S209--MVAHCS Fisher House Laundry Sources Sought

The Minneapolis VA Healthcare System requires laundry services at the Fisher House 1 &2 in accordance with the draft Statement of Work (SOW) below. This is a sources sought looking for vendors to perform the services per the SOW for market research purposes. No awards of a contract will be made from this announcement. If you are a vendor that can complete the work described in the SOW with competitive pricing, please send your contact and organization information with a descriptive proof of capability to: Jeffrey.Brown8@va.gov on or before November 6th, 2026. Only emailed responses will be considered. Additionally, please provide answers as appropriate to the following questions in the table below with your response to this sources sought. Failure to respond to the following questions may affect the acquisition strategy. Question # Questions Vendor Responses 1. Identify your organization's socio-economic category.  2. State whether any of the requested services may be ordered against a government contract awarded to your organization (e.g Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), General Services Administration (GSA), etc.).  3. State if subcontracting is contemplated for this requirement, what percentage of the work will be subcontracted and for what tasks.   *If applicable, VAAR 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Veteran Owned Small-Businesses or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small-Businesses.* *If applicable, FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Small-Businesses.* Draft Statement of Work (SOW) Fisher House Laundry Services Background: The Contractor shall provide recurring off-site laundering, processing, finishing, pickup, and delivery of Government-owned hospitality linens for the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System (MVAHCS) Fisher House. Services shall meet the performance and acceptance standards established in this SOW. Service shall be required two (2) days a week; The contractor shall be responsible for laundering, processing, and delivery of all linens, which shall include bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, bath matts, shower curtains, sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers and inserts, comforters, pillow shams, bed bug covers, blankets, and pillows. The Fisher House consists of 2 buildings with a total of 28 bedrooms/bathrooms/suites. Scope: The Contractor shall furnish the labor, supervision, travel, equipment, supplies, transportation, vehicles, carts, and coordination necessary to meet the requirements outlined in this contract. All work shall be performed by skilled and trained personnel. These services are in compliance with standards for hotel laundry operations (Association of Linen Management) to include Infection Prevention and Control Guide. All services shall be performed by qualified Contractors who are licensed and authorized to perform the work defined herein. It is expected that all tasks shall be performed in a neat, professional manner, to present a professional appearance. The contractor shall be fully responsible for any repairs and all damage to VA property, which results from the activities, negligence, or carelessness of its employees or subcontractors. All damages shall be immediately brought to the attention of the COR by the end of the workday of occurrences. If damage is not discovered on the day the work is performed, it shall be repaired within 72 hours of notification of the contractor by the VA. In cases of disputes between the COR and the contractor, the contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer, in writing as soon as possible, to avoid any delay in conflict resolution. If the Contracting Officer is not notified in writing within thirty (30) days of the date of the incident, the incident shall be considered to have been resolved to the satisfaction of the contractor. Specific Tasks Contractor s Personnel Contract Manager/Point of Contact (POC): The contractor shall provide a contract manager who will be responsible for the performance of the contract. The contract manager shall have full authority to act on behalf of the contractor on all contract matters relating to the daily operation of this contract. The contract manager or alternate(s) shall be available during normal business hours and be able to meet, either in person or by telephone, with VA personnel designated by the Contracting Officer within 24 hours to discuss deficiencies. Contractor Employees: Contractor personnel shall present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contract employees. This may be accomplished by wearing distinctive clothing bearing the company name and/or by wearing appropriate badges that prominently display the contractor s company name or a professional appearance commensurate with standards delineated for Government civilian personnel acting in similar capacities. Contractor personnel shall conduct themselves in a professional manner (i.e. timeliness, communication; spoken and written etc.). The Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to remove from the job site any employee working under this contract for reasons of suspected misconduct, a suspected security breach, or suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other incapacitating agent. The