THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended for information and planning purposes only at this time and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because this is a Request for Information announcement, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. No solicitation exists. Therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation. The VA Butler Healthcare System has an requirement for Transportation Services for Veterans within the Butler VA Homeless, Veteran Justice Outreach (VJO), Vocational, and Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) programming to support the following efforts within the Butler VA catchment area. Transportation may only be used by an Eligible Veteran who is receiving services within Butler VA s Homeless, Vocational, and RANGE Programs. Rides may only be requested by Identified Staff within the Butler VA s Homeless, Vocational, and RANGE programs. Requirements: The Contractor shall provide Transportation Services during business days and hours but may be flexible upon the business hours of Contractor (Contractor may run their services earlier and/or later than the Business Hours as defined above and may have some resources to provide rides during non-business hours). The following ten holidays are observed by the Federal Government: New Year s Day, Martin Luther King s Birthday, President s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and any other day specifically declared to be a national holiday by the President of the United States. Most trips will be between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Contractor shall provide the Butler VA with the communication method of contacting the Contractor throughout the business day. The Point of Contact (POC) shall notify the Contractor if the proposed method of communication is not acceptable. The Contractor shall ensure that Eligible Veteran pick-ups and drop-offs are scheduled so that the total distance traveled will result in the most economical charge to Butler VA. While the required transportation may include trips to parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, New York and New Jersey, the majority of the trips will be confined to Southwestern Pennsylvania, and most beneficiaries will be Eligible Veterans. It may be necessary on occasion for the Contractor to extend a trip beyond normal distances due to extenuating circumstances in order to avoid lengthy Eligible Veteran wait times for alternate transportation. The Contractor shall provide Eligible Veteran door to door and/or curb side pick-up/drop-off options for all Eligible Veterans to and from their designated appointments. Eligible Veterans shall be picked up at Butler Health Care Center (HCC), in their homes, at our Community Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), or at other areas designated by Butler VA Identified Staff and taken to the authorized destination or appointment. Assistance in maneuvering stairs and other barriers shall be provided by the driver when necessary. These services may be provided outside the home (i.e., from the door to the vehicle). If an Eligible Veteran needs assistance inside the home, this request will be noted on the Transportation Trip Request Form submitted to Contractor. The Contractor s driver shall observe beneficiaries during transport. Any indication of a significant change in a beneficiary s condition (i.e., sudden onset of rapid or labored respiration, complaints of chest pains, etc.) shall be diverted to closest Emergency Room for care. All diversions from destination, if authorized, shall be reported to the POC. Should the Contractor s driver encounter any problems when transporting beneficiaries, the driver shall contact the identified POC, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. This notification is merely for information purposes. It does not replace internal Contractor communications needed to solve the problem. Contractor s driver shall notify the identified POC, of any unusual events, including but not limited to accidents, safety problems, Eligible Veteran complaints and other such incidents that may occur during transport. The POC shall be notified within one business day of occurrence of the incident(s) by telephone or Email and, if requested by the POC, a written report of the incident(s) will be provided by close of business the next business day. This notification is merely for information purposes and does not replace normal Contractor communications needed to solve issues. Responses to this RFI should include company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and point of contact e-mail, UEI Number, Cage Code, size of business pursuant to North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 485310 (size standard of $16.5 million). Please answer the following questions: Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.)? Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI? If you intend to subcontract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and completion of job. Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number. If you are an FSS GSA/NAC contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract? General pricing of your solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate for any type of award. Please submit your capabilities regarding the salient characteristics detailed above to establish capabilities for planning purposes. Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. Please provide your UEI number. This RFI will be conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received via e-mail to
[email protected] no later than, 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on January 10, 2024. This notice will help the VA in determining available potential sources only. Do not contact VA Medical Center staff regarding this requirement, as they are not authorized to discuss this matter related to this procurement action. All questions will be addressed by the Contracting Officer, Edward Ferkel. All firms responding to this Request for Information are advised that their response is not a request for proposal, therefore will not be considered for a contract award. If a solicitation is issued, information will be posted on the Contract Opportunities website for all qualified interested parties at a later date and interested parties must respond to the solicitation to be considered for award. This notice does not commit the government to contract for any supplies or services. The government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Request for Information. Information will only be accepted in writing by e-mail to Contracting Officer, Edward Ferkel at
[email protected] 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. 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.