GOVERNMENT RESPONSE-Attachment 9 36H79725R0003 RFP .xlsx
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- Attached to
- Radiology & Imaging FY2025 Solicitation
- Solicitation number
- 36H79725R0003
About this file
This is a Government Response document containing answers to fifty prospective offeror questions submitted regarding RFP 36H79725R0003 for Radiology & Imaging Systems and Accessories for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The solicitation seeks multiple contract awards for a five-year base period with a five-year option period, closing February 3, 2026. Key responses address operational matters including delivery schedules, training expiration timeframes, installation invoicing procedures, warranty provisions, service response times, price book management, and technical requirements. The Government declined most substantive requests for changes, including extending the proposal deadline (though indicated willingness to consider), differentiating emergency versus non-emergency warranty service requests, limiting 24-hour service response times, adding DICOM compliance language, and removing liquidated damages and sustainability clauses. Notable approvals include: extending the response deadline to 3/31/2026, clarifying that 90-day delivery applies to standalone X-ray accessories only, allowing invoices dated beyond 12 months at the Contracting Officer's discretion, revising language regarding add-request certifications, removing EHRM (Oracle/Cerner) requirements pending future details, and confirming the February 3, 2026 close date will be extended to allow additional preparation time.
Questions addressed operational details including OCONUS delivery procedures, training expiration consistency between DoD and VA, delivery order formatting, system inspection and readiness procedures, defect definitions, payment timing, service manual provision, pricing support documentation requirements, price book add-request timelines, electrical power surveys, DICOM compliance, small business subcontracting plans, and economic price adjustment timing. The Government clarified that conditional acceptance permits equipment use while vendors remedy defects, warranty begins upon defect remediation, all customer class categories in the Discount & Pricing Information Worksheet must be provided, and vendors may submit price book add requests regardless of pending prior requests. Prospective offerors must submit questions by December 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM CT to LaTonya Whiteside or Marissa Wright, with the actual proposal deadline expected to be extended beyond the initial February 3, 2026 date.
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Sheet1
| ATTACHMENT 9 - SOLICITATION QUESTION/ INPUT MATRIX | ||||
| Please submit questions to LaTonya Whiteside at LaTonya.Whiteside@va.gov and Marissa Wright at Marissa.Wright@va.gov. Due date for questions/ comments is Dec 18, 2025 at 12:00PM CT | ||||
| Question/ Comments [Input by Prospective Offeror] | Reference -Specify document, page number(s), and specific section [Input by Prospective Offeror] *questions will not be answered with no reference. | Response to Question [Provided by Government] | Change to RFP based on Government Response [Provided by Government] | |
| 1 | Please consider extending the response deadline for proposals 30 days. | N/A | This will be consider. 3/31/2026 | Yes. |
| 2 | For OCONUS deliveries, we request adding the following underlined language to the sentence stating: "Delivery dates will be agreed on between the facility and ordering CO at the ordering level in consultation with the vendor." Due to unique challenges with delivering systems outside the United States, these delivery dates should be established by mutual agreement, not unilaterally by the Government. | Page 11. Section V, subsection (c). | The is the current process and the delivery dates Conus and Oconus can be established by the governments request and the vendors concerns if deemed necessary by the ordering CO. As stated in the SOW Page 11: (f.) The following delivery schedule shall be the minimum requirement for each order type unless the Government elects to use an alternate delivery schedule that is specified in the delivery order. Delivery shall be made within the identified number of calendar days after date of delivery order (ADO): This means if consultation with the vendor is deemed necessary to establish a more suitable date the CO shall. | No. |
| 3 | Please consider clarifying that the Estimated 90-day ADO delivery timeframe applies only to stand-alone Accessories, and confirm that Accessories purchased with a System should be delivered at the time the system is delivered. | Page 12. Section V, subsection (f) | The estimated 90 Day ADO timeframe applies to X-RAY (MOBILE/PORTABLE, C-ARM) and yes, all items purchased with the system should be deliveried at the same time. | No. |
