F103--Solicitation Legionella Testing

The document outlines detailed directions and a checklist for water collection and Legionella testing across various VA facilities, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Livermore Divisions. It specifies that at least two samples per building must come from an ice machine or cold water source and two from a pure hot water source. Each sample site requires two samples: one for Legionella and another for temperature, pH, and biocide levels. For buildings with less than 20 water outlets, 50% of potential locations must be sampled. Quarterly samples are mandated from cooling tower basins, chillers, and chiller returns, with a focus on random selection to avoid repeat sampling of the same outlets. The document also provides a comprehensive list of chillers with their specifications and locations within buildings like 7, 331, 90, 100, 347, 520, 350, 351, 352, 365, Modular Building 2, and 500, along with sample site counts for each division.

Addendum A details the quarterly water sampling locations for three VA Medical Centers in California: Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Livermore. The document lists specific buildings and units within each center that are subject to water sampling. For the VA Palo Alto Medical Center, sampling occurs in buildings such as Spinal Cord Injury and Polytrauma, Fisher House 1 & 2, Defenders Lodge, the Primary Hospital, Blind Rehabilitation Center, and the Psychiatric Ward. At the VA Menlo Park Medical Center, locations include various Community Living Center and Domiciliary buildings, as well as the Hospice, Gilbert St. Housing Unit, and 18th Ave Housing Unit. The VA Livermore Medical Center has one specified sampling location: Building 90, the Community Living Center. This addendum serves to clearly identify all designated sites for routine water quality monitoring across these VA facilities.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 21 (NCO 21) has issued a pre-solicitation notice for a Request for Quote (RFQ) for Legionella Testing services. This requirement is for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The solicitation number is 36C26125Q0768 and it is set aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns (SDVOSBC). The solicitation is expected to be posted on SAM.GOV around August 21, 2025, with quotes tentatively due on September 4, 2025, at 13:00 Pacific Time. The point of contact for this solicitation is Contract Specialist Tim Smith, who can be reached at Timothy.smith9de3@va.gov.

This document is Amendment 0002 to Solicitation 36C26125Q0768, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 21. The amendment, dated 09-03-2025, extends the hour and date for receipt of offers and clarifies that the solicitation is a 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-aside. This information addresses a direct question from potential offerors regarding the solicitation's exclusivity. All other terms and conditions of the original solicitation remain unchanged. The amendment was signed by Tim Smith, Contracting Officer, and is dated 09-03-2025.

This government solicitation amendment, 36C26125Q0768, extends the deadline for questions to September 3, 2025, and the solicitation response due date to September 8, 2025, at 13:00 PDT. It also includes responses to questions and an updated Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Legionella testing at the Veteran's Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS). The PWS outlines requirements for quarterly water sampling, field testing, laboratory analysis by a CDC Elite certified lab, data management, and reporting. Contractor personnel must be trained and certified in sample collection and have at least two years of experience in Legionella sampling and testing in a hospital setting. The document emphasizes adherence to VHA Directive 1061, safety protocols, and proper identification for personnel.

Addendum B outlines the quarterly cooling tower sampling locations for three VA Medical Centers: VA Palo Alto, VA Menlo Park, and VA Livermore. The document specifies the exact buildings and the number of towers to be sampled at each facility. At VA Palo Alto, samples will be taken from Towers 1 and 2 in Building 100, Tower 1 in Building 500, and Towers 1 and 2 in Building 615. For VA Menlo Park, samples are required from Tower 1 in Building 331 and Towers 1 and 2 in Building 334. Finally, at VA Livermore, sampling will occur at Towers 1, 2, and 3 in Building 62, and Tower 1 in Building 90. This addendum serves to clearly define the scope of sampling for cooling towers at these federal medical facilities, likely in support of environmental monitoring or maintenance contracts.

VHA Directive 1061(4) outlines the Veterans Health Administration's policy for preventing healthcare-associated Legionella disease (HCA LD) and scald injuries from water systems within VA medical facilities. This directive applies to VA-owned buildings where patients, residents, or staff stay overnight, and to select outdoor non-potable, aerosol-generating water systems like cooling towers. The policy emphasizes primary prevention through risk assessment, ongoing water quality monitoring, and implementation of engineering controls such as temperature and biocide levels. It details responsibilities for various VA personnel, from the Under Secretary for Health to individual facility staff, in establishing and maintaining HCA LD prevention plans, conducting environmental and clinical testing for Legionella, and implementing corrective actions. The directive also addresses the proper management of cooling towers and other non-potable water systems, ensuring compliance with relevant standards and regulations to enhance overall water safety and mitigate Legionella growth.

The Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) for the Veteran's Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System outlines the government's approach to monitoring a contractor's performance for Legionella water sampling and testing. This plan emphasizes a performance-based management strategy, focusing on achieving desired outcomes rather than scrutinizing the contractor's processes. Key aspects include the contractor's responsibility for quality control through their own Quality Control Plan (QCP), and the government's role in monitoring performance through surveillance techniques like random monitoring and 100% inspection of documentation. The QASP defines roles for the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), detailing how performance will be evaluated against established standards and acceptable quality levels (AQLs). Customer feedback is also a critical component. The plan describes documentation requirements, methods for analyzing surveillance results, and procedures for addressing performance shortfalls, including corrective action plans and periodic reviews. Attachment 1 specifies performance standards for tasks such as water sample collection, shipping, lab testing, data documentation, and results reporting, all requiring 100% adherence.

This government wage determination (No.: 2015-5637, Revision No.: 30, dated 07/08/2025) outlines minimum wage rates and fringe benefits for service contract employees in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, California. It specifies that contracts entered into or renewed on/after January 30, 2022, must adhere to Executive Order 14026 ($17.75/hour in 2025), while those awarded between January 1, 2015, and January 29, 2022, without renewal, follow Executive Order 13658 ($13.30/hour in 2025). The document details hourly rates for numerous occupations across various sectors, including administrative, automotive, healthcare, and technical roles. It also mandates health and welfare benefits ($5.55/hour or $222/week), paid vacation (2-4 weeks based on service), and eleven paid holidays. Special provisions cover paid sick leave under EO 13706, hazardous pay differentials, and uniform allowances. A conformance process is outlined for unlisted job classifications, emphasizing adherence to the Service Contract Act Directory of Occupations.

This government file is a wage determination for service contracts in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California, effective July 8, 2025. It outlines minimum wage rates based on Executive Orders 14026 ($17.75/hour) and 13658 ($13.30/hour), depending on the contract award/renewal date. The document specifies hourly rates for a wide range of occupations, from administrative support to healthcare and maintenance, and details fringe benefits including health and welfare (with a separate rate for EO 13706), paid vacation (2-5 weeks based on service), and eleven paid holidays. It also includes provisions for paid sick leave under EO 13706. Special conditions are noted for computer employees, air traffic controllers, and weather observers, as well as hazardous pay differentials and uniform allowances. The document concludes with the conformance process for unlisted occupations, emphasizing proper classification and wage rate determination.

This document, Wage Determination No.: 2015-5641, Revision No.: 28, outlines the minimum wage rates and fringe benefits for service contract employees in Santa Clara County, California. It specifies hourly wages for numerous occupations across various sectors, including administrative, automotive, food service, health, IT, and maintenance. The document details two Executive Orders (EO 14026 and EO 13658) that dictate minimum wage requirements based on contract award dates, with rates of $17.75 and $13.30 per hour, respectively, for 2025. It also covers paid sick leave under EO 13706, requiring 1 hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours annually. Fringe benefits include health and welfare, vacation accrual (2-4 weeks based on service), and twelve paid holidays. Special provisions address computer employees (potential exemptions), air traffic controllers and weather observers (night and Sunday pay differentials), hazardous pay differentials (4-8% for ordnance-related work), and uniform allowances. A conformance process is detailed for unlisted job classifications.

This government solicitation, 36C26125Q0768, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, outlines a requirement for Legionella water sampling and testing services at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The contract, a total set-aside for certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), has a base period from November 1, 2025, to October 31, 2026, with four one-year option periods. The selected contractor will be responsible for quarterly collection of an estimated 1,600 domestic water and cooling tower/chiller water samples annually, along with field testing (temperature, biocide, pH) and laboratory analysis by a CDC Elite certified lab. Key requirements include adherence to VHA Directive 1061, specific sampling protocols, electronic data management and reporting, immediate notification of detectable Legionella, and submission of quarterly and annual reports. Contractor personnel must have a minimum of two years of experience in Legionella sampling and testing in a hospital setting and possess relevant accreditations. The document also details administrative data, invoicing procedures, and various Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) clauses governing the contract, including limitations on subcontracting for SDVOSBs.