36C24126Q0215_Sources Sought Notice.docx

Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

Network Contracting Office 1 (NCO 1) Contracting Officer (90C) 1 VA Center Augusta ME 04330

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Pamela L. Parham pamela.parham3@va.gov Email Only Please No Fax Accepted

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

VAMC Boston Healthcare System

Jamaican Plain, West Roxbury and Brockton Campus

150 South Huntington Avenue

Boston MA

COUNTRY

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DESCRIPTION

Disclaimer This Sources Sought is issued solely for the purpose identifying sources for a future requirement and does not constitute a solicitation. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. All information received in response to this notice will be treated as proprietary and will not be shared with other interested parties. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought Notice. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This Sources Sought Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract.

This is a Pre-Solicitation notice synopsizing an upcoming RFQ solicitation to satisfy the requirements of FAR 5.201 and 5.203. All interested parties should register via SAM.gov interested vendors list. It is the responsibility of the offeror to monitor and download amendments from SAM.gov Contract Opportunities, which may be issued to this solicitation. In accordance with FAR 52.204-7, FAR 2.101, and VAAR 802.101, prospective firms must be registered in SAM (www.sam.gov), and in VetCert (Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov)) databases prior to award. ((Note: In accordance with Public Law 109-461, 38 USC 8127, and NDAA 2021, all vendors claiming Small Business status in accordance with the Veteran's First Contracting Program must be VERIFIED by the Small Business Administration (SBA)). Also, to qualify for a VA contract, vendor must be vendorized by completing Form 10091 at URL https://www.cep.fsc.va.gov/ .

Any organization responding to this Sources Sought Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. The Government may or may not issue a solicitation as a result of this announcement. There is no solicitation available at this time.

Synopsis This is not a solicitation announcement. This is a Sources Sought synopsis only with the purpose of gaining knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to the appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 541380, Testing Laboratories and Services (Size Standard: $19 Million). Responses to this Sources Sought synopsis will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions and are not considered adequate responses to a potential future solicitation announcement. After reviewing all responses to this synopsis, a solicitation may be published via the Contracting opportunities website. Responses to this Sources Sought synopsis are not considered adequate responses to the anticipated solicitation announcement. All interested offerors will have to respond to the actual solicitation announcement, in addition to responding to this Sources Sought announcement.

The Department of Veteran Affairs, Boston Healthcare System is seeking sources that can provide a Water Management Program with Water Testing in support of the Boston Health Care System located at:

Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center 150 South Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02130-4817

West Roxbury VA Medical Center 1400 VFW Parkway West Roxbury, MA 02132-4927 Brockton VA Medical Center 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301-5596 The successful contractor will provide a comprehensive Water Management Program, water testing, and implement a Web-based Data Management System to record, store, and report all data in alignment with AAMI ST-108:2023 The successful contractor will provide comprehensive Water Management Program (WMP), Supplemental Disinfection Equipment Service, and a Web-based Data Management System to record, store, and report all data in accordance with the requirements of VHA Directive 1061. The individual requirements of this support include the following:

Water Management Development for Sterile Processing Service The contractor shall develop a Water Management Program (WMP) for the sterile processing service (SPS) water systems in alignment with VA and industry standards, including the following:

• AAMI ST-108:2023 Water for the processing of Medical Devices

• Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Guideline for Cleaning and Care of Surgical Instruments

• VHA Directive 1116(2) Sterile Processing Services (SPS) The water management program shall contain the following elements for water safety:

• Program Team (Water Management Team) – Identify persons responsible for SPS WMP development, implementation, and operation.

• Develop Program Goals – Establish water safety and quality goals for SPS.

• Describe Water Systems – Describe the critical water, utility water, and steam systems within SPS and develop water-system process flow diagrams.

• Analysis of Building Water Systems – Conduct a systematic analysis of hazardous conditions in the SPS water systems.

• Control Locations – Determine the locations in the system where control measures are required.

• Control Limits – For each control measure at each control location established, determine the limits including but not limited to a maximum value, a minimum value, or a range of values within which a chemical or physical parameter must be monitored and maintained to reduce hazardous conditions to an acceptable level.

• Control Measures – Outline the means, methods, or procedures used to maintain the physical or chemical conditions of water to within control limits.

o Routine preventative maintenance program for the critical water system.

o Flushing program for both critical and utility/potable water during times of low water usage in SPS.

• Monitoring – Establish procedures for monitoring whether control measures are operating within established control limits.

