36C25926Q0541.docx

Special Notice Special Notice

GENERAL INFORMATION

Network Contracting Office

NCO 19

6162 South Willow Drive, Suite 300 Greenwood Village CO 80111

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Peyton Wilkerson Peyton.Wilkerson1@va.gov

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

Sources Sought Notice – Stand Alone Drying Cabinet

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with RFO 15.101(c), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

Response Instructions:

1. Do not provide more than 8 pages, including cover letter page.

2. Submit your response via email to peyton.wilkerson1@va.gov

3. Submit your response NLT 15:00 (MST) on Wednesday, June 24th, 2026;

4. Mark your response as “Proprietary Information” if the information is considered business sensitive.

5. VA has identified the appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code as 339112 – Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing with a Small Business size of 1000 Employees. Please identify and explain any NAICS codes your company believes would better represent the predominated work included in the attached Statement of Work draft / Salient Characteristics List;

Information Requested from Industry:

1) In response to the Sources Sought, interested Contractors shall submit the following information and any Capabilities/Qualifications Statement to include but not limited to an overview of proposed solution(s) and a description of the product your company possesses in accordance with the Statement of Work draft / Salient Characteristics List.

Vendor Name:

SAM UEI #:

Name of Manufacturer:

Manufacturer Address:

Estimated Delivery Time:

SAC FSS contract number

Vendor Point of Contract (POC) Name

POC Phone Number:

Stand Alone Drying Cabinet For Oklahoma VA Medical Center

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

STAND ALONE DRYER 38 inches (965 MM) Drying cabinet contains 18 shelves

SOW: SCOPE OF WORK AND GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR STAND ALONE DRYER

1. Background: The Department of Veterans Affairs, OKCVAMC requires a purchase order for the procurement of one Stand-alone drying cabinet which is designed to ensure the safety and effectiveness of surgical instruments and devices. They provide safe environment for sensitive items, such as light cords, drills, batteries and cameras. Before they were sterilized. The use of drying cabinets with precise temperature control and HEPA filtration ensures that instruments are properly dried after manual cleaning, which is crucial for the subsequent sterilization or high-level disinfection process. Stand-alone dryers can be placed near SPD main processing area, allowing for staged drying after manual cleaning or after washer disinfectors. These are tailored to meet specific device types (endoscopes, robotic instruments with optimal air-purge or low-pressure lumen drying. Stand-alone dryers are suitable for departments that need staged, manual-handling approach to dry devices that are not compatible with pass-through systems.

2. Project Scope: These cabinets help to dry hard to reach lumens after manual cleaning, minimizing the risk of compromising the subsequent sterilization or HLD disinfection process. Dryers are essential in sterile processing to ensure that medical instruments are completely dry before they are sterilized. This is crucial because: Moisture can promote microbial growth and compromise the sterilization process, especially in steam-based processes where water acts as a barrier to effective heat penetration. Wet packaging can create wicking channels that allow microbes to contaminate sterile items. Drying is required by industry standards and monitored closely in high-performing Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) to maintain compliance with AAMI ST79, CDC, and manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs). By ensuring a complete and consistent drying phase, hospitals reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) and extend the life of expensive surgical equipment. Proper drying is vital for maintaining compliance with AAMI ST79, CDC, and manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs).

3. Specifications: 38 inch (965) drying cabinet 18 shelves

4. STANDARDS:

a. Interlocking doors

b. LED light per shelf allows medical devices to be clearly seen

c. Stainless-steel drip pan(s) allows access to floor below the cabinet for cleaning, and to adjustable leveling feet for any required adjustments during installation

d. HEPA Filtered Air Purge (optional) assists in the drying of lumened medical devices. A pre-filter minimizes debris prior to the HEPA filter

e. Tubing with luer lock connectors aid in the drying process

f. Timer Countdown advises when medical devices are nearing their user-selected drying time limits. Each shelf is numbered and corresponds to a timer on the screen

g. 10" Touchscreen provides clear and intuitive operation for tracking drying time for each shelf

h. Precise temperature control allows the user to set temperature from ambient to 136°F (58°C). Supervisor can lock the cabinet temperature if desired

i. Cabinet door is interlocked and made of tempered glass

j. Door alarm sounds if door is left open for 45 seconds to help minimize heat loss

k. Isolated chamber minimizes heat loss

l. Schedule option allows facility to create a daily schedule of when the cabinet is heated

m. Energy saving features reduce electrical consumption when units are not in use

5. The Oklahoma City VAHCS specifications are designed to outline all the Oklahoma City VAHCS Nursing/Sterile Processing Service requirements. These requirements will be provided by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) before final approval. The sterilizers’ requirements are provided below:

a. Since specialty service involves preparation, deinstallation, relocation, reinstallation, and startup of 1 (one) unit and removal of current units that may require disposal or long-term storage.

b. 120 Vac, 60Hz, 20 Amp standard duplex receptacle

6. Delivery Location:

Oklahoma City VAHCS – SPS/Nursing Service 921 N.E. 13th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73104

SBAR

S: Advancements in surgical instruments have dramatically improved patient outcomes. However, the intricate designs of these instruments make reprocessing more labor intensive and time consuming. This has caused more instrument manufacturers’ instructions for use to require other sterilization methods to ensure proper cleaning and disinfection. Dryers are essential in sterile processing to ensure that medical instruments are completely dry before they are sterilized. This is crucial because: Moisture can promote microbial growth and compromise the sterilization process, especially in steam-based processes where water acts as a barrier to effective heat penetration. Wet packaging can create wicking channels that allow microbes to contaminate sterile items. Drying is required by industry standards and monitored closely in high-performing Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs) to maintain compliance with AAMI ST79, CDC, and manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs). By ensuring a complete and consistent drying phase, hospitals reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) and extend the life of expensive surgical equipment. Proper drying is vital for maintaining compliance with AAMI ST79, CDC, and manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs). Stand-alone dryers can be placed near SPD main processing area, allowing for staged drying after manual cleaning or after washer disinfectors. These are tailored to meet specific device types (endoscopes, robotic instruments with optimal air-purge or low-pressure lumen drying. Stand-alone dryers are suitable for departments that need staged, manual-handling approach to need dry devices that are not compatible with pass-thru systems. Thus, we are requesting 1 (one) instrument standalone dryer for our preparation area to utilize on scopes.

B: The drying phase is the final stage in the cleaning and disinfection process of surgical instruments, and it plays a critical role in ensuring instruments are safe for handling, inspection, and sterilization. After instruments are cleaned—either manually or in an automated washer-disinfector—they must be completely dry before moving to the next step in the sterile processing workflow. Moisture left on instruments can promote microbial growth, compromise sterilization efficacy, and lead to corrosion or spotting on surgical tools. For this reason, the drying phase is required by industry standards and monitored closely in high-performing Sterile Processing Departments (SPDs). With the increase in workload (containers, peel packs, scopes) we will need these two to handle the volume we do here in the OKC VA.

A: We have drastically increased our scope usage since 2023. We started tracking these at the end of 2023 data is not available. However, in 2024 we did over 4024 scopes. Now in 2025 we have done 4317 scopes and increasing every year. Since 2022 SPS has increased its workload all the way from the number of sets assembled (35,000 in 2022, 40,000 in 2023, 42,000 in 2024, 45,000 in 2025). 90% of our instruments go through the ultrasonic. We have washed over 46,000 individual items in 2022, 43,000 in 2023, 36,000 in 2024, and 40,000 items alone in 2024.

R: We recommend purchasing this stand-alone dryer to help us in the throughput here at the OKC VA and their needs.

Special Notice