This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. Responses shall be submitted to maria.hofmann@va.gov Purpose and Objectives: Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method. NAICS code: 311511 and size standard is 1150 Employees PROJECT TITLE Milk Base Year Plus 4 Option Years PROJECT DESCRIPTION Milk and Dairy products needed for food production and meal service by Nutrition & Food Services (NFS) at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. The following products: ½ Pint Whole Milk ½ Pint 1% Low- Fat Milk, Gallon Whole Milk Plain With Added Vitamin A 5 LB Low Fat Small Curd Cottage Cheese Gallon Orange Drink Chilled Gallon Fruit Punch Drink Chilled ½ Pint Low-Fat Chocolate Milk Lactose Free Milk Security Requirements Prior to starting work, Contractor shall acquire the currently approved access pass (source of information for most current access pass is from the VA Police). PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE Base Period 11/09/2024 - 11/08/2025 Option Year 1 11/09/2025 - 11/08/2026 Option Year 2 11/09/2026 - 11/08/2027 Option Year 3 11/09/2027 - 11/08/2028 Option Year 4 11/09/2028 - 11/08/2029 DELIVERY SCHEDULE Point of Contact Audie L. Murphy: Mr. Martin Calva (210) 617-5300 ext. 16715 or 15731 Kerrville: Ms. Valerie Smith (830) 896-2020 ext. 12374 or 12232 Delivery Location 1.Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital Mr. Martin Calva (210) 617-5300 ext. 16715 or 15731 7400 Merton Minter Blvd--Nutrition & Food Service Dock, Room H001 San Antonio, TX 78229 2.Kerrville VA Medical Center Ms. Valerie Smith (830) 896-2020 ext. 12374 or 12232 6500 Memorial Boulevard NFS Dock, Room 348 Kerrville, TX 78028 Contractor is responsible for utilizing a refrigerated delivery vehicle of which can deliver product directly to NFS dock at the appropriate temperature. NFS may request a delivery to a different location on VA grounds as needed. Delivery Hours Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital NFS prefers early morning. Kerrville VA Medical Center prefers early morning deliveries. Dock open 07:30 am to 4:00 pm. Delivery Frequency Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital NFS Delivery Schedule: Monday and Thursday Kerrville VA Medical Center NFS Delivery Schedule: Tuesday and Friday Federal Holidays Deliveries are expected on holidays unless other arrangements are made. New Year s Day January 1 Martin Luther King Day Third Monday in January Presidents Day Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Juneteenth Freedom Day June 19 Independence July 4 Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Veterans Day November 11 Thanksgiving Day Fourth Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25 Also included would be any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National Holiday. Delivery Expectations Deliveries will be at or about the same time each day and within the established delivery hours. If a delivery date falls on a federal holiday and the contractor isn t operating, the contactor must establish an alternative delivery date and inform the VA of the new date(s) at least 2 weeks in advance. Contractor will utilize clean durable and reusable storage racks/crates to deliver and store products in. The delivery driver will remove all unused/empty storage racks/crates after every delivery. Deliveries will not be stacked higher than 5 feet high. When food items are missing from what was ordered or the use by dates on an item aren t consistent with the contract, contractor will make a same day delivery by 4pm to correct errors in delivery. The second delivery will have a separate invoice. Driver to issue credit at time of delivery when items are missing or short dated. Driver will wait until food is inspected by Supervisor or designee before leaving premises. Products will be delivered in clean and refrigerated vehicle. FOOD SAFETY STANDFARDS AND GUIDELINES All current USDA standards and guidelines must be met throughout the entire production, packaging, labeling and delivery process. Warehouse inspections by qualified 3rd party, FDA or USDA should be available for review by contract representative and NFS COR. All items must be labeled with shelf life or expiration date. Items not properly labeled will be returned. QUALITY NFS reserves the right to return products in the original packaging for full credit if they have visibly signs of poor quality within 24 hours after delivery. Products delivered will have a minimum shelf life of 5 days. FOOD RECALLS The contractor is responsible for immediately notifying NFS via phone and email of any food recalls related to items delivered to the VA from the contractor. ORDERS Authorized personnel from NFS will enter milk/dairy orders on contractor s online website by 4:00 pm the day before the items are needed. In the event an online order cannot be made due to technical difficulties, NFS may place orders via email or phone. Orders are based on facility needs and amounts will increase or decrease in conjunction with demand. Demand is based on veteran nutritional needs/preferences and satisfaction, patient bed count and menu changes of which can vary from month to month. There will be no minimum order restrictions for delivery. FAILURE TO DELIVER If the contractor fails to deliver the requested item(s) or acceptable substitute, or to deliver during the required time period, the Government may purchase the item from other source(s). The contractor will be held liable for any additional costs associated with procuring item(s) from non-contract sources. INVOICES The Contractor shall submit proper invoices (which can be done electronically) weekly to N&FS. Proper invoices shall contain: The contract and obligation numbers. Description of services performed. Facility Name, facility address, and COR name. Assigned purchase order/obligation. Period of Performance and any additional details necessary to identify service rendered. Itemized list of products and quantities delivered. PAYMENT No advance payments will be authorized. PAYMENT OF INVOICES MAY BE DELAYED IF INVOICES ARE NOT COMPLETED PROPERLY. