G009--Beneficiary Location Service Support - VA Insurance Service in Philadelphia PA

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a Performance Based Service Assessment (QASP) template used for monthly reviews of vendor performance. It outlines the evaluation criteria and provides a structure for assessing contractor performance against defined objectives.

• Evaluation Ratings: Includes a scale from Exceptional to Unsatisfactory.
• Performance Objectives: Specific areas to be evaluated, including:
  • Technical/Quality of Product or Service (assessing success criteria for case tiers)
  • Project Milestones and Schedule (assessing reporting requirements)
  • Management (assessing contractor integration and coordination per the Project Management Plan)
• Narrative Section: Space for detailed, objective explanations supporting each rating.

This document provides insight into how the government will measure and evaluate contractor performance on this opportunity. Bidders should review the performance objectives and associated questions to understand the key areas of focus for service delivery and management. This will help in structuring proposals to demonstrate capability in meeting these performance standards.

Wage Determination

This document is a U.S. Department of Labor Wage Determination (No. 2015-4281, Revision No. 35, dated 12/03/2025) under the Service Contract Act. It establishes minimum wage rates and fringe benefits for various occupations in the District of Columbia, Maryland (Charles and Prince George's Counties), and Virginia (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Loudoun, Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William, and Stafford).

• Occupational Listings: The document provides a comprehensive list of occupations, each with a corresponding wage rate. These rates are applicable to service employees performing work under a covered contract.
• Fringe Benefits: All listed occupations are entitled to specific fringe benefits, including Health & Welfare at $5.55 per hour (or $222.00 per week / $962.00 per month) for up to 40 hours per week.
• Executive Order 13706 (Paid Sick Leave): For contracts awarded on or after January 1, 2017, contractors must provide 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours annually. A separate Health & Welfare rate of $5.09 per hour is noted for this EO.
• Executive Order 13658 (Minimum Wage): For contracts awarded between January 1, 2015, and January 29, 2022 (and not renewed after January 30, 2022), the minimum wage is $13.30 per hour (or the rate listed in the determination, if higher). This rate is adjusted annually.
• Vacation and Holidays: Standard provisions include 2 weeks paid vacation after 1 year of service, increasing to 4 weeks after 15 years. A minimum of eleven paid holidays per year are also specified.
• Hazardous Pay: Differentials are provided for work involving ordnance, explosives, and incendiary materials (8% for high hazard, 4% for low hazard).
• Uniform Allowance: Contractors must furnish uniforms or reimburse employees for their cost, including cleaning and maintenance ($3.35 per week, unless "wash and wear" materials are used).
• Conformance Process: Procedures are outlined for classifying and determining wage rates for occupations not explicitly listed in the determination, requiring contractor submission and Department of Labor review.

This document is critical for bidders to understand the labor costs associated with performing services under a contract covered by the Service Contract Act in the specified geographic areas. It directly impacts the pricing of proposals and ensures compliance with federal labor laws.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for Beneficiary Locator and Outreach Services for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Insurance Service and Operations Center (INS). The primary goal is to locate difficult-to-find beneficiaries and establish contact to facilitate the completion of claims for VA insurance proceeds. This service aims to expedite payments to beneficiaries and improve claims processing accuracy and timeliness.

• Obtain current contact information for named beneficiaries.

• Conduct research to identify possible alternate beneficiaries.

• Obtain current contact information for alternate beneficiaries.

• Conduct outreach to beneficiaries to provide information and assist with claim completion.

• Services are categorized into three tiers based on the time since the Veteran's date of death, with increasing complexity for Tier 3 (alternate beneficiaries).

• Contractor must deliver a Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP) and Monthly Progress Reports.

• Strict adherence to VA Privacy and Information Security Policies and Federal Information Security standards is required.

• Contract Type: Firm-Fixed-Price.

• Period of Performance: One 6-month base period followed by four 12-month option periods.

• Minimum of 1000 cases to be provided during the base period.

• Quotes will be evaluated based on Technical Approach (TA), Past Performance (PP), Quality Assurance Approach (QAA), and Price.

• TA, PP, and QAA are considered significantly more important than Price.

• Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose submission is rated acceptable or higher for TA, satisfactory confidence or better for PP, acceptable for QAA, and presents the best value.

• Offer due date: March 3, 2026, 14:00 EST.

• This acquisition is unrestricted but includes a "VA NOTICE OF TOTAL SET-ASIDE FOR CERTIFIED SERVICE-DISABLED VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES" clause, indicating a potential set-aside for SDVOSBs.

