A. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice, FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items (Title VIII of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994) (Public Law 103-355) & FAR 37.4, Non-Personal Health Care Services Contract (10 U.S.C. 2304 and 41 U.S.C 253). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested, and a written solicitation will not be issued.
B. The Great Plains Area Indian Health Service (IHS) intends to award a Firm-Fixed Price, Non-Personal Health Care Service, Commercial Item Purchase Order in response to Request for Quote (RFQ) RFQ-24-086.
C. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-05, 05/22/2024.
D. This RFQ is issued as “100% Buy Indian/Small Business,” and the associated NAICS Code is 561320, which has a small business standard of $34.0.
E. The quoted unit pricing must be all-inclusive (to include but not be limited to travel, lodging, per diem, fringe benefits, federal, state, and local taxes) plus all other costs pertinent to the performance of this contract. Utilize your most competitive and reasonable rates.
Please complete the list provided below: Unit Price: Total Price:
1. Laboratory Medical Technologist (Total Hours) 1109 HR $: ___________$: _____________
F. To provide One (1) Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Technician.
G. To provide for the Yankton Service Unit (YSU), Wagner Health Care Center (WHCC), Wagner, SD 57380.Delivery Location: YSU, WHCC, 111 Washington Ave NW, Wagner, SD 57380. The period of performance will be 09/08/2024 to 01/07/2025.
H. FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (September 2023).
Quotes shall be submitted on company letterhead stationery, signed and dated, and they shall include:
1. Solicitation number RFQ-24-086.
2. Closing Date: September 3, 2024, at 12:00 pm CDT.
3. Name, address, and telephone number of company and contact person's email address.
4. Technical description of the item/service being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements of the solicitation. This may include product literature or other documents, if necessary.
5. Price and any discount terms.
6. “Remit to” address, if different than mailing address.
7. A completed copy of the representations and certifications at FAR 52.212-3 (see FAR 52.212-3(b) for those representations and certifications that the offeror shall complete electronically).
8. Acknowledgment of Solicitation Amendments (if any issued)
9. Past performance information, when included as an evaluation factor, to include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers, and other pertinent information).
10. A statement specifying the extent of agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation. Offerors that fail to furnish required representations or information or reject the terms and conditions of the solicitation may be excluded from consideration.
In addition, Contractors shall provide the following:
• Name and phone number of three (3) current professional references.
• Complete and sign Child Care Position/Personnel Security Office form.
• Complete and sign the Declaration for Federal Employment – Optional Form 306.
• Complete and sign Addendum to Declaration for Federal Employment (OF306).
• Complete and sign Licensure Requirement Form.
• Copy of malpractice insurance coverage.
• Shall meet the Qualifications and Knowledge Requirements in the Performance Work Statement and provide copies of the required documents (if needed).
• Copy of current Board Certification.
• Copy of active, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice.
• Copy of a recent Health Examination.
• Copy of Diplomas/Specialty Certifications.
• Copies of Continuing Education.
• Current CV/resume.
Basis of Award is Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA). The Government intends to select ONE contractor for award of this effort. The proposals will be initially evaluated by lowest price and if the lowest priced proposal submitted is found to be technically acceptable, no other proposals will be evaluated, and award will be made to the lowest priced, technically acceptable offeror. However, if the offeror’s lowest priced proposal is not found technically acceptable, the next offeror’s lowest priced proposal will be evaluated until the lowest priced, technically acceptable proposal is found. The Government intends to evaluate offers and award without discussions.
The Government reserves the right to ask for clarifications from the lowest‐priced offeror being evaluated without approaching other offerors. The Government reserves the right to enter negotiations with the lowest‐priced offeror being evaluated without approaching other offerors.
• Contractor will work within the designated schedule.
• Ability to provide at least one available Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Technician who can be scheduled to work throughout the entire contract or provide a competent replacement provider.
• Contractor provides all supporting credential documents as required in the Performance Work Statement.
• Ability to provide a Medical Laboratory Technologist/Technician in a timely manner who provides on-site laboratory services to beneficiary patients of all ages who present for care to the WHCC.
• Ability to assist with completion of background investigation paperwork for each Contract Provider in a timely manner prior to assignment.
• Ability to provide a Contract Provider who can interact with patients and clinical staff in a customer friendly and culturally sensitive manner.
• Ability to provide Contract Providers who possess Electronic Health Record experience, if possible.
I. FAR 52.212-3 Offer Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024) See attachment for full text. The Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website accessed through http://www.acquisition.gov. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (p) of this provision.
J. FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (November 2023) – See attachment; Incorporated By Reference.
K. FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders - Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024) - See attachment for full text.
L. Attached are the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) & Health & Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) clauses that are applicable including below.
M. Offers will be accepted electronically, submit via email to the following:
Great Plains Area Indian Health Service
Attn: David Jones, Contract Specialist
115 4th Ave. SE, Room 309
Aberdeen, SD 57401
Email: david.jones@ihs.gov
Questions regarding this solicitation shall be submitted in writing by email by August 28, 2024, 12:00 pm CDT.
