Q--BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (BLS) AND ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT (ALS) Hines Ambulance Services Interim 3 MONTHS

VA69D-13-Q-0836; Intent to Sole Source Contract Award Interim Contract for Hines Ambulance Services Jessica L. Howard, Contracting Officer, NCO 12 GLAC 08/12/2013 The Great Lakes Acquisition Center intends to negotiate a 3-month sole source contract award with Vandenberg Ambulance Services, Tinley Park, IL, to provide ALS and BLS Ambulance Services for the Hines VA Hospital under the authority of (1) Unusual and Compelling Urgency per FAR 6.302-2 (41 U.S.C. 253(c)(2)). The 3-month period is necessary to conduct a competitive acquisition for a longer term contract. Technical Scope: Contractor shall provide labor, equipment, and material necessary to provide advanced life support, medical intensive care unit support, and basic life support ambulance transportation for Hines VA and affiliated CBOCS. Transportation includes but is not limited to one way trips between VA facilities, resident to VA facility, VA to affiliated hospitals, VA to the morgue, respiratory ventilator transportation and all associated labor, equipment, and supplies necessary to assure patient safety. Requirements: Contractor is required to respond to any call within 15 minutes. Contractor personnel are required to complete background investigations as determined by the VA Privacy Office prior to beginning work. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) providing emergency service on ambulances under this contract must have completed training in accordance with the standards published by the Department of Health and Human Services with a minimum curriculum of 150 hours or equivalent including an in-hospital training period. Such training programs must also be acceptable under the regulating requirements for local EMS Systems supported by DHHS under PL 93-154, Federal Register 39:24304 (1974). EMTs shall be certified, licensed or otherwise officially recognized by the local, state or regional government or public entity where the emergency ambulance service is operated or by which it is governed. Ambulance drivers shall have a valid operator's or chauffeur's license in accordance with Federal, State and local government requirements for their place of operation, for the services they perform, be capable of administering oxygen and have successfully completed the Standard and Advanced First Aid Course of the American Red Cross or U.S. Bureaus of Mines or equivalent and be capable of providing necessary medical assistance to the attending medical care specialist. POP: July 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013 Justification: Advanced life support, medical intensive care unit support, and basic life support ambulance transportation services and all associated equipment are vital to the operations of the VA Medical Center. Conversion to a new vendor without a transitional period would be disruptive and put both operations and patient's lives at considerable risk. Significant additional time and costs are required for properly competing, awarding, transitioning and reconfiguring procedures while ensuring that patient safety is not put at risk. Awarding a new contract would take approximately 6 months to properly conduct the acquisition process and transition. All nursing stations, patient wards, doctors, transportation personnel, and fiscal would be required to change processes and procedures that were setup with the incumbent contractor. NCO 12 is currently in the process of performing market research to determine the best strategy for garnering competition. The VA will need approximately 3 months to properly compete these services and allow for the successful conversion to a potential new contractor. To prevent disruption of the current service, a short-term sole source to the incumbent Blackhawk Medical Transportation Inc. dba Vandenberg Ambulance is required until a long-term contract is put into place, pursuant to acquisition regulations.