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This RFI is being posted to identify capable and interested companies for the requirement, as well as request feedback on the below Statement of Work (SOW). The VA would like to set up an indefinite-quantity contract to allow for task orders to be issued as asbestos abatement needs come up.
The VA would like to request two items as a result of this posting:

If you are interested and capable of a contract of this type, please respond to the CO, via email, and provide the following:
Business Name
UEI No.
Small Business Size Status

Please provide any comments you have about the below SOW. We have not been able to identify any others contract like this in place and would like contractor s input. Specifically comments on the below items:
How long could a contract reasonably be in place (one year, five years, rtc.).
Would the two items cover most asbestos project that come up at this location or do others need to be added.
Is putting this need under one contract feasible? The concern is how many different kinds of asbestos there is and we don t know the difference cost associated with one to another.

STATEMENT OF WORK
Asbestos Abatement and Miscellaneous Hazardous Substance Removal
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

The VA Medical Center, located at 1481 West 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, has discovered several buildings that contain Asbestos. A site survey was performed due to a need for Asbestos Abatement and Miscellaneous Hazardous Substance Removal (Construction) services associated with the VA Medical Center. The VA estimates approximately.
5000 square feet (Sq. ft.) flooring and associated mastic (non-friable). Estimated at approximately 25 square feet per area.
500 Linear feet of up to 2.5-inch pipe insulation (non-friable / friable) existing steam and condensate lines with bridge exposed ends. Lead paint may be present, OSHA lead safe work practice. Estimated at approximately 10 linear feet per area.
OBJECTIVE

The Government and the Contractor understand and agree that the construction services to be performed under this contract by the Contractor to the Government are non-personal services and the parties recognize and agree that no employer-employee or master-servant relationships exist or will exist under the contract between the Government and the Contractor s employees.

The contractor shall furnish all materials, labor, equipment, training, transportation, and personnel necessary to accomplish Asbestos Abatement tasks in accordance with VA provided drawings and specifications.

The contractor is required to be located within an area permitting a maximum of a four (4) hour response time to the location listed above and sub-contractor restrictions of not more than 30%. The Contractor s office/location must be operational upon award of the contract and throughout the duration of the performance and must be open for business from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays and weekends.
The Government will provide specifications and drawings of all buildings where the work is to be performed.

NORMAL OPERATING HOURS

Normal work hours are 7:30A.M. to 4:30P.M. (CDT/EDT ), Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays and weekends. Contractors must obtain written permission from the Contracting Officer at least 4 working days prior to work on Saturdays, Sundays, or Federal holidays. The following federal holidays are observed:

New Year s Day Independence Day
Labor Day Columbus Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Veterans Day
Presidents Day Thanksgiving Day
Memorial Day Christmas Day
Juneteenth
CONTRACTOR STAFF AND EMPLOYEES

Prior to commencing work all required submittals per specification are required. Contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer with the telephone number at which the contractor or his/her designated representative may be contacted at any time during regular working hours and an emergency number which the contractor may be contacted in situations requiring immediate attention. The above-mentioned representative, if provided, must be delegated in writing to act on the behalf of the principle/President/CEO of the company.

The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contractor s employees performing services under this contract. Such employees shall be accountable not to the Government, but solely to the contractor, who, in turn, is responsible to the Government. At all times during the performance of each Task Order under this contract, and until the work under that Task Order is completed and accepted, the contractor shall directly oversee the work under each Task Order, or assign, and have on each work site, a competent representative who is satisfactory to the Contracting Officer and has authority to act for the contractor. This may include a working supervisor.

All work under this contract shall be performed in a skillful and workmanlike manner. The Contracting Officer may require, in writing, the contractor to remove from the job site any employee the Contracting Officer deems incompetent, careless, or otherwise objectionable.

PROGRESS MEETINGS

Progress meetings shall be held (frequency determined by the C.O.R), between the contractor and the Government to discuss work progress, problems and potential modifications.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

This is an indefinite quantity contract for, Asbestos Abatement and Miscellaneous Hazardous Substance Removal. Task orders may be issued from XX through XX.

A specific period of performance shall be negotiated for each task order issued under this contract, and once agreed upon, the performance period shall be mandatory.

SPECIFICATIONS

Work is to be accomplished in accordance with VA MASTER CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS SECTION VA 02 82.11, 13.13, 13.19, 13.21, 13.31, 13.41, 02 83.33.13, VA 01.35.26 and GEMS Contract Specification (facility specific specification).

If lead containing paint (LCP) will be impacted during work activities to access pipe insulation within a concealed space, the requirements of OSHA 29 CFR 1926.62 Lead in Construction applies.
Use procedures and equipment required to limit occupational and environmental lead exposure when lead based paint is removed according to 29 CFR Part 1926.62.
Before exposure to lead contaminated dust, provide workers with comprehensive medical examination required by 29 CFR Part 1926.62 (j) Medical Surveillance.
Train each employee performing paint removal, disposal, and air sampling operations according to 29 CFR Part 1926.62.
Certify training is completed before employee is permitted to work on project and enter lead control area.

