***Please see attached amendment*** Page 2 of 8 The Veteran s Integrated Service Network (VISN) 1 is looking for a contractor that can perform the requirements in the attached performance work statement (PWS) to enter into a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). Interested contractors are required to contact the Contracting Officer (CO) via the above listed email address by the date shown. Mail or fax responses will not be accepted. Any interested contractor is required to submit a package of similar experience as proof that the services can be accomplished. The package will include, at a minimum, answers to the questions listed below. ______ Background VISN 1 recognizes that the commercial institutional food-service is rapidly evolving to achieve goals of efficiency, federal regulatory compliance, cost savings and customer satisfaction. This Sources Sought Notice requests information from the contractor community regarding innovative solutions to institutional food service preparation in alignment with VA s patient-centric focus and with a view to achieving these goals. The Department of Veterans Affairs underscores its interest both in new entrants to federal contracting and in the small business (SB) community who may have interest and present immediate capacity to design and implement institutional food service solutions. Interested contractors and vendors should monitor this web site (Contract Opportunities) and Forecast of Opportunities (FCO) for VA requirements. Service Disabled and Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB and VOSB) contracting with VA shall be registered and certified by the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) if seeking consideration under PL 109-461 (www.vetbiz.gov Vendor Information Pages - VIP). All contractors are required to be registered in Beta System for Award Management (https://beta.sam.gov. Consult your State Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for technical assistance with these requirements. (https://www.dla.mil/SmallBusiness/PTAP/PTAC/ ). Link to the VA Forecast of Contracting Opportunities: http://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/eVP/fco/FCO.aspx Instructions to interested contractors. In your response to this Source Sought Notice please address the following specific questions. You may be brief in your response (no more than 5 to 10 pages), but comprehensive. Your response is important for VISN 1 in formulating any resulting solicitation. Therefore, you shall also identify your socio-economic category. Note: general marketing information, trade literature and general promotional literature are welcome, but are of less interest than your individual response to the questions below. Interested contractors shall include the name, address, email and phone of a point of contact (POC) at your firm. Refer to this Source Sought number on all communications. Responses shall be provided directly to the Contracting Officer. Information provided in response to this sources sought does not comprise the basis of any contract or ensuing agreement; information received shall be shared with members of the Government team in order to inform the Acquisition Strategy (basis of the acquisition, set-asides, form of solicitation and model contract vehicle) This Source Sought and the responses are acquisition planning and market research information under FAR Part 7 and Part 10. Read the Draft Performance Statement of Work below, then respond to the following questions. Market Research Questions 1 List Federal medical center facilities that you have converted from a cook/chill meal service methodology to a room service methodology to include multi-tier dining enhancement, expertise and menu creation, proprietary and/or commercial-off-the-shelf diet software build-out and support, customer service training, policy/SOP creation, and administrative and technical support during conversion go-live events within the past three years. 2 Has your organization been directly involved with the evaluation of Federal medical center food service delivery methodologies that resulted in the recommendation and implementation of alternate food service delivery methodologies? Did the Federal medical center implement the recommendations in the evaluation and what were the results? 3 Has your organization been directly involved with performance improvement activities in Federal medical center food service departments that resulted in direct improvements to patient satisfaction? What metrics did you use both pre-improvement and post improvement to measure patient satisfaction? 4 Does your organization have direct experience with concurrently working performance improvement and/or dining enhancement projects in multiple Federal medical centers simultaneously while active food service operations are taking place? _______________________ Page 1 of Page 8 of 8 Page 1 of VISN 1 Nutrition and Food Services Dining System and Equipment Upgrade Proposal PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT March 11, 2020 SCOPE: Veteran s Integrated Service Network (VISN) 1 encompasses 8 medical centers in New England. There is a possibility of this service being performed at the following Medical centers, White River Junction, VT; Bedford, MA; VA Boston with three campuses Brockton, Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury, MA; Leeds, MA; Manchester, NH; Providence, RI; and VA Connecticut with campuses in West Haven, and Newington CT. A single or multiple award blanket purchase agreement (BPA) is under consideration to be awarded to a Contractor(s) who shall provide all office