Q301--reference lab testing

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 16 is seeking a contractor to provide reference laboratory testing services, encompassing 128 specialized clinical laboratory tests including neuronal antibody panels, infectious disease detection, molecular testing, and immunological assays. Prospective offerors must demonstrate CLIA certification and capability to perform all listed tests, which will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis as the technical evaluation criterion. Past performance will be evaluated using three relevant references from the past three years and completion of a Past Performance Questionnaire, while price reasonableness constitutes the third evaluation factor, with award going to the responsible offeror providing the best value to the Government. The original deadline for quote submission was March 6, 2026, at 1:00 PM Central Time, but an amendment extended the deadline to March 13, 2026, at 4:30 PM Central Time; offerors must acknowledge receipt of this amendment to avoid rejection. All questions regarding the solicitation were due by February 27, 2026, at 10:00 AM Central Time, and completed Past Performance Questionnaires from references were due by March 5, 2026, at 4:30 PM Central Time.

This solicitation has not been designated as a set-aside and is open to full and open competition with no incumbent contractor identified in the solicitation documents. The contract will be structured as a Firm-Fixed Price Open-Market Blanket Purchase Agreement with a base period running from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, followed by four optional one-year extension periods extending through March 31, 2031. Contractors must submit pricing using a cost-per-test schedule for each of the 128 test items across all contract periods, though specific budget ranges and total award values are not disclosed in the solicitation notice. The place of performance is located in Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, specifically at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System's Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service. All contractors must comply with extensive security requirements, HIPAA regulations, records management obligations, and VA-specific data handling protocols, with liquidated damages provisions of $37.50 per affected individual for data breaches involving sensitive personal information.