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SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE Yoga Instructor/Provider for SPECTER Research Study for VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System Las Vegas

The purpose of this sources sought is to obtain information in support of Market Research. Interested vendors are asked to review the attached specifications and provide the following information in their response:Â
Company Name, Point of contact, Email address Â
An Informal QuoteÂ
Authorized Distributor LetterÂ
Capabilities StatementÂ
Business SizeÂ
UEI NumberÂ
Vendor POC informationÂ
Any existing IDIQ contracts in which these items can be ordered from (e.g. GSA, NASA SEWP, DLA eCAT, VA SAC, or VA NAC)Â

NOTICE: This notice is not an official request for quotes. Information obtained from this notice may be used to the assist the Agency in determining the strategy for obtaining these items/services. Please note an official request for quote may or may not be released in connection of this notice. All responses shall be submitted to Rachael.Becker@va.gov prior to the closing date of this notice.  Â

SAMPLE PERORMANCE WORK STATEMENT SEE BELOW

REQUIREMENTS/SCOPE: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) has become a common issue for veterans to seek medical care in the United States. Previous studies pointed out that over 80% of the veteran had experienced low back pain for more than one year, and the recurrence rate was between 24-80%. Pain medications, including opioids, are one of the treatment options for low back pain. However, the opioid crisis arouses people s attention in the past two decades. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to find the best treatment option to treat low back pain for veterans without using medications. There are two steps in the study. Step one has a control group and two light treatment groups, including physical therapy. Step two offers veterans one of three advanced treatment groups: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), or yoga.

Scope
The purpose of the SCEPTER study is to find a better way to treat chronic lower back pain (cLBP) without using medications. Yoga intervention is one of the advanced treatment groups we will provide to Veterans. The treatment consists of up to 10 sessions, and each session is about one hour. The Yoga Instructor/Provider will lead the study participants through a series of yoga poses with the use of yoga straps and blocks in each treatment session, so that the study participants can also practice a 20-25 minute of yoga at home each non-session day. The yoga sessions will help to relieve low back pain by focusing on the improvement of circulation, flexibility, and balance. The study participants may temporarily experience mild muscle soreness and aching, the study emphasizes the long-term benefits and effectiveness of the yoga intervention for cLBP in veterans.
The Yoga Instructor/Provider must meet all the minimum qualifications and must have already been part of the CSP #2009: Sequential and Comparative Evaluation of Pain Treatment Effectiveness Response (SCEPTER) study staff. As a SCEPTER study staff, the Yoga Instructor/Provider read the study protocol to have an in-depth knowledge of the study to work with the Veteran study participants effectively and safely. The Yoga Instructor/Provider study staff must have an approved Scope of Practice signed by the VASHNS Associate Chief of Staff for Research (ACOS/R).

Minimum Qualifications:
The Yoga Instructor/Provider must be either (1) certificated at the Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT)-500- hour level or (2) at the RYT-200 but have at least 2 years of experience teaching yoga to people with medical conditions.
The Yoga Instructor/Provider must be certified and have taken the required Veteran Affairs (VA) Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program training in Human Subjects Protection Program. In addition to the Basic Life Support (BLS) card/certificate, the Yoga Instructor/Provider must be Research certified and is current on the following VA Talent Management System (TMS) training for:
Good Clinical Practices (taken only once)
VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior (WBT)
Privacy and HIPAA Training
The Yoga Instructor/Provider must have prior training, knowledge and worked with the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to enter study notes into the system.
Finally, the Yoga Instructor/Provider must have been trained and show proof of attendance to any of the numerous trainings and meetings on the CSP #2009: Sequential and Comparative Evaluation of Pain Treatment Effectiveness Response (SCEPTER) study protocol prior to this contract award.

SPECIFIC TASKS: The yoga provider must be able to:

Answer specific Veterans questions regarding the SCEPTER study and how yoga applies as an alternative treatment to chronic low back pain.
Be able to consult with Veterans individually.
Follow SCEPTER study s yoga protocol and manual.
Lead yoga session(s).
Complete Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) notes. CPRS access will be pending credentialing and NARS approval.
Report any Serious Adverse Events (SAEs)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE/SCHEDULE:

Estimated Hours of Service Per Year: 300 Hours Per Year
Estimated Hours of Service Per Month: 25 Hours Per Month

In the contractors bid/proposal response, they must identify the per hour rate, along with monthly and yearly rate for each period of performance for the 5 year contract term.

The POP for this contract shall be: Base year plus 4 option years.

Base Year: September 30, 2023, through September 29, 2024
Option Year 1: September 30, 2024, through September 29, 2025
Option Year 2: September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2026
Option Year 3: September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2027
Option Year 4: September 30, 2027, through September 29, 2028
Normal daytime working hours will be adhered to. Normal daytime work hours are 0730 to 1600 Monday through Friday. If the contractor wishes to work at nighttime or during other unscheduled times, they must first get permission from the Contracting Officer.

PARTICIPATING FACILITY: VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS)- Las Vegas Facility: 6900 North Pecos Road, North Las Vegas.
CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE:

The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) shall provide general instructions and shall be responsible for administrating the contract and ensuring invoices are certified for payment in a timely manner.

