United States - S--RO 402 Carpets and Rugs Cleaning Services

Description

Added: Apr 22, 2019 4:51 pm

COMBINED SYNOPSIS SOLICITATION

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The government anticipates award of a single firm fixed price contract. A quotation is not an offer and, consequently, cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Therefore, issuance by the Government of an order in response to a supplier s quotation does not establish a contract. The order is an offer by the Government to the supplier to buy certain supplies or services upon specified terms and conditions. A contract is established when the supplier accepts the offer. The government intends to award without discussion.

Solicitation 36C10E19Q0144 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ) using TIERED EVALUATIONS.

The solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2019-01, effective January 22, 2019.

The combined synopsis/solicitation is set aside for Veteran Owned Small Businesses and is limited to Service Disabled veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and alternatively Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB): This Request for Quote (RFQ) is being issued as a TIERED EVALUATION for SDVOSB concerns, or in the alternative, as a tiered evaluation for VOSB concerns. If award cannot be made, the solicitation will be cancelled, and the requirement resolicited. All Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business are also determined to be veteran-owned small business concerns. Only quotes from verified SDVOSB and VOSB concerns will be accepted by the Government. Specifically, the contracting officer shall consider preferences for verified SDVOSBs first, then preferences for verified VOSBSs.  Any quote that is submitted by a contractor that is not a verified SDVOSB or VOSB in VIP will not be considered for award. The applicable NAICS Code for this solicitation is 561740 and the Small Business Size limitation is $5.5M. Offers from SDVOSB and VOSB concerns must be registered and verified in the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) Vendor Information Pages (VIP) website at https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/ at the time and date set for receipt of offers and at the time and date of award to be considered for award.

The contractor shall provide all equipment, services, material, tools, labor, facilities transportation and supervision to for cleaning of carpets and rugs in the designated facility.

FOB Destination pricing to include most favored customer discounts. This action is subject to availability funds for the next fiscal year.

Please provide all requested information and pricing for all CLIN as shown:

Company Name:

Company DUNS Number:

Company Tax ID Number:

Point of Contact:

Telephone:

SCHEDULE PAGE RFQ 36C10E19Q0144

ITEM NUMBER

DESCRIPTION

QTY

U/I

U/P

AMOUNT

0001

BASE YEAR:

CARPET AND RUG CLEANING

POP Begin: 06/03/2019

POP End: 06/02/2020

Vacuum and steam clean all accessible carpet surfaces in building 248 first and second floor offices, 20,560 square feet of occupied office space plus six (6) carpet runners using restorative low moisture cleaning agent for cleaning approximately 20,560 square feet (1st floor 8,000 and 2nd floor 12,560) of carpeting in the Togus Regional Office

1

YR

$

$

1001

OPTION YEAR I

CARPET AND RUG CLEANING

POP BEGIN: 06/03/2020

POP END: 06/02/2021

Vacuum and steam clean all accessible carpet surfaces in building 248 first and second floor offices, 20,560 square feet of occupied office space plus six (6) carpet runners using restorative low moisture cleaning agent for cleaning approximately 20,560 square feet (1st floor 8,000 and 2nd floor 12,560) of carpeting in the Togus Regional Office

1

YR

$

$

2002

OPTION YEAR II

CARPET AND RUG CLEANING

POP BEGIN: 06/03/2021

POP END:06/02/2022

Vacuum and steam clean all accessible carpet surfaces in building 248 first and second floor offices, 20,560 square feet of occupied office space plus six (6) carpet runners using restorative low moisture cleaning agent for cleaning approximately 20,560 square feet (1st floor 8,000 and 2nd floor 12,560) of carpeting in the Togus Regional Office

1

YR

$

$

Base Year Total

Grand total all years

vi.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES: The Contractor shall provide all management, tools, supplies, and equipment and labor necessary to vacuum and steam clean the carpets at the Veterans Benefits Togus Regional Office Located in Building 248, Togus Medical Center at 1 VA Center, Augusta, ME 04330. The Contractor tasks include:

CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS:

Contractor is required to have a planned and organized approach to cleaning that uses products and processes that focuses on reducing impacts on human health and the environment

The selected contractor must have appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) present for all products used during the execution of the contract

