Description
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This procurement is being conducted under Simplified Acquisition procedures pursuant to the authority of FAR Subpart 13.5, Test Program for Certain Commercial Items (10 U.S.C. 2304(g) & 2305 & 41 U.S.C. 253(g) & 253a & 253b), FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items (Title VIII of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-355)), & FAR 37.4, Nonpersonal Health Care Service (10 U.S.C 2304 & 41 U.S.C. 253). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; therefore, a written solicitation will not be issued. The Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service (IHS) intends to award a firm fixed-price, non-personal service, commercial item contract in response to Request for Quotation (RFQ) RFQ-COM-07-07. This solicitation is restricted to 100% small business set-aside. The solicitation documents & incorporated provisions & clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-16. The associated North American Industry Classification System code is 722310 & the small business size standard is $19.0 million. PRICE SCHEDULE: Offerors shall propose an all-inclusive monthly rate when submitting an offer. CONTRACT LINE ITEM NUMBER (CLIN) ONE: DIETARY SERVICES: BASE PERIOD: 12 months x $___ per month = $___; OPTION ONE: 12 months x $___ per month = $___; OPTION TWO: 12 months x $___ per month= $___. Grand total base year plus two option years $___. PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT: The purpose of this contract is to provide dietary services for the Cass Lake Hospital, 7 days per week. Having dietary service management in-house will assist in the provision of nutritious meals for the Cass Lake Hospital in-patients, students, and Emergency Room (ER) medical providers. IHS requires contractor services to continue without interruption during the resultant contract. PERFORMANCE CONDITIONS: The contractor shall provide dietary services, including special diet meals, 7 days a week providing approximately 3 to 10 patient meals three times per day. In addition, the contractor will prepare 4 to 7 meals one time per day, Monday through Friday, for students and ER providers. The contractor shall: 1. Provide support for clinical systems and up-to-date policies and procedures; 2. Develop a 4 week menu cycle designed for the hospital; 3. Staff the facility with qualified staff 7 days per week; 4. Order all subsistence and non-subsistence items required for preparation of meals; 5. Prepare meals according to menu and physician orders and to suit special needs for patients; 6. Clean dishes, utensils, trays, and equipment after use; 7. Maintain the proper temperature for all foods during holding serving to assure customer satisfaction, quality control and food safety; 8. Ensure the accurate quality control such as refrigerator/freezer, dish machine temperatures, food temperatures, patient, meal count, sanitation, labeling and dating, ordering, purchasing, inventory, receiving records, patient satisfaction survey etc. be routinely conducted and kept on file; 9. Meet all Medicare Conditions of Participation appropriate to the service and all licensing/certification requirements the hospital operates under; and 10. Customized patient satisfaction surveys. STATEMENT OF WORK: The contractor will be required to provide high quality dietary services for the patients, students, and ER providers. In general, the contractor will prepare and serve approximately 3 to 10 patient meals three times per day, including special diets as ordered by a Cass Lake Indian Hospital Medical Staff. The contractor will be required to employ a designated contract manager who will handle concerns that may arise during contract performance. The contract manager must have two (2) years supervisory experience in an accredited hospital and must ensure that hospital standards are met. The contract manager will be responsible for: 1. Developing standards of dietary practice; 2. Maintaining policy and procedure manuals; 3. Ensuring special diet requirements are met; 4. Ensuring compliance with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points procedures; 5. Supervising work and food handling procedures of dietetic personnel; 6. Ensuring dietary employees are free of contagious, infectious or communicable disease; 7. Planning menus and maintaining records; 8. Providing staff development, orientation, on the job training, and in-service training; 9. Implementing daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning schedules for the dietary area; and 10. Ensuring performance evaluations are current. The contractor will also be required to employ a registered dietitian who will supervise diet preparation and certify the menu to ensure a high level of quality. It will be the responsibility of the dietitian to: 1. Ensure patients' nutritional, therapeutic, and special dietary needs are met; 2. Ensure patients' nutritional needs are met in accordance with the Recommended Dietary Allowances; 3. Ensure the general diet contains the basic food groups and provides adequate protein intake and a reasonable variety of foods; 4. Ensure special diets are provided when prescribed by the patient's physician; 5. Routinely visit the Cass Lake Hospital to ensure that professional dietetic services requirements of the facility are met; and 6. Review and approve all regular and special menus. A. Generally, meals will be served during the following times, with some variations to these times. 