Description
I. GENERAL OVERVIEW The Manchester Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) requires a contractor to furnish a taxi service/hired care to Veterans being discharged from local hospitals. The contractor must provide all equipment, personnel, supervision, and support to provide these transportation services. SCOPE OF CONTRACT The Contractor shall provide taxi /hire car services, twenty four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, including all holidays for trips originating at VA facilities or local hospitals. This contract will provide scheduled and unscheduled taxi services to beneficiaries and one, attendant, escort, and/or caregiver. The Contractor shall provide door to door taxi cab transport from any pre-approved non VA hospital discharges for veterans or VA location. Patient needing transportation back to his/her residence, MVAMC, CBOC, or contracted facility. The contractor will also transport the personal belongings (e.g. walker, portable wheelchairs, and luggage) that the Veteran may have. MEDICAL FACILITIES Upon request, Manchester VA may require transportation for veterans being discharged from Non VA care facility or VA facilities state wide. The Manchester VAMC system includes the one major medical centers and four community based outpatient clinics (CBOC) ESTIMATED TOTAL OF RUNS: Average one-way runs per month: 24 II. TASKING/SPECIFICATIONS SERVICES REQUIRED All taxi service vehicles and personnel used by the Contractor in the performance of this contract must comply with all relevant regulations regarding the operation of taxi/livery/hackney services for State of New Hampshire regulations governing the transportation of passengers via taxicabs to include but not limited to those regulations listed in Section D. Travel under this contract outside Of New Hampshire requires the contractor to adhere to all relevant jurisdictional laws and regulations as a primary or foreign carrier. a. The right is reserved to thoroughly inspect and investigate the establishment, facilities, and business reputation, and vehicles used to transport when requested by the VA. b. Contractor shall ensure all vehicles used in transporting are air conditioned/heated, clean and in proper operational conditions to include passenger seat belts. c. Service is to be door to door and non-stop (without stops in between) unless authorized in advance by an authorized Manchester VA representative. Order Process: a. Requests for services will be made in writing, by telephone or electronically by the Beneficiary Travel Office staff, Case Managers, or during evenings, nights and weekends, the Administrative staff on duty (AOD) or his/her designee. b. To the maximum extent possible, trips will be scheduled 24 hours in advance. c. Requests for services can be made by telephone from other authorized staff as designated by the MVAMC. A listing of personnel authorized to arrange taxi travel will be forwarded to the Contractor after award of contract. Updated listings shall be provided to the contractor when required during the term of the contract. The driver shall be required to confirm the Veterans identity and the pick-up and/or drop off locations. e. Driver will be provided in writing the following information upon pick-up of the patient Patient s *Full Name. *Destination. *Name of the authorized MVAMC staff member arranging the transport. f. All calls will be made directly to the contractor. Calls to subcontractors, if any, shall be the responsibility of the contractor. The VA shall not deal with subcontractors. RESPONSE TIME: a. The VA requires transport arrival within 15 minutes of scheduled and 30 minutes for unscheduled calls. b. The VA shall monitor arrival times closely as this is an essential element in the performance of these services. CANCELED CALLS AND NON PICK-UP: a. Contractor will be notified of cancellations. Name of person notified and date/time of notification will be documented. b. Any call dispatched which has arrived at destination and is canceled shall be billed to the VA as a one way trip. Both, the VA and the Contractor will document canceled calls. c. When a non-pick-up occurs (aka, dry run), the Contractor must immediately notify the MVAMC Patient Travel Office or AOD, so that proper authorization for billing can be given. MVAMC will be billed for one way only. NUMBER OF PATIENTS: One to three individuals, including the patient(s) can be transported on a trip unless otherwise specifically authorized by the VA. When, pursuant to VA s authorization, more than one patient is transported at the same time on a trip, reimbursement will be made only at the rates contained in Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs section for transporting a single patient. Regardless of the number of individuals, including the patient(s) being transported at the same time, on a single trip, the Contractor will be reimbursed for the Mileage Rate for only one trip to the farthest distance traveled with any one patient on that particular trip. LICENSING AND PERMITS: It is the responsibility of the contractor to have all the required licensing and permits necessary to perform this contract. Before award will be made, the potential contractor will be required to provide copies of current permits and licensure. VA will not make any independent determination of the sufficiency of these licenses and permits and may verify prior to award with the Department of Motor Vehicles and Division of Public Utilities. Potential bidders are advised to immediately contact New Hampshire applicable statutes to begin the process for gathering all required licenses and permits. All employees shall have appropriate credentials and/or licensure for the State of New Hampshire under applicable State Law or Regulation. