This Sources Sought opportunity from Department Of Veterans Affairs was posted on February 17, 2011. The submission period has ended. Browse the details below for market research, or find similar active opportunities.
J--provide preventive maintenance and repair of the Radiation Therapy Equipment
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VA24811RI0189FederalSubmission Closed
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
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General Info
Agency
Department Of Veterans Affairs → 248-NETWORK Contract Office 8 (36C248)View Agency
NAICS
339113 - Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing View NAICS
Place of Performance
FLSet-Aside
NONE
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Timeline
PhaseClosed
Submission Closed
Organization & Contact Information
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AgencyDepartment Of Veterans Affairs → 248-NETWORK Contract Office 8 (36C248)
ContactsNo contacts available
OfficeTAMPA, FL, 33637, USA
Organization / Agency
Department Of Veterans Affairs → 248-NETWORK Contract Office 8 (36C248)
View Agency ProfileOffice AddressTAMPA, FL, 33637, USA
ContactsNo contact information available
Full Description
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Description This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSE ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this Sources Sought are preferred VIA E-MAIL but you can mail or use a ground carrier. The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Businesses and Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to perform this requirement. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) DUNS number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business or Veteran-Owned Small Business; (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below and; (j) evidence of experience doing the same type of work (k) estimated prices. Furnish all labor, transportation and parts necessary to provide preventive maintenance and repair of the Radiation Therapy Equipment listed below for the approximate period of 1 May 2011 to April 30 2012 and 4 additional option years thereafter. Each respondent must have a verifiable established business with an office and full time staff to include a "fully qualified" field service engineer (FSE) and a "fully qualified" FSE who will serve as backup. Fully qualified is based upon training and expertise in the field. For training, the FSE(s) has successfully completed a formalized training program of the equipment identified below. For field experience the FSE(s) shall have a minimum of two years experience with respect to schedules and unscheduled remedial maintenance for linear accelerator equipment. The FSE(s) shall be authorized by the contractor to perform the maintenance services. The contractor shall provide written assurance to the competency of their personnel and a list of their credentials on approved FSE(s) for each model the contractor services at the Tampa VA. The Contracting Officer (CO) may authenticate training requirements, request training certificates, or credentials from the contractor at any time for any personnel who are servicing or installing VA equipment. The CO or Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) specifically reserves the right to reject any of the contractor's personnel and refuse them permission to work on the listed VA equipment. If any subcontractors are used, they must be approved in advance by the CO; the contractor shall submit any proposed change in subcontractor (s) to the CO for approval or disapproval. Inspection of the equipment and any site visits by the contractor will be coordinated in advance with COTR, Biomedical Engineering. Consumable parts and supplies will not be covered under the proposed contract. EQUIPMENT: 1. VARIAN CLINAC 21/23 EX SERIES LINEAR ACCELERATOR S/N H290369, ID#47399, INCLUDING ALL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE INCLUDING MULTI-LEAF COLLIMATOR, PORTALVISION. LOCATED IN ROOM 034B-32. 2. VARIAN CLINAC 21/23 EX SERIES LINEAR ACCELERATOR S/N H290516, ID#55151, INCLUDING ALL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE INCLUDING MULTI-LEAF COLLIMATOR, PORTALVISION. AND RPM RESPIRATORY GATING LOCATED IN ROOM 035-32. 3. VARIAN CLINAC 21/23 EX SERIES LINEAR ACCELERATOR S/N H29235, ID#80870, INCLUDING ALL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE INCLUDING MULTI-LEAF COLLIMATOR, PORTALVISION. AND ON BOARD IMAGING LOCATED IN ROOM 034A-32. The contractor shall also comply with the policies of the VA. Important information: The Government is not obligated to nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions. No sub-contracting opportunity is anticipated. The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 339113 "Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing" (500). Notice to potential offerors: All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR located on the web at www.ccr.gov). It is desirable that any Offeror completes their business Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Additionally, all Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses who respond to a solicitation on this project must be registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise VetBiz Registry located at http://vip.vetbiz.gov. All interested Offerors should submit information by e-mail, mail or ground carrier to: Adalberto Afanador James A. Haley Veterans Hospital (JAHVH) Network Contracting Activity 8 8875 Hidden River Parkway Tampa, FL 33637-1035 by e-mail to Adalberto.Afanador@va.gov. All information submissions to be marked Attn: Adalberto Afanador, Contract Specialist (PBD) and should be received no later than 4:30 PM Eastern Time on Feb 25, 2011. This is just for MARKET RESEARCH purposes. STATEMENT OF WORK LINEAR ACCELERATOR MAINTENANCE CONTRACT SCOPE: The contractor shall furnish all labor, transportation, tools, and parts necessary to provide preventive maintenance and repair of the radiation therapy equipment (linear accelerators) listed below for the period 10-1-10 through 9-30-11, both dates inclusive. TYPE OF CONTRACT: The contract will be firm-fixed-price. QUALIFICATIONS: Each respondent must have an established business, with an office and full time staff to include a "fully qualified" field service engineer (FSE) and a "fully qualified" FSE who will serve as backup. "Fully qualified" is based upon training and on