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS The Contractor s employees shall wear visible identification and company uniforms, approved by the COR, at all times while on the premises of the VAMC. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Information on parking is available from the VA Police Section or the COR. The VAMC will not invalidate or make reimbursement for any parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions. Smoking is prohibited inside any buildings at the VAMC. Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to a search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citations answerable in the United States (Federal) District court, not a local district, state, or municipal court. PROTECTION OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY During work execution, the Contractor shall take special care to protect Government property including furniture, walls, baseboards, and other surfaces. Accidental splashes shall be removed immediately. Damage resulting from the Contractor operations shall be repaired by the Contractor, including painting, refinishing, or replacement, if necessary, at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall be responsible to meet OSHA/Safety requirements in the performance of the work. This shall include, but not limited to, taking all the necessary precautions to protect the patients, visitors, and/or staff at each location. The Contractor shall be held responsible for any injuries and /or damage, which may be caused as a result of the Contractors failure to adhere to these requirements. INFORMATION SYSTEMS OFFICER, INFORMATION PROTECTION The contractor will not have access to VA Desktop computers, nor will they have access to online resources belonging to the government while conducting services in the application of complex adaptive system theory to health care organizations. The certification and accreditation requirements do not apply to this procurement nor is a security accreditation package required. PRIVACY OFFICER The contractor will not have access to protected Patient Health Information (PHI) nor will they have the capability of accessing patient information during the services provided to the VA and if removal of equipment from the VA is required, any memory storage device will remain in VA control and will not be removed from VA custody. All research data available for Contractor analyses is de-identified. RECORDS MANAGER There will be no federal records created, maintained, used or disposition with this contract; regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.]. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS The Contractor s employees shall wear visible identification and company uniforms, approved by the COR, at all times while on the premises of the VAMC. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Information on parking is available from the VA Police Section or the COR. The VAMC will not invalidate or make reimbursement for any parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions. Smoking is prohibited inside any buildings at the VAMC. Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to a search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citations answerable in the United States (Federal) District court, not a local district, state, or municipal court. PROTECTION OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY During work execution, the Contractor shall take special care to protect Government property including furniture, walls, baseboards, and other surfaces. Accidental splashes shall be removed immediately. Damage resulting from the Contractor operations shall be repaired by the Contractor, including painting, refinishing, or replacement, if necessary, at no additional cost to the Government. The Contractor shall be responsible to meet OSHA/Safety requirements in the performance of the work. This shall include, but not limited to, taking all the necessary precautions to protect the patients, visitors, and/or staff at each location. The Contractor shall be held responsible for any injuries and /or damage, which may be caused as a result of the Contractors failure to adhere to these requirements. LICENSE REQUIREMENTS Must have necessary licensing Requirements for Milk and Dairy as outlined in Texas Health and Human Services. As a Milk and Dairy unit, you must have a valid license to operate in the State of Texas. To become licensed, please submit a new application (milk/forms.aspx), including all fees, to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Operating in Texas without a license is a prohibited act under Texas law punishable by a penalty up to $25,000 per day, per violation, or referral to the Attorney General for injunctive relief to prohibit operating without a license, civil penalties, attorney fees and costs.
