6550--GenMark ePlex Reagents - Notice of Intent to Sole Source

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration, specifically VISN 10 located at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center in Ohio, has issued a Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source a contract for GenMark ePlex Reagents. The notice, posted on March 11, 2025, indicates the VA's plan to negotiate a sole source contract under Simplified Acquisition Procedures and FAR Part 6.302-1. The specific procurement involves Roche Diagnostics Corp. as the intended vendor for supplying 1,800 units of ePlex Respiratory Pathogen Panel 2, EUA (12 tests). The contract will be a firm fixed-price arrangement with no option years, and the VA asserts that Roche is the only responsible source capable of meeting their specific requirements. The associated NAICS code for this procurement is 325413, which falls under In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing.

The primary purpose of this Special Notice is to communicate the VA's intent to award a sole source contract to Roche Diagnostics Corp. without a competitive bidding process. Contractors who wish to challenge this sole source determination must submit clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government by 4:00 pm EST on March 13, 2025. The point of contact for any responses or inquiries is Lonnelle Jones, who can be reached at lonnelle.jones@va.gov. This notice is not a solicitation or request for offers, and no solicitation package is available for review. The VA has determined that Roche Diagnostics Corp. is the only vendor capable of successfully meeting the medical center's specific reagent requirements. Potential competitors are invited to provide substantive arguments demonstrating why a competitive process would benefit the government, though the VA appears confident in its sole source selection.