Sources Sought - Med Gases Cylinders.pdf

This is a source(s) sought notice for information purposes only and it is not a solicitation announcement or an obligation or commitment by the Government. This notice is intended strictly for market research. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to gain knowledge of qualified potential contractors and their socio-economic size classification in accordance with NAICS code 325120: Industrial Gas Manufacturing with small business size standards of 1,200 Employees. The responses received from interested contractors will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 17, is seeking medical cylinder gases for the Central Texas VA Health Care System (CTXVHCS) and clinics in accordance with the draft Statement of Work as show below.

Potential candidates having the capabilities necessary to provide the stated at a fair and reasonable price are invited to respond to this Sources Sought Notice via email to Contract Specialist Dayna Cantu at dayna.cantu@va.gov, no later than November 20th, 2024, 12PM CDT.

No telephone inquiries will be accepted.

Responses should include the following information:

1. Company name, address, SAM UEI number, point of contact name, phone number and email address

2. Business size and representation(s) of the company (i.e., Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.) Is the business registered under NAICS Code 325120 in SAM.gov?

3. If SDVOSB or VOSB, can business fulfill the requirement while complying with VAAR Clause 852.219-76 VA NOTICE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING—

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE FOR SUPPLIES AND PRODUCTS

4. Capability statement as it relates to the Statement of Work and any other information that can aide in determining capability.

5. Does the company have a current federal contract (i.e., GSA, NAC, SAC, NASA SEWP etc.)? If so, provide the contract type, number, and expiration date.

6. If the company has a current federal contract, are these supplies offered and available on the contract?

Disclaimer and Important Notes: This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. This Sources Sought Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. The Government will treat any information received as proprietary and will not share such information with other companies. 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.

DRAFT Statement of Work (SOW)

1. SCOPE OF WORK

1.1 The purpose of this Statement of work is to provide medical cylinder gases for the Central

Texas VA Health Care System (CTXVHCS) and clinics (See Section 5, below). This requirement is for a Base plus 4 years period of performance. All medical gases shall conform to specifications prescribed in the United States Pharmacopeia and the National Formulary. All medical gas manufacturers/fillers of medical gases shall be registered with the FDA and all medical gases shall be manufactured, processed, packed, transported, and stored according to the FDA’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations and Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 210, 211 and 201 for labeling.

Base 02/1/2025 – 01/31/2026 Option Year 1 02/01/26-01/31/2027 Option Year 2 02/01/2027-01/31/2028 Option Year 3 02/01/2028-01/31/2029 Option Year 4 02/01/2029-01/31/2030

In addition, the following specifications are incorporated into the solicitation:

a. Federal Specification BB-C-101D, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Technical and USP, dated 3/17/2011.

b. Compressed Gas Association (CGA) Publications G-7 – Compressed Air for Human Respiration, dated May 2008, and ANSI/CGA G-7.1 – Commodity Specification for Air, dated October 2011.

All products, equipment, and services provided under this solicitation and contract award shall be in compliance with all applicable Federal, state, and local regulations.

