NWI Offsite Pathology Services

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, seeks offsite pathology and laboratory services with proposals due November 10, 2026 and questions due October 19, 2026. The procurement is a 100 percent Total Small Business set-aside.

Place of performance is Omaha, Nebraska. The contractor shall perform pre-analytic processing, analysis, and reporting of clinical and anatomical pathology specimens for three VA facilities: Omaha VA Medical Center, Lincoln Community Based Outreach Clinic, and Grand Island Community Based Outreach Clinic. The VA will remain responsible for specimen collection, preparation, histology and cytology accessioning, preservation, and storage of final slides and blocks; the contractor will perform grossing except for cytology specimens, with global surgical pathology cases requiring contractor grossing. All slides and blocks must be returned to the VA for permanent storage.

This is a five-year IDIQ contract valued at $41.5 million with a guaranteed minimum of $2,000 and maximum of $8 million, running April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2032. The contract type is fixed-price under FAR Parts 12 and 15 commercial acquisition procedures. The NAICS code is 621511, Medical Laboratories; PSC is Q515, Medical-Pathology.

The contractor must hold CLIA accreditation across Microbiology, Diagnostic Immunology, Chemistry, Hematology, Pathology, and Clinical Cytogenetics, and maintain CAP or Joint Commission accreditation. Staff must include board-certified pathologists and ASCP-certified cytotechnologists. Key performance requirements include daily courier service with four routine pickups, turnaround times of 3–5 working days for routine surgical cases and 14 working days for gynecology cytology specimens, 10 percent global case review monthly, and autopsy services Monday–Friday 8 AM–5 PM. The contractor must supply all materials at no additional charge. Liquidated damages are $37.50 per affected individual for data breaches. Surveillance emphasizes specimen labeling (100 percent AQL with zero mislabeled specimens), cytology report completion (95 percent AQL), malignancy notification documentation (100 percent AQL), and HIPAA compliance (100 percent AQL with zero breaches).