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This is a SOURCES SOUGHT announcement only. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposal or quote and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. 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 capable of providing the following:

Court Reporting Services for the Eastern Kansas VA Health Care Centers
*** See Statement of Work below for details ***
If this is within your capability, please respond with the information below:
Company Name
Address
Point of Contact
Phone, Fax, and Email
UEI number
GSA Contract (as applicable)
Interested firms are reminded that in accordance with FAR 4.12, prospective contractors shall complete electronic annual representations and certifications to be considered for award. In addition, FAR 4.11 states that prospective contractors shall be registered in the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) database. All Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) shall be verified in VetBiz at www.vip.vetbiz.gov.

Point of Contact for this Sources Sought is:
veronica.flores@va.gov
(913) 946 - 1167
Department of Veterans Affairs
Network Contracting Office -15
3450 S. 4th Street Trafficway
Leavenworth, KS. 66048.Â
STATEMENT OF WORK
For
Court Reporting Services
Eastern KS VA Health Care Center
Leavenworth and Topeka, KANSAS
SCOPE OF WORK
The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, materials, and services, and otherwise do all things necessary for and incidental to the verbatim reporting and transcription of Administrative Investigation Board (AlB) proceedings conducted by or pursuant to orders of the Office of the Director Eastern Kansas Health Care System (EKHCS) Dwight D. Eisenhower (Leavenworth Campus) and/or Colmery O Neil (Topeka campus). This is a Requirements Contract.
All reporting shall be by Computer Aided Transcription machine (CAT). The Contractor shall
utilize a backup system.
If testimony must be retaken because of mechanical breakdown of the CAT, transcribing, or stenographic equipment, or because of negligence by the Contractor or any subcontractor, the Contractor shall provide the services necessary to retake the testimony at no additional charge to the Department of Veterans Affairs or to any party to the litigation. In addition, the Contractor shall bear all transportation and subsistence costs, to be computed in accordance with travel regulations governing employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, incurred by Office of the Director EKHCS, the parties and their witnesses and attorneys in attending or testifying at such retaking of testimony.

The Contractor agrees that the assigned reporter shall perform all work in a business-like manner and according to the best standards of the reporting profession; and the Contractor, at all times, shall provide promptly at the time, date, and place designated, as many competent reporters and stenographers and maintain such staff and equipment at such times as may be necessary for the prompt recording of proceedings and the furnishing of satisfactory transcripts which shall conform to the requirements of this contract.

To the maximum extent practical, when requested by the Office of the Director EKHCS, the Contractor shall assign the same reporter to a proceeding lasting more than one (1) day or, in the case of a lengthy proceeding, the same group or reporters. The Contractor agrees that the assigned reporter shall:

present himself or herself to the presiding official at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the time and at the place of designated hearings, or in no case later than the time required to set up all required equipment and be able to begin verbatim reporting at the designated time; or, if the case of a telephonic investigation shall make telephone contact to the presiding official at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the start time;
At all times, be governed by the instructions of the presiding official in matters affecting the composition of the record, adjournment to other times or places, the hours of hearing, and matters of like character;
Report everything spoken while a hearing is in session unless the presiding official directs an off-the-record discussion;
Not omit from the record any part of a proceeding for which notes have been taken as required, unless the presiding official so directs;
Mark and number letter exhibits and arrange them in numerical or alphabetical order if directed to do so by the presiding official.

The Contractor is required to assure either directly or through his/her subcontractors;
That each reporter is fully aware of the assigned work situation, including the occasional need for extending a hearing session beyond the normal work day;
That each reporter is aware of the additional compensation available to him or her when such services are required and used;
That, in fact, the additional compensation is received by reporters.

