Janitorial Services FY 26 Durham

Department of Veterans Affairs Janitorial Contract Main Campus, Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC) Solicitation Number: 36C24626Q00690 Questions Question: PWS Sections 5.3.1 and 5.3.2 require a Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH) and reference the National Executive Housekeeping Association. IEHA s current executive-level credential is the Certified Environmental Services Executive (CESE). Please confirm that a current IEHA CESE credential will be accepted as meeting the PWS certification requirement for the Certified Executive Housekeeper position, provided the proposed individual also demonstrates at least one year of qualifying management experience within the past three years. 1. CEH Certification CESE Equivalency: Per PWS 5.3.1 5.3.2, a Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH) is required. EMS will accept an IEHA CESE credential if equivalency is demonstrated and required certification and experience documentation is provided. Question: Will a Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH) or Project Manager be required to be on-site during both shifts, and may one position oversee both? site during both shifts, and may one position oversee both? 2 CEH/Project Manager On-Site Coverage: The CEH is not required on-site for both shifts. Shift supervisors must cover each shift. One CEH may oversee both shifts as long as supervisory coverage and availability requirements in PWS 5.3.5 are met. Question: Who is the current or most recent incumbent contractor performing janitorial services at Durham VAMC? D & R Willaims LLC. Question: What is the incumbent s total annual contract value or monthly billing rate? Total Contract Value = $2,608,775.64 Question: Can you provide the last AWARD SOLICITATION NUMBER AND DATE OF AWARD and TOTAL VALUE? 36C24620P0842 Awarded to D & R Williams LLC on 04/29/2020 for a total value of $2,608,775.64. Question: The SOW references approximately 393,000 square feet, work area across several buildings and walkway. Can you advise on how many buildings does the contractor have to cover or a list of buildings with square footage? Will the VA provide a building list with associated square footage by location prior to award? 6. Building List and Square Footage: PWS 1.6 identifies approx. 393,000 sq. ft. Detailed square footage is provided post-award per PWS 1.6.1. Question: The QASP requires carpets to remain free of stains and discoloration, while the PWS identifies vacuuming and spot cleaning. Please confirm whether full carpet extraction is required. If so, please provide the applicable square footage and frequency. 7. Carpet Extraction Requirement: Only vacuuming and spot cleaning are required (PWS 5.1.1). No full carpet extraction requirement exists in the PWS. Spot cleaning as required so that the carpet presents a uniform and clean appearance, free of spots and stains. Question: Is the contractor responsible for providing all cleaning chemicals, consumables (e.g., paper,soap, trash liners), and equipment, or will the VA furnish any materials? Please confirm whether the contractor must provide consumables (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) or if these are VA-furnished? 8. Contractor-Furnished Consumables and Chemicals: All consumables, chemicals, PPE, and supplies must be contractor-furnished (PWS Section 4). Question: Are floor scrubbers, vacuums, or carpet extractors provided by the VA or expected to be contractor-owned? 9. Contractor-Provided Equipment: Contractor provides all vacuums, scrubbers, and equipment (PWS Section 4). Question: Is the contractor responsible for replacement BATTERIES for paper towel, hand sanitizer, soap dispensers? Batteries for Dispensers: Contractor must provide all batteries for paper towel, soap, and sanitizer dispensers (PWS Section 4). Question: Will the Government or the contractor be responsible for replacement of any broken 11. Replacement of Dispensers: Normal wear = VA replaces. Contractor-caused damage = contractor replaces (PWS 5.11). Question: Is the contractor responsible for replacement of TOILET SEAT COVERS? Or will this be at the responsibility of the EMS VA? 12. Toilet Seat Covers: Contractor must provide refills compatible with dispensers (PWS Section 4).nonfunctional dispensers during the contract term? Question: Can you advise if all the janitorial closets have installed J-Fill dispensers already installed? : All EMS Closety have the Spartans Versafill Dispensers. EMS will identify Contractor s locations during onboarding. Question:Are waste disposal or biohazard cleaning responsibilities included in this scope? Contractor handles general trash only (PWS 5.1.18). Biohazard waste is not included. Question: Are there any anticipated changes in square footage or shift hours during the option years? : None identified. Any changes require contract modification (PWS 1.8). Question: Please provide information on the dining area, kitchen, and break areas i.e., the size of the kitchen, number of appliances, hours of operation, etc. Contractor cleans dining and break areas daily per PWS 5.1.13. Not in the Kitchens. Question: Does the referenced kitchen provide food service for the main hospital including inpatient dining service? Or is this a limited dining service such as the VA Canteen? This applies to