36C24219Q0483-002.pdf

VHAPM Part 806.3 Other Than Full and Open Competition (OFOC) SOP Attachment 2: Request for Sole Source Justification Format >SAT

OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 1 of 5 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification and Approval (J&A) For

Other Than Full and Open Competition (>SAT)

BRAND NAME ONLY

Acquisition Plan Action ID: 526-19-2-1918-0260|36C242-19-AP-1745|Tecniplast ventilated animal racks and cages

1. Contracting Activity Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 02, James J Peters VAMC, Research Service/Veterinary Medical Unit, Bronx, NY

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed:

This request is to solicit this requirement as BRAND NAME ONLY to procure TECNIPLAST USA, INC (Tecniplast) ventilated racks and cages for rats and mice.

The VMU houses laboratory animals in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and VA regulations and the requirements of AAALAC. The VMU has moved to housing animals in ventilated cage racks which provide numerous advantages for animal welfare including better control of temperature and humidity, a design that isolates animals from their surroundings to reduce the chance that animals will be infected bacteria, parasites or fungi. In addition, ventilated caging allows higher numbers of cages per room and reduced numbers of cage changes to increase efficiency of operation.

Given these restrictive parameters, The features provided by the Tecniplast system made them the ideal choice to use to standardize the caging in the lab. Consequently, any new cages must also be

Tecniplast in order to maintain the conformity within the lab conditions and insure the integrity of the research that is being done utilizing this equipment.

Total estimated value:

3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency’s Needs:

The JJP VAMC animal facility is already outfitted with Tecniplast ventilated racks. No other cages will work with Tecniplast racks. It is also crucial to maintain consistency in the lab by outfitting it with the same equipment. Any change in rack, cage or air handler type increases the risk of operational error and puts animals’ lives at greater risk.

Here are the Tecniplast systems JJP VAMC intends to purchase:

• Sealsafe Plus DGM Rack, single sided Includes the following components:

80 cage bodies GM500SU, 80 tops GM500TOPSEALSU, 80 wire lids

OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 2 of 5 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018

• Sealsafe Plus DGM Rack, single sided Includes the following components:

70 cage bodies GM500SU, 70 tops GM500TOPSEALSU, 70 wire lids

GM500LID

• Sealsafe Plus DGM Rack, double sided Includes the following components:

160 cage bodies GM500SU, 160 tops GM500TOPSEALSU, 160 wire lids

GM500LID

• Sealafe Plus Rat Rack, sized for 28 cages, single sided Complete with cage bodies, wire lids and filter tops

• Sealafe Plus Rat Rack, sized for 35 cages, single sided Complete with cage bodies, wire lids and filter tops

• Sealafe Plus Rat Rack, sized for 70 cages, double sided Complete with cage bodies, wire lids and filter tops

• Smart Flow" air handling unit, 110V-60Hz, Fahr.degrees,US plug

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition:

( X ) (1) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy

Agency Requirements per FAR 6.302-1;

( ) (2) Unusual and Compelling Urgency per FAR 6.302-2;

( ) (3) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert Services per FAR 6.302-3;

( ) (4) International Agreement per FAR 6.302-4 ( ) (5) Authorized or Required by Statute FAR 6.302-5;

( ) (6) National Security per FAR 6.302-6;

( ) (7) Public Interest per FAR 6.302-7;

The Government intends to solicit these supplies under the authority of FAR 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Commercial Items and is restricting competition to BRAND NAME ONLY (Tecniplast Cages) as allowable under FAR 11.105 - Items Peculiar to One Manufacturer

5. Demonstration that the Contractor’s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority

Tecniplast has been determined to be the only one responsible source to meet the Government’s requirements. The JJP VAMC animal facility is already outfitted with Tecniplast ventilated racks. No other cages will work with Tecniplast racks.

The Tecniplast brand is essential to the Govermnent's requirement, thereby precluding consideration of a product manufactured by another company. Accordingly, Tecniplast-products are the only products capable of providing the supplies as described in Section 3 above without the

OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 3 of 5 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018

Veteran's Health Administration experiencing substantial duplication of cost that could not be expected to be recovered though utilization ofanother manufacturer and unacceptable delays in fulfilling its requirement.

Tecniplast cage racks as described above are currently being used by the Bronx VMU. The brand and model of cage racks, caging, and accessories needs to be consistent throughout the facility for the following reason:

• maintain smooth cage change-out and cleaning operations.

• Consistency for researchers: The number of variables affecting the animals .needs to be kept to a minimum to maintain the integrity of research experiments. Change in caging may introduce a new variable..For example, a wall attached air handling unit will not transmit any vibrations to the cages, while an air handling unit attached to the rack may transmit vibrations to the animals, affecting their behavior and health.

• Consistency in caging/rack systems: Consistency in caging/rack systems within the VMU is importtant to maintain efficient workflow. Changing cage systems requires re-training of VMU employees and time-consuming updates to current SOP's (Standard Operating Practices). Staff will require as much as six months to work at full efficiency with minimal errors. A change in rack and cage type increases the risk ofoperational enors during the training period, putting animals' lives at risk.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable Special Notice - Intent to Sole Source” (36C24219Q0408) was posted on FBO for 7 days, closing on 3/7/2019 at 4:00 PM. One response was received by . (an SDVOSB) who is a re-seller of of Tecniplast products.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable:

The quoted price by Tecniplast is consistent with their listed pricing, and historical pricing for VISN2.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted:

• The result of the VIP search on the NAICS code (339999) and keyword “Tecniplast” turned up zero results

• The result of the DSBS search on the NAICS code (339999) and keyword “Tecniplast” turned up zero results

• The result of the DSBS search for the specific business “Tecniplast” determined that TECNIPLAST USA, INC is a Small business manusfaturer in NAICS code 339999 with CAGE code 3W3D2

OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 4 of 5 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018

• Special Notice - Intent to Sole Source” (36C24219Q0408) was posted on FBO for 7 days, closing on 3/7/2019 at 4:00 PM. One response was received by . (an SDVOSB) who is an authorized re-seller of of Tecniplast products.

o Another SDVOSB was determined to have been a re-seller of Tecniplast products at least once in the past year to another VISN but they did not respond to the notice

• Tecniplast confirmed to the CO that both are authorized resellers of their products

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition:

This is an urgent requirement and the turnaround time in getting these new cages installed could be as much as 14 weeks from date of award. So it is cruicial to award as soon as possible. The demand for housing laboratory animals has grown substantially over the past few years and now exceeds our current supply of ventilated caging. To meet this increased demand, VISN2 applied for funds to purchase additional Techniplast ventilated cage racks and cages via the Laboratory Animal Major Equipment program, and the approved funding is an acknowledgment as to the importance and urgency of procuring these additional caging systems ASAP.

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition:

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 action can be taken due to the proprietary nature of this sole source.

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.

Name Title PMO/R&D Facility JJP VAMC

13. Approvals in accordance with the VHAPM Part 806.3 OFOC SOP: This part if filled out by

Contracting Staff as part of the Justification

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.

3-18-19__________ Date http://vaww.pclo.infoshare.va.gov/PMWeb/VHAPM_Part_806.3.aspx

OFOC SOP Revision 08 Page 5 of 5 Original Date: 03/22/11 Revision 08 Date: 04/18/2018

Date

Network Contracting Office 2

b. One Level Above the Contracting Officer (Required over SAT but not exceeding $700K): I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.

Date

Network Contracting Office 2