1. Breakfast, 7:30 am to 8:00 am. 2. Lunch (main meal), 11:30 am to 12:00 pm. 3. Dinner, 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm. 4. Night Nourishment, 8:00 pm. B. At least three meals or their equivalent must be prepared daily with not more than a fourteen hour span between the evening meal and breakfast, unless ample nourishments for lat admissions are provided both between meals and after meals. C. A variety of night nourishments must be offered to patients. Examples include but are not limited to sandwiches, puddings, lunchmeats, cheese, fresh fruit, etc. These nourishments will be prepared daily and maintained in the refrigerator. D. Sack lunches or non-perishable heat and serve foods must be available for late patient arrivals. E. For quality assurance purposes, one meal should be provided regularly to a member of the medial staff. Meals should be of the same quality, quantity, and consistency as patient meals. F. The contractor must maintain a high acceptable rating on patient food surveys. Menu Planning: The contractor must follow the Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances for all meals and snacks. All menus for meals and night nourishments must be provided to the project officer for review and approval at least two weeks prior to the effective date of the menu. A four (4) week rotation cycle will be used at the Cass Lake Hospital survey etc. be routinely conducted and kept on file. These non-repeating meals will be used to feature seasonal items and cultural preferences. The bulk of the menu cycle should remain the same with menu change request forwarded to the project manager before the menu has begun. All menu changes must be posted in the kitchen and a copy given to the project officer. The menu change request may be denied by the project officer if the substitute menu item is of lower quality than the item on the agreed upon menu. Menus must provide a variety of foods and indicate standard portions at each meal. Menus should be planned with consideration of cultural backgrounds, food habits of patients, and availability of foods. A copy of the menu will be kept on file by the contractor for at least thirty (30) days and must be attached to the monthly report submitted to the project officer. Standardized Recipes: A file of standardized recipes designed for hospital care must be used in the preparation of foods. The recipe file must be maintained by the contract manager and must be available to the hospital project officer. Recipes should be periodically reviewed for revisions and updating. Low fat, low cholesterol, and low sodium menu items will list dietary measurements on the menu. The contractor must be able to provide an accurate listing and amount of ingredients for each food served. Diets: All special diets will be ordered by a physician and recorded in the patient's medical record and a copy forwarded to the dietary and maintained by the contractor. Special diets ordered by a physician will be planned by the contract manager and approved by the dietitian. Each special meal must be identified to ensure the appropriate patient received his or her diet as ordered. All menus must be approved by the dietitian and must be posted in the kitten for the contractors' staff. Special diets include but are not limited to, diabetic meals, soft foods, and supplements such as Thicken, Ensure, or a similar product. Food and Supplies Specifications: All food and supplies purchased will be in conformance with the minimum standards of federal and state specifications. The hospital project officer may periodically inspect the contractor's of food and supplies to determine that standards are maintained. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT, FACILITIES, & PROPERTY: The Cass Lake Indian Hospital will provide the food service items such as tableware, glassware, pots and pans, carts, and trays as shown on the inventory list. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to inventory such items annually. Following this inventory, the contractor will be responsible for replacing items that were lost or damaged to the original inventory levels. The replacement items must be agreed upon by the contractor and the hospital. In addition to the small ware items, the Cass Lake Hospital will provide all food preparation equipment as presently installed in the facility. The contractor and the Cass Lake Hospital will provide all food preparation equipment as presently installed in the facility. The contractor and the Cass Lake Hospital will take an inventory of this equipment at the start of the contract. All equipment listed on this inventory will be the property of the Cass Lake Indian Hospital. No government equipment will be removed from the facility for any purpose, except with advance approval, in writing, by the Project Officer. The contractor must not rearrange any of the equipment or furnishings present without the consent of the Project Officer. The Cass Lake Indian Hospital will be maintain, adjust, and repair government owned equipment for use by the contractor. