6640--Blood Culture Analyzers with Bottles (Multi-station) Fort Harrison, Cheyenne, Grand Junction, and Sheridan

Sources Sought Notice

Sources Sought Notice

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Sources Sought Notice

*= Required Field

Sources Sought Notice

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This is NOT a solicitation or request for quote. This is NOT a request for proposal. This is NOT a job advertisement for hiring employees. The VA is seeking QUALIFIED VENDORS to provide a very brief response to this notice including only just what is asked for in this notice below. This is sources sought notice to industry and the only information is posted on Contract Opportunities web page at SAM.gov. Sources sought means seeking qualified vendors. The attachments included on the Contract Opportunities page do not include any additional information.

If your company is interested, please read this notice entirely and submit the required information, as requested herein.

Automated Blood Culture Analyzers and Bottles

Four (4) VA Medical Centers: Fort Harrison, MT, Cheyenne, WY, Grand Junction, CO and Sheridan, CO

BRIEF SCOPE OF WORK

(This is for information only)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This Sources Sought is for market research purposes only (to determine the socioeconomic status of interested companies). No award will be made off this posting.

The four (4) VA medical centers each require an automated blood culture analyzer with corresponding blood culture bottles. It is anticipated the blood analyzer would be provided to each facility for use for a base period (1 year) with four (4) additional optional years.

**The current blood culture analyzer in use at each facility is the BD (Becton Dickinson) BACTEC FX40 Automated Blood Culture System**

Overview of Items (5-years):

Line Item #

Description

Unit

Base Yr Qty

OY#1 Qty

OY#2 Qty

OY#3 Qty

OY#4 Qty

Fort Harrison, MT

0001

Blood Culture Analyzer

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0002

Blood Culture Management Computer and Software

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0003

BOTTLE PLASTIC AEROBIC/F 50/PK

PKG

26

26

26

26

26

0004

BOTTLE PLASTIC LYTIC/ANAEROBIC/F/F 50/PK

PKG

26

26

26

26

26

0005

BOTTLE PLASTIC Myco F Lytic 50/PK

PKG

3

3

3

3

3

0006

Connectivity & Workflow Management

EA

1

1

1

1

1

Cheyenne, WY

0007

Blood Culture Analyzer

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0008

Blood Culture Management Computer and Software

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0009

BOTTLE PLASTIC AEROBIC/F 50/PK

PKG

28

28

28

28

28

0010

BOTTLE PLASTIC LYTIC/ANAEROBIC/F/F 50/PK

PKG

28

28

28

28

28

0011

BOTTLE PLASTIC PEDS PLUS/F 50/PK

PKG

4

4

4

4

4

0012

Connectivity & Workflow Management

EA

1

1

1

1

1

Grand Junction, CO

0013

Blood Culture Analyzer

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0014

Blood Culture Management Computer and Software

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0015

BOTTLE PLASTIC AEROBIC/F 50/PK

PKG

20

21

22

23

24

0016

BOTTLE PLASTIC LYTIC/ANAEROBIC/F/F 50/PK

PKG

20

21

22

23

24

0017

BOTTLE PLASTIC PEDS PLUS/F 50/PK

PKG

1

1

1

1

1

0018

Connectivity & Workflow Management

EA

1

1

1

1

1

Sheridan, CO

0019

Blood Culture Analyzer

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0020

Blood Culture Management Computer and Software

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0021

BOTTLE PLASTIC AEROBIC/F 50/PK

PKG

12

12

12

12

12

0022

BOTTLE PLASTIC LYTIC/ANAEROBIC/F/F 50/PK

PKG

12

12

12

12

12

0023

Connectivity & Workflow Management

EA

1

1

1

1

1

0024

Remote Alert System (After Hours)

EA

1

1

1

1

1

Statement of Work:

1.0 Scope of Work

The microbiology department of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) requires a cost per bottle contract to provide new automated Blood Culture instruments for use at the Ft. Harrison campus of the VA MT Healthcare System, Cheyenne VAMC, Sheridan VAHCS, and Grand Junction VAMC. Equipment and supplies must be installed, fully approved by the station team, and ready for use no later than May 1st, 2027. The awarded contract will have a one-year base period with four annual option periods.

2.0 Tasks

The vendor shall provide all automated blood culture instruments, supervision, parts, labor, software, preventative maintenance, materials, and incidentals in order to ensure fully successful blood culture test and meet or exceed all listed requirements in the specifications below.

2.1 General Requirements

Requirements, as set forth in this statement of work are minimum standards and shall not be construed as limiting the overall quality, quantity, or performance of the instrument.

