Send a capability statement, no more than one page in length; to include Company Name, Duns Number, Socioeconomic Category, brief description of your business entities capability to handle this particular project in the Pittsburgh area, website and GSA Contract number & or other VA Medical Center contract information. Email to
[email protected], Jeffrey Pruett with 36C24419Q0338 in the email Subject line, no later than 8:00 am Friday February 28th, 2020. STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) Subscriptions FY20 Lebanon VA Medical Center BACKGROUND The Lebanon VA Medical Center utilized in past years the existing BOA that the Veterans Affairs Library Network Office had in place. This BOA has expired. Lebanon VAMC recommends the utilization of the direct pay under the FEDLINK contract. Ebsco Industries has been our subscription service for the past 12 years and have had competitive pricing. It would be preferred to continue with Ebsco Industries to keep continuity to access for medical center staff. SCOPE OF WORK Contractors shall be responsible for the management, labor and equipment necessary to provide subscriptions for databases, e-books, e-journals, point-of-care and other related online services from multiple publishing houses to the Lebanon VA Medical Center. Subscriptions shall include single or multiple addresses for domestic and foreign periodicals and related services. Related services include paying publishers, handling claims for non-receipt, cancellations, submission of required reports and other service problems. Approximately 99% of subscriptions placed by the Customers will be renewal subscriptions. Attached is the list of titles for FY20 purchase. PERFORMANCE PERIOD The period of performance shall be for one year from 4/15/2020 to 4/14/2021. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE All work shall be performed at the Contractors facilities. TASKS AND DELIVERABLES Contractors shall provide all Tasks and Deliverables described to the Lebanon VA Medical Center Library. BASIC SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Contractors shall provide basic subscription services that would include all of the tasks necessary to execute and manage orders for new and renewal subscriptions to publications. These tasks fall into the following four critical areas: (1) Ordering subscriptions; (2) Serving as the fiscal agent with publishers, including making timely prepayments, processing refunds, claims, supplemental and bill-later charges; (3) Ensuring timely and complete delivery of ordered subscriptions; and (4) Providing reports and other administrative support for subscriptions management. Attached is a list of subscription titles to order for the performance period. Order and Renewal Services Contractors shall provide subscription services for all subscriptions in all media generally available via agents from foreign and domestic publishers, if the ordering customer can supply sufficient publication information. After the initial year, the Contractors shall forward a copy of the renewal list to the Station by July 15. The Medical Library at the Lebanon VA Medical Center will review the confirmation list for accuracy, make any editing or other changes, and forward the confirmation list to the Contractors. Contractors shall place the renewal orders in an electronic format with the publishers within ten (10) business days of receiving the confirmation list or authorization to order, whichever is later. In those cases where follow up is required by the Contractors before an order can be placed, the Contractors shall notify the Medical Library within five (5) business days of the problem and resolve in an expeditious manner. Contractors shall supply materials from a wide range of publishers, to include, but not limited to: Medical publishers General circulation periodical publishers Trade publishers University presses Societies and Associations, Scientific Societies and Associations, Non-Scientific Small Presses Non-paper format publishers Government agencies Quasi-Governmental organizations (e.g., United Nations, World Health Organization) Subject areas shall include materials in the following listing of subject/categories (Not intended to be all inclusive): Health Sciences Allied Health Sciences Social and Behavioral Sciences Science and Technology Management Business and Administration Marketing General Interest Subscription Periods Publisher permitting, Contractors shall be required to place subscriptions at any time during the year, to provide common expiration dates for initial subscription and renewals whenever possible, and to assist in prorating for common expiration dates, as required Contractors shall provide administrative and other services for each subscription placed until three months after its expiration or for the life of the subscription (e.g., the publication of the last issue covered by that subscription period). Order Placement In support of basic order and renewal services, Contractors shall perform the following services and provide products as described below. 