DA01--New Contract - Polypharmacy (VA-26-00018584)

Amendment / Modification

This document is Amendment 0002 to Solicitation 36C10B26R0004. It acknowledges receipt of two previous amendments:

• A0001, dated 1/13/2026
• A0002, dated 1/20/2026

This amendment updates the solicitation, likely impacting various sections and clauses as indicated by the table of contents which lists sections from B through E, including contract administration data, contract clauses, solicitation provisions, and the schedule of supplies/services.

Offerors are advised that this amendment may modify proposal deadlines, requirements, or evaluation factors. They should refer to the full text of the amendment and the updated solicitation documents for specific impacts on their submissions.

Amendment / Modification

This amendment (0002) provides:

• Government responses to vendor questions.
• A revised solicitation document.

The revised solicitation includes changes to:

• Section B.4 Schedule of Supplies/Services
• Section B.5 Performance Work Statement (Sections 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, and 6.2.1)
• Section C - Contract Clauses
• Section D - Contract Documents, Exhibits, or Attachments
• Section E - Solicitation Provisions

This amendment introduces revised sections and provides Q&A, which may impact proposal preparation. Bidders should review the attached revised solicitation and Q&A document carefully. The response date remains January 28, 2026, 4 PM Eastern Time.

Amendment / Modification

This amendment (0002) to solicitation 36C10B26R0004 provides:

• Government responses to vendor questions.

• Revisions to the following sections of the solicitation:

  • B.4 Schedule of Supplies/Services
  • B.5 Performance Work Statement (Sections 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, and 6.2.1)
  • Section C - Contract Clauses
  • Section D - Contract Documents, Exhibits, or Attachments
  • Section E - Solicitation Provisions

• B.4 Schedule of Supplies/Services

• B.5 Performance Work Statement (Sections 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, and 6.2.1)

• Section C - Contract Clauses

• Section D - Contract Documents, Exhibits, or Attachments

• Section E - Solicitation Provisions

• The amendment is not extended, and the original receipt date for offers remains December 23, 2025.

• Offerors must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the specified hour and date for receipt of offers.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet titled "Attachment 3 - Small Business Participation Subcontracting Report". It appears to be a template or form for reporting small business subcontracting goals and proposed participation.

• The spreadsheet contains a sheet named "SBPC Factor".
• It outlines various small business categories: Small Business, SDB (including Section 8(a)), WOSB, HUBZone, VOSB, and SDVOSB.
• For each category, it lists a "Requirement" percentage (e.g., 0.07 for Small Business and VOSB).
• Columns are provided for "Goals" and "Proposed" participation, though the "Proposed" column is empty in the provided data.

Bidders are likely required to use this form to document their proposed small business subcontracting participation as part of their proposal submission. The "Requirement" column indicates the government's expectations for subcontracting with specific small business categories.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) required by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Its purpose is to establish the terms and conditions under which a "Business Associate" (the company/organization receiving the document) will handle Protected Health Information (PHI) on behalf of the VA, in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and related regulations.

• Definitions: Clarifies key terms such as Breach, Business Associate, Covered Entity, Incident, PHI, and Subcontractor according to HIPAA Rules.
• Use and Disclosure of PHI: Outlines permitted uses and disclosures of PHI by the Business Associate, emphasizing compliance with "minimum necessary" policies and prohibiting the sale of de-identified data.
• Obligations of Business Associate: Details requirements for safeguarding PHI, reporting incidents and breaches within strict timelines (e.g., 24 hours for discovery, 10 business days for written report), mitigating harm, using compliant subcontractors, and handling individual requests for PHI access, amendment, or accounting.
• Obligations of Covered Entity (VA): Specifies the VA's responsibilities, including not requesting impermissible uses of PHI and notifying the Business Associate of relevant restrictions or changes.
• Termination: Outlines conditions for automatic termination, termination for cause, and the survival of certain obligations post-termination.
• Liability: States that the Business Associate is liable for penalties imposed on the Covered Entity due to the Business Associate's violations.

This BAA is critical for any bidder whose work may involve accessing, using, or disclosing Protected Health Information (PHI) for the VA. Bidders must understand and agree to these stringent requirements for handling sensitive health data to be eligible for opportunities requiring this agreement. It details the security, privacy, and reporting obligations that will be contractually binding.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to questions submitted by potential offerors regarding Solicitation 36C10B26R0004 for "Reducing Inappropriate Polypharmacy at the Department of Veterans Affairs." The answers are for informational purposes and may be incorporated into a formal amendment to the RFP.

