C01 JA Radiology workstations Redacted.pdf

Control Number VA-00062864

JUSTIFICATION

FOR AN EXCEPTION TO FAIR OPPORTUNITY

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics Technology Acquisition Center 23 Christopher Way Eatontown, New Jersey 07724

2. Description of Action: This proposed action is for a firm-fixed price delivery order to be issued under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) for the procurement of a brand name BARCO Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) radiology workstation solution, inclusive of Barco Coronis Uniti MDMC-12133 12MP medical displays, with accompanying MXRT-7600 graphics cards, and brand name Barco QAWeb calibration software licenses, for VA radiologists to provide patient care.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services: VA, Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) has a requirement for a brand name Barco PACS radiology workstation solution to support the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, which is now known as the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System (VANEOHS). This radiology workstation solution will allow VANEOHS to replace aging radiologist workstations and to update associated software, as well as provide workstations and software for radiologists new to VA. Specifically, the brand name Barco PACS radiology workstation solution consists of brand name Barco Coronis Uniti MDMC-12133 12MP medical display, with accompanying MXRT-7600 graphics card, and brand name Barco QAWeb calibration software licenses with five year extended warranty. Additionally, the brand name Barco QA Web calibration software licenses will be installed by VA on brand name or equivalent HP Z8 G4 workstations connected to the Barco Coronis medical review displays to form a fully validated PACS radiology workstation solution. The combination of the aforementioned brand name Barco medical displays and video cards will provide an integrated and fully validated medical display system yielding diagnostic quality and consistent display of radiology images, which is necessary for the radiologist to make an accurate diagnosis. The premium QAWeb image stabilization/quality control software licenses allow for centralized medical display calibration, extended warranty and Quality Assurance (QA) features, and email notifications when a QA test fails. Accordingly, VHA has an immediate need for 36 brand name Barco Coronis MDMC-12133 12MP medical displays, 56 brand name Barco MXRT-7600 graphics cards and 36 brand name Barco QA Web calibration software licenses. The delivery of PACS radiology workstation solution shall be within 30 days after receipt of order. The total estimated value of the proposed action is

4. Statutory Authority: Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 16.505(a)(4), the following brand name requirement is being justified and approved as an exception to

Radiology Workstations Control Number VA-00062864 fair opportunity under the statutory authority of Section 41 U.S.C. 4106(c)(2) as implemented by FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), entitled “Only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized.”

5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: Based on market research, as described in section 8 of this document, it was determined that limited competition is viable among authorized resellers for brand name Barco PACS radiology workstation solution for VANEOHS which is made up of the following components: brand name Barco Coronis Uniti MDMC-12133 12MP medical display with accompanying MXRT- 7600 graphics card, and brand name Barco licenses for QA Web software calibration functionality. The VANEOHS has an existing infrastructure consisting of approximately two dozen diagnostic/medical PACS workstations with quality control regularly performed using the integrated QAWeb image stabilization/quality control software to comply with Joint Commission requirements for medical displays used for the electronic practice of medicine. Each workstation displays four portrait oriented medical displays on Barco medical displays, allowing comparison of prior diagnostic images with current images and also the display of multiple scan studies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). All VANEOHS PACS workstations have a Barco Liquid Crystal Display clinical review display with integrated QAWeb image stabilization/quality control software that is used to monitor/manage all systems across the VANEOHS including systems installed a the main (Wade Park) facility and at a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. Only brand name Barco medical displays are compatible and interoperable with the existing Barco medical display calibration infrastructure and are able to provide a single support interface for service-wide image quality/diagnostic monitor QA reporting for the Joint Commission compliance. Only this integrated brand name solution is able to meet this is critical VA functional requirement. Furthermore, no other brand name, other than Barco medical display can meet VA’s form, fit and function requirement.

Specifically, using another brand name medical display will not be able to connect and function in the existing calibration infrastructure. In addition, on the clinical end-user side, diagnostic medical displays across VANEOHS must provide a consistent quality of image presentation so that the contrast, resolution, brightness, color rendering and luminance matching from workstation to workstation is as consistent as possible. This ensures that there is a consistent image presentation from workstation to workstation so that the medical display viewing characteristics are as uniform as possible across VANEOHS to accurately and efficiently provide Veterans health care. As there can be slight variations with different medical displays in terms of contrast, resolution, brightness, color rendering, and luminance, Barco medical displays will ensure consistent image presentation by proven consistency and effective QA software. As a tertiary referral center, the third largest 1a facility, VANEOHS performs an extensive amount of diagnostic comparison of multiple studies over time. VANEOHS compares the most current study with three prior studies, looking for subtle differences in the findings. Being able to display and compare four Computed Tomography (CT, a.k.a.

