Description
Veterans Health Affairs, Network Contracting Office 5, is issuing this Notice of Intent to Sole Source in order to identify any potential sources that have the resources and capabilities to provide Agricultural/Behavioral Training. This requirement is defined primary by existing training already in place at the Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center. All responses to this Intent to Sole Source are due by 1/3/2020 2:00 PM EST STATEMENT OF WORK AGRICULTURAL TRAINING GENERAL: This Statement of Work (SOW) describes the Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center s needs related to the training aspects of the existing Agricultural Training/Behavioral Healthcare services program. We currently require a contractor to provide agricultural training using a classroom curriculum, onsite permaculture development, and maintenance of existing agriculture from February 1, 2020 September 30, 2020. The contractor shall develop a curriculum which encompasses classroom training in a vast spectrum of agricultural topics; agricultural internships; hands-on participation in permaculture development; business planning and development; maintenance, use and expansion of established agriculture on VA grounds; and pop-up Farmers Markets. Training Five cycles of training 10 to 12 participants per cycle, per specifications in SECTION D.a. below. Internship Individualized internships for each participant, per specifications in SECTION D.b. below. Permaculture Development The contractor will design and develop permaculture on VA grounds per specifications in SECTION D.c. below. Business Planning and Development Production, business and market planning; as well as, assistance with start- up/scale up of agribusiness for any interested participant for the duration of the contract per specifications in SECTION D.d. below. Agricultural Maintenance Current agriculture related to the VA FARMS program on VA grounds will be utilized, expanded and maintained per specifications in SECTION D.e. below. Farmers Markets Pop up Farmers Markets will be held during the contract period per specifications in SECTION D.f. below. LOCATIONS and SCHEDULE OF SERVICES PROVIDED: Services will be provided to the following locations: Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center, 1540 Spring Valley Drive, Huntington, WV Five cycles of classroom training (excluding internship) Permaculture development Business planning and development Agricultural expansion/maintenance Farmers Markets Specific locations to be identified by the contractor for internships in the Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center catchment area as specified in SECTION D.b. below. 581-20-1-1997-0008 WORK HOURS: Work Hours: Work is to be performed in accordance with the schedule specified in SECTION D.a. below. No activities are expected to be conducted on National Holidays: The ten holidays observed by the Federal Government are: New Year s Day, Martin Luther King s Birthday, President s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday. SPECIFICATIONS: TRAINING: The contractor is responsible for providing five cycles of training to participants who are referred by VAMC point of contact. Each cycle will consist of 120 training hours, unless decreased due to a training date falling on a federal holiday. The curriculum will be developed by the contractor to prepare participants for employment (including self-employment) in agribusinesses. Topic areas may include, but not be limited to, the following: Farm readiness, safety, agricultural regulations, production of traditional and niche crops, marketing strategies, pathways to agriculture, business planning and development, etc. Participants may attend any or all of the 120 hours of training in a cycle. In addition to classroom training, under contractor instruction and supervision, participants will actively participate in preparing, planting, expanding, maintaining and harvesting permaculture and existing agriculture. Training is to be conducted according to the schedule below: 1. Cycle 1: March 3, 2020 July 9, 2020 Every other Tuesday and Thursday 8:00am - 2:00pm 2. Cycle 2: March 6, 2020 July 11, 2020 Every other Friday and Saturday Friday 5:00pm 9:00pm (No class July 3, 2020) Saturday 8:00am 4:00pm 3. Cycle 3: March 9, 2020 July 17, 2020 Every other Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5:00pm 9:00pm Cycle 4: July 20, 2020 September 25, 2020 Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday 5:00pm 9:00pm (No class September 7, 2020) Cycle 5: July 21, 2020 September 24, 2020 Every Tuesday and Thursday 8:00am 2:00pm INTERNSHIPS: Internships will be coordinated for each participant. The contractor will identify two-week internships for participants with local agribusinesses. Each week will offer the participants 40 hours of hands-on training/skills development in a specialized area of agriculture. The internship will be located within the defined zone encompassing the participant s county of residence as follows: ZONE 1: Cabell, Wayne, Putnam, Mason or Kanawha Counties in WV ZONE 2: Boone, Lincoln, Logan or Mingo Counties in WV ZONE 3: Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup or Lewis Counties in Kentucky ZONE 4: Floyd, Lawrence, Johnson, Martin, Magoffin, or Pike Counties in Kentucky ZONE 5: Lawrence or Gallia Counties in Ohio Should no participant reside within a zone during a cycle, no internship will be developed in the zone during that cycle. Exceptions to zone internship