Microbiology Reagents Analyzer Cost Per Test

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS NETWORK CONTRACTING OFFICE 7 (NCO 7)
Description: THIS IS A PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE FOR A REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQ)
The Microbiology Department of the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P & LMS) Line requests to enter into a cost per test or CPRR agreement for a new base year plus 4 option year contract award for a single bacteriology identification, susceptibility, and blood culture analysis system. All components are to be managed thru one middleware (touching the Laboratory Information System (LIS) intermediary hardware/software linking with VistA ) before patient results are transmitted thru the intermediary hardware/software across an interface to VISTA. This request is for use of/replacement of existing components, several of which are aged and nearing the end of their performance lifespan. In addition, the Microbiology Department has begun to exceed the workload that the current system instrumentation can accept. In recent years, newer technology has emerged which is more technologically advanced and provides faster identification of bacteria/yeasts than the current system, incorporating Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) - a soft ionization technique used in mass spectrometry. Newer model blood culture instruments have the ability to automatically monitor blood culture bottles for proper fill volume, as well as provides time-saving steps (decreasing technologist hands-on time). Addition of the all-important middleware will decrease numbers of corrected reports currently experienced because of inability of current interface to provide proper CLIA / CLSI susceptibility breakpoints in final reports. (At present, technologists must manually discriminate and correctly enter the proper interpretations into VISTA.)
Microbiology reagents/analyzer system for identification and susceptibility of bacteria and yeasts, as well as for blood culture analysis are required in order to perform high-complexity laboratory testing on patient specimens obtained across the Atlanta VAMC enterprise (including CBOCs) but performed specifically on-site at the P & LMS clinical MICROBIOLOGY laboratory at the main Atlanta VAMC hospital in Decatur, GA (30033).
Solicitation number 36C24720Q0004 for this requirement will be posted to FBO on or about Friday, August 30, 2019. The solicitation will contain all necessary specifications and information to provide a proposal for this requirement.
ESTIMATED SOLICITATION TIMEFRAME:
PRE-SOLICITATION ISSUED Wednesday, September 4, 2019
PRE-SOLICITATION CLOSES Sunday, September 15, 2019 @ 1:00 pm EST
POST RFQ TO FBO (On or about) Monday, September 16, 2019
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DUE Friday, September 27, 2019 NLT 12:00 PM EST
POST QUESTIONS/ANSWERS (On or about) Friday, October 4, 2019
RFQ CLOSES Tuesday, October 15, 2019 @ 12:00 pm EST
EVALUATION TEAM S REVIEW Wednesday, October 16 - 23, 2019
AWARD CONTRACT (On or about) Friday, November 1, 2019
Questions regarding this notice may be submitted via e-mail to the following Point of Contact:
Donald L. Battle, Contract Specialist, donald.battle@va.gov..