6515--Sources Sought - Tissue Tek VIP 6 AI Vacuum

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network 2, specifically the Buffalo VA Medical Center, is conducting a sources sought notice to identify potential manufacturers and distributors for a Tissue Tek VIP 6 AI Vacuum system and related accessories. The equipment required includes the Sakura Finetek 6040 Tissue Tek VIP 6 AI Vacuum, Tissue Tek VIP 150 Cassette Basket with Dividers, Tissue Tek VIP 6 AI Reagent Bottle Complete, Tissue Tek VIP Basket, Tissue Tek Paraffin Scraper, and Tissue Tek X CHEQ C. Key requirements include preference for small business manufacturers and domestically produced items, with prospective offerors required to submit capability statements (maximum 5 pages), company information, small business certifications, domestic manufacturing status, and pricing for market research purposes. Responses must include the SAM.gov Unique Entity ID and clearly demonstrate how any proposed "equal to items" meet all salient characteristics of the specified equipment. The response deadline is 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, February 27, 2026, with submissions directed to Erskine.Shoulars@va.gov; the solicitation number is 36C24226Q0354, and this is classified under NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) and Product Service Code 6515 (Medical and Surgical Instrument Equipment and Supplies).

This is a pre-solicitation notice for planning and market research purposes only, with no set-aside designations applied. No incumbent contractor or award value has been identified in the notice, and the government has indicated that this pre-solicitation does not restrict its ultimate acquisition approach. Interested parties should note that responses will be retained for 90 days following the response deadline and that the contracting office is located at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in Bronx, New York, with performance requirements at the Buffalo VA Medical Center. Prospective offerors may be manufacturers, authorized distributors, or providers of equivalent solutions, though manufacturers are preferred. The government does not guarantee that a formal solicitation will follow this sources sought notice, as this action is intended solely for information gathering and market research purposes.