1.2 There is no express or implied guarantee that these quantities will be purchased.

2. MONTHLY RENTAL OF CONTRACTOR OWNED CYLINDERS

2.1 Estimated quantities per year based on gas and bottle.

CLIN AIRGAS PART # PRODUCT QTY UNIT

OX USPEAWBDS/OX

USPEAWB

COMPRESSED OXYGEN E

CYLINDER WALK ABOUT

WITH DISS 2000 CY

NI NF200

NITROGEN COMPRESSED 2.2

NITROGEN NFK (H CYL) 170 CY

NI

GMPDEWARFILL50L

REFILL, NITROGEN, REFRIG

LIQ NF 50LTR 70 CY

0004 NI UHP300

NITROGEN COMPRESSED, 2.2

NITROGEN GRADE ULTRA

HIGH PURITY (T CYL) 5 CY

0005 CD USPE

CARBON DIOXIDE 2.2 NON

FLAM GAS 240 CY

0006 NS USP56 NITROUS OXIDE, 56LB COC 10 CY

0007 NS USPEA NITROUS OXIDE, SIZE E CYL 5 CY

0008 OX USPEA

OXYGEN E-CYLINDER

(PULMONARY SECTION) 5 CY

0009 Z04NI7852003060

LUNG DIFFUSION E-CYLINDER

(PULMONARY SECTION

ESTIMATED REFILLS PER

YEAR) 5 CY

0010 OX USP200

OXYGEN K CYLINDER

(PULMONARY SECTION

ESTIMATED REFILLS PER

YEAR) 225 CY

NI

GMPDEWARFILL25L

REFILL, NITROGEN, REFRIG

LIQ NF 25LTR 10 CY

NI

GMPDEWARFILL20L

REFILL, NITROGEN, REFRIG

LIQ NF 20LTR 50 CY

0013 CD USP50

CARBON DIOXIDE 2.2 NON

FLAM GAS GRADE A (SIZE H

CYL) 60 CY

0014 AR UHP35

ARGON COMPRESSED, ARGON

GRADE ULTRA HIGH PURITY) 2 CY

0015 RENTAL

MONTHLY CYLINDER

RENTAL-GAS SIZES A, B,C,D

&E 1000 CY

0016 RENTAL

MONTHLY CYLINDERS

RENTAL-GAS OTHER THAN

SIZES A,B,C,D &E 1800 CY

0017 SECEXPEDITE Emergency Delivery Fee 1 MO 0018 CYMRETESTMED Hydrostatic Testing of GFE 1 EA

0019 Z03NI90N2003194

AN 5% CARBON DIOXIDE/ 5%

(H) HYDROGEN/ BALANCE

NITROGEN, ANAEROBIC-

MEDICAL MIX, SIZE 200, CGA

350 36 CY

0020 RENTAL

MONTHLY CYLINDER

RENTAL-WALK-02-BOUTS

(WITH REGULATOR SIZE E) 9000 CY

3. DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

All transportation charges for cylinders shall be included in the price of the gas. Additional charges such as delivery fees, hazardous materials fees, fuel surcharges, etc. shall NOT be billed to or collected from the facilities for orders received under this contract.

3.1 Safety Data Sheets shall be provided to the facility POC upon request at no additional charge.

Delivery Schedule –Facility Locations. Representatives shall be available during the hours Monday through Friday, 7:30AM- 4:30PM. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure each VA Facility shall receive their orders on the specified delivery dates NLT 1000.

Austin facility – Mondays Temple - Tuesdays Waco – Wednesdays Temple Campus and Annex – Thursday CBOCS- As Directed

4. NON-REPAIRABLE GOVERNMENT PROPERTY

4.1 Prior to disposing of non-repairable government-owned cylinders, parts, fittings, and appurtenances, the Contractor shall contact the ordering (owning) activity. The contractor shall make disposition in accordance with the ordering activity’s instructions.

4.2 Contractors shall be paid for all services performed and authorized by the ordering activity, up to the determination that a cylinder is non-repairable.

4.3 Contractor shall not charge any additional types of fees, other than those specified above in paragraph 4.2, for the return of non-repairable cylinders to the ordering activity.

4.4 If the activity requests, and the Contractor agrees to dispose of any non-repairable government-owned property, the fee shall be negotiated and agreed upon between the two parties prior to the disposal of the property.

5. DELIVERY ADDRESS

CENTRAL TEXAS VETERANS’ HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

1901 VETERANS MEMORIAL DR.

TEMPLE, TX 76504

AUSTIN OUTPATIENT CLINIC (AOPC)

7901 METROPOLIS DR

AUSTIN, TX 78744-3111

DORIS MILLER VA MEDICAL CENTER

4800 MEMORIAL DR

WACO, TX 76711

Bryan College Station CBOC (1651 Rock Prairie Rd, Ste. 100, College Station, TX 77845) Cedar Park CBOC (600 N. Bell Blvd., Cedar Park, TX 78613) La Grange CBOC (2 St Marks Place, La Grange, TX 78945) Temple VA Clinic Annex (4501 S. General Bruce Dr., STE 75, Temple, TX 77845) Palestine CBOC (2000 S. Loop 256, STE 124, Palestine, TX 75801) Brownwood CBOC (2600 Memorial Park Dr, Brownwood, TX 76801) Cedar Park VA Clinic (1401 Medical Pkwy, STE 400, Cedar Park, TX 78613) VISN 17 Center of Excellence (4800 Memorial Dr., Bldg. 93, Waco, TX 76711)