• The solicitation incorporates numerous FAR and VAAR clauses related to cybersecurity, privacy, data handling, and contractor responsibilities.

• Specific requirements for personnel security investigations are detailed.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a Performance Based Service Assessment (PBSA) form used for evaluating vendor performance on a monthly basis. It serves as a tool to rate contractor performance against defined objectives and provides a structured way to document these assessments.

• Evaluation Ratings: Includes a scale from Exceptional to Unsatisfactory.
• Performance Objectives: Assesses performance in three key areas:
  • Technical/Quality of Product or Service (related to case management tiers)
  • Project Milestones and Schedule (related to reporting requirements)
  • Management (related to contractor project management plan integration)
• Narrative Section: Requires detailed, objective explanations to support each rating.

While this is an assessment form, understanding its structure and the performance objectives evaluated can provide insight into the government's key performance indicators (KPIs) and expectations for this contract. Bidders can use this to understand how their performance will be measured and what aspects of service delivery are most critical.

Wage Determination

This document is a Wage Determination (No. 2015-4281, Revision No. 35, dated 12/03/2025) issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division. It establishes minimum wage rates and fringe benefits for various occupations performing work under the Service Contract Act in the District of Columbia, Maryland (Charles, Prince George's counties), and Virginia (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fauquier, Loudoun, Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William, Stafford counties).

• Occupational Wage Rates: The document lists numerous occupations with their corresponding minimum hourly wage rates. These rates are crucial for contractors to understand labor costs when bidding on Service Contract Act-covered contracts.
• Fringe Benefits: It specifies that fringe benefits are required and lists the Health & Welfare rate as $5.55 per hour (up to 40 hours/week, or $222.00/week or $962.00/month). An additional Health & Welfare rate of $5.09 per hour is noted for Executive Order 13706.
• Executive Orders:
  • EO 13706 (Paid Sick Leave): Federal contractors must provide 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours annually, for contracts awarded on or after January 1, 2017.
  • EO 13658 (Minimum Wage): For contracts awarded between January 1, 2015, and January 29, 2022 (and not renewed/extended after Jan 30, 2022), the minimum wage is $13.30 per hour (or the listed wage determination rate, if higher) for 2025. This rate is adjusted annually.
• Vacation and Holidays:
  • Vacation: 2 weeks after 1 year, 3 weeks after 5 years, 4 weeks after 15 years of service.
  • Holidays: A minimum of eleven paid holidays per year are listed.
• Hazardous Pay: An 8% differential applies to positions with high hazard risk (ordnance, explosives), and a 4% differential applies to positions with a low degree of hazard.
• Uniform Allowance: Contractors must furnish uniforms or reimburse employees for costs, with specific rates for cleaning/maintenance ($3.35/week) unless uniforms are "wash and wear."
• Conformance Process: Details the procedure for classifying and determining wage rates for occupations not listed in the determination, requiring contractor submission and DOL review.

This wage determination is essential for any bidder on a Service Contract Act-covered opportunity within the specified geographic area. It directly impacts labor cost calculations, proposal pricing, and compliance requirements related to wages, fringe benefits, paid sick leave, and holidays.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for Beneficiary Location Service Support for the VA Insurance Service in Philadelphia, PA. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Insurance Service and Operations Center (INS) requires services to locate beneficiaries who are difficult to find and establish contact with them to facilitate the completion of claims. The goal is to enable faster disbursement of VA Insurance proceeds and improve the accuracy and timeliness of claims processing.

• Obtain current contact information for named beneficiaries.

• Conduct research to identify possible alternate beneficiaries.

• Obtain current contact information for alternate beneficiaries.

• Conduct outreach to beneficiaries to provide information to facilitate completing claims.

• The contractor shall provide all necessary resources.

• Period of Performance: One 6-month base period followed by four 12-month option periods.

• The VA will provide a minimum of 1000 cases during the base period.

• Response Date/Time/Zone: 02-18-2026 16:00 EASTERN TIME, NEW YORK, USA.

• The VA will evaluate the effectiveness of the contractor's services during the base period to determine option period renewal and estimate future case volumes.

• Success criteria are defined in PWS paragraph 5.2.6.

• Set-Aside: SDVOSBC (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern)

• NAICS Code: 561611

• Product/Service Code: G009

• Place of Performance: TBD

• Contact: Harrison D Carter, Contracting Officer (harrison.carter@va.gov)

• Referenced attachments: BLS Monthly QASP, WD_2015-4281_Rev35_Dte-03Dec25.