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THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought Notice only and is issued to conduct market research and gain knowledge of current market capabilities. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or a guarantee to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. This announcement is based on the best information available at this time and is subject to future amendment. No solicitation document is available at this time; this notice is to acquire information only.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 4, is conducting a market survey to identify potential sources to perform a firm fixed price contract for procurement of Onsite Urology Physician Staffing services, as synopsized below. The Government anticipates a performance period of five years.

PLEASE ONLY RESPOND IF CANDIDATES ARE IMMEDATELY AVAILABLE AND MEET THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE PWS TO INCLUDE 3 BOARD CERTIFIED UROLOISTS, 2 THAT ARE ROBOTICALLY TRAINED AND 1 BEING A FEMALE, AS THE EQUIPMENT IS ONSITE AT THE HOSPITAL

SYNOPSIS (NOT COMPREHENSIVE)

The Contractor shall furnish all personnel to provide services necessary to perform onsite Urology Physician Services to eligible beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Lebanon (hereinafter referred to as VAMC). The contractor s physician(s) care shall cover the range of Urology services as would be provided in a state-of-the-art civilian medical treatment facility and the standard of care shall be of a quality, meeting or exceeding currently recognized national standards as established by: American Urological Association Guidelines: https://www.auanet.org/education/aua-guidelines.cfm
Place of Performance: Services shall be provided on site, VAMC Lebanon, 1700 South Lincoln Ave, Lebanon PA, 17042.

GENERAL:
Services Provided: The Contractor shall provide Board Certified /Board Eligible Urology Physician Services on site in accordance with the specifications contained herein to beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Lebabon VAMC.
Place of Performance: Contractor shall furnish services at the Lebanon Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Lebanon VAMC) 1700 South Lincoln Ave, Lebanon PA, 17042 and the Cumberland County VA Clinic located at 5070 Ritter Rd, Mechanicsburg PA, 17055.

Authority: Title 38 USC 8153, Health Care Resources (HCR) sharing Authority OR Title 38 USC 513 General Contracting Authority (FOR FSS TASK ORDERS)
Policy/Handbooks: the contractor shall be subject to the following policies, including any subsequent updates during the period of performance:
VHA Handbook 1100.17: National Practitioner Data Bank Reports: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2135
VHA Handbook 1100.18: Reporting And Responding To State Licensing Boards:
https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9174
VHA Handbook 1100.19: Credentialing and Privileging: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2910
VHA Directive 1088 Communicating Test Results to Providers and Patients:
www.va.gov/ vhapublications/ viewpublication.asp?pub_id=3148
VHA Directive 1192.01: Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program:
https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=5472
VHA Directive 1220: Facility Procedure Complexity Designation Requirements to Perform Invasive Procedures In Any Clinical Setting:
https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8365
VHA Directive 1100.20 Credentialing of Health Care Providers: https://vaww.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9444
VA Directive 1663: Health Care Resources Contracting Buying: https://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=969&FType=2
VHA Directive 1907.01: VHA Health Information Management and Health Records:
https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=9235
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) as amended: http://www.justice.gov/oip/foia_updates/Vol_XVII_4/page2.htm

