SOLICITATION NOTICE
V -- 618-14-1-5175-0209 VA263-P-0831- Courier Service Contract Out Of State CBOC'S
- Notice Date
- 12/8/2014
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 492110
— Couriers and Express Delivery Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Black Hills HCS;Fort Meade Campus;113 Comanche Rd.;Fort Meade SD 57741
- ZIP Code
- 57741
- Solicitation Number
- VA26314R3610
- Response Due
- 12/18/2014
- Archive Date
- 3/27/2015
- Point of Contact
- Pamela P Phillips
- E-Mail Address
-
0-7020<br
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The VA Health Care System intends to compete a firm fixed price contract for Courier Services for the Minneapolis Veterans Health care CBOC facilities per the attached statement of work. This is a pre-solicitation notice only, and no offers will be accepted from this announcement. Introduction The Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (the "VA" or "MVAHCS") has a requirement for a Courier Service to transport items to and from several locations (Community Based Outpatient Clinics or CBOC's) listed under the "Schedule of Items." STATEMENT OF WORK (Part A-J - Schedule of Items): 1.Provide a fixed rate for all costs for courier service by company - owned vehicle with driver. Costs to include vehicle, driver, mileage, time, weight, and all other reasonable costs associated with courier services. 2.Daily, contractor shall transport various laboratory specimens including blood, body fluid, tissue, swabs, and glass slides (in sealed containers) properly packaged by VA personnel. Pick up must be made between the times agreed upon (after 4:30 pm) at the CBOC locations indicated in the Schedule of Items, and deliver no later than times listed on the schedule unless agreed upon by Veterans Administration Contract Officer Representative (VA COR) and LAB Point of Contact (POC), to Room BB-144, Laboratory Specimen Window of the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bldg 70, One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN. Daily pickups are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Packages (usually 1-2 coolers) are approximately 2' x 2' x 2' square and would easily fit in a courier car/vehicle. 3.Daily, contractor shall transport empty specimen containers or coolers from the MVAHCS Laboratory Specimen Window (details above) to the CBOC locations indicated in the Schedule of Items. Pick up of empty specimen containers at the MVAHCS will be done when the above mentioned laboratory specimen delivery is made. Daily pick ups are Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Packages (usually 1-2 coolers) are approximately 2' x 2' x 2' square and would easily fit in a courier car/vehicle. 4.Daily, contractor shall transport mail, X-rays and or CD materials and or empty Styrofoam Pharmacy Coolers originating from the CBOC's to the MVAHCS as indicated in the Schedule of Items. Mail, X-rays, and CD's will be transported in a mail pouch supplied by the MVAHCS. Pharmacy Coolers will be separate and need to be placed in the Lockers by the Warehouse. Contractor Qualifications 1.Contractor must demonstrate capability of managing all operations at a local level to ensure proper quality assurance. 2.Contractor must possess a minimum of three years experience, along with all necessary equipment, personnel and must be financially responsible to perform courier service as required under this contract. Contractor must meet all requirements of federal, state, and city codes and licenses regarding operations of this type of service. A description of the Contractor's experience and qualifications shall be submitted with the offer. 3.The vehicles used in the performance of this contract must be licensed and meet the minimum requirements as mandated by the State of Minnesota or Wisconsin and cities operating therein. All vehicles must be owned by the Contractor or subcontractor. No privately owned vehicles shall be used in performance of this contract. 4.All drivers must maintain a valid driver's license for the type of vehicle operated as required by the State of Minnesota and or Wisconsin. 5.A record of each driver as to character and physical capabilities of performing the duties as a courier must be maintained and made available to the Contracting Officer for inspection upon request. Each driver must complete HIPAA and Blood Borne Pathogen Training. Contractor Responsibilities 1.The Contractor shall ensure the confidentiality of all patient information being transported and will be held liable in the event of breach of confidentiality. The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-579). All employees are required to complete the Privacy HIPAA Training and a list of all employees completing the training will be made available to the VA COR Annually. VA COR will supply the Contractor with the training required. 2.All drivers must have appropriate blood borne pathogen training and the training records must be provided to the VA COR yearly. The Contractor shall certify in writing, for each driver, by name that the driver has been trained in the procedures necessary for transporting Biological Specimens and that the training was conducted by a certified trainer and a training videotape relating to Blood Borne Pathogen safety was shown to the driver. 3.The Contractor's supervisors, drivers and alternates must be able to read, write, speak and understand English. The name of these persons, and an alternate, or alternates, who shall act for the Contractor when the manager is absent, shall be designated in writing to the Contracting Officer. An updated listing will be provided as changes in personnel occur. Contract employees may be required to carry a valid VA identification, and may be required to check-in with VA Medical Center security when entering the VA Facility. Any identification provided will be returned to the VA upon completion of contract. 4.The Contractor's personnel shall at all times conduct themselves in a professional manner, present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as a Contractor employee by having the company name, and employee name affixed to the uniform. The Contractor shall be responsible for furnishing all vehicles, personnel, equipment and supplies, vehicle fuel, uniforms, name tags and/or badges for performance of services under this contract. Contractor's vehicle shall have the company name/logo prominently displayed. Employee will complete a NACI back ground check and be issued a Personal Identification Verification (PIV) card and it shall be worn in clear view above the waist. (A listing of employees available to service the contract should be submitted at time of offer for evaluation purposes. Submission and verification of these documentation requirements will be an evaluation factor prior to award and a quality assurance procedure during the contract period.) 