Contractors will need a UEI number and TIN, and they will need to be registered with www.sam.gov.
ACCEPTANCE PERIOD: Your proposal must stipulate that it is predicated upon all the terms and conditions of this RFQ.
In addition, it must contain a statement to the effect that it is firm for a period of at least 30 days from the date of receipt by the Government.
The quotation must set forth full, accurate, and complete information as required by the Request for Quotation (RFQ) and be returned no later than the date referenced. All required information must be submitted to be considered responsive and eligible for award.
No contract award shall be made to any vendor or provider listed on the OIG Exclusion List (http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov) throughout the contract. It shall be the contractor's responsibility to notify the acquisition official if the provider changes.
SECURITY CLEARANCE
A security pre-clearance must be performed for employees referred to IHS through this contract.
Fingerprints must be completed and adjudicated before services are performed under this contract.
The performance of this contract will require routine access by the contractor's employees or subcontractors to facilities or systems controlled by the Indian Health Service (IHS). Before starting work requiring routine access to IHS facilities or systems, each person must complete an FBI National Criminal History Check (Fingerprint Check) adjudicated by an IHS employee using the Office of Personnel Management Personnel Investigations Processing System.
Contractors shall allow five business days for I.H.S. processing of fingerprints taken electronically at an I.H.S. site and thirty business days for non-electronic processing of fingerprints using FBI Form FD-258. A list of I.H.S. sites with electronic fingerprint capability is available from the Contracting Officer.
In addition, no Contractor or subcontractor employee shall be permitted to work under this contract if listed on the HHS Office of Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov. As soon as practicable before the start of work, the contractor shall provide the contractor's performance of the work to the Contracting Officer with the names of all individuals to be used in the performance of work for screening against the LEIE. During the performance, the contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer with the names of any additional or substitute employees for screening before they begin work.
The contractor is responsible for conducting security preclearance investigations in sufficient depth to ensure that each Contractor or subcontractor employee referred to IHS is not on the LEIE and can obtain a favorable fingerprint clearance. Each security preclearance shall be conducted sufficiently before the start of performance to avoid delays caused by denial of access. If this is a Time and Materials, Labor-Hour or Cost Reimbursement contract, the contractor shall not charge for or be reimbursed for labor hours or other costs incurred for employees who are unable to perform due to denial or access or the excess time required to resolve and clear unfavorable security clearance findings. If this is a Fixed Price contract, denial of access due to security clearance findings shall not be a basis for excusable delay or an increase to the contract amount.
The government will pay for the cost of processing the contractor's suitability clearances. However, multiple investigations for the same position may, at the Contracting Officer's discretion, lead to a reduction(s) in the contract price of no more than the cost of the extra investigation(s).
Employees that DO NOT have access to LMS, contractors, volunteers, or IHS employees with IPAs or MOAs to tribal organizations, please click here on the IHS Sexual Abuse Prevention website. When the contractors have completed and passed the training, please have them send a copy of the last page of the training with Name, Date, and Time to their Supervisor, COR, and Kimmen LeBeau, email: Kimmen.LeBeau@ihs.gov.
"Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Technician will arrive on a Business Day ONLY to complete all Orientation and Background procedures. The Clinical Director or Designee will ensure all orientation and background procedures have been completed, and an email will be sent to the Contracting department to state them as such. The Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Technician will NOT see patients until Background/Fingerprints have been cleared."
“The standards of medical practice and duties of the Contractor through its Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Technician shall be determined pursuant to the bylaws of the Service Unit. The regulations of the hospital, applicable provisions of law, other rules, and regulations of all governmental authorities relating to licensure and regulation of physicians and hospitals must be followed. Also, the standards and recommendations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or the Accreditation Organization must be adhered to. The Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Technician shall be required to participate in a quality improvement program, which is consistent with current requirements for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the quality and appropriateness of care.”
Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)
The Indian Health Service (IHS) has implemented an electronic invoicing system.
In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) M-15-19 memorandum “Improving Government Efficiency and Saving Taxpayer Dollars Through Electronic Invoicing” directing Federal agencies to adopt electronic invoicing as the primary means to disburse payment to vendors. Invoices submitted under any award resulting from this solicitation will be required to utilize the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) in accordance with HHSAR 352.232-71, Electronic Submission and Processing of Payment Requests”
IPP is a secure, web-based electronic invoicing system provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRSTL). Respondents to this solicitation are encouraged to register an account with IPP if they have not already done so. If your organization is already registered to use IPP, you will not be required to re-register- however, we encourage you make sure your organization and designated IPP user accounts are valid and up to date.
The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.
Please contact the IPP Helpdesk at (866) 973-3131 (M-F 8 AM to 6 PM ET) or IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov if you require assistance registering or IPP account access.
“Should the contractor feel that use of the IPP would be unduly burdensome, their response to this solicitation should include an explanation of this position for a determination by the contracting officer.”
