The purpose of this Source Sought Notice is to search for small business concerns capable to provide a Registered Nurse (RN) to place extended Dwell Peripheral Catheter including Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) on an as needed basis for the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS). This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes only and shall not be considered an Invitation for Bids, Request for Quotations, or a Request for Proposal. Do not submit a proposal or quote. This market research is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation nor does it restrict the Government as to the ultimate acquisition approach. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, there is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described in this sources sought. You will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that you incur in responding to this Sources Sought Notice. Any contract that might be awarded based on information received or derived from this market research will be the outcome of a competitive process. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to pay for the information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice. Any interested small business concern must submit a capability statement addressing its ability to meet the requirements above to Ms. Sara Vickroy, Contracting Officer, at
[email protected] no later than 4 March 2016. Questions regarding this Sources Sought Notice will be not answered. Point of Contact: Sara Vickroy
[email protected] Contracting Officer The draft Statement of Work (SOW) follows: Description/Specification/Work Statement 1. General Information 1.1 Introduction and Overview This requirement is for providing a Registered Nurse (RN) to place extended Dwell Peripheral Catheter including Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) on an as needed basis. The service shall be available on a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year on an as needed/if needed basis. Availability shall be within 4 hours of requested service. Service will be provided at the Nashville or Murfreesboro VA Hospitals. The Contractor shall provide personnel in numbers and qualifications capable of fulfilling the requirements of this contract. Award will not be made to contractor involved in complaints of quality of care. 1.2 Background The availability of staff to provide this service to clinicians is very limited. As a result, no PICC line is inserted, or the veteran is transported to the Nashville VAMC to accomplish the procedure. 1.3 Scope of Work " Provide Registered Nurse (RN) that can place extended dwell peripheral catheter including peripherally inserted central catheters in patients on an as needed basis. The company will be called by the TVHS Nursing staff, Administrative Officer of the Day [AOD] or the Nurse of the Day [NOD]; no advance notice is required. RN(s) shall arrive within 4 hours of request. " RN shall provide all scheduled care and maintenance for the life of the device, all insertion related procedural supplies. " Patient education and staff education will be conducted as needed by demonstration, hand out of printed material and/ or lecture format. " RN shall provide phone support to TVHS staff and/or patient 24/7, 365 days a year as needed. " RN shall provide surveillance and catheter tracking and provide outcome reports with the TVHS IV Therapy Nurse Manager and Infection Prevention & Control. Reports will be provided monthly. " RN's shall provide service to acute care, long term/extended care, rehabilitation, home health and/or hospice patients. " RN shall provide educational programs, such as vascular access and infection control that range from one to forty hours as needed and requested by the Nurse Manager for the IV Team or the TVHS Education Service. Programs are approved for contact hours. Most unit-based programs [less than 2-4 hours] will be offered to TVHS at no cost to the contracted customer. However, longer programs [> 4 hours] will be provided at a discounted rate to the contracted customer. " RN shall be capable of training TVHS IV therapy staff in placing and maintaining peripheral and PICC lines. " RN shall not place/substitute a midline catheter if a central (PICC) line is ordered. " RN shall provide all documentation of procedure and applicable information for entry into CPRS. " LPNs may provide certain level of care, to include dressing changes, but shall not place PICC lines on patients. 2. Supporting Information 2.1 Place of Performance Tennessee Valley Healthcare System facilities, VA Medical Center, 3400 Lebanon Pike, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 and/or VA Medical Center, 1310 24th Ave. No., Nashville, TN 37212. The nurse would report to station IV Therapist, the NOD or the NM of the unit requesting the service within 4 hours of request. 2.2 Period of Performance The period of performance is the Date of Credentialing through September 30, 2012 with four (4) twelve-month option periods. 2.3 Special Considerations The services provided by the contractor will be performed in accordance with VA policies, procedures, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Memorandums, VHA Directives, Nursing Service Policies and Procedures, Joint Commission Accreditation Manual and Patient Safety Goals. Copies of policies will be provided to them upon request, to include: " Missing Patient Policy - 626-03-1136-20 " Employee Attire - 626-05-05-27 " Hand Hygiene - 626-05-118-03 " Absence and Leave - 626-06-05-07 " Standard Blood/Body Fluid Precautions Policy - 626-01-111-05 " Code Blue/Stat Calls: Respond to Medical Emergencies - 626-02-11-12 " Information Security Policy - 626-05-005-02 " Standards of Ethical Conduct - 626-06-118-12 " Restraints and Seclusion - 626-06-118-12 " Privacy and Release of Medical Information and FOIA Requests - 626-10-00-34 2.4 Contractor Furnished Materials All materials and tools to complete the work identified. 2.5 Government Furnished Materials and Services - N/A 2.6 Contracting Officer's Technical Representative A Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) will be designated in writing for furnishing technical guidance and advice during the term of the contract. This includes monitoring the general direction of the work to ensure full compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. 