Contractor will be required to provide services on a schedule that will minimize work disruption (after hours / weekends)

The selected contractor will be required to coordinate the Support Services Division (RO 402 SSD) with a two week notice of their intended work schedule

To schedule a site survey prior to submission of your quote please send an email to scott.brooks@va.gov with cc to raymond.tracey@va.gov

CONTRACTOR SHALL:

Vacuum and steam clean all accessible carpet surfaces in building 248 first and second floor offices, 20,560 square feet of occupied office space plus six(6) carpet runners

Using restorative low moisture cleaning agent, clean approximately 20,560 square feet (1st floor 8,000 and 2nd floor 12,560) of carpeting in the Togus Regional Office

Use cleaning method that will allow for VBA personnel to resume foot traffic without causing damage to previous cleaned carpet tiles, within 6 hours

Remove spots, stains and gum, as part of the cleaning process

Exercise caution while cleaning, to prevent damage to the wiring underneath work spaces and to the carpet tile adhesive

Carpeting damaged by the carpet cleaning contractor will be replaced at the expense of the carpet cleaning contractor

Cleanup those areas that immediately affect customer service to include appearance, including removal of debris and trash.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance will be for a base year with two one-year options:

Frequency of service once per year.

Work at the government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends (but may require off-hour work due to network loading or other disruptions that could occur) unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO).

There are ten (10) Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103): Under current definitions, four are set by date:

New Year's Day January 1

Independence Day July 4

Veterans Day November 11

Christmas Day December 25

If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday.

The other six are set by a day of the week and month:

Martin Luther King's Birthday Third Monday in January

Washington's Birthday Third Monday in February

Memorial Day Last Monday in May

Labor Day First Monday in September

Columbus Day Second Monday in October

SERVICE GUIDLINES:

Service appointments shall be conducted after the normal business hours of Monday through Friday (7:30 A.M. 4:30 P.M.). A twenty-four (24) hour notice is required for a cancellation of service request. If the Contractor is not notified of the cancellation at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled assignment, the Contractor may invoice for the number of hours scheduled for the cancelled assignment.

If the Contractor cannot attend a scheduled appointment, a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours advanced notice shall be provided to the Government POC, via phone. The Togus Regional Office shall not incur any charges for appointments cancelled by the Contractor

In the event of work stoppage, make themselves available the next open government day to continue or complete the required tasking as listed in this performance work statement.

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT: The Government will furnish fresh water and electric current at existing outlets as may be required for the work to be performed under the contract at no cost to the contractor.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS:

All personnel employed by the Contractor, in the performance of this contract or any representative of the Contractor entering the government installation, shall abide by all station security requirements for entry to building. The government will provide constant surveillance/escorts of Contractor employees while at the job site and during the entire period of the job performance.

STANDARD: All work shall comply with the requirements as listed in the performance work statement. The Contractor shall be fully responsible for compliance with all local, state, and federal environment/occupational safety laws, rules and regulations. The Contractor shall follow life and safety codes, and take necessary actions to avoid conditions, which may be hazardous to the health and safety of VBA assigned personnel

SERVICE DELIVERY SUMMARY:

Performance Objective

Performance Threshold

PWS Performance

Clean Carpet

Carpet is 100% cleaned

Quality inspections will be accomplished daily

Remove Spots, Stains and Gum

90% of all spots, stains removed. 100% of all gum removed

Random inspections will be accomplished

No damage to wiring underneath the flooring, carpet tile and adhesive

100% of damage repaired

Any damage caused by the Contractor will be repaired/replaced at the Contractor expense. Daily inspections will be accomplished

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Togus VARO SSD will ensure that the all small items (trash bins, shred boxes) will be off the floor prior to services

Togus VARO SSD will ensure that the chair mates are off the floor prior to services.

KEY PERSONNEL:

Chief, Support Services Division, VBA Togas RO, - Tracy Sinclair

Support Services Specialist, COTR, SSD, VBA Togas RO, - Scott Brooke

ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Base Year: 06-03-2019 to 06-02-2020

Option I: 06-03-2020 to 06-02-2021

Option year II 06-03-2021 to 06-02-2022

RESERVED

RULES AND REGULATIONS

14.1 Current rules and regulations applicable to the premises, where the work shall be performed, shall apply to the contractor and its employees while working on the premises. These regulations include but are not limited to, presenting valid identification for entrance, smoking restrictions and any safety procedures as outlined in the site regulations.