This regulation is available for review at the VA Office of Construction & Facilities Management Technical Information Library at https://www.cfm.va.gov/til/spec.asp#02. A copy of each section is available for review by the contractor for work required.

SCHEDULING OF WORK

Before commencement of work under an individual task order, the contractor shall confer with the Contracting Officer s Representative, as well as the building occupant, and agree on a sequence of procedures; means of access to premises and building; space for storage of materials and equipment; delivery of materials and use of approaches; use of corridors, stairways, elevators, and similar means of communications; location of partitions, eating spaces, and restrooms for contractor employees; and the like.

Delivery of materials and equipment shall be made with a minimum of interference to Government operations and personnel.

The work shall, so far as practicable, be done in definite sections or divisions, and confined to limited areas which shall be completed before work in other sections or divisions is begun.

Most work will be performed in occupied areas. The contractor shall take all precautions to ensure that no damage will result from his operations to private or public property. All damages shall be repaired or replaced by the contractor at no cost to the Government.

The contractor shall be responsible for providing all work site protective barriers and site control devices. This includes but is not limited to: protective fences; protective tapes; and protective signage. The contractor shall be responsible for providing all necessary traffic control, such as, street blockages, traffic cones, flagman, etc., as required for each specific task order, at no additional cost to the Government. Proposed traffic control methods shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer s representative for final approval. No street shall be completely closed to traffic without prior approval from the Contracting Officer s representative.

At the beginning of each working day, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer s representative of the location(s) of work to be accomplished that day.

All temporary outages of any utility services required for the performance of work shall be scheduled with the Contracting Officer s representative no less than five (5) working days in advance of such outages. Request for power outages must be in writing.

STATUS REPORTS

The contractor shall prepare and furnish weekly a report on all open task orders. The Contracting Officer will approve the format and content of the report. The report will be broken out by Medical Center. A copy of the Medical Center s open projects will be provided to the Contracting Officer s representative located at the applicable facility, and a copy will be provided to the Contracting Officer. Information contained in the status report should identify the task order number, title of task order, issue date, award date, start date, dollar amount, required completion date, actual completion date, schedule progress and actual progress percentage, and comments. The contractor is required to submit a progress chart and construction cost breakdown for each task order as required in General Conditions 4.85 Schedule of Work Progress .

CONTRACTOR ACCESS

Most work will be in occupied areas. The area wherein work is to be performed under this contract may be occupied by Government services during the construction period. The contractor shall have access to that portion of the area within which work is to be performed. The movement of contractor personnel, equipment, materials, and tools shall be confined to this area so as not to interfere with ongoing operations in the work areas. The C&A requirements do not apply and a Security Accreditation package is not required.

CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL

The Contractor Quality Control (QC) Plan, with which the contractor proposes to implement the requirements of FAR Clause 52.246-12, entitled Inspection of Construction , shall identify personnel, procedures, instructions, records, and forms to be used. After contract award, and prior to commencement of work under individual task orders, the contractor s Quality Control Plan shall be received, reviewed, and formally accepted in writing by the Contracting Officer. Failure to execute the Quality Control Plan shall result in withholding of funds from progress payments in accordance with FAR Clause 52.232-5, entitled Payments Under Fixed-Price Construction Contracts . In general, the contractor s quality control plan must address how they intend to assure that their construction complies with the requirements of the contract plans and specifications.

Coordination Meeting

Prior to the issuance of the first task order, the contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer or designated representative and discuss the contractor s quality control system. During the meeting, a mutual understanding of the system details shall be developed, including the forms for recording the CQC operations, control activities, testing, administration of the system for both on-site and off-site work, and the interrelationship of contractor s inspection and control with the Government s Quality Assurance.

A description of the quality control organization, including chart showing lines of authority and acknowledgement that the CQC staff shall report to the project manager or someone higher in the contractor s organization.

The qualifications, duties, responsibilities, and authorities of each person assigned a quality control function.

A copy of the letter to the Quality Control Manager, signed by an authorized official of the firm, which describes the responsibilities and delegates the authorities of the Quality Control Manager, shall be furnished.

Procedures for scheduling and managing submittals, including those of subcontractors, offsite fabricators, suppliers, and purchasing agents.

Control testing procedures for each specific test performed on any task order will be submitted and approved prior to the start of construction on that task order (Laboratory facilities will be approved by the Contracting Officer).

Reporting procedures, including proposed reporting formats and distribution of the documents.

The Government reserves the right to require the contractor to make changes in his CQC Plan and operations as necessary to obtain the quality specified. These changes must be submitted to and approved by the Contracting Officer. Notification of Changes: The contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing of any proposed changes. Proposed changes are subject to acceptance by the Contracting Officer.