g. The Contractor shall furnish complete transcripts, which accurately reflect the full and complete verbatim record of the proceedings. When the presiding official determines that there are errors in the transcript, he/she may require the Contractor to correct the errors and furnish the corrected transcript within five (5) calendar days after receipt of notification and without additional cost to the Government for the same, regardless of the delivery time the original order specified.
h. The Contractor shall furnish transcripts, which are legible. In the event the presiding official finds one or more copies of transcripts to be illegible. The Contractor shall correct and replace the same with acceptable copies within one (l) business day after receipt of notification from the presiding official and without additional cost for such replacement.
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
Transcripts shall be typed with black daisy wheel or ribbon or reproduced by regular office-type duplicating machines or laser printers, on white 20-pound rag paper or equal. Paper shall be 8 1/2" X 11" in size, with a margin of 2" at the left-hand side.
In the original and each copy of the transcript, the title page showing name, docket number, place and date of proceeding, appearances, location, etc., shall be preceded by a page or pages of distinctive color, indexing the witnesses and exhibits to the testimony. Each transcript shall include one complete cumulative index of witnesses and exhibits. The index shall indicate the page devoted to the testimony of each witness and shall identify the exhibits by number or letter (as marked) and show which party introduced each exhibit; give a brief description of the nature of the exhibit; and state the page on which the exhibit was marked for identification and the page on which the exhibit was admitted into evidence or rejected or withdrawn.
Typing shall be nine (9) characters to the inch, double-spaced, and with twenty-four (24) lines per page. Whenever testimony is continuous requiring more than one line, the typing shall begin as close as possible to the left ruled margin line, with words to be hyphenated properly when necessary. Numbers indicating each line of transcript on each page, i.e., Ito 24, inclusive, shall be printed at the left margin line of the original transcript.

Pagination of the transcript shall be in a single series of consecutive numbers regardless of the number of days of the proceeding. Pagination of the transcript of a continuation of the proceeding shall follow consecutively the paging of the previous session in the same proceeding unless otherwise directed by the presiding official. Page numbers are to be placed at the bottom center of each page.

Transcripts shall be punched with three (3) holes at the left side; the upper and lower holes to be two (2) inches from top and bottom of the page, and the third hole to be in the center of the resulting interval. Transcripts shall be secured with a suitable fastener of permanent nature. Each copy of the transcript furnished shall be bound with covers of good quality, white or colored 140-pound index paper, #1 sulfite paper, heavy weight transparent plastic or similar material.

The transcripts for the Administrative Investigations Board (AIB) will be sent to the Office of Quality Management EKHCS. A CD-ROM of the transcript will also be sent along with a hard copy to the Office of the Directory EKHS and or appointed designee.

TYPE OF PROCEEDING
Proceedings shall be designated as Confidential. When a proceeding or any portion thereof is designated Confidential, the Contractor shall hold inviolate and in the strictest confidence any information which he/she may gain in the performance of his/her duties under this contract. The Contractor shall not divulge, sell, or distribute, any information gained at a confidential proceeding unless in writing by the presiding official.
OATHS AND NOTARY SERVICES
The Reporter shall be competent to administer oaths. Depositions shall be transcribed by a duly authorized notary. No separate fee is to be charged for notary services, administering oath, or affixing seal.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
A conflict of interest is defined as the existence of financial or other relationship between the Contractor, including any of his/her employees, agents, subcontractors, or representatives, and a party to or an attorney involved or representatives, and a party to or an attorney involved in a proceeding to be transcribed under this contract. The Contractor shall promptly notify the presiding official whenever there is a potential or actual conflict of interest between the Contractor and such party or attorney. If a potential or actual conflict of interest is reported by the Contractor, the Contracting Officer reserves the right to have the transcript of that proceeding produced by another court reporter at no cost to the Contractor, notwithstanding any other provision of this contract. Should a new proceeding be required because a conflict of interest exists which the Contractor failed to bring to the attention of the presiding official, the Contractor shall bear the full cost of the new proceeding.
DELIVERY SCHEDULE
An original and two copies of all transcripts ordered, shall be delivered to the presiding official, or the Office of Director EKHS, or their designee during regular business hours (8:00 am through 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays) with postage or other transportation charges fully prepaid by the Contractor as follows:

Regular copy - Regular copy of transcripts (original and 2 copies) shall be delivered within ten (10) calendar days after conclusion of the proceedings. Computation of this period shall commence on the calendar day following conclusion of the proceeding.

