Description
The Minneapolis VA Healthcare System requires Catholic chaplain services in accordance with the draft Statement of Work (SOW) below. This is a sources sought/proof of capability solicitation 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 March 13th, 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. 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 and what percentage of the work will be subcontracted and for what tasks. Â *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 Catholic Chaplain Services Services Under this contract, the Contractor shall provide Roman Catholic religious services on-site at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS), Minneapolis, MN on a part-time and full-time basis as required by the VA. Job Responsibilities On days when no Catholic staff chaplain is scheduled, contractor will provide a qualified Priest for 3 (three) hours to be available for duties, including but not limited to: patient visitation, leading Mass, seeing scheduled appointments, and communicating with the chaplaincy team members. Provide Pastoral Counseling Patient Visit-per assigned/requested/authorized visit due to a patient or family request for a Catholic Priest and documentation in Electronic Health Record (EHR), and any needed communication with the Chaplain Service Team. Provide requested sacraments (such as Anointing of the Sick, Confession, and/or Holy Eucharist) during patient visit. Provide Mass on Sunday mornings, major Catholic holy days (when not combined with a regularly scheduled Mass, and liturgical observances to include: Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ The Epiphany The Ascension The Body and Blood of Christ Holy Mary Mother of God Immaculate Conception Assumption St. Joseph Saints Peter and Paul All Saints Christmas Day Ash Wednesday Good Friday Timely communication will take place with the chaplaincy team associated with patient care, logistical needs or challenges and supplies needed. Provide Worship Service/weekday Mass up to four times per week on a regular schedule to be developed between the contractor and the Chief of Chaplaincy of designee (this includes setting up the service; dismantling, cleaning up, and resetting the chapel for interface use). Communicate and collaborate with professional staff regarding the total welfare of any patient. In a time of need or emergency, as determined by VA, the Contractor agrees to provide the services within this Statement of Work, and to be available during call-back hours as necessitated by the needs of the VA. It is the contractor s responsibility to provide the Chief of Chaplaincy with a schedule of whom to contact for call-back requests by the 25th of the preceding month. The contractor may, under contractor s supervision, authorize other individuals to manage the call schedule and may arrange for other priests to cover needed services. Any person acting under this contract shall be promptly reported to the Chief of Chaplaincy for record keeping and is expected to meet all qualifications outlined below. If a priest under the contractor is so requested, the chaplain on call will place that call on behalf of the patient. Call back hours may occur at any time when a Catholic chaplain is not on duty at the facility. This may occur between 12:00am and 11:59pm on any given day. In a time of need or emergency, as determined by VA, the Contractor agrees to provide the services within this Statement of Work, and to be available during call-back hours as necessitated by the needs of the VA. If a priest under the contractor is so requested at the facility, the assigned contractor s chaplain on call will be expected to report to the facility within 1 (one) hour of receiving call. Call back hours may occur at any time when a Catholic chaplain is not on duty at the facility. This may occur between 12:00am and 11:59pm on any given day. The contractor shall maintain a schedule of the week s Masses and will provide this information to the Chief Chaplain of designee by the 25th of the preceding month. The contractor shall provide the Chief Chaplain an assignment schedule notifying which priest(s) are assigned to preside at which Masses. Any changes are to be reported promptly to the Chief of Chaplaincy or designee. If Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) are engaged, the contractor shall advise the Chief Chaplain on maintaining monthly schedules for the approved volunteer Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. The contractor shall advise the Chief Chaplain on communication, training, and oversight of all Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (if used). The contractor shall advise on the training of any new such volunteers to ensure maintenance of professional standards. As the reposed Eucharist in the tabernacle depletes, additional Hosts shall be consecrated either on or off site for replenishment by the contractor. The contractor shall assure proper upkeep of the tabernacle area, including any cleaning that is needed. The contractor shall ensure the maintenance of all necessary Catholic supplies (hosts, wine, candles, vestments, etc.) and maintain appropriate chapel care. The contractor shall communicate with the Chief Chaplain or designee to identify and have reordered all sacramentals, reading materials etc. for veteran s worship needs. The contractor shall not be responsible for ordering and/or paying for these sacramentals or worship aids. The contractor shall maintain professional standards and dialogue with Veterans and VA Staff. The contractor on duty for the day, if a Mass is scheduled, will conduct the Mass, will assist in set up and take down of the chapel, and will serve the altar and/or read the day s readings. This service shall be done in a reverent and professional manner. Training and a validated competency on documentation will be completed by the contractor. Charting will be completed in the EHR. Qualifications Ordained as a Catholic priest. Must possess endorsement from military archdiocese to provide services at the MVAHCS, or if carrying a different endorsement, must provide proof of ability to administer valid sacraments according to the Roman rite. Must live within one hour commuting time of the MVAHCS while on call Monitoring Procedure This contract will be monitored by the following procedures: Time and attendance logs Supervisor assigning work location Contract performance will be monitored by the Chaplain Service team. Government reserves the right to accept or not accept the Contractor provided personnel who have demonstrated problems with conduct, performance, punctuality or similar issues. Confidentiality of Information Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. Unless otherwise specified, all financial, statistical, personnel and/or technical data, which is furnished, produced or otherwise available to the Contractor during the exercise of this contract are considered confidential and proprietary information and shall not be used for the purposes other than performance of work under this contract. None of the above information shall be released by the Contractor without prior written consent of the MVAHCS Privacy Officer. Contracted employee shall follow all HIPAA regulations. Orientation The Contractor shall ensure that all contract personnel participate in MVAHCS-defined orientation procedures for newly assigned contract personnel to include regulation specific to the profession or class to which he/she belongs, MVAHCS and VHA policy and procedures. Contract personnel shall be required to take several small training courses, provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs, prior to starting their contract. These trainings shall be provided via the internet, on TMS, and will include facility-specific training, such as Fire Safety and HIPAA. Security Requirements A contractor/sub-contractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order. Contractor Personnel Security Requirements. All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs computer systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication of the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement prior to contract performance. Position Sensitivity The position sensitivity has been designated as Low Risk. Background investigation The level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is NACI. Contractor Responsibilities: Background investigations must be completed using OPM/VSC background checks. The contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they are eligible for employment and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English Language. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor s employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.