Quality Control Organization

QC System Manager: The contractor shall identify an individual, within his organization, who shall be responsible for overall management of QC and have authority to act in all CQC matters for the contractor. The QC System Manager shall be approved by the Contracting Officer and replaced if the QC System Manager is unable or unwilling to perform his duties as prescribed.

Personnel: A staff shall be maintained under the direction of the QC System Manger to perform all quality control activities. The actual strength of the staff during any specific work period may vary to cover work phase needs, shifts, and rate of placement. The personnel of this staff shall be fully qualified by experience and technical training to perform their assigned responsibilities and shall be directly hired by and work for the prime contractor.

Minimum Qualifications: Inspectors shall have working knowledge of general construction. The major areas of construction are electrical, mechanical, site work, masonry, finish work, and carpentry. The inspectors may have expertise in one or two areas and may inspect those areas when that type of work is ongoing.

Minimum Staffing: Each task order in progress shall be comprehensively inspected at least daily, and these inspections shall be documented.

SUBMITTALS

The QC organization shall be responsible for certifying that all submittals are in compliance with the contract requirements.

CONTROL

Contractor quality control is the means by which the contractor assures himself that his construction complies with the requirements of the contract plans and specifications. The controls shall be adequate to cover all construction operations, including both on-site and off-site fabrication, and will be keyed to the proposed construction sequence. Quality control includes, as a minimum, the following functions:

All submittals are submitted in a timely fashion.
The submittals are approved.
The supplies that are delivered are the same as the ones on the submittal.
The supplies are in the proper condition when delivered.
The supplies are stored properly.
The construction equipment is correct and meets contract requirements.
Testing provisions are reviewed, and testing equipment and personnel are available and correct.
All tests are performed at the proper times and in the proper places.
All test reports meet contract requirements.
The workers are cognizant of the required level of workmanship.
Inspect each area of work to ensure the preparation for the work is correct.
Inspect each feature of the work to ascertain that no deficient work is covered up by succeeding work.
Inspections shall continue throughout the contract.
Document all inspections.
The documentation covers both conforming and defective work.
All deficiencies are corrected.
Develop procedures to ensure that deficiencies do not recur.
Develop a punch list for the completion inspection.
Government officials are notified at the proper times of inspections or tests that are required.

TESTS

Testing Procedures: The contractor shall perform tests specified or required to verify the control measures are adequate to provide a product which conforms to contract requirements. The contractor shall procure the services of an industry recognized testing laboratory or establish an approved testing laboratory at the project site.

Documentation

The contractor shall maintain current records of quality control operations, activities and tests performed, including the work of suppliers and subcontractors. The records shall be on the Daily Construction Quality Control Report and indicate a description of trades working on the project, the number of personnel working, the weather conditions encountered, any delays encountered, and acknowledgement of deficiencies noted, along with the corrective action taken on current and previous deficiencies. In addition, these records shall include factual evidence that required activities or tests have been performed, including, but not limited to, the following:

Type and number of control activities and tests involved;
Results of control activities or tests;
Nature of defects, causes for rejection, etc.;
Proposed remedial action; and
Corrective actions taken
These records shall cover both conforming and defective or deficient features and shall include a statement that supplies, and material incorporated in the work have been inspected and comply with the contract. Two (2) legible copies of these records shall be furnished to the Contracting Officer s Representative daily.

SAFETY ASSURANCE

Preconstruction Safety Meetings: Representatives of the contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer or his/her representatives prior to the start of repair, alteration, or construction activities for the purpose of reviewing the contractor s safety and health programs and discussing implementation of all safety and health provisions pertinent to the work to be performed under the contract. Preconstruction Safety Meetings shall be coordinated by the Contracting Officer or his/her representative. The contractor shall be prepared to discuss, in detail, the measures he/she intends to take in order to control any unsafe or unhealthy conditions associated with the work to be performed under the contract. This meeting may be held in conjunction with the preconstruction conference, if so directed by the Contracting Officer or his/her designated representative. The conduct of this meeting is not contingent upon a general preconstruction meeting. The level of detail for the safety meeting is dependent upon the nature of the work and the potential inherent hazards. The contractor s principal representative(s), the general superintendent, and his/her safety representative(s) shall attend this meeting. Contractor Responsibility: The contractor shall assume full responsibility and liability for compliance with all applicable regulations pertaining to the health and safety of personnel during the execution of work and shall hold the Government harmless for any action on his part or that of his employees or subcontractors, which results in illness, injury, or death. Contractors are required to report, timely, any accidents or injuries to the Contracting Officer. Inspection, Tests, and Reports: The required inspections, tests, and reports made by the contractor, subcontractors, specially trained technicians, equipment manufacturers, and others, as required by a task order, shall be furnished in accordance with the terms of the task order. Materials and Equipment: Special facilities, devices, equipment, clothing, and similar items used by the contractor in the execution of work shall comply with the applicable regulations.

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