DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) Overview: The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Healthcare System (MEDVAMC) located at 2002 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030 requires chartered flight services to transport Liver, Heart, and Kidneys from outside the Organ Procurement Organization s (OPO) primary service area back to the MEDVAMC. The Contractor shall furnish all labor, tools, materials, equipment, permits, reports, fuel, travel, personnel, licenses, certifications, supervision, and safety measures required to safely transport medical crew from Houston, TX to donor sites located outside of the OPO s service area (Houston, TX). Medical crew and organs are then to be safely transported back to the OPO service area in Houston, TX. Period of Performance: The Period of performance for this service contract is from March 1, 2025, to September 30, 2025, plus four (4) 12-month option periods. Base Year: 03/01/2024 through 09/30/2025 Option Year 1: 10/01/2025 through 09/30/2026 Option Year 2: 10/01/2026 through 09/30/2027 Option Year 3: 10/01/2027 through 09/30/2028 Option Year 4: 10/01/2028 through 09/30/2029 Description of Services: Services shall include 24/7 organ procurement air transportation services to and from locations where organs become available, returning to MEDVAMC. When an organ that matches a patient on the MEDVAMC transplant wait list is identified, a flight for its procurement will be necessary. Donated organs have a limited preservation time to ensure their viability from the moment of procurement until transplantation. The contractor must have access to all airports throughout the United States. The contractor is required to respond and be airborne with the Transplant Surgeon from Houston, TX, within ninety (90) minutes of notification to facilitate the retrieval of the relevant organ. Travel may be necessary outside of standard business hours, including provisions for 24-hour emergency call-out services at no additional cost. The contractor shall designate at least one (1) emergency point of contact for contract support. All work related to this contract will be performed in accordance with any applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, as well as applicable State health and safety regulations. All aircraft used in the performance of this agreement must be maintained in an airworthy condition in accordance with all applicable FAA Regulations procedures by means of an established inspection and maintenance plan. Line inspections shall be performed at least once in the twenty-four (24) hour period preceding a flight. Aircraft shall be handled exclusively by trained personnel. Additionally, the vendor shall also provide preventative maintenance inspections of the aircraft to be used for the provision of these services, as required by the FAA on a monthly basis to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or designee. General Requirements: Non-Personal Services: The Government shall neither supervise contractor employees nor control the method by which the contractor performs the required tasks. Under no circumstances shall the Government assign tasks to, or prepare work schedules for, individual contractor employees. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to manage its employees and to guard against any actions that are of the nature of personal services or give the perception of personal services. If the contractor believes that any actions constitute, or are perceived to constitute personal services, it shall be the contractor's responsibility to notify the Contracting Officer (CO) immediately. Business Relations: The contractor shall successfully integrate and coordinate all activities needed to execute the requirement. The contractor shall manage the timeliness, completeness, and response to quality deficiencies identified. The contractor shall provide corrective action plans, proposal submittals, effective management of subcontractors, and the timely identification of issues which should be reported no later than 24 hours after they are noticed. The contractor shall seek to ensure customer satisfaction and professional and ethical behavior of all contractor personnel. Contract Administration and Management: Contractor Licenses and Permits: The contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform this work. He/she shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury or damage during the performance of this contract. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees, as well as for any damage to personal or public property that occurs during the performance of this contract that is caused by his/her employees fault or negligence and shall maintain personal liability and property damage insurance having coverage for a limit as required by the laws of Texas. Furthermore, it is agreed that any negligence of the Government, its officers, agents, servants and employees, shall not be the responsibility of the contractor hereunder with the regard to any claims, loss, damage, injury, and liability resulting there from. Contract Management: The contractor shall establish clear organizational lines of authority and responsibility to ensure effective management of the resources assigned to the requirement. The contractor must maintain continuity between MEDVAMC ongoing operations and the contractor's corporate offices. Contract Administration: The contractor shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer the requirement. The contractor shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions in no later than three business days. The contractor shall have a single point of contact between the Government and Contractor personnel assigned to support contracts or task orders. The contractor shall assign work effort and maintaining proper and accurate time keeping records of personnel assigned to work on the requirement. Personnel Administration: The contractor shall maintain the proficiency of their employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the PWS requirements. The contractor shall provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (time keeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs). Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties: The contractor shall accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with the necessary combination of education, training, and experience, as required by the FAA. The contractor shall match personnel skills to the work or task with a minimum of under/over employment of resources.  