MEDICAL WASTE

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This procurement is being conducted under Simplified Acquisition procedures pursuant to the authority of FAR Subpart 13.5, Test Program for Certain Commercial Items (10 U.S.C. 2304(g) and 2305 and 41 U.S.C. 253(g) and 253a and 253b). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; therefore, a written solicitation will not be issued. The Billings Area Indian Health Service (IHS) intends to award a fixed-price commercial item contract in response to Request for Quotation (RFQ)-10-15-002-EB. This solicitation is issued on an unrestricted basis. The solicitation documents and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-16. The associated North American Industry Classification System code is 562211 and the small business size standard is $11.5 million. PRICE SCHEDULE - INFECTIOUS MEDICAL WASTE: BASE YEAR: 12 MONTHS @ tiny_mce_marker___________ per month = tiny_mce_marker_______________. PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT: The purpose of this contract is to acquire pickup and disposal services for infectious medical waste at the Blackfeet Service Unit at Browning, Montana. STATEMENT OF WORK: The Contractor shall furnish all necessary labor, waste processing, equipment, supplies, packaging, transportation, manifests, and reports necessary to remove and dispose of infectious waste in accordance with all local, state, and federal regulations. MAJOR DUTIES: The Contractor shall provide complete pick-up, transportation off site, destruction and disposal, and manifest documentation of services for regulated medical waste generated at the Blackfeet Service Unit, PHS Indian Health Centers at Browning, Montana. The Contractor shall provide an adequate supply of all necessary storage and transportation containers, and packaging materials required to fulfill the requirements of the resultant contract. Complete manifest documentation of services provided shall be delivered to the Housekeeping Department in Browning, Montana. (1) REQUIRED METHOD OF DISPOSAL: Regulated medical waste disposed of at the IHS facilities will contain certain amounts of anatomical remains. All regulated medical waste disposed of under the terms of this contract shall be accomplished in accordance with current JCAHO Infectious Waste Management Regulations. (2) COMPLIANCE WITH ESTABLISHED REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall be subject to quality assurance standards that must meet or exceed current recognized national standards as established by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO). The Contractor shall perform services in accordance with principles and ethics established by JCAHO, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and the policies, procedures, and regulations of the IHS or any other regulation required for off-site disposal of regulated medical waste. The Contractor shall also perform in strict accordance with State regulations governing the handling, storage, transportation, destruction, and disposal and documentation of regulated medical waste. Additionally, the successful offeror shall fully comply with all United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) federal regulations. No regulated medical waste treated or untreated, resulting from this contract may leave the United States in any form or fashion. The Contractor is liable for any and all expenses related to non-compliance issues. The Contractor shall also be responsible for full compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, (42 CFR Parts 160 and 164). The Contractor shall handle all regulated medical waste in such a manner that guards the privacy of the patients of the IHS and guarantees all containers are locked to prevent spillage of contents and shall not be opened until destruction. The Contractor shall confirm that all employees have been trained and certified in the protection of privacy of any information contained on/in the items submitted for destruction under the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. (3) TYPES OF WASTE COVERED: The following listing specifies the most common types of medical waste, including regulated medical waste, which may be disposed of under the terms of this contract. The Government reserves the right to identify other types of waste to be disposed of under the terms of this contract. (i) Blood and Blood Products; (ii) Human Tissues; (iii) Biologicals and Pharmaceuticals; (iv) Laboratory Specimens; (v) Needles, Syringes, and other Sharps; (vi) Pathology Samples; (vii) Isolation Waste; (viii) Cultures and Slides; (ix) Intravenous bags, and associated tubing; (x) Packaging Materials, Gloves and Gowns Associated with Waste Collection; and (xi) Body Fluids and Excretions. (4) HANDLING AND LOADING OF VEHICLE: There are no provisions at these facilities to hold/store regulated medical waste in one specific area. Currently, all medical waste is brought to a central collection point. Handling and loading of vehicle shall be in strict compliance with current practices and regulations. Offerors may propose methods, which shall be subject to the Government's approval. The method proposed shall address the logistics and any additional costs to the Government that may be incurred to facilitate such. From the time that waste is received from the Blackfeet Service Unit any spills, damage to containers, or environmental contamination or damage caused by regulated medical waste collected shall be cleaned, repaired or corrected at the expense of the contractor. (5) DESTRUCTION FACILITIES: The Contractor shall destroy all waste accepted for disposal under the terms of this contract. The Contractor shall