THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought Notice only and is issued to conduct market research and gain knowledge of current market capabilities. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or a guarantee to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. This announcement is based on the best information available at this time and is subject to future amendment. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 4, 1111 East End Blvd, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711, is conducting a market survey to identify potential sources to provide childcare services for registered employees of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Services are within 25 miles of: University Campus, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240 and H.J. Heinz Campus, 1010 Delafield Road, Pittsburgh PA 15215. The following requirements must be met. VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) University Campus, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240 & H.J. Heinz Campus, 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE OF WORK Vendor will provide approved childcare as needed for registered employees of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic until an official lift of the pandemic has been announced and business resumes normal operations. PROCURMENT TYPE: Multiple Award, BPA REQUIREMENTS: Children ages: Provide appropriate childcare at contracted facility for employees from University Drive Campus, University Dr. C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240 and H.J. Heinz Campus, 1010 Delafield Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15215 location for the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS). Provide childcare along with water and snacks from the hours of 6am to 6pm. Parents will provide lunches, formula, and any additional meals and drinks needed for each child s specific requirements, if the center does not already provide. Vendor __________________ will provide childcare for the following ages: (0-6) Months to 12-years old and >12 years old if available Care will be provided on a space available basis with priority determined by the vendor: __________________________. Parents will contact vendor directly for availability for their children with mention of this temporary program. Child Care services are to be provided for the Medical Center employees daily Monday thru Friday 6am to 6pm. Vendor: ____________________ shall contact parents on days that the center will be closed for care for any reason and will contact the agency if payment would still be required for that day(s). Each contractor s proposal will be required to provide: Copy of the childcare facility s licenses, permits, and certifications required by Pennsylvania state law. List of key personnel to include qualifications, formal training, and licenses/certifications. Detailed program information on services available. Educational program information, lesson plans, and capabilities for children utilizing schooling programs at the facility to include pre-school, remote schooling, and other Department of Education (DOE) programs. Schedule and description of activities for children in the before and after school programs with desired outcomes. Technological capabilities for children enrolled for remote schooling. Schedule and description of programs for children in the ages that precede formal schooling (i.e. 0-4 years of age). Provide a list of additional resources provided through the facility such as diapers and wipes, baby formula, snacks/lunches, and other necessities for care. Detailed description of safety measures taken during the pandemic for staff and children. Last inspection completed by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Department of Human Services (DHS) proving the facility meets regulatory standards for providing a safe and healthy environment. VAPHS will pay Vendor:____________________________ in accordance with the specified rates below: Vendor shall document, and provide to VHA, the employee name, number of children (per employee), ages and date of service supporting all amounts billed under this contract. Delivery: All services are to be provided in person. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS: Copy of the childcare facility s licenses, permits, and certifications required by Pennsylvania state law while in performance of this contract. PROGRESS AND COMPLIANCE: All services are to be in coordination with the registered employees from the VAPHS. All contracted facilities must comply with Pennsylvania s Child Care compliance standards listed in Title 55 Chapter 3270. Measure: Compliance Standard: Title 55 Chapter 3270; Release of Information; Certificate of Compliance; Privacy, Confidentiality and Staff qualifications. Acceptable Quality Level: 100% compliance; no deviations. Surveillance Method: Successful proof of all applicable license. Frequency: Per Contractor requirements Measure: Direct Child Care Safety Standard: Child Safety- The contracted facility shall maintain a safe environment. Acceptable Method: 95% Surveillance Method: Per Contractor s Standards Frequency: Quarterly Measure: Direct Child Care-Emergencies Standard: Respond to emergency situations in accordance with parent/guardian agreement with contracted facility. Acceptable Method: 95% Surveillance Method: Per Contractor s Standards Frequency: Quarterly CUSTOMER SERVICES/CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS: If this method is used, explain how data will be collected and reported. 5.3.1. Measure: Customer Complaints 5.3.1.1. Standard: Complaints about the quality of care are reported by parents to the COR or HR POC, and the Contracting Officer for resolution. 5.3.1.2. Acceptable Quality Level: 95% compliance; no deviations. 