QUALIFICATIONS:
Staff/Facility
License: The Contractor s physician(s) assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall have a current license to practice medicine in any State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia) when services are performed onsite on VA property.
All licenses held by the personnel working on this contract shall be full and unrestricted licenses. Contractor s physician(s) who have current, full and unrestricted licenses in one or more states, but who have, or ever had, a license restricted, suspended, revoked, voluntarily revoked, voluntarily surrendered pending action or denied upon application will not be considered for the purposes of this contract.
Board Certification: All contractor s physician(s) shall be Board Certified /Board Eligible Urologist by the American Board of Urology (ABU), and be currently certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or equivalency. All continuing education courses required for maintaining certification must be kept up to date at all times. Documentation verifying current certification shall be provided by the Contractor to the VA COR on an annual basis for each year of contract performance.
Credentialing and Privileging: Credentialing and privileging is to be done in accordance with the provisions of VHA Handbook 1100.19 and VHA Directive 1100.20 referenced above. The Contractor is responsible to ensure that proposed physician(s) possesses the requisite credentials enabling the granting of privileges. No services shall be provided by any contractor s physician(s) prior to obtaining approval by the Lebanon VAMC Professional Standards Board, Medical Executive Board and Medical Center Director.
If a contractor s physician(s) is not credentialed and privileged or has credentials/privileges suspended or revoked, the Contractor shall furnish an acceptable substitute without any additional cost to the government.
Technical Proficiency: Contractor s physician(s) 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 shall provide documents upon request of the CO/COR to verify current and ongoing competency, skills, certification and/or licensure related to the provision of care, treatment and/or services performed. Contractor shall provide verifiable evidence of all educational and training experiences including any gaps in educational history for all contractor s physician(s) and contractor s physician(s) shall be responsible for abiding by the Facility's Medical Staff By-Laws, rules, and regulations (referenced herein) that govern medical staff behavior.
Continuing Medical Education (CME)/ Certified Education Unit (CEU) Requirements: Contractor shall provide the COR copies of current CMEs as required or requested by the VAMC. Contractor s physician(s) registered or certified by national/medical associations shall continue to meet the minimum standards for CME to remain current. Contractor shall report CME hours to the credentials office for tracking. These documents are required for both privileging and re-privileging. Failure to provide shall result in loss of privileges for contractor s physician(s).
Training (ACLS, BLS, EHR and VA MANDATORY): Contractor shall meet all VA educational requirements and mandatory course requirements defined herein; all training must be completed by the contractor s physician(s) as required by the VA.Other training may become required. VA will communicate any changes to the training requirement to the contractor.
Key Personnel:
The VA Full Time Equivalency (FTE):FTE is defined by VA as a minimum of 80 hours every two weeks and does not include holidays.
The minimum number of Board Certified /Board Eligible physicians to staff Urology locations, located within the VA Medical Center, on a daily basis ( be on site) is 3.
The Contractor shall be responsible for providing coverage to the VA during periods of vacancies of the Contractor s personnel due to sick leave, personal leave, vacations and additional coverage as required. In the event a scheduled physician is unable to complete an assigned shift, the contractor shall provide replacement physician coverage within 2 hours and notify the Contracting Office Representative (COR) at the Lebanon VAMC immediately of the schedule change.
Personnel Substitutions: During the first ninety (90) calendar days of performance, the Contractor shall make NO substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the CO, in writing, within 30 calendar day (s) after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required below. After 90 days, the Contractor shall submit the information required below to the CO at least 30 calendar days prior to making any permanent substitutions.
The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the CO. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The CO will notify the Contractor within 30 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on the proposed substitutes. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel.
For temporary substitutions where the key person shall not be reporting to work for 14 consecutive work days or more, the Contractor shall provide a qualified replacement for the key person. The substitute shall have comparable qualifications to the key person. Any period exceeding two weeks will require the procedure as stated above.
The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of any Contractor personnel at any time after performance begins, if personal or professional conduct jeopardizes patient care or interferes with the regular and ordinary operation of the facility. Breaches of conduct include intoxication or debilitation resulting from drug use, theft, patient abuse, dereliction or negligence in performing directed tasks, or other conduct resulting in formal complaints by patient or other staff members to designated Government representatives. Standards for conduct shall mirror those prescribed by current federal personnel regulations. Should the VA COS or designee show documented clinical problems or continual unprofessional behavior/actions with any Contractor s physician(s), s/he may request, without cause, immediate replacement of said Contractor s physician(s).The CO and COR shall deal with issues raised concerning Contractor s physician(s) conduct. The final arbiter on questions of acceptability is the CO.
Contingency Plan: Because continuity of care is an essential part of VAMC s medical services, The Contractor shall have a contingency plan in place to be utilized if the Contractor s physician(s) 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: Clinic or OR Schedule: Outpatient Clinic Services for Medical Urology, Outpatient Clinic Services for Surgical Urology, Inpatient Urology consultations for Medical Care and/or Surgical Procedures. Regular hours Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm (4 days per week (2 locations), OR, 7am to 3:30am, Weekday Call M/F 4:30pm to 8am, Weekend/Holiday Call - Sat./Sun. 24/7, call back and OT.
Patients must be seen by a contractor s physician(s) on-site at Lebanon VAMC in a timely manner in accordance with VA Rules and Regulations on clinic wait times and consult completion. Contractor shall notify the COR at least monthly about any obstacles to meeting this performance measure.
Contractor s Physician(s) shall be available and present in clinic/OR during normal Lebanon VAMC clinic hours, Lebanon VAMC which will be established, and may be revised, as deemed appropriate for patient care by the Chief of Staff. Currently, normal clinic hours are Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm, 7am to 330pm OR. (Approximately 2288 collective hours per year).
Off-hours Coverage: Contractor must make the contractor s physician(s) available on-call during all hours when the Lebanon VAMC clinic is closed, including evenings, weekends and holidays. On-call services for after hour coverage (4:30pm to 8:00am) and 24-hour coverage for weekend and Federal Holidays. In an emergency or on-call situation, identified on-call staff physician must be contacted w/in 15 minutes via phone, and physician must respond within 15 minutes. Must be located within 35 miles of the VA Facility and able to report to VA Facility within 60 minutes of receipt of the phone call. (Approximately 6624 hours per year).