Accelerated copy - Daily copy of transcripts (original and 2 copies) shall be delivered within two (2) days after the conclusion of each day of the proceedings. Computation of this period shall commence immediately upon conclusion of each day of the proceedings.
Whenever a hearing or deposition is continued, recessed, or adjourned for a period of five or more calendar days, that portion of the transcript of the hearing held prior to such continuance, recess, or adjournment shall be considered a complete hearing for the purpose of computing time for delivery of the transcript.
Requests for Services will be made either in writing, email or by telephone.
Services will be required at the either facility or both facilities at the same time.
Dwight D. Eisenhower VAMC Colmery O Neil VAMC
4101 South 4th Street Trafficway 2200 SW Gage Blvd.
Leavenworth, KS 66048 Topeka, KS 66622
The contractor will determine within a reasonable time, normally within 24 hours of the time the request for services was made, whether or not a reporter will be available. If this determination is not received, the Department of Veterans Affairs reserves the right to obtain the service from another source and to charge the Contractor with any excess cost which may result there from. The Department of Veterans Affairs will be the sole judge in determine when to order service from another source.
Regardless of whether the delivery ordered is regular or accelerated copies, if the contractor fails to deliver the transcript to the Government within the applicable period prescribe, a reduction in prices will be made as liquidated damages. The amount to be paid for the transcript will be reduced by two (2) percent of the price for the transcript, computed at the rates set forth in this contract for each Government business day or fraction thereof that delivery is delayed beyond the time limit prescribed depending on which has been ordered by the presiding official, up to a total of fifty (50) percent of the transcript price. Computation of price reductions shall commence on the day following the date on which transcripts were to be delivered to the Office of the Director EKHS and the applicable Facility. Failure to furnish a reporting service of delinquency in the delivery of a transcript is a default and subject the Contract to the default provision of this agreement.

SERVICES
The services specified in the Sections entitled Schedule of Supplies/Services and Special Contract Requirements may be changed by written modification to this contract. The VA Contracting Officer will prepare the modification.
Other necessary personnel for the operation of the services contracted for at the VA will be provided by the VA at levels mutually agreed upon which are compatible with the safety of the patient and personnel and with quality medical care programming.
The services to be performed by the contractor will be performed in accordance with VA policies and procedures and the regulations of the medical staff by laws of the VA facility.
There is no employer-employee relationship between the VA and the Contractor or the Contractor's Employee(s).

TERM OF CONTRACT
This contract is effective for a period of one year from the date of award with four (4) one-year options. The contract is subject to the availability of VA funds.
QUALIFICATIONS
Personnel assigned by the contractor to perform the services covered by this contract shall have a full and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia.
WORK HOURS
The contractor shall provide the services covered by this contract during Normal Duty Hours 8:00am 4:30pm. The contractor will not be required, to furnish such services during off-duty hours as described below.
National Holidays: The IO holidays observed by the Federal Government are: New Year's Day
) ,
(January 1st Martin Luther King's Birthday (3rd Monday in January), Presidents Day (3rd Monday in
February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Independence Day (July 4th), Labor Day (1 Monday
in September), Columbus

Day (2nd Monday in October), Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November), Christmas Day (December 251) and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday.
When one of the above designated legal holidays falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as a legal holiday. When a legal holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed as a holiday by U.S. Government agencies.

RECORD KEEPING
The VA shall establish and maintain a record keeping system that will record the hours worked by the contractor's employee(s). Contractor's employee(s) shall report to the presiding official (Office of the Director or appointed designee) upon arrival at and departure from the VA. Monitoring of contractor's employee's time shall be demonstrated through sign-in/sign-out sheets. After contract award, any incidents of contractor noncompliance as evidenced by the monitoring procedures shall be forwarded immediately to the Contracting Officer.