experience in the field. For training, the FSE(s) has successfully completed a formalized training program of the equipment identified below. For field experience, the FSE(s) has a minimum of two years experience with respect to scheduled and unscheduled preventive and remedial maintenance of linear accelerators/radiation therapy equipment. The FSE(s) shall be authorized by the contractor to perform the maintenance services. All work shall be performed by "fully qualified" competent FSE(s). The contractor shall provide written assurance to the competency of their personnel and a list of credentials of approved FSEs for each make and model the contractor services at the VA. The Contracting Officer (CO) may authenticate the training requirements, request training certificates or credentials from the contractor at any time for any personnel who are servicing or installing any VA equipment. The CO and/or Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) specifically reserves the right to reject any of the contractor's personnel and refuse them permission to work on the VA equipment. If subcontractors are used, they must be approved in advance by the CO; the contractor shall submit any proposed change in subcontractor(s) to the CO for approval/disapproval. SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED: A. Repair - 1. All repairs will be performed during normal VA business hours, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday, except Federal Holidays, unless otherwise specified. Contractor may work outside normal business hours by arrangement with COTR if such services are provided without additional charge to the government. Any overtime charges must be approved by the COTR or designee prior to the initiation of overtime work. 2. A technical maintenance representative will respond by telephone to the VA within one (1) hour of the original service call. Technical telephone support will be available from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The contractor will arrive on-site for repair within two (2) hours of the original service call. Equipment will be returned to full operation within twenty-four (24) business hours of the original call. On-site visits will be authorized by COTR only. 3. The VA shall not provide service manuals or service diagnostic software to the contractor. The contractor shall obtain, have on file, and make available to its FSE(s) all operational and technical documentation (e.g., operational and service manuals, schematics, and parts lists) which are necessary to meet the performance requirements of this contract. The location and listing of the service data manuals, by name, and/or the manuals themselves shall be provided to the CO upon request. Any charges for parts, manuals, tools, or software required to successfully complete scheduled Preventive Maintenance (PM) are included within this contract and its agreed upon price unless specifically stated in writing otherwise. B. Parts - All replacement parts, except exclusions listed below, required to keep equipment performing within the manufacturer's specifications will be provided by the contractor. All parts must meet or exceed factory specifications to maintain compatibility with systems presently in place and with future performance/reliability upgrades. Parts removed (replaced) by the contractor become the property of the contractor. C. Scheduled Maintenance - 1. The contract will include four (4) comprehensive scheduled maintenance inspections (preventive maintenance) to be performed in December, March, June, and September. A mutually agreeable time for the inspections will be scheduled through the COTR. All preventive maintenance inspections shall be scheduled after hours (beginning at 5:00 PM). 2. The contractor will perform PM service to ensure that equipment listed below functions in conformance with the latest published editions of NFPA-99, OSHA, CDRH, CAP. The contractor shall provide and utilize procedures and checklists with worksheet originals indicating work performed and actual values obtained (as applicable) provided to the COTR at the completion of the PM. Preventive maintenance procedures will be submitted to COTR for approval prior to initiation of this service contract. PM services shall include but need not be limited to the following: Cleaning of equipment; Reviewing operating system diagnostics to ensure that the system is operating to the manufacturer's specifications; Calibrating and lubricating the equipment; Performing remedial maintenance of non-emergent nature; Testing and replacing faulty or worn parts and/or parts which are likely to become faulty, fail, or become worn; Inspecting all cables and bushings and replacement as necessary; Measuring, adjusting, aligning, and calibrating as necessary for optimal performance; Inspecting and replacing where indicated electrical wiring and cables for wear and fraying; Inspecting and replacing where indicated all mechanical components including but not limited to devices, cables and mounting hardware, chains, belts, bearings and tracks, interlocks, clutches, motors, and keyboards for mechanical integrity, safety, and performance; Returning the equipment to full and proper operating condition; Providing documentation of service performed. Parts and assemblies will be repaired or replaced as necessary. An electrical safety inspection will be done at the time of the preventive maintenance and results will be documented. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: A. Contractor Check-in - The contractor's representative will report to Biomedical Engineering, D022-01, prior to performance of service. On approved overtime, contractor will report to Hospital Police, E.R. Lobby. B. Documentation - at the conclusion of each repair or scheduled maintenance visit, the contractor will provide a written service report indicating the date of service, the Bar Code Number (EE#), the model, serial number, and location of the equipment serviced, the name of the service representative, the hours worked, and the services performed and parts replaced. The reports will be delivered to Biomedical Engineering for signature when work is complete. During non-standard hours, report will be taken to Hospital Police for signature. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: A. Exclusions - Consumable parts and supplies are not covered under this contract. B. Inspection of Equipment - Any site visits will be coordinated in advance with COTR, Biomedical Engineering, (813) 972-7632. EQUIPMENT COVERED: A. Varian Clinac 21/23 EX Series linear accelerator, S/N H290369, ID# 47399, including all hardware and software including multi-leaf collimator and portalvision, located in 034B-32 B. Varian Clinac 21/23 EX Series linear accelerator, S/N H290516, ID# 55151, including all hardware and software including multi-leaf collimator, portalvision, and RPM respiratory gating located in 035-32 C. Varian Clinac IX Series linear accelerator, S/N H294235, ID# 80870, including all hardware and software including multi-leaf collimator, portalvision, and on-board imaging located in 034A-32 VA SECURITY INFORMATION The C&A requirements do not apply, and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required. 1. SUBPART 839.2 - INFORMATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY REQUIREMENTS 839.201 Contract clause for Information and Information Technology Security: a. Due to the threat of data breach, compromise or loss of information that resides on either VA-owned or contractor-owned systems, and to comply with Federal laws and regulations, VA has developed an Information and Information Technology Security clause to be used when VA sensitive information is accessed, used, stored, generated, transmitted, or exchanged by and between VA and a contractor, subcontractor or a third party in any format (e.g., paper, microfiche, electronic or magnetic portable media). b. In solicitations and contracts where VA Sensitive Information or Information Technology will be accessed or utilized, the CO shall insert the clause found at 852.273-75, Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources. 2. 852.273-75 - SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES (INTERIM- OCTOBER 2008) As prescribed in 839.201, insert the following clause: The contractor, their personnel, and their subcontractors shall be subject to the Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks regarding information and information system security as delineated in this contract. VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY/PRIVACY LANGUAGE FOR INCLUSION INTO CONTRACTS, AS APPROPRIATE 1. GENERAL Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. 2. ACCESS TO VA INFORMATION AND VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS a. A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order. b. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures. c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness. d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor. e. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor's employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination. 3. VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL LANGUAGE a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1). b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor's information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA's information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA's sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements. c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract. d. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract. e. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed. f. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12. g. If a VHA contract is terminated for cause, the associated BAA must also be terminated and appropriate actions taken in accordance with VHA Handbook 1600.01, Business Associate Agreements. Absent an agreement to use or disclose protected health information, there is no business associate relationship. h. The contractor/subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated. i. The contractor/subcontractor's firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA's minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request. j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor/subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA's prior written approval. The contractor/subcontractor must refer all requests for, demands for production of, or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer for response. k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor/subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus. If the contractor/subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above mentioned information, that contractor/subcontractor shall immediately refer such court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response. l. For service that involves the storage, generating, transmitting, or exchanging of VA sensitive information but does not require C&A or an MOU-ISA for system interconnection, the contractor/subcontractor must complete a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) on a yearly basis and provide it to the COTR. 4. INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT a.Information systems that are designed or developed for or on behalf of VA at non-VA facilities shall comply with all VA directives developed in accordance with FISMA, HIPAA, NIST, and related VA security and privacy control requirements for Federal information systems. This includes standards for the protection of electronic PHI, outlined in 45 C.F.R. Part 164, Subpart C, information and system security categorization level designations in accordance with FIPS 199 and FIPS 200 with implementation of all baseline security controls commensurate with the FIPS 199 system security categorization (reference Appendix D of VA Handbook 6500, VA Information Security Program). During the development cycle a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) must be completed, provided to the COTR, and approved by the VA Privacy Service in accordance with Directive 6507, VA Privacy Impact Assessment. b. The contractor/subcontractor shall certify to the COTR that applications are fully functional and operate correctly as intended on systems using the VA Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC), and the common security configuration guidelines provided by NIST or the VA. This includes Internet Explorer 7 configured to operate on Windows XP and Vista (in Protected Mode on Vista) and future versions, as required. c. The standard installation, operation, maintenance, updating, and patching of software shall not alter the configuration settings from the VA approved and FDCC configuration. Information technology staff must also use the Windows Installer Service for installation to the default "program