36C25726Q0350 Sources Sought.docx

Sources Sought Notice

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS

Department of Veterans Affairs Central Texas Veterans HCS 1901 Veterans Memorial Dr. Building #171 Temple TX 76504

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Rafael Rodriguez

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS

POSTAL CODE

COUNTRY

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT announcement only. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposal or quote and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Responses to these Sources Sought must be in writing. The purpose of this Request for Information is to obtaing information related to potential vendors that can provide Mobile MRI and Technologist Services to include all the necessary personnel, supervision, equipment, transportation, materials, supplies and training to perform the services as specified herein. Services shall be performed at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHS), 1901 Veteran Memorial Drive, Temple, TX 76504.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall provide a mobile 1.5T MRI Coach and Technologist Services for CTVHCS, Temple, TX, in accordance with the SOW.

a. Schedule: Services shall be required five (5) days per week.

b. Hours of Service: Contractor's mobile unit and personnel shall be on site to perform exams eight (8) hours per day, Monday - Friday, between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm. The first MRI will begin at 7:30 am with the last patient being seen such that the exam is completed no later than 4:30pm.

c. Pro-rated Monthly Rental Fee: The Contractor shall prorate the monthly rental fee when MRI coach is not functioning in accordance with prescribed guidelines. The monthly fee shall be prorated based on the number of hours the coach is out of service during regularly scheduled clinic hours M-F, 7:30am – 4:30pm. The Contractor shall include the hourly rate in the space provided below:

d. Pro-rated Monthly Technologist Fee: The Contractor shall pro-rate the technologist fee when a contract technologist is unavailable to function in accordance with the prescribed guidelines but the MRI unit is still operational to continue veteran patient care, if a trained VA staff MRI technologist is available to operate the unit. The fee shall be prorated based on the number of hours a contract technologist is unable to provide service during regularly scheduled clinic hours M-F, 7:30am – 4:30pm. The Contractor shall include the hourly rate in the space provided below:

2. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. Contractor shall provide one (1) technologist and one (1) alternate technologist.

Contractor shall be solely responsible for all driver and technologist staffing issues related to the operation of the mobile system.

(1) Technologist staffing may be available with trained VA MRI technologists if authorized/approved through vendor and Imaging Service.

b. Contractor shall provide a mobile 1.5T MRI unit (5 years old or newer) (including scanner, acquisition and processing station, and physician viewing stations) with a high-performance gradient system for use at CTVHCS. Specific equipment requirements include:

(1) Operating system must be Windows 10 or newer/ Lynux.

a. MRI system minimum requirements:

i. 1.5T

ii. 33 mT/m gradient strength “minimum prerequisites”

iii. 150 T/m/s Slew rate [T/m/s} “minimum prerequisites”

iv. 70 cm Bore dimensions.

v. 550 lbs or greater scanner table weight limit

vi. Motorized table with integrated coil design and ports

vii. Patient positioning and support aids

viii. MRI compatible dual head injector pedestal or ceiling mounted.

ix. Zero boil-off cryogen technology

1. Vendors are expected to provide and install all cryogens.

x. Chiller must meet or exceed MRI and location needs.

1. Central Texas temperature can exceed 100 deg F

xi. All phantoms that are required for calibration and performance verification.

1. Vendor must provide ACR compliant phantom for system QA.

b. Software minimum requirements:

i. Motion correction technology

ii. Magnetic Artifact Reduction

iii. Noise reduction

iv. ECG (VCG), respiratory, and peripheral pulse gating/triggering

v. Real-time MIP, MPR, and 3D surface rendering

vi. Advanced non-contrast MRA imaging technology

vii. Bolus tracking capabilities

viii. Integrated music system to include:

