Sources Sought - Semi-Auto Packer.docx

This is a Sources Sought to conduct market research to determine the availability of any vendor who is capable of providing the requirement for Semi-Automated Packing System. Please see Statement of Work below for details and note that this is not the final draft of the document.

This requirement is for The Department of Veterans Affairs, Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) located at 3209 Elam Farms Parkway in Murfreesboro, TN. The sources sought does not guarantee the issuance of an RFQ. If you have the availability to provide the requirement, please respond to the sources sought with a capabilities statement.

The sources sought is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. The VA is not currently seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to the sources sought; all costs associated with responding to the sources sought will be solely at the interested vendor’s expense.

Not responding to the sources sought does not preclude participation in any future RFQ, if any is issued.

Any information submitted by respondents to this Sources Sought is strictly voluntary. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

Please note that requirements defined to date may change before a final solicitation is released. Sources Sought requirements are as follows:

1. Please acknowledge if your company is an authorized provider of this item.

2. Submit responses and related information via email to renee.kreutzer@va.gov by 5:00 PM, CDT on May 17th, 2021. Proprietary/Confidential material shall be clearly marked on every page that contains such. Include the name, phone number, and email address of the lead from your organization, business name and DUNS #. VA reserves the right not to respond to any or all emails or materials submitted.

3. Provide Past Performance Records

4. Provide Past Historical Data on similar procurements or contracts

5. Must be licensed and certified to perform the work in the State of Tennessee, provide all licenses and certification required

Statement of Work Semi-Automated Packing System U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy Murfreesboro, TN

1. GLOSSARY OF TERMS

APFS – Automated Prescription Fulfillment System AUOU – see UUA BULK – Non-NDC or high unit count pharmacy items on a prescription.

CDB –Central Database hosting the patient orders at VA’s central location CMOP – Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy – VA’s high-volume prescription filling unit.

Container – a logistical entity that contains tablet/capsule or a UOU retail pack dispensed on a Rx. Sometimes referred to as Item being dispensed CS – Control Substance Prescription Item – Drug or ancillary item. Sometimes interchangeably referred to as Container. See Container below.

M-CMOP – Mid-South Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy NDC - National Drug Code, a unique 10-digit or 11-digit code and universal product identifier for human drugs dispensed in a pharmacy. NDCs defines a specific manufacture, drug, strength, dosage form, and packaging code/quantity.

NFPA – National Fire Protection Association Package – A collection of one or more patient orders in a shippable form (bag/box/cooler etc.)

PIL – Patient Information Literature Patient Order – Identifies a single order to a specific patient and all the associated RX prescriptions contained in that order. Patient orders are unique to a package and may contain multiple RX prescriptions and multiple containers. For the purposes of this request, it can be assumed that there will be ONLY ONE DELIVERY PACKAGE PER ORDER.

POS – Pharmacy Operating System Project - Pharmacy Printing and Packing Automation QMSI – Current Pharmacy Operating System used to fulfil orders in the Sam Jared site and same functions being carried out partly in the Elam Farms site Rx – Prescription. An RX prescription identifies a single NDC prescribed to a specific patient. A single prescription may consist of multiple bottles/cartons (also known as containers) of a prescribed drug.

SOCO - St. Onge Company – the supply chain engineering firm assisting CMOP with the RFQ exercise.

TCA - Tablet and Capsule Automation Subsystem Throughput – The amount of material or items passing through a system or process.

TSP – Tote Semi-Auto Packer – A type of staffed packing workstation assisted by electro-mechanical devices commonly used in order fulfillment operation.

UUA - Unit of Use Automation.

