Q999--Source's sought for YOGA, Tai Chi, and Meditation classes to be taught at VA

Performance Work Statement DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS GENERAL PROCEDURE: 1. Title of Project: Mindfulness-based Whole Health Treatment Program 2. Scope of Work: Request is for comprehensive Yoga, Tai Chi, Mindfulness services that meet the various needs of the veteran patient population. Contracted Recreation Therapist and Yoga Teacher will be responsible to develop a comprehensive whole health program for the veterans that meets the minimum requirements and deliverables as stated below. Contractor will seek input from the VA Program Manager or representative/s while developing this program. 3. Type of Contract: One Year with One Additional Year Renewal Option REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES: Given the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, the contractor will work with the VA staff to deliver virtual services as required by social distancing guidelines. Face to Face delivery will resume once the pandemic precautions can be safely lifted. F2F will take place at the Newington Campus, 555 Willard Avenue, Newington, on the 4th Floor and on the CLC in West Haven. The Contractor shall be required to provide the following deliverables: Yoga for Wellness classes 52 classes for veterans over the course of 1 year, starting after contract is awarded The sessions will be offered weekly on an ongoing basis. Each session will be 60 minutes. Offer weekly sessions of ongoing Yoga Practice including Movement, Breathing, Yoga Nidra, Meditation, Gratitude. Alternatively, the teacher may choose to group these 52 sessions in classes of 6, 8 or 12 weeks to be offered once or twice a week, staring August 1, 2022 Maximum of 20 participants allowed per session Each participant must be provided with a Yoga mat, and other educational/reference materials as needed. Must be able to modify yoga to suit the ability and capacity of the class participants. Each session will be 60 min. 3. Contractor (or designated Yoga teacher) must be at least an E-RYT-200 (or equivalent) certified yoga teacher: graduating from 200 hour yoga training program, should have at least 1000 hours and two (2) years of teaching experience since graduating from the 200 hour training program. 4. Contractor (or designated Yoga teacher) must have experience working with patients who may have the following diagnoses: Chronic Pain, Traumatic Brain Injury, Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression, Drug Addictions, or Anger issues. 5. Contractor (or designated Yoga teacher) must have experience in working with patients who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or have had additional training in Trauma sensitive/related Yoga or additional training/certification for working with military or veteran population. 6. The yoga teacher must create a safe environment of healing and restoration for Veterans. 7. The yoga teacher must be able to modify the positions as needed to accommodate patients with physical limitations. 8. The yoga instructor may be asked to complete clinical notes, for each Yoga session, in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health record system, known as CPRS. This will be determined by the Program Manager as deemed appropriate. 9. Contractor should be able to either present a CD/DVD of his/her Yoga teaching session or allow the designated VA staff to attend/visit one of the Yoga classes offered by the contractor in the community as requested. 10. The yoga teacher shall maintain up-to-date trainings that are required by the VHA for all personnel involved in patient care and/or research studies. Training certificates must be given to the Program Manager or other appropriate staff at the VACT. 11. The yoga teacher should also be able to demonstrate an understanding of VHA guidelines and policies. The yoga instructor is required to follow all VHA guidelines and policies surrounding patient care. SUMMARY OF SERVICES: Estimated Cost below inclusive of Yoga Mats Ongoing weekly Mindfulness-based whole health classes (or grouped in 6/8/12/ week sessions): Total number of weeks = 52/year. PRIOR TO DELIVERY OF SERVICE: Session dates will be finalized no later than 30 days after contract award. Session dates may be subject to change. SAFETY AND FIRE PREVENTION: 1. In the performance of this contract, the Contractor shall take such safety precautions as necessary to protect the lives and health of the occupants of the buildings where equipment shall be installed. The Contractor shall comply with applicable Federal, State, and local safety and fire regulations and codes, which are in effect during the performance period of the contract. The Contractor personnel shall follow applicable facility policies concerning fire/disaster programs. When conducting any installation, maintenance or repairs, the Contractor shall display appropriate warning devices in all areas where operations may cause a traffic obstruction and/or personnel hazard. 2. Contractor (or designated therapist) must have experience working with patients who may have the following diagnoses: Chronic Pain, Traumatic Brain Injury, Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression, Drug Addictions, or Anger issues. 3. Contractor (or designated Yoga teacher) must have experience in working with patients who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or have had additional training in Trauma sensitive Yoga or additional training/certification for working with military or veteran population. EVALUATION METRIC: Contractor will provide services set forth in the contract. NORMAL WORKING HOURS: Normal working hours are defined as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except weekends and national holidays. NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: Listed below are the eleven national holidays: New Year s Day January 1 Martin Luther King s Birthday Third Monday in January President s Day Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Independence Day July 4 Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Veterans Day November 11 Thanksgiving Day Fourth Thursday in November Christmas Day December 25 *Juneteenth (new Federal holiday) June 19th When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies. Also included would be any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States as a National Holiday. COMPLAINTS: The Contractor shall promptly and courteously respond to complaints, including complaints brought to the contractor s attention by the Contracting Officer acting as the common agent, or the Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE). The Contractor shall maintain a written record of all complaints, both written and oral showing the identity of the caller, the nature of the complaint, and the Contractor s response. The Contractor shall permit the Government to inspect such records upon reasonable notice. MONITORING PROCEDURES: The Program Manager shall be responsible for monitoring the Contractor's performance. Performance deficiencies or poor performance identified during the term of the contract shall be reported to the Contractor. Upon notification of deficiencies or poor performance, the Contractor shall be given a reasonable time to take corrective action. If determined appropriate, the Contracting Officer, Program Manager and/or other VA staff members shall meet with representatives of the Contractor to review performance and resolve issues. All deficiencies or poor performance shall be documented and MUST be corrected within the timeframe specified in the cure notice. