THIS SOURCES SOUGHT/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IS ISSUED FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT CONSIDERED A SOLICITATION. The purpose of this sources sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of businesses that are capable of satisfying the following work requirements. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran s Health Administration, Network Contracting Office One (NCO 1) is seeking to award a blanket purchase agreement (BPA). STATEMENT OF WORK VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1) Laundry Services This BPA is to meet the linen, uniform, and microfiber cleaning and supply requirements for VAMCs and Community-based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in the area serviced by NCO1 (New England) that choose to order services from the BPA. The following Statement of Work (SOW) details the service standards expected and items to be serviced which may be used by VAMCs to create orders. Coordination of the work will be done with the COR for each VAMC. All purchases, orders, and funding commitments will be done by the CO. As a BPA, no payments are committed or should be expected based on receiving award of the base BPA. Funding will only be committed by individual task order (TO) placed based on the BPA for service by participating VAMCs. Participating VAMCs may order some or all of the items listed in the attached Item-Facility List, and this SOW describes the common performance elements needed by all participating VAMCs. Any resultant TOs will be tailored to the needs of the participating VAMCs based off the elements presented here. Period of Performance The Period of Performance for the BPA is for 5 years. The BPA will not require Options to be exercised each year, although the BPA will be reviewed for continued need annually. Each TO issued by a participating VAMC will provide 1 year of service, beginning from date of award of the TO. If the BPA expires prior to completion of a TO, the TO will run until the end of its specified period of performance. Service Intervals Laundered items will be delivered and items for laundering will be picked-up on a basis determined by the ordering VAMCs. Example schedules known to be used by the VAMCs include: twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays), once weekly (Mondays), and daily. Quality Assurance/Control Contractor is responsible for the quality of the project and the service provided. Contractor must follow all CDC and manufacturer recommendations to ensure the removal of all pathogens. Contractor shall launder all microfiber products and VAMC-owned curtains in a manner that meets or exceeds all CDC recommendations and in accordance with manufacturer specifications. COR may review the quality of the project and service provided at any time, typically through means of inspection of quality of product and/or inventory. All microfiber mops shall be laundered with bleach (50 150 ppm, based on water temperature and CDC recommendation), due to potential of contamination and cross contamination of C. diff. Provide printouts, on day of pick-up/delivery, of RFID scans of retrieved soiled linens, as well as delivered clean replacement supplies. Marks, stains, etc., shall be removed as reasonably acceptable as possible. All uniforms will be delivered on hangars, except Operating Room scrubs. Operating Room scrubs will be folded and packed to prevent contamination. The COR will be responsible for inspection and acceptance of the work performed under this contract. When deficiencies are reported to the Contractor, the Contractor shall take immediate steps to correct them. If the Contractor does not take immediate steps to correct deficiencies, the COR shall report the facts of the event to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer reserves the right to take any appropriate action authorized by law to resolve the issue or to terminate the contract for default. Only the Contracting Officer has the authority to make changes to the specifications, price, terms and conditions of the contract. No service should be performed or action taken by the Contractor, which is outside of the contract unless, directed solely by the Contracting Officer and a written modification to the contract. The standard is three or less customer complaints per month in each area. Contractor should carry a premium high quality product provided by a nationally recognized commercial supplier, and will combine the latest technology for infection prevention and efficiency in use. All microfiber mops shall be constructed of a premium high quality material with a microbe removal efficacy rating of 99.9%, allowing for maximum removal of pathogens such as, but not limited to, Escherichia Coli (E. coli), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE), Clostridium Difficile (C. diff). All microfiber mops shall be (based on manufacturer specifications) bleach tolerant and capable of laundering at temperatures of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, for a minimum or 25 minutes. All microfiber mops shall be Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tagged. Contractor shall provide (with cost to the VAMC) services to RFID tag all VAMC owned cubicle curtains. All items will be located within designated storage containers. Delivery will include new items to replace unserviceable items, in order to maintain designated stock level. Pricing Quoted pricing for RFID tagging of VA-owned items shall be provided and based as cost per unit. Quantities provided above are for initial stock, and actual weekly usage may vary. Quoted pricing shall be displayed as cost per unit with an estimated total based on the estimated quantities above. Monthly invoicing of all microfiber mops, microfiber wash cloths, and cubicle curtains shall be based on actual quantities received for laundering. E. Replacement and Costs Contractor shall be responsible for fair wear and tear of all microfiber products and related materials (i.e., microfiber wet and dry flat mops, microfiber charging buckets, handles and heads, and storage containers for soiled microfibers), and Contractor shall exchange such items at no cost to the VAMC, if those items are rented from the vendor. Quoted pricing shall include cost per unit for lost, misplaced, or damaged items. Lost and/or misplaced items shall be verified through RFID tracked inventory. The COR shall be consulted to establish and confirm with the vendor that items are un-retrievable before payment is made. Place of Performance This BPA will service the following locations: VA Maine Fisher House 1 VA Center, Bldg. 300 Augusta, ME 04430 West Haven VAMC Laboratory Warehouse 950 Campbell Ave West Haven, CT 06516 VA Medical Center 215 N. Main St, Bldg. 67 White River Junction, VT 05009 Manchester VA Medical Center 718 Smyth Rd Manchester, NH 03104 VA Connecticut Fisher House 950 Campbell Ave West Haven, CT 06516 Bedford VA Medical Center 200 Springs Rd Bedford, MA 01730 Boston VA Medical Center: 1400 VFW Parkway West Roxbury, MA 02132 150 South Huntington St Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 940 Belmont St Brockton, MA 02301 All work shall take place at the contractor's facility. Responses to this sources sought will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought notice are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. Responses to this sources sought/RFI are due by 5 PM EST time on December 1, 2022. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Rosangela.Pereira@va.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interest parties must response to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this request for information. Responses to this notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. The NAICS code for this requirement is 812332 and a small size standard of $41,500,000.00.