UOU – Unit of Use VA – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VISTA/CERNER – VA’s central system for veteran’s EHR information storage & processing Operational Terms:

ACK - Acknowledge CONTAINER – Labeled item in patient order (some RXs can contain multiple containers). Can be either:

NEW RX – First fill of the patient prescription NAK – Non-Acknowledge ORDER – Single mailing unit to patient with all requested items/prescriptions REFILL RX – Refill of existing patient prescription RX – Prescription from physician to patient Tablet/Capsule Vial (ex: countable pills in a bottle) UOU – Unit of Use Container (ex: retail pack format) Order Type Definitions:

CONTROLS – Orders to be dispensed and packed in the Controlled Substances work area that contain only controlled substances NDCs MANUAL – Orders filled entirely in manual work area currently TOTE – Orders that will reach their pack area in totes; this includes orders with:

UOU: >=1 UOU containers dispensed from the Sam Jared AUOU work area COMBO: >=1 UOU container and >=1 TCA container dispensed from AUOU/ATD, respectively VIAL – Orders that will reach their pack area in vials; this only includes orders with all RX(s) dispensed at counted tablets or pills.

Area Definitions:

ATD - Automated Tablet Dispensing AUOU - Automated Unit of Use Dispensing CONTROLS – Controls (C3-5 only) area manual dispensing MUOU – Manual Dispensing for Unit of Use Items MTD – Manual Tablet Dispensing

Overview The United States Department of Veterans Affairs Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (VA CMOP) processes over 500,000 prescriptions per day at seven regional sites. Prescriptions are entered into the patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) at VA hospitals and clinics, then transmitted to the assigned CMOP for processing and mailing to the veteran. The current EHR is an older, homegrown, legacy system called VistA that will be phased out during this decade and replaced by a new, Cerner-based, Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solution. Current estimates are to have all VA facilities fully operational on Cerner by 2028.

Currently, the Mid-South CMOP processes an average of 53,000 scripts per day at two separate locations. The first location, Sam Jared, is an older facility at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, TN. The second, newer facility, known as Elam Farms, is approximately ten miles south. The goal of the VA is to service the full Mid-South prescription volume from a single facility.

Currently all single and multi-prescription patient orders containing automated tablet NDCs from Sam Jared have been moved to Elam Farms. where they are being processed manually outside of APFS in a new, dedicated manual dispense area. Unit of Use (UOU) processing continues at Sam Jared using an older A-Frame system, but the VA’s intent is to bring Sam Jared UOU volume into Elam Farms when APFS technology allows it. All controlled NDCs (C3-5 only) are processed at Elam Farms in a separate “Controls” area.

Suppliers are advised that additional equipment proposed under this RFQ may be expanded significantly as separate alternatives are being developed to modify, supplement, or potentially replace some or all the current Automated Pharmacy Fulfillment System (APFS). The VA would greatly prefer to maintain a single semi-auto packing equipment vendor servicing both the current manual and future state APFS support operation. Flexibility of the Supplier’s equipment to adapt and support changes in production line layout and operations is of critical importance to the VA.

VA CMOP desires to increase the amount of automation within their Elam Farms location. This RFQ is part of the process designed to increase the level of automation at this facility. All automation proposed in response to this RFQ shall be designed for durability and a minimal level of maintenance.

This RFQ is intended to solicit proposals for the facility's manual area where the operator-assisted printing and packing are to be provided. Fully automated printing and packing are currently NOT desired for this effort. A semi-automated solution is highly desired due to this past performance and the possibility that printing and packing stations may need to be relocated as the final automation solution for the facility nears.

Proposals will be evaluated to select the best, most reliable automation support, and the most cost-effective means of providing the best value solution for the M-CMOP.

The specific area to add automation are:

Semi-Automated Print and Pack – In the relocated manual area tablet/capsule, product is picked and dispensed manually and sent to labeling and pharmacist verification (PV2) stations via a central belt conveyor. Packing is completed after PV2, where Patient Information Literature (PIL) sheets are generated, scanned, and added to the bag, and the order sealed. For large volume orders, some of the manual packing stations will pack into corrugated boxes; however, most orders are packed into bags. Sealed bags are placed in a bulk mail center container for transportation to a third-party facility for manifesting and mailing to the veteran (typically via USPS carrier).