Canteen/dining areas only not inpatient food service. Question: Please confirm whether the contractor is required to dust/clean personal desktops, desk or computer monitors that may contain papers, equipment and personal items. Contractor provides all labor for the 393,000 sq. ft. (PWS 1.5.1). EMS staff primary focus is patient care areas. Question: Is the contractor the sole source of cleaning service labor in the entire referenced 393,000 square feet? Or is this area in conjunction with other contractors and/or government personnel? Contractor provides all labor for the 393,000 sq. ft. (PWS 1.5.1). EMS staff primary focus is patient care areas. Question: Page 28, 5.14.2 (c) mentions "Parking Requirements" as an applicable regulation. Could you please provide the specific parking policy for contractor employees at the Durham VAMC? Parking Requirements: Contractor must follow Durham VAMC parking policy per PWS 5.14.2(c). Question: The QASP identifies emergency or special-event cleaning as an ordered service. Please confirm whether these services are included in the fixed monthly price or will be separately authorized. If an on-site vehicle or utility cart is required, may it remain at the Durham facility? Please identify any parking, storage, registration, insurance, fueling or charging requirements. 21. Emergency/Special Event Cleaning: Additional cleaning requires a contract modification (PWS 1.8). Equipment storage must follow parking policies. Not are included in the fixed monthly price but will be paid as a separate service. Question: Please provide the approximate square footage of carpet, resilient flooring, wood flooring and any other hard-surface flooring included in the requirement. Square Footage by Floor Type: Provided post-award (PWS 1.6.1). Question: Hours Discrepancy: The B.2 Price Schedule lists 2nd shift as 3:30 PM 11:00 PM, while PWS Section 1.4 lists 2nd shift as 3:00 PM 11:30 PM. Which is correct for staffing and pricing purposes? Hours Discrepancy: PWS 1.4 governs. Question: CEH Certification: Is a specific certifying body required or preferred for the Certified Executive Housekeeper requirement, such as NEHA specifically, or is an equivalent accepted? Is there flexibility on the timeline for CEH approval relative to contract start? CEH Certification Flexibility: EMS requires CEH certification before performance. Contracting must approve any deviation. Question: Management Team Pricing: The PWS specifies a minimum of 10 FTE housekeepers in addition to the management team. Should management team costs, including the CEH supervisor and shift leads, be priced separately, or embedded within the unit price for each B.2 line item? CEH and supervisors are additional to the 10 FTE housekeepers (PWS 1.5.1). Pricing structure is at the contractor s discretion. Question: Please confirm that the required minimum of 10 FTE housekeepers, consisting of 5 FTEs per shift, is required in addition to the Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH), shift supervisors, and other management personnel. . Confirmation of 10 FTE Minimum: Confirmed per PWS 1.5.1. Question: Please confirm whether resumes are required with the quotation for the proposed CEH and shift supervisors. Resumes/documentation for CEH and shift supervisors are required (PWS 5.3.2 & 5.3.8). Question: The PWS states that the Contractor shall provide the equipment, machines, tools, approved disinfectants, chemicals, consumables, PPE, and other items necessary to perform the required services. Please confirm that all such items are to be furnished by the Contractor and included in the firm-fixed price. Additionally, please clarify whether the Government will provide any existing equipment, supplies, consumables, or PPE for Contractor use. Entirely contractor-provided (PWS Section 4). Government Furnished Property: None (PWS Section 3). Question: The solicitation requires offerors to provide legible copies of all legally required federal, state, and local licenses and permits necessary to perform the required services in Durham, North Carolina. Please identify the specific licenses the Government expects offerors to submit with their quotation and confirm whether a general business licenses are sufficient. Contractor must provide legally required federal, state, and local licenses (PWS 5.3.3). Question: Can we roll over the Present Employees to our Company? EMS has no objection; all hired staff must meet PWS requirements. Question: Will there be an office space for the Project Manager/Break room for Employees? EMS provides storage room (PWS 5.1.16) and CEH workspace per PWS 5.3.6. Additional office space is not guaranteed. Question: Do Facility have a supply storage area? Government provides storage area (PWS 5.1.16). Question: Is there a CBA for the janitorial staff? Contracting Officer determination. Question: Can we assume the VA clears (security clearance) all contractor staff? VA background checks and ID issuance required; no formal security clearance. Question: We noticed the current contract was awarded in December 2025. Can you clarify why it is being advertised again so soon? The current contract was awarded as an emergent, short term action to ensure continuity of essential services and prevent a lapse in performance. Because it was only intended as a temporary solution, this solicitation initiates the