THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT (NOT A REQUEST FOR BIDS, QUOTES, OR PROPOSALS). THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY; THE PURPOSE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH ONLY IN ORDER TO SEEK INFORMATION FROM QUALIFIED BUSINESS FIRMS. RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE USED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE APPROPRIATE ACQUISITION DECISIONS TO INCLUDE ASSISTANCE WITH IDENTIFYING SOCIO-ECONOMIC SET-ASIDES, IF FEASIBLE, AND DETERMINING POSSIBLE PROCUREMENT PRICING STRUCTURES. A SUBSEQUENT SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT MAY OR MAY NOT FOLLOW. RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED AS AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE TO ANY FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENT. The Department of Veterans Affairs & VA Minneapolis (Minnesota) Healthcare System are conducting a market survey for qualified firms capable of providing the required VA MINNEAPOLIS Health Care System (MVAHCS) GROUND AMBULANCE AND LITTER/GURNEY TRANSPORT Services as outlined in the PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) below. Interested and QUALIFIED parties only should provide the following: Company Name, Company Address, Point of Contact (POC), POC phone number, POC email address, company CAGE Code number, company D&B number, active SAM.gov registration (reps and certs), and capability statement for the services as stated in the PWS Summary below. Responses to this notice should include three customer references to whom you have provided similar services, copies of applicable licensing, and the size of your business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Is your business large, small, or SD/VOSB-certified (via VIP)? (2) If small, does your firm qualify as a small, emerging business, or small disadvantaged business? (3) If disadvantaged, specify under which disadvantaged group, and if your firm is certified under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act. (4) Is your firm a certified hubzone firm? (5) Is your firm a woman-owned or operated business? (6) Is your firm a VetBiz VIP-certified, Service-Disabled VOSB or Veteran-Owned Small Business? Those who choose to identify their qualifications and interest to provide the requested service should respond to this announcement via email to Angela Beck at
[email protected] no later than October 8, 2020 before 11:00 AM Mountain Time. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred developing information provided to the Government. VA MINNEAPOLIS Health Care System (MVAHCS) GROUND AMBULANCE AND LITTER/GURNEY TRANSPORT Performance Work Statement (PWS) Summary Description of Services: Ground Ambulance and Litter/Gurney Transport. The Contractor shall pick up all qualified VA beneficiaries from designated locations and transport to the MVAHCS or previously identified destinations. The contractor shall furnish standard and bariatric emergency, non-emergency ambulance, and littler/gurney services for the beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Minneapolis, MN. Transports may include, but are not limited to, providing services to the following locations: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, etc. Hours of Service: Contractor shall provide services 7 days/week, 24 hours/day, including weekends and holidays, for the term of this acquisition contract. Eligible VA Patients: VA will pay transportation costs only for eligible VA patients as determined by VA regulations. Contractor may contact the VA Mobility Manager or designee if there are any questions concerning eligibility. Requirements: All work under this contract shall be performed in accordance with any applicable US Department of Transportation or OSHA regulations, as well as applicable MN State EMS Codified Laws, and standard industry practice. MN State EMS Codified Laws can be accessed at: http://mn.gov/health-licensing-boards/emsrb/. Transport Response Time Emergent Ambulance Services BLS/ALS: Contractor shall commence transportation of the patient within 60 minutes of notification/transport call request of patient pick-up from the authorized Government Employee. Critical Care/Specialty Care transport shall commence of the patient within 90 minutes of notification/transport call request. Emergent ambulance services will only originate from the Minneapolis VAHCS for the purpose of diverting a patient to another medical facility. Upon notification of the emergent ambulance service needed, the Contractor must arrive at the Minneapolis VAHCS within thirty (60) minutes of this notification. If the Contractor is unable to fulfill this request, they will procure transport by use of a qualified subcontractor. Subcontractor will bill Contractor and MVAHCS will reimburse at prescribed rates identified within this contract. Non-Emergent Ambulance Services If transportation services are pre-arranged or scheduled in advanced, the Contractor shall commence transportation of the patient within ten (10) minutes of the prescheduled time for patient pick-up. For non-emergent transports that are not prescheduled, or not having a 24-hour advanced notice, the Contractor must arrive at the destination facility within sixty (60) minutes of the desired pick up time. The Contractor shall commence transportation of the patient within 70 minutes of notification from the authorized Government Employee. The Contractor shall be notified at least 24 hours in advance of the desired pick-up date and time for prescheduled transports to include one-way transportation requiring transport of greater than 150 miles. If the contractor is unable to pickup the patient within the allotted time, they