REDACTED JA Varian FullScale on Premise Final.pdf

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

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

2. Description of Action:

The proposed action is for a firm-fixed price (FFP) sole source contract with Varian Medical Systems Inc, 3100 Hansen Way, Palo Alto, California 94304, for the renewal of FullScale on Premise, an application Information Technology (IT) hosting solution that provides a single point of responsibility for support of Varian software applications and underlying server infrastructure as well as the related software maintenance.

3. Description of the Supplies or Services:

The Department of Veterans Affairs Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center (RLR VAMC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) regional area 10 (VISN 10) has a requirement for the renewal of Varian FullScale on Premise application and software maintenance. The initial purchase of this product was obtained through Network Contracting Office (NCO) 10, awarded in 2022 and was customized to meet the needs of the VA facility. This contract renewal will allow for uninterrupted continuation of services.

This product shall work alongside ARIA Oncology Information System and Eclipse (already installed Varian products in VISN 10 facilities) to support the clinical needs of patients and the workflow needs of the care teams involved in their journey. FullScale is required to run and access existing VA owned equipment. This equipment is expected to be in use for at least the next 10 years. FullScale on Premise features shall improve clinical availability by providing 24/7/365 monitoring for cyber threats, system maintenance and interruptions. Due to the restrictions placed on cloud usage, FullScale on Premise involves server equipment already installed on VA property, which shall be maintained and serviced by authorized Varian employees. Therefore, software upgrades and firmware patches for Varian products shall only be implemented by Varian personnel. The contractor must be able to provide services that will allow the facility to continue to treat patients with little to no interruption. The contractor must be able to provide a system that can support the current charting program. Server and network hardware maintenance along with data backup and protection are also required.

The total estimated value of the proposed action is for a 12-month base period and four (4) 12-month option periods.

4. Statutory Authority:

The following requirement is being justified and approved as an exception to full and open competition under the statutory authority of , as implemented by Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) VA Deviation 6.103-1 - “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

Varian FullScale on Premise Control Number

5. Rationale Supporting of Authority Cited Above:

Varian is able to meet all of the requirements. FullScale on Premise streamlines upgrades, integrations, and expansions while proactively monitoring issues. This fully integrated hosting solution is complemented by selectable monitoring, maintenance, disaster recovery and security services. Continuity is key in cancer care as the environment cannot support constant change. Delays in care for these patients reduces their curability rates and could be the difference between life and death.

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. is the exclusive manufacturer of the current VA owned radiation therapy equipment that requires maintenance and support at the RLR VAMCS. Only technicians employed by Varian have the authorization to maintain the equipment and software platform at the medical center. In addition, Varian is the only provider capable of installing software upgrades and firmware patches for their products. These upgrades are essential for keeping up with new safety features, software platform upgrades, and Operating System (OS) upgrades. The service contract includes coverage for these upgrades, as well as the required upgrades for Varian's Linac console computer systems.

Varian's service and support training, procedures, and documentation are proprietary and the intellectual property of Varian. Varian does not provide training to third-party service providers and may terminate a service agreement if parts or labor are purchased from a non-affiliated party.

The existing VA owned Varian system is complemented by Eclipse treatment planning software, revolutionizing treatment planning workflows, and ARIA Oncology Information System facilitating clinical and workflow needs. The ARIA system automates cancer staging and toxicity management, while Eclipse software sets new standards in radiation therapy. Software Service Agreements (SSA) are necessary for upgrades and patches for ARIA and Eclipse software. The Aria and Eclipse systems, along with their specifications and software, are proprietary to Varian.

Choosing an alternative source for maintenance would require the complete replacement of the entire existing VA-owned equipment currently in use at the RLR VAMC, due to the unique and customized nature of Varian's products.

When evaluating different linear accelerators such as the TrueBeam Linac system, important considerations include the cost of replacement, maintenance needs, and the availability of software and hardware upgrades for both the Linac system itself and its associated components used for diagnosis, treatment planning, and therapy delivery.

The estimated duplication of costs for new equipment is estimated at The time to acquire, install, and implement the new equipment is estimated to take three and a half years. These estimates are based on previous acquisition history. These duplicated costs would not be recovered through competition.

This acquisition is necessary in order to keep the VA owned equipment and system updated and compliant. Not upgrading poses a risk of performance issues or outages impacting VA’s ability to provide patient care for Veterans facing potentially life-threatening cancer diseases.

Other VA facilities have experienced significant issues with data backup which led to investigations, legal, and care issues as patient care information was lost overnight.

Virus protection and security are a crucial requirement as well due to the presence of PHI. Varian holds a proprietary restriction over its equipment and software meaning that only Varian can provide software and firmware maintenance.

6. Efforts to Obtain Competition:

Market research was conducted, details of which are in the market research section of this document. Given the highly specialized nature of the software and equipment and inability to work with other systems, this effort did not yield any additional sources. There is no competition anticipated for this acquisition. In accordance with the RFO VA Deviation 5.301(a) and 6.103(d) the award notice for this action will be synopsized on www.SAM.gov and the 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:

The Government’s technical experts conducted market research by attending radiation oncology trade shows, conducting internet searches, and reviewing industry trade publications. While Elekta, Veteran First Industries, and Regan Technology were identified as potential alternatives, they all would require the complete replacement of existing hardware as none of these alternatives could provide replacement parts or support upgrades and patches to the existing software required to run the existing VA owned hardware as described above.

On July 16, 2025, the Government contract specialist (CS) posted a Request for Information (RFI) on SAM.gov under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 811210, Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance.

The RFI closed on July 22, 2025, with no responses received. On March 11, 2026, the Government CS posted an additional RFI on SAM.gov under NAICS code 811210. The RFI closed on March 18, 2026, with two responses received. Of those, only one respondent was determined to be technically capable of meeting the full requirement.

ey are not an authorized Varian reseller, service provider, or source for Varian proprietary radiation oncology software, software maintenance, licensing, upgrades, or OEM-backed support. The respondent’s capability was contingent on replacing the existing Varian infrastructure. Therefore, the Government’s technical experts have determined that only Varian FullScale on Premise can meet the full requirement. Additionally, Varian confirmed that only Varian can install or provide upgrades to their systems. Varian does not train third-party service providers in the commercial marketplace. This proprietary restriction further supports the determination that no other source can satisfy the agency’s requirement. Therefore, the Contracting Officer has determined that this solicitation will be released as a sole source action to Varian Medical Systems Inc.

9. Other Facts:

None

10. 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.

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 historical pricing and a comparison with the Independent Government Cost Estimate.

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