F103--ROUTINE WATER TESTING AND TREATMENT SERVICES BALTIMORE VAMC 512-25-2-641-0178

Active

Contract Opportunity

SUMMARY:

Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Network Contracting Office
5, is issuing this request for sources sought notice in order to identify vendors that are
interested in and capable of providing contractor services. For a contractor that can provide routine water treatment and testing services for three (3) Baltimore Air-Cooled Towers (open loop) and two (2) closed loop system (heating and chilled water). For the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Read this SOW for complete details of contractor services that are required.

STATEMENT OF WORK

Equipment: Three (3) Baltimore Air-Cooled Towers (open loop) and two (2) closed loop system (heating and chilled water).

Location:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Baltimore VA Medical Center
10 North Greene Street
Baltimore MD, 21201
II. SCOPE OF WORK: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, management, material, parts, equipment, supplies, labor and transportation in performing routine water treatment and testing services for three (3) Baltimore Air-Cooled Towers (open loop) and two (2) closed loop system (heating and chilled water). This will include the recommended once a year for systems operated seasonally and twice a year for system operated twice a year for system operated year-round located at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. The base year will be starting from date of contract awarded and run for 12 consecutive months.

III. DEFINITIONS/ACRONYMS

A. Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR): A report that the Government shall complete and issue to the Contractor when service is unsatisfactory and not in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract. The Contractor is required to complete and return this form to the COR whenever performance is unsatisfactory. The CDR requires the Contractor to explain, in writing, the cause of the unsatisfactory performance, how performance will be returned to acceptable standards, and how reoccurrence of the problem will be prevented in the future.
B. Contracting Officer (CO): The individual with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts. The CO is the exclusive Government official authorized to execute changes and deviations or variations in the contract.
C. Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR): A Government representative, designated in writing by the Contracting Officer, to be responsible for quality assurance, inspection, surveillance, documentation and acceptance of the Contractor's performance. A copy of the letter of designation will be provided to the Contractor.

D. Preventive Maintenance (PM): Services which are periodic in nature and are required to maintain the equipment in such condition that it may be operated in accordance with its intended design and functional capacity with minimal incidence of malfunction or inoperative conditions. To clean, lubricate, calibrate, test and replace faulty or worn parts and/or parts which are likely to become faulty, fail or become worn, repair or adjust components, or assemblies of components as necessitated by wear, tear, damage, or failure of parts, returning the equipment and/or instrument to the operating condition defined in the manufacturer s specifications.

E. Repair Cost Estimate: The Contractors estimated cost (for parts, labor and freight) to repair a system according to manufactures' specifications and requirements.

F. Time: When hours are given it shall mean clock hours exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays unless otherwise specified (i.e., 1:00 P.M. Monday to 1:00 P.M. Tuesday equals 24 hours; 12:00 P.M. Friday to 12:00 P.M. Monday equals 24 hours). If days are indicated it shall mean calendar days including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

Rework. Any work the Contractor is required to accomplish due to unsatisfactory performance or nonperformance in accordance with the stated quality and level of effort specified in the contract. Rework is performed at no additional cost to the Government.

H. ESR. Vendor Engineering Service Report. A documentation of services rendered for each incidence of work performance under the terms and conditions of the contract.

I. Acronyms. Commonly used acronyms are listed below
FSE: Field Service Engineer
AQL: Acceptable Quality Level
IAW: In Accordance With
QA: Quality Assurance
QC: Quality Control
WS: Performance Work Statement
VA: VA Medical Center
CO: Contracting Officer
COTR: Contracting Officer s Technical Representative
FES: Facilities and Engineering Service

PREVENTIVE MAINTENNANCE REQUIREMENTS

Unless otherwise scheduled, monthly, provide routine water treatment and testing services to include at a minimum, complete water treatment services rendered by trained personnel under professional engineering supervision. Such services are designed to control and inhibit corrosion, pitting, scale formation and biological growth. This will include the following:

Open systems shall be serviced twice per month from May through October and monthly from November through April.
Closed systems will be serviced monthly year-round.

Vendor will furnish and apply all chemicals.