14.2 The Contractor shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of all its employees and subcontractors, their agents and employees and all other persons performing any of the work under a contract with the Contractor.

14.3 Invoicing: Payment for all services will be made annually in arrears upon receipt of an itemized invoice containing the following information:

VA Contract Number / Invoice Billing Obligation Number (Will be provided by the Government)

Company Name and Address

Invoice Date

Invoice Number (Note: Each Invoice must have a different Invoice Number)

Dates of Services performed

Description of items/services provided as well as referencing the appropriate Contract Line Item Number (CLIN). This way the proper CLIN can be billed for the invoice.

Name, title and phone number of points of contact to notify in case of a defective invoice.

vii. FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items (JAN 2017), applies to this solicitation. The following provisions are added as addenda:

52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (JUL 1990)

52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html

http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

(End of Provision)

852.270-1 Representatives of Contracting Officers (JAN 2008)

(End of Addendum to 52.212-1)

52.212-2, Evaluation Commercial Items (OCT 2014)

(a) 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:

Factor 1, Technical: Contractor shall demonstrate ability to perform carpet cleaning on a large scale for an area over estimated SF of 8,000 to over 20,000 square feet.  You will submit with your quote in pdf format only one paragraph explanation.

Factor 2, Past Performance: Provide two references on service contracts you have held currently or with the past years five (5) years that are for carpet cleaning services for estimated SF between 8,000 SF to over 20,000

Factor 3: Did contractor request a site survey, and did they attend.

Factor 4:   As part of its offer, any offeror who will perform services under the resultant contract utilizing subcontractors shall provide in their bid the name, address, contact information, business type (i.e., small business, woman owned business, service-disabled veteran owned business, etc.) and percentage of amount paid by the government to it that the offeror anticipates paying to said subcontractor in the performance of this contract.

Factor 5: Technical, Past performance when combined are more important than price.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

Submission of Offers:

Offers are due no later than May 16, 2019 by 4:00 PM EST.

Offers shall be submitted electronically to Raymond.tracey@va.gov

The email subject line must contain the following: Quote in Response to RFQ 36C10E19Q0144, Carpet Cleaning Services RO 402 Togus, Augusta ME.

Offers shall be based on the requirements of the request for quotation and must contain the following:

A cover page including the following information: Business Name, Socioeconomic category (i.e. SDVOSB, VOSB), Address, DUNS Number, Name, Phone number, and email address for the Primary Point of Contact, Tax Identification Number (TIN)

A completed price schedule in the format as provided in the attachment.

Acknowledgement of any amendments (if applicable).

Response to Technical, Factor 1

Signed and dated Rules of Behavior as a separate pdf only all pages of Rules of Behavior must be submitted with quote s a separate document

Solicitation Questions: Questions of a technical nature shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer in writing via e-mail. No phones calls will be taken. Oral questions of a technical nature are not acceptable due to the possibility of misunderstanding or misinterpretation. The cut-off date and time for receipt of questions is 7 May 2019 4:00 EST. Offerors are encouraged to schedule a site survey by sending an email to raymond.tracey@va.gov. before 7 May 2019. 4:00 PM EST. Questions received after this date and time may not be answered. Questions will be answered in a formal amendment to the solicitation, so all interested parties can see the answers.

Amendments: Amendments to this solicitation will be posted at http://www.fedbizopps.gov(FBO). Paper copies of the amendments will NOT be individually mailed. By registering to receive notifications on FBO, offerors will be notified by email of any new amendments that have been issued. No other notification of amendments will be provided. Potential Offerors are advised that they are responsible for obtaining and acknowledging any amendments to the solicitation. Failure to acknowledge an amendment may result in your offer being considered unacceptable.

viii. FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -Commercial Items (NOV 2017) applies to this solicitation. The offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically via the SAM website access through http://www.acquisition.gov. After reviewing the SAM database information, the offeror verifies by submission of this offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, have been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard applicable to the NAICS code referenced for this solicitation), as of the date of this offer and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201), except for paragraphs N/A.

ix. FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items (JAN 2017) applies to this solicitation. The following provisions clauses are added as addenda:

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

http://www.acquisition.gov/far/index.html

http://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/

(End of Clause)

52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (DEC 2014)

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (JUL 2016)

52.209-10 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (NOV 2015)

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days.