2.7 Personnel Policy / Parking The contractor shall be responsible for protecting the personnel furnishing services under this contract. To carry out this responsibility, the contractor shall provide the following for these personnel: " Worker's Compensation " Professional Liability Insurance " Health Examinations including: " Annual TB Skin Test and recent (within the last year) chest x-ray if there is a history of positive TB skin test; " Evidence of Hepatitis B immunity (hepatitis immune titer, if provider has had the series of shots; if no immunity, evidence that provider has started the Hepatitis B vaccination series); " Evidence of a Hepatitis C titer; " Varicella titer if provider has not had chicken pox. " Income Tax Withholding, and " Social Security Payments " Annual Infection Prevention education including mandatory Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requirements (Bloodborne Pathogen Standards, Tuberculosis, and Multidrug Resistant Organisms. " Annual PICC and intravascular therapy competencies The parties agree that such personnel shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose and shall be considered employees of the contractor. The contractor shall be responsible for the provision of appropriate parking passes for their personnel furnishing services under this contract. 2.8 Medical Records Patient medical records are confidential and are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a; VA Claims Confidentiality Statute, 38 U.S.C. 5701 and Drug/Alcohol Abuse Confidentiality Statute, 38 U.S.C. 7332 [Authority: Drug/Alcohol Reg. 38 C.F.R. 1.460]. Any individual making unauthorized disclosures may be criminally liable for violations of the Act. 2.9 Contract Administration The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements under this contract. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to make commitments or issue changes, which will affect price, quantity, or quality of performance of this contract. In the event the contractor effects any such change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority, and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred as a result thereof. 2.10 Approval of Contractor Personnel The VAMC reserves the right to refuse employment under this contract or require dismissal of contract work of any Contractor employee or subcontractor employee who, by reason of previous unsatisfactory performance at the Department of Veterans Affairs or for any other reasonable reason is considered by the Contracting Officer to be objectionable, as long as ninety (90) days written notification of unsatisfactory performance has been provided to the Contractor; and the problem has not been cured in the ninety (90) day period. If a disagreement about performance still exists at the end of the ninety-day period, the contracting officer will make a final determination with the input of the Director and the Academic Partnership Council within a reasonable period of time. 2.11 Recordkeeping " The Administrative Assistant to the Chief, Nursing Service is assigned the responsibility of monitoring this contract to assure the VA is paying only for hours worked. A copy of the weekly prepared timesheet of services provided under this contract will be forwarded to the Contractor's administrative office. " Timesheets (sign in/sign out) will be prepared for Contractor's employee's to verify that services required under this contract have been received by the VA Medical Center. These records will be compared to the Contractor's monthly invoice for accuracy by identifying the RN by name and the number of procedures performed. Invoices will be certified for payment only after records have been verified. " The Contractor will provide quarterly PICC insertion reports. " Upon award of contract, Contractor will provide VA with quality plan. 2.12 Performance Compliance Remedies The VA retains the right to suspend payment to the Contractor for any services which have not been performed in accordance with the requirements of the contract as defined in Medical Records Standards Compliance Summary. The Contractor's monthly invoice will be deducted ten (10) percent for failure to comply with any of the listed medical records standards (i.e. discharge summary, admission/progress notes, etc). The Contractor will have thirty (30) days from the date of notification to correct deficiencies. Deficiencies corrected in thirty days will result in full payment to the contractor. Deficiencies completed within sixty (60) days will result in fifty (50) percent payment to the contractor. If the Contractor fails to comply and correct deficiencies beyond sixty (60) days, the contractor will be in violation of the contract for non performance and subject to legal action. To verify proper documentation in the CPRS and patient's medical records, a monthly sample of patients' records will be reviewed by the coordinator for contract compliance, and the contractor will be notified of any deficiencies. The Contractor will be advised in writing of any amount deducted from the monthly invoices and the specific reason(s) for the deduction. The Chief, Nursing Service/designee will furnish a statement to the contracting officer at the close out of the contract to include a summary of Contractor actions, and a statement that all requirements of the contract were fulfilled as agreed. A summary evaluation of the contractor performance, based upon the compliance or non compliance of contract requirements as evidenced under monitoring the procedures shall be forwarded by the monitoring official to the Contracting Officer prior to exercising any option years. 2.13 HHS / OIG To ensure that the individuals providing services under the contract have not engaged in fraud or abuse regarding Sections 1128 and 1128A of the Social Security Act regarding federal health care programs, the Contractor is required to check the Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS/OIG), List of Excluded Individuals/Entities on the OIG Website (www.hhs.gov/oig) for each person providing services under this contract. Furthermore, the Contractor is required to certify in its proposal that all persons listed in the Contractor's proposal have been compared against the OIG list and are NOT listed. During the performance of this contract the Contractor is prohibited from using any individual or business listed on the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities. The queries must be negative and show no evidence of past disciplinary actions. 