1. Direct communication and audio for patients

2. MRI safe headphones

ix. Video camera system for patient monitoring

c. Advanced Applications requirements:

i. 3D processing for all modality datasets

ii. Neuro package

iii. Ortho package

iv. Body package with respiratory navigator

v. Musculoskeletal software package

vi. Oncology package

vii. Vascular package

viii. MRA package

ix. Cardiac MRI package

x. MRI spectroscopy package that includes single voxel, 2D/3D chemical shift imaging

xi. Phase contrast MRI and flow analysis

xii. Parametric prostate imaging package

xiii. Diffusion Brain, whole body, computed, microview, and FSE

xiv. Diffusion B value capabilities from 0-35000

xv. Diffusion computed B-values 0-2500

xvi. Diffusion Tensor Imaging

xvii. Water/Fat shift Imaging

xviii. Blood oxygen level dependent imaging

xix. Whole heart coronary, QF, cardiac tagging and mapping

(2) The RF coils supplied with the system will include at a minimum:

a) Phased Array Small Extremity

b) Phased Array Knee

c) Phased Array Torso Coil

d) Neurovascular Phased Array Head/Neck

e) Phased Array Total Spine

f) Phased Array Ankle/Foot

g) Phased Array Shoulder

h) Phased Array Wrist

i) Head

(5) A power injector for intravenous contrast administration must be included

(7) The system must be capable of performing 2D,3D TOF & PCA and total Body contrast enhanced MRA (intracranial and body) studies

(8) The scanner must include some form of effective noise abatement system for the patients

(9) The scanner must offer a patient entertainment system that enables the patient to experience digital media during the MRI scan procedures

c. Contractor shall be responsible for the transportation of the Mobile MRI coach to and from CTVHCS. Cost of transportation shall be included in the monthly rate. Austin facility is gated and locked after-hours. The facility is open from 6:30 am through 6 pm Monday through Friday for removal of trailer for other assignments.

d. Delivery and Set-up of Contractor Equipment: The Contractor shall be responsible for proper installation/set-up of the Contractor's furnished equipment including the mobile trailer. Installation/setup shall be accomplished in accordance with industry standards, all OSHA regulations and applicable manufacturer's recommendations.

e. Contractor's Equipment: The Contractor shall be responsible for the following daily functions:

(1) Transmit completed electronic data after each exam. Ensure that all of the day’s exam data is completely transferred to the CTVHCS computer systems.

(2) Any patient data archived to magnetic optical disk (MOD) or DVD is handed to a designated VA staff member for storage on site at CTVHCS. The MOD and/or DVD shall be the property of CTVHCS. All patient information required for Contractor's records shall be secured in accordance with HIPAA guidelines.

(3) All connections from the trailer to CTVHCS property are properly disconnected from trailer when moved from CTVHCS’ site.

(4) Any temporary site preparations are removed upon completion of services.

(5) Contractor shall ensure mobile MRI is maintained in optimum working condition to ensure the highest level of patient safety at all times. Maintenance documents shall be made available to CTVHCS upon request

f. Contractor shall ensure each patient arriving for mobile MRI exam has a written or electronic medical record physician order to receive services and a completed MRI Screening Checklist.

g. Contractor shall use appropriate screening devices to ensure patient has no ferro-magnetic materials on or in his/her body.

h. Contractor shall be responsible for adhering to all Federal regulations regarding patient care, patient safety, medical practice and operation of mobile MRI.

i. Contractor shall provide a copy of a current, comprehensive MRI Safety Program policy to which each technologist is expected to comply. MRI Technologist is required to complete CTVHCS MRI Safety Training yearly.

j. Contractor shall be responsible for patient after pick up at the designated area, while on the mobile unit and during the entire scanning procedure up to the patient's release.

k. In the event a patient is injured while in Contractor's care, Contractor shall immediately notify the assigned nurse or a designated VA physician and complete a written report.

l. Contractor shall be responsible for providing a qualified MRI Technologist(s) to perform services defined herein. The MRI Technologist shall be required to provide all scanning services specified in the SOW. Any training needed for the MRI Technologist(s) shall be provided at no additional cost to the Government. If the MRI Technologist is unable to come in to work as per the schedule, the Contractor shall provide an alternate MRI Technologist to cover the shift and prevent rescheduling patients. All MRI Technologists, to include alternates, must complete the credentialing requirements established by CTVHCS prior to performing scanning services.

m. Environment of Care Rounds shall be conducted quarterly by the COTR and CTVHCS Austin Administrator. All identified deficiencies shall be corrected by the Contractor prior to the next scheduled day of service.

3. MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS:

a. Contractor shall be responsible for all maintenance of the unit including all PMs as required by the manufacturer’s literature. The Contractor shall assume all cost for labor and parts including glassware and will make all arrangements for service upon notification of failure. Contractor shall communicate these occurrences and progress in a timely manner with Imaging Service staff and Biomedical Staff. Anyone performing maintenance on the unit shall be factory trained by the manufacturer on this specific unit. Any FDA alerts or recalls associated with this equipment will be ameliorated in a timely manner.

b. All PMs shall be done after normal operating hours, Monday – Friday.

c. Contractor shall ensure a 95% or better up-time based upon the normal operation hours, Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

d. If the system breaks down, the MRI Technologist is responsible for informing Imaging Service representative and Bio Medical of the issue immediately upon determining there is a problem. The MRI Technologist will contact the vendor immediately if an on-site service technician is needed. It is expected that the on-site service technician will respond within 2 hours to determine what the problem is and a proposed timeframe of how long the machine is expected to be down. Repairs and delays that will be beyond two working days will require a replacement trailer to be brought in.

4. CTVHCS RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. CTVHCS shall provide a covered walkway, utility connections, and an appropriate computer line(s) for use by the Contractor.

b. CTVHCS shall be responsible for scheduling exams for the mobile MRI unit.

c. CTVHCS shall transport patients to the VA furnished waiting area.

d. CTVHCS shall identify patients and provide and administer prescribed sedation which patients may require prior to the scans provided by the Contractor. Sedated patients shall be identified and given special care by the Contractor during the performance of procedures. A CTVHCS registered nurse shall monitor sedated patients in the Contractor's trailer. Conscious sedation/moderate sedation will not be used for these exams.

e. CTVHCS MRI technologists will receive operational training on the equipment in the event of a contract employee absence or an increased demand for services.

5. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS/POLICIES:

a. The Contractor's Technologist shall possess a current Radiologic Technologist (RT) license, through the ARRT. A copy of all applicable operators’ license(s) shall be provided with the proposal along with a copy of the updated license immediately upon renewal. The Contractor shall ensure that a copy of the technologist’s current license is provided to the COTR for inclusion in CTVHCS’ 6-part folder at all times.

b. The Contractor shall be responsible to ensure that Contractor employees providing work on this contract are fully trained and completely competent to perform the required work. Evidence of the Contractor’s Technologist’s competency review shall be provided with the proposal. Competency checklists must contain evidence of supervisory review at least annually and must contain the written signature of the supervisory official performing the review. A current copy of the employee’s competency checklist shall be maintained in CTVHCS’ 6-part folder at all times. Competency checklists shall be resubmitted to CTVHCS each time the checklist is updated, no more than 12 months beyond the original date of review.

c. The Contractor shall be required to maintain documentation and provide copies, with their proposal, of the following for each employee working under the contract:

(1) credentials and qualifications for the job

(2) a current competency assessment checklist (an assessment of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors required to perform a job correctly and skillfully; includes age-specific knowledge and skills required to provide care for certain patient populations, as appropriate.)

(3) a listing of relevant continuing education for the last two years.

(b) Evidence of Hepatitis B immunity (hepatitis immune titer, if provider has had the series of shots; if no immunity, evidence that provider has started the Hepatitis B vaccination series.)

(c) Varicella titer if provider has not had chicken pox and has direct patient contact.

d. This is a non-personal health care service contract under which the Contractor is an independent Contractor. Contractor employees shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose.

e. In the event of a contractor employee absence or an increased demand for services, VA employees shall be authorized to operate the equipment without contractor oversight during or after the normal operating hours. The contractor shall provide the necessary training to designated VA employees to ensure they are fully capable of operating the equipment safely and effectively under these circumstances.