“CAT scan”) studies at a time is a typical need seen in everyday use, and the BARCO solution supports uniformity and quality of interpretation. Much of the CT work is the assessment of lung nodules over time in Veterans who are smokers or have smoked.

Many of these nodules are small and have a density we term “ground glass” that is, intermediate in density between fluid and a solid nodule. These require careful assessment because they fall in a gray area, literally and figuratively, which is difficult to diagnose. Some of these will prove to be a cancer over time. Precise, comparable, quality assured display of these ground glass nodules over time allows us to identify adenocarcinoma by identifying subtle changes over time. Support staff can only ensure consistent presentation by choosing a consistent workstation solution with uniform quality surveillance. This is a VA functional requirement that can only be met by Barco medical displays since the existing VANEOHS infrastructure consists entirely of Barco medical displays. Accordingly, this solution adds to both our medical display inventory while upgrading the computer portion of the workstations to modern capabilities. In addition, QAWeb is proprietary to Barco, and only medical displays manufactured by Barco seamlessly interface with the QA software and the associated enterprise quality control system. This QA software ensures that the medical displays remain in compliance for diagnostic interpretation and alerts appropriate personnel if the medical display fails a diagnostic check. There is no other brand name software that can function with both the brand name Barco medical displays and the existing calibration infrastructure and existing software. This is due to the proprietary elements of the infrastructure. The PACS workstation configuration facilitates system support, interoperability, quality and integration and provides a single support interface for VANEOHS Radiology.

Failure to procure the required brand name Barco PACS radiology workstation solution would result in VA being unable to meet its requirement to have the ability to aggregate all new and existing Barco brand medical displays into the existing software for tracking and reporting quality, verifying calibration and managing medical display performance.

The Joint Commission expects medical displays used to interpret diagnostic medical images to be checked and calibrated on a regular, ongoing basis. Only brand name Barco medical displays are compatible and interoperable with the existing Barco medical display QA infrastructure and can provide a single support interface for VANEOHS and the VISNs utilizing centralized image quality/diagnostic monitor QA reporting for The Joint Commission compliance. Further, failure to procure the required brand name Barco PACS radiology workstation solution would impede VA’s ability to provide clinicians with a consistent quality of image presentation so that the medical display viewing characteristics are as uniform as possible across VANEOHS. This would ultimately degrade the ability to accurately and efficiently provide Veterans health care.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in section 8 of this justification. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government's requirements. However, the undersigned VA technical representative determined that limited competition is available among authorized resellers for brand name BARCO Radiology workstation solution. In accordance with FAR 16.505(a)(4)(iii)(A)(1), this justification will be provided with the solicitation to all appropriate NASA SEWP V GWAC holders. Furthermore, in accordance with FAR 5.301, 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(D), and 16.505(a)(4)(iii), the award notice for this action will be synopsized on the Contract Opportunities website and this justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award.

7. Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed.

8. Market Research: VA technical personnel conducted market research in January 2020 and again in March 2020, where Government technical experts reviewed similar hardware products and software to ascertain if other brands could meet VA’s requirements. Specifically, the Government’s technical experts conducted web-based research for similar brands, including Eizo, Totoku, and Double Black Imaging. It was concluded that only Barco or an authorized reseller, can provide medical displays and integration with calibration software that is compatible and interoperable with VANEOHS currently installed PACS workstations that are outfitted with QAWeb, so the systems can seamlessly integrate into existing VANEOHS infrastructure.

Additional market research was performed by the Contract Specialist in June 2020 utilizing the Provider Lookup Tools on the NASA SEWP V GWAC website, which identified multiple Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Value Added Reseller GWAC holders in Group B(2) that provide brand name BARCO products. Therefore, limited competition is expected among SDVOSBs for this proposed action.

9. Other Facts: None

10. Technical and Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

11. Fair and Reasonable Cost Determination: I hereby determine that the anticipated price to the Government for this contract action will be fair and reasonable based on anticipated competition and discounts among multiple value-added resellers of the required brand name Barco Radiology workstation solution. Additionally, further price analysis of quotes received will be conducted to determine fair and reasonable price.

Finally, pricing of products awarded under NASA SEWP V GWAC have already been determined to be fair and reasonable.

12. Procuring Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Approval

In my role as procuring activity Advocate for Competition, based on the foregoing justification, I hereby approve the acquisition of brand name Barco PACS radiology workstation solution to include Barco Coronis Uniti MDMC-12133 12MP medical displays, with accompanying MXRT-7600 graphics cards, and Barco QAWeb calibration software licenses on an other than fair opportunity basis pursuant to the authority cited in Section 4 above, subject to availability of funds, and provided that the property and services herein described have otherwise been authorized for acquisition.