Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local PTAC (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHEMENTS

This is a Sources Sought only. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is performing market research to determine if there are any vendors, regardless of business size, that can provide Phlebotomist FTE Staffing Services for the VA Central California Healthcare System (VACCHCS) as described as described below.

There is no solicitation document as this time. The NAICS is 561320 with Small Business size of $34.0 million. NOTE: Please ensure that System for Award Management (SAM) (www.sam.gov) indicates this NAICS code if you are interested in the requirement.

Only firms interested and capable should send their information and/or capability statement by email to joshua.barrios@va.gov no later than 15:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time, June 9, 2023.

If interested, please provide the following information:

Name of Company

Point of Contact Name, phone number, and email address

SAM UEI

Socio-economic status such as Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, VOSB, Women-Owned Small Business, etc. should be included. SDVOSB/VOSB status will be verified using VetBiz.

Capability statements

Estimated FTE Phlebotomist Pricing Data (if available) and any planned sub-contracting.

Estimated Quantities

Four (4) FTE MTN (Phlebotomist) for one year (2,080 hours) in accordance with the PWS, equating to an estimated quantity of 8,320 FTE hours per year for 5 years, estimated Period of Performance: 12/01/2023 11/30/2028.

Before responding please carefully read and consider the following:

As this is a service acquisition, the Small Business Administration and the Federal Acquisition Regulation have a Limitations on Subcontracting requirement. For all small businesses, to include SDVOSB and VOSB, At least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern. See FAR 52.219-14 and FAR 52.219-27 available in full text at https://www.acquisition.gov/far/html/52_217_221.html

DISCLAIMER

This Sources Sought notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this request that is marked proprietary will be handled accordingly. The Government will not compensate an offeror for providing information in response to this sources sought. Furthermore, the Government reserves the right to cancel this requirement at its discretion. This is simply a sources sought notice.

Description of Requirement:

GENERAL

Services Provided: The Contractor shall provide Medical Technicians (Phlebotomist) personnel services for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the VA Central California Health Care System (VACCHCS).

The Contractor shall provide a minimum of one (1) up to four (4) Phlebotomists during the period of performance.

Place of Performance: Contractor shall furnish services at the Fresno VA Medical Center, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (P&LM) Service, 2615 E. Clinton Ave., Fresno, CA 93703.

QUALIFICATIONS

Staff/Facility

License/Certification: Contract personnel must have a current phlebotomy certification; proof of current certification must be provided prior to in-processing, and at the certificate renewal date. All continuing education courses required for maintaining certification must be kept up to date. Documentation verifying current certification shall be provided by the Contractor to the COR on an annual basis for each year of contract performance or upon request.

Technical Proficiency: Contract phlebotomists, shall be technically proficient in the skills necessary to fulfill the government s requirements, including the ability to speak, understand, read, and write English fluently.

Contractor personnel shall be responsible for abiding by the VA Facility's Medical Staff By-Laws, rules, and regulations (referenced herein) that govern medical staff behavior.

Training (BLS, ACLS, CPRS, and VA MANDATORY): All contract Phlebotomists with access to personal health information (PHI) records (electronic or paper) will be required to complete VA Information Security, Veteran s Health Administration (VHA) Privacy Policy, and Rules of Behavior Training prior to their first scheduled day. This training must also be completed annually.

Within 30 calendar days of reporting, Contractor personnel must complete additional training as required by VHA, including but not limited to patient safety, body mechanics, Compliance and Business Integrity, Infection Control, VA Core Values, Environment of Care, Sexual Harassment/No Fear, ICARE Values. This training must also be completed annually. The COR will be responsible for ensuring and documenting that this requirement is satisfied.

Standard Personnel Testing (PPD, etc.): contract phlebotomists shall provide proof of the following tests for technicians within five calendar days after contract award and prior to the first duty shift to the COR and CO. Tests shall be current within the past year.