Inspect and adjust the water treatment equipment. Water treatment equipment is defined as, but not limited to, chemical feed tanks, by-pass feeders, chemical and biocide injection pumps, solenoid valves, control panels, time clocks, agitators, and water meters as applicable.
The vendor shall maintain proper chemical concentrations based on normal system operation while optimizing water consumption.
The vendor will collect and analyze water samples and submit water analysis reports as required.
The vendor will perform a water sample test on each cooling tower for the presence of Legionella. This test will be performed twice each year; once at the beginning of the cooling season and once at the end of the cooling season. A written report will be provided outlining the results and any recommended corrective actions. This report must be provided within 14 calendar days of performing the test.
The vendor will perform unscheduled service calls at no additional charge during normal business hours as required to fulfill the requirements of this contract provided the calls are not a result of tampering or abuse by unauthorized personnel or damage caused by others.
Should deposits or significant biological growth occur as a result of negligence or error on the part of the water treatment service provider, the vendor will conduct chemical cleaning of all condenser tubes at no additional cost.

Include in the scope of work are the following:
Provide for each cooling tower:
Necessary controller, timers and sensors including spill containment, and tubing to operate the various devices
Inhibitor dispenser
2 biocide feeders+
4 Legionella test year

Provide access real time to the data of the water chemistry of each cooling tower from a data base. The data must be in a format compatible with a Microsoft Office product
Provide necessary chemicals to maintain the water chemistry of the cooling towers, chiller water and heating water systems in a manner to minimize biological growth as well as corrosion and the buildup of minerals on the surfaces of the cooling towers as well as the surfaces of the chillers and heat exchangers.
Reporting

In order to assure the successful implementation of a water chemistry program there needs to be goals and treatment level metrics. These measurements shall be taken and calculated using both real time system measurements and periodic lab testing. The metrics shall include but not limited to.
Total chlorine
Inhibitor level
Nitrite level (closed loop)
Periodic Legionella testing based on VA Directive 1061
Weekly dip slides interpretations
Mild steel Corrosion rate quarterly
Copper corrosion rate quarterly
Aerobic and anaerobic microbial level
System Turbidity
The contractor shall provide a monthly report on the water chemistry, chemical usage, water usage as well as an analysis of the cycles of concentration.

The Contractor will contact the COTR to schedule a PM at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the proposed date. Schedule changes required by the Government after approval shall be made at no additional cost if notice is provided to the Contractor five (5) calendar days or more prior to the scheduled date of accomplishment.

Training

D. The contractor shall provide training of the VA staff on:
The basics of cooling tower operation
Their function
How they operate
Water related issued that the water treatments are designed to prevent
Safety how to handle and dispose of chemicals in a safe manner
Testing and troubleshooting including:
Basic testing of water parameters
Interpretation of periodic testing results and reports
Necessary information to make adjustments necessary to maintain an efficient program
The goals of the program are the following:

Suspended solids Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) pH balance 6.5 - 9
Chlorides CaCO3 Sulfates if calcium over 800 Silica SiO2Iron Manganese Ammonia if copper is present Cycles of Concentration 10


A. Personnel Experience. All work shall be performed by competent mechanics, experienced and qualified to work on the specific makes and models of equipment listed in this contract. The Contractor shall submit to and for the approval of the Contracting Officer, certification and a list of credentials of the approved mechanics. Personnel shall have a minimum of three (3) years recent experience related to this work. The contractor must provide a list of three (3) reference contacts that have been provided service on similar or identical equipment. The contractor must provide authenticated factory training certificates or credentials (or acceptable substitute as approved by the COTR) for any personnel who are working on any VA equipment. The VA specifically reserves the right to reject any of the contractor s personnel and refuse them permission to work on VA equipment.

B. Conduct of Personnel. The Contractor shall ensure that his personnel always present a professional appearance and that their conduct shall not reflect discredit upon this facility or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Contractor shall remove from the job site any employee for reasons of misconduct or security. The removal from the job site of such a person shall not relieve the Contractor of the requirement to provide sufficient personnel to perform adequate and timely service. All employees shall be legal residents of the United States and be able to understand, speak, read and write the English language.

C. Identification of Employees.: The Contractor shall within 10 calendar days before beginning performance of work provide the Contracting Officer a list of all employees who will perform under this contract. The list shall include the full name, and work assignment of each employee. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing of any addition, deletion or change in work assignment within 10 days of such change. Each of the Contractor's employees shall conspicuously display on their person a badge provided by the Contractor that shall include the full name of the employee, the name under which the Contractor is doing business and a badge serial number.

