Q201--POLICE OFFICE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION Sources Sought Notice

Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 9 of 9 Sources Sought Notice *= Required Field Sources Sought Notice Page 1 of 9 This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT 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 must be in writing. The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified 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 compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) SAM Unique Entity ID Number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned small Business, Veteran-owned small business, 8(a), HUB Zone, Women Owned Small Business, Small disadvantaged business, Small Business HUB Zone business, or Other than Small Business, and (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below: The VA Long Beach Medical Center located at 5901 E. 7th St. Long Beach, CA 90822, requires contractor services to provide professional psychological assessment services for the VA Police Officers by a Psychologist(s) who has a doctorate from an American Psychological Association (APA) approved graduate program. 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. No sub-contracting opportunity is anticipated. The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 621330 ($8.0 Million). Notice to potential offerors: All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM located on the web at www.sam.gov). 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 https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov. All interested Offerors should submit information by e-mail to: contact@example.gov. All information submissions to be marked Attn: Timothy M. Harris, Contracting Specialist and should be received no later than 3:00 pm EST on November 8, 2022. After review of the responses to this announcement, the Government intends to proceed with the acquisition and a subsequent solicitation will be published. Performance Work Statement (PWS) Psychological Evaluation Police Long Beach VA Health Care System (LBVAHCS) Background: The Contractor shall render professional psychological assessment services for the VA Police Officers by a Psychologist(s) who has a doctorate from an American Psychological Association (APA) approved graduate program, is experienced working with adults, and is experienced in performing psychological assessments on police officers and/or police officer applicants. It is highly desirable that the Psychologist be board certified in Forensics by the American Board of Behavioral Psychology (ABBP). The Psychologist shall be a recognized expert demonstrating expertise in completing these specifically focused police officer exams. The required services will include new-hire exams to determine suitability for employment, and yearly annual psychological evaluations for current police officers and "fit for duty" evaluations and reports as requested. The contractor will ensure that service providers meet the credentialing and privileging requirements of LBVAHCS in order to operate completely within LBVAHCS. The contractor will include all requirements documentation involving the individual Police Officer Evaluation results as requested. The psychological assessments shall be performed in accordance with the guidelines designed to determine an officer s capability of conducting designated functional requirements essential to the duties of a VA police officer and an officer s suitability to carry a firearm. The memorandum from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security and Law Enforcement dated April 19, 2002, titled Psychological Assessment of Applicants for Police Officer Positions provides the most recent guidance for police officer applicant assessments; however, guidance from this directive is also recommended for incumbent assessments. Psychological testing standards for VA Police are found in VA Directive and Handbook 0730, and VA Firearm Policy is found in Directive and Handbook 0720. Reference: http://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub In accordance with 5 CFR 339 and VA Handbook 0730, Appendix A VA Police Officers are to be cleared annually to continue their duties as VA Police Officers which includes carrying a firearm. Appropriate administrative action will be taken in the case of VA police officers who are determined by annual medical examination to possess lasting physical or emotional conditions which, in the judgement of examining physicians, prevent the officers from performing the functional requirements of the position. Fit for Duty Testing: Chief of Police has authority to request fit for duty evaluation for officers suspected of having psychologic or emotional factors potentially impacting their ability to perform adequately as a law enforcement officer. Testing may include various factors such as: Hilson Safety Risk Inventory Inwald Survey-2 (IS-2) Inwald Survey-5 (IS-5) Shipley Institute of Living Scale (SILS-2) Required Report and Results: The contractor shall provide reports/results of the evaluation by form of a Memorandum letter to Employee Health Physician at the VA Long Beach, Health Care System (LBVAHCS). - The report will indicate: Pass/Fail. The Memo must include Recommendations: Recommended or Not Recommended for use of a firearm for the VA Medical Center. A second memorandum letter will be sent to the Chief of Police at the Medical Center with five (5) business days of evaluation. Privacy Act Notification Any reports, as well as any internal working documents generated by the Contractor, are the property of Ruben Tibor Medical Center, VA Long Beach Health Care System and shall be kept confidential from the officer. The Contractor and/or staff are not authorized to disclose any information pertaining to a VA employee to any source. Any request for personnel information shall be forwarded to the VA Employee Health Physician department. All results shall