certify in writing that the destruction facilities of regulated medical waste are operated in compliance with and comply with all Federal, State, and local regulations which govern the destruction of regulated medical waste and the operation of destruction facilities or any other regulations required for pick-up and off-site disposal of regulated medical waste. All proposed facilities to be used by the contractor or any of its subcontractors to store, transport, transfer and destroy regulated medical waste shall be identified by name and location to the Contracting Officer. All proposed facilities and subcontractors are subject to review and approval by the Blackfeet Service Unit prior to use by the Contractor. These facilities shall be available for inspection by authorized representatives of the Blackfeet Service Unit upon twenty-four (24) hour notice. The Contractor shall provide written documentation that all facilities and subcontractors who store, transport, transfer and destroy regulated medical waste are in compliance with Federal, State and local regulations. The documentation shall be submitted with the price proposal and shall be subject to IHS approval. (6) DOCUMENTATION: The Contractor shall observe all Federal, State, and local laws, or any other regulations and procedures relative to the collection, transport, handling, storage, destruction, disposal, tracking, recordkeeping, manifesting, and documenting of the handling of regulated medical waste when providing regulated medical waste removal services, and shall provide written certification, acceptable to the Government, of such compliance. The Contractor shall provide all required manifest documents to the Housekeeping Department, PHS Indian Health Center, Box 760, 760 Hospital Circle, Browning, Montana 59417. The Contractor shall fill out all portions of such documents, which apply to the activities of the Contractor and of any subcontractors under the contract. The Contractor shall document, with proper manifests, the safe shipment and proper destruction of any regulated medical waste collected. An authorized IHS employee at the facility shall sign any official manifest prior to removal of waste to verify that waste was shipped for disposal. A list of authorized IHS employees will be provided to the awarded Contractor. No manifest shall be accepted as valid if not signed by an authorized representative of the Blackfeet Service Unit and a copy delivered to the Housekeeping Department. The Contractor shall return a copy of the certificate of destruction directly to the Housekeeping Department within fifteen calendar days of shipment of regulated medical waste for disposal. The certificate of destruction shall clearly indicate that all manifested, regulated medical waste was destroyed, and shall specify the site of destruction, the identity of the operation utilized for destruction, and USEPA and State permit numbers and the disposition site of the residue. The Contractor shall certify that residuals are disposed of in accordance with Federal and State laws, regulations and procedures. (7) LICENSES AND PERMITS: The Contractor, without additional cost to the Government, shall provide and maintain all Licenses, Permits, Vehicles, Operators, and Labor to remove regulated medical waste from the Blackfeet Service Unit in accordance with these requirements, all applicable specifications, and all applicable Federal, State, Municipal, and local regulations. Copies of all current licenses and permits shall be submitted with the price proposal. Failure to submit current licenses and permits could result in rejection of proposal. (8) WEIGHING FACILITIES: The Contractor shall provide and maintain equipment on its trucks or at the IHS facilities to be used for the purpose of obtaining accurate measurements of the weight of each container collected. The Government shall have the right to approve and inspect all such equipment. The Contractor shall provide documentation supporting/demonstrating equipment is tested at least annually for accuracy, properly maintained, calibrated and operated. Credit will be provided to the Government whenever it is determined that over charges resulted from defective weighing equipment. (9) CONTINGENCY PLAN: The Contractor shall have in place and maintain a valid contingency plan to meet the requirements of the contract whenever regulated medical waste cannot be handled by or at the primary transportation or processing facilities due to interruption of service or failure of equipment. The Contractor shall incur all costs associated with fulfilling this contingency plan as well as alternate contingency plans at no additional expense to the Government. Written documentation shall be made available to the Government that the contingency plan is in accordance with all Federal, State, Municipal and local specifications and regulations for the transportation, storage and disposal of regulated medical waste. (10) TITLE/PLACARDS: Title to all regulated medical waste removed by the Contractor shall pass from the Government to the Contractor upon receipt of such regulated medical waste. Each vehicle/truck used for this contract shall be placarded in accordance with DOT regulations. (11) WORK HOURS: The Contractor shall provide services covered by this contract as defined herein. The Contractor shall not be required, except in case of emergency, to furnish such services on a federal holiday or during off duty as described below. The following terms have the following meaning: (a) Normal Work Hours: Monday through Friday, 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding Holidays. (b) Federal Holidays: The federal holidays observed by the Federal Government are: New Years Day - January 1; Martin Luther King, Jr.?s Birthday - Third Monday in January; Presidents Day - Third Monday in January; Memorial Day - Last Monday in May; Independence Day - July 4th; Labor Day - First Monday in September; Columbus Day - Second Monday in October; Veterans Day - November 11; Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November; and Christmas Day - December 25th. When one of the holidays falls on Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a federal holiday. