Additional information has been requested by prospective offerors and it has
been determined by the Contracting Officer that this information be made
available to all bidders. The bid opening date has been extended to July 26,
2000, 2:00 p.m. local time.
Keith A. Bond
KEITH A. BOND
Contracting Officer
Attachment(s)
14. RESPONSES TO TECHNICAL
QUESTIONS
1. Solicitation IFB-DCS-00-27 does
not have a pricing sheet. Are we to make up
our own? In Section J there is a Contractor Invoice,
detailed budget from and a Veterans employment Form.
1a. Please see attached Pricing Sheet. (Attachment I)
2. With regard to Requests for Clarifications, it states
that all answers to the RFC will be posted on the DOLETA Internet site. Is there
a more specific address where these will be posted?
2a. The site address is http://www.doleta.gov/sga/rfp.cfm.
The RFP requires that
we have a laboratory license in our state as well as California and New York.
In order for our bid to qualify we must submit both our New York PFI number
and California COS Lab ID number, correct?
3a. Yes.
We called some of your sites and they are all using a
Becton Dickinson urine collection kit (catalog # 364974), they really like it.
The kit is supplied by the current contractor, is this the urine collection
kit that you want us to supply to them?
4a. It is the contractor's option.
Many sites said that they have a swab collector damage
rate of up to 10% and that current lab has to replace these for free. Will we
have to do this also?
5a. Yes.
The current lab automatically resupplies the sites
using their computer system, are we also required to have this kind of
auto-resupply system?
6a. Yes.
Sites told us that they receive and expect all results
the day after they send them by overnight delivery. The RFP says we have an
extra day. Are your sites going to complain when results take an extra day?
7a. The contractor has 24 hours after receipt of the
specimens to report results to the centers.
So that we can figure out the correct cost; we have
estimated that on average each site will send in about 5 tests per week
(32,500 / 122 / 52 = 5), some sites much more some less, but that all 122
sites will need an overnight shipment every week. Is this correct?
8a. Yes
Exactly what method for Chlamydia testing is currently
being offered by the incumbent for both males and females? Chlamydia testing
is available via, DFA,DNA, Culture, EIA or LCR methods, all at different costs
per testing.
9a. The lab test that are used are DNA probe and
amplified test. (DFA or culture test are not to be used.)
What are the current prices for these tests offered by
the incumbent?
10a. The current prices are $8.63.
Is the old bid still available for review on the
Internet? If so, how do I locate this.
11a. To review information on the current contract,
offerors should submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the
following:
Ms. Cheryl Harris
Division of Contract Services
200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Room S-4203
Washington, D.C. 20210
Were the test volumes of 25,000 female enrollees and
7000 male or female enrollees the same on the old bid?
12a. Yes.
AMA Laboratory is licensed in the State of California.
Do we need any other license such as New York or the District of Columbia to
be awarded this contract?
13a. Yes.
How many Job Corp locations are there which will need
separate accounts?
14a. An account would have to be with each Job Corps
Center.
How many locations are out of the continental United
States?
15a. There are two in Hawaii, three in Puerto Rico, and
one in Alaska.
Can the supplies be billed separately or should they
be included in the test cost per each?
16a. They should be included in the test cost.
Can an outside carrier do the weekly specimen pick-up
after the center packages the tests together in one shipping
container?
17a. The contractor is responsible for overnight shipping
of the specimens from the center to the lab.
Will the center group all specimens for once per week
pick-up and shipping or will there be the occasion for one each shipping?
18a. The specimens will be packaged for a once a week
shipping.
How many specimens on a average could we expect per
center per week?
19a. It varies from center to center. It could be
anywhere from as few as 1 to 75 or more.
Can we charge separately for shipping costs or should
we include shipping in our per tests costs?
20a. NO, shipping must be
included in the cost of the test.
Can we charge separately for the monthly report that
is required?
21a. No.
The contractor is required to provide three
educational meetings and four visits for problem and service resolution at
currently unknown locations. Are these visits chargeable or reimbursed via
government guidelines?
22a. No, they should be included in the cost of the
test.
Will all questions and answers of other bidders be
available for viewing?