be discussed with the Employee Health Physician and mailed to: Ruben Tibor Medical Center, VA Long Beach Health Care System 5901 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90822 Attention: Agency Medical Center Officer. Employee Occupational Health. Pre-Employment Screening: The contractor shall submit a pre-employment screening to the COR before Initial Project Orientation meeting. Assessments shall not be conducted until the assessment report format has been approved by the Authority. The Contractor will provide verbal assessments of all pre-employment and employee psychological evaluations no more than two (2) workdays after the evaluation. The Contractor shall send the written pre-employment screening and employee assessment reports to the Chief, Occupational Health VA Chief, Occupational Health VA Long Beach CA. no more than ten (10) workdays after the examination. - Continuum of Force, Training Units, other law enforcement standards and position descriptions are also available in VA Police Units at each of the participating facilities. Pre-hire or Initial evaluations and fit-for-duty will be conducted at Contractor's office. VA regulations require an initial psychological assessment for VA police officer applicants, which shall include a structured interview and written psychological testing. Annual requirements: Annual evaluations of current police staff, the Contractor shall come to the Ruben Tibor Ruben Medical center, VA Long Beach, California 90822 for 3 or more consecutive days as needed each year to conduct yearly annual psychological evaluations. The regulations also require an annual psychological assessment for incumbent VA police officers, which are limited to a verbal interview covering only job-related factors, unless concerns arise during the psychological evaluation. The initial and annual psychological examination of the applicant/officer s emotional and mental stability shall be performed by a psychologist with recognized expertise in performing the specifically focused exams. While not required by regulation, the ability of a contractor to conduct face to face (rather than telephone) interviews with applicants/officers within shall be a factor in this award. LBVAHCS Police officer duties include personal encounters with patients, visitors, and other employees. Encounters are often with mentally ill, irrational, or disturbed persons who, although assaultive or destructive, must be handled with understanding, full control of force, and unimpeded judgement. Any emotional or mental conditions which could cause the officer/applicant to be a hazard to others or self during stress situations and/or physical altercations will disqualify. The primary objectives of psychological screening for VA police officer applicants and incumbent police officers are to screen out emotionally unstable individuals and to identify positive psychological characteristics associated with successful job performance. Emotional instability, in this context, refers to symptomatology of such severity that the individual s ability to meet the functional requirements of the position, including the carrying and use of firearms, would be impaired. A mental health diagnosis, on its own, cannot be used as a basis for a determination of instability. Suitability, in the psychological screening context, refers to personality characteristics pertinent to an individual s performance in the job and includes interpersonal skills, judgement, decision-making and integrity. The evaluating psychologist will determine, based upon his / her clinical judgement, the exact subset of dimensions to be assessed while adhering to the police officer functional requirements. Contractor to contact Chief of Police or designee to give verbal recommendation of tentative new-hires within 3 days of evaluation, sending the 1-page written evaluation to Occupational Health staff via fax or e-mail and the complete written evaluation to Occupational Health via fax or e-mail within 7 days of evaluation. Preliminary "Fit for Duty" evaluations are to be reported verbally via phone and/or e-mail to the Chief of Police or designee as soon as possible after the initial session. Upon completion of the evaluation, a complete written memorandum report will be sent to Chief of Police Service or designee no later than 10 days after the last session. Personnel assigned by the Contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall be licensed in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. All licenses held by the personnel working on this contract shall be full and unrestricted licenses. The qualifications of LBVAHCS police personnel shall also be subject to review by the Chief of Staff at the medical center and submitted for approval by the VA Facility Director at LBVAHCS facilities credentialing and privileging the Contractor s psychologist(s). all VA Police Personnel must have experience commensurate with their assigned responsibilities. The contractor will provide services: A Psychologist(s) who has a doctorate from an American Psychological Association (APA) approved graduate program, is experienced working with adults, and is experienced in performing psychological assessments on police officers and/or police officer applicants. It is highly desirable that the Psychologist be board certified in Forensics by the American Board of Behavioral Psychology (ABBP). The Psychologist shall be a recognized expert demonstrating expertise in completing these specifically focused police officer exams. The Contractor certifies that any individual providing services under this contract with LBVAHC. Have no physical/mental limitations or other conditions that may adversely affect his/her ability to perform as required by this contract; Has not had a loss, reduction, restriction, or revocation of his / her clinical privileges at any institution; Has not, or is not currently, and is not pending any litigation for medical malpractice; at or