6. MOBILE UNIT EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS: The following minimum performance characteristics of the equipment are required:

a. Contractor shall make whatever adaptations are necessary so that the Contractor's equipment is compatible with the CTVHCS data network as specified in Paragraph 12, Telecommunications.

1. Mobile Trailer minimum requirements:

0. 12’ x 46’.

0. 12’ x 60’ is preferred: The larger trailer size better facilitates compliance with the national VHA Directive 1105.05 guideline that two MRI staff must be present in Zones 3 and 4 when a patient is being scanned.

0. 42” wide stairs with handrails on both sides of step

0. Americans with Disabilities Act Compliant Aluminum lift assembly for entering and exiting of the MRI Trailer

0. 40” Minimum width RF Scan Room Door

0. Patient Changing Room with locking storage for valuables.

0. Patient Hydraulic Lift

0. Patient stairs & Landing

a. The Mobile MRI unit shall be ready for use regardless of outside environmental conditions.

b. The Mobile MRI unit shall maintain a temperature to assure proper operation of the scanner and provide for patient comfort.

c. The Mobile MRI unit shall include a private dressing area with secured cabinets for patient use.

d. Contractor shall provide a MRI-compatible Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). The system must contain the minimum characteristics:

(1) AED Unit with LCS Screen showing voice prompt messages, device advisory messages, elapsed time, shock count and chest compression graph, Operator's Guide and Carrying Case;

(2) Two (2) Sets of CPR-D Pads, one piece defibrillation and CPR system with compression, depth and rate sensors, supplies with gloves, barrier mask, scissors, razor, wet wipes and dry wipes;

(3) Two (2) Sets of Type 123 Lithium Batteries with storage sleeve.

7. CONFORMANCE STANDARDS/REGULATORY ADHERENCE:

a. Contractor shall perform the required services in accordance with the following:

(1) the standards of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JC) to include Patient Safety Standards (a copy of these standards may be obtained from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, One Renaissance Blvd., Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181)

(2) the established principles and ethics of the medical profession established by the AMA and ACEP and is responsible for the quality of care rendered to all patients.

(3) all relevant Federal and State regulations regarding patient care, medical practice, operation of MRI equipment; to include but not be limited to

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) The Joint Commission (JC) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) VHA Automated Information Security (AIS) Privacy Act CTVHCS Medical Staff Bylaws

b. Contractor shall ensure that the equipment/system functions in conformance with the latest published edition of OSHA and the manufacturer's specifications.

security and use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities, including the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VA).

8. MRI STUDY INTERPRETATION: A CTVHCS radiologist shall read/interpret all MRI studies and dictate all required study reports.

9. MRI DATA OWNERSHIP: CTVHCS shall maintain sole ownership of all data of studies performed on the mobile MRI under this contract. The Contractor may not use any portion of imaging data obtained from patient studies under the contract. The Contractor may not use any portion of imaging data obtained from patient studies for quality control or educational purposes without written consent of CTVHCS.

10. EMERGENCIES ON MOBILE MRI UNIT: Emergency 911 shall handle all medical emergencies occurring on the mobile coach. The Contractor shall provide, with their proposal, a written emergency plan addressing emergencies such as patient codes, personal injury, fire, and disruptive behavior.

If this is within your capability, please respond with the information below:

Company Name Address, Point of Contact, Phone, Fax, and Email UEI number GSA Contract (as applicable).

Please include Capability Statement that clearly and convincingly identifies your ability to fulfill this requirement. Brochures of product being offered to include specifications. Meet the Buy American statute FAR 52.225-1 Authorized service provider letter from OEM.

Interested firms are reminded that in accordance with FAR 4.203, prospective contractors shall complete electronic annual representations and certifications to be considered for award. In addition, FAR 4.203 states that prospective contractors shall be registered in the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) database. All Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) shall be verified in SBA at Small Business Search.

Point of Contact for this Sources Sought is Rafael Rodriguez, e-mail Rafael.Rodriguez2@va.gov. Response due date and time is 03/16/2026 at 11:00AM Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 17 -5441 Babcock Road Ste. 302, San Antonio, TX 78240.

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Sources Sought Notice