621 R4 - RFP-797-FSS-00-0115-R4 and Amendments 1-5

What they want

• Temporary healthcare staff placed at government sites, such as VA medical centers and clinics (physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians and similar)
• Hourly not-to-exceed (ceiling) rates for each labor category offered, with prices that include all labor, overhead, profit, insurance and the 1% schedule fee
• Coverage for at least one entire state, or nationwide, for each category offered
• Staff who hold full, unrestricted professional licenses or certifications
• Quarterly sales reports and payment of a 1% Industrial Funding Fee once on schedule

What they'll judge offers on

• Scope: all offered labor categories must fall within the solicitation's pre-defined categories
• Past performance (new schedule offerors)
• Financial capability
• Pricing, compared against the vendor's commercial sales practices and discounts
• Regulatory compliance, including registrations and debarment status
• Subcontracting plan, only for other than small businesses
• At the task order level, ordering agencies may weigh price, special features, past performance, quality of solution, expertise and socioeconomic status

What to include when you submit

• Complete and return Document 02 (Vendor Response), including the signatory authority form, SF 1449, scope acknowledgment, pricing and commercial sales practices disclosure, and contractor qualifications
• Return Document 03 (Proposed Pricing and CSP) in its original Excel format, not as a PDF
• Email subject line format: FSS-Offer-Schedule ID-Company Name, and note how many emails you are sending (for example 1 of 4); keep each email under 10MB
• Signatures must be digital or scanned wet signatures; the SF 1449 signature date can be no earlier than 10 calendar days before submission
• New schedule offerors must include the certificate for GSA's Pathway to Success training
• Include subcontractor letters of commitment, proof of liability insurance and required licenses or accreditations
• Past performance references are required only for new offerors with no current GSA or VA schedule contract
• Other than small businesses must submit a small business subcontracting plan
• Amendment 0004 asks offerors to acknowledge the amendment (by completing items 8 and 15 on the SF 30, on the offer, or by separate letter) before offers are received

You must have

• At least two years of corporate experience providing the services, performed as a prime contractor rather than a subcontractor. Contractors are required to have at least two years of corporate experience
• Qualifying experience must be as the prime contractor; home health care, teaching placements and similar work do not count. Qualifying experience must have been performed as a prime contractor, not as a subcontractor.
• Be able to cover at least one labor category in at least one entire state. Offerors who cannot provide services for at least one labor category and in at least one entire state will not be considered for award.
• Staff must hold full, unrestricted professional licenses or certifications, and the contractor pays for all permits and licenses. Any person providing services pursuant to a task order issued against this contract shall possess a full and unrestricted professional license or certification.
• New offerors with no GSA or VA schedule contract must complete GSA's Pathway to Success training and include the certificate. New offerors without an existing GSA FSS or VA FSS contract must successfully complete
• Active SAM.gov registration before award. Vendors must be registered in SAM prior to the award of the Schedule contract
• Trade Agreements Act applies: for services, the firm must be established in the U.S. or a designated country. origin is determined by the country in which the firm providing the service is established
• Meet the $25,000 minimum sales expectation to keep the contract. VA expects all FSS contractors to exceed $25,000 in sales within the first two years after contract award
• No set-aside: open to all business sizes. The size standard for NAICS 561320 is $30 million in average annual receipts, and larger firms must file a subcontracting plan.

Current contractor

No single incumbent: this is a multiple-award schedule, and the standing solicitation R4 replaces the earlier R3 solicitation, so many companies already hold 621 I contracts.

Not in the notice text

• Estimated total value of the schedule or of any task order: the SF 1449 value field is blank
• The full evaluation clause (552.238-75) and most of the 500,000-character solicitation document were left out of the text provided
• Most of the Vendor Response document, including the full list of labor categories (SINs) and estimated annual sales for each, was left out
• The proposed pricing spreadsheet (Document 03) was not read
• Which email address is correct for submitting offers
• The exact option periods that may extend the five-year term