2.14 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) In accordance with 45 CFR 164.502(e), the Privacy Rule includes exceptions to the Business Associate standard. This contract and its requirements meet the following exception and does not require a Business Associate agreement in order for Covered Entity to disclose Protected Health Information to: a health care provider for treatment. Based on this exception, a Business Associate agreement is not required for this contract. 2.15 Respiratory Protection Plan (TB Exposure Control Policy) TB skin testing and respirator fit-testing must be completed on all Contractors employees who will have contact with VA patients. Any new employees hired after the implementation of this contract who have contact with VA patients shall be required to have a TB skin test and fit-testing for N-95 respirator protection. The contracting agency is responsible for providing the VA Medical Center with a policy on TB exposure control and respiratory protection. TB testing of employees must be conducted annually and a copy of the proper paperwork must be submitted with your TB control policy. Since it is possible Contractor's employees may provide service to veterans on airborne infection isolation , that are required to be fit tested with N-95 respirator masks and provide the mask fit-tested with if different from VA respirators. 2.16 Liability In the event of litigation/investigation of a claim of liability or malpractice, the Contractor and/or the Contractor's personnel shall cooperate fully with Government authorities and designated officials in the investigation of the claim or preparation for litigation. 3. Qualifications of Key Personnel 3.1 Qualifications Include: " IV Therapy certification [by Infusion Nurses Society] " 1 year of experience in peripherally inserted central catheters [PICC] " Specialized training in PICC [classroom and oversight through observation] " Able to function independently " Available 24/7, 365, arrival within 4 hours of request " Current CPR (BLS) certification " Rate of success for inserting PICC lines [number of insertions divided by the number of attempts] " Rate of infections associated with PICC lines [number of infections per 1000 device days] " Attendance of annual educational requirements, updating practice and competencies Security Requirements - Work on a government installation will require the need for the Contractor's employees to be fingerprinted and background investigations. 3.2 Credentialing and Privileging The Contractor shall provide original or certified copies of documentation required to meet VA's current credentialing and privileging purposes including: " Application for Employment " Complete Credentialing and Privileging Forms " Evidence of Medical Education and Training " Evidence of Malpractice Insurance Coverage " Licensure The Contractor will be provided copies of current requirements and updates as they are published. Specific questions regarding credentialing and privileging should be directed to the Office of the Chief of Staff, VA Medical Center. " The Contractor is responsible for assuring that all persons, whether they be employees, agents, subcontractors, providers or anyone acting for or on behalf of the Contractor, are properly licensed at all times under applicable state law and/or regulations. A copy of license must be provided with the offer and will be updated upon expiration and renewal. Any changes related to the providers licensing or credentials will be reported immediately to the parent VA hospital. " Personnel providing services under this contract must speak and write English proficiently. " Failure to adhere to this provision may result in one or more of the following sanctions, which shall remain in effect until the deficiency is corrected: " VA Hospital will not pay for services provided or authorized by unlicensed personnel, without regard to whether such services were medically necessary and appropriate. " VA Hospital will not approve of subcontracts with non-licensed individual or group providers. VA Hospital will rescind sub-contractor approval if the sub-contractor should lose their license during the course of the contract. " VA Hospital may refer the matter to the appropriate licensing authority for action, as well as notify the patient that they were seen by a provider outside the scope of the contract and may pursue further action. " The contractor will be provided copies of current requirements and updates as they are published. Specific questions regarding credentialing and privileging should be directed to the Office of the Chief of Staff, VA Medical Center. 4. Security 4.1 Computer Security VA Handbook 6500.6 (https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=228) 4.2 Contractor Personnel Security Requirements All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs' computer systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement prior to contract performance. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. If the investigation is not completed prior to the start of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for VA. " Position Sensitivity - The position sensitivity has been designated as low risk. " Background Investigation - The level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is National Agency Check with written inquiries. " The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the investigation is conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the contractor shall reimburse VA within 30 days. " The contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain a U.S. citizenship and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language. " The contractor shall submit or have their employees submit the following required forms to the Contracting Officer within 30 days of receipt: " Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment " Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Fingerprinting Memorandum " Background Investigation Worksheet " The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract. " Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default. " The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract. " Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default. " The Contractor is expected to maintain a Drug-free Work Place in accordance with Federal regulations. The Contractor will establish and maintain a drug-free workplace program. The administration of this program will be the responsibility of the contractor, as well as, the establishment of disciplinary actions. " All costs associated with obtaining clearances for Contractor provided personnel will be the responsibility of the Contractor. Further, the Contractor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for the VA under this contract. In the event that damages arise from work performed by Contractor provided personnel, under the auspices of this contract, the Contractor will be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident. 