TUBERCULOSIS TESTING: Contractor shall provide proof of a negative reaction to PPD testing for all contract Phlebotomists, A negative chest radiographic report for active tuberculosis shall be provided in cases of positive PPD results. The PPD test shall be repeated annually.

RUBELLA TESTING: Contractor shall provide proof of immunization for all contract Phlebotomists for measles, mumps, rubella, or a rubella titer of 1.8 or greater. If the titer is less than 1.8, a rubella immunization shall be administered with follow- up documentation to the COR.

OSHA REGULATION CONCERNING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS: Contractor shall provide generic self-study training for all contract Phlebotomists; provide their own Hepatitis B vaccination series at no cost to the VA if they elect to receive it; maintain an exposure determination and control plan; maintain required records; and ensure that proper follow-up evaluation is provided following an exposure incident. The VAMC shall notify the Contractor of any significant communicable disease exposures as appropriate. Contractor shall adhere to current CDC/HICPAC Guideline for Infection Control in health care personnel (as published in American Journal for Infection Control AJIC, 1998; 26:289-354 (http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/InfectControl98.pdf ) for disease control. Contractor shall provide follow up documentation of clearance to return to the workplace prior to their return.

Conflict of Interest: The Contractor and all contract Phlebotomists are responsible for identifying and communicating to the CO and COR any conflicts of interest at the time of proposal and during the entirety of contract performance. At the time of proposal, the Contractor shall provide a statement that describes, in a concise manner, all relevant facts concerning any past, present, or currently planned interest (financial, contractual, organizational, or otherwise) or actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest relating to the services to be provided. The Contractor shall also provide statements containing the same information for any identified consultants or subcontractors who shall provide services. The Contractor must also provide relevant facts that show how it s organizational and/or management system or other actions would avoid or mitigate any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest. These statements shall be in response to the VAAR provision 852.209-70 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (Jan 2008) and fully outlined in response to the subject attachment in Section D of the solicitation document.

Citizenship Related Requirements: While performing services for the VA, the Contractor shall not knowingly employ, contract, or subcontract with an illegal alien foreign national non-immigrant who is in violation their status, as a result of their failure to maintain or comply with the terms and conditions of their admission into the United States. The Contractor must return a signed certification at the time of proposal that the Contractor shall comply with any and all legal provisions contained in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, As Amended, its related laws and regulations that are enforced by Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S Department of Labor as these may relate to non-immigrant foreign nationals working under contract or subcontract for the Contractor while providing services to the VA. This certification concerns a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States and the making of a false, fictitious, or fraudulent certification may render the maker subject to prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and is applicable to the entire period of performance (POP). The certification shall be made as part of the offerors response to the request for proposal (RFP) using the subject attachment in Section D of the solicitation document.

Annual Office of Inspector General (OIG) Statement: In accordance with HIPAA and the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1977, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has established a list of parties and entities excluded from Federal health care programs. Specifically, the listed parties and entities may not receive Federal Health Care program payments due to fraud and/or abuse of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

HHS OIG Exclusion List: Contractor shall review the HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities on the HHS OIG web site at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/index.asp to ensure that the proposed contract Phlebotomists are not listed. Contractor should note that any excluded individual or entity that submits a claim for reimbursement to a Federal health care program, or causes such a claim to be submitted, may be subject to a Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) for each item or service furnished during a period that the person was excluded and may also be subject to treble damages for the amount claimed for each item or service. CMPs may also be imposed against the Contractor that employs or enters into contracts with excluded individuals to provide items or services to Federal program beneficiaries.

Verify HHS OIG List: By submitting their proposal, the Contractor certifies that the HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities has been reviewed and that the Contractors firm and/or Contractor technicians provided are not listed as of the date the offer/bid was signed.

Clinical/Professional Direction: The qualifications of Contractor personnel are subject to review by the Chief of P&LM Service or his/her designee and the VA Medical Center Chief of Staff (COS) or his/her clinical designee and approval by the Medical Center Director as provided in VHA Handbook 1100.19. Clinical/Professional direction of all clinical personnel covered by this contract will be provided by the VAMC COS and/or the Chief of the Service or his designee. A clinical COR may be appointed, however, only the CO is authorized to consider any contract modification request and/or make changes to the contract during the administration of the resultant contract.