(End of Clause)

52.217-9 Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (MAR 2000)

The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 60 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed Five (5) years.

52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions

Relating to Iran-Representation and Certifications. (AUG 2018)

52.232-18 Availability of Funds (APR 1984)

52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (SAM)

(JUL 2013)

52.232-39 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations (JUN 2013)

52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (DEC 2013)

52.233-1 Disputes, Alternate (DEC 1991)

52.246-4 Inspection of Services Fixed Price (AUG 1996)

52.252-6 Authorized Deviations in Clause (APR 1984)

852.203-70 Commercial Advertising (JAN 2008)

852.273-74 Award without Exchanges (Jan 2003)

852.219-11 VA Notice of Total Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (JUL 2016) (DEVIATION)

(a) Definition.  For the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran-owned small business or VOSB

(1) Means a small business concern

(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned by one or more Veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more Veterans;

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more Veterans;

(iii) The business meets Federal small business size standards for the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code identified in the solicitation document;

(iv) The business has been verified for ownership and control pursuant to 38 CFR 74 and is so listed in the Vendor Information Pages database, (https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov): and (v) The business will comply with subcontracting limitations in 13 CFR 125.6, as applicable.

(2) Veteran is defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2).

(b) General.

(1) Offers are solicited only from verified Veteran-owned small business concerns.  All service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses are also determined to be Veteran-owned small businesses if they meet the criteria identified in paragraph (a)(1) of this section.  Offers received from concerns that are not Veteran-owned small business concerns shall not be considered.

(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation shall be made to a verified Veteran-owned small business concern.

(c) Agreement.  A Veteran-owned small business concern agrees that in the performance of the contract, the concern will comply with the limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR § 125.6.

(d) A joint venture may be considered a Veteran-owned small business concern if the joint venture complies with the requirements in 13 CFR 125.15, provided that any reference therein to SDVO SBC is to be construed to apply to a VA verified SDVOSB and/or VOSB as appropriate.

(e) Any Veteran-owned small business concern (non-manufacturer) must meet the requirements in 19.102(f) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation to receive a benefit under this program

852.219-74  Limitations on Subcontracting Monitoring and Compliance.

As prescribed in 819.7203(a) insert the following clause:

LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUL 2018) (DEVIATION)

(a) This solicitation includes VAAR 852.219-11, VA Notice of Total Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside.

(b) Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation is subject to the limitation on subcontracting requirements in 13 CFR 125.6.  The Contractor is advised that in performing contract administration functions, the Contracting Officer may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the Contractor s compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause.  To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to Contractor s offices where the Contractor s business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the Contractor s compliance with this requirement.

(c) All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement to ensure the Contractor s business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the Contracting Officer in assessing the Contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs.

(d) Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the Contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, Obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b).  The Contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the Contracting Officer to assess the Contractor s compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement.

(End of Clause)

852.252-70 Solicitation Provisions or Clause Incorporated by Reference (Jan 2008)

852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests (NOV 2012)

852.237-70 Contractor Responsibilities (APR 1984)

(End of Addendum to 52.212-4)

xii. 52.212-5, Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Executive Orders Commercial Items (JAN 2017), applies to this solicitation. The following provisions and clauses are selected as appropriate to this solicitation:

52.233-3 Protest After Award (AUG 1996)

52.233-4 Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004)

52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation & First-Tier Subcontract Awards (OCT 2016)

52.209-6 Protecting the Government s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors

Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (OCT 2015)

52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Representation (JUL 2013)

52.222-3 Convict Labor (June 2003)

52.222-19 Child Labor Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (OCT 2016)

52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (APR 2015)

52.222-26 Equal Opportunity (SEP 2016)

52.222-36 Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUL 2014)

52.222-50 Combating Trafficking in Persons (JAN 2019)

52.223-18 Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (AUG 2011)