| 4 | For TRAINING, it is administratively difficult to manage two different expiration timeframes for DoD and the VA. Please consider making the VA's longer expiration timeframe a uniform requirement, as it would be preferred and likely in the government's best interest. | Page 12. Section V, subsection (f). | There will be no change to the expiration timeframe for training, between DOD and the VA. | No. |
| 5 | Please advise if the NAC would consider adding language for delivery orders for multiple systems. Would the NAC consider issuing separate delivery orders for each system or separating each system into its own line items, similar to CLINs for DLA? | Page 12. Section VI. | Not at this time. | No. |
| 6 | Would the NAC consider providing information to all IDIQ vendors on awarded delivery orders, similar to what DLA provides via DIBBS? | Page 12. Section VI. | This will be reviewed and if it is determined this should be revised, an amendment with the revised language will be posted. | No. |
| 7 | Please consider editing the following sentence to add the underlined language for clarity: "For VA awards, evidence of the items delivered (commercial proof of delivery or bill of lading) signed by the Government receiver, or an email from the Government receiver confirming delivery, may also constitute the contractor's proof of delivery documents." | Page 13. Section IX, subsection (a)(1)(i). | This language will be revisited. | Yes. |
| 8 | For VA delivery orders requiring installation, please consider allowing vendors to invoice 100% of separately priced turnkey/extended installation costs after equipment delivery, at the same time 80% of the equipment/system price is invoiced. By time of equipment delivery, turnkey and extended installation services will have been completed, and a vendor will need to pay its subcontractors for the work already performed. | Page 13. Section IX, subsection (a)(1)(iii). | This has been reveiwed and will remain as written in the SOW. | No. |
| 9 | Please consider adding language specifying that the facility's delay in beginning clinical use does not preclude the contractor from submitting the notice of readiness for inspection and does not extend the time the Government has to conduct the inspection. Alternatively, please advise what remedy the contractor will have when the contractor has fully performed its obligations but the facility delays the start of clinical use. | Page 14. Section IX, subsection (b)(1). | This will be reviewed and if it is determined this should be revised, an amendment with the revised language will be posted. | No. |
| 10 | Please clarify the significance of the term "Defect" as defined and how a "conditional acceptance" would impact invoicing and the warranty start date. Does the presence of any "defect," no matter how minor, preclude acceptance? | Page 15. Section IX, subsection (b)(2). | When defects or missing items are identified, the CO determines Acceptance, Acceptance with Offsets, Conditional Acceptance, or Rejection. Under Conditional Acceptance, the government may begin using the equipment while the vendor remedies the defects identified within the COs prescribed timeframe. The contractor may submit a request for payment after 30 days of Substantial Clinical Use, under Conditional Acceptance. The warranty begins when the vendor remedies all defects identified (satisfies condition) and the equipment is thereafter Accepted, or after Acceptance occurs following 30 days of Substantial Clinical Use. | No. |
| 11 | The language stating that "Final payment is due 30 calendar days from the date of Government acceptance of the final invoice" is not consistent with the Prompt Payment Act. We request the language be revised to state: "Final payment is due 30 calendar days from the date of submission of a proper invoice following Government acceptance." | Page 17. Section IX, subsection (b)(7). | This language will not be revised. | No |
| 12 | It is industry practice to differentiate between emergency service requests, in which a system is down and unable to be used for patient care, and non-emergency service requests. Please consider adding language that the requirement to provide warranty service within 24 hours should be limited to emergency service requests. We suggest the language be revised to state: "Other service under warranty shall be provided within 24 hours of notice by the Government requesting maintenance or service under the warranty period for a down system that disrupts patient care.” | Page 20. Section X(b). | This language will not be revised. | No |
| 13 | We request that the following be clarified to add the underlined language: "All service manuals, schematics, diagrams, diagnostic software, other special tools and hardware keys equivalent to what the contractor field service representatives have available to diagnose, troubleshoot, repair and maintain the equipment shall be furnished to the government during training at no additional cost." Vendors should be permitted to set limitations and to charge reasonable prices for such proprietary materials when access is requested outside of training. | Page 21. Section XI, subsection (c). | This language will not be revised. | No |