formal competitive SDVOSB set aside process to establish the long term requirement. Question: The PWS States " Submit a proposed staff roster including names for the Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH) and shift supervisors. Quoters must demonstrate they possess qualified personnel and adequate training programs to meet Performance Work Statement (PWS) requirements. Quoters shall provide proof of an assigned Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH), including certification documentation and evidence of at least one year of CEH Manager experience within the last three years. CEH certification and experience must be submitted with quote (PWS 5.3.2). Question: Can this requirement be met by executive staff within the company who have 30 years of experience in all aspects of facility management? Can this also be accomplished by incumbent staff possessing the requirements? These staff members would have the option to be hired by the new contractor, if the COR agreed. Can this also be met if the individual does not have the certificate but will be required to obtain one within 60 days of the contract start date? No, but any alternative qualification proposals require Contracting approval. Question: Does the Government require the Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH) and Shift Supervisors to be separate positions. If not, may one individual fulfill both roles and provide oversight on one or both shifts? Must be separate positions (PWS 5.3.1, 5.3.8). Question: Will the Government provide the approximate cleanable square footage by space type (e.g., clinical, administrative/office, public/common areas, restrooms, etc.)? This breakdown is necessary for contractors to accurately assess the workload and equipment needed. Provided post-award (PWS 1.6.1). Question: Please clarify whether the required Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH) and shift supervisors are in addition to the minimum 10 FTE housekeepers, or whether individuals included within the 10 FTE minimum may serve as either the CEH or a shift supervisor. CEH & Supervisors Are Additional to 10 FTE: Confirmed (PWS 1.5.1). Question: Please confirm whether the Contractor will be solely responsible for providing all custodial labor within the approximately 393,000 square feet identified in the SOW, or whether any portion of this area is serviced by other contractors or Government personnel. Yes, full coverage required (PWS 1.5.1, 1.6). Question: Will the Government or the contractor be responsible for replacement of any broken or nonfunctional dispensers during the contract term? Specifically, when the damage was caused by routine wear and non-contractor related incidents. Normal wear = VA; contractor damage = contractor Question: Please confirm that each quoter must submit a staffing schedule that includes the minimum 10 FTE housekeepers required by PWS Section 1.5.1, as well as the CEH and shift supervisors, and identifies each position s assigned shift, scheduled hours, and role to clearly demonstrate compliance with the required staffing levels for each shift. Staffing schedule must include all required staffing. Question: Has there been any change in the scope of work requirements since the last solicitation? Yes, there have been updates to this Performance Work Statement from the previous solicitation. Question: On several occasion, bidders have provided a price that is lower than the mandated FTE count and multiplying those hours with the WDR wages either shows the contractor will pay less than regulation or sustain consecutive economical loses which eventually leads to poor performance- will contracting run a realism pricing analysis to ensure the success of the contract? No. This FFP procurement uses Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Consistent with the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) 12, VA will evaluate price reasonableness via competition and other price analysis techniques; we will not conduct a price realism analysis. VA will verify technical compliance with any minimum FTE/hour requirements, enforce Service Contract Labor Standards wage determinations, and make an affirmative responsibility determination. Evaluation will be conducted as stated in the Instructions to Offerors. Question: 1.6.1 with the list of buildings and square footage to be provided after contract award; the VA assures that a total of 10 FTEs are able to complete the assigned tasks within the SOW, correct? 10 FTE s have been sufficient for completing the assigned tasks. Question: The solicitation requires quoters to provide the name of the proposed Certified Executive Housekeeper (CEH), certification documentation, and evidence of at least one year of CEH Manager experience within the last three years. Would the Government accept a proposal in which the quoter commits to employing a fully qualified and certified CEH upon contract award, provided the individual satisfies all certification and experience requirements before the start of contract performance? If so, what documentation or commitment should be included with the quotation to demonstrate compliance? EMS requires certification before performance. Question: Please clarify which CEH certifications or certifying organizations the Government will recognize as acceptable for this requirement. Will