52.225-13 Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (JUN 2008)

52.232-34 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Other than System for Award Management (JUL 2013)

52.222-41 Service Contract Labor Standards (MAY 2014)

52.222-42 Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (MAY 2014)

This Statement is for Information Only:

Wage Rate Available 2015-4009 (Rev 8) 12/26/2018

Employee Class

Monetary Wage Fringe Benefits

11150 Janitor

13.40

11122 Housekeeping

13.40

(End of clause)

52.222-55 Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (DEC 2015)

52.222-62 Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2017)

52.237-2 Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment and Vegetation (APR 1984)

xiii. Additional Contract Requirements or terms and conditions: None

xiv. Defense Priorities and Allocations Systems and assigned rating: N/A

xv. Offers are due no later than May 16, 2019 by 4:00 PM EST. Offers shall be submitted electronically to Raymond.tracey@va.gov. The email subject line must contain the following: RO402 TOGUS, ME., Quote in Response to 36C10E19Q0144, Carpet Cleaning Services. Togus Regional Office Located in Building 248, Togus Medical Center at 1 VA Center, Augusta, ME 04330. Potential offers bear the burden of ensuring that quotes, support documents, any applicable amendments, are emailed on time. All pages of the quote must be emailed before the deadline specified in this Request for quote. Failure to provide any of the required information or the providing of inadequate or unclear information may result in the offer being considered unacceptable. Federal Acquisition Regulations require that federal contractors register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at http://www.sam.gov and enter all mandatory information into the system. Award cannot be made until the contractor has registered. Potential offers are encouraged to read the entire RFQ before submitting any questions for clarification, questions but be submitted by email, no telephone calls. questions are due within 5 days after RFQ is posted.

For additional information, please contact the Contracting Officer, Raymond Tracey at

(716)-430-4684, or via e-mail to raymond.tracey@va.gov

Appendix C

CONTRACTOR RULES AND BEHAVIOR

(Contractor shall complete and return all pages with quote as a separate attachment, pdf format preferred)

Contractor agrees to abide by these terms and account for the I and my and me used in these rules.

I understand and agree that I have no reasonable expectation of privacy in accessing or using any VA, or other Federal Government information systems.

I consent to reviews and actions by the Office of Information & Technology (OI&T) staff designated and authorized by the VA Chief Information Officer (CIO) and to the VA OIG regarding my access to and use of any information assets or resources associated with my performance of services under the contract terms with the VA. These actions may include monitoring, recording, copying, inspecting, restricting access, blocking, tracking, and disclosing to all authorized OI&T, VA, and law enforcement personnel as directed by the VA CIO without my prior consent or notification.

I consent to reviews and actions by authorized VA systems administrators and Information Security Officers solely for protection of the VA infrastructure, including, but not limited to monitoring, recording, auditing, inspecting, investigating, restricting access, blocking, tracking, disclosing to authorized personnel, or any other authorized actions by all authorized OI&T, VA, and law enforcement personnel systems; deny access to Federal government systems; accrue resources for unauthorized use on Federal government systems; or otherwise misuse Federal government systems or resources are prohibited.

I understand that such unauthorized attempts or acts are subject to action that may result in criminal, civil, or administrative penalties. This includes penalties for violations of Federal laws including, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C. §1030 (fraud and related activity in connection with computers) and 18 U.S.C. §2701 (unlawful access to stored communications).

I agree that OI&T staff, in the course of obtaining access to information or systems on my behalf for performance under the contract, may provide information about me including, but not limited to, appropriate unique personal identifiers such as date of birth and social security number to other system administrators, Information Security Officers (ISOs), or other authorized staff without further notifying me or obtaining additional written or verbal permission from me.

I understand I must comply with VA s security and data privacy directives and handbooks. I understand that copies of those directives and handbooks can be obtained from the Contracting Officer. If the contractor believes the policies and guidance provided by the Contracting Officer is a material unilateral change to the contract, the contractor must elevate such concerns to the Contracting Officer for resolution.

I will report suspected or identified information security/privacy incidents to the Contracting Officer and to the local ISO or Privacy Officer as appropriate.

