DA01--Zeiss Forum Support Agrmt VISN23

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 23 has awarded a sole-source contract to PROAIM AMERICAS, LLC for Zeiss FORUM OPTIME Support Agreement services, with an award value of $229,140.80 for the base year and estimated total cost of $755,199.12 for the entire performance period.

The justification cites 41 USC 3304(a)(1), only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Carl Zeiss Meditec exclusively owns and controls the proprietary FORUM ophthalmic data management platform and has authorized only PROAIM AMERICAS, LLC as the sole vendor capable of providing FORUM maintenance and OPTIME support; no other third-party distributors or service providers are permitted to offer these services. Market research confirmed PROAIM AMERICAS, LLC is the only authorized source, and an Intent to Sole Source was published to SAM.gov with zero responses. The contracting officer determined pricing is fair and reasonable based on comparison to a similar Boston VA contract (36C24125N1427) awarded September 30, 2025, for $152,278 covering one year of maintenance for nine facilities. Migration to an alternative platform would require complete infrastructure replacement, a 3–5 year transition period, and would create operational, security, and compliance risks incompatible with VA/DoD Federal EHR modernization requirements and clinical ophthalmology workflows. Contract performance covers software maintenance, updates, remote technical support, and engineering assistance for the platform deployed across eleven VISN 23 facilities in South Dakota, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The period of performance is a base year plus four option years. The J&A will be published within 14 days after contract award (July 16, 2026). Contract number 36C26326P0544.