placement will be allowed should a Veteran request placement in an existing internship in a different zone based on area of production specialty, crop specialty or other agricultural interest. PERMACULTURE DEVELOPMENT: The contractor will design and develop permaculture on VA grounds. Permaculture is defined as a design system for creating sustainable human environments. This type of agricultural system is to be developed on the grounds of the medical center along the previously designed trail. The contractor will design sustainable systems to include a minimum of water systems, energy systems, and food systems. The contractor will purchase, transport, store and maintain all required materials, supplies and equipment. Specific examples of permaculture development will include: Water Systems Rainfall catchment Drainage Water retention Energy Systems Cycle and Recycle Thermodynamics Renewable Solar Food Systems (annual crops, perennial crops, agroforestry) Fruit trees (For example: pawpaw, persimmon) Nut trees (For example: hickory, walnut) Mushrooms (For example: chanterelle, morel) Roots (For example: ginseng, bloodroot) Pollinator plants (For example: milkweed, elderberry) Berries (For example: mulberries, elderberries) Alliums (For example: garlic, ramps) Herbs (For example: goldenseal, lemon balm) Plants (For example: mayapples, Jack-in-the-pulpit) The contractor shall design the permaculture as appropriate to the local environment. All systems (water, energy, food) will consider existing environment and future sustainability. Systems will be implemented following approval by the Contractors Officer Representative (COR). The contractor will be responsible for staff and the purchase and provision of all required equipment and supplies including all seeds, plants, trees, etc. using contract funding. BUSINESS PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT: The contractor will provide production, business and market planning; as well as, assistance with start-up/scale up of agribusiness for any interested participant for the duration of the contract. AGRICULTURAL MAINTENANCE: The contractor will utilize, expand and maintain current agriculture related to the VA FARMS program on VA grounds. The contractor will purchase, transport, store and maintain all required materials, supplies and equipment. Areas currently included are the high tunnel, bees, mushrooms and orchard. High Tunnel Ensure that the plastic film covering is whole, and that any ripped/torn areas are repaired/replaced timely Regularly check for structural soundness of frame and perform any needed repairs if damaged Ensure proper operation of roll-up side flaps and door Maintain pavers, gravel, border and replace as required Inspect raised beds and repair if needed Plant, care for and water seeds/plants; minimum of two plantings; one cool weather planting and one warm weather planting Regularly check humidity, soil quality, etc. and maintain through watering, mulching, fertilizing, and opening/closing side flaps as needed for temperature control Harvest product and provide to VAMC VA FARMS contact Following harvest, pull and discard plants Appropriately weatherize as required Bees Regularly inspect existing beehives Repair or replace damaged or missing parts Perform required maintenance such as installation of excluders and supers Winterize and de-winterize as appropriate Feed and medicate bees on required schedule Guard against parasites and other invasive species Expand by adding a minimum of one additional hive/apiary Collect honey if sufficient stores are produced and provide to VAMC VA FARMS contact Mushrooms Regularly inspect current mushroom garden Replace logs when needed Inoculate for continuous Shitake mushroom production Expand mushroom production to include a minimum of one additional species Harvest mushrooms and provide to VAMC VA FARMS contact Orchard Inspect existing fruit trees Repair or replace damaged fencing Water trees regularly and/or inspect, fill, or replace water bladders Maintain trees through pruning and/or grafting Expand orchard through planting a minimum of six additional trees to include at least one sweet cherry variety other than Eastern Bing and at least one Pawpaw other than Asimina Triloba, to ensure proper pollination and maximum yield of current trees. Harvest fruit and provide to VAMC VA FARMS contact FARMERS MARKETS: The contractor will plan, schedule and coordinate a minimum of four (4) pop-up Farmers Markets on the grounds of the Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center during the contract period. The contractor will demonstrate efforts made to locate vendors willing to participate in setting up and selling goods at the Farmers Markets, with an emphasis on recruiting Veteran producers to promote both the sale of Veteran agricultural goods and to provide opportunities for training participants to interact and learn entrepreneurial skills from existing Veteran producers. PERSONNEL: The contractor is responsible for providing personnel with appropriate skills to perform the following: Training/Training Coordination: Provide classroom and hands-on activities and/or assist guest instructors during entire 120 hours of each cycle Prepare and provide modifications to ensure instruction in the event that a scheduled guest instructor/speaker/specialist is unavailable Arrange sub-contractors, educational institution partners, subject matter experts and local producers as instructors Develop and coordinate internships Agricultural