must notify the COR or Beneficiary Travel Depart within 30 minutes of the identified pick up time by phone. Litter/Gurney Transportation If transportation services are pre-arranged or scheduled in advanced, the Contractor shall commence transportation of the patient within 60 minutes of the pre-arranged or scheduled time for patient pick-up. Otherwise, the Contractor shall commence transportation of the patient within thirty minutes of notification from the authorized Government Employee. The Contractor shall be notified at least 24 hours in advance of the desired pick-up date and time for prescheduled transports to include one-way transportation requiring transport of greater than 150 miles. The contractor shall furnish standard and bariatric emergency, non-emergency ambulance and littler/gurney service for the beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Minneapolis, MN. Transports may include but not limited to providing services to the following locations: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, etc. Limitation to the use of ambulances utilized up to three (3) at any one period of time and one (1) litter/gurney transport van. We can often do more, but this gives us some reassurance during periods of peak volume that we are not contractually bound to provide more. Provide a minimum of at least 12 hours notice for trips that originate or terminate more than 200 miles from the Twin Cities Metro area in order to ensure assignment of a fresh crew for the sake of safety. For trips that originate further than 75 miles or more from the Twin Cities metro area, the MPLS VHA assures a minimum of 50% of that distance as a mileage charge. The purpose is to mitigate a financial loss in the event a new facility such as a dialysis center or outpatient care clinic is brought online. Transport requests will be given a 24-hour or greater notice; however, in rare occurrences, the Minneapolis VAHCS may request a long distance (>150 miles) transport without giving a 24 hour or greater notice. If the Contractor determines that any transport may be unsafe for any reason, the Contractor is to contact the COR, or designee, to discuss transportation options. In the event that when service is ordered the Contractor advises that they cannot begin the transportation within these above response time constraints, MVAHCS may contact another vendor to provide services. All expenses incurred for this rate will be billed to the contractor via written notification with a bill of collection. In the event the MPLS VHA chooses to find additional transportation for a call because contractor is unable to perform, the vendor will pay the other services normal and customary published non-discounted rates. The MPLS VHA understands this would be a financial penalty to the contractor and will discourage utilizing outside services. In tandem, contractor shall be allowed to generate a charge to the VA as if contractor provided the service, because the service was, in fact, provided on the contractor s behalf. The purpose is to limit financial exposure to contractor; the goal, of course, is to provide all the service the MPLS VHA requires. Patient Transportation Contractor shall not release the patient from his/her custody, unless custody is released to a predetermined responsible party. Contractor shall take every measure to assure the well-being of the patient at destination. Patients brought in by ambulance for a scheduled clinic appointment shall be delivered directly to that specific clinic, released to the custody of clinic personnel, and picked up in the clinic after the appointment by the ambulance staff. Number of Patients: It is understood and agreed that only one (1) patient will be transported on a trip unless specifically authorized by the MVAHCS. When more than one (1) patient is transported on a trip, reimbursement will be made at the rate not exceeding the cost of transporting a single patient. Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer or designee of any unusual events including, but not limited to, accidents and safety problems that occur that involve VA patients being transported under this contract. This notification will be made within one (1) hour by telephone and, if requested, a written report of the event will be delivered to the Contracting Officer or designee no later than 4:30pm the next business day. Failure to comply with this provision may be ground for default. Contractor shall not refuse to transport VA patients deemed transportable by VA medical staff. Contractor will not be expected to accept any VA patient unless an authorized Government employee authorizes the trip and informs the contractor regarding any special treatment or care required on route (such as administration of oxygen or medication). Contractor shall transport patient belongings (no more than 2 pieces of standard luggage not to exceed 50lbs/piece) and patient specialized durable medical equipment (DME) at no additional charge. This includes but is not limited to power wheelchair/power car, manual wheelchair, walker, etc. at no additional charge. It may be determined advantageous for the MVAHCS to assign its own attendant to accompany a patient. Contractor will be notified of this at the time the trip is arranged. In such cases, the contractor shall return the attendant to origin if the attendant requests return to origin at no additional charge. Waiting Time The contractor shall not wait over fifteen (15) minutes for transportation of MVAHCS patients, without receiving further payment. For time lost waiting at either end or both ends of the trip due to causes beyond the contractor s control, the contractor shall be reimbursed at the rate specified in the schedule of supplies and