VACMOP is requesting a turn-key proposal for the addition of semi-automated packaging machines to service the manual dispense operation and the controlled NDC area (where RXs also filled manually in a similar manner).

The Pharmacy Operating System (POS), currently QMSI, is the overall pharmacy-control system utilized in the operation's applicable section for both Controlled and non-controlled drugs. POS is also the primary interface to the EHR for this operation. Another software system currently services the APFS for non-QMSI orders but does not apply to this RFP.

Select areas in the pharmacy receive work from POS, process the work, and report back to POS. This is the desired approach for the printing and packing automation to be added to the pharmacy. This requires an interface to POS both to receive information defining the work to be done and to return the completed work information back to POS to close out the order.

Facility Location

US Department of Veterans Affairs Mid-South CMOP 3209 Elam Farms Parkway Murfreesboro, TN 37127

Confidentiality VA CMOP considers all equipment, systems, distribution processes, and documentation relating to such equipment, systems, and processes to be confidential and proprietary information. The Supplier will not distribute, disclose, or disseminate, in any way, such information to anyone except its employees who are involved in this proposal response effort.

All information relating to this Project is considered confidential information. This includes not only technical and requirements information but also non-technical information such as costs, prices, and sizes of equipment, quantities, material, etc. The Supplier agrees to keep such information in confidence. No information relative to the Project shall be released by the Supplier, either before or after completion of the project, for publication or advertising purposes without the prior written consent of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Drawings Supplied Plan views of the existing Elam Farms pharmacy are provided to scale in the attached. An approximate location and quantity for the equipment is identified. Please note that due to COVID travel restrictions, the drawings are close estimates of current state conditions at Elam Farms. Suppliers will be afforded the opportunity to visit the Elam Farms facility in advance of the due date of this proposal, subject to public health restrictions. Should such restrictions not support a visit, CMOP will take steps through photos and videos to explain the applicable operation in the Elam Farms facility.

Supplier Qualifications Suppliers should recognize that the Purchaser’s selection team may wish to visit one or more installed sites and be prepared to support such requests. In lieu of travel, the Purchaser evaluation team may choose to contact past performance references without the Supplier being present.

Technical Submissions with the Quotation The Supplier shall recommend the quantity of stations required to meet throughput requirements. The Supplier should also recommend content and quantity of spare parts that should be maintained by the Purchaser with prices and estimated delivery times. This information shall be submitted with the quotation.

All physical characteristics of the proposed equipment are to be submitted. These include the critical dimensions related to length, width, height, capacity, and clearances.

Mechanical and electrical requirements (power, voltage, current, etc.) of the Supplier’s proposed solution should be provided.

Any and all control software / systems and its interfaces to operating the Supplier equipment should be clearly specified and called out.

Numerous requirements are elicited in this RFQ. Suppliers are advised to respond in as much technical detail as possible with the quotation.

Submissions shall contain a supplier-developed plan view and elevations as required to demonstrate the supplier proposed equipment installation details. The equipment numbers provided in the drawing should match the Supplier’s proposed solution.

Training, Maintenance, and Warranty Submissions Suppliers are requested to submit information regarding available services for repair and maintenance. Such shall include the names and locations of a local representative, service hours, factory branches, or manufacturer’s representatives capable of supplying spare parts, maintenance, and warranty service to the Purchaser’s facility.

The Supplier is to provide training for the Purchaser in the proper repair and preventive/corrective maintenance of the equipment.

The Supplier shall provide a listing of the top three repairs to be expected for each type of electro-mechanical system proposed, necessary corrective action, and the expected mean time between failures for these occurrences.