• Adjectival Rating Definitions: Formal definitions for strengths, weaknesses, deficiencies, risks, etc., will not be provided in the solicitation. Proposals will be evaluated strictly according to the stated evaluation criteria.
• Small Business Participation: The small business subcontracting goal has been revised from 17.5% to 10%. Subcontracts assigned different NAICS codes qualify if the subcontractors meet the size standard for their respective NAICS codes.
• Software Licenses: Software licenses are for the period of the contract, not perpetual. FAR 52.227-14 will be included, but FAR 52.227-19 will not.
• Hosting: Solutions must be hosted in the VAEC environment; offerors cannot host the solution in their own cloud.
• Testing and Staging Environments: These environments will be hosted by the VA.
• Proposal Submission: Compressed (ZIP) files are permitted for email submissions, with a 5MB limit per email.
• Pilot Activities: A full VA Authority to Operate (ATO) is required before any production use or handling of live clinical data. Pilot activities may start under an interim approval (e.g., IATT) with defined constraints.
• Contract Value for Evaluation: For evaluation purposes, the total contract value includes the base period, all option periods, and one-half of the last option period. The small business subcontracting goal has been revised from 17.5% to 10%.

The quote due date has been extended to Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM EST, via Amendment 0001 issued on 1/13/26. Several other sections and percentages have been updated or clarified, as noted in the responses.

Amendment / Modification

• The due date for the Request for Proposal (RFP) 36C10B26R0004, "Reducing Inappropriate Polypharmacy at the Department of Veterans Affairs," has been extended.

• The SF30 Amendment 0001 document is referenced for details of the changes.

• The new response date and time is Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM Eastern Time, New York, USA. The archive period is 99 days after this new response date.

Amendment / Modification

• Extends the due date for submissions to January 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET.

• Amendment 0002 will be issued soon to address vendor questions.

• Item 11: Due date for receipt of offers.

• The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended to January 28, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation, "Reducing Inappropriate Polypharmacy at the Department of Veterans Affairs," seeks a software solution to identify and reduce inappropriate polypharmacy among Veterans. The system will consolidate VA and community-prescribed medications, assign risk scores, and flag potential risks such as side effects, drug-drug interactions, and fall risk. The solution aims to optimize medication regimens and enhance clinical decision-making, aligning with VA's commitment to patient safety and reducing the use of potentially inappropriate medications. The software will be implemented and hosted in the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC).

• Software Solution: Must integrate with VA systems (CPRS, Federal EHR), provide real-time medication lists, assign polypharmacy risk scores, and offer actionable recommendations to clinicians.

• Deliverables: Include Solution Architecture, Solution Design, Source Code, Configuration Files, Build and Deployment Scripts, Database Schemas, API Specifications, Technical and User Documentation, VAEC Implementation Plan, VA ATO Artifacts, Production Readiness Review Documentation, Implementation Summary Report, and Outcomes Reports.

• Performance Standards: Services must be available 99.9% of the time, with pages and data elements loading within five seconds. Remote access must comply with VA Handbook 6500.

• Contract Type: Firm-Fixed Price.

• Period of Performance: Includes a 6-month base period and four 12-month option periods, with two optional tasks for enterprise-wide deployment and full capability.

• Place of Performance: Contractor facilities, with remote access and potential on-site work at VA facilities.

• Proposal Submission: Electronic submission via email by January 14, 2026, 10:00 AM EST.

• Questions Deadline: January 2, 2025, 11:00 AM ET.

• Evaluation Factors: Technical, Past Performance, Small Business Participation Commitment (SBPC), Veterans Involvement, and Price. Technical is the most important factor.

• Set-Aside: Unrestricted.

• NAICS Code: 513210, with a size standard of $47 million.

• Registration: Offerors must have an active Federal Government contracts registration in SAM.gov.

• The solicitation incorporates numerous FAR and VAAR clauses by reference.

• Specific security, privacy, and IT requirements are detailed, including compliance with NIST standards and VA directives.

• Offerors must provide a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and adhere to anti-virus and anti-malware requirements.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation, "Reducing Inappropriate Polypharmacy at the Department of Veterans Affairs," seeks proposals for a new contract (VA-26-00018584) to address polypharmacy issues within the VA. The contracting office is the Department of Veterans Affairs Technology Acquisition Center.

Details regarding specific requirements, deliverables, or technical specifications are not fully provided in this excerpt but are referenced in attached documents.

• Solicitation Number: 36C10B26R0004

• Product Service Code: DA01

• NAICS Code: 513210

• Contracting Office Address: 23 Christopher Way, Eatontown NJ 07724

• Place of Performance: USA

• Response Date/Time/Zone: January 14, 2026, 10:00 AM Eastern Time, New York, USA.

• Archive: 60 days after the response date.

Not specified in the provided text.

• The solicitation and associated attachments are available. Key referenced documents include:
  • Request for Proposal 36C10B26R0004
  • Polypharmacy 36C10B26R0004_Final
  • Attachment 1 - BAA Agreement
  • Attachment 2 - Small Business Participation Commitment
• Points of Contact:
  • Contract Specialist: Elena Juliano (elena.juliano@va.gov)
  • CO: John Vardouniotis (ioannis.vardouniotis@va.gov)