Non-Personal Healthcare Services: The parties agree that the Contractor and all contract Phlebotomists shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose.

Inherent Government Functions: Contractor and contract Phlebotomists shall not perform inherently governmental functions. This includes, but is not limited to, determination of agency policy, determination of Federal program priorities for budget requests, direction and control of government employees (outside a clinical context), selection or non-selection of individuals for Federal Government employment including the interviewing of individuals for employment, approval of position descriptions and performance standards for Federal employees, approving any contractual documents, approval of Federal licensing actions and inspections, and/or determination of budget policy, guidance, and strategy.

No Employee status: The Contractor shall be responsible for protecting contract Phlebotomists furnishing services. To carry out this responsibility, the Contractor shall provide or certify that the following is provided for all their staff providing services under the resultant contract:

Workers compensation

Professional liability insurance

Health examinations

Income tax withholding, and

Social security payments.

Tort Liability: The Federal Tort Claims Act does not cover Contractor or Contractor staff. When a Contractor or contract Phlebotomists has been identified as a provider in a tort claim, the Contractor shall be responsible for notifying their legal counsel and/or insurance carrier. Any settlement or judgment arising from a Contractor s (or contract staff) action or non-action shall be the responsibility of the Contractor and/or insurance carrier.

Contingency Plan: Because continuity of care is an essential part of VA s medical services, The Contractor shall have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if the contract Phlebotomist leaves Contractor s employment or is unable to continue performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

HOURS OF OPERATION

VA Business Hours: VACCHCS Laboratory operates 24 hours/day, 7 days/week; including Federal Holidays.

Work Schedule: Contract phlebotomists work hours will vary depending upon the need of P&LM Service and the availability of staff personnel. Contract phlebotomists shall be required to work rotating 8-hour shifts including morning (0400-1430) day (0700-1530), evening (1530 -2300), and graveyard shifts (2300-0700). Including both weekends and holidays.

Federal Holidays: The following holidays are observed by the Department of Veterans Affairs:

New Year s Day

Presidents Day

Martin Luther King s Birthday

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving

Christmas

CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Personnel Required: The Contractor shall provide a minimum of one (1) up to four (4) Phlebotomists for a minimum of six months, who are competent and qualified as defined in this performance work statement, and adequately trained to perform assigned duties.

Contract phlebotomists shall be assigned a Tour-of-Duty which they are responsible for informing their contract agency for their official time sheets. The agency will present these timesheets to the Phlebotomy Supervisor and/or Laboratory Manager for signature and verification of hours worked. Once the hours are verified and the timesheets are signed they will be forwarded back to the contract agency for processing. If a contract Phlebotomist performs approved Over Time hours they will submit a properly filled out VA Form 1098 for approval. Once approved a copy of the form will be forwarded to the contract agency for processing.

Contract phlebotomists shall wear a VACCHCS required Personal Identity Validation (PIV) card on the front of their clothing, as is required of other employees working at VACCHCS.

Standards of Care: The contract phlebotomists care shall cover the range of routine and STAT testing on blood, urine and other body fluids in support of clinical chemistry, histology, toxicology, immunology, coagulation, hematology, urinalysis and microbiology as would be provided in a state-of-the-art health care facility and the standard of care shall be of a quality meeting or exceeding currently recognized national standards as established by:

VA Standards: VHA Directive 2006-041 Veterans Health Care Service Standards (expired but still in effect pending revision) https://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=1443

The professional standards of The Joint Commission (TJC) http://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/standards.aspx

The standards of the American Hospital Association (AHA) http://www.hpoe.org/resources?show=100&type=8

The requirements contained in this PWS.