| 14 | Can a vendor use its existing IDIQ contract price book for pricing support if the Government requests additional support for an item being offered at the same net price that has previously been accepted under the existing IDIQ contract price book? | Page 29-30. Section XII, subsections (b)(1), (3). | If there is no new/current pricing support, yes. But, this will be determined by the CO reviewing the proposal. | No |
| 15 | Please clarify when and how often updates to Attachment 3 must be provided during the life of the contract. | Page 26. Section XII, subsection (b)(2). | Attachment 3 is only required at the time of proposal submission and will only be required if request by the CO managing the contract during the life of the contract. | No |
| 16 | Please confirm that Attachment 3 is only applicable to equipment systems and not service-related offerings. | Page 26. Section XII, subsection (b)(2). | Attachment 3 is required for all items on contract equipment and services. | No |
| 17 | How much time will vendors have to provide pricing support information after it has been requested? | Page 26. Section XII, subsection(b)(3). | There is no set timeframe. The time will be set by the CO reviewing the proposal. | No |
| 18 | Please clarify what columns must be completed for Service-related entries, if different. | Page 26. Section XII, subsection(b)(3). | No difference. All columns must be completed. | No |
| 19 | Please clarify the order of precedence for price support information for Service offerings, for which GPO pricing is not available. | Page 26. Section XII, subsection(b)(3). | The order of precedence has not changed: Invoices, Quotes, Group Purchasing Organization. | No |
| 20 | Regarding the language stating the vendor may provide commercial quotes for pricing support if there are no invoices from the last 12 months or existing GPO pricing, "as long as they agree to provide reduced pricing in the event the actual invoice price will be lower than originally provided quote," please consider there could be various reasons the ultimate invoice total is less than the original quote total, including but not limited to changes made in the configuration, deleted options, concessions resulting from customer disputes, etc. Instead, the Government could reserve the right to delete the items from the vendor's price book if an audit or later request for the associated invoice(s) demonstrate that the originally quoted price was not fair and reasonable. Alternatively, the language could be modified to state: "as long as they agree to provide reduced pricing in the event the actual invoice price does not support the reasonableness of the originally provided quote price." | Page 26. SOW Section XII, subsection (b)(3). | The SOW is wriiten differently but it is the same as the requested alternative language. This language will not be revised. | No. |
| 21 | Is it sufficient if the commercial customer signs the vendor's quote, evidencing that the customer accepted the quote amount, if the customer does not issue a separate purchase order? | Page 26. Section XII, subsection(b)(3). | Yes. | No |
| 22 | Our commercial invoices for Service offerings include only net prices, not list prices. Please clarify if the requirement for invoices to show list prices applies only to Equipment offerings or also to Service offerings. | Page 26. Section XII, subsection(b)(3). | The requirement for equipment and services are the same. | No |
| 23 | Please consider allowing invoices dated beyond 12 months, at the Contracting Officer's discretion, for pricing support. | Page 26. Section XII, subsection(b)(3). | This language will be revised. Invoices dated beyond 12 months, can be accepted for reduced pricing support, up the Contracting Officer's discretion. | Yes. |
| 24 | We request that the following be revised to add the language underlined and to delete the stricken-through language for consistency with the rest of the SOW: "Outside of a properly prepared add request containing all information and appropriate price support (see below and attached) the vendor must provide a certification that all items being added have FDA approvals and that all items being added have offered pricing that is equal to or better than most favored commercial customers within similar purchasing environments." | Page 26. Section XII, subsection (b)(3). | This language will be revised. | Yes. |
| 25 | Alternatively, can you confirm that the reference to “most favored commercial customers” in this subsection excludes commercial customers within a different purchasing environment? | Page 27. Section XII, subsection (b)(3). | Yes. | No |
| 26 | With the intention of receiving approved price book add requests in a timely fashion, please consider adding language setting a reasonable timeframe for the Government to review and approve a properly prepared price book add request. Please also consider adding language for the Government to compile and submit to the vendor all of its initial questions at one time. | Page 27. Section XII, subsection (b)(3). | Every contract POC has a different workload and there are different approvals and reviews required depending on the dollar value: therefore we can not put a timeframe on the length of time an add request mod should be processed. | No |