6. DELIVERY AND BILLING

6.1 Contractor should make deliveries within 7 days of receipt of request. Deliveries will be made Monday through Friday between 8am -4 pm, excluding Federal Holidays. Facility will contact contractor for emergency deliveries no more than 3 times per year. The Contractor will be paid monthly, in arrears, upon receipt of a properly prepared invoice.

6.2 . Contractor will provide emergency contact information for after hours and weekends, calls will be acknowledged within one hour with deliveries being made within 8 hours.

7. HOURS OF COVERAGE:

1. Vendor shall provide telephone support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2. Vendor shall provide unscheduled maintenance (called upon to repair/fix any faulty equipment being rented despite the vendor having any schedule for their equipment maintenance if they have one) Mondays - Fridays, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM local site time, Mondays – Fridays excluding Federal Holidays.

3. Vendor shall provide planned maintenance scheduled at a mutually agreeable time Mondays - Fridays, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM local site time excluding Federal Holidays.

4. POC or designated alternate shall provide reasonable access to the equipment, reasonable working space, and a reasonable safe, hazard-free operating environment for contractor’s employees and representatives providing services hereunder during hours of coverage.

5. Federal Holidays observed by the ELPVAHCS, and any other day declared a holiday by the President of the United States:

New Years' Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Day Columbus Day Presidents' Day Veterans' Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day Juneteenth

When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as a legal holiday.

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed by US Government agencies.

8. CYLINDERS AND OTHER CONTAINERS

8.1 Laws and Regulations

Cylinders and other containers for gaseous and liquid forms of gases shall comply with the Department of Transportation specifications and shall be maintained, filled, marked, labeled, and shipped to comply with current DOT regulations (Title 49-Transportation, Code of Federal Regulations.) Filling, packaging, labeling, etc., for medical gases shall also comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

8.2 Marking

In addition to marking required by the aforementioned laws and regulations, marking shall comply with CGA Publication C-7 – Guide to Preparation of Precautionary Labeling and Marking of Compressed Gas Containers, dated 10/21/2011.

8.3 Color Coding:

Cylinders shall be color coded in accordance with CGA Publication C-9 -- Standard Color Marking of Compressed Gas Containers Intended for Medical Use, dated September 2013.

8.4 Valves

Valves shall comply with CGA Safety Bulletin SB-26 dated August 2014 and CGA Publication V-1 -- Compressed Gas Association Standard for Compressed Gas Cylinder Valve Outlet and Inlet Connections, dated May 2013. Valve protection caps for cylinders designed to receive such caps shall be securely attached to the cylinders in a manner to protect the valves from injury during transit and delivery to the purchaser's receiving area. For liquid containers, all fittings must be permanently brazed to prevent their removal. In addition, each container should contain a 360-degree cryoband applied at the top of the container with the drug product name repeated around the entire container.

8.5 Retest Date: If applicable DOT regulations would require retesting of cylinder within three (3) months after scheduled date of shipment to Continental U.S. destination, or within six

(6) months after scheduled date of shipment to overseas destination, cylinder shall be retested.

Contractor will be required to retest any Government-Owned cylinder when requested by ordering activity, regardless of scheduled retest data.

8.5.1 Method: Government-owned cylinders which are eligible for extended hydrostatic retest period, testing by modified hydrostatic method, or visual inspection in lieu of hydrostatic testing, shall be serviced by the most economical means which will comply with Department of Transportation regulations (49 CFR 173.34) unless otherwise specified by the ordering activity. When modified or reduced DOT test requirements are contingent upon past usage of the cylinders, a written statement from the ordering activity indicating that the cylinders have been used exclusively for a specific gas may be considered acceptable evidence of the cylinders' eligibility for modified testing or inspection.