The Contractor shall provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to manage, perform, and administer the contract. Contractor Identification: Contractor personnel shall wear the Contractor's ID badge at all times with name clearly visible and it shall be consistent with the Contractor s personnel roster. MEDVAMC Normal Business Hours: MEDVAMC normal business hours are Monday through Friday, from 07:30 AM to 4:00 PM CST (Central Standard Time), excluding the Federal Holidays as listed below: New Year s Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day     Presidents Day                      Memorial Day                          Independence Day                  Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Juneteenth And any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National holiday.     Additional Requirements: Smoking Regulations and Precautions: In accordance with VA smoking policy and FAA regulations, no smoking will be allowed in the aircraft. Contractor shall comply with Federal Aviation Regulation 135.91b which prohibits smoking within 10 feet of oxygen storage and dispensing equipment carried on aircraft. Ambient Control: The aircraft should have the capacity of maintaining the cabin temperature at about 75 Fahrenheit, or as per FAA regulations during all phases of operation. Communication System: The aircraft must have radio capability to communicate air to ground and air to air which meets/exceeds standards of FAA. Unusual Events: Contractor is required to notify the Contracting Officer or his/her designee of any unusual events, including but not limited to accidents or safety problems that occur involving any VA beneficiary being transported under this agreement. This notification will be made within one (1) hour by telephone and, if requested by the VA, a written report of the event will be delivered to the Contracting Officer or his/her designee by close of business the next working day. Aircraft Equipment: All aircraft shall comply with the regulations of the FAA, Federal Aeronautics Regulations (Parts 135/121) and rules and regulations of the state in which Contractor conducts business. Furthermore, all aircraft used in the performance of this agreement must be equipped with functioning two-way radios. Such aircraft must be equipped with all flight instruments required by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) regulations for the type of flight operations to be conducted. Such aircraft must also have the facilities to maintain proper cabin temperatures under all flight conditions. Deviations from FAA Regulations: Deviations from Federal Aviation Administration Regulations shall be reported in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration Regulations Part 91.3 and 135.19. Deviation decisions related to flight safety can only be made by the pilot who must consider the safety of all persons aboard as well as the needs of the patient. Insurance: The Contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits, equipment and supplies required to perform this service. The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury, damage, and danger during the performance of this contract. He/she shall be responsible for any injury to himself/herself, his/her employees as well as for any damage and/or loss of federal, personal, or public property that occurs during the performance of this contract that is caused by his/her employee's fault or negligence, and shall maintain personal liability and property damage. Inspections: Prior to the start of the contract, the Government may thoroughly inspect the proposed awardee s facilities, aircraft, and equipment, to ensure these will ensure acceptable performance of the services being procured. Additionally, if any aircraft and/or equipment is added after the initial inspection, it may also be inspected by the Contracting Officer/COR before being placed in use under the agreement. Applicable Directives: 14 CFR Part 119: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 119, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 14 CFR Part 121: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 14 CFR Part 135: Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 135, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Quality Control Plan (QCP): The Contractor shall develop a QCP to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS.  The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services.  The Contractor's QCP is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.  The finalized QCP will be submitted to the Government at the time of the contract award.  The Contracting Officer/COR may notify the Contractor of any required changes to the plan during the period of performance. The Contractor then shall coordinate suggested changes and obtain acceptance of the plan by the Contracting Officer/COR. Any further changes to the program during the period of performance shall be provided to the Contracting Officer/COR for review no later than 10 working days prior to proposed date of the change. The QCP shall be subject to the Government's review and approval.  The Government may find the QCP "unacceptable" whenever the Contractor's procedures do not accomplish quality control objective(s).  The Contractor shall revise the QCP within 10 working days from receipt of notice that QCP is found "unacceptable." Performance Requirements Summary (PRS): Performance Objective (Task) Performance Standard Monitoring Method Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) Incentive (Positive/Negative) Perform Charter Flight Services on Time PWS Section 3 By physical inspection and/or customer engagement Charter Flight Services shall be on-time 95% of the time Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government Provide the equipment and assistance necessary for the safe onboarding/offboarding of passengers PWS Section 3 By physical inspection and/or customer engagement 100% of all validations Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government Conduct Services and Operations in accordance with FAA Regulations PWS Section 3 By physical inspection and/or customer engagement 100% of all validations Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government Perform Aircraft Maintenance in accordance with FAA Regulations PWS Section 3 By inspection of aircraft maintenance inspections logs 100% of all validations Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government Aircraft compliance with FAA Regulations PWS Section 7.7 7.10 By validation of contractor s submitted aircraft specifications 100% of all validations Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government Reporting of Unusual Events PWS Section 7.6 BY COR validation 95% of all validations Immediate corrective action taken at no additional cost to the Government
