J066--Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Procurement - GeneXpert Service Agreement

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 17, located at 5441 Babcock Road Ste. 302, San Antonio, TX 78240 is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform industry contractors of the Government s intent to execute a Sole Source Award under FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP), specifically FAR Subpart 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items.

The intended Contractor is CEPHEID, located at 904 East Caribbean Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.

The Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System (CTVHCS) requires a service agreement for 3 new Microbiology Analyzers, Cepheid GeneXperts, one at each site (Waco, Temple, and Austin). This is a new acquisition as the analyzers were VA purchased in 2023 and were under warranty. Cepheid This is not a bundled requirement and there are no conflicts of interests in this procurement. Cepheid is currently the sole manufacturer of Xpert® reagents, and GeneXpert® systems are manufactured exclusively for Cepheid. Xpert reagent test cartridges are designed and manufactured to only be used with Cepheid s instruments. Cepheid is currently the only authorized provider of service for GeneXpert systems to customers within the United States, excluding territories.

This procurement is being conducted using commercial item procedures pursuant to FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 13, specifically FAR Subpart13.106-1(b)(1)(i) allowing the Contracting Officer (CO) to solicit from one source.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for this requirement is, 811210 Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance. Product of Service Code for this requirement is J066 Maintenance, Repair, Rebuild of Equipment - Instruments and Laboratory Equipment. The Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard for this sector is $34 Million.

This notice of intent is neither a formal solicitation nor a request for competitive proposals. No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be honored. No award will be made based on unsolicited quotations or offers received in response to this notice. Any response to this notice must show clear, compelling, and convincing evidence that competition will be advantageous to the Government. The intent of this synopsis is for informational purposes only. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete this action based on this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

All inquiries and concerns must be addressed in writing via e-mail to Joshua Weisman at Joshua.Weisman@va.gov with the following information referenced in the subject line, Notification of Intent (NOI) 36C25724Q0874 Cepheid GeneXpert Service Agreement. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed procurement based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. All interested parties who are responsible, certified, and capable may identify their interest and may submit an offer or quotation which shall be considered by the agency no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on August 1, 2024 to Joshua Weisman at Joshua.Weisman@va.gov. The interested parties bear full responsibility to ensure complete transmission and timely receipt.

The anticipated statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition for the requirement is 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.