36C26323Q0928.docx

VHAPG Part 813.106 Simplified Acquisition Procedures: Soliciting from a Single Source Attachment 1: Single Source Justification for SAP under the SAT

GENERAL INFORMATION

SET-ASIDE

One Veterans Drive

Minneapolis MN

CONTACT INFORMATION

NETWORK 23 CONTRACTING OFFICE

Contract Officer 4801 Veterans Drive St. Cloud MN 56303

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contracting Officer Traci Johannes traci.johannes@va.gov

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

Presolicitation Notice Presolicitation Notice This Notice of Intent is provided to advise that the Government intends to solicit and negotiate a sole source, Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order with only one source, Government Scientific Source, Inc. to provide a customized Fluent Liquid Handler System for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

This notice of intent to award a sole source contract is not a request for competitive proposals. However, in accordance with FAR 5.207 (c) (16) (ii), all responsible sources that feel they can meet the Government’s requirements detailed above may submit a capability statement which shall be considered by the agency. Responses to this notice shall contain sufficient information to establish the interested parties bona-fide capabilities for fulfilling the requirement and include: the Unique Entity Identification Number (UEI), and the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), along with documentation that the vendor is an authorized distributor/reseller. All offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) www.sam.gov. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The information will be retained as Market Research.

All responses must be received by 16:30 PM CST on Friday, August 4th, 2023.

Responses shall be submitted electronically to Traci Johannes via email at traci.johannes@va.gov. Fax responses and Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.

Presolicitation Notice

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Justification for Single Source Awards IAW FAR 13.106-1 For Over Micro-Purchase Threshold but Not Exceeding the SAT ($250K)

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 23, Minneapolis, MN Medical Center.

2. Brief Description of Supplies/ Services required and the intended use/Estimated Amount:

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System Molecular Biology Laboratory, here in after referred to as the MVAHCS, needs a robotic liquid handler to support the VISN 23 strategic initiative for massively parallel sequencing (commonly known as next generation sequencing or NGS) library preparation. Massively parallel sequencing of DNA and RNA from biological samples is used to establish base sequences of nucleic acid molecules and in the clinical laboratory context to identify correlates of disease from analyzed sequences. The liquid handler identified that would meet our needs is the Tecan Fluent DreamPrep NGS Compact with On-Deck Thermocycler and Infinite Reader. The estimated value of the proposed action is $248,096.73. This is sold directly from the manufacturer Tecan, or through their government distributor Government Scientific Source (GSS), who is a small business.

3. Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used:

There are many liquid handlers on the market, but ultimately our specific requirements narrowed our search down to Tecan. All others are generally inapplicable. The justification for Tecan fundamentally rests on low to mid throughput workflows, 100% open platform, diverse third-party markets, ease of programming and scalable output. Tecan’s dominant presence in the field of interest leaves us with a diverse array of processing choices that we can weigh amongst alternatives, or quickly switch where needed. We view this as critical because the technology of massively parallel sequencing and the field of targeted oncology are rapidly evolving.

4. Description of market research conducted and results or statement why it was not conducted:

Deniz Aslan (pathologist), Brad Wigton (medical technologist) and Tim Berg (medical technologist) performed and reviewed the liquid handler market research. Initially they were focused on low throughput handlers (this is generally considered to be 1-32 samples per run). All the low throughput handlers have similar closed platform limitation. They only accommodate pre-programmed third-party workflows or pre-programmed liquid handler vendor workflows. Many of the supported workflows are also specific to a particular sequencing assay (in addition to library prep method). Then they started looking at the mid throughput handlers. They identified Tecan DreamPrep NGS as a fully customizable, programmable, modular instrument that also has a favorable reagent utilization profile at low and mid throughput workflows. They believe this represents the best compromise for customization and throughput. Rachel Pike then researched the Tecan technical specifications and determined sourcing options.

5. Contracting Officer's Certification: Purchase is approved in accordance with FAR13.106-1(b). I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.