6515--BRAND NAME OR EQUAL: CARSTENS CAREPOD - Secure Storage with Fold-Down Work Surface

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is seeking to procure a Brand Name or Equal CARSTENS CAREPOD - Secure Storage with Fold-Down Work Surface through this pre-solicitation notice. The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 8 is the procuring agency for this requirement, which falls under NAICS code 339113 (Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing). Vendors must be properly registered in the System Award Management database (SAM) and SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) if applicable, and all items must be new rather than refurbished or recycled. Quote submissions must include the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number, small business status, authorized distributor letter on manufacturer letterhead if the quoter is a distributor, price list documentation, and a completed FAR 52.225-1 Buy American Supplies form. The solicitation will be available on August 19, 2025, and distributed exclusively through SAM.gov. Responses are due to Contract Specialist Carlos Escobar at carlos.escobar2@va.gov by August 26, 2025.

This procurement is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside, with the small business size standard set at 800 employees for the applicable NAICS code. No incumbent contractors or potential award values are specified in the pre-solicitation notice. The solicitation allows for "Brand Name or Equal" products, providing vendors flexibility to offer equivalent alternatives to the specified CARSTENS CAREPOD model. Performance will occur at the VA Healthcare System facility located at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd, Bay Pines, Florida 33744. The procurement timeline is compressed, with only seven days between the solicitation availability date and the quote submission deadline. Vendors have a brief window from August 19 to August 26, 2025, to prepare and submit their responses for this medical equipment procurement.