
Place of Performance.
Work will be performed at the Seattle VA Medical Center and the American Lake VA Medical Center.
Seattle VA Medical Center
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108
American Lake VA Medical Center
9600 Veterans Drive
Tacoma, WA 98493
Records Management Language for Contracts for SOW
The following standard items relate to records generated in executing the contract and should be included in a typical Electronic Information System (EIS) procurement contract:
Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228.
Contractor shall treat all deliverable under the contract as the property of the U.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.
Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records.
Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act od 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act.
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. Contractor must deliver sufficient 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 [e-mail, 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 contact. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive an proprietary information.
Potential candidates having the capabilities necessary to provide the above stated equipment with installation are invited to respond to this Sources Sought Notice via e-mail to Laura Davis at laura.davis5@va.gov no later than March 25, 2019, 9 AM PDT. No telephone inquiries will be accepted.
RESPONSES SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: company name, address, and business size; point of contact name, phone number, and e-mail address; suggested equipment information including manufacturer, model and delivery schedule; whether system is presently offered on a current GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract. NAICS Code 221310 is applicable to determine business size standard. Any questions or concerns may also be directed to Laura Davis via e-mail.
Disclaimer and Important Notes: This Sources Sought Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. The Government will treat any information received as proprietary and will not share such information with other companies. Any organization responding to this Sources Sought Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. The Government may or may not issue a solicitation as a result of this announcement. There is no solicitation available at this time.
Laura Davis, laura.davis5@va.gov
laura.davis5@va.gov
