36C24422Q0551 Brand Name Justification Redacted.pdf

Lebanon VA Medical Center has determined that the Rapid Refresh privacy curtain system is the buildings on Lebanon VA Medical Center campus are over 75 years old and have varying ceiling heights. Older buildings tend to have higher ceilings, 12 foot and higher. New construction often is between 9 and 10 feet high. Because of many upgrades and activations with drop ceilings there could be variance in ceiling heights from one room to the next. At present, the facility ships out cloth/fabric curtains with bulk laundry. The turn-around time for receiving curtains back is normally a week to 10 days. Our current cloth/fabric curtains come in a variety of sizes and panel widths. Over the years after numerous washing the curtains are stored and stacked in on central location. The result of which is a scavenger hunt to find the right size and pattern of curtain when

There is no standard ceiling height or curtain patterns within the medical centers and different hangers and hooks for privacy curtains have been installed as a result, so laundering and reinstalling cloth curtains to meet infection control and safety regulations within an acceptable time has been challenging and increases the risk of cross-contamination of hospital pathogens. Installation of the wrong size curtain can cause fire safety issues because the fire sprinkler plan may be obstructed. Additionally, current privacy curtain configurations require Emergency Management Services (EMS) staff to use ladders, stools, and tools to replace curtains, which can be a safety hazard and time-consuming. Speed is critical when addressing preventative and control healthcare associated infections (HAIs) as hospital privacy curtains are frequently and rapidly contaminated with potential pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Patients admitted to rooms previously occupied by a patient with HAIs have a substantially greater risk of acquiring the same pathogen if proper preventatives protocols are not followed.

Organisms and bacteria have also been found to be transmitted from contaminated privacy curtains employee to spread the HAI to other patients or become infected themselves. Disposable curtains would eliminate the requirement to handle soiled curtains on several occasions. With the convenience of a Rapid Refresh privacy curtain system, the disposal and replacement of a new standardized disposable curtain is reduced to a faster process and would eliminate our staff having to handle soiled curtains by unsnapping multiple hooks or buttons.

The ICP Medical, LLC Rapid Refresh privacy curtain system will replace any existing curtains within the facility and are compatible with existing privacy curtain tracks. The Rapid Refresh products will allow for minimization of potential dissemination of healthcare pathogens and infections that could otherwise compromise the health and well-being of patients and VA employees. Rapid Refresh disposable privacy curtains may be changed within seconds and do not require specialized tools or ladders because of the quick release design. The Rapid Refresh privacy curtain system would adjust the size of the upper installation assembly rods to account for varying ceiling height while allowing the facility to standardize the size and look of the disposable privacy curtains. If other disposable curtains are accepted, the amount of time required to properly change out and dispose of a privacy curtain would increase, thereby increasing the time for which a patient room may go unused.

6. Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) provided a list of authorized distributors of the Rapid Refresh privacy curtain system. Additionally, the combined synopsis/solicitation for this effort will be posted to SAM.gov to ensure maximum practicable competition.

7. Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: The anticipated cost will be considered fair and reasonable since the requirement will be competed amongst the authorized distributors. Additionally, price information from ECAT, FSS, and recent acquisitions is also available.

8. Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons

Market Research Was Not Conducted: Market Research was conducted for this acquisition. The Government conducted searches of required sources including DSBS, ECAT, FSS, FPDS, GSA, ICD, SAC, SAM, USASpending, and VIP databases. The Rapid Refresh privacy curtain system items that the Government requires are available on a DLA ECAT contract, but the Contracting Officer has determined that the Government can get a more fair and reasonable price by competing this requirement. Also, a portion of the items required are available on a GSA Federal Supply Schedule, but not all items are available. Additionally, only the OEM is a FSS holder for the items, which would limit competition to one vendor.

Market research of similar items was also conducted to evaluate their ability to meet the insufficient due to inability to change out disposable privacy curtains without a ladder and inability to maintain a standard sized disposable privacy curtain by varying the upper mesh panes that the upper mesh panels to which disposable curtains would attach, but these are insufficient to meet all the needs of the Lebanon VA Medical Centers varying ceiling heights. One system offered disposable privacy curtains of varying lengths that required a ladder to change out. One system offered standard sized privacy curtains with ability to customize for varying length requirements, but this would require the facility to track and maintain a privacy curtain inventory of multiple lengths and could cause delays in replacing privacy curtains.

As described in Section 6 above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, was conducted by synopsis of the proposed acquisition, advising industry of the pending acquisition, and soliciting inquiries from interested parties.

9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: None.

10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: The OEM provided the list of authorized distributors.

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: Market research for future acquisitions for the items will be conducted at that time to see what items meet

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.

points official, chief of service, someone with responsibility and accountability)