Medical Transcription for VA Madison

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS



Justification and Approval



For



Other Than Full and Open Competition



1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 12 Great Lakes Acquisition Center, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, Wisconsin. This is a Justification for Other Than Full an Open Competition. The purchase request number is 607-11-3-5123-0023.



2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: Justification and approval for a new contract for the Medical Transcription services on a sole source basis to Upper Peninsula Medical Transcription (UPMT), Inc., which is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOSB). Award will be an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract.



3. Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency's Needs: VA Madison has a requirement for Medical Transcription services. The estimated value of the procurement is $351,440 for a base and one year. The estimated period of performance is July 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012.



4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition: 41 U.S.C. 253(c)(5), FAR 6.302-5, Authorized or Required by Statute. 38 U.S.C. 8127(c), PL 109-461 is the specific statute that allows Sole Source SDVOSB contracting.



5. Demonstration that the Contractor's Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): VA Madison does not have VA employees who are capable of performing medical transcription services. VA Madison needs to have a new contract in place by July 1, 2011. The UPMT is a SDVOSB and they currently have a contract to perform similar medical transcription services for the Federal Health Care Facility (FHCC), formally known as VA North Chicago. UPMT is registered and verified as eligible in the VIP database (VAAR 819.7007). The FHCC and VA Madison currently use the same VA dictation system located at VA Iron Mountain. All of the UPMT medical transcriptionists already have VPN access and extensive knowledge of working with the dictation system. They upload their own transcription reports directly into Vista through a Vista telnet application. UPMT's error rate for uploading is almost nil due to the transcriptionist uploading their own reports. Another advantage is that the medical transcriptionists have already had NACI background investigations done and have taken the 2011 VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training. Due to the short timeline, it is in the best interest to sole source this procurement to a SDVOSB who has the extensive experience and background to meet the needs of VA Madison.



6. Description of Efforts Made to Ensure that Offers are Solicited from as Many Potential Sources as Deemed Practicable: A FedBizOps (FBO) notice will be posted and any interested sources may be considered.



7. Determination by the Contracting Officer that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: Pricing offered will be compared to the government estimate, market research, and prior contracts for the same service prior to award.



8. Determination of the Market Survey Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: In accordance with FAR Part 10, market research was conducted. A SBA Small Dynamic Business search utilizing NAICS code 561410 revealed 646 SDVOSB who could potentially perform these services. A VetBiz Registry search utilizing NAICS code 561410 revealed 400 SDVOSB who could potentially perform these services.



9. Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: None



10. Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: None



11. A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before Making Subsequent Acquisitions for the Supplies or Services Required: The GLAC intends to do a competitive VISN-wide Medical Transcription contract upon expiration of the current contracts for the other VISN VA Hospitals.



12. Requirements Certification: I certify that the requirement outlined in this justification is a Bona Fide Need of the Department of Veteran Affairs and that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in the justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.





_____________________________________ _________

SUE RASMUSSEN Date

Chief, Patient Administration Service

William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital



13. Approvals in accordance with FAR 6.304:



a. Contracting Officer's Certification: I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.





_____________________________________ __________

CHRISTINE A. GARDNER Date

Contracting Officer

VISN 12



b. VISN/PCA QA: I certify that the foregoing justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.





_____________________________________ __________

KANDI TAHMOUSH Date

VISN/PCA QA

VISN 12



c. NCM: I certify the justification meets requirements for other than full and open competition.





_____________________________________ __________

DIANE BRAZALE Date

Acting Network Contract Manager

VISN 12