P03_ SIngle Source Justification AP-3099 V3 CD.pdf

VHAPG Part 813.5 Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Certain Commercial Items Request for Sole Source Justification >SAT-$7.5M under FAR13.5

Effective Date: 11/15/24 Page 1 of 4

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Acquisition ID#: 36C241-25-AP-3099

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION UNDER SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS IN

ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 13.5

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C241-25-AP-3099

1. Contracting Activity: Network Contracting Office 1, Regional Procurement Office Ease on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 1, Boston VA Healthcare System, Brockton VA Medical Center 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301-5596. Funding 523-25-3-7042-0015.

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: This is a new, brand name requirement.

This procurement is for delivery and installation for (36) Hill-Rom Likoral 250 ES Motors and Lifts systems and 8 Likoguard motors and lift systems (Bariatric) totaling to (44). for Building 4, CLC “C Side” Renovations on the Brockton Campus of the VA Boston Healthcare System. These lifts are being solely manufactured by OEM Large Business Hill-Rom Company, Inc, 1069 State Route 46 E., Batesville, IN 47006. The Likorall overhead lift is a general-purpose patient lift with the intended use in health care, intensive care and rehabilitation. Likorall overhead lift is designed and developed for the complete range of Liko fixed installed and free-standing lift systems. Estimated Total Amount of all equipment being requested $400,00.00.

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs: Lifting and transferring a patient always involves a certain level of risk. These 44 Liko Lift Systems being requested includes 8 bariatric capacity Liko Lift Systems that are needed for patient rooms in bldg. 4, CLC-C, as part of the phase 1 renovation/construction project in this area of the Brockton Campus of VA Boston Healthcare System. These lifts will be utilized as part of the standardized Safe Patient Handling Program at VA Boston Healthcare System. The lifts must be installed by a certified installer of Liko Lift Systems and must only be brand name Liko/Baxter lifts for the purposes of standardization at VA Boston Healthcare System as they have already over 500 of the same lifts throughout 4 different campuses. Liko Lifts Systems have been standardized for the Safe Patient Handling Program which has been implemented at VA Boston Healthcare System using these lifts. This standardization ensures compliance with the VHA Directive for Safe Patient Handling and Mobility 1611, July 13, 2023. The protocols have been written using this equipment; therefore, supplementing this program with different lifts would not be an option. It is possible to write new protocols and establish a different manufacturer; however, it is not cost effective to buy all new replacement equipment. This would also require significant training to the staff to ensure safe handling of patients under the program guidelines.

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Restricted Competition:

FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items. The statutory authority for applying the Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items of FAR 13.5 is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 and is implemented by FAR 13.106-1(b)(2) for restricting competition on this procurement. Competition is restricted on this procurement for the reason below:

(X) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements

() Unusual and Compelling Urgency

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Acquisition ID#: 36C241-25-AP-3099

() Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert Services

() International Agreement () Authorized or Required by Statute () National Security () Public Interest

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): This equipment is exclusive to only one manufacture OEM LB Hill-Rom ( Hill-Rom is now a part of Baxter). This action will be a firm fixed price order for supplies. This action will provide the necessary equipment required for compliance with the Safe Patient Handling Program which has been standardized for VA Boston Healthcare System. Due to standardization of lift systems in VA Boston Campus all Campuses and VA Directive 1611 it would not be cost effective or safe to introduce new lift systems into the facility.

Obtaining different brand lifts other than “ Hill-Rom ( Hill-Rom is now a part of Baxter)” will cause substantial duplication of cost to the government that is not expected to be recovered through competition. Accordingly, Hill-Rom Corporation is the only firm capable of providing the supplies and services described in Section III above without the Veteran’s Health Administration experiencing substantial duplication of cost that could not be expected to be recovered through obtaining another brand lift.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: Only a limited number of responsible sources can provide these Liko Lifts.

OEM Hill-Rom (Hill-Rom is now a part of Baxter) states that they only have 2 authorized SDVOSB distributors for Liko Patient Lifts, Electra-Med Corporation and Geo-Med, LLC (SDVOSB). All market research leads to two authorized SDVOSB distributors able to provide the requested Liko Patient Lifts, SDVOSB Electra-Med Corporation and SDVOSB Geo-Med, LLC. This equipment is being manufactured by a large business and distributed by two SDVOSB’s which warrants an SDVOSB set-aside, however due to the Non-Manufacture Rule not being met under NAICS 339113, an unrestricted solicitation is required to allow competition between the OEM and their 2 distributors.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: The contracting activity has reviewed historical prices on an existing contract for similar services under contract number 36C24122P0917, awarded in August 2022, as well as OEM pricing for this equipment/services through a market research quote received on 3/27/2025 via email. The Contracting activity will utilize this data and ensure the award will be made at a fair and reasonable price that offers the best value to the Government.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: Government-wide database of contracts and other Government and commercial databases that provide information relevant to agency acquisitions such as SBA (previously VETCERT), GSA e-Library, SBA DSBS, and FPDS were queried. The Contracting Activity conducted its first search was on SBA (previously VETCERT) using NAICS 339113 which yielded 932 broad results. GSA e-Library search using keyword using NAICS 339113, along with keyword “Baxter” produced 1 schedule contractor who were themselves large business Baxter Healthcare Corporation” under GSA contract 36F79720D0141. SBA DSBS search using NAICS 339113 along with keyword “Baxter” yielded 1 profile, SB Nutronics Imaging who are not mentioned to be

