F103--Legionella and Critical Water Systems Sample Analysis

Sources Sought Announcement: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY , it is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this sources-sought notice must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought notice is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential sources capable of providing the services described below. The Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16 located at 2495 Shreveport Highway, Pineville, LA, hereby issues the following Sources Sought/ Request for Information (RFI) with the intent of determining the contractor interest, capabilities, qualifications of potential businesses, nonmanufacturer rule compliance, Buy American Act compliance, Trade Agreement compliance and estimated industry pricing information for market research and estimated budgetary purpose for Contractor provide Legionella and Critical Water Systems Sample Analysis service for Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), AR, 72114. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the Unique Entity ID number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of business, e.g. small or other, as appropriate and (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organization s qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below in italics.

The John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital located at 4300 West 7th Street, Little Rock, AR and the Eugene Towbin Medical Center located at 2200 Fort Roots Drive, North Little Rock, AR, known as Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), is seeking a qualified contractor who can fulfill a requirement to furnish all reports, labor, management, equipment, supplies, transportation, applicable licenses, certifications, and accreditations necessary to complete Legionella and Critical Water Systems Sample Analysis. No Government equipment will be used by the Contractor.

Testing Requirements:

Legionella Sample Analysis

Contractor shall comply with VHA Directive 1061 Prevention of Healthcare Associated Legionella Disease and Scald Injury from Water Systems dated February 2, 2022, AMENDED September 26, 2022. All Legionella sample analysis must be performed by a laboratory that is current and up to date with the CDC ELITE Program.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) will be the primary method of analysis for Legionella in water samples collected at CAVHS.

All Legionella samples analyzed via PCR that have positive Legionella results, or the results are reported as indeterminate must be analyzed via the ISO Culture Method completed to verify the results of the PCR analysis.

Contractor shall provide all items necessary for proper shipment of samples, to include, but not limited to, all collection bottles, shipping containers, labels, and ice pack. Contractor must cover the cost incurred to ship these items to the facility.

Contractor shall provide overnight shipping labels for samples to be shipped via overnight shipping on the same day they are collected.

Critical Water System Sample Analysis

Sterile Processing Service (SPS) all samples collected from SPS musted be analyzed IAW ANSI/AAMI ST108 Water for the processing of medical devices.

Dental Unit Water Lines (DUWL) all samples collected from DUWL must be analyzed by a standard which will allow for colony forming units (CFU) count of 500cfu/milliliter(mL).

Estimated Number of Samples to be analyzed annually:

Type of Samples

Estimated # of Annual Samples

Annual # of Samples not to Exceed

Legionella Potable Water (PCR)

600

800

Legionella Cooling Tower (PCR)

Legionella Chiller (PCR)

Legionella ISO Plate Method Validation

150

400

Dental Unit Water Line (DUWL)

950

1000

SPS Critical Water Bacterial (HPC)

275

700

SPS Critical Water Endotoxin

100

700

SPS Critical Water Ionic Contaminants

40

150

SPS Critical Water TOC

40

150

SPS Critical Water Total Hardness

40

150

SPS Critical Water Total Alkalinity

40

150

SPS Critical Water Conductivity

40

150

Research VMU (HPC) - LR

2

4

Total Number of Samples

2277

4354

Important Information: The Government is not obligated to - nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources-sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. The VA is mandated by Public Law 109-461 to consider a total set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business set aside. However, if response by Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms proves inadequate, an alternate set-aside or full and open competition may be determined. No sub-contracting opportunity is anticipated. The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541380 -Testing Laboratories and Services - with a size standard of $19 Million.

Notice to Potential Offerors: All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). Additionally, all Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses who respond to a solicitation on this project must be VetCert certified by the SBA located at Veteran Small Business Certification (sba.gov) . All interested Offerors should submit information by e-mail to: arlene.blade@va.gov. All information submissions shall include in the Subject Line of the email, Sources Sought Notice 36C25626Q0432 - Legionella and Critical Water Systems Sample Analysis and should be received no later than March 6, 2026 at 8:00 am CST.

All information contained in this Sources Sought is preliminary as well as subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on Contracting Opportunities (https://beta.sam.gov/) website or GSA. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this Sources Sought, or future RFP/RFQ.

DISCLAIMER 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. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.