The equipment shall be warrantied for workmanship, materials, design, installation, and performance for a period of time to be agreed upon from day of beneficial use at VA CMOP. Specific warranty and guarantee information is to be submitted with the quotation. For all key subcomponents (defined as those listed on the recommended spare parts inventory list), vendors should provide information from subcomponent suppliers on the anticipated life cycle of each key subcomponent. Warranty offerings will be considered in the quotation evaluation.

Any warranty should be a minimum one-year unconditional extended warranty, which will include all parts and labor. Normal wear items are excluded.

Quotation Submittal Time Frame Quotations shall constitute an offer to do business that shall remain open for acceptance for a period of 180 days after the quotation due date.

Prices, Risk of Loss, and Title All prices quoted shall be in US dollars utilized at the date of the quotation. The pricing proposed is to be FOB to the VA CMOP Pharmacy (Elam Farms) in Murfreesboro, TN. Notwithstanding the FOB point, risk of loss, or damage to the materials and title, the material shall remain with the Supplier and shall pass to the Purchaser only upon Acceptance.

Exceptions and Alternates Exceptions taken to the base scope, technical requirements, working conditions, project management requirements, or commercial terms and conditions are to be clearly noted in the Supplier Quotation.

Suppliers are encouraged to present, as alternatives, any changes or modifications that would improve the overall operations or offer a cost-reduction potential to the Purchaser with no impairment to the performance requirements set forth in the RFQ. Such modifications shall be presented in the form of an addition, deletion, or substitution to the base bid described in the RFQ. Layout and elevation drawings of alternatives or modifications will add clarification to such submittals.

Proposal Contents Suppliers are required to follow the prescribed format and supply all required information to be considered in the evaluation. Furthermore, all quotations must reflect the requirements identified in this request with no deviations. The quotation format will be as follows:

Attachment 1 - Project Overview A narrative summary identifying the Supplier’s understanding of the job content and an overview of the proposed system shall be provided.

Attachment 2 - Product Information All available product literature, including technical literature relating to the equipment and operating software required for this project, shall be supplied as part of the quotation.

Attachment 3 - Subcontractors and Suppliers A list of all planned suppliers/subcontractors shall be attached to the Proposal Form. The list shall contain the names and addresses of tentative suppliers/subcontractors and identify major components or services that would be provided. The socio-economic status of any proposed subcontractor should be provided. Written confirmation from key subcontractors that they have agreed to be part of the supplier’s team should be provided. Prior to the award of any contract, the Purchaser must approve the actual suppliers/subcontractors.

Attachment 4 - Supplier Offered Alternatives The base quotation is to be bid per this RFQ, which should include all “standard” equipment and will consist of the “minimum” design requirements set forth by this request. HOWEVER, SUPPLIER-OFFERED ALTERNATIVES ARE SOLICITED WHERE THE SUPPLIER FEELS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SYSTEM CAN BE IMPROVED. A DESCRIPTION OF THESE OPTIONS AND THE COST IMPACT OF EACH MUST BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS AN “ADD,” “DEDUCT,” OR “ALTERNATIVE” FROM THE BASE QUOTATION.

Attachment 6 - References and Qualifications A list of current and/or recently completed projects of similar scope and nature showing contract value, type of system supplied, and when completed, shall be provided in the quotation. A contact’s name and phone number for each project shall be included. A minimum of three such projects are to be listed. Contacts provided should be knowledgeable in the history of the installation, operating performance, and maintenance history of the installation. Contacts in the Mid-South region are preferred but need not be limited to this geographical area. If applicable, federal government procurements should be included.

Attachment 7 - Proposal Form A copy of the Proposal Form to be used for this project is contained in the RFQ. Spaces are provided in the form for information on total price, price breakdown, and schedule. All blanks must be completed.

The Supplier is to provide specific prices for materials, delivery, and installation, as indicated. The pricing must include the loading of equipment at the Supplier factory, delivery, and unloading at the customer’s site.

Attachment 8 - Technical Submissions As described in the related sections of this document.

Attachment 9 - Training, Maintenance and Warranty Submissions As described in the related sections of this document.