The vendor shall maintain the performance and overall quality of all instrument systems during the period of performance to all software upgrades, equipment, maintenance, parts, and labor to ensure full functionality and currency of new automated blood culture instruments.

The instrument system, based upon the specifications requested, shall be the newest and the most current model. Refurbished systems are not acceptable. The instrument must be a standard product of the manufacturer of record. The manufacturer of record is defined as a company whose main occupation is the manufacture for sale items of equipment and which:

Maintains a factory production line.

Maintains a stock of replacement parts for the item.

Maintains engineering drawings, specifications, operating manuals and maintenance manuals.

Has published and distributed descriptive literature and equipment specifications on the equipment.

The analyzer cabinet/instrument shall be a countertop model fitting within the following available spaces:

Montana 75 in W x 45 in D

Cheyenne 45 in W x 30 in D

Grand Junction 87 in W x 30 in D

Sheridan 31 in W x 36 in D

If the proposed analyzer does not fit the dimensions of any of the stations above, a contractor provided cart may be used if the station agrees and has the room for it.

All equipment/supplies/bottles and software must be FDA-approved at time of award

2.2 System Requirements

The instrument system shall meet the following requirements:

Use plastic and glass culture bottles that are specific to the instrument system and the culture bottles used in the instrument should contain a neutralizing resin media for the aerobic culture bottle and a lytic broth media for the anaerobic culture bottle. +

Be able to accept and analyze blood, fungal and an acid, fast, bacteria (AFB) culture bottles.

Be able to accept and analyze both blood and body fluid specimens.

Utilize a varied selection of blood culture bottle configurations (low volume samples; antimicrobial agent removal resins) and formulations capable of maximizing growth potential of various microorganisms (e.g. aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, fungi, and mycobacteria) shall be available.

Have the capability to flag and alert the end-user of positive culture vials by simultaneous visual alert, sound alert and remote alert using existing software programs.

The Sheridan VAMC lab does not run 24/7 so the contractor shall provide a system by which their AODs (Administrative Officer of the Day) can monitor the system remotely 24 hours per day.

Provide self-contained, continuous, computerized, automated monitoring of blood culture bottles with immediate, active (e.g. audible alarm) notification of microorganism growth based upon pre-programmed criteria and notification of termination of maximum programmed incubation period when no microorganism growth is detected.

Allow for operator extension of programmed incubation times while testing is in progress, without interruption of automatic continuous monitoring.

Have the capability to monitor the blood volume in each culture bottle.

Utilize sufficient safety features to avoid unnecessary exposure to biohazardous and chemical material. The exposure to and the volume of biohazardous and chemical material generated by the equipment must be minimal and require a minimum amount of handling.

Have the capability to detect and document elapsed time to positivity.

Have bar code reading capability to eliminate the need for manual entry of patient information for each sample. Contractor bar code formats shall meet requirements of VA lab information system software.

Have the capability to scan the culture vial sequence and specimen accession label in any order.

Have the capability to accept the culture vial in any available station.

Have the ability to provide automated transmission of test results into the laboratory s current laboratory information system LIS. Contractor must be able to send information through Data Innovations (DI) instrument server and have DI driver available. Must provide all hardware and software needed to connect via TCP\IP protocol, as well as communicate with government VISTA protocols and system.

Utilize Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared software.

Contain a report module that has the ability to generate epidemiology and statistical reports.

Contain a data management system that allows users to monitor and analyze data.

Provide printed paper results in the event of computer down time.

Have the ability to electronically archive patient results.

Have the ability to generate cumulative quality control (CQC) reports.

2.3 Instrument Requirements

When requested, the instrument cabinet should be able to hold a minimum of 200 culture bottles Some facilities may have smaller minimum volume requirements. The vendor should have a variety of instrument sizes and types to accommodate the estimated annual volume requirement for each facility.

The instrument should take up minimal space and have the ability to stack incubation cabinets on top of each other.

The instrument should require only minimal maintenance by government personnel.

The instrument must include an on-board programming display and be user friendly.

The instrument system must include a 120-volt Uninterrupted Power Source (UPS) system that has a 30-minute backup capability in the event of electrical power interruptions. The system should also have provisions for saving data in the event that the capacity of the UPS is exceeded.

The vendor shall provide all software upgrades and a field technical representative from the instrument manufacturer shall install the updated software at no charge within a reasonable time and shall coordinate with the laboratory supervisor.

The instrument system shall have the ability to accept upgrades so as to accommodate the need for increased testing volume.