4.3.1.3. Surveillance Method: Review of employee/parents report as well as Contractor s reports 4.3.1.4. Frequency: Quarterly NOTES AND OTHER INFORMATION: Any additional charge in excess of the service contract must have the prior approval of the VAPHS and Contracting Officer before costs are incurred. The VA Medical Center will not be responsible for any child not picked up from the facility or cover any injuries that may occur during the hours that the Vendor:____________________________________ is caring for their children. REQUIRED REGISTRATION WITH CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM (CPARS) As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.15, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates Contractor past performance on all contracts that exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold and shares those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the Contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement VA uses an online database, CPARS, which is maintained by the Naval Seal Logistics Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. CPARS has connectivity with the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) database, which is available to all Federal agencies. PPIRS is the system used to collect and retrieve performance assessment reports used in source selection determinations and completed CPARS report cards transferred to PPIRS. CPARS also includes access to the federal awardee performance and integrity information system (FAPIIS). FAPIIS is a web-enabled application accessed via CPARS for Contractor responsibility determination information. Each Contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold requires a CPARS evaluation.  A government Focal Point will register your contract within thirty days after contract award and, at that time, you will receive an email message with a User ID (to be used when reviewing evaluations).  Additional information regarding the evaluation process can be found at www.cpars.gov or if you have any questions, you may contact the Customer Support Desk @ DSN: 684-1690 or COMM: 207-438-1690. For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the Contractor s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract, when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the Contractor s designated representative for comment. The Contractor representative will have sixty (60) days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the CO. Failure for the Contractor s representative to respond to the evaluation within those sixty (60) days, will result in the Government s evaluation being placed on file in the database with a statement that the Contractor failed to respond; the Contractor s representative will be locked out of the evaluation and may no longer send comments. BILLING: Costs are responsibility of VA contracting this service; primary VAMC is not responsible and cannot be billed. The contractor shall accept payment for services rendered under this contract as payment in full. VA beneficiaries shall not under any circumstances be charged nor their insurance companies charged for services rendered by the Contractor, even if VA does not pay for those services. This provision shall survive the termination or ending of the contract. To the extent that the Veteran desires services which are not a VA benefit or covered under the terms of this contract, the Contractor must notify the Veteran that there will be a charge for such service and that the VA will not be responsible for payment. The contractor shall not bill, charge, collect a deposit from, seek compensation, remuneration, or reimbursement from, or have any recourse against, any person or entity other than VA for services provided pursuant to this contract. It shall be considered fraudulent for the Contractor to bill other third-party insurance sources (including Medicare) for services rendered to Veteran enrollees under this contract. Payments will only be made for actual services rendered. The contractor shall submit the invoice and all supporting documentation monthly in arrears covering the services performed under this contract. Subsequent changes or corrections shall be submitted by separate invoice and associated forms as outlined. The invoices must include: Name and Address of Contractor Invoice Date Contract Number Name of employee/parent children(s) (only in secure pre-bill invoice)- VA employee s name, description services per contract line items of time, hours, rate, and amount charged for each VA employee s child. Contract Rate Dates of Service covered under the contracted rate Listing of all services. Unit cost per services per contract rate Total invoice cost VENDOR ELECTRONIC INVOICE SUBMISSION METHODS Facsimile, e-mail, and scanned documents are not acceptable forms of submission for payment requests. Electronic form means an automated system transmitting information electronically according to the accepted electronic data transmission methods below: Invoices will be electronically submitted to the Tungsten website at https://www.tungsten-network.com/us/support/. Tungsten direct vendor support number is 877-489-6135 for VA contracts. The VA-FSC pays all associated transaction fees for VA orders. During Implementation (technical set-up) Tungsten will confirm your Taxpayer ID Number with the VA-FSC. This process can take up to 5 business days to complete to ensure your invoice is automatically routed to your Certifying Official for approval and payment. In order to successfully submit an invoice to VA-FSC please review How to Create an Invoice within the how to guides. All invoices submitted through Tungsten to the VA-FSC should mirror your current submission of Invoice, with the following items required. Clarification of additional requirements should be confirmed with your Certifying Official (your CO or buyer). The VA-FSC requires specific information in compliance with the Prompt Pay Act and Business Requirements. For additional information, please contact: Tungsten Support Phone: 1-877-489-6135 Website: https://www.tungsten-network.com/us/support/ Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Service Center Phone: 1-877-353-9791 Email:
[email protected] A capability statement addressing your organization s ability to perform the required services. This must include a statement explaining your capability to service the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare system, at the following: University Campus, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240 & H.J. Heinz Campus, 1010 Delafield Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 and the ability to provide all items listed in the Scope of Work, for childcare services. All potential contractors will need to be registered through the Government website, System for Award Management (SAM) prior to award. https://www.sam.gov Department of Labor (DOL) wage determination accessible at: https://beta.sam.gov Response due: 3PM EST on April 26, 2021 via email to
[email protected] and include the Sources Sought Notice Number in the Subject Line See attached document: Wage Determination.