equipment, labor, supervision, management, transportation, supplies, and materials to provide design, planning, implementation and training services for implementing a dining system and equipment upgrade tailored to each participating VISN Medical Center. The Contractor shall be responsible for all costs related to performing this contract and its successful completion. Contractor guarantees a minimum of 52 days onsite at each site, ensuring all elements for successful dining system and equipment upgrade implementation are achieved. Contractor guarantees enhanced dining system implementation between 12 months and 15 months from date of issued BPA order signed. Deviations from this schedule require documented cause and are subject to the Contracting Officer (CO) approval. Contractor shall not have access to VA computer systems or patient identifiable health information. OBJECTIVE: To implement a quality enhanced dining system, to include equipment upgrades, at all participating medical centers in VISN 1. The system selected for implementation at each site shall be tailored to the specific populations, needs, and facilities of each Medical Center. The primary purpose of this contract is to provide enhanced dining consultation and recommendations in accordance with industry best practices applicable to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The contractor(s) shall be responsible for the following as outlined: Program Development: Contractor(s) shall be available throughout the entire project. If the contractor is not on site, the contractors shall be available to provide any necessary information via email and telephone interactions within 24 business hours. Contractor shall provide all office equipment, labor, supervision, management, transportation, supplies, and materials to provide design, planning, implementation, and training services for implementing the Dining System and Equipment Upgrade at each participating site in VISN 1. No equipment shall be connected to the VISN networks. No equipment shall be used or provided that will store or transmit sensitive data. Provide at minimum 52 days of on-site support as scheduled by the Chief/Assistant Chief, Nutrition & Food Services (NFS) or designee. Monthly schedules shall be provided at the beginning of the month of service to the local Contracting Officer s Representative (COR). Shall have initial site visit and provide a very specific and detailed timeline of project implementation within one month of signed contract. Provide unlimited telephone, email, and mail support for up to 3 months post go-live to the NFS designee(s) as needed for the implementation of enhanced style dining. Contractor shall execute an initial site visit at each VA Medical Center location and provide a very specific and detailed planning for renovation of the kitchen, to incorporate dining system and equipment upgrade. The contractor shall provide detailed design drawings. The detailed plan shall include demolition and renovation of existing space, relocation of utilities and layout/design to implement enhanced dining operations. This process will occur at each site over the entire course of the project depending on local campus requirements Contractor shall provide within one month of signed contract detailed specifications for all equipment to be purchased by facility for implementation of dining system and equipment upgrade. Equipment requirements shall consider facility specific and patient population needs. Equipment requirements shall be the first focus of the contractor. Assist and work with Facilities & Engineering Services/Facilities Management Service (FMS) to implement the enhanced dining plans. Specifically, this includes any electrical or plumbing rework required based on layout of new equipment. This may require a licensed electrical engineer or other appropriate licensed Professional Engineer (PE) to provide and stamp and sign the drawings to be determined by the COR and CO at each medical center based on the facility needs and layout. Contractor shall have an initial site visit at each campus and shall provide to the CO a very specific and detailed master timeline of project implementation within one month of signed contact. This will include timelines for menu development, staffing plans, training, software needs and development, etc. Contractor shall form a Dining System and Equipment Upgrade committee consisting of contracting staff, FMS and select Nutrition (NFS) staff as designated by the Chief, Nutrition & Food Services or designee to discuss and resolve all concerns for implementing the Dining System & Equipment Upgrade project at each facility. Concerns may include, but are not limited to: Development of all necessary standard operating procedures for the enhanced style dining system to comply with all VISN, medical center, and applicable regulatory agency policies and guidelines. Enhanced style dining will be room service throughout VISN 1 facilities unless sites are unable to sustain room service as a modality. In those areas clinically unsuited, the SOPs shall support modified use of the system to provide enhanced dining options. Menu and recipe development with nutrition information Staffing plan and workflows for all positions in all buildings Staffing plan and workflows for receiving, storage, distribution of food for all buildings Staff training manuals Equipment needs Several possible vendors for procuring needed food items, small wares, and other items needed for implementing project. Contractor shall provide enhanced dining menu details to include the design, menu items, ingredients, recipe development, recipes, plating, culinary training