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a federal holiday by U.S. Government Agencies. Also included would be any day specifically declared by the President of the United States of America as a federal holiday. (12) INSURANCE COVERAGE: The Contractor is required to comply with applicable Federal and State workers' compensation and occupational disease statutes. If occupational diseases are not compensable under those statutes, they shall be covered under the employer's liability section of the insurance policy, except when contract operations are so commingled with a contractor's commercial operations that it would not be practical to require this coverage. Employer's liability coverage of at least $100,000 shall be required, except in States with exclusive or monopolistic funds that do not permit workers' compensation to be written by private carriers. (a) General liability: $500,000 per occurrence. (b) Automobile liability: $200,000 per person; $500,000 per occurrence for bodily injury; and $20,000 per occurrence for property damage. The amount of liability coverage on other policies shall be commensurate with any legal requirements of the locality and sufficient to meet normal and customary claims. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The performance of this contract shall be for one year with four 12-month options. CONTRACTING OFFICER AUTHORITY: Authority to negotiate changes in the terms, conditions or amounts cited in this contract is reserved for the Contracting Officer. PROJECT OFFICER: The project officer for this contract will be Lynn Evans, Housekeeping Supervisor, Blackfeet Service Unit, PHS Indian Health Center, Browning, Montana. The project officer shall be responsible for: (1) Verifying pickup and disposal of the infectious waste; (2) Ensuring the Contractor complies with all federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations; (3) Conducting technical inspections and acceptance; and (4) Assisting the Contractor in the resolution of technical problems encountered during performance of the contract. INVOICE SUBMISSION AND PAYMENT: The Contractor shall submit its invoice to the Project Officer. The Contractor agrees to include the following information on each invoice: (1) Contractors name, address and telephone number; (2) Contract Number; (3) Invoice number and date; (4) Cost or price; (5) Pickup and Disposal Dates; and (6) Remit to address. Payment shall be made by the Billings Area Financial Management Branch, P.O. Box 36600, Billings, Montana 59107. PRO-CHILDREN ACT OF 1994: The Contractor certifies that it will comply with the provisions of Public Law 103-227, Pro-Children Act of 1994, which imposes restrictions on smoking where federally funded children's services are provided. AWARD DECISION: The Government will award a contract, resulting from this solicitation, to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Copies of: (1) Certificate(s); (2) License; and (3) Insurance. PROVISIONS AND CLAUSES: The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition. The FAR provision 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items; and 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items are incorporated by reference. The following FAR and Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) clauses are applicable: 52.204-4, 52.204-9, 52.211-16, 52.212-4, 52.212-5, 52.215-5, 52.217-8, 52.217-9, 52.223-5, 52.223-6, 52.224-1, 52.224-2, 52.228-5, 52.229-3, 52.232-18, 52.242-15, 52.242-17, 352.202-1, 352.215-1, 352.215-70, 352.223-70, 352.224-70, 352.232-9, 352.270-2, 352.270-3, 352.270-4, 352.270-6, and 352.270-7. The following FAR clauses cited in 52.212-5 are applicable to the acquisition: 52.203-6 with Alternate I, 52.219-8, 52.222-3, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37, 52.222-39, 52.222-41, 52.222-42, 52.222-43, 52.223-9, 52.225-13 and 52.232-33. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will provide full text copies of the FAR and HHSAR provisions and clauses. The provisions and clauses may also be accessed electronically at http://www.arnet.gov and http://www.hhs.gov/oamp/dap/hhsar.html. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: The Contractor shall submit a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3 with its offer. Contractors intending to conduct business with the Federal Government must register with the Department of Defense Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. The CCR is the primary Government repository, which retains information on Government contractors. You may register via the Internet at http://www.ccr.gov or by calling (888) 227-2423 or (269) 961-5757. All responsible offerors may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the Agency. Offers shall be submitted to the Billings Area Indian Health Service, 2900 Fourth Avenue North, Room 304, Billings, Montana 59101, no later than 2:00 p.m., on May 29, 2007. The offer must be submitted in a sealed envelope, addressed to this office, showing the time specified for receipt, the solicitation number, and your company name and address. Offers will also be accepted by e-mail at eric.butterfly@ihs.gov or by fax at (406) 338-3202.