Medical Records:

Authorities: contract phlebotomists providing healthcare services to VA patients shall be considered as part of the Department Healthcare Activity and shall comply with the U.S.C. 551a (Privacy Act), 38 U.S.C. 5701 (Confidentiality of Claimants Records), 5 U.S.C. 552 (FOIA), 38 U.S.C. 5705 (Confidentiality of Medical Quality Assurance Records), 38 U.S.C. 7332 (Confidentiality of Certain Medical Records), Title 5 U.S.C. § 522a (Records Maintained on Individuals),as well as 45 C.F.R. Parts 160, 162, and 164 (HIPAA).

HIPAA: This contract and its requirements meet exception in 45 CFR 164.502(e) and do not require a business associate agreement (BAA) in order for Covered Entity to disclose Protected Health Information to a health care provider for treatment. Based on this exception, a BAA is not required for this contract. Treatment and administrative patient records generated by this contract or provided to the Contractors by the VA are covered by the VA system of records entitled Patient Medical Records-VA (24VA19). Contractor generated VA Patient records are the property of the VA and shall not be accessed, released, transferred, or destroyed except in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Contractor shall ensure that all records pertaining to medical care and services are available for immediate transmission when requested by the VA. Records identified for review, audit, or evaluation by VA representatives and authorized federal and state officials shall be accessed on-site during normal business hours or mailed by the Contractor at his expense. Contractor shall deliver all final patient records, correspondence, and notes to the VA within twenty-one (21) calendar days after the contract expiration date.

Disclosure: contract phlebotomists may have access to patient medical records; however, contract phlebotomists shall obtain permission from the VA before disclosing any patient information. Subject to applicable federal confidentiality or privacy laws, the Contractor, or their designated representatives, and designated representatives of federal regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the Contractor, may have access to VA s records, at VA s place of business on request during normal business hours, to inspect and review and make copies of such records. The VA will provide the Contractor with a copy of VHA Handbook 1907.1, Health Information management and Health Records and VHA Handbook 1605.1, Privacy and Release of Information. The penalties and liabilities for the unauthorized disclosure of VA patient information, mandated by the statutes and regulations mentioned above, apply to the Contractor.

Professional Standards for Documenting Care: Care shall be appropriately documented in medical records in accordance with standard commercial practice and guidelines established by VHA Handbook 1907.01 Health Information Management and Health Records: http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2791 and all guidelines provided by the VAMC.

Release of Information: The VA shall maintain control of releasing any patient medical information and will follow policies and standards as defined, but not limited to Privacy Act requirements. In the case of the VA authorizing the Contractor to release patient information, the Contractor in compliance with VA regulations, and at his/her own expense, shall use VA Form 3288, Request for and Consent to Release of Information from Individual s Records, to process Release of Information Requests. In addition, the Contractor shall be responsible for locating and forwarding records not kept at their facility. The VA s Release of Information Section shall provide the Contractor with assistance in completing forms. Additionally, the Contractor shall use VA Form 10-5345, Request for and Authorization to Release Medical Records or Health Information, when releasing records protected by 38 U.S.C. 7332. Treatment and release records shall include the patient s consent form. Completed Release of Information requests will be forwarded to the Privacy Officer at the following address:

Privacy & FOIA Officer (00)

Veterans Affairs Medical Center

2615 E. Clinton Ave

Fresno, CA 93703

Direct Patient Care: contract phlebotomists will spend 100% of their work time involved in direct patient care.

Services: Contractor shall assign qualified, certified Phlebotomists to provide clinical laboratory services in support of VACCHCS providers. Contractor shall ensure that all contract personnel have met the qualifying criteria, including current and valid certifications, and experience. It is the Contractor s responsibility to ensure Contract staff is current with certifications. This information shall be relayed to the CORs as it becomes available. Ultimately, the decision to reject and accept Contract Staff rests with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Scope of Care: Contractor and Phlebotomists (as appropriate and within scope of practice/ privileging) shall be responsible for providing routine and STAT testing on blood, urine and other body fluids Services, including, but not limited to:

Collecting, transporting, processing, and evaluating specimen suitability for testing, including receiving, delivering, and storing specimens for all lab sections.