Software must be compatible with Bruker MALDI bio-typer

2.4 Supply Requirements

The vendor shall:

Supply a variety of plastic and glass culture bottle types and allows flexibility in the selection of culture bottle types required based on facility needs.

Shall provide customer helpline telephone numbers for VAMC laboratory technicians to the call-in routine and emergency supply request. The vendor shall supply all necessary point of contact information and ordering procedures for VAMC laboratory technicians to order reagents and other supplies for both a standing delivery schedule basis or on an as-needed basis.

Fill routine and emergency supply requests when requested.

Pay shipping fees for all supplies, consumables, and equipment needed to perform installation start-up testing.

Provide ancillary components that are necessary for the model of equipment proposed (i.e. starter kits, tables, stands, etc.).

List all reagents, controls and disposables required for operating the instrument and producing quality results as an addendum in the pricing schedule.

2.5 Repair & Maintenance Services

The manufacturer shall provide technical support either by phone or on-site.

Service should include all travel, parts for repair or replacement, and labor.

The vendor shall provide a preventative maintenance schedule to include a minimum of one scheduled preventative maintenance visit per year.

The vendor shall be responsible for the removal of the hard drive of the analyzer upon removal/upgrade of the instrument. The hard drive shall be given to the laboratory VA information system manager for disposal.

The service shall include replacement or repair of all ancillary equipment (i.e. printers, monitors, UPS) necessary for the system to operate efficiently.

2.6 Pre-Installation Assessment

The vendor shall provide written information detailing all maintenance, environmental, and utility requirements (electrical, dimensions of equipment, media disposal, etc.) as part of their proposal to include the following information. If the equipment proposed is particularly heavy, advisement of extra reinforcement shall be necessary.

Provide dimensions of the system.

List utility requirements (electrical, heat/cool, humidity, etc.)

Describe testing methodology.

List quality control (QC) frequency.

Describe maintenance requirements for daily/weekly/monthly maintenance.

Describe any environmental impact issues that instrumentation may create (water requirements, media disposal, etc.).

Describe user friendliness:

Describe software and/or supporting instrumentation provided with the system to maintain or improve levels of data retrieval which may be used for monitoring epidemiology trends.

Describe reagent management (storage and waste).

Describe ability to trouble-shoot system.

Describe how system alerts user of positive and negative culture bottles.

Provide list of reagent recalls/bulletins within the last two years.

List reagent unavailability due to manufacturing issues within the last two years.

Environmental requirements (heat/cool, humidity, light, etc.) and recommendations for instrument and testing material storage.

Manufacture s maintenance requirements indicating what maintenance is performed by the end-user and what maintenance is performed by the manufacturer by providing outline or brochure outlining frequency of preventative maintenance.

2.8 Laboratory Information System (LIS)/Interface

Software must be compatible with all barcode styles and have proven bi-directional interface capability with the laboratory s current LIS.

The vendor must provide additional hardware (i.e. middleware) and software needed to interface the system and provide technical assistance with interfacing the instrument system. Required (additional) interface connection license(s) shall be provided at vendor cost. The instrument-LIS interface must be bi-directional.

The interface must use automatic host query to download sample, IDs, test requests, and patient demographics. Automatic host query must seamlessly integrate with on-board patient sample barcode scanning and translation. The instrument interface must transmit test results to the host computer system via automatic upload.

Instrument system must have computer capabilities that are compatible with the end-user s LIS software and include an LCD display monitor and printer.

The vendor shall provide technical support to link the instrument to the LIS interface and ensure that the instrument system is communicating properly.

Vendor must successfully interface the analyzer via a Data Innovations Instrument Manager to the VA VISTA system.

Must be compatible Bruker MALDI bio-typer

2.9 Support Services:

The manufacture should have the ability to provide service sufficient to meet the needs of the end-user facility, 7 days a week, business hours for all sites. A field engineer must be available within 24 hours of after the service call has been placed. All repairs to the instrument must be complete within 24 hours from the time the field service engineer arrives.

The vendor s staff shall designate in writing to the contracting officer a fully qualified primary and alternate Field Service Representative who has the authority and knowledge to respond to all technical/maintenance/repair issues. Fully qualified is based upon training and experience in the field. For training, the Field Service Representative must have successfully completed a formalized training program for the equipment covered under the contract. For field experience, the Field Service Engineers must have a minimum of one (1) year of experience providing preventative maintenance and emergency repair services on the same make and model of equipment covered under this contract.

The vendor shall provide 24-hour, 7 days/week telephone technical support.

