Wheel Chair Repair RFI Questions January 31, 2019 This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ)/Invitation for Bid (IFB)/Request for Proposal (RFP). This notice does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is not seeking quotes, bids or proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals in response to this sources sought notice. 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. Submittals will not be returned to the responder. Title: Sources Sought Notice Complex Wheelchair (High end manual and Power Wheelchairs) and Scooter Service and Repair. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Commodities & Services Acquisition Service (CSAS) is seeking information from vendors regarding the availability and business practices regarding the procurement of Powered Wheelchairs and Scooter repair services. Please provide current industry capabilities on how industry addresses customer service, initiation of repair/maintenance, Information Technology advancements/security and invoice/payment procedures. Additionally, include current vendor business capabilities along with answers to the following questions. Please address the Business Size Classification of the vendor interested (SDVOB, 8(a), SDB, Hub, WOSB, EWOSB, Small, or Other). Please provide any additional information you would like the VA to consider when developing the specifications for this proposed contract. Can the industry provide a singular phone line and or electronic access (website, mobile app) for veterans and VA staff to submit tickets, track repairs from initial repair call, to close of repair to billing? Can industry provide report or access to VA Staff to track number of repairs made, type of repairs and in which geographical location? Can industry help to identify when an individual piece of equipment exceeds normal repair thresholds and recommend the purchase of a new chair? Does industry have the ability pause a repair for additional approval once costs exceed to the agreed upon threshold for repair costs? Is there an industry standard/guideline identifying when a repair is to expensive? Can industry provide a Beyond Economic Repair analysis? What is the acceptable method of exchanging Personal Identifiable Information (PII)? How does industry protect PII? What are the new information technologies (IT) used by industry to track repairs and or equipment failures? Does industry use mobile apps? What type of IT security is provided by industry? How long does it take industry to schedule an onsite visit once repair ticket issued? What are the current standards to respond to call for repair? (Example: How long between call received and ticket opened, tech returning call to define issue and schedule onsite appointment, tech goes to place of needed repair, tech repairs or leaves loaner chair) How does industry determine appropriate response time to repair call? Are there repair calls that take priority over others? How is that determination made? Can industry provide information on the difference between in home/onsite repairs and when a chair must be sent to another location for repair. Any special considerations or rules for certain peripheral attachments to custom powered wheel chairs and scooters? Turn around repair times for in home/onsite versus offsite? Can industry give a brief explanation what a long repair turnaround time versus a short repair turnaround time? What repairs would exceed a 30-day turnaround time? What is the general turnaround time for a repair services? Are there considerations VA needs to make for repair times? (Example: Ordering of certain parts from manufacturers and delivery of those items) What are the common repairs to Custom Powered Wheel Chairs and Powered Scooters? If you provided repairs to VA, what are the most common? What are the general terms and conditions for industry repairs? What are the billing and payment procedures industry commonly uses? Are all fees wrapped into one charge? How does industry account for labor hours versus repair costs? Are credit cards an accepted form of payment? Are there any service fees due to use of credit card? How long does it take industry to bill an invoice after repair completed? What information is on the invoices? Are invoices broken down by line items and or parts repaired? Are there tiered rates for repairs dependent upon part replacements? Can industry provide a chart on those rates? Are there additional costs to consider on repairs, like mileage rates or shipping fees? How does industry normally bill for repairs? What are typical repairs due to daily use and what are a-typical repairs? What are the average cost of those repairs? Are there industry standards in the repairs of custom powered wheel chairs? What type of certifications are required to repair powered wheel chairs and powered scooters? Are there industry standards or certifications that need to be met by individual repair technicians? Are there any considerations that VA needs to be aware of when a repair is requested? Are there certain informational requirements needed by industry for a repair ticket? How does industry define radius of work area? Are there distance considerations that need to be understood for repair tickets issued by VA? As this requirement will be for medical durable equipment of powered wheelchairs and scooters, does the industry have any special rules in regard to HIPAA and customer record privacy? Is your company considered a HIPAA covered entity? The qualifying NAICS code for this effort is 811219, Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance and size standard is $20.5 million. Preliminary Review of Product Information: Responses to this notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this notice, a request for proposals may be issued to the government wide point of entry (www.fbo.gov). Responses to this Sources Sought Notice are not considered adequate responses to any corresponding solicitation announcement. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future RFQ or IFB or RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Government-wide Point of Entry. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the Government-wide Point of Entry for additional information pertaining to this requirement. Point of Contact for this information: Star M. Yeo, Contract Specialist, 303-273-6211 or
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