Attachment 10 - Bill of Materials A complete Bill of Materials shall be supplied with the quotation reflecting total component quantities, required software, delivery weight, and expected number of truckloads to be shipped.

Oral Presentations In addition to the written response Suppliers may be invited to conduct oral presentations, such invitations will be at the discretion of the VA and will take place at the Mid-South CMOP, unless public health conditions dictate doing so remotely.

Travel and labor funding for oral presentations will be the responsibility of the Supplier. The Government will not provide any reimbursement for oral presentations.

Project Schedule Project Schedule Requirements As part of the quotation, Suppliers are to provide a proposed schedule for the work. The Purchaser envisions the schedule below. The Supplier shall perform the work in phases. With the quotation, the Supplier shall submit a firm schedule for the system delivery and installation. As a minimum, this schedule shall detail the elements and duration relating to the following milestones. It is expected that fabrication, shipment, and installation will be overlapping and concurrent activities.

Project Schedule Submissions With the quotation, the Supplier shall submit a firm schedule for the packing automation being quoted. At a minimum, this schedule shall detail the elements and duration relating to the following milestones.

1. Functional Design Review and Approval by Purchaser. This milestone constitutes the approval of the equipment design for the physical layout and mechanical configuration. All design criteria listed in the RFQ must be met. This approval does not relieve the equipment Supplier of the responsibility for the operational or structural integrity of the designs. Functional design review/approval meetings will be held at the Mid-South VA CMOP in Murfreesboro, TN, or remotely if public health conditions dictate.

2. Fabrication Timeline. This milestone constitutes a schedule approval for the procurement and fabrication of major components. This schedule shall be reviewed and updated by the Supplier with approval by the Purchaser or Purchaser’s Project Manager.

3. Factory Acceptance Testing – FAT- System testing at the Supplier’s facility prior to shipping to the site.

4. Shipment to Site. This milestone constitutes the approval by the Purchaser of the scheduled delivery date(s) to the job site. Any deviations from the required schedule defined in this document are to be approved in writing at least ten working days prior to shipment.

5. Installation Timeline. Upon receipt at the facility, the equipment components will be unloaded by the equipment Supplier. The Purchaser reserves the right to make a complete inspection of the delivered materials at this time. Upon approval, the Supplier shall begin or continue installation, training, and commissioning as required for the respective system.

6. Acceptance. The Purchaser shall conduct acceptance testing as defined in this RFQ. The Supplier shall be responsible for a quality, reliable product that meets the criteria, capacity, and loading described in all sections of this request. Beneficial use of the equipment may take place before full project installation and acceptance are complete.

operational Requirements

The following section describes the design approach to be followed when designing the automation to be applied for this program.

Process Current State process flow is summarized as follows:

Currently, there are 40 manual stations conducting dispensing, pharmacist verification, and packing operations. The flow chart below summarizes current state operations.

Figure 1 Mid-South CMOP – Manual Processing and Controlled Drug Areas Mid-South CMOP Configuration Requirements Appendix A shows the planned configuration and approximate location of the semi-auto packing equipment. Please note that the number and dimensions of the equipment shown are notional in nature and should be adjusted to match the Supplier’s proposed solution and ability of the Supplier’s equipment to reach system throughput requirements. Due to space limitations in the manual area it will be imperative that a design and equipment that provides maximum throughput in a minimal footprint be provided in the Supplier’s response.

Mid-South CMOP Implementation Phasing Vendors will need to coordinate with the Project Manager to develop an effective integration and implementation plan that will not interfere with existing operations. This may require off-hours and weekend installation. Installations of semi-auto packing equipment in the Control drug area shall require additional security measures (CMOP escorts) due to the sensitivity of NDCs being stored and dispensed in this area.

Interface to POS Information for orders being routed to the automation stations will be sent from POS to the semi-auto packer workstation controller. When the order has been bagged and released to the mailing conveyor or placed back into a tote, the semi-auto packer workstation controller will return the order information back to POS.