VI. HOURS OF OPERATION

A. Normal Duty Hours. The Contractor shall have employees available Monday through Friday, except legal public holidays at the times specified to perform routine work and inspections. All work will be performed between the hours of 7:00a.m. and 4:30p.m. on the prearranged dates.

B. Federal Holidays. Federal Holidays observed by the VA are:
New Year s Day; Martin Luther King Day; President s Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving Day; and Christmas.
CONTRACTOR QUALITY CONTROL

The Contractor shall establish and maintain a Quality Control Program that ensures that all requirements of the contract are provided as specified.

VII. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

A. Final inspection and acceptance by the Government shall be made at the site of each system. However, final inspection and acceptance do not preclude the Government's right to inspect completed work prior to shipment from the Contractor's shop nor does it waive any rights of the Government.


B. Unsatisfactory service will be reported in writing by the CO to the Contractor.

C. Telephone Answering Service: The Contractor shall maintain, at his own expense, a dedicated (tie-line) toll-free telephone answering service for the exclusive use in the performance of this contract. This answering service shall be monitored during normal work hours as identified in the specifications.

D. Radio Dispatch System: It is recommended but not mandatory that the Contractor utilizes a radio dispatch system for directing and dispatching personnel in response to maintenance service calls. In the event the use of radio dispatch is elected for use; it shall be the Contractors responsibility to obtain all permits, licenses, frequency allocations and antennas, all accessories necessary for send or receive operation at no additional cost to the Government. An expanded radio system could possibly be utilized in conjunction with or instead of the telephone answering service described in the paragraph above.

VIII. REMOVAL AND/OR DISPOSAL

A. Removing Government-Owned Material: All property removed remains the property of the U.S. Government and shall be returned by the Contractor to a place of storage as designated by the CO or COTR.
B. Salvage: Items received by the Contractor that are non-repairable because of condition, or declared unfit for economical rehabilitation by the Contractor, shall be returned to the Government. All salvage remaining in the Contractor's shop shall remain Government property and may be used for repair of any Government-owned equipment when released by the CO.

The Contractor shall be required to maintain an accountable record of inventory upon completion of the maintenance contract.

C. Inventories shall not be disposed of by the Contractor without inspection and written approval of the CO. Salvaged parts used in the repair of any government owned equipment shall be treated by the Contractor as Government furnished material and reflected as same on Contractor's invoices when submitted for payment. All salvage in the possession of the Contractor, upon expiration of the contract, will be returned to the Government within thirty (30) days after such expiration.


Interested & Capable Responses: Must respond with the following information.
NCO 5 is seeking responses from entities that are interested in this procurement and consider themselves to have the resources, capabilities, and qualifications necessary to provide the services required for the Washington DC VA Medical Center.
Please respond to this RFI/Sources Sought 36C24525Q0484 with your:
Business name (including Unique Entity ID (SAM.gov)
Business type, socio-economic status (e.g., Veteran-Owned, Woman-Owned, Disadvantaged Small Business, 8(a), etc.), and
Person of contact (including telephone number & email address).
Capability statement and summary of previous experience providing these types of services for the Veterans Health Administration or other similar facilities.
Available contract vehicles (GSA FSS, etc.) for use by Department of VA (include applicable NAICS)
Brief Summary of categories of services that your company can/cannot provide.
Certification(s) / Licenses for meeting the local requirements to provide these services at the DC VAMC (if applicable)
Confirmation that your organization has the capability & expertise to meet the performance requirements while complying with applicable limitations in subcontracting by responding to the questions below with your response:
Do you intend to self-perform this effort?
If you are located outside the immediate area, how will you self-perform?
Or do you intend to subcontract work under this contract?
If you intend to subcontract work under this contract, how will you ensure compliance with the limitations on subcontracting?

Response Instructions:
Responses must be submitted by 10:00 AM (ET) Monday, May 12th, 2025. Responses to the information requested above must be submitted via email to Bill Pratt at Billie.Pratt@va.gov.
This request for information/sources sought notice is for planning purposes ONLY and does not constitute a solicitation, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The results of this market research will assist in the development of (1) the requirement, and (2) the acquisition strategy (e.g., SDVOSB/SDVOSB set-aside, small business set-aside, full and open competition, etc.). VA assumes no responsibility for any costs incurred as a result of a vendor s attendance to the Site-Visit nor the preparation of responses submitted as a result of this notice.
Bill Pratt
Contract Specialist
VHA, NCO 5

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