files" directory and silently install and uninstall. d. Applications designed for normal end users shall run in the standard user context without elevated system administration privileges. e. The security controls must be designed, developed, approved by VA, and implemented in accordance with the provisions of VA security system development life cycle as outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-37, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems, VA Handbook 6500, Information Security Program and VA Handbook 6500.5, Incorporating Security and Privacy in System Development Lifecycle. f. The contractor/subcontractor is required to design, develop, or operate a System of Records Notice (SOR) on individuals to accomplish an agency function subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (as amended), Public Law 93-579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and applicable agency regulations. Violation of the Privacy Act may involve the imposition of criminal and civil penalties. g. The contractor/subcontractor agrees to: (1) Comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 (the Act) and the agency rules and regulations issued under the Act in the design, development, or operation of any system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function when the contract specifically identifies: (a) The Systems of Records (SOR); and (b) The design, development, or operation work that the contractor/subcontractor is to perform; (2) Include the Privacy Act notification contained in this contract in every solicitation and resulting subcontract and in every subcontract awarded without a solicitation, when the work statement in the proposed subcontract requires the redesign, development, or operation of a SOR on individuals that is subject to the Privacy Act; and (3) Include this Privacy Act clause, including this subparagraph (3), in all subcontracts awarded under this contract which requires the design, development, or operation of such a SOR. h. In the event of violations of the Act, a civil action may be brought against the agency involved when the violation concerns the design, development, or operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function, and criminal penalties may be imposed upon the officers or employees of the agency when the violation concerns the operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function. For purposes of the Act, when the contract is for the operation of a SOR on individuals to accomplish an agency function, the contractor/subcontractor is considered to be an employee of the agency. (1) "Operation of a System of Records" means performance of any of the activities associated with maintaining the SOR, including the collection, use, maintenance, and dissemination of records. (2) "Record" means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and contains the person's name, or identifying number, symbol, or any other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a fingerprint or voiceprint, or a photograph. (3) "System of Records" means a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual. i. The vendor shall ensure the security of all procured or developed systems and technologies, including their subcomponents (hereinafter referred to as "Systems"), throughout the life of this contract and any extension, warranty, or maintenance periods. This includes, but is not limited to workarounds, patches, hotfixes, upgrades, and any physical components (hereafter referred to as Security Fixes) which may be necessary to fix all security vulnerabilities published or known to the vendor anywhere in the Systems, including Operating Systems and firmware. The vendor shall ensure that Security Fixes shall not negatively impact the Systems. 5. INFORMATION SYSTEM HOSTING, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, OR USE a. For information systems that are hosted, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA at non-VA facilities, contractors/subcontractors are fully responsible and accountable for ensuring compliance with all HIPAA, Privacy Act, FISMA, NIST, FIPS, and VA security and privacy directives and handbooks. This includes conducting compliant risk assessments, routine vulnerablity scanning, system patching and change management procedures, and the completion of an acceptable contingency plan for each system. The contractor's security control procedures must be equivalent, to those procedures used to secure VA systems. A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) must also be provided to the COTR and approved by VA Privacy Service prior to operational approval. All external Internet connections to VA's network involving VA information must be reviewed and approved by VA prior to implementation. b. Adequate security controls for collecting, processing, transmitting, and storing of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), as determined by the VA Privacy Service, must be in place, tested, and approved by VA prior to hosting, operation, maintenance, or use of the information system, or systems by or on behalf of VA. These security controls are to be assessed and stated within the PIA and if these controls are determined not to be in place, or inadequate, a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) must be submitted and approved prior to the collection of PII. c. Outsourcing (contractor facility, contractor equipment or contractor staff) of systems or network operations, telecommunications services, or other managed services requires certification and accreditation (authorization) (C&A) of the contractor's systems in accordance with VA Handbook 6500.3, Certification and Accreditation and/or the VA OCS Certification Program Office. Government-owned (government facility or government equipment) contractor-operated systems, third party or business partner networks require memorandums of understanding and interconnection agreements (MOU-ISA) which detail what data types are shared, who has access, and the appropriate level of security controls for all systems connected to VA networks. d. The contractor/subcontractor's system must adhere to all FISMA, FIPS, and NIST standards related to the annual FISMA security controls assessment and review and update the PIA. Any deficiencies noted during this assessment must be provided to the VA contracting officer and the ISO for entry into VA's POA&M management process. The contractor/subcontractor must use VA...