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to report to the Project Officer, in writing, any condition that indicated that maintenance or repair of the equipment is needed. Failure by the contractor to report such issues will be considered negligence, and the contractor will be liable for any damage to or deterioration of government owned equipment. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: The contractor shall provide monthly quality assurance reports and patient satisfaction surveys. SPECIFICATIONS & STANDARDS: The resulting contract shall be: 1. Be a non-personal service, which the contractor is independent, not considered an employee, & direct supervision is by the Project Officer. 2. Any subcontracts relating to this contract shall contain the requirements of FAR 52.237-7 clause. 3. Remain current on any required certifications. 4. The services provided by the contractor shall include but not be limited to dietary services. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Date of Award through February 28, 2008, with two 12-month options. COMPUTER SECURITY: All Federal agencies are required by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 to complete a course in Computer Security Awareness Training. Within HHS, there is a requirement for this training to be completed annually by all employees including all contractors, volunteers, students, summer externs, etc. PRO-CHILDREN ACT OF 1994: The Contractor certifies that it will comply with the provisions of Public Law 103-227, Pro-Children Act of 1994, which imposes restrictions on smoking where Federal funded children?s services are provided. CONTRACTING OFFICER AUTHORITY: Authority to negotiate changes in the terms, conditions or amounts cited in this contract is reserved for the Contracting Officer. PROJECT OFFICER: The project officer shall be responsible for: (1) Monitoring the Contractors technical progress, including surveillance & assessment of performance & recommending technical changes: (2) Interpreting the PWS; (3) Technical evaluation as required; (4) Technical inspections & acceptance; & (5) Assisting the Contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance of this contract. INVOICE SUBMISSION & PAYMENT: The Contractor shall submit its invoice to the Project Officer at the Hospital & then to Contracting Officer, Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service, 115 4th Ave SE, Room 309 Federal Building, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401. The Contractor agrees to include the following information on each invoice: (1) Contractors named, address; (2) Contract Number; (3) Invoice number & date; (4) Cost or price; (5) Dates of Service including number of hours worked; & (6) Remit to address. Payment shall be made by the Aberdeen Area Financial Management Branch, 115 4th Ave SE, Room 309 Federal Building, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401. SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS: Contractors cannot serve as expert witnesses in any suit against the Federal Government. Many of the IHS patients receiving services may only speak a native language and/or reside on a Native American Reservation, therefore, the Contractor must demonstrate sensitivity to cross-cultural & language differences. The Privacy Act of 1974 mandates that the Contractor maintain complete confidentiality of all administrative, medical & personnel records, & all other pertinent information that comes to his/her attention or knowledge. The Privacy Act carries both civil & criminal penalties for unlawful disclosure of records. Violation of such confidentiality shall be cause for adverse action. The IHS shall provide training on the Freedom of Information Act & the Privacy Act. All IHS regulations & policies applicable to these Acts shall be enforced. The Contractor shall comply with IHS facility infection control & safety procedures, practices, & standards PROVISIONS & CLAUSES: The following provisions & clauses apply to this acquisition. The FAR provision 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items; & 52.212-3 Offeror Representations & Certifications Commercial Items are incorporated by reference. The provision at 52.212-2 applies to the acquisition & is provided in full test. FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION ? COMMERCIAL ITEMS (JAN 1999): (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price & other factors considered. Technical Proposal - The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: (1) Methodology & Approach = 45 POINTS: (i) Proposals, which merely offer a statement to conduct/provide in accordance with the requirements of the statement of work, will not be eligible for award. Offeror must submit an explanation of the proposed technical approach in conjunction with the tasks outlined in the statement of work. The technical proposal shall provide a statement of the problem, scope, and purpose of the project in the offeror's own words to demonstrate a complete understanding of the intent and the statement of work requirement in the RFQ. (ii) The detailed work plan must be submitted indicating how each aspect of the statement of work is to be accomplished. Your technical approach should be in as much detail as you consider necessary to fully explain