contractor shall not employ persons for work on this contract if such an employee is identified to the contractor by VA Police or Contracting Officer as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being, or mission of the medical center and the VA. The contactor shall not employ any person who is presently an employee of the U.S. Government when and if the employment of that person would create either a conflict of interest or the perception of such a conflict. Delivery Requirements On each delivery day, the contractor must provide the Fisher House staff (located in the office of Building 75) with: A written report detailing all soiled linen that was processed and all clean linen that was delivered. A copy of the invoice. Each report must include: The date of delivery, the name of each linen item, the number of pieces received for each item. Contractor will pick up soiled laundry two days per week excluding all holidays from the Fisher House and will launder and deliver linen. The Contractor is to pick-up soiled linens between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm two days per week Monday pick-up delivered completed on Thursday, and Thursday pick-up delivered on Monday, excluding all federal holidays and to deliver clean linens (wrapped in clear plastic or in covered cart) from previous pick-up on next pick-up. Contractor will pick up and drop off linens from the covered porch located on the right-hand side of the Fisher House II (building 75) located at the corner of 54th Street and Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis, MN. All exchanges should be completed at agreed time. Upon delivery, each article tendered as clean linen shall be dry, serviceable, and free from visible removable soil, foreign material, or soil-related odor. Pressing, folding, and protective packaging shall meet the appearance requirements within this SOW. If an emergency causes laundry to be missed on one of these days, the Contractor shall pick-up/drop-off the laundry on the following business day. The Following Federal legal holidays are observed by this facility: New Year s Day Martin Luther King s birthday President s Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veteran s Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day *Any holiday falling on Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday; holidays falling on Sunday will be observed on the following Monday. Procedures and Documentation: Contractor will be subject to frequent unannounced safety and environmental inspections. Contractor will have ten (10) working days to correct sanitation infractions designated as non-critical and two (2) working days to correct critical infractions. Compliance Standards All workmanship shall be in accordance with practices/guidelines established by the Association for Linen Management (ALM) and accepted industry standards. It is intended that services shall include all processes necessary for the laundering and finishing of the articles even though every step involved is not specifically mentioned. All services shall be performed by qualified Contractors who are licensed and authorized to perform the work defined herein. All services shall be completed in a timely manner and in accordance with the state, local, federal, and VA standards as listed in the statement of work. The Laundry Plant shall be open to inspection of sanitary conditions by Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS) representatives and maintain physical separation between soil and clean processing. In no case shall clean and soiled linen share the same physical space. The contractor must have a physical barrier separating the clean from soiled. Bidders must provide a copy of policies and procedures evidencing Compliance. After processing, laundered articles shall be in serviceable and sanitary condition, meeting established quality and performance requirement standards. The Contractor shall report any circumstances, which may affect the performance of the work, unhealthy or hazardous conditions, or any delays or interference with work. Such reports shall be made immediately upon discovery by the Contractor to the COR and Fisher House Manager by phone. A follow-up shall be sent to the COR & Fisher House Manager via email or fax. Documentation of Services Performed: The Contractor shall maintain records of delivery services, processing quantities, replacement linen, fair-wear-and-tear ragouts, inventory discrepancies, training, inspections, and corrective action required by this SOW. Linen Control: Table of MVAHCS Linen Article / size Estimated number of pieces per week Flat bottom sheet Queen 60"x80"x14", 65% Cotton/35% Centium Microfilament; color coded with blue thread 50 Flat bottom sheet Full 54"x80"x14", 65% Cotton/35% Centium Microfilament; color coded with purplish-red thread 50 Flat top sheet Queen 90"x120", 65% Cotton/35% Centium Microfilament; color coded with blue thread 50 Flat top sheet Full, 81"x120", 65% Cotton/35% Centium Microfilament; color coded with purplish-red thread 50 Pillowcase - queen size, 42"x40", 65% Cotton/35% Centium Microfilament 95 Pillow sham queen size 26 x 20 100% cotton 75 Mattress pad/protector queen size 60"x80"x14" 10 Duvet insert queen size 94"x92", hypoallergenic blended cotton/polyester ticking and soft 100% recycled polyester fill 25 Duvet cover - queen size 96 x 96 , White 65% Cotton/35% Centium® Microfilament 50 Bed bug cover- Queen size 60"x80"x14" 5 Bath towel 27 x 58 , 100% cotton 145 Hand towel 26 x 30 , 100% cotton 50 Washcloth sizes 13 x 13 , 100% cotton 145 Bathmat 100% cotton, 17 X 24 , 100% cotton 50 Miscellaneous blue blanket 90 x 90 50 Pillow - queen Size: 20x30, 88% Polyester/12% Nylon Ticking, 26 oz Down Alternative Polyester Fill Color: White, 10 Shower curtain 71 x 80 long, 100% polyester 10 The government will supply a 5-day inventory of operating linens. On an as-required basis the Government will replace these linens as needed through fair wear and tear or loss. The contractor will notify the COR of any damaged or worn items needing replacement and shall return items separately for inventory requirements. The contractor shall inventory the outgoing soiled linens; re-inventory the incoming clean linens. Items deemed too fragile to be cleaned by the laundry service due to high-temperature levels will be cleaned by housekeeping staff in the Fisher House washers and dryers as needed. NOTE: Fisher House utilizes hotel quality linens (high thread count, satin banding, etc.) vs. hospital quality linens. The point at which custody transfers from the contractor back to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center is once the linens are delivered and placed on the covered porch located on the right-hand side of the Fisher House II (building 75) located at the corner of 54th Street and Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis, MN. Contractor shall report at once to the COR unusual losses, including suspected pilferage, who will take immediate action to investigate the loss. If the loss is not recovered and deemed to be caused by the contractor, the cost of replacement will be negotiated with the Contracting Officer, along with the approval of the COR on a quarterly basis. The COR will supply an itemized list of linen that will be replaced (including item description, quantity and unit cost). Contractor shall comply with all Government requests and policies related to linen control. Contractor shall participate, as required by VA policy, in inventories of Government provided Hospitality linen. Linen Handling Instructions: Refer to handling instructions on linen tags if available, otherwise: Flat Bottom Sheets (Queen and Full) are to be cleaned, dried, and pressed to avoid excessive wrinkling. They are to be kept separate from other items. Flat Top Sheets (Queen and Full) - are to be cleaned, dried, and pressed. They are to be kept separate from other items. Pillow cases must be cleaned, dried, and pressed to avoid excessive wrinkling. They are to be kept separate from other items. Pillow protectors must be cleaned, tumble dry on low, and folded immediately to avoid excessive wrinkling. They are to be kept separate from other items. Pillow shams must be cleaned, dried, and pressed. They are to be kept separate from other items. Mattress Pads/protectors are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. NO HOT DRYERS Down Comforters are to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. Must be dried on low setting. Duvet inserts to be dry cleaned and immediately folded to avoid excessive wrinkling (pressed as needed). And kept separate from other items. Duvet Covers - must be cleaned, dried, and pressed to avoid excessive wrinkling and kept separate from other items. Bed Bug Covers To be cleaned, dried, and folded. Kept separate from other items. Bath Towels to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. Hand Towels - to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. Wash Cloths - to be cleaned, dried, folded and kept separate from other items. Bath Mats - to be cleaned, dried and kept separate from other items. Miscellaneous blankets and comforters are to be cleaned, dried and folded. The workload stated in the following schedule of services is an estimate, and in no way is to be construed as a guarantee by the government as to work that will be processed under contract. In this regard, the workload is subject to changes resulting from many factors, i.e. Fisher House admissions, Clinical appointments, weather, mission changes, product changes (new light weight fabric etc.). Contaminated Laundry: The Contractor will treat all linen with universal precaution: Linen should be handled as contaminated with potentially infectious material will be collected by housekeeping in such a manner as to prevent the spread of microorganisms to the environment, or personnel who may be required to handle such items during transportation. The housekeeping aide shall ensure proper bagging of all soiled potentially contaminated linens to prevent any instance where the outside of a bag used in the carrying of such linen may become contaminated, when given to the linen contractor. The linen carts shall protect the linen from spreading microorganisms when soiled and from the environment (rain, dust, contamination) and shall have closable lids. Before the linen carts (clean or soiled) are moved from; the storage location, linen facility, or mode of transportation, the lid shall be closed to protect the linen. All Fisher House linen should be processed separately from other linen using keep-separate techniques. The Fisher House Manager and COR reserves the right to visit Contractor s plant at any time to ensure that the Contractor