SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- BULK MAILING CONTRACTOR
- Notice Date
- 1/2/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 561431
— Private Mail Centers
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;Health Administration Center;3773 Cherry Creek Drive North, Suite 450;Denver CO 80209
- ZIP Code
- 80209
- Solicitation Number
- VA741-08-RI-0016
- Response Due
- 1/7/2008
- Archive Date
- 2/6/2008
- Point of Contact
- MAURICE WALKER
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Contract Specialist
(MAURICE.WALKER@VA.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned
- Description
- The VA Health Administration Center (HAC) is seeking information from potential sources capable of meeting the following requirements: VA Health Administration Center (HAC) is requesting that a full-time and permanent contractor to mail out bulk direct mail in the form of letters, post cards, handbooks, brochures and magazines from the HAC to beneficiaries and providers as needed throughout the fiscal year(s). Scope of the Project: The contractor shall receive all printed material to be mailed from the GPO designated print vendor, then label and mail all requested correspondence from the HAC to its beneficiaries and providers for the lowest bulk rate allowable. The contractor will also accept all Data Transfer Agreement and Business Associate Agreement related software and training. Partner Requirements:1. The contractor will:Read and sign a Data Transfer Agreement Read and sign a Business Associate Agreement each fiscal year or upon the renewal/renegotiation of each new contractAccept and attend annual HIPAA and Privacy Act trainingAccept and install all HIAA and Privacy Act encryption softwareReceive printed material from GPO vendorsLabel all mail to include letters, post cards, magazines and handbooksSort and meter all mailMail all items up to 500,000 pieces per project without renegotiationPreferably be in the Denver Metro Area if possiblePreferably a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business or a Veteran owned Small Business2. The Center will:Provide a Communications sponsored COTRWill contract with all GPO print contractors for delivery to mailing facilityWill pay for all postageWill provide all names and addresses to the mailing contractor prior to delivery of printed material, in a HIPAA compliant manner, i.e. encrypted email or CD ROM.Project Timeline:1. The Contractor will mail each project within seven working days extensions may be negotiated, however seven days will be the standard.Government Responsibilities:The contractor shall comply with the Privacy Act, 38 U.S.C. 5701, 38 U.S.C. 7332, and 5 U.S.C. 552(a) et. Seq. Contractor staff shall sign confidentiality statements as required. The Contractor shall comply with all provisions of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) including but not limited to privacy, security of electronic health data, and adherence to standards and code sets as required by HIPAA. Contractor shall insure the confidentiality of all patient and employee information and shall be held liable in the event of breech of confidentiality. Contractor staff must sign confidentiality statements as required. Any person, who knowingly or willingly discloses confidential information from the VA, may be subject to fines.Vendor will be required to review and sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) whereas the purpose of the BAA is to comply with the requirements of the Privacy and Security Rules, including, but not limited to the Business Associate Agreement requirements at 45 CFR 164.308(b), 164.134(a), 164.502(e) and 164.504 (e) and as may be amended.The VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement will provide the necessary forms to the contractor or to the contractor's employees after receiving a list of names and addresses. Upon receipt, the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement will review the completed forms for accuracy and forward the forms to OPM to conduct the background investigation.The VA facility will pay for investigations conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in advance. In these instances, the contractor will reimburse the VA facility within 30 days. The VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement will notify the contracting officer and contractor after adjudicating the results of the background investigations received from OPM. The contracting office will ensure that the contractor provides evidence that investigations have been completed or are in the process of being requested.The contractor shall agree that all deliverables, associated working papers, and other material deemed relevant by the contractor in the performance of this task order are the property of the United States Government. The Contractor shall agree that all individually identifiable health information shall be treated with the strictest confidentiality. Access to records shall be limited to essential personnel only. Records shall be secured when not in use. At the conclusion of the contract all copies of individually identifiable health records shall be destroyed or returned to the VA. Any individually identifiable health records shall be deleted from computers not belonging to the VA.The contractor shall comply with the Privacy Act, 38 U.S.C. 5701, 38 U.S.C. 7332, and 5 U.S.C. 552(a) et. Seq. Contractor staff shall sign confidentiality statements as required. The Contractor shall comply with all provisions of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) including but not limited to privacy, security of electronic health data, and adherence to standards and code sets as required by HIPAA. Contractor shall insure the confidentiality of all patient and employee information and shall be held liable in the event of breech of confidentiality. Contractor staff must sign confidentiality statements as required. Any person, who knowingly or willingly discloses confidential information from the VA, may be subject to fines.Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure:The Contractor shall agree that:The CO will be the sole authorized official to release verbally or in writing, any data, the draft deliverables, the final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this task order. The contractor shall release no information. Any request for information relating to this task order presented to the contractor shall be submitted to the CO for response.Press releases, marketing material or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the CO.The purpose of this announcement is to gather information on the available sources for this requirement and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, a Request for Proposals, a Request for Quotations or an indication that the Government will contract for any of the items and/or services described in this notice. In submitting a response, respondents are solely responsible for any associated expenses. The information received in response may be used to create an acquisition strategy, including set aside decisions, and a detailed work statement. Accordingly, interested firms are requested to advise in their response 1) whether they can meet the requirements and 2) provide information as to the status of their firm (Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small Business, 8 (a) small business, Small Disadvantaged Business, etc.)Please provide a brief statement of your capabilities, experience, an estimated cost, and technical comments. Include your company information, size status, and a name, address, phone number, fax, and email for a point of contact. Provide information on any other government contracts you have for this type of work.Responses should be sent via email only. NO TELEPHONE CALLS. This Request for Information in no way constitutes a Request for Proposal and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this announcement.Written responses should be received no later than 4:00 p.m. MST on January 7th 2008.
- Record
- SN01477927-W 20080104/080102223350 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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