GENERAL RULES OF BEHAVIOR

Rules of Behavior are part of a comprehensive program to provide complete information security. These rules establish standards of behavior in recognition of the fact that knowledgeable users are the foundation of a successful security program. Users must understand that taking personal responsibility for the security of their computer and the information it contains is an essential part of their job. The following rules apply to all VA contractors. I agree to:

Follow established procedures for requesting, accessing, and closing user accounts and access. I will not request or obtain access beyond what is normally granted to users or by what is outlined in the contract.

Use only systems, software, databases, and data which I am authorized to use, including any copyright restrictions.

I will not use other equipment (OE) (non contractor owned) for the storage, transfer, or processing of VA sensitive information without a VA CIO approved waiver, unless it has been reviewed and approved by local management and is included in the language of the of the contract. If authorized to use OE IT equipment, I must ensure that the system meets all applicable 6500 Handbook requirements for OE.

Not use my position of trust and access rights to exploit system controls or access information for any reason other than in the performance of the contract.

Not attempt to override or disable security, technical, or management controls unless expressly permitted to do so as an explicit requirement under the contract or at the direction of the Contracting Officer or ISO. If I am allowed or required to have a local administrator account on a government owned computer, that local administrative account does not confer me unrestricted access or use, nor the authority to bypass security or other controls except as expressly permitted by the VA CIO or CIO's designee.

Contractors use of systems, information, or sites is strictly limited to fulfill the terms of the contract. I understand no personal use is authorized. I will only use other Federal government information systems as expressly authorized by the terms of those systems. I accept that the restrictions under ethics regulations and criminal law still apply.

Grant access to systems and information only to those who have an official need to know.

Protect passwords from access by other individuals.

Create and change passwords in accordance with VA Handbook 6500 on systems and any devices protecting VA information as well as the rules of behavior and security settings for the system in question.

Protect information and systems from unauthorized disclosure, use, modification, or destruction. I will only use encryption that is FIPS 140 2 validated to safeguard VA sensitive information, both safeguarding VA sensitive information in storage and in transit regarding my access to and use of any information assets or resources associated with my performance of services under the contract terms with the VA.

Follow VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization to protect VA information. I will contact the Contracting Officer for policies and guidance on complying with this requirement and will follow the Contracting Officer s orders.

Ensure that the Contracting Officer has previously approved VA information for public dissemination, including e mail communications outside of the VA as appropriate. I will not make any unauthorized disclosure of any VA sensitive information through the use of any means of communication including but not limited to e mail, instant messaging, online chat, and web bulletin boards or logs.

Not host, set up, administer, or run an Internet server related to my access to and use of any information assets or resources associated with my performance of services under the contract terms with the VA unless explicitly authorized under the contract or in writing by the Contracting Officer.

Protect government property from theft, destruction, or misuse. I will follow VA directives and handbooks on handling Federal government IT equipment, information, and systems. I will not take VA sensitive information from the workplace without authorization from the Contracting Officer.

Only use anti virus software, antispyware, and firewall/intrusion detection software authorized by VA. I will contact the Contracting Officer for policies and guidance on complying with this requirement and will follow the Contracting Officer's orders regarding my access to and use of any information assets or resources associated with my performance of services under the contract terms with VA.

Not disable or degrade the standard anti virus software, antispyware, and/or firewall/intrusion detection software on the computer I use to access and use information assets or resources associated with my performance of services under the contract terms with VA. I will report anti virus, antispyware, firewall or intrusion detection software errors, or significant alert messages to the Contracting Officer.

Understand that restoration of service of any VA system is a concern of all users of the system.

Complete required information security and privacy training, and complete required training for the particular systems to which I require access.

STATEMENT ON LITIGATION

This User Agreement does not and should not be relied upon to create any other right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by law, by a party to litigation with the United States Government.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE

I acknowledge receipt of this User Agreement. I understand and accept all terms and conditions of this User Agreement, and I will comply with the terms and conditions of this agreement and any additional VA warning banners, directives, handbooks, notices, or directions regarding access to or use of information systems or information. The terms and conditions of this document do not supersede the terms and conditions of the signatory s employer and VA.

Print or type your full name Signature

Contractor s Company Name Position Title

Office Phone

Opportunity closing date

16 May 2019

Value of contract

to be confirmed