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS Prices quoted in Supplies or Services & Prices/Costs section shall include the complete taxi/hire Car services on any assignment where a patient is transported in the performance of this contract. b. An authorized official of the VA may, in the best interests of the beneficiary, allow a relative, Caregiver or attendant to accompany the Veteran at no expense to the Government. c. All drivers are required to honor Veteran s and passenger s right to privacy and information Security. d. Contractor must maintain and make available for inspection, upon request, records of each employee as to the character and physical capabilities of performing the duties. No employee will be allowed to work on the contract until all training and background checks have been completed. Failure to comply will result in non-payment for that trip. e. Drivers shall be courteous, considerate and mindful of language & tone when interacting with passengers. CONTRACTOR VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS: All vehicles and the equipment utilized by the Contractor in the performance of this contract must comply with the applicable section(s) of the State of New Hampshire public transportation regulations. Vehicles shall be made available for inspection when requested by the PVAMC. TRIP DOCUMENTION: The contractor shall document each transport with an appropriate document that specifies the date, patient name and time of pick up, destination, time of drop off, mileage, and any notes regarding issues particular to the specific transport. VA may computerize the documentation using a program that we will provide. The contractor agrees to abide by any changes in managing the routing that the Chief Business Office in VA Central Office may designate. The contractor shall with all invoices provide the trip documentation form upon request by the VA. These forms will serve as documentation of the transport and will be a source document for reconciliation of the contractor s requests for payment. WAITING TIME: For time lost, waiting at either end or both ends of a trip, due to causes beyond Contractor control, the Contractor will be reimbursed at the rate quoted in the Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs section for quarter (1/4) hour increments in excess of a (1/4) hour from the time the Contractor reports to the designated area. The first quarter hour is free. If pick-up is at other than the VA, the Contractor shall call the MVAMC Patient Travel Office (603)624-4366 ext. 2737 or 2884. After business hours the call the administrative staff on duty(AOD), at (603)624-4366 ext. 6263. That call shall be made as soon as it anticipated that a delay may develop for which the Contractor expects to claim reimbursement. RATES: For the purpose of this contract, the contractor will need to price per mile as required in the schedule. ARRIVAL TIME: a. The VA requires transport arrival within 15 minutes of scheduled and 30 minutes for unscheduled calls. b. The VA shall monitor arrival times closely as this is an essential element in the performance of these services. CANCELED CALLS AND NON PICK-UP: Any call dispatched which has arrived at destination and is canceled shall be billed to the VA as a one way trip. Both, the VA and the Contractor will document canceled calls. b. When a non-pick-up occurs, the VA must be notified so that proper authorization for billing can be given. VA will be billed for one way only. SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall be responsible for the protection of the personnel furnishing services under this contract. To carry out this responsibility, the Contractor shall provide the following for these personnel: Worker s Compensation - Income Tax Withholding Professional Liability Insurance - Social Security Payments - Any driver safety training as may be required by State regulation. - As required by State and Federal regulations and laws PAYMENT AND INVOICES: All invoices will be sent to the VA Mobility Manager. The Mobility Manager will review and reconcile invoices with trip tickets and travel logs. Unauthorized charges will be suspended pending investigation. Unauthorized charges are those that are being disputed or have not been pre-approved by authorized VA personnel, and that are not allowable under the contract. A final determination will be made, within 30-days, after notifying the contractor of charges being suspended. However, if an item or service is required on a trip that is not specifically listed in the pricing section of this contract, the contractor shall not withhold use of that item or service on that particular trip, and the pricing for that item/service will be negotiated afterwards. Once the invoice have been reconciled the vendor shall submitted all invoices electronically to the Austin Finance Center (per section B of this contract no later than ten (10) calendar days following receipt of the late charge reductions for the month of services and are to include all contract services furnished for the preceding month. Invoices shall be paid in arrears on a monthly basis. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include the following information and/or attached documentation: 1) Invoice date 2) Firm s name, address and telephone number 3) Purchase order number/contract number 4) Description, price, quantity, name of patient, and period of services rendered 5) Name, title, telephone number and complete mailing address of responsible official to whom payment is to be sent. 6) All invoices must clearly specify service performed, i.e., description, location, name. MISCELLANEOUS: At no time shall the Contractor leave vehicles unattended at the Manchester VAMC premises unless for a pick-up or delivery is in process. Contractor employees shall conduct themselves in a businesslike manner at all times while on Manchester VAMC premises. When transporting patients to or from medical facilities, the driver, acting for the Contractor, shall ensure that the patient's luggage, medical records, medications, and prosthetic devices are properly accounted for and delivered with the patient as required.