Vendor Questions/Answers Is this a new requirement? If not, who is the incumbent and what was the value of the previous contract? Contract 36C25220D0013 was awarded 11/1/2019. All details relating to this award can be found on sam.gov. SOW Scope Section B2. This section lists 100 mL as the required volume, will the government allow for a sample volume of 250 mL? Yes. Typical sample volume is 250 mL. Does the government intend for the detection limit to be 1 CFU/mL and not any lower? Results of 1 CFU/mL and higher should be front-facing in emailed communications accompanying laboratory results. Detection lower than 1 CF/mL shall be annotated as <1 . SOW Scope Section B4-5. Can the government provide examples of the following requirement: (4.) Results shall be returned on the same spreadsheet provided for the sampling. No changes shall be made to any of the data provided for area or source sampled. Attachments 2 8 are examples of quarterly room sampling per building. Hines VA will send contractor Excel spreadsheets twenty (20) calendar days prior to scheduled sampling date. Contractor shall test areas listed on Excels, fill in all required pertinent information during sampling and after laboratory results, then send back completed Excel spreadsheets to Contracting Officer Representative (COR). (5.) Draft results shall be returned within 24 hours of the results being returned to the contractor and watermarked on the spreadsheet as DRAFT COPY. The Excel spreadsheets sent to contractor from Hines VA, shall be due 24 hours after laboratory results are submitted to the government. Traditionally, contractor sends at same time. SOW Scope Section B5. Can the government clarify which results are due within two days of receiving draft results when Legionella testing by culture takes 7-10 days? The Excel spreadsheets sent to contractor from Hines VA, shall be due 24 hours after laboratory results are submitted to the government. Traditionally, contractor sends at same time. Can the government provide historical retesting requirements for each building for the past three years given the high number of retest quantities? Historically, what species of Legionella is most detected at this location? Other Due to a high cost to the government and negligible impact on how positive sources are remediated, would the government remove the requirement for serotyping of Legionella pneumophila and speciation of non-pneumophila Legionella? No. Serotyping is for tracking patient exposure as well as remediation. When are bid due? SAM.gov deadline listing appears to conflict with contract document requirements. RFQ responses are due 05/05/2025 @10:00am Local Time (Central) as stated in the amendment posted 04/30/2025 onto sam.gov. What criteria will be utilized to selection? Will factors other than cost be considered, such as firms with local presence to improve responsiveness? Responses will be evaluated per the information that can be found in the Instructions to Offerors section of the solicitation, beginning on page 30. Will any testing of dental, water tower, or cooling towers be required? No. Will the facility provide testing locations to the contractor each quarter? Yes. Does the facility have a sampling standard operating procedure? No. How should contractors perform sampling in the event there is a legionella filter present on the fixture? Filter should be removed and placed back on after testing. Who will be the facility rep to receive sample bottles prior to testing? This information will be provided at the time of award. Will the contractor have an escort during sampling? Yes. What type of testing is required for detection of Legionella, eg SPREAD PLATE METHOD - PERFORM ISO 11731 LEGIONELLA TESTING? Yes. Bulk water testing at POU. What type of testing is required for determining the serogroup for positive samples, eg Multiplex PCR for Serogroup Detection? Hines VA is not using PCRs. Does Hines require speciation within a serogroup for positive samples? What type of testing is required for positive samples to determine speciation, eg Sequence-Based Typing (SBT)? Yes. For each of the below, please provide bid quantity for number of tests in the base period of performance (Year 1). Please do not reference inventory as testing locations will vary from quarter to quarter based on the Water Safety Committee direction. Additionally, contractor cannot be responsible for an infinite number of resampling until a positive result occurs, and the facility must provide a quantity for resampling to determine the cost. Description Contract Period of Performance - Year 1 Quantity Unit of Measure Unit Price Total Price Total Routine Quarterly Environmental Validation sampling required to comply with VHA Directive 1061(1).  EA 640 $0.00 Non-Routine Legionella Testing (Resampling) performed outside of quarterly sampling - including onsite physical and chemical testing.  EA  160 $0.00 Cooling Tower sample collection, analysis, and results management.  EA  0 $0.00 Non-Routine HPC Testing (Cooling Tower) performed outside of quarterly sampling, including onsite physical and chemical testing.  EA  0 $0.00 Quarterly Dental Waterline Heterthropic Plate Count Analysis  EA  0 $0.00 Non-Routine HPC Testing (Dental Waterlines) performed outside of quarterly sampling.  EA  0 $0.00 Does the lab need to serogroup Legionella longbeachae (which is labeled in the document as Serogroups 1 & 2)? Yes. Can samples that require non-pneumophila Legionella species be reported as Legionella species (Pending further Identification) while we speciate those rare Legionella? The lab is concerned about meeting the 7-10 day turnaround time while having to speciate. Yes.
