NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE.docx

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SOLE SOURCE

Department of Veterans Affairs, Baltimore VA Medical Center Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, 10 N. Greene St, Baltimore, MD 21201 intends to award a sole source contract award to Data Innovation. The period of performance will be from November 1, 2025, to October 31, 2026. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE QUOTES; however, any firm that believes it can meet the requirements may give written notification prior to the response due date and time. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to perform the requirements. Responses received will be evaluated; however, a determination by the Government not to complete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. If no responses are received, the Government will proceed with the award. Responses are due by October 24, 2025, 8:00am (EST). Responses shall be submitted via e-mail to jennifer.elkins2@va.gov. Telephone requests or inquiries will not be accepted.

*NOTE: ANY POTENTIAL OFFER MUST HAVE AN AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR LETTER OR YOUR RESPONSED WILL BE DISCARDED.

STATEMENT OF WORK

2. Contract Title.

Upgrade Instrument Manager Middleware (IM) from version 8.14 to version 9.0 and maintenance support services.

3. Background.

Service: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service The Data Innovation (DI) middleware is composed of a server that houses the main software and acts as a hub to communicate through a series of smaller boxes that are configured for the various laboratory vendor analyzers. They translate the computer language of the Vista hospital laboratory package to the language of the analyzer and vice versa for resulting patient lab tests in a seamless, automated fashion. There are more than 25 analyzers within the Baltimore and Perry Point Laboratory systems that use this software to communicate. This communication provides fast and reliable turnaround times for patient results to the physicians and nurses caring for the veterans. If the system experiences downtime, it directly affects patient care. Support is required 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. The support covers all parts of the middleware solution, including the software on the server and the drivers configured on each Secure Network Interface (SNI), Portable Device Interface (PDI), and lantronix box. Fees are charged for the service as a whole, not based on the number of boxes, as this number constantly fluctuates with new systems being implemented and old systems being retired. New drivers need to be developed for new instrumentation released by all major laboratory testing companies.

Instrument Manager (IM) (va.gov) Software

· This is a well-documented technology.

· At the time, no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) vulnerabilities had been reported and no VA Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) bulletins had been issued for the latest versions of this technology.

· This technology features Laboratory Intelligence which displays Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through pivot tables in interactive dashboards to monitor processes, which may improve performance.

· This technology provides built-in backup capability even when a Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) is unavailable. The solution can automatically print chartable reports and complete audit trails for full traceability. The technology can generate ad hoc reports with any Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) compliant application.

4. Salient Characteristics:

All upgrades are performed using web sessions between DI and the VAMHCS.

DI Tech support are NOT given Site access or Login Access to VA systems. Details of the professional services are listed below:

· DI will assist with installing the latest version of Instrument Manager software v9.0 on the Customer's new Test, Production, and Failover servers.

· DI will assist the Customer with the configuration of the Test server, if necessary, to mimic the existing Production server configuration.

· DI will assist with updating all relevant drivers to the latest version.

· DI will provide a brief technical overview of the new Mirroring functionality, including prerequisite steps to ensure successful configuration at Go-Live.

· DI will assist with troubleshooting as necessary while the customer executes their validation plan for the upgrade and Go-Live planning.

· DI will assist the Customer with the migration of databases from the old to the new Production server and validated driver files from Test to the new Production server.

· DI will assist Customer resources with the configuration of Mirroring functionality on the Production and Failover servers.

· DI will migrate over the validated Test system configuration to the Upgraded Production system.

· DI will assist with establishing connectivity from the new Production server to all analyzers.

· DI will provide dedicated remote Go-Live support for up to eight (8) hours.

5. Specific Tasks:

The DI team will assign one (1) Project Manager and one (1) Technical Consultant to deliver the scoped IM Upgrade Service and to provide support to the Customer regarding the IM Upgrade Service process.

When new instrumentation is bought, it is the responsibility of the company to purchase the driver and hardware for the initial installation and implementation of the interface product. Once it is part of our system it should be covered by this contract for service and support.