GENERAL: This is a pre-solicitation notice only and does not constitute a solicitation; accordingly, no response is due at this time, nor will any questions of a technical or contractual nature be answered. All questions will be answered via an amendment to the solicitation once the solicitation is issued. The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) anticipates issuing a solicitation for the following project: PROJECT TITLE: Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Services Nationwide. PROJECT SCOPE: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has authority, pursuant to Title 38 U.S.C. Chapters 18, 31, 35 and 36, to provide all services and assistance necessary to enable eligible Claimants with service-connected disabilities to obtain and maintain suitable employment and, if not employable, achieve independence in daily living to the maximum extent feasible. To accomplish this responsibility, the Veteran Readiness and Employment Service Division (VR&E) within each Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) Regional Office s (RO) jurisdiction undertakes an initial evaluation of the Servicemember/Claimant to determine his or her entitlement for these services and assist and develops, in cooperation with the Servicemember/Claimant, an Individualized Written Plan of Services. Rehabilitation plans include: an Individualized Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP) that outlines training and job placement services needed to achieve employment goals; an employment placement under an Individualized Employment Assistance Plan (IEAP); an Individualized Extended Evaluation Plan (IEEP) to determine feasibility for employment; or if employment is not possible, services to enhance the Claimant s independence in daily living under an Individualized Independent Living Plan (IILP). The VA is charged with providing assistance to Claimants with service-connected disabilities through VR&E services. In order to assure services in close geographic proximity to Claimants and to provide timely services when staff turnover occurs, Contractor assistance may be required to supplement VR&E services. Specialized services may also be required to complement services typically provided by VBA Staff. In order to provide these services, VR&E requires Contractor assistance in the following areas: (1) Initial evaluation; (2) Case management services; and (3) Job placement services to assist the Claimant in finding and maintaining suitable employment. The objective of the contract is to assist Servicemember/Claimants to obtain and maintain suitable employment. The VA is procuring local services for Claimants through VA s jurisdiction under a national contracting initiative. Under the terms of any awarded contract as a result of this solicitation, an authorized VR&E official will be responsible for: (1) Approval of rehabilitation plans and; (2) Approval or authorization of any specific expenditure or benefit to, or on behalf of, the Servicemember/Claimant whose case is referred to the Contractor. It is understood that no obligation will be incurred under the contract by the Government for any services or benefit to, or on behalf of, a Servicemember/Claimant without prior authorization issued by the designated VR&E official. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: CONUS and OCONUS SOLICITATION INFORMATION: The solicitation number is 36C10D22R0001. Specific instructions on submitting proposals will be contained in the solicitation documents. It is anticipated that the solicitation will be issued on or about May 1, 2022, with offers due at least 30 calendar days later. The entire solicitation package, including all attachments, will be available electronically at SAM.Gov (https://sam.gov). Paper copies of this solicitation will not be made available. PROCUREMENT TYPE: The Government anticipates negotiating, if necessary, and awarding multiple firm-fixed price contracts to meet this requirement. The Government will determine the best value to the Government based on Tradeoff Process in accordance with FAR Subpart 15.101-1 meeting or exceeding the requirement of the solicitation. Technical evaluation factors will be identified in the solicitation to ensure the prospective contractors understand and can comply with the requirements of the solicitation. This requirement is being procured in accordance with FAR Part 12 in conjunction with FAR Part 15. SET-ASIDE: A partial-set aside approach will be used as follows: Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVSOBs), Small Businesses (SB), and Large Business (LG). NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE AND SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD: The assigned NAICS code for this requirement is 624310 (Vocational Rehabilitation Services) and the Small Business Size Standard is $12 Million. PROJECT COMPLETION DATE: The project completion timeline is one (1) 12 month-Base Period, with four (4) 12-month Option Periods. Exercising any Option period is at the sole discretion of the Government. The period of performance for the base period is 12 months from the date of award. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT: Offerors shall be required to have a Unique Entity ID and an active registration in SAM, System for Award Management (Sam.gov), in order to conduct business with the Federal Government. Offerors will be required to complete Online Representations and Certifications at the SAM website. Offerors shall have an active SAM registration at time of proposal submission. Failure to have an active SAM registration at time of proposal submission shall render contractor s proposal non-responsive and ineligible for award. POINT OF CONTACT: Van Hale, Contract Specialist,
[email protected], 727-319-7940 Information contained in this announcement is subject to change