SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- SPECIAL NOTICE HHS Safer Workplace Federal Workforce
- Notice Date
- 9/1/2021 6:35:18 AM
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- Contracting Office
- HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF Washington DC 20201 US
- ZIP Code
- 20201
- Solicitation Number
- HHSSPECIALNOTICE21-01
- Response Due
- 9/1/2021 12:00:00 AM
- Archive Date
- 02/05/2022
- Description
- This is a Special Notice to all Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contractors and visitors to HHS buildings and federal facilities. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated its current operating procedures to align with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), subsequent information issued under Executive Order 13991, and updated COVID-19 Workplace Safety; Agency Model Safety Principles issued by the President�s Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, on July 29, 2021. The Administration�s paramount concern is the health and safety of all federal employees, on-site contractors, all individuals working in or visiting Federal buildings or on Federal lands, and the American public. We continue to engage with Operating and Staff Division leaders, staff, and other federal agencies on our planning efforts. Additional guidance will be provided as it becomes available. Government-wide guidance continues to evolve during this global pandemic, and we continue to monitor current public health conditions, including the predominance of the COVID-19 Delta variant. This includes recently issued guidance and protocols regarding enhanced mask wearing, vaccination status, and testing for federal employees, on-site contractors, and visitors to federal facilities. Compliance with this new guidance is required by all contractors who must perform work at HHS buildings, operations, and facilities. Effective immediately, and consistent with the new guidance, HHS has launched a department-wide vaccination attestation program for all on-site contract staff and visitors to HHS facilities and operations. All contract staff and visitors are requested to complete an attestation form either prior to arrival or upon arrival to the HHS facility. Contract staff and visitors who attest to being not fully vaccinated (or who decline to provide vaccination status) will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test that was conducted no more than 72 hours prior to reporting on-site. These individuals should furnish a paper copy of their negative test results upon entry at an HHS facility and retain these results on their person while in an HHS facility, along with their paper attestation form. The attestation process is further described in the Vaccination section of this plan. In addition, all individuals accessing HHS facilities, will be required to wear masks in accordance with CDC guidance and the locality�s transmission rates; adhere to established physical distancing guidelines; abide by established travel restrictions (limited to mission-critical trips); and possibly other health and safety protocols of the specific facility. The Safer Federal Workforce certification of vaccine form must be completed by each contract staff member and kept on their person while at an HHS site location. The link to this form is below and a copy is attached: https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/downloads/CertificationVaccinationPRAv7.pdf The Government is not requesting or retaining copies of the COVID-19 test result documents, and contractors should not provide any information on their staff. HHS Contracting Officer Representatives (COR) or the HHS designated official will not ask for, collect, or store information on the vaccination status or test results of individual contractor personnel. Contractors should not email this information to HHS personnel. Contractors and their staff are responsible for this information and for complying with these guidelines. Further, on-site contract staff and visitors are required to follow all signage posted in HHS facilities and confirm that they conform to the agency COVID-19 workplace safety plans and protocols, including COVID-19 testing, masking, social distancing, and vaccination status policy, as indicated in the signage and on the attestation form. Additionally, Secretary Becerra announced that members of the HHS Health Care Workforce, including contractor personnel, who serve in HHS medical and clinical research facilities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center and Indian Health Service (IHS)'s hospitals and health care clinics, will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It is still highly encouraged that any contractor who can perform their work on a contract at an off-site location in support of the Department without negatively impacting the mission should be afforded the flexibility to telework or work off-site to the maximum extent practicable. However, this will be predicated on proper coordination with the Contracting Officer�s Representative (COR) to determine if telework or work off-site is appropriate. Following these procedures helps to ensure HHS mission readiness, protects all of the on-site workforce, and bolsters public health and safety. As Government-wide guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force is revised to adapt to the changing conditions, we will continue to provide updates for implementation. The success of the HHS mission is contingent upon the collaboration and support of our industry partners and we appreciate your continued dedication to ensuring that HHS can deliver services that enhance the health and well-being of all Americans in these extraordinary times. Additional Resources: Safer Federal Workforce: https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/ OMB Certification of Vaccination (OMB Control No. 3206-0277): https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/downloads/CertificationVaccinationPRAv7.pdf
- Web Link
-
SAM.gov Permalink
(https://beta.sam.gov/opp/072ec869e6144791817d5690945bfe3d/view)
- Record
- SN06119052-F 20210903/210901230120 (samdaily.us)
- Source
-
SAM.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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