and production team staffing plan. Contractor shall provide hot and cold production policies and procedures. Contractor shall provide detailed culinary and staffing plan based on enhanced dining menu, to include menu items, ingredients, recipe development, recipes, production team staffing plan and shipping plan. All recipes shall include detailed nutrition information. Development of facility specific training manual & training plan Contractor shall provide electronic training manual and detailed training plan to include two hard copy binders per campus Workflow development with facility staff Contractor shall provide staffing plans, scheduling needs, task lists, and training manuals for each position. Contractor shall also provide internal (i.e. tray assembly, tray delivery, tray receiving, and meal ordering) and external (i.e. coordination with medication/tests, menu distribution) policies and procedures. Contractor shall assist with position descriptions as needed. Contractor will provide a list of necessary software/hardware needs in conjunction with Computrition software program (i.e. tray ticket printers, touch screen monitors, computer tablets). Contractor shall provide list of ingredients, food items and small wares needed for purchase and assist with developing a list of possible vendors for procurement of items. Contractor shall provide an enhanced dining training for meal delivery team at each medical center. Contractor shall provide detailed training plan, electronic training manual and two hard copy binders per VA Campus Contractor shall be on site during initial and final phase of construction and equipment installation. Contractor shall assist Facilities & Engineering Service in providing approval and sign off on construction phase to ensure proper installation prior to going LIVE with the Dining System and Equipment Upgrade project. Implementation: This phase shall not be initiated until all assigned tasks in the Program Development phase are complete to local food service management s satisfaction. The Contractor shall be on-site to participate and support all of the following activities: Detailed training for all food service, supervisory and management staff in all workflows and processes associated with enhanced style dining. Electronic training manual and two hard copy binders will be provided at each facility for all training. Complete culinary training and final testing for food production staff. Electronic training manual and two hard copy binders shall be provided for all training. Provide software support in conjunction with Computrition for program start up. Provide complete dress rehearsal prior to start date. Provide a start-up team for program start up. Provide daily assessments during start up on operations with recommendations for operational improvements. Provide a full assessment of the program to Nutrition and Food Service at management team at each medical center and work with the team to assure the quality of the program and that the established goals and objectives are attained. Post-Implementation and Follow-Up Support: Contractor to ensure GO LIVE date within 12-15 months of signed BPA with 3 additional months to monitor progress and solve problems. Contractor shall: Provide two weeks of observation after implementation of the Dining System and Equipment Upgrade project followed by a report listing actions needed to be changed and actions that are being conducted successfully to the COR at each facility. Provide a follow-up observation report one month after completion of program start to include actions needed to be changed and actions that are being conducted successfully. Performance Improvement Program: The Contractor shall provide a comprehensive performance improvement program (PI) specific to Nutrition and Food Services operation that is a tool for continuous monitoring and proactive improvement of the VISN 1 enhanced dining program. The program shall be provided no later than the first post implementation visit to the COR at each facility and must include: - Productivity and performance standards for the critical areas of the enhanced dining program. - A formal auditing schedule and training for supervisory, clinical and management staff on performing/participating in audits. - Identification of service problems, procedural deviations, and other unauthorized program migrations that occur through normal staff actions. Contractor shall demonstrate to the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR) that each requirement has been completed prior to acceptance. PERFORMANCE PERIOD: The Contractor shall complete the work required under this SOW in 455 calendar days or less from the date of the award, unless otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer (CO). The work shall begin within 5 calendar days of award unless otherwise specified. Work at the site shall not take place on Federal Holidays or weekends unless directed by the CO. CONTRACT AWARD MEETING: The Contractor shall not commence performance on the tasks in this PWS until the CO has conducted a kick-off meeting. CHANGES TO STATEMENT OF WORK: Any changes to this PWS shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the Contracting Officer. A copy of each change shall be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the Contractor through the actions of parties other than the Contracting Officer shall be borne by the Contractor. CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Contractor specializes in hospital enhanced dining systems development and implementation and has a minimum of 8 years experience working as consultants for healthcare