Records Storage

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this sources sought must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below. The priority is to find two or more Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB). Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) DUNS number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number and (h) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS PROJECT DESCRIPTION/ OBJECTIVES This Scope of Work (SOW) defines the requirements for off-site storage and management of physical administrative (Sterile Processing Services {SPS} and Credentialing and Privileging {C&P}) Records for the Phoenix VA Health Care System (hereafter "Phoenix VA" or "Agency"). The Contractor, Iron Mountain Government Services Inc. (hereafter "Contractor"), shall provide secure, climate-controlled offsite storage, retrieval, and disposition services in accordance with all applicable Federal and VA records management regulations. APPLICABLE REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE The Contractor (Iron Mountain Inc.) shall comply with all applicable Federal and VA records management laws and regulations, including but not limited to: Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chapters. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies encompass the preservation of all records, regardless of form, characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), VA Handbook B 6500.6 Appendix B: The contractor, their personnel, and their subcontractors shall be subject to the Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks regarding information and information system security as delineated in this contract. VA Handbook 6500.6 Appendix C: The contractor will initiate planning for the certification and accreditation of the contractor systems. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management VA Handbook 6300.1, Procedures for carrying out the records management program VA Handbook 6300.3, Procedures for implementing the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act General Records Schedules (GRS) issued by NARA, which provide disposition authority for common administrative records SCOPE OF WORK (SERVICES) The Phoenix VA needs to store non-patient-related administrative records from Sterile Processing Services (SPS) and Credentialing and Privileging (C&P) off-site, as the facility does not have an appropriate area to store the records currently held at a temporally location that does not meet long-term security, compliance, and environmental standards required for safeguarding sensitive government information, which poses several vulnerabilities. The Contractor shall provide the following services for the Phoenix VA's administrative paper records: Records Pickup and Transportation The Contractor shall coordinate with the Phoenix VA Records Officer to schedule the pickup of records from designated locations within the Phoenix VA facility. Transportation of records to the Contractor's secure offsite storage facility must be conducted in secure, climate-controlled vehicles to prevent damage, loss, or unauthorized access. Offsite Storage and Maintenance. Records shall be securely maintained offline in a facility that meets or exceeds NARA standards for the storage of Federal records. The Contractor shall maintain physical and intellectual control over all stored records, ensuring proper identification, organization, and association with their respective records schedules and disposition instructions. The storage environment (e.g., temperature, humidity) must be controlled to ensure the long-term preservation and integrity of the paper records. The Contractor shall implement security measures, including appropriate audit trails, to prevent unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of the records. All Government data(records) must be maintained within the 50 states, D.C., or U.S. territories, unless otherwise authorized by the Contracting Officer (CO) per DFARS 239.7602-2. Records Management and Disposition The Contractor shall follow the records retention schedules provided by the Phoenix VA, which are based on NARA-approved schedules (SF 115s or GRS). The Contractor shall not dispose of any records without explicit written authorization from the Phoenix VA Records Officer and the appropriate NARA disposition authority. Upon reaching the end of their retention period, the Contractor shall securely destroy temporary records or prepare permanent records for transfer to NARA legal custody, as directed by the Phoenix VA. Access and Retrieval The Contractor shall provide timely retrieval and delivery of requested records (or copies thereof) to the Phoenix VA facility upon request. The Contractor shall manage access rights and facilitate search and retrieval of records as needed for agency business, FOIA, Privacy Act requests, or litigation holds.