services. If the pick-up is other than at the MVAHCS, the Contractor shall call the COR, or designee, as the Contractor anticipates that a delay will develop for which they expect to claim reimbursement. This call is only for the purposes of verifying arrival time at the pick-up point and is not necessary if the Contractor anticipates no delay for which he/she shall claim reimbursement. The Contractor shall be responsible for all costs incurred in verifying waiting time. Waiting time shall not apply to the reasonable amount of time required for loading and unloading of patients at the destination nor the departure location. Upon request by authorized facility staff, Contractor shall wait for MVAHCS patients for return to facility if the time from delivery to location to expected return time is of half hour or less. If wait is to be in excess of half hour, Contractor will not wait for return trip. Vehicles The ambulances provided under the terms of this contract must meet the standards for vehicle and equipment established by the EMSRB (to include inspections of facility, vehicle, employee education records, and vehicle maintenance). The government will consider inspections as conducted by EMSRB. However, the government does not waive its right to conduct inspections on either a scheduled or unscheduled basis (see paragraph 13). The Contractor shall provide a list of vehicles that will be used in the performance of this contract. The list shall include the mode of transportation that the vehicle is providing, bumper number and Vehicle Identification Number. The Contractor shall also provide a copy of the most recent preventative maintenance checks and inspections. Vehicles and equipment used in the performance of this contract must be clean and orderly and kept in excellent operating conditions at all times. The contractor shall make available on request any ambulance on the list of vehicles when requested by the COR and/or MVAHCS Patient Safety Officer for inspection. Maintenance of vehicle and equipment must be on a periodic basis and meet or exceed manufacturer's recommendations; documentation of maintenance must be kept on file at owner's premises or in the vehicle. Records of such maintenance must be made available for inspection to the Contracting Officer or designee, upon request. All vehicles shall be able to provide for both basic and advanced life support to include the ability to manage patients on mechanical ventilation and make available equipment for use when needed. Smoking in any portion of the ambulance is prohibited. Ambulance Medical Equipment: Each ambulance shall be equipped in strict accordance with the standards as prescribed by the MN EMSRB and carry at least the minimal equipment necessary for the type of service to be provided, as determined by standards adopted by the board. Inspection: Prior to final award the VA reserves the right to thoroughly inspect and investigate the bidder's establishment, vehicles, facilities, business reputation, personnel training and qualifications, and other performance qualifications. The VA also reserves the right to reject any proposal, irrespective of price, if it shall be administratively determined lacking any of the essentials necessary to assure acceptable standards of performance. Drivers and Attendants Record of each employee as to training, character and physical capabilities for performing the duties of an ambulance driver or EMT/paramedic must be maintained and made available for inspection upon request by the Contracting Officer or designee. Proof in the form of current certificates that appropriate training has been successfully completed must submitted to the COR if requested. All drivers and medical personnel must be certified, licensed or otherwise recognized by the local, state, or regional government or public entity where the ambulance service is operated or by which it is governed. All drivers and medical personnel must be enrolled periodically in "refresher" continuing education, or advanced training programs as required by the local or state government entity. Evidence of such refresher training must be submitted to the COR if requested. Qualifications Interested companies must be regularly established in the ambulance business and who are financially responsible and have the necessary equipment and personnel to furnish ambulance services as required for this contract. A current copy of ambulance license and current certificates of appropriate licenses and training for drivers or EMT/Paramedics are required as by MN EMSRB. Prior to award, a list fully describing the make, model and year of the vehicle(s), which he/she will provide under the resultant contract, is required including the location and telephone number of the establishment where calls are received and where vehicles are immediately available for dispatch. Indicate the number of years providing Ground Ambulance Transportation services. Submit a copy of the company s competency assessments standards, a current competency assessment checklist and the most recent competency assessment review for each employee proposed to work. Submit annual statement of certification of State driving records, license verification, and insurance. Contractors must provide an annual statement that drivers are screened, trained, and competent to safely transport patients. The annual statement of driver competency must include any advanced certifications, such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support or specialized training to assist and secure patients by stretcher or wheelchair. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. 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. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.