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Acquisition ID#: 36C241-25-AP-3099 authorized by OEM Baxter. FPDS search using product name “Liko Lift” under contracting Office 01, yielded 18 contract actions, one of which 36C24123P1349 was a previous procurement for Boston’s VA Healthcare System for 52 lifts through SDVOSB Electra-Med Corporation who is one of Baxter’s authorized distributors. Market research was conducted pursuant to FAR Part 10, VAAR Part 810 and PPM 2016-05(REVISED AUG 2019. All market research leads to two authorized SDVOSB distributors able to provide the requested Liko Patient Lifts, SDVOSB Electra-Med Corporation and SDVOSB Geo-Med, LLC. This equipment is being manufactured by a large business and distributed by two SDVOSB’s which warrants an SDVOSB set-aside, however due to the Non-Manufacture Rule not being met under NAICS 339113, an unrestricted solicitation is required to allow competition between the OEM and their 2 distributors. Hillrom is now a part of Baxter. Baxter and Hillrom are uniting to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Baxter completed its acquisition of Hill-Rom on 12/13/2021. On 08/01/2022, an award was made to Janz Corporation, Hill-Rom’s authorized distributor, under contract number 36C24122P0917 for ceiling mounted patient lifts to Boston’s VA Healthcare System. We were notified by Hill-Rom that Janz Corporation was no longer an authorized distributor, and the contract was de-obligated and re-solicited under solicitation 36C24125Q0365.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: Boston’s VA Healthcare System is renovating their long-term care unit in Brockton known as the CLC on the “C” side. It was discovered that most of the motors on the lifts that currently exist there are past their life expectancy and therefore need to be replaced. Also, the room sizes are changing because patient privacy new design guides and therefore require new rail, tracks, and traverse systems. Greg Meyer, DPT, CWCE, GCS is the subject matter expert and is title as the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility program manager who has conducted most of the market research and Peter Lopes is the supervisory engineer who oversees all purchases for ongoing construction projects who concurs on these findings. Obtaining another brand lift can cause significant risk of injury to patients and employees due to procedural confusion, inconsistent maintenance protocols, delayed emergency response and increased cognitive load. Boston VA Healthcare System’s staff along with the IV escort team that travel between difference campuses in Boston’s VA Healthcare System (Jamacia Plain, Brockton, West Roxbury) would have to learn how to operate and maneuver a new brand lift, which includes extensive training and learning all the safety features (i.e. emergency stops, overload protection, safety brakes, anti-entrapment sensors etc.). VA Staff would have to learn the functions for two different lifts which can pose several risks. Having staff learn procedures for two different types of lifts can leads to procedural confusion as each brand has different operating procedures and controls, confusing these can result in improper use of the equipment, potentially leading to patient falls or injuries. Obtaining another brand ceiling lift can also cause a delay response in emergencies, as hesitation or confusion about which procedure to follow can delay a critical response, also increasing the risk of patient injury. This confusion can lead to miscommunication about lift use (e.g., shift changes or in high-stress situations) which can lead to procedural errors as critical information might be misunderstood or overlooked. All of these potential issues can cause significant patient injury as well as increased cognitive load for employees. Employees having to manage the nuance of different lifts can increase cognitive load that could potentially lead to fatigue and errors. Standardizing patient ceiling lifts eliminates these risks.

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: On Monday 04/07/2025 SDVOSB’s Geo-Med, LLC and ElectraMed expressed their interest in writing via email.

Geo-Med, LLC stated they can provide the requested materials for the Liko Lifts being installed;

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Acquisition ID#: 36C241-25-AP-3099 however, Geo-Med, LLC cannot provide any installation, testing, or training as outlined in the attached SOW and ElectraMed stated they can provide everything. OEM Large Business Hill-Rom (Hill-Rom is now a part of Baxter) has expressed interest via interest via email on 03/27/2025 by providing a market research quote to Brockton VA Medical Center’s Safety Department under proposal number LQ-623796-16-Rev 7.

11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to

Competition before Making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: No actions are planned. Boston VA Healthcare System’s Safe Patient Handling Department will continue to research new and innovative technology that may better outcomes for patient safety and consider that equipment for future procurements when the need arises.

12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Gregory R. Meyer Date Contracting Officer Boston VA Healthcare System

13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP:

a. Contracting Officer or Designee’s Certification (required): I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Gail Grundy Date

NCO 1/ RPO EAST

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer (Required over SAT but not exceeding $750K): I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

Cory Dionne Date

NCO 1/ RPO EAST