5.Contractor/Driver must notify the VA laboratory at 612-467-2400 of any unusual events that will delay the scheduled delivery. This includes weather related events and traffic accidents. Additionally: a.Should specimens not be delivered on the same day as pick up, the Contractor will be required to submit a written report to the VA COR within twenty-four (24) hours explaining the circumstances. Failure to provide the report within the specific time frame will cause further review by the Government to determine if the infraction warrants cure notice and termination of the contract. b.Should specimens be lost or broken, call the VA COR immediately upon notification and the Contractor will then be required to submit a written report to the VA COR within twenty-four (24) hours explaining the circumstances. Failure to provide the report within the specific time frame will cause further review by the Government to determine if the infraction warrants cure notice and termination of the contract. 6.Before award of contract, the Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer a certificate of insurance which shall contain an endorsement to the effect that cancellation of, or any material change in, the policies which adversely affect the interests of the Government in such insurance shall not be effective unless a 30 day written notice of cancellation or change is furnished to the Contracting Officer. 7.The Department of Labor has held that Contractors must pay their employees the Service Contract Act wages while they are driving both to and from destinations for the VA. Wage Determination(s) as listed in this solicitation are applicable to any resulting contract. The Contractor will certify by signature on this offer that the salaries to be paid workers involved in the performance of the contract are equal to or greater than those specified in the attached Wage Determination(s). 8.Contractor shall be responsible for broken coolers, handles and or lost mail bags, pharmacy coolers. Do not use the coolers as two wheel carts, do not double stack cooler, do not lift cooler by the extended handle, it is meant for pulling the cooler and will break if not used properly. 9.Each driver from the courier service must sign the Log Sheet with signature/date/time at the CBOC Clinic when picking up the Lab Cooler and Mail Bags. Drivers will also sign the Lab Receiving Log when dropping off the Lab Cooler at room BB-144 with initials/date/time. If contractors have another tracking system that would allow us access to reports please identify in your proposal. 10.Drivers are strictly prohibited from opening and or repacking the coolers and mail bags. 11. Driver with Personnel Identification Verification (PIV) cards will not be required to sign in, but will have to show PIV Card to security upon entrance. Those that are substitute or new drivers that are awaiting clearance will be required to sign in and out when delivering after 9pm. 12. Changes to the agreed schedule must be received in writing 30 days in advance and be approved by the VA COR and Lab POC. No automatic changes are allowed. 13.Any delayed delivery or pick-up by the Courier Service causing a cancellation of test(s), re-drawing of the patient's blood specimen(s), and any extra pick-up or deliveries required to deliver the delayed containers to the location specified, will lead to a deduction from the monthly invoices at an amount equal to the cost of the pick-up to recover costs associated with any of these events. More than one (1) missed pick-up or serious Courier Service errors per CBOC facility which leads to an adverse patient care (i.e., significant delays) within a 12-month period may lead to the VA issuing a cure notice and possible termination of contract if not improved. Quality Assurance 1.The Contractor shall develop and maintain a quality control program that ensures courier services are performed in accordance with these specifications. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to track, identify, prevent, remedy and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor shall provide a method to accept and resolve customer complaints and notify the customer of the resolution. The Contractor shall immediately notify the VA COR upon receipt of a customer complaint so joint validation may be accomplished. The Contractor is responsible for quality control and specification compliance. 2.The VA will evaluate the Contractor's performance using customer feedback, periodic on-site inspections, and at the VA's discretion, may inspect each task to determine conformance and acceptance prior to payment. 3.Contractor is responsible to ensure blood born pathogen training and HIPAA Training is completed annually by all primary/new and substitute drivers. Any change in the roster will be forwarded to the VA COR. Inspection 1.The Contractor must give the VA the right to thoroughly inspect and investigate the establishment's vehicles, facilities, business practices and other qualifications. 2.The VA reserves the right to restrict any Contractor employee from performing services under this contract who do not meet the required qualifications, or who violate Federal regulations or are identified as a potential threat to the security, safety, health and/or operational mission of VA and its veteran population. The restriction of such Contractor personnel shall not relieve the contractor from performing all the required services in accordance with all terms, conditions, and schedules contained herein. 3.If the VA determines that a particular driver does not possess the required qualifications, or if a particular driver establishes a pattern of non-conformance with the procedures set forth as requirements, the VA may prohibit that driver from performing services under the contract. Additional Information 1.The VA Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) is the Facility Logistics Officer. The VA COR will be identified upon contract award. The VA COR is responsible for monitoring contractor work. 2.The VA technical point of contact for laboratory services is the Ancillary Testing Coordinator - CBOC's. The laboratory contact will be identified upon contract award. National Holidays 1.The courier service is not required to service CBOC on weekends. 2.The courier service is not required to service the CBOC's on the ten (10) holidays observed by the Government as follows: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. Applicable NAICS code is 492110 Professional Organizations. The solicitation package will be available approximately Monday, December 8, 2014.
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- SN03589869-W 20141210/141208234239-e167f3eb93f9a2f560fd17e01137d243 (fbodaily.com)
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