| 27 | Is it permissible for a contractor submit a request to add items to its IDIQ contract price book, even if a prior request to add items is still pending before the Government? | Page 36. Section XIII, subsection (a). | Yes, but this would be up to contract CO's discretion. | No |
| 28 | Please clarify for what purpose the contractor should reference the listed website. | Page 34. Section XIV, subsection (c)(3)(iv). | The Contractor should reference the website, If authorized by the Government, the contractor may reuse existing materials. | No |
| 29 | It may not be possible to ascertain prior to delivery order award whether a full electrical power survey is required. Please consider adding the following underlined language: "If the Contractor determines that a full electrical power survey is required to determine the adequacy of the existing power, the power survey shall be included in its extended or turnkey installation proposal, or added subsequently via modification if the need for an electrical power survey cannot be established prior to order award." | Page 34. Section XIV, subsection (c)(3)(vi). | This language will not be revised. | No |
| 30 | Please clarify the requirement to provide a report to the facility and whether that applies even when the determination is performed by a Government physicist. | Page 36. Section XIV, subsection (c)(5)(ii). | A report of Determination and Certification should by provided to the facilty and yes even when performed by a Government Physicist. | No |
| 31 | Please consider revising the following to add the underlined language: "Only systems which are DICOM compliant, or for which the vendor has committed to achieve DICOM compliance, shall be considered for award." | Page 37. Section XVII, subsection (a). | This language will not be revised. | No |
| 32 | The requirements for EHRM (Oracle/Cerner) have not yet been communicated to vendors. Please provide detailed information regarding what these requirements entail or consider removing this language. | Page 37. Section XVII, subsection (a). | This language will be revised to removeEHRM (Oracle/Cerner) and will be modified into the SOW as details become available. | Yes. |
| 33 | Because many vendors will have a commercial small business subcontracting plan, as defined in FAR 19.701, can you please clarify whether adherence to such a commercial small business subcontracting plan will be sufficient to comply with VAAR 852.215-71? | Page 57, Section C.2 (Clauses Incorporated By Reference) | During proposal reviews the CO will determine if the vendors commercial small business subk plan is sufficient to comply with VAAR 852.215-71. | No |
| 34 | FAR 52.223-23 Sustainable Products and Services - recommend removal as medical devices are not subject to the referenced purchasing programs. | Page 61. C.2 52.215-5 | This clause is a requirement per the FAR. | No. |
| 35 | FAR 52.211-11 Liquidated Damages- Supplies, Services, or Research and Development - Please consider removing this clause because Liquidated Damages cannot be reasonably determined, and the Contractor is already incentivized to deliver as soon as possible in order to recognize revenue and receive payment. | Page 75. C.10 | Liquidated damages are not punitive and are not negative performance incentives (see 16.402-2). Liquidated damages are used to compensate the Government for probable damages. Therefore, the liquidated damages rate must be a reasonable forecast of just compensation for the harm that is caused by late delivery or untimely performance of the particular contract. This clause will not be removed. | No. |
| 36 | VAAR 852.211-72 Technical Industry Standards - Please consider removing this clause because medical devices are already regulated/cleared by FDA prior to being included in the contract price book. | Page 76. C.11 | VAAR 852.211-72 is a requirement per the VAAR for the acquisition of of commercial products and services. | No. |
| 37 | VAAR 852.212-71 Gray Market and Counterfeit Items - Please consider clarifying in the SOW that OEM refurbished parts that comply with applicable performance and reliability specifications, and which carry the same warranty as a new part, are acceptable in accordance with standard industry practice. | Page 77. C.13 | VAAR 852.211-71 is a requirement per the VAAR for the acquisition of of commercial products and services. | No. |
| 38 | For upward Economic Price Adjustment requests, must the contractor wait a full year after a prior upward adjustment request is accepted before submitting a new upward adjustment request? For example, if the contractor makes a request for an upward adjustment 60 days prior to the contract anniversary date in year 3 of the base term, but the request is not approved by the Contracting Officer for 9 months, can the contractor submit another upward adjustment request 60 days prior to the contract anniversary date in year 4, or must the contractor wait until 9 months later, when it has been a full year since the prior request was accepted? | Page 78. C.4, Addendum to FAR 52.216-2, Economic Price Adjustment, subsection (h) | The Contractor is authorized to submit one upward adjustment request starting from the second year of the base term, and during each year thereafter,(at the contract award anniversary date) to include the years in the OPTION PERIOD (IF INVOKED). Therefore, in total, no more than 9 annual adjustments may be invoked on this contract. | No |