If the vendor has previously interfaced with POS pharmacy control system, they should propose defining the interface message. The minimum information to be sent from POS for each order is:

1. Tote ID (read by RFID)

2. Order number

3. Complete address including the name

4. Return Address (unique to VA Medical Centers and clinics originating the Rx)

5. Bar code ID to print on the mailing label (unique to the order)

6. Pages to print for the Patient Information Literature (PIL) pack (including med guides), including the bar code for first and last page.

7. Patient label information per Section

8. Any other data elements as requested by the Semi-Auto Packer workstation controller to perform its task.

The minimum information to be returned from the Semi-Auto Packer workstation controller to POS for each bag (order) is:

1. Order number

2. Confirmation scan of bar code of each bottle placed into the bag

a. Patient label ID

b. NDC

c. If bottle missing, place order into a tote, identify missing item

d. For no-read bottle, set an item no-read flag

e. If wrong bottle, set QA flag and place order in a tote

f. If incorrect scans occur, the system shall be designed to prevent processing any future orders until the problem order is resolved or overridden by supervisory personnel. Personnel with override rites will be assigned in the control system by senior CMOP management.

3. Confirmation scan of each UOU item being placed into the bag or tote

a. Patient label ID

b. NDC

c. UPC barcode of UOU item

d. If UOU is not placed into bag or tote, set item missing flag

4. Bar code of first and last PIL printed page in the bag

5. Automation station ID that processed this order

6. Date/Time the order was completed (released to the mailing conveyor)

7. Operator ID that processed this order at this station In addition to the two messages above, the following messages should also be supported by the interface.

1. Heartbeat (to verify the connection between the systems)

2. ACK and NAK message to indicate receipt of messages (a NAK should trigger a re-send for a settable number of times before a fault is generated and the controller requests assistance).

3. Automation status – online/offline/maintenance for each workstation

4. Currently logged in operator identification

5. Operator Logout time at the workstation

6. Number of orders completed since the last operator login to the workstation The workstation controller will be capable of continuing operation should the connection to host system be temporarily disrupted. This may require local queue buffer in controller memory to hold work-in-progress information. The workstation controller will continue operating until an unknown dispensed RX is encountered (have not received information for the RX), at which time the order processing will cease. If the workstation controller has additional work in its memory buffer that can be performed independently of host interface, the workstation shall continue processing orders until no more work can be completed. Information shall be queued until the connection to host system is restored; at that time, the information will be uploaded to the host system for work completed. The workstation controller will continue to try to reconnect the interface while work is continuing.

Data Analysis – ORDER profile & throughput Requirements The following section provides the data analysis and specific requirements for the Mid-South (Elam Farms) facility semi-auto packing requirements.

Data analysis shown in this document is intended to provide an estimate of required equipment throughput needs.

Calculation Assumptions and Methodology Data Scope:

The M-CMOP transactional data collected and represented in this section below was for the period from April 4, 2019 to April 22, 2020.

Additionally, orders/containers that meet any/all of the following criteria are out-of-scope for any proposed equipment:

· RXs filled in bulk work area.

· Orders/RXs packed out in non-bags (i.e., ambient box or cold chain box)

· Orders with greater than five containers (excluding any bulk containers)

· Heavy/Bulky packages Hours of Operation:

M-CMOP pharmacy currently runs one shift operation in the manual area from 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Hourly design requirements are calculated as the daily volume divided by 7.5 working hours. Although the current operation is 9.5 hours working hours, CMOP’s goal is to provide sufficient automation equipment to complete the packing in a traditional 7.5-hour shift.