from any institution; Has not, or does not currently, and has pending currently no felony criminal charges against him/her. The LBVAHCS COR (Contracting Officer s Representative): Will communicate with the participating medical center Chiefs of Police to determine whether required assessments were performed as scheduled and whether all contract requirements are being met. Any incidents of contract noncompliance as evidenced by these monitoring procedures shall be forwarded immediately to the Contracting Officer. Types of Personnel Needing Assessment: Incumbent Officers Other Requirements (Police Officers and Applicants) Incumbent Officers Incumbent LBVAHCS VA Police officers must have a psychological assessment within sixty days prior to being armed and an annual psychological assessment thereafter. The initial and annual psychological assessments for LBVAHCS incumbent VA Police Officers are limited to a verbal interview by a psychologist covering only job-related factors. Standardized psychological testing may be used only after a reason arises to question the employee s suitability. If during the psychological assessment, the psychologist had an articulable reason to doubt that the officer is not capable of performing duties of a police officer (including the use of a firearm), he/she shall make a formal recommendation for psychological testing to the Employee Health Physician (EHP) who may approve such a recommendation and direct the Contractor to perform appropriate psychological testing. In assessments of incumbent police officers where mild difficulties are identified, tips for management of an officer may be provided, or a recommendation may be made for retraining, psychological counseling or for other remedial reasons. Other Requirements (Police Officers and Applicants): This contract does not mandate the use of any specific structured interview questions or specific psychological testing instruments. The psychologist may utilize structured interview formats and/or psychological tests not identified in the April 19, 2002 memo entitled Psychological Assessment of Applicants for Police Officer Positions in the performance of this contract, provided the selected interview formats and/or tests are validated instruments for psychological assessments of police officers and offeror submits a written narrative as part of the technical proposal supporting the validity of the selected assessments. This memo defines criteria that should be applied in the selection of both types of assessment instruments. It is essential that the assessment process be standardized. The same set of interview questions and test battery (if applicable) shall be administered to all individuals under this contract. When psychological testing is performed, typically, at least two objective psychological tests will be administered, one normed against healthy individuals drawn from the general population to assess suitability for work as a police officer and as a second measure normed against a clinical population to evaluate significant psychological dysfunction (i.e., emotional stability). The choice of how many and which objective measures to employ are the responsibility of the evaluating psychologist; however, suitability and stability must both be assessed. Estimated number of incumbent/applicant police officers per year needing Psychological Assessments Structured Interviews 50. Vendor will adhere to Attachment G, Fact Sheet Police Officer Physical Examinations and Psychological Assessments from the Office of Security and Law Enforcement, dated February 7, 2005, memorandum regarding Police Officer Psychological Assessments. Reports Formatting: Report Formatting for Police Officers and Applicants: Rating of police officer candidates and incumbent police officers requiring written psychological testing in addition to the verbal interview will be based on the entire examination. Decisions regarding the suitability of candidates or the disposition of other personnel are entirely the prerogative and responsibility of the LBVAHCS VA Police Chief. The Contractor s recommendations are advisory only and are based upon the best professional judgment of the examining psychologist considering all data available at this time. The final report will provide a general description of the examining psychologist s credentials, dates of review, and a description of the interview format utilized, testing procedures (if testing was performed) and the overall results. The report must be specifically address whether the officer is competent to perform his/her duties, to include the carrying of the issued firearms. The report will conclude with one of the two findings with supportive reasoning if conclusion two below is specified: Report Evaluation: (Required) RECOMMENDED: The individual was found to have the basic psychological qualities deemed necessary for the position and to reveal no features which cause significant concern at this time. NOT RECOMMENDED: In the best professional judgment of the examiner(s), we find that this person, at this time, does not possess the psychological characteristics deemed necessary to perform the duties of the position and is not considered to be psychologically suited for that position for the reasons detailed in this report. Pre-Employment: Contractor will contact LBVAHCS Chief of Police or designee to give verbal recommendation of tentative new-hires within 3 days of evaluation, sending the 1-page written evaluation to Occupational Health staff via fax or e-mail and the complete written evaluation to Occupational Health via fax or e-mail within 7 days of evaluation. Fitness for Duty Examinations: Preliminary "fit for duty" evaluations are to be reported verbally via phone and/or e-mail to the LBVAHCS Chief of Police or designee as soon as possible after the initial session. The complete written report will be sent to LBVAHCS Chief of Police Service or designee no later than 10 days after the last session.