SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE Temporary FTE and As Needed Nursing Services Tomah VA Medical Center The Great Lakes Acquisition Center (GLAC), on behalf of the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) located at 500 East Veterans Street, Tomah, WI, 54660, is seeking services for approximately 13 temporary FTE Registered Nurses (RN) and as needed (PRN) RNs and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) to provide coverage in the Acute Care, Community Living Center (CLC) and Mental Health units at the Tomah VAMC. The anticipated period of performance is July 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018, with options through June 30, 2021. Contractor will not be required to provide services on Federal Holidays. As needed/PRN providers are not guaranteed a 40-hour work week or 8-hour work day; temporary FTE are expected to work 80 hours in a two week pay period. Overtime may be required. Contract nursing services will supplement full time Tomah VAMC staff on a temporary/episodic basis, depending on vacancies, vacations, resignations, and illnesses to ensure required staffing levels are maintained. Coverage may include weekends, days, evenings, or overnights, and are variable within a 24-hour period. The most common shifts are listed below. Day 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Evening 3:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Night 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. 12 Hour Shift 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. (6, 12-hour days and 1 8-hour day) 12 Hour Shift 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. (6, 12-hour days and 1 8-hour day) The estimated total number of as needed hours for RNs is 940 and CNAs is 920. Scheduled coverage requests will be provided by the Tomah VAMC to the contract agency no later than 2 weeks in advance for planned shifts requiring coverage. There may be times when, due to unplanned circumstances, coverage is needed on short notice. For unplanned coverage needs, the contractor is expected to fill all additional unscheduled shifts that are requested by the VA with at least a 24-hour advanced notice. In the case of an unplanned shift with less than a 24-hour advanced notification, the contractor will advise VA within 2 hours of requested shift time as to availability of approved provider(s) to fill the unscheduled shift. Because the exact unit requiring coverage for an unscheduled shift (whether less than or greater than a 24-hour advanced notice) can be uncertain until such time as the contract provider(s) arrives, the contract nursing staff reporting for duty shall be willing and capable to perform duties in ANY of the units associated with their assigned hourly rate. The Contractor shall have a 24-hour per day, 7 days a week, capability for the Tomah VAMC to request nursing services via fax, telephone, and/or e-mail. Nursing candidates must meet the minimum requirements below. Ability to read, write, and speak English fluently. Contractor s assigned personnel must be computer literate as patient/resident documentation is directly entered in the patient/resident s electronic medical record. Registered Nurses must be a graduate of an accredited Diploma, Associate, or Baccalaureate School of Nursing. Registered Nurses assigned by the contractor to perform the services covered must have a current and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia and current BLS certification by a provider recognized by the American Heart Association. ACLS by the American Heart Association is required for nurses performing in the Acute Medical Unit. Renewal of BLS and ACLS certification is the responsibility of the contractor and will not be provided by the Tomah VAMC. All licensed personnel (RNs) shall possess a minimum of three years of experience and active employment status within the previous past 6 months. RNs must have a minimum of 1-year experience in the clinical areas of intended assignment, i.e. acute care Mental Health or CLC. Certified Nursing Assistants assigned by the contractor to perform services covered must have a current Nursing Assistant Certification and be eligible to work as verified by the state Nurse s Aide Registry. Nursing Assistants shall possess a minimum of 1-year experience and active employment within the previous past 6 months as well as current BLS certification by a provider recognized by the American Heart Association. The NAICS for this requirement is 561320 - Temporary Help Services, which has a small business size standard of $27.5 million. It is the intent of the VA to establish a single fixed (unit) price task order or contract. These services have been determined to be non-personal services. Upon award, each accepted provider shall undergo a mandatory National Agency Check and Inquires (NACI) Background Investigation (BI). Concurrently with the initiation of the BI, the Tomah VAMC will credential the candidates. Nursing Staff cannot perform any services at the Tomah VAMC prior to being successfully credentialed and scheduled for a background investigation. The current fee associated with the NACI background investigation is $408.00 per individual. This Sources Sought Notice will be used to identify potential vendors that would be interested and capable of providing qualified RN and CNA candidates, and to assist the Contracting Officer in making a set-aside determination either through the Federal Supply Schedule or open market. It is for market research purposes only and shall not be considered as a request for quote or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the contractor submission of this Sources Sought Notice or the Government's use of such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor's input resulting from this Sources Sought Notice. No contractual arrangement will be made as a result of this announcement. Under FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting, at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the [prime] concern. Information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice will not be returned. All interested parties, regardless of socioeconomic status, capable of providing the required Nursing services above shall submit a response via email to
[email protected] and
[email protected] no later than Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. central daylight time. To be considered complete, the responses shall include the information below. Provide a list of potential candidates (at least 7 RNs & 3 CNAs) who are interested and available to start work between July 1, 2018 and August 5, 2018. Indicate the available start date and if they have prior VA experience and/or a completed NACI Background Investigation. Additionally, indicate whether or not each candidate is able to provide coverage for unplanned coverage needs. Provide CVs, licenses, and BLS & ACLS certifications for all candidates identified on the list above. Provide a brief description of the company background, capabilities relating to this requirement, socioeconomic status, past performance with Government contracts, and contractor DUNS number. Provide proof of VET-biz (VIP) verification if claiming Veteran-Owned Small Business or Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business socioeconomic status. Provide a copy of current certificate of liability insurance. Provide all-inclusive estimated hourly rates for both RNs and CNAs for 1.) first shift (normal rate), 2.) second shift (evening/PM), 3.) third shift (nights), 4.) weekend (all shifts), and 5.) an overtime hourly rate. Indicate if able to comply with Limitations on Subcontracting. All information should be UNCLASSIFIED or NON-PROPRIETARY.