Order Splitting Calculation Assumption:

Orders containing RXs from an automated work area (either ATD or AUOU), the manual dispense work area, and/or the bulk area are currently split and treated as separate orders for operations. The ATD/AUOU portion of the order is filled, labeled, packed, and shipped in one area of the pharmacy, the Manual portion of the order is completed in the manual work area, and the Bulk portion of the order is completed in a third work area in the pharmacy. The (up to) three portions of the order are not married prior to packing/shipping; instead, they are shipped to the patient as separate packages for their one order.

Controlled RXs are presented in a separate Batch Transmission File (.TRN) and are not split out.

This practice is assumed to continue in future pharmacy operations, and the manual portion of the order is excluded from the scope of the analysis.

VA CMOP Data Analysis Only Tote, Puck, and Controls orders from POS historical data are used in the calculations in this section.

Order Profile Overall Order Profile:

Overall Order Profile

Order Profile by Order Type:

Order Profile by Order Type

Throughput Profile Overall Throughput Summary:

Packing Daily Throughput Requirements

Packing Hourly Throughput Requirements

Average Hours Worked per Day: 7.5

Throughput by Order Type:

Daily Throughput Requirements by Order Type

Hourly Throughput Requirements by Order Type

Average Hours per Day: 7.5

New vs. Refill Throughput Summary:

Hourly Throughput Requirements by Order Type

Packing Profile Orders can be packed into bags, ambient boxes, or cold chain boxes. The profile for package type and containers per package by order type is shown below.

Order Profiles by Containers per Order:

Overall:

Pack Type Profile - OVERALL

Packing Profile – Containers on Order OVERALL

Manual Orders:

Pack Type Profile - Manual

Packing Profile – Containers on Order MANUAL

Controls Orders:

Pack Type Profile - Controls

Packing Profile – Containers on Order CONTROLS

The semi-auto packers must be capable of handling the bag volume; the daily throughput required for this volume is shown below:

Projected Growth The design window is from 2021 to 2032 and has growth rate of 2% per year. The tables below summarize the projected orders, RXs, and container requirements year-over-year for next 12 years. Please note that 2020 is considered year 0. Suppliers should assume order profile remains constant in forecast shown below. Supplier should provide a baseline proposal on 2025 volumes at average plus one standard deviation.

Mid-South Forecasted Semi-Auto Packer Volume

Mid-South Forecasted Semi-Auto Packer Volume (contd.)

System Requirements General System Requirements Table 1 provides a list of requirements for the Semi-Auto Packing System Automation Controller.

1.0 Bar Code

2.0 Interface

3.0 Manufacturer Support

4.0 Reports

5.0 Specification

8. Work Queues in Memory

Table 1 Automation Control System Requirements Automation Control System Data Accessibility Requirement As part of the ongoing process-improvement initiatives, access to all processing data from the automation controller is essential. Therefore, it is required that all data captured and stored by the automation be open to external analysis and available for full downloads in an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)-compliant, unencrypted format. The preferred method is to provide a means for a full-system backup of all databases used for system operations. The backup database is to be fully accessible for review of data content and extraction.

Required data accessibility includes, but is not limited to, each and every processing time stamp captured by the automation, including patient information, order details, audit and record edits, all personnel scans, and information captured on staff involved during processing of the order.

Automation Controller Interface to POS All necessary order or work information will be sent from POS to the automation. It is the responsibility of the automation to capture and decode the file from POS prior to giving an acknowledgment (ACK) back to POS of completed, bagged, and labeled orders with applicable Patient Information Literature (PIL).

Provide audible/visual signal if Interface is Down The interface to POS is a two-way interface. This provides the opportunity for the interface to go down and prevent POS from passing down or receiving work complete information. If POS does not immediately recognize the loss of the interface, data may continue to be sent, but the data is not received by the automation software. The automation controller shall provide a visual indication on the controller screen when the interface is down.

Operate When Interface to Host is Down Loss of the interface with host system should not impede the system from continuing to work until all work that has been received from host system is completed. Once the connection is re-established, new data will be received, and current work status will be uploaded to host system.