Location

COR:

Phone:

e-mail:

Location

COR:

Phone:

e-mail:

CONTRACTOR POINT OF CONTACT:

a. Contractor shall designate one employee as the Point of Contact (POC) responsible for administrative matters in the performance of services under this contract. The POC shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all matters relating to the daily performance of this contract.

b. The POC shall be available by telephone Monday through Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. excluding national holidays.

c. Contractor shall provide the name and telephone number of the person designated as Point of Contact, Alternate Point of Contact, and the name, location and telephone number of the office where normal and emergency service calls are to be placed:

Point of Contact (Full Name):

Telephone Number:

E-mail Address:

Alternate Point of Contact (Full Name):

Telephone Number:

E-mail Address:

Emergency Service Contact Information:

Emergency Service Telephone Number:
U.S. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS AND SERVICES:

The contractor shall be responsible for the receipt and handling of all equipment and materials. The contractor shall coordinate proposed delivery areas with the Engineer.
CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES:

The contractor shall furnish all necessary supplies, fuels, lubricants, solvents, parts, materials, equipment, products, tools, and any other items and services to perform all delivery and pick-up operations required by this statement of work.

The contractor shall provide fully qualified on-site personnel who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of the person and all alternates shall be designated in writing to the Contracting Officer. The project manager shall be on-site during normal work hours and for contingencies requiring work beyond normal work hours.

The contractor shall certify in writing that all employees operating equipment are trained and qualified.

CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Contractor Employees. The contractor shall not employ personnel for work on this contract if such employee is identified to the contractor as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being or operational mission of the installation and its population.

The Contractor shall furnish service manuals and/or test equipment for the performance of this contract. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to bring the appropriate equipment, parts and/or supplies necessary to complete the work as required. The Contractor shall be familiar and follow maintenance guidelines contained in current technical service manuals for all equipment and sub-assemblies listed. Manuals shall include but not be limited to schematics, diagrams, written procedures and parts lists.

All work shall be performed, and equipment shall function in conformance with all VA safety standards, manufacturer s/industry standards, the latest published edition of NFPA-99, FDA, OSHA, Joint Commission, and other applicable national standards. The COR may facilitate a copy of VA safety standards to the Contractor upon request.

Contractor personnel shall present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contractor employees. This may be accomplished by wearing distinctive clothing bearing the name of the company or company ID badge. Contractor field service personnel shall be dressed to present a clean, neat appearance at all times when performing under this contract.

Personnel performing maintenance and repair services must be fully qualified, competent, technicians. Fully qualified and competent is defined as factory trained and verified by Polar Leasing.
SERVICE RESPONSE TIMES:

The following service response times shall be adhered to at all times identified below. Polar Leasing assumes all costs associated with any service or maintenance performed during or after hours or on the weekends. Hours cited below are Pacific Standard Time.

Two hour maximum callback for service calls made during normal work hours, Monday through Friday. Normal work hours are between the hours of 7:30AM and 4:00 PM.

Two hour maximum callback for service calls made after 4:00PM, Monday through Friday.

Two hour telephone callback required for calls made on weekends or national holidays (Friday after 4:00PM through 7:30AM of the next working day).

On site response shall be within 12 hours of first call for service, Monday through Friday, including after 4:00PM.

On site response for calls received during weekend hours and holidays shall be within 12 hours.
RE-PERFORMANCE:

If performance does not conform to the contract specifications, the VA Healthcare Center s COR or the Contracting Officer shall require the Contractor to perform the service again to conform to the contract specifications, at no cost to the Government. When the defects in service cannot be corrected by re-performance, the VA Medical facility may require the Contractor to call in a senior technical engineer from the manufacturer or from a different company. The Contractor shall incur and absorb all expenses for consultation outside the Contractor s organization.

Repeated malfunctions of any system component or subsection more than three (3) times within one (1) quarter is not acceptable. The Contractor is responsible for repairing all faulty equipment and identifying the nature and cause of repeated failures. The Contractor in this situation must either:

Make repairs in such a manner that the identified problems are corrected to the extent that repeated failures are eliminated.
Prove that the equipment is not faulty and an external cause for the problem exists and provide recommendations for resolution.
Provide repair services from the original equipment manufacturer at the Contractor s expense.
CHECK IN AND OUT ON SERVICE CALLS AT THE VA FACILITIES:

ACCESS: Access to work areas, and performance monitoring, will be provided by VA Energy Plant maintenance personnel. After hours response will be monitored by VA Central Energy Plant operators, 702-791-9000 Extension 16900. In all cases, VA Central Energy Plant operator shall be notified of any changes which may affect the response time of vital equipment.

For repairs or services required on weekends, holidays or after normal working hours, the
Contractor s repairman is required to check-in and check-out upon arrival and departure at Security Service and with COR, if available, or the on-duty Supervisor of the department, prior to effecting repairs. The procedures defined above are mandatory and will be strictly enforced.
NOTICE: This notice is not an official request for quotes. Information obtained from this notice may be used to the assist the Agency in determining the strategy for obtaining these items/services. Please note an official request for quote may or may not be released in connection of this notice. All responses shall be submitted to Rachael.Becker@va.gov prior to the closing date of this notice.  Â

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