SYNOPSIS: This RFI is issued solely for Industry Day Announcement and does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ)/Invitation for Bid (IFB)/Request for Proposal (RFP). This notice does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is not seeking quotes, bids or proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals in response to this sources sought notice. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), 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. Submittals will not be returned to the responder. This is in follow up to Request for Information 36C79119Q0017 issued April 8, 2019. The purpose of this industry day is for the VA to (i) provide general information on a potential solicitation; (ii) share an overview of the department s current state of eyeglasses; (iii) outline its plan to establish a national or regional contract for eyeglasses and; (iv) solicit industry feedback. The city and date are listed below, and the exact location will be provided through RSVP. Attendance is voluntary and not required for proposing to future potential solicitations. OVERVIEW: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to providing Veterans timely, accessible, and high-quality care by expanding care to community providers. Community Care Network (CCN) allows the VA to refer eligible Veterans to non-VA providers for health care related services when the VA cannot provide the necessary services due to the capacity of the VA, the nature of the services required, the geographic availability of such services and the emergent need for services. VA can refer an eligible Veteran to a community provider for optometry care/eye examination. The provision of the eyeglasses and related optical services (as described below) are not part of the CCN contract. If the Veteran requires eyeglasses, the community provider must complete an eyeglass prescription and provide to the Veteran or submit it to the local VA. Veteran must return to their local VA for the selection of their frame and frame measurements. The local VA would then submit the eyeglass request to their own facility or Network-wide contracted vendor, or internal VA fabrication facility, to fabricate the eyeglasses. Veteran may also be required to return to the VA after receiving their eyeglasses for any eyeglass adjustments. The goal of this potential requirement is to improve the Veteran experience by providing the ability to obtain eyeglasses (frame, lens, fitting, adjustments) from a location that is more accessible to where the Veteran had their Optical exam within the community and/or the Veterans home. The VA intends to contract with vendor(s) that can provide complete prescription eyeglasses for eligible Veterans referred to CCN for optometry care/eye exam and require prescription eyeglasses in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Eyeglasses lens will be all types, to include but not limited to, single vision, bifocal, trifocal, oversized lenses, progressive, etc. Availability of multiple lenses will be required such as poly-carbonate, plastic, photochromatic, tint, etc. In addition, the VA intends to solicit for optical services as a part of this requirement. Optical services will be limited to assistance with frame selection, measurements, adjustments and repairs. Optical service must be available at multiple locations throughout the country and provide closer access to Veteran s residence than what VA can currently provide. Optical services must also be provided by a certified and/or registered optician. Eyeglasses may be mailed directly to the Veteran s residence. INDUSTRY DAY LOCATION, TIME AND DATE: Industry day is scheduled for August 21, 2019 and August 22, 2019 in Golden, CO. A General Session will take place on August 21, 2019. The General Session is intended to be an open forum, and an opportunity for collaboration between the VA and industry. One-on-One sessions will be offered on August 22, 2019. These sessions are an opportunity for vendors to meet One-on-One with representatives from VA to allow for direct questions and information sharing. Each One-on-One session will be limited to 45 minutes. Given the operations focus of the market research being conducted, we request that your team be comprised primarily of program management, information technology specialist(s) or technical expert and operations personnel. Of course, business development and sales personnel are welcome at your discretion. However, we do request that the majority of the team attending have operational expertise. The information obtained from the sessions will be used to improve the government s knowledge of private industry s capabilities. No evaluation of participating contractors will occur and your participation in the sessions is not a promise of future business with Department of Veteran Affairs. No contract will be awarded from these meetings. It is our intent that formal competitive packages will be developed using information gathered from these market research sessions. The government will evaluate proposals and award any contractual documents in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation processes and procedures. Please RSVP to the Contracting Officer, Kristin Decker, at
[email protected]. Please include the company name, address and number of attendees. If you would like to have a One-on-One session with the VA Team please indicate in the response, and a time will be scheduled for Thursday, August 22nd, for a 45 minute block. One-on-One sessions are restricted to one per vendor. Advance submission of questions and discussion topics for the One-on-One session is not required but is allowable. Again, the VA appreciates your cooperation and looks forward to a meaningful and very productive session. If you have any questions regarding the Industry Day, please contact the Contracting Officer at
[email protected].