• Corrective Actions – Establish the corrective actions to be taken when monitoring indicates that the control parameters are outside of the established control limits.

• Develop Verification Strategy – Establish procedures to confirm that all the program elements are being implemented as designed at a frequency established by the WMT.

• Develop Validation Strategy – Establish additional, outside of baseline stated in above chart (AAMI ST108 Utility Water, Critical Water, and Steam Testing), validation criteria and frequency to confirm that the program effectively controls the hazardous conditions throughout the SPS water systems.

• Documentation – Establish documentation and communication procedures for all activities of the WMP and maintain records appropriate to these principles and their application.

Water Management Program Operations for Sterile Processing Service Upon completion and approval of the Water Management Program (WMP), the contractor shall provide WMP operation services in support of the Water Management Team (WMT) for the facility’s SPS water systems. The WMP operation services shall contain the following elements for water safety:

• Facilitate quarterly meetings for the Water Management Team.

• Maintain, assist, and advise in the operation of the WMP and generate required documentation.

• Recommend and implement changes to the WMP as directed by the Water Management Team to achieve the desired performance in alignment with AAMI ST-108:2023 and VHA Directive 1116(2).

• Provide, operate, and continue to customize the WMP using the web-based data management software.

• Provide remote support on water management questions as needed.

• Provide training to the Water Management Team on the WMP process and best practices for SPS water systems.

• Verify that the WMP is being implemented as designed on a quarterly basis through monitoring and documentation of system performance and WMP records and record in the web-based data management software.

• Validate that the WMP adequately controls the hazardous conditions in the building water system through the review of on-site water testing.

Web based Data Management System The existing web-based data management systems used to collect, report, and store continuous monitoring water data will be used for WMP development and operations. The web-based data management system shall provide the following functions:

• All information stored in the system is available 24/7 via password protected access

• WMP-related reports (including validation testing results, meeting minutes, verification reports, and service provider reports) can be stored and available for immediate access by all users

• Customized charts, reports, views, and data entry screens as requested

• Management dashboards with industry benchmarking

• Send text or email alerts for data that is outside of set parameters

• Automated data collection via continuous monitoring equipment (equipment not included)

• Validation test results immediately uploaded

• Exportable data to excel and other formats Qualifications The contractor selected to perform this work shall an independent provider of water management services engaged in the development and ongoing management of facility and corporate water management programs. To be deemed “independent” and thus avoid commercial conflict of interest, neither the prime contractor, nor any partners, subcontractors nor subsidiary companies may sell treatment chemicals, disinfection devices or remediation services. The sale of water testing services and diagnostic equipment related to determining the safety and quality of the water does not void independence.

The contractor shall demonstrate (with references) experience with overseeing the operation of Sterile Processing Services in a healthcare environment.

The contractor’s laboratory shall have environmental microbiology accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting body (EMLAP, NELAP, etc.), or a state accrediting body.The description of services contained herein does not constitute the complete description of the contractor’s anticipated obligations. The intended contract period will be for 04/01/2026 -03/31/2031. Interested parties capable of providing the required services are asked to respond to this Sources Sought Notice.

Responses to this notice should include a capabilities statement to include the following:

1. Company name, Address, Size Standard, DUNS, Cage Code, TIN

1. Point of contact (Name, Phone Number and e-Mail Address)

1. NAICS Code 541380 and Small Business Standard MUST be assigned to the company

1. Socioeconomic Status

1. Capabilities Statement

0. Provide proof of past performance (provide proof of contracts that you have provided and installed or of the company who will be performing the installation).

0. Proof must be provided on the specific service in request (each line item)

0. If you will NOT be performing the work, you MUST provide information on the company you intend to use. In addition, you must provide a Letter of Intent from the company you intend to use (explaining their agreement with you to perform the installations according to the solicitation), along with references of their past service installations.

0. Past performance must not be negative in any previous contracts, based on the Contract Performance Assessment System and the Contracting Officer’s knowledge of past requirements.

Responses The Government intends to award a single contract to purchase the services listed above. Responses to this notice shall be e-mailed to pamela.parham3@va.gov. Subject line shall reflect the synopsis number and description 36C24126Q0215, Water Management Program. Responses must be received no later than 17 March 2026, 12:00pm EST.

Responses must be received via e-mail only. Telephone, fax, or mail responses will not be accepted. This notice is to assist the VA in determining sources only. A solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued it will be announced at a later date and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this announcement. Responses are not a request to be added to a prospective offerors list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.

Sources Sought Notice