your proposed technical approach or method. The technical proposal should reflect a clear understanding of the nature of the work being undertaken. (iii) The technical proposal shall fully describe the proposed technical approach to comply with each of the requirements specified in the statement of work. Particular attention should be directed toward scheduling of manpower and any problems to be overcome. (2) Experience with Native American Issues = 15 POINTS: (i) The technical proposal must include a description of the capability, both financially and historically, of the offeror's ability to provide the services required. The offeror must demonstrate the ability to ensure the Government that the offeror has experience dealing with Native American issues either directly or indirectly. The offeror shall indicate the number of contracts that are in effect as of this calendar year and must show that any new contracts will not place the offeror's capability to provide services on any contract in jeopardy. (ii) The overall capability demonstrated by the offeror will be evaluated for financial capability and for performance ability. (3) Administrative and Management Data and Key Personnel = 25 POINTS: The technical proposal, at a minimum, must include the following information in sufficient detail to allow a complete analysis of the offeror's management capabilities and responsibility. a) Capability to met delivery or performance schedules. b) Record of experience. c) Possession of necessary organization, experience and skills to perform the work, or the ability to obtain them. (ii) The technical proposal must include a list of personnel to be utilized in performance of the contract, and key employees who will be assigned to this project. Resumes of personnel directly involved in providing services under the contract shall be included in the technical proposal, as well as the education and training requirements of prospective employees. The technical proposal shall specify the level of staff and the extent to which each will participate in contract performance. (4) Past Performance = 15 POINTS: The technical proposal must include a list of similar contracts, government and/or commercial awarded to the offeror. The similar contracts must contain the same type of dietary service requirements outlined in the SOW. The offeror must demonstrate its record of successful performance in past contracts by including the following information for each contract. (i) The offeror must identify one contract which is considered to be most successful and the reasons for the success. (ii) The offeror will identify other similar contracts and indicate the record of performance. (iii) In the event the offeror did not have contracts which met the SOW the offeror will provide up to five other contracts deemed similar. (iv) For each of the above contracts, the offeror will provide the name, address and telephone number of the contracting organization, a point of contact, the dollar value and the dates of the contract. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer?s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. The following FAR & Health & Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) clauses are applicable: 52.204-4, 52.204-7, 52.204-9, 52.212-4, 52.212-5 with Alternate I, 52.217-8, 52.21709, 52.223-5, 52.223-6, 52.224-1, 52.224-2, 52.229-3, 52.232-18, 52.233-4, 52.237-2, 52.237-3, 52.239-1, 52.242-15, 52.242-17, 52.243-1, 52.245-1, 52.245-1, 52.249-2, 52.249-8, 352-202-1, 352-215-1, 352.215-70, 352.223-70, 352.232-9, 352-270-2, 352.270-3, 352.270-4, 352.270-6, & 352.270-7. The following FAR clauses cited in 52.212-5 are applicable to the acquisition: 52.204-6 with Alternate I, 52.222-3, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.222-39, 52.225-13, & 52.232-33. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will provide full text copies of the FAR & HHSAR provisions & clauses. The provisions & clauses may also be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html & http://www.hhs.gov/oamp/dap/hhsar.html. CONTRACTORS INTENDING TO CONDUCT BUSINESS WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST REGISTER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION (CCR) DATABASE VIA THE INTERNET AT HTTP://WWW.CCR.GOV OR BY CALLING (888) 227-2423. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: The Contractor shall submit a written response to, the technical evaluation factors in FAR 52.212-2. In addition, the Contractor shall submit a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with its offer. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the Agency. Offers shall be submitted to the Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service, 115 4th Ave SE, Room 309, Federal Building, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401, no later than 3:00 p.m. on May 1, 2007. The offer must be submitted in a sealed envelope, addressed to this office, showing the time specified for receipt, the solicitation number, & your name & address. ACCEPTANCE PERIOD: Your proposal must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms & conditions of this RFQ. In addition, it must contain a statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 60 days from the date of receipt by the Government.