1. Subscription Renewal Lists - At a minimum, Contractors shall be able to provide a renewal list as described below. Contractors may propose other. The lists shall be provided in MS Excel format with optional print delivery. The Station provides Contractors listings by multiple ship-to addresses by category, i.e., medical, general, administrative; Contractors shall respond to the lists in the same manner. The listings shall be on separate pages for each "Ship to" address, shall alphabetically list all subscription titles ordered or on record for that consignee, and shall contain the following information: Complete "Bill to" and "Ship to" address Contract and Delivery order number Title Quantity Subscription Period based on VA Data New, Renewal, Subscription added or Transfer Price: To contain latest known publishers' rates currently available, and the date for which that price was obtained. Indicate if publications are free to the Government or other institutions and how to obtain them, include titles which are part of memberships and/or combination subscriptions, and titles available direct from publisher only. Service fee Frequency Bibliographic status of those titles currently under review for renewal All additional titles which may not be due for renewal, but which are on record . Renewal documents; to contain an 80 character capacity local information field or fields for the storing of unique data for each title (e.g., internal fund accounting, subject identification, VA assigned numbers) Listing of any "direct only" titles, or titles which the Contractors cannot supply Listing of "standing order" or "billed as published" titles Documented constraints (i.e., irregular publication, discontinued, volume year or calendar year basis only, publisher will not pro-rate, no refund available,) shall be noted on subscription listing International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Publisher 2. Continuations Initial pre-order price quotes will contain estimates of costs for "bill-later" items. In subsequent years, estimates of such continuations will be included on renewal lists to ensure funding availability is maintained. After "bill-later" titles have been invoiced, the Contractors shall supply, at no charge, a listing by title showing titles billed versus those not yet billed. Contractors shall provide notification of bill-laters and associated price. The Stations will determine whether or not to proceed with purchase of bill-laters. 3. Rush Orders Upon receipt of a rush order request from an authorized agent from the Station, Contractors shall communicate that order to the publisher with 24-hours. If the publisher will not accept the order without prior payment, the Contractors shall send out such payment within that same 24-hour period. Contractors shall accept orders of any size, at any time, without adding any penalty fee. 4. Catalog Contractors shall provide an annual catalog of periodical titles available. The catalog shall be available to the customer electronically, e.g. via Internet, at no additional charge to the agency. The catalogs shall have as a minimum the following information: Titles ISSN or ISBN Cost Frequency Enumeration Descriptive Information (e.g., title changes with cross references; memberships, if available; publisher, if available) Documented constraints Instructions for electronic access to the publications 5. Notification Of Ceased Or Discontinued Titles Contractors shall notify VA Stations of any ceased or discontinued titles within 30 calendar days. Payment Contractors shall pay all regular subscription orders in advance to the publishers or in accordance with the publisher s agreement, prior to submission of first invoice. Upon request, the contractor shall provide proof of payment of any order invoiced. Changes and frequency of publications will not be justification of additional costs. Administrative Services Contractors shall provide the following administrative services to support subscription ordering services. Claims For Missing, Defective Or Mutilated Issues Contractors shall be the contract liaison for all VA Stations in obtaining from the publisher replacement copies of periodicals found to be defective, mutilated, lost in transit, or otherwise missing, provided the loss is reported within sixty business days. Contractors shall provide back issue ordering if requested. Contractors shall notify publishers within one (1) business day of receiving a claim. Contractors shall offer electronic claims services at no additional charge. Contractors shall, upon request of the Government, demonstrate or make available for review its electronic claims system prior to contract award. Contractors shall provide the necessary training and written documentation to enable each effective use the electronic claims system. Contractors shall supply VA and all "ship-to" addressees with full service assistance in claiming missing issues. The claim notice sent from the Contractors to the publisher shall include the following information: Title being claimed Specific issues Date of Contractors order to publishers Order period Amount paid Proof of payment Change of address, if any Contractors shall handle claims for any subscription for up to three (3) months after the life of the subscription. Refunds For Lost Periodicals, Replacements And Discontinuance Of Publication In the case where replacement is unavailable and refunds are offered instead, Contractors shall make a refund in full of all amounts paid by the VA Station. Contractors shall provide refunds or substitute materials from publishers for unexpired portions of subscriptions which discontinue publication during the life of the subscription. Refunds For Cancellations When a refund has been requested due to timely cancellation (in accordance with the agreed upon cancellation/refund policy of the publisher) of a subscription, Contractors shall provide refunds to the VA Station. Contractors shall provide the Station with the option of receiving a refund or accepting a credit when refunds are due. Duplicate Issues Contractors shall deal directly