Patient Safety Compliance and Reporting: Contract phlebotomists shall follow all established patient safety and infection control standards of care. contract phlebotomists shall make every effort to prevent falls, and patient injury caused by acts of commission or omission in the delivery of care. All events related to patient injury and other breeches of patient safety shall be reported to the COR per VA Safety Policy.

Patient safety incidents must be reported immediately using the P&LM Service incident reporting form. At the time of completion, contract phlebotomists shall forward a copy to COR and shall follow-up with VA as required or requested.

Performance Standards, Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Improvement (QI)

Contract Quality Management/Surveillance Monitoring: Contractor performance will be monitored by the government using the standards as outlined in this PWS and methods of surveillance detailed in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). The QASP shall be attached to the resultant contract and shall define the methods and frequency of surveillance conducted.

Patient Complaints: The CO will resolve complaints concerning Contractor relations with the Government employees or patients. The CO is final authority on validating complaints. In the event that the Contractor is involved and named in a validated patient complaint, the Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of the services of such personnel. This does not preclude refusal in the event of incidents involving physical or verbal abuse.

Measure: Maintains licensing, registration, and certification

Performance Requirement: Updated Licensing, registration and certification shall be provided as they are renewed. Licensing and registration information kept current.

Standard: All (100%) licensing, registration(s) and certification(s) for contract all texting personnel shall be provided as they are renewed or as requested by the CO/COR.

Surveillance Method: Submitted annually or at CO/COR request

Measure: Access/Timeliness

Performance requirement: Contractor shall be on time and available to perform services.

Standard: 97% of Quality Goals are met

Surveillance Method: Timecard maintained by Laboratory Manager

Measure: Mandatory Training

Performance Requirement: Contractor testing staff shall complete all required training on time per VACCHS policy

Standard: All (100%) of required training is completed on time by contractor testing personnel

Surveillance Method: Submitted annually or immediately for new hires or at CO/COR request.

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 $150,000 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.

CPARS Registration: Each Contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed $150,000 is required to register with CPARS database at the following web address: www.cpars.csd.disa.mil. Help in registering can be obtained by contacting Customer Support Desk @ COMM: 207-438-1690. Registration should occur no later than thirty days after contract award and must be kept current should there be any change to the Contractor s registered representative.

CPARS Evaluation: For contracts with a period of one year or less, the CO will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the CO 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 thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the CO.

CPARS Failure: Failure to have a current registration with the CPARS database, or to re-assign the report to the CO within those thirty days, will result in the Government s evaluation being placed on file in the database with a statement that the Contractor failed to respond.

Clinical Services Review: All clinical services provided under this contract will be subject to Quality Assurance and Utilization Review procedures of VACCHCS. Quality assurance of clinical procedures provided by contract Phlebotomists are monitored through personal observations of the Chief of P&LM Service or his/her designee.

Quality Assurance Standards: The contractor personnel shall perform services under this contract in accordance with the ethical, professional, and technical standards of the healthcare industry, and must meet, or exceed, the current quality assurance standards recognized by The Joint Commission and mandated by VHA quality assurance policies and/or performance measures.

Quarterly Review: The results of contractor s services are subjected to quarterly review and identified against quality assurance outcome indicators of primary and secondary major morbidity, minor morbidity, and additional complications. Quality Assurance Outcome Indicators are detailed further in the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan for this contract.

New Procedures: In order to adequately protect VA patients, the contractor personnel shall not introduce substantially new procedures or services without prior recommendation to and approval from the VACCHCS Chief of P&LM Service.

Conflicting Situations: The contractor personnel will not participate in, nor be a party to, any activities that are in conflict with Federal and/or State guidelines. In the event the contractor employee encounters said conflicting situations, the contractor employee will notify the COR or the CO to resolve such issues. The CO will document and be responsible for resolution of any such situations. Neither the VA nor the contractor employee will be responsible for any delays or failures to perform due to causes beyond each party's control.

(End Description of Requirement)