The vendor shall submit a legible field service report to the laboratory supervisor itemizing the preventive maintenance inspection or emergency repair services performed, including replaced parts and estimated prices required for the service call.

The vendor shall coordinate on all potentially hazardous safety issues with the contracting officer and laboratory supervisor.

3.0 Installation, including Instrument Validation & Training

A technical support specialist from the instrument manufacturer shall assist in equipment installation/set-up, providing all manpower, procedures, and reagents/supplies to perform validation and correlation studies [evaluation/comparison data sufficient to satisfy College of American Pathologists (CAP) standards].

The vendor must provide required statistical analysis of the validation and correlation data in an organized binder for on-site director approval. The statistical analysis must be completed within eight weeks of installation of the system.

The vendor/distributor and/or the manufacturer must provide all necessary procedure manuals, troubleshooting manuals and operator manuals.

The vendor shall provide primary user training for a minimum of one user per instrument with on-site basic operating and maintenance education/training performed during initial installation and when updates to the equipment are performed.

Training is to include all costs related to off-site training (transportation, room and board, etc. if applicable).

Any additional costs such as industrial funding fees, special shipping and handling fees, or other usage fees must be included in the contract price or identified separately in the proposal.

4.0 Delivery and Acceptance

1. All items shall be shipped F.O.B. destination to the following locations M-F, 8am-4pm, excluding holidays:

FT Harrison VAMC 3717 Veterans Drive Ft. Harrison MT 59636,

Cheyenne VAMC 2360 East Pershing Blvd Cheyenne WY 82001

Sheridan VAMC 1898 Fort Road Sheridan WY 82801

Grand Junction VAMC 2121 North Avenue Grand Junction CO 81501

The Contractor, its employees, agents, and subcontractors shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose of fulfilling the PWS and shall be considered employees of the Contractor. Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, tools, shipping, transportation, insurances, licenses, certifications, and supervision necessary to provide services in accordance with this Performance Work Statement (PWS). The Contractor is responsible for all charges and fees related to disposal of materials generated by the Contractor.

This is anticipated to be a commercial supply acquisition under the authority of FAR Part 12, Simplified Acquisition Procedures for Commercial Items.

The products will be delivered to the following locations:

FT Harrison VAMC 3717 Veterans Drive Ft. Harrison MT 59636,

Cheyenne VAMC 2360 East Pershing Blvd Cheyenne WY 82001

Sheridan VAHCS 1898 Fort Road Sheridan WY 82801

Grand Junction VAMC 2121 North Avenue Grand Junction CO 81501

IMPORTANT NOTE: This RFI (Request for Information) is for information only.

No award will be made from this RFI.

QUALIFIED VENDOR: A qualified source has the a) necessary equipment, vehicles, personnel, resources and current operations as well as b) recent experience (within past 3 years) of performing services of a comparable size, scope and complexity, AND c) OEM certified technicians to perform services with unrestricted access to the facility during inclement weather, as well as immediate access to OEM software updates. A qualified source also has current and valid registration in System for Award Management (SAM), https://www.sam.gov).

Please communicate via e-mail to Stephanie.Cahill@VA.Gov by 15:00 MST on November 20th, 2026, as to your company s ability to perform service per this brief Scope of Work.

If interested, please provide the following:

Provide company s capability statement describing ability to provide equipment that meets or conforms to the salient characteristics listed above *include specification or brochure documents for confirmation of equivalent products*

Company s business size in relation to NAICS 334516 and socio-economic category (SDVOSB/VOSB/WOSB/Large Business):

SAM UEI:

FSS/GSA contract # (if applicable):

**Indicate Open Market if items are not included on FSS/GSA/etc.**

Estimated delivery lead time:

Where are the products manufactured/COO:

Only written responses, to items 1 through 6 above, will be accepted at this stage. Information is being gathered for market research purposes only. Industry exchanges and vendor teleconferences are at the discretion of the Contract Specialist. This is not a request for quotes.

DISCLAIMER: This is a Request for Information (RFI) from industry in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e) and on the requirement, that exists for the VA Medical Center(s) identified in this RFI. This is not a request for quote and not a contract. This announcement is not a request for proposals; therefore, responses to the RFI are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. No classified information should be included in the RFI response. Should you have concerns regarding this RFI you may request to contact the Contracting Office that will be assigned this requirement by emailing the sender of this RFI.

Questions must be addressed in writing to the Contract Specialist. Requests for VA-business sensitive information, to include VA budget information, VA acquisition planning information, acquisition methods, strategies and set-asides must be addressed via the VA FOIA process: https://www.va.gov/foia/

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