facilities in a hospital setting in the area of enhanced dining systems. A list of at least three references consisting of current and prior clients of similar capacity and complexity will be required. The government will determine on a site review basis what positions are considered key personnel. The Contractor shall identify, by name, the key management and technical personnel who will work under this BPA order at the time the work is being negotiated. If a key person becomes unavailable to complete the site review, the proposed substitutions of key personnel shall be made only as approved directed by the Contracting Officer. The government does not dictate specific experience and education requirements of the employees initially proposed to perform the work stated herein. The Contractor shall submit a resume of qualifications to the COR for key personnel and all other direct employees proposed for the project. All Contractor employees will be approved by the CO and COR prior to bringing on duty. If, at any time from the date of award to the end of the contract, non-key Contractor personnel are no longer available, CO/COR will review qualifications of proposed replacement personnel and may reject individuals who do not meet the qualifications set forth in the PWS. Team personnel proposed by the contractor shall possess some of the following knowledge and/or skills: quantity food management and systems management and redesign in large hospital kitchens, food production, ServSafe, room service experience, and culinary expertise. The contractor must notify the CO in advance to approve or reject proposed contractor key personnel for the performance of this contract. The contractor shall submit a resume of qualifications to the COR for key personnel and all other direct employees proposed for the project. All Contractor employees will be approved by the COR prior to bringing on duty. If, at any time from date of award to the end of the contract, Contractor personnel are no longer available, the VHA will approve the qualifications of proposed replacement personnel and will reject individuals who do not meet qualifications set forth herein. The contractor must inform the VHA COR, and Project Manager/Task Manager when personnel are removed from the contract for any reason. The Contractor shall remove any employee from the performance of this contract within five (5) workdays of receiving notice from the Contracting Officer that the employee's performance is unsatisfactory. All Contractor employees are subject to immediate removal from performance of this contract when they are involved in a violation of the law, VA security, confidentiality requirements and/or other disciplinary reasons. The contractor must inform the VHA COR, and Project Manager/Task Manager when personnel are removed from the contract for any reason. If a key person becomes unavailable to complete the site review, proposed Substitutions of key personnel shall be made only if approved by the COR at each facility. The contractor shall submit a resume of qualifications to the COR for all direct employees proposed for the project. All Contractor employees will be approved by the COR prior to bringing on duty. The VHA VISN1 shall not be liable for further payment of any Contractor employee that VHA requires the Contractor to remove from the performance of this contract. VHA s payment liability, for unsuitable Contractor employees, ends five days after Contractor s receipt of removal request for unsatisfactory performance and immediately for any violation of law, VA Security, confidentiality requirements, and/or other disciplinary action. CONFIDENTIAL ITY AND NONDISCLOSURE: It is agreed that: The preliminary and final deliverables, and all associated working papers and other material deemed relevant by VA which have been generated by the Contractor in the performance of this BPA order, are exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer at the conclusion of the BPA order. The Contracting Officer is the sole authorized official to release, verbally or in writing, any data, draft deliverables, final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this BPA order. No information shall be released by the Contractor. Any request for information relating to this BPA order, presented to the Contractor, shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer for response. Press releases, marketing material, or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the local VA Campus Public Affairs Officer PAYMENT: The Contractor may request partial payments per a schedule specified in their BPA proposal otherwise, only one payment shall be ddisbursed after the Government has accepted all final work as specified above. The Contractor shall be fully responsible for timely payment of all sub-contractors used in this production. CONTRACTING OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE: The Contracting Officer reserves the right to designate Contracting Officer Representatives (COR) to act for him/her in furnishing technical guidance, advice and to generally supervise the work to be performed under this BPA. Such designation will be in writing and will define the scope and limitations of the designee s authority. A copy of the designation shall be furnished to the Contractor. Be advised that the COR cannot change price, terms or conditions of this BPA. The Contractor is hereby notified to contact the CO regarding any issues regarding price, terms or conditions of this BPA. The VA staff person who is COR for each BPA order/individual campus shall be designated in writing by the Contracting Officer duration of this BPA: