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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF MARCH 19, 2015 FBO #4863
DOCUMENT

Q -- Hospice of Charles County - Justification and Approval (J&A)

Notice Date

3/17/2015
 

Notice Type

Justification and Approval (J&A)
 

NAICS

621610 — Home Health Care Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Maryland Health Care System;Contracting Officer (90C);P.O. Box 1000, Bldg. 101, Room 26;Perry Point MD 21902
 

ZIP Code

21902
 

Archive Date

3/27/2015
 

Point of Contact

Crystal S. Hinton
 

E-Mail Address

7-1530<br
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Award Number

VA245-15-A-0030
 

Award Date

3/17/2015
 

Description

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS VISN 5 Justification and Approval For Other Than Full and Open Competition 1.Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, NCO 5, 849 International Dr., Ste. 215, Linthicum, MD 21090 Requisition No. Funded/Paid thru VA Form 1358, Obligation or Change in Obligation, in accordance with Volume II - Chapter 6 2.Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: Pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 and 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(1), the VA has a requirement which can only be reasonably met by a single supplier. This action is to establish a new Basic Ordering Agreement with the previous contractor Hospice of Charles County (Hospice) services. Services at this time may be deemed to be available only from the original source in the case of a follow-on contract, when it is likely that an award to another source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency's requirement and substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. The Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DC VAMC) anticipates entering into a sole source acquisition negotiation for eligible terminally ill Veterans to "continue" receiving Hospice services through the end of life. Hospice of Charles County is currently supporting DC VAMC by providing services which would otherwise require nursing home placement. Hospice services will be furnished to Veterans in the community for whom such care is specifically authorized by the DC VAMC. Provided services include: physician services, nursing, social work services, assistance with activities of daily living, pain management, comfort care, spiritual care, coordination of care, respite care, nutrition services, inpatient care, and bereavement care. The Government anticipates awarding a Basic Ordering Agreement in accordance with FAR 16.703. A binding contract will be formed according to the terms and conditions of this BOA; when the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) agrees non-VA care is required and the contractor agrees to accept patient and provide direct care services. Upon acceptance buy the contractor of beneficiaries of VA, all clauses, terms and condition of the BOA shall apply and become part of the resultant contract during such time as the VA patient remains in the contractor care at the expense of the VA. 3.Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency's Needs: A sole source award will be made to Hospice of Charles County for continuous services to veterans and eligible beneficiaries. Hospice of Charles County is the only Medicare approved vendor that supplies home hospice services for residents in Charles County, MD. There is not another agency that could serve as a possible contracting agency for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hospice of Charles County, hereafter referred to as "Hospice" will provide care to include: physician services, nursing, social work services, assistance with activities of daily living, pain management, comfort care, spiritual care, coordination of care, respite care, nutrition services, inpatient care, and bereavement care. Striving to meet healthcare needs and promote maximum wellbeing, a break in continuity of care to our Veterans would prove detrimental and negatively impact the quality of life for the terminally ill Veteran who require critical assisted services and supportive environment. The Basic Ordering Agreement cost is as follows: (5)-Five Year Cost Estimate: $321,533.81 Period of PerformanceAnnual AmountAnnual IncomeIncrease AmountAnnual Amount Base Period$62,681.450.00%$0.00$62,681.45 Option Period 1$62,681.451.28%$802.32$63,483.77 Option Period 2$63,483.771.28%$812.59$64,296.36 Option Period 3$64,296.361.28%$822.99$65,119.35 Option Period 4$65,119.351.28%$833.53 $65,952.88 Grand Est. 5 Years $321,533.81 COR IGCE: $321,533.81 (base year plus four options). Contracting Officer's (CO) Cost Estimate: Placements will be made in contract facilities based in availability of facilities and the desires of the veterans and their respective families. As it is impossible to determine actual usage of any particular contract facility, the VA uses Basic Ordering Agreements with no guaranteed minimums. However, based on a usage rate of one veteran for 365 days, a reasonable estimate for the value of any particular contract would be around $62,681.45 per year, with many facilities experiencing authorized veteran populations in excess of 5 per year. Daily costs differ depending on the level of necessitated. Five year estimate is $321,533.81 4.Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition: FAR 6.302-1 and 41 U.S.C. 253(d) (1) (A): Only one responsible source and no other suppliers or services will satisfy agency requirements. 5.Demonstration that the Contractor's Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): As noted in paragraph 3, Hospice services are essential to the provision of planned programming designed to preserve the dignity and quality of life of Veterans at the end of life. A break in the continuity of care to our Veterans would prove detrimental and negatively impact the well-being of the terminally ill Veteran who requires assisted services and supportive environment. Re-competing the services would result in a change in services to the existing Veterans who already are enrolled and receiving service based on medical necessity. Veterans who are in the last stage of a serious illness would likely experience a quicker decline in functioning or experience an exacerbation in their level of functioning mentally, emotionally, and physically resulting from a disruption or change in vendor. A decrease in stability could potentially lead to irreversible harm or quicker death. (Note: stability with respect to such medical treatment as may be necessary to assure, within reasonable medical probability that no material deterioration of the condition is likely to result from or occur during the transfer of an individual from a vendor). Consistency in their therapeutic milieu is warranted. The primary goal is to help the Veteran be comfortable and maintain dignity while allowing the Veteran stay in control of and enjoy the remaining days of his life. Thus, the Veteran treatment should be focused on quality rather than length of life. The benefit of a supportive environment would serve both veterans and their caregivers and would provide humane and compassionate care. Discontinuation of the current contract services will cause an unacceptable delay in fulfilling the agency's requirement for Veteran support and cause substantial duplication of cost to the Government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. The facility has to meet all state licensing requirements including the state requirement pertaining to level of medical liability insurance. 6.Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: A notice of Intent to sole source will be published on FedBizOpps. 7.Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: In order to determine whether the contractor's proposed price is fair and reasonable, the Contract Specialist will review the proposed rates against VHA Benchmark rates. If the contractor's proposed price appears to be questionable for reasonableness, a justification from the contractor will be required in order to determine whether the proposed price is fair and reasonable before award. 8.Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: Research was conducted on a limited basis due to the limitation of the geographic area. Only one Medicare certified agency was found that serves residents in the geographic area of Charles County, MD by providing hospice services, namely Hospice of Charles County. Research was conducted to establish Hospice contract services located throughout the local VA's catchment area to provide hospice services to Veterans near or as near as possible to family or friends. Market research for future agreements is dependent on the needs of the patient population in the catchment area and resources of the VA Medical Center. The objective is to maximize patient care while maintaining compliance with VA regulations. 9.Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: Continuing service is critical to Veterans to sustain a quality of life at an acceptable level. 10.Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: Not applicable for this requirement. 11.A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: The Contracting Office has identified a method to improve and increase competition for the medical services in areas where completion can be considered. Approval not to compete does require VA Director and Chief of Staff approval prior to acquiring the medical services. The procurement action will post to the Government Point of Entry. Any responses will be referred the GEC coordinator to determine if additional sources capable of satisfying the agency's requirements exist.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/8e0b085806ce14b402311921914bd906)
 

Document(s)

Justification and Approval (J&A)
 

File Name: VA245-15-A-0030 VA245-15-A-0030_1.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=1923287&FileName=VA245-15-A-0030-000.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=1923287&FileName=VA245-15-A-0030-000.docx

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Record

SN03670141-W 20150319/150317235218-8e0b085806ce14b402311921914bd906 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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