certifications issued by organizations other than those specifically referenced in the PWS be considered acceptable if the certification demonstrates equivalent professional housekeeping/environmental services qualifications? EMS will consider equivalents; Contracting approvals. Question: The solicitation permits past-performance references for work performed by either the quoter or a proposed subcontractor. If the SDVOSB prime contractor does not have relevant janitorial past performance, may the Government evaluate the relevant past performance of its proposed subcontractor in determining the team s overall past-performance rating? Yes. Because the solicitation expressly permits past-performance references for work performed by either the quoter or a proposed subcontractor, the Government may consider the relevant past performance of the proposed subcontractor when determining the team s overall past-performance rating. All submitted references must comply with the Instructions to Offerors, including identifying whether each contract was performed by the quoter or the subcontractor and the role each party served. Question: The solicitation states that subcontracting more than 50 percent of total labor hours or costs may be considered a pass-through and may result in rejection. Please clarify whether the 50-percent limitation will be measured based on: Total direct labor hours; Total direct labor costs; Total contract labor costs; Total contract value less excluded costs; or Another methodology specified by the Government. Additionally, please confirm whether management and compliance-support labor performed by the subcontractor will be included when calculating the subcontracted percentage. For this SDVOSB services procurement under NAICS 561720, the 50% limitation will be measured against the total amount paid by the Government to the prime for contract performance and reflects how much the prime pays out to subcontractors that are not SDVOSBs (or otherwise similarly situated under the VAAR/SBA rules). We do not measure by labor hours or labor cost alone. Payments for management and compliance support labor performed by a non similarly situated subcontractor are included in the calculation. Payments to SBA certified, similarly situated SDVOSB first tier subcontractors are excluded, but any work they further subcontract (to firms that are not similarly situated) is included. Certain ODCs may be excluded consistent with 13 CFR 125.6. Compliance will be assessed at the end of the base period and each option period for this acquisition. Question: Would the Government provide, prior to the quotation due date, the building-by-building square footage, number of floors, number of restrooms/locker rooms, and approximate distribution of the 393,000 square feet? Provided post-award. Question: To maintain the required ten FTE housekeepers during employee absences, leave, training, or vacancies, does the Government require relief personnel to be included on the proposed staffing roster, or may the contractor maintain a separate contingent/relief staffing pool that is activated as necessary? Contractor must maintain 10 FTE; relief pool acceptable. Question: The solicitation states that the Government will evaluate FAR 52.217-8 by adding six months of the price for the final potential performance period. Please confirm that quoters are not required to establish a separate CLIN or separately priced six-month extension and that the Government will calculate the evaluated extension amount from the Option Year 4 price. Correct. Offerors are not required to include a separate CLIN or separately priced extension. As stated, the evaluated price will be determined by taking six months of the final year s (Option Year 4) proposed pricing and adding that amount to the evaluated total. No additional pricing from the offeror is required Question: Please confirm whether the stated minimum of 10 FTE housekeepers five first shift and five second shift is a mandatory minimum staffing level that must be maintained throughout contract performance, exclusive of the management team. Confirmed. Question: Please confirm whether the proposed Certified Executive Housekeeper must possess the required CEH certification and one year of qualifying CEH management experience at the time of quotation, or whether the required documentation may be provided after award but before performance begins. EMS requires certification before performance Question: Please confirm that Service Contract Labor Standards Wage Determination 2015-4375, Revision 33, dated May 13, 2026, is the controlling wage determination for quotation and performance. Confirmed. WD 2015 4375 Rev 33 (May 13, 2026) is the controlling wage determination. Offerors must base all labor pricing on this WD, and contractors/subcontractors must comply with its wage and fringe benefit rates throughout performance. Any proposal pricing or compensation less than these rates will be considered non-compliant under FAR 52.222 41 (SCLS clause) and may result in rejection or enforcement action. Question: The PWS specifies a minimum of 10 FTE housekeepers in addition to the management team. Should management team costs, including the CEH supervisor and shift leads, be priced separately, or embedded within the unit price for each B.2 line item? Management team separate from 10 FTE.