On-call contractor s physician(s) must be available at all times for phone consultations with VA residents and physicians.

**End Requirement Synopsis**

Capabilities Statement and Documentation:
Vendors are invited to provide their capabilities, experience, and knowledge in the provision of Urology Physician services. Vendors are asked to provide information to demonstrate their answers to the following items of information:

1. General information about your firm to include:
Company Name:
Company Address:
Socioeconomic Status:
GSA Contract Number covering these services and Expiration Date (if applicable):
Additional Contract Vehicles covering these services and Expiration Date (if applicable):
Company System for Award Management Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):
Company NAICS Code(s):
Point of Contact Name:
Point of Contact Phone Number:
Point of Contact Email Address:
Company Website (if available):

2. Provide a general summary of your firm s ability to provide the services described in this announcement. In addition to a Capability Statement, submissions can include specifications, brochures, and manuals as attachments.

3. The North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) is 561320 Temporary Health Services, and the Small Business Size Standard is $34.0 million. If your firm considers a different NAICS code more appropriate for this procurement, please indicate such in the response.

4. Based on market response, the following clauses may be included in a resulting solicitation, should one be issued:

VAAR 852.219-10, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside
VAAR 852.219-11, VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside
FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside

Accordingly, prospective vendors will be required at time of solicitation response to certify to the applicable limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 125.6, with reference to the appropriate set-aside. Please include in the response to this sources sought notice your ability or inability to certify to the clause applicable to your organization. Please note that SDVOSB and VOSB vendors must be registered and verified in the Small Business Administration VetCert database to participate in VA procurements set aside for SDVOSB or VOSB competition.

Additionally, in accordance with FAR 4.11, prospective vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database and must complete electronic annual representations and certifications in SAM prior to award of a contract. SAM is located at https://sam.gov/SAM/ and consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. There is no cost to use SAM.

7. Response:
Submit responses via email to Contract Specialist Jami Cade at jami.cade@va.gov no later than 3:00 PM ET, 04/18/2024, with Sources Sought number 36C24424Q0594 in the subject line. Telephone responses will not be accepted. The government will not provide feedback in response to vendor questions about the requirement at this time. If you identify ambiguities or have concerns about anything in the description of the requirement, however, please include them with your response. Confirming receipt of the response is the responsibility of the vendor. Contact the contract specialist if the government does not confirm receipt of the sources sought response within 2 business days.

Attachments/Links