is using the proper procedures to process the linen separately from any and all other linen and maintaining compliance with the requirements of the SOW. Unserviceable articles Unserviceable and non-repairable articles no longer usable for the purpose intended shall be returned by the contractor to the COR in a separately marked bundle, prior to mending or patching, for directions and approval. Items Found in Linen Personal items & photos (billfolds, jewelry, glasses, dental devices, hearing aids, etc.), medical items (splints, etc.), found in the soiled linen carts should be safely packaged and returned to the COR promptly. Any hazardous item (sharps, etc.) found in the soiled linen should be documented with a photo and then properly disposed of by Contractor per VA procedures. Please describe your company s procedure for lost and found items and attach copy of the written procedure to your bid. Cleanliness and Finish: Contractor shall supply all carts required for the delivery of clean linen as well as carts for the pick-up of soiled linen. The linen storage carts used for transportation shall be kept clean, neat and sanitary at all times. All linen carts of cleaned and packaged linen will be covered while in transit or laundry will be wrapped in plastic to protect the packaged linen from environmental contamination, i.e. rain, snow, dust, or other such hazards. The COR and Fisher House Manager, prior to the beginning of the service, shall approve all carts supplied by the Contractor. Carts will be of generally uniform weight and size. All carts and other equipment must be appropriately cleaned and sanitized between loads or uses. Please submit a written copy of the procedure used for cleaning and sanitizing carts and other equipment. Lost/Damaged Items: The contractor shall replace any items lost or damaged due to negligence or poor work performance at no additional expense to the VA. The contractor shall indemnify the VA for any contractor responsible loss or damage to articles furnished for service under the contract. Validation of any claims for loss or damage shall be made by the Contracting Officer (COR) based on factual (documentary) evidence produced by VA s representatives and/or contractor. The contractor is expected to press these items if they are not removed promptly from the dryer to prevent excessive wrinkling. Packing Slip and Manifest A packing slip of each cart will be given to the Fisher House staff in Building 75 office, which will include the item description, actual verified quantities (pieces) and/or weight, the cart number, and the packer s initials (legible). If any cart does not have the required packing slip, or if any part of the packing slip does not meet these requirements, or if the returned items do not match the count of the packing slips, the Contractor will be required to pick up the cart and return it with the proper quantity of clean linen to match the attached packing slip. The cart must be returned to the designated site by 2:00 p.m. the same day. A consolidated manifest is required for each delivery. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI) Fisher House will be supplied with an inventory of linens. On an as-required basis, the Government will replace these linens. The contractor will not be required to replace linens, except in the case where linens are lost and/or damaged through the negligence of the contractor. The contractor shall however inventory the outgoing soiled linens; re-inventory the incoming clean linens. Items deemed too fragile to be cleaned by the laundry service due to high-temperature levels will be cleaned by housekeeping staff in the Fisher House washers and dryers as needed. NOTE: Fisher House utilizes hotel quality linens (high thread count, satin banding, etc.) vs. hospital quality linens. Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations: Contractor will be trained by Fisher House Manager what the exact expectation of the linen are to look like once cleaned and returned to Fisher House. Place of Performance The contractor shall clean all linen at its place of business; pick-up and delivery of all linens will be directly to: Minneapolis VA Fisher House (Bldg 75) 5045 East 54th Street Minneapolis, MN 55417 Vehicles: The Contractor shall provide all required vehicles, vehicle fuels, lubricants, and repairs necessary to perform services under this contract. All vehicles to be used under this contract must be maintained in a safe and serviceable condition during duration of this contract. In addition, the vehicles must be kept clean (exterior and interior) with no unsightly residue of dirt, mud, trash, and other debris. Vehicle efficiency is solely the responsibility of the Contractor and the Contractor shall not be relieved of their contract responsibilities due to vehicle breakdown or failure of vehicles to operate. All operators must have current licensing and permits. Phase-out Plan: The Contractor shall have a phase-out plan. This plan shall describe the Contractor s methods and procedures to ensure smooth and uninterrupted service at contract expiration date for a period not to exceed 90 days. The Contractor shall fully cooperate with the successor Contractor and the Government with the transfer of the 3day par of Fisher House linen received in the beginning of contract so as not to interfere with their work or duties.