4.3 Records Contractor's personnel who obtain access to hardware or media which may manipulate or store drug or alcohol abuse data, sickle cell anemia treatment records, records or tests or treatment for or infection with HIV, medical quality assurance records, or any other sensitive information protected under 38 U.S.C. §4132 or §3305, as defined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall not have access to the records unless absolutely necessary to perform their contractual duties. Any individual who has access to these data will disclose them to no one, including other employees of the Contractor not involved in the performance of the particular contractual duty for which access was obtained. Violation of these statutory provisions, as stated in department regulations by the Contractor's employees may involve imposition of criminal penalties. 4.3.1 System of Records The Veterans Administration system(s) of records to which the Contractor(s) personnel will have access in order to maintain is "Patient Medical Records - VA (24VA136). 4.3.2 System Security The Contractor shall provide VHA with the full assurance that security measures have been implemented which are consistent with OMB Circular A-130 and VA Departmental Standards. " Procedures for User Access: Access requirements to VA information systems by Contractor and Contractor's personnel shall meet or exceed those requirements established for VHA employees as described in VHA Directives (and others) and in any subsequent VHA policy statements. A written and signed request for user access by VHA Management, or designee(s), constitutes management approval (sponsorship) to initiate a request for access to any sensitive automated information system. Access shall be granted to non-VA users only if the purpose for access meets criteria of the Privacy Act and VA Confidentiality regulations and transfer. " Contractor will be required to sign and abide by the VA Computer Access Security Agreement and Confidentiality Agreement 4.3.3 Confidentiality of Patient Records The Contractor is a VA Contractor and will assist in the provision of health care to patients seeking such care from or through VA. As such, the Contractor is considered as being part of the Department health care activity. Contractor is considered to be a VA Contractor for purposes of the Privacy Act, Title 5 U.S.C. 552a. Further, for the purpose of VA records access and patient confidentiality, Contractor is considered to be a VA Contractor for the following provisions: Title 38 U.S.C. 5701, 5705, and 7362. Therefore, Contractor may have access, as would other appropriate components of VA, to patient medical records including patient treatment records pertaining to drug and alcohol abuse, HIV, and sickle cell anemia, to the extent necessary to perform its contractual responsibilities. However, like other components of the Department, and not withstanding any other provisions of the contract, the Contractor is restricted from making disclosures of VA records, or information contained in such records, to which it may have access, except to the extent that explicit disclosure authority from VA has been received. The Contractor is subject to the same penalties and liabilities for unauthorized disclosures of such records as VA. The records referred to above shall be and remain the property of VA and shall not be removed or transferred from VA except in accordance with U.S.C.551a (Privacy Act), 38 U.S.C. 5701 (Confidentiality of claimants records), 5 U.S.C. 552 (FOIA), 38 U.S.C. 5705 (Confidentiality of Medical Quality Assurance Records) 38 U.S.C. 7332 (Confidentiality of certain medical records) and federal laws, rules and regulations. Subject to applicable federal confidentiality or privacy laws, the Contractor, or their designated representatives, and designated representatives of federal regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over Contractor, may have access to VA 's records, at VA's place of business on request during normal business hours, to inspect and review records. " The contractors are required to undergo annual privacy/security training " The contractors are asked to sign the Contractor Rules of Behavior " The contractor shall provide to the contracting officer and/or the COTR a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required. " Contractors know when and how to report security and privacy incidents 5. Evaluation Information 5.1 Format The candidate information must be submitted in the following format: 5.1.1 Technical (Key Personnel's Experience and Qualifications) " List of education and training " Summary list showing evidence of license, certification and/or registration, and expiration dates. " Statement regarding contractor's evaluation of their candidate assuring that the individual's knowledge, experience and competence are appropriate for his/her assigned responsibilities as required by this task order. Candidate must be provided a copy of this task order and fully understand what is required in their performance. Additionally, contractor may provide copies of recent performance evaluations/appraisals. " Statement regarding proof of health status requiring candidate to be physically able to cover job responsibilities noted herein. " Statement from contractor verifying candidate to have a clean criminal background check and pre-employment verification of no convictions for abuse or neglect, as required by VHA regulations. 5.1.2 Availability " Provide the date the candidate will be available to work for the TVHS. 5.1.3 Past Performance " At least 3 written references attesting the contractor employee's abilities and competencies to perform the required procedures as described in the statement of work. 5.1.4 VET-Pro " Statement whether nursing candidate is currently VET-Pro Certified or not. 5.1.5 Cost / Price " Cost and/or price must be an all-inclusive rate. 5.2 Basis for Award " Award will be made to the offeror determined to be the "best value" to the Government.