HHS/OIG
To ensure that the individuals providing services under the contract have not engaged in fraud or abuse regarding Sections 1128 and 1128A of the Social Security Act regarding federal health care programs, the contractor is required to check the Health and Human Services - Office of lnspector General (NHS/OlG), List of Excluded Individuals/Entities on the OIG Website (www.hhs.gov/oig) for each person providing services under this contract. Further the Contractor is required to certify in its proposal that all persons listed in the contractor's proposal have been compared against the OIG list and are NOT listed. During the performance of this contract the Contractor is prohibited from using any individual or business listed on the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF PATIENT RECORDS
The Level of Background Security Investigation for Court Reporter Services is designated as an SAC by the Facility Information Security Office and Human Resources. (2280a)
The selected Contractor for Court Reporter shall call Human Resources, Cheryl Leslie VA Topeka at 785.350.3111 Ext. 52907 for an appointment for a Fingerprint background check to be performed on all employees who will be performing the Court Reporting duties. This background check will be paid for by the VA. (SAC)

The selected Contractor will be required to sign a Statement of Commitment and Understanding for VA Contractors who possess, handle or come in contact with VA sensitive information or personal data. This form will be provided by the Contracting Officer.

And as such:
A Contractor working for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), will be committed to safeguarding the personal information that veterans and their families have entrusted to the Department. The Contractor will also be committed to safeguarding the personal information which VA employees and applicants have provided.

To ensure that the Contractor understands their obligations and responsibilities in handling the personal information of veterans and their families, the Contractor will have completed the annual General Privacy Awareness Training (or VHA Privacy Training, as applicable)
(See Privacy below)

The Contractor for Court Reporting will contact the Contracting Officer who will then get in touch with the Information Security Officer or Regional or General Counsel, when the Court Reporter is unsure whether or how they may gather or create, maintain, use, disclose or dispose of information about veterans and their families, and VA employees and applicants.

The Contractor further understands that if they fail to comply with applicable confidentiality statutes and regulations, the Contractor may be subject to civil and criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment. The Contractor also recognizes that VA may impose sanctions, up to and including termination of contract for violation of applicable confidentiality and security statutes, regulations and policies.

The Contractor will certify that they have completed the training outlined above and will committed to safeguarding personal information about veterans and their families, and VA employees and applicants.
VA information will not be co-mingled with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor s information systems/media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. VA also reserves the right to conduct IT resource inspections to ensure data separation and on-site inspection of information destruction/media sanitization procedures to ensure they are in compliance with VA policy requirements.
Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor will not destroy information received from VA or gathered or created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA contracting officer. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, and applicable VA Records Control Schedules.
The contractor shall not make copies of VA information except as necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor needs to be restored to an operating state.
If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition
)
Regulation ( FAR ) part 12.
Contractor will store, transport or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using a VA-approved encryption application that meets the requirements of NISTs FIPS 140-2 standard.
SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION
The term "security incident" means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and simultaneously, the designated ISO/Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor has access.
To the extent known by the contractor, the contractor's notice to VA will identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information/assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor considers relevant.
The contractor will simultaneously report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity(ies) of jurisdiction, including the VA Offices of the Inspector General and Security and Law Enforcement, in instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors and their employees will cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor will cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident.
To the extent practicable, the contractor shall mitigate any harmful effects on individuals whose VA information was accessed or disclosed in a security incident.
In the event of a data breach with respect to any VA Sensitive Information processed or maintained by the contractor or subcontractor under the contract, the contractor is responsible for liquidated damages to be paid to VA.

PRIVACY
VHA employees, contractors, and volunteers who do not provide patient care but have access or potential access to veteran information in the performance of their duties, such as administrative officers, MCCF staff, coders, ROI department, RMS, Information Desk staff and so forth have three choices available for privacy training. You may:
Complete the VHA Privacy Policy Training web-based course which is available at: https://www.lms.va.gov

Read and review the VHA Privacy Policy Training PDF text version available from the VHA Privacy Office website at http:// vaww.vhaco.va.gov/ privacyff raining.htm.