with the publisher to correct duplicate issue errors. Bill-To and Ship-To Addresses Contractors shall support multiple shipping addresses, domestic and foreign, under one billing address. VA Station addresses shall have the capacity for up to five (5) lines, with each line up to 30 characters. Change Of Address Contractors shall notify the publisher of changes of address within five (5) business days of notification by the consignee. Membership Entitlements Contractors shall note in the invoice all publications and/or materials received through memberships (e.g., title, frequency, quantity of each publication, and special membership benefits). Sample Copies Contractors shall request sample copies of periodicals when requested to do so by VA. The Contractors shall also provide pertinent information on new titles. Back Issues Upon request from a VA Station, Contractors shall acquire back issues of a title for up to one (1) year prior to the date of the current volume. Contractor Representative Contractors shall assign a representative by name to provide personalized assistance for each VA Station account. The personal representative shall provide assistance between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in each of the time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific). Contractors shall assign one Project/Program Manager to work directly with the VA COR regarding all accounts. The Project/Program Manager shall participate in quarterly status meetings where outstanding or unresolved issues will be addressed. Toll-Free Telephone Number Contractors shall provide a toll-free telephone line for Stations to utilize in contacting their Contractors representative between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in each of the time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific.) Contractors shall respond messages within 24 hours or the next business day. Information Bulletins Contractors shall provide monthly email information bulletins updating the latest known information on various publication titles, to minimally include: Ceased publications Suspended publications Publication delays Publishing frequency changes Title changes Title mergers or absorptions Title splits Price changes Other Communication Contractors shall email all administrative information not covered in information bulletins (excluding claims) to the library staff. Library Management Reports 1. Specifications Determined at the TO level at no additional charge and on demand, Contractors shall provide listings containing all or part of the following information as specified by VA and shall describe their capabilities to provide listings and reports in the desired MS Office format. Title Ship-to-address Invoice-item number Purchase order (PO) number Subscription period Quantity Frequency Price with adjustments and estimates Volume ISSN or ISBN Station number Publisher 2. Sorting - In addition, the Contractors reports shall be formatted so that VA has the capability of sorting, subtotaling and retotaling the reports by any of the above included fields of information. 3. Medium - Contractors shall provide reports in the desired MS Office format, with optional print delivery of reports. The Customer retains the right to choose which format to receive. 4. Minimum Required Reports - At a minimum, Contractors shall provide the following reports at no charge: Claims List Determined at the TO level, Contractors shall provide to the station a monthly listing of all outstanding claims and any responses received from the publishers. The report shall be cumulative, by title, for all unresolved claims. Subscription Status Information Determined at the TO level, Contractors shall notify the station in writing of any irregularity or change in subscription status, such as: bill-later, non-cancelable, slow, irregular, discontinued, order direct, standing order, split title, not due for renewal at this time, period restricted, establishing contact with publisher, temporarily suspended publication, foreign title, estimated price, and price increases since last billing published price on a monthly basis. Consolidated Reports - Individual station(s) will monitor local deliverables; however, a degree of centralized monitoring will be performed by the COR at the BOA level. The Contractors shall provide the following annual cumulative (for all contract users) reports to the COR and the station PM: Information on economic factors affecting coming year prices, such as forested publisher price increases, exchange rates, and other information for both domestic and foreign medical publishers. 2. Contractors shall maintain complete records of all bibliographic and financial transactions of each Station for up to five (5) years or the life of the contract. The Contractors shall provide to VA immediate access to these records on demand. If required by VA, the Contractors shall provide copies of these documents at no cost. The Contractors shall retain the original records on-site. Quarterly Status Reports At the BOA level, Contractors shall prepare and submit Quarterly Status Reports to the COR at least five (5) business days prior to Quarterly Status Meetings, as scheduled, during which the report will be reviewed. These reports shall include descriptions of problems or problem areas identified, and how they were addressed, and an explanation of how the results were "globalized" to all VA locations; actions taken by the Contractors to improve publisher response to claims; programs developed to reduce costs to VA. Customer Satisfaction Survey - In April of