| 39 | Are Supply Assurance Letters required for Accessory parts? If so, can we provide one Supply Assurance Letter that covers all of our accessory products? | Page 93, subsection (f) Supply Availability Assurance | Supply Assurance Letters are required for non-manufacturers of any products on contract. Yes, one letter that covers all products cn be provided. | No |
| 40 | Should the Contract Price Book Templates be separated between Equipment and Service? | Attachment 5, Contract Price Book Template | Yes. | No |
| 41 | Should a Business Associate Profile Application document have been included in the solicitation package? | Attachment 6, Business Associate Profile Application | Yes. | No |
| 42 | Please confirm if Medical Marking Standard documentation is required for compliant submission. If yes, is it required for all systems included? | RFP, Page 92, Instructions For the Submission of Proposal Information, #2. | Yes. Yes. | No. |
| 43 | Please confirm if DICOM Conformance Statement documentation is required for all systems included. If so, please confirm if this documentation is needed at the system level only or for everything to include software packages. | RFP, Page 37, XVII. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS, (a) DICOM Compliance. |
and
| RFP, Page 92, Instructions For the Submission of Proposal Information, #2. | Yes. This is required for everything to include software. | No. | |||
| 44 | Please confirm if MDS2 documentation is required for a compliant submission. If yes, is it required for all systems included? | RFP, Page 37-38, XVII. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS, (b) DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY (DHA) CYBERSECURITY, RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK (RMF) REQUIREMENTS | Yes.Yes. | No. | |
| 45 | Please confirm if all customer class categories in the Attachment 3 - Discount & Pricing Information Worksheet, DPI Summary Table, must be provided or if vendor can select the most applicable customer class based on pricing strategy. | Attachment 3 - Discount & Pricing Information Worksheet, DPI Summary Table | Yes, all customer class categories in the DPI worksheet must be provided. | No. | |
| 46 | Please confirm if Attachment 3 - Discount & Pricing Information Worksheet, must be completed for each modality included in the Contract Price Book or if it should be completed for the vendor's overall pricing strategy. | Attachment 3 - Discount & Pricing Information Worksheet | It should be completed for the vendor's overall pricing strategy. | No. | |
| 47 | For the initial RFP response, are vendors required to fill out both the “OFFER CATALOG" tab and the “Request for Modification" (RFM) tab or just the Offer-Catalog tab? If vendor is required to complete both tabs, please provide further clarification and/or instructions on completing the RFM tab for the initial response. | Attachment 5 - Contract Price Book Template | Offers are required to fill out the "Offer Catalog" tab. The RFM for for future use. | No. | |
| 48 | Define initial Annual Adjustment, does this mean Year 1 of the contract | C.4 52.216-2 Economic Price Adjustment, (H) (ii) (A) Annual Ceiling, all items: 4%. Pg 70 of 124 | Yes, this is anually. Initial annual adjustment would be after the contract's first year. On that same page: During the first year of the base term, (i.e award date 10/01/2025 would equate to the period 10/1/25 THRU 9/30/2026), Contract Unit Prices are not subject to any upward adjustment. However, the Contractor is authorized to submit one upward adjustment request starting from the second year of the base term, and during each year thereafter, to include the years in the OPTION PERIOD (IF INVOKED). Therefore, in total, no more than 9 annual adjustments may be invoked on this contract. | No. | |
| 49 | Define subsequent Option Years, does this mean Year 2 and beyond | C.4 52.216-2 Economic Price Adjustment, (H) (ii) (B) Annual Ceiling, all items: 10%. Pg 70 of 124 | During the first year of the base term, (i.e award date 10/01/2025 would equate to the period 10/1/25 THRU 9/30/2026), Contract Unit Prices are not subject to any upward adjustment. However, the Contractor is authorized to submit one upward adjustment request starting from the second year of the base term, and during each year thereafter, to include the years in the OPTION PERIOD (IF INVOKED). Therefore, in total, no more than 9 annual adjustments may be invoked on this contract. | No. | |
| 50 | Do you anticipate the current solicitation close date of Tuesday, February 3, 2026 will be extended to allow industry more time to complete | NA | Yes. | Yes. |
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