Automatically Recover from Downed Interface The automation software should be capable of automatically recovering from a downed interface without requiring manual intervention. A log of the time the interface is re-established should be maintained to help enable pharmacy personnel to investigate/recover any orders that may not have been received.

As part of the automatic recovery, the automation shall be capable of recognizing and consolidating any “duplicate” work. The work in the automation shall be updated to contain the most complete and recent record.

Order Tracking The automation shall be capable of tracking and displaying the status of all work in process. Scanning any item will bring up the status screen showing the current state of all work in process. For automated packaging controllers, the status screen will display all items in the order and the status of each.

Maintain Complete Work History The automation controller will keep a record for each item processed. The record shall include the workstation where the work was performed and date/time stamps for each activity required to complete the work. The data shall be searchable by various parameters, such as workstation, order, time period, etc.

Support Limiting Functionality Based on “Log-in” The automation controller shall have the capability to limit tasks that can be performed by an individual based on the individual’s log-in and their “rights” (role-based security). The local system administrator will be capable of changing an individual’s rights. At least three different levels (e.g., operator, supervisor, super-user) of rights may be required.

Reporting A suite of reports is to be developed that will support managing the pharmacy. Specific requirements and formats are to be developed during the course of the first installation and approved by the Project Manager or their representatives.

Specific areas that are anticipated to require reports involve:

1. Quality – This report should provide data on the number of wrong scans, by station or function, that have occurred during a configurable period.

2. Productivity - A series of reports should focus on productivity parameters. These include tasks performed by the station and include idle, average, mean, standard deviation, and peak process times. Another report should provide statistical information about the work performed by the station during a configurable period.

System Updates There must be a means for the supplier to keep the software and databases current over the life of the system (the period of the service contract). The updates should occur after informing and receiving approval from local pharmacy personnel. The updates should occur during an off-shift period when the system is not in use. A means to accomplish this update is to be included as part of the quote provided. UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, SYSTEM SHOULD NOT PERMIT ANY AUTOMATIC UPDATES TO THE SOFTWARE OR FIRMWARE WITHOUT VA APPROVAL.

System Reliability The Supplier shall provide a reliable computer system. In addition, a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) 1 database is to be utilized that provides 100% redundancy should a disk drive fail. The computer system should be available 99.9% of the time based on any system hardware failures. If more than two servers are required, vendors are encouraged to consider virtualization as means to minimize hardware investments.

A 20-minute UPS is to be provided for the computer system to enable the backup power to come on-line without an interruption in operations. The UPS should also power the clients’ personal computers (PCs).

LITERATURE Pack Printing Requirements The semi-automated bagging controller is required to print the literature packet required for the order. A print packet file (all required drug information sheets required for an order) will be sent to the printer. First and last sheets in the literature packet is to be scanned to verify printing.

Printer Requirements A black and white laser printer is required for each semi-auto packer station. The printer must be capable of a minimum of 600 dpi. The pages to be printed will utilize “normal,” 20-pound, 8-1/2 by 11” paper. The paper cassette should hold a minimum amount of paper to support full operations for four hours. The printer should have multiple paper cassettes with the capability to operate on one of the cassettes while the other is replenished. Printers shall be capable of one or two side printing.

Minimum printer capacity should be 33 pages per minute single side (average pages per PIL plus two standard deviations at 2 orders/minute) with 150,000 pages printed before routine printer maintenance (roughly two weeks at full single shift capacity).

All printers shall be capable of printing 2-dimensional bar codes.

In order to increase the throughput of the printing operation, PILs should be fully printed immediately upon an RFID read of the order tote(s) or the first scan of a label on the veteran’s order. Multiple printing discharge slots should be provided by the system (minimum of 10), and operators should be directed through lights of other means to the correct slot housing the appropriate PIL.

Due to space constraints and potential reconfiguration of the manual operation, flow of orders from PV2 to the system auto-packer will be manual in nature.