each year, Contractors shall distribute a Customer Satisfaction Survey to all VA consignees. By June 1st, the Contractors shall receipt, compile and analyze Survey results, submit a report to the COR explaining the results of the survey, and delineate what actions, if any, are recommended to resolve problems and improve customer satisfaction. Annual Spending and Title Report Contractors shall provide a consolidated report to the COR and PM detailing the titles ordered, the quantity, and total price per title. Additional Reports Contractors shall describe additional available reports, if any, that have not already been included in Paragraph 5.1, Basic Subscription Services. Include data available in electronic format, in addition to Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) records, and the formats in which the data is available. 5. Required Reports Copies of all final orders from all VA facilities shall be emailed to
[email protected]. The Library Network Office (LNO) requires notification of finalized orders to allow adjustments to local facilities' Athens and Serials Solutions accounts. Reports shall indicate a title level listing of resources purchased. This list includes: Single online journal subscriptions purchased outside of a database or package Database purchases Backfile purchases by title or package name Point of care products Journal package names Any other formats that can affect Athens or Serials Solutions accuracy Print only journals or print book titles do not have to be reported, but can be for contractors administrative ease. REQUIRED SUPPORT SERVICES Contractors shall offer, and customers may require, the following items at an additional charge. OPTIONAL SPECIALIZED SUPPORT SERVICES Contractors who offer access to electronic publications (e-journals) may offer related systems for managing access to electronic subscriptions and articles via the Web. Contractors may offer management of electronic publication subscriptions, licenses, links, user authorizations and usage data, customized access or file groupings for individual or consortium, customers, collection assessment and collection development reports. Pricing formulas should be predefined where possible. Fair and reasonable customer specific offerings may be negotiated on an individual basis by VA either for individual customer or for consortia. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES Personnel Contractors shall ensure that key personnel have at least three (3) years of experience in servicing organizations similar in size, scope, and complexity to VA. Past experience in servicing clients in the health sciences fields is required. The position of Representative is considered key personnel. Electronic Data Records Contractors shall have the capacity to maintain accurate and current information regarding periodical titles, prices, publisher information, claims status, billing and financial information, communication with consignee locations, address and mailing list maintenance. Financial Resources Contractors shall have the financial resources to pay publishers in full and in advance for all VA orders placed with them. Contractors shall further demonstrate sufficient equity and/or credit lines to guarantee prepayment to publishers. The availability of equity and/or credit lines to cover debts incurred in fulfilling all obligations under this award shall be certified to the Contracting Officer prior to the award and annually thereafter. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Method And Distribution Of Deliverables: Contractors shall deliver documentation in electronic format, unless otherwise directed. Attachment 1 Subscription Request FY20 Subscriptions should be online institutional subscriptions - IP authenticated if possible. AHFS Drug Information Paper Renewal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Renewal American Journal of Hypertension Renewal Audio Digest ANESTHESIOLOGY Renewal Audio Digest FAMILY PRACTICE Renewal Audio Digest Gastroenterology New Audio Digest General Surgery Renewal Audio Digest Internal Medicine Renewal Audio Digest NEJM Journal Watch Audio General Medicine New Audio Digest Psychiatry Renewal CPT Assistant Renewal Federal Soup Renewal Federal Times Renewal Gordon J. Christiansen's Clinicians Report Renewal Health Affairs Renewal Journal of American Podiatric Medical Association Renewal Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy Renewal Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling Renewal Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine Renewal King Guide to Parenteral Admixtures Renewal Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics Renewal OfficePro Renewal Pharmacist's Letter Renewal Pharmacy Technician's Letter Renewal Psychiatry Drug Alerts Renewal Psychological Reports Renewal Radiology Renewal Subscriptions in print Copies Birds & Blooms 5 Car and Driver 2 Food and Wine 1 Good Old Days 5 National Geographic 5 New Day 1 New Yorker 1 Pennsylvania Game News Magazine 5 People 1 Quality Find the Word 3 Reader's Digest Large Print 5 Sports Illustrated 1 Sunset 2 Time 3 True West 5 What Every Veteran Should Know plus Supplements 1 Attachment 2 Justification of Journal Selection The subscription list was developed by reviewing the journal usage of FY19, journal cost increases, requests from staff, and reviewing requested items obtained on interlibrary loan to comply with the copyright law. 27 titles are listed for staff usage and 16 titles are needed for patient areas. The 27 staff titles are not duplicated by central office or VISN purchases.