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and the Program Manager when correction(s) have been made. If the appropriate correction is not made within the timeframe specified in the cure notice, the Government shall have the right to terminate the contract in its entirety. ORDERING ACTIVITY: The Contractor shall not accept any instructions issued by any other person(s) other than the Contracting Officer or the delegated Government representative acting within the limit of his/her authority. CHANGES TO CONTRACT: Only those services specified herein are authorized. Before performing any service of a non-contract nature, the Contractor shall advise the Contracting Officer of the reason(s) for the additional work, equipment, or service. Changes to the resulting contract shall not be authorized and reimbursement shall not be made for equipment provided or services performed outside the scope of this contract, unless prior authorization is obtained in writing from the Contracting Officer. DENIAL/TERMINATION OF SERVICES: 1. Action to limit, suspend or revoke service contract shall be in accordance with the procedures outlined in VA guidelines or Federal Acquisition Regulations. The Contractor shall be notified by the Contracting Officer, when the necessity becomes apparent to exercise such authority. The Contracting Officer shall provide the Contractor with copies of documentation initiating the revocation process if such action becomes apparent. 2. The Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of service provided by Contractor due to poor performance or failure to comply with the requirements specified in the resulting contract. 3. The Contractor and Program Manager shall deal with complaints concerning unacceptable performance. However, the Contracting Officer is the final authority on validating complaints. In the event that the contractor is involved and named in a valid complaint, the Government reserves the right to refuse acceptance of the services of such contractor. The Contracting Officer shall be the final arbiter on questions of acceptability. PERSONNEL POLICY: 1. The Contractor shall assume full responsibility for the protection of its personnel furnishing services under this contract, such as providing Workers Compensation, professional liability insurance, health examination and social security payments. Payment for any leave, including sick leave or vacation time is considered the responsibility of the Contractor. 2. The Contractor shall follow all existing local, state, federal employment laws and/or union regulations relevant to fringe benefits and premium pay for their employees. Such personnel shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose. Cost quoted in the solicitation is all-inclusive of all incidental costs including housing, transportation and premium payments for applicable insurance coverage. CONTRACTOR SUBMITTALS/INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: 1. Contractor shall be required to provide copies of the following: The Contractor shall be required to comply with Federal and State Workers Compensation and liability insurance. Reference FAR clause 52.228-5-Insurance and Subpart 28.307-2-Liability. Prior to contract award, the Contractor shall furnish to the Contracting Officer certification from the insurance company indicating that the coverage has been obtained and that it may not be changed or cancelled without guaranteed thirty (30) day notice to the Contracting Officer. New certifications shall be furnished at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date of the current insurance policy. CONTRACTOR POINT OF CONTACT: 1. The Contractor shall designate one (1) 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 Contractor on all matters relating to the daily performance of this contract. An alternate may be designated, but the Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer and Program Manager in writing those times when the alternate shall act as the POC. 2. The Contractor shall provide the name and telephone number of the person designated as Point of Contact and Alternate upon contract award. Point of Contact, Name: Telephone Number: Alternate Point of Contact, Name: Telephone Number: 3. The POC shall be available by telephone Monday through Friday, between 8:00a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding national holidays. * The parties agree that the Contractor s personnel including POC and subcontractors performing under this contract shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose. They all shall be considered employees of the Contractor. PROJECT MANAGER: 1. The Project Manager for this contract is designated as: 2. Delegation of Authority letters shall be forwarded to the using service and Contractor after agreement has been signed, identifying the individual(s) as the Program Manager. No service shall be provided without the approval of the Program Manager or the designee of the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall not accept any instructions issued by any other person(s) other than the Contracting Officer or his/her delegated representative(s) acting within the limits of his/her authority. BADGES: All Contractor personnel are required to wear identification (I.D.) badges during the entire time they are on the VA grounds. I.D. badges shall have an identification picture, name of the individual and the represented company depicted on it. I.D. badges shall be returned at the end of the day or on completion of the service. PARKING POLICY: It is the responsibility of Contractor personnel to park only in designated parking areas. Parking information is available from the VA Police. The VA shall not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor's personnel under any circumstances. SMOKING POLICY: Smoking is not permitted within or around the VA facility grounds, except in designated areas. INVOICE REQUIREMENT: 1. The invoice shall be itemized to include the information listed below. Incomplete and incorrect invoices shall be returned for correction. Invoice Number and Date Contract Number Purchase Order/Obligation Number Line item from Schedule of Service associated with each charge Net Payment Due 2. Contractor shall submit original invoice with pre-printed company name. For the Government invoice/billing address information, reference Contract Administration Data section. POST-AWARD PERFORMANCE CONFERENCE: The Contracting Officer shall schedule a post-award performance conference with the Contractor, if deemed necessary, for contract orientation purposes. Records Management The following standard items relate to records generated in executing the contract and should be included in a typical procurement contract: 1. Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228. 2. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. 3. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records. 4. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act. 5. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract. 6. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract. 7. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data. 8. Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.]. 9. No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules. 10. Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information.