8.5.2 Hydrostatic testing shall be performed in accordance with CGA’s Publication -- C- 1, Methods for Hydrostatic Testing of Compressed Gas Cylinders, dated January 2016.

8.5.3 Visual inspection shall be performed in accordance with the applicable CGA Publications C-6 --Standards for Visual Inspection of Steel Compressed Gas Cylinders, dated May 2013 or C-6.1 -- Standards for Visual Inspection of High-Pressure Aluminum Compressed Gas Cylinders, dated May 2013.

8.5.4 The Contractor shall be responsible for all testing of Contractor-owned cylinders at no additional cost to the Government. The government shall pay for the hydrostatic testing of government-owned cylinders at the prices listed in Schedule B.

8.6 Cylinder Sizes:

Cylinder sizes shown in the item description indicate product capacity of the cylinder currently being used. All capacities are approximate, and the Government shall be billed only for the actual amount of gas delivered. In accordance with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the actual contents of the container must appear on the label.

8.7 Individual Agency Ownership of Cylinders:

Government-Owned cylinders shall remain the property of the individual ordering (owning) agency and shall not be exchanged for other cylinders, either government- owned or Contractor-owned, without authorization of the ordering agency.

8.8 Lost or Damaged Contractor-Owned Cylinders

For each Contractor-owned cylinder lost or damaged beyond repair while in the Government’s possession, the Government shall pay to the Contractor the replacement value, less the allocable rental paid for that cylinder. These cylinders shall become Government property.

8.9 Method of Shipment:

Empty Government-owned cylinders that are picked up from an ordering facility for re-fill or servicing shall be transported according to the Department of Transportation Regulations, using normal commercial practice to prevent damage to cylinders.

8.10 Transportation of Cylinders:

All transportation charges for empty government-owned and Contractor-owned cylinders from the ordering facility to the Contractor’s facility shall be at the expense of the Contractor.

9. PRICE OF SERVICES FOR GOVERNMENT-OWNED AND CONTRACTOR-

OWNED CYLINDERS

The contractor’s price for the gas shall include the furnishing, at no additional cost, of all services which are required at each and every filling of a cylinder to comply with applicable regulations, specifications, and normal good practices. Such services shall include, but not be limited to: tags indicating cylinder is "Full," In Use," or "Empty"; inspection, testing, evaluation, and cleaning services required at each and every filling; pin-indexing, when required, and attachment of Government-furnished warning tags, when required. In addition to services listed in this paragraph, the Contractor is responsible for all maintenance and testing of Contractor owned cylinders.

10. MEASUREMENT AND CONVERSION COMPUTATION, ATMOSPHERIC GASES

AND HYDROGEN:

10.1 Density data and volume measurement equivalents printed in CGA Publication P-6 -- Standard Density Data, Atmospheric Gases and Hydrogen, dated October 2012 shall be used when necessary to convert measurement of these gases from one form to another: for example, from cubic feet to gallons.

11. LICENSING, AUTHORIZATION, AND SELLING PERMISSIONS

11.1 If the Contractor is the manufacturer of the medical gas being supplied under this contract, it shall annually provide verification that it holds current licensing, permits, certifications or registrations required by the FDA and the states in which this contract is performed.

11.2 If the Contractor is not the manufacturer of the medical gas being supplied under this contract, the Contractor shall annually provide verification that the manufacturer from which it obtains the medical gas provided to VA under this contract holds current licensing, permits, certifications or registrations required by the FDA and the states in which this contract is performed. In addition, the Contractor shall provide annual updates to any agreements it has with the medical gas manufacturer affirmatively demonstrating that the Contractor has authorization by the manufacturer to resell the medical gas the Contractor is providing under this contract. In the event of a change in manufacturer, the Contractor shall provide advance notice to the VA prior to the change taking place and shall provide copies of the new medical gas manufacturer’s current licenses, permits, certifications or registrations required by the FDA and the states in which this contract is performed. The Contractor shall also provide a copy of its agreement with the new manufacturer demonstrating that the Contractor has authorization by the manufacturer to resell the medical gas the Contractor intends to provide under this contract.