Lastly you may read and review the VHA Privacy Policy Training PowerPoint presentation also available at http://vaww.vhaco.va.gov/ privacy/T raining. htm.

Upon completion of the web-based training, you will be able to print a certificate which should be retained every fiscal year. There is no certificate for reviewing the PDF text or PowerPoint presentation version of the VHA Privacy Policy Training. You will need to report completion of the training using these modalities to your Contracting Officer.
Base Year Dec 3, 2022 Dec 2, 2023

Administrative Investigation Boards (AIB) 5 per YR
Average Testimonies per AIB 8 - 10

CLIN
Description
Unit
Unit Price

1.
Attendance

1a

2.5 Hours Minimum

Per Hour
1b
3 Hours or More
Per hour
2
Transcript Turn Around Time

2a

10 - 14 Business Days (Standard)

Per page

2b
3 - 5 Business Days (Expedited)
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
2c
Next Business Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
2d

Same Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)

Per page

3
Deposition Reproduction Services

Per page

4

Depose Base CD ROM
Per CD




Option Year 1 Dec 3, 2023 Dec 2, 2024

Administrative Investigation Boards (AIB) 3 per YR
Average Testimonies per AIB 5 - 8

CLIN
Description
Unit
Unit Price

1
Attendance

1a
2.5 Hours Minimum
Per hour
1b
3 Hours or More
Per hour

2

Transcript Turn Around Time

2a
10 - 14 Business Days (Standard)
Per page

2b
3 - 5 Business Days (Expedited)
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
2c
Next Business Day
(Not anticipated but possible necessary)
Per page

2d
Same Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
3
Deposition Reproduction Services
Per page
4
Depose Base CD ROM
Per CD


Option Year 2 Dec 3, 2024 Dec 2, 2025
Court Reporter, Eastern Kansas Healthcare System, Leavenworth/ Topeka

Administrative Investigation Boards (AIB) 3 per YR
Average Testimonies per AIB 5 - 8

CLIN
Description
Unit
Unit Price

1
Attendance

1a
2.5 Hours Minimum
Per hour
1b
3 Hours or More
Per hour

2
Transcript Turn Around Time

2a
10 -14 Business Days (Standard)
Per page

2b
3 - 5 Business Days (Expedited)
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page

2c
Next Business Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page

2d
Same Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
3
Deposition Reproduction Services
Per page

4
Depose Base CD ROM
Per CD



Page 2 of 2

Option Year 3 Dec 3, 2025 Dec 2, 2026
Court Reporter, Eastern Kansas Healthcare System, Leavenworth/ Topeka

Administrative Investigation Boards (AIB) 3 per YR
Average Testimonies per AIB 5 - 8

CLIN
Description
Unit
Unit
Price
1
Attendance

1a
2.5 Hours Minimum
Per hour

1b
3 Hours or More
Per hour

2
Transcript Turn Around Time

2a
10 - 14 Business Days (Standard)
Per page

2b
3 - 5 Business Days (Expedited)
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
2c
Next Business Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
2d
Same Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page

3
Deposition Reproduction Services
Per page

4
Depose Base CD ROM
Per CD



Option Year 4 Dec 3, 2026 Dec 2, 2027
Court Reporter, Eastern Kansas Healthcare System, Leavenworth/ Topeka

Administrative Investigation Boards (AIB) 3 per YR
Average Testimonies per AIB 5 - 8

CLIN
Description
Unit
Unit Price

1
Attendance

1a
2.5 Hours Minimum
Per

1b
3 Hours or More
Per hour

2
Transcript Turn Around Time

2a
10 - 14 Business Days (Standard)
Per page

2b
3 - 5 Business Days (Expedited)
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page

2c
Next Business Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page

2d
Same Day
(Not anticipated but possibly necessary)
Per page
3
Deposition Reproduction Services
Per page
4
Depose Base CD ROM
Per CD

Attachments/Links