Powered Exoskeleton

The Veteran s Administration (VA) Office of Research and Development, Regional Procurement Office East in Pittsburgh, PA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with b-temia Inc., based in Quebec, Canada on behalf of the Bronx, NY VA Medical Center.
The requirement is to provide one (1) exoskeleton system.
The requested system shall meet or exceed the following salient characteristics:
Needs to only augment function at the knee
Allowed to use any other external orthotic to provide assistance at the ankle as desired.
Movement control system should monitor hip joint movement in order to control assistance provided to the knee.
Device should not restrict any other movement including walking backward, taking side steps, bending, kneeling squatting and walking.
Performing all maneuvers shouldn t require any interaction with a controller to perform activity. The system should be able to monitor the movement and intuitively interpret the desired maneuver and execute the required assistance.
A trainer should be able to adjust the type of assistance the device provides. This would include differentiating assistance provided during the descent of a squat compared to the ascent from the squat. In addition, the device should have adjustability for assistance of knee flexion different than knee extension during walking.
The device should allow for other movements such as walking backward and sideways without providing any interaction with the person s movement
The weight of the device should also be less than 25 pounds and portable.
The requirement will take place at a VA facility in Bronx, NY. The sole source is pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, however; any responsible source who believes it is capable of meeting the requirement may submit a capability statement and supporting documentation to the contracting office no later than Wednesday, Sept 11, 2019, (10:00 AM, EST). Interest/capability statements may be sent to Michael Haydo at Michael.haydo@va.gov. No telephone responses will be accepted. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government..