Maintenance: Properly and regularly utilize and maintain existing agriculture (high tunnel, bees, mushrooms, fruit trees) Expand existing agriculture as specified in D.e. Permaculture: Design, develop, and implement permaculture systems along previously designed trail as specified in D.c. Maintain permaculture OVERSIGHT: The contractor shall provide supervision for administration and oversight of all aspects of the Veterans agricultural training provided under this contract. TRAINING MATERIALS: The contractor will provide all classroom materials, IT equipment and supplies for the classroom training. AGRICULTURAL MATERIALS: The contractor will provide, store, transport and maintain all materials, plants/trees, tools, supplies and equipment required for all agricultural maintenance and expansion and all permaculture development. COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: Privacy of Veteran patients/participants is regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); as well as federal, state, VA, and local regulations governing protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). Unless otherwise specified, it shall be the contractor s responsibility to identify the applicable federal/VA, state and local laws and regulations and apply the procedures and protocols as required. VA policy will be provided by the COR. Environmental Programs are typically regulated by public law and statutes; departmental, agency and government instructions, regulations, directives, and other state and local regulations. Unless otherwise specified, it shall be the contractor s responsibility to identify the applicable federal/VA, state and local laws and regulations and apply the procedures and protocols as required. VA policy will be provided by the COR. POINT OF CONTACT: The contractor shall appoint a point of contact that will have the responsibility to respond to customer needs in accordance with this contract. He/she will ensure emergent needs are appropriately addressed within 24 hours and that all other needs are addressed with the VAMC VA FARMS point of contact in the manner required to provide the services defined above without interruption. QUALITY ASSURANCE/CONTROL The contractor shall have a quality control program to ensure the requirements of this contract are provided as specified. This document shall be made available to the Government within 30 days of contract award and monthly thereafter. The program will include, but will not be limited to the following: A tracking system covering the services listed in the Scope of Work A method of identifying deficiencies in the quality of services performed before the level of performance becomes unacceptable which would include cancelled classes, personnel shortages, failure to maintain/expand agriculture on VA grounds and/or failure to design, develop and implement permaculture along trail A record of all services/projects provided by the contractor and all corrective actions taken REQUIRED CONTRACTOR REPORTING The contractor is responsible for supplying, completing and submitting all reports required or requested by Federal, State or local ordinances, which pertain to any duties contained in the contract. All tasks accomplished by contractor personnel will be performed to preclude damage or disfigurement of govern-owned furnishing, fixtures, equipment and structures. The contractor will report any damages caused by his/her agent and will be responsible for repairing or replacing to the VA s satisfaction. The government will not be held responsible for loss or damage to the contractor s equipment or belongings. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL BADGES, KEYS AND PARKING: Within 30 days of contract award, the contractor shall provide the COR with a list of trainers (including sub-contractors) and guest trainers expected to enter the buildings and to train participants. Listing must include name, affiliation, address, and telephone number of each individual. Additions are to be submitted to COR before individual arrives on VA property. While on VA premises, all contractor personnel, guest and sub- contractors shall comply with the rules, regulations, and procedures governing the conduct of personnel and the operation of the facility. If warranted, an access badge and/or key will be given to the contractor s employees upon entrance into VA buildings. The contractor employees must safeguard the access badge/key and immediately report any lost, stolen, or destroyed badges/keys to the COR. All contract personnel must properly display their access badges. Access badges must be worn at or above the waist (facing forward.). The contractor s employees must return the access badge(s)/keys to the COR or designee when requested. The contractor shall be required to comply with all security policies/requirements of the Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center. All security policies/requirements must be met and employees cleared prior to the contractor performing work under this contract. Employees that cannot meet the security and clearance requirements shall not be allowed to perform work under this contract. Employees may be required to attend or complete privacy training. It is the responsibility of the contractor s personnel to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Parking information shall be coordinated with the COR. The Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center does not validate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the