JA - Redacted.pdf

QGenda CONTROL NUMBER VA-25-00082628

QGenda informed VA by letter that GMP is the sole distributor of QGenda products.

QGenda operates within the VA OIT security architecture and is the only medical staff scheduling software that was found to be able to successfully manage the complexity of MVAHCS’s scheduling needs and requirements within a single platform. QGenda provides the ability to pull reports on-demand which are exportable to Excel, Portable Document Format and Comma-Separated Values including number of shifts worked, weekend and leave reports. Additionally, QGenda has the ability to create schedules as far out in the future as desired. These are central to patient safety, quality of Veterans care, and clinical productivity and there is currently no other product on the market that can provide all of these functionalities.

The use of an alternative scheduling software, like those referenced in Section 8, would require companies that provide similar products to develop additional functionality for their current software product to match QGenda’s current functionality, pursue ATO and FedRAMP certification and apply to undergo the extensive security review process. It is estimated that obtaining such approval by any new product to VA would require an approval process (ATO and FedRAMP) exceeding a year of time and a cost of more than $300,000 per application. These estimates are based on previous costs of similar past software applicants. QGenda is the only software that possesses both FedRAMP certification and has an ATO within Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Therefore, QGenda is the only approved scheduling software with the required permission to operate within VA security rules that will also meet MVAHCS’s scheduling needs and timeline. The duplicative costs discussed above would not be recovered through competition.

Only QGenda can provide the required technical support and license renewal needed at the MVAHCS. No other manufacturer has the ability to integrate with the existing proprietary QGenda scheduling software. Due to these proprietary constraints, utilizing any other solution would require the complete replacement of the QGenda scheduling software in place. Specifically, QGenda provides a US based dedicated support resource who can access the proprietary source code necessary to perform these services. These requirements are critical to the clinical operations to provide increased access to imaging care for Veterans, quality of care, and provider productivity.

MVAHCS is a clinical referral Level 1A tertiary care teaching hospital with 13 community clinics, offering comprehensive health care and specialized services across various fields including medicine, surgery, psychiatry, and rehabilitation using state-of-the-art technology and research. VA must have a scheduling system that is capable of simultaneously scheduling hundreds of medical staff across all 13 clinics to ensure 24/7/365 coverage is a critical component of MVAHCS’s operations. Any gap in scheduling coverage would be detrimental to not only MVAHCS’s operations, but also the operations of every VHA facility served by the program. The current solution has been in place since September of 2020 and VHA intends on using the software for at least the next three years. Not acquiring the QGenda solution for MVAHCS will lead to disruptions in patient care, increased stress on staff, operational inefficiencies, communication breakdowns, patient dissatisfaction, compliance and legal issues, and reduced continuity of care, necessitating daily updates to an Excel spreadsheet for schedules.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in Section 8 of this document. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government’s requirements. There is no competition anticipated for this acquisition.

In accordance with FAR 5.301 and 8.405-6(a)(2) the award notice for this action will be synopsized on the Contracting Opportunities Page and this justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award. Any proposals that are received shall be evaluated.

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. Specifically, the Government will continue to monitor the marketplace to determine whether other software could integrate into VA’s existing suite of QGenda applications.

8. Market Research: VA technical experts conducted market research through review of internet research for other similar software. This market research is an ongoing process which started in January 2025 and has been continuously conducted as recently as May 2025. The VA’s technical experts discovered that while other scheduling software solutions from alternative manufacturers such as Amion and UKG Kronos exist, they do not meet VA’s technical compatibility for the existing QGenda proprietary systems.

Amion and UKG Kronos also lack the ability to have an enterprise-wide standardization in handling multiple specialties and locations under one solution. In July 2025, a sole source letter was provided by QGenda, the original equipment manufacturer stating that GMP is their exclusive authorized reseller, and no other companies are authorized to resell their products.

The Contract Specialist (CS) conducted market research in June 2025 to identify sources capable of providing the brand name requirement by searching the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solution for Enterprise-wide Procurement (SEWP) V Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) Provider Lookup using key word “QGenda” and returned only two results from Alvarez, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and Blue Tech, a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). On July 8, 2025 the CS contacted QGenda to clear up the discrepancy between QGenda’s sole source letter and the NASA SEWP Provider Lookup results and QGenda confirmed that GMP is QGenda’s exclusive authorized distributor of QGenda products, who is an SDVOSB. QGenda also confirmed that those resellers found in NASA SEWP are not authorized to resell QGenda products as of 2022.

Additionally, the CS issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Contract Opportunities, dated August 7, 2025, and closed with only one response from GMP, the only authorized reseller of QGenda. As a result, it was determined that the required QGenda software licenses must be procured on a sole source basis from GMP on their GSA

MAS.

9. Other Facts: None

Technical/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.

Date

Best Value Determination I hereby determine that the proposed contract action will represent the best value to the Government consistent with FAR 8.404(d). GSA has already determined that the prices on the FSS contract are fair and reasonable.

9-9-2025

Contracting Officer Certification/Approval I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. This contract action exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold, but does not exceed $750,000, therefore, the certification required by FAR 8.405-6(d)(1) serves as the Contracting Officer’s approval.

9-9-2025