contractor s personnel under any circumstance. The contractor will ensure that employees assigned to this contract possess basic proficiency in spoken and written English. INTERFERENCE TO NORMAL FUNCTION: Contractor may be required to interrupt their work at any time so as not to interfere with the normal functioning of the facility, including utility services, fire protection systems, and passage of facility patients, personnel, equipment and carts. In the event of an emergency, contractor services may be stopped and rescheduled at no additional cost to the government. DELIVERABLES Contractor shall provide the COR the complete curriculum within 30 days of contract award. The curriculum is to include the specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials used to organize and teach the complete Agricultural Training course. The contractor will compile and maintain a listing of sub-contractors, educational partners, subject matter experts, practicing producers, agricultural organizations, internships and all other affiliate partners to include point of contact, affiliation, address, and telephone number. The listing is to be submitted to the COR within 30 days of contract award and monthly thereafter. Contractor shall provide a list of all equipment, supplies, materials, tools, and all expendables with proof of purchase including cost per item. The list shall include the storage location, use or final disposition of each item purchased under the contract and will be submitted to the COR monthly. The contractor will provide documentation of personnel hours worked under this contract, to include compensation, benefits, travel and other expenses. This documentation is to be submitted with the monthly invoice. The contractor is required to track the number of: program participants per cycle attendance rate per participant number of participants provided production, business and market planning number of participants assisted with start-up/scale up of agribusiness These documents shall be submitted to the COR at the completion of each cycle. The contractor will provide a written contingency plan in the event circumstances disrupt the ability to provide training services. The plan is to be developed and submitted to the COR within 30 days of contract award. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT PART C SUPPORTING INFORMATION Place of Performance 1540 Spring Valley Drive, Huntington WV 25704 and within required zones for internships within the Hershel Woody Williams VA Medical Center catchment area. Period of Performance The contract period will be per the following schedule: February 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020. Special Considerations Furnished Materials All labor, materials, equipment to perform the job. When furnish , provide , install , or similar term is used it shall mean a complete installation, ready for use. The Contractor shall supply all parts, equipment, material and labor to perform the work described above. The work will include all items as described in the Statement of Work listed above. Government Furnished Materials and Services. Government furnished property, if any, will be identified and will only be used for the performance of this contract unless otherwise authorized by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall take every step necessary for maintenance and preservation of all Government- furnished property. The Contractor shall comply with all reasonable requests of the Contracting Officer to enclose, or specifically protect, Government-furnished property. Qualifications of Key Personnel Contractor employees should be knowledgeable of standards associated with this type work. Supervision/Communications. At all times during the performance, the Contractor s point of contact shall be available by cellular phone. Prior to beginning any work, the contractor shall supply the COR with the telephone number for the point of contact. Security Requirements: Contractor shall identify which employees will be working under the awarded contract. Contractor personnel shall include employees, sub employees, suppliers and delivery personnel entering the Medical Center. This does not apply to suppliers and delivery personnel only making deliveries to the VA. Those employees shall bring photo ID to obtain an identification badge that shall be worn above the belt while on Medical Center property. Contractor employees shall return all I.D. badges to designated personnel at time designated in the task order. The COR is responsible for the inspection of the work called for in this job. The COR will be identified in the task order by name, telephone number and location. Inspections made by the COR are for the sole benefit of the Government and do not relieve the contractor of any quality control responsibilities. The contractor s point of contact is responsible for safety inspections of all contract operations. The contractor point of contact will be identified in the task order by name, phone number and location. Smoking Policy. Contractor shall not allow smoking or vaping on VA grounds. Parking/Traffic Regulations. Contractor shall not park on grassy areas unless approved by the COR and the Contractor agrees to restore areas back to VA standards. Drivers should be particularly concerned with pedestrian traffic. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Posted speed limits and all other traffic controls are to be observed by operators. Seat belt use is mandatory on the VA grounds.