Q522--Health Physicist Services

RFI 36C24523Q0003

MEDICAL PHYSICS AND RADIATION SAFETY SUPPORT

LOUIS A JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER

The Louis A Johnson VA Medical Center is conducting this Sources Sought to identify contractors who possess capabilities to provide the services described in the Statement of Work below.

As permitted by the FAR Part 10, this is a market research tool being utilized for the informational and planning purposes. Your responses will assist the Government in the development of its acquisition strategy.

Response is strictly voluntary it is not mandatory to submit a response to this notice to participate in formal RFQ process that may take place in the future. However, it should be noted that information gathered through this notice may significantly influence our acquisition strategy. All interested parties will be required to respond separately to any solicitation posted as a result of this sources sought notice.

Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. We appreciate your interest and thank you in advance for responding to the sources sought.

This service will be implemented using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 621399.

If a small business is interested in this procurement, they must provide at least 51 percent of the services rendered.

NOTES

All Capability Statements/Responses to this Sources Sought Notice shall be submitted via email only to Phillip.Duba@va.gov. Telephone, Fax, or any other form of communication inquiries will not be reviewed or accepted. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received no later than July 18, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). This Sources Sought Notice may or may not assist the VA in determining sources only. A solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued, it may or may not be announced at a later date, and all interested parties shall respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this Sources Sought Notice.

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked a proprietary will be handled accordingly in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses incurred associated with responding to this RFI.

STATEMENT OF WORK

MEDICAL (DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGIC) PHYSICIST

LOUIS A. JOHNSON VA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

CLARKSBURG, WV

A contract is being sought for the services of a board certified health physicist and to perform the duties and responsibilities of the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES / REQUIREMENTS

Dose Calibrator

All testing and documentation will be performed following the guidelines in Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulatory Guide 10.8 Revision 2 or applicable standards.

The Contractor will perform a quarterly accuracy test using sources provided by the VA.

The Contractor will document quarterly linearity using data provided by the VA.

The Contractor will perform and document geometry when and/or if geometry is necessary, i.e. if equipment is moved.

The Contractor will prepare a dose calibrator constancy form for VA use as a contingency plan in times of computer failure.

Gamma Camera (SPECT/CT)

The non-diagnostic CT will be surveyed quarterly to ensure the dose delivered is within acceptable standards.

The Contractor shall review all linearity, uniformity, center of rotation (COR), and resolution testing on a quarterly basis.

Thyroid Probe

The Contractor will perform and/or review all quality control data on a quarterly basis.

Well Counters

The Contractor will perform and/or review quarterly quality control utilizing available government resources.

At a minimum, testing will include efficiency for Co-57 and Cs-137, resolution and Chi-Square tests.

Survey Meters

The Contractor will verify the battery, calibration date, and operation with the check source on a quarterly basis.

The Contractor will document the next due date for calibration for each survey meter on a quarterly basis.

Sealed Sources

The Contractor will perform quarterly leak tests on all sealed sources utilizing the VA owned well counter.

Testing and documentation will follow guidelines in NRC Regulatory Guide 10.8 Revision 2 or applicable standards.

At a minimum, the quarterly report will document efficiency of the well counter for each radionuclide, background reading, and leak test reading in counts per minute (cpm) and disintegrations per minute (dpm).

The Contractor will provide a quarterly sealed source inventory. The inventory record shall include: the source, source serial number, source manufacturer, date of calibration, calibration activity, current activity, whether active or inactive, and source location.

The Contractor will provide annual medical physicist reports for the following pieces of equipment. Reports must contain, at a minimum, the information listed with each type of equipment.

Each radiographic (X-ray) tube (including Dental and the Cystoscopy suite in the operating room)

kV Accuracy

Timer Accuracy

Timer Reproducibility

mA Linearity

Exposure Reproducibility

Filtration

Collimation Evaluation

Radiation Safety Evaluation

Control Room Evaluation

kV vs. mR/mAs

Each fluoroscopic tube (including C-arms)

Fluoroscopy Outputs

Collimation Evaluation

Low Contrast Sensitivity

High Contrast Resolution

Beam Quality

Radiation Safety Evaluation

Control Room Evaluation

Image Quality

Each Computed Tomography (CT) scanner

Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) for head and body

Tube-gantry Leakage

Radiation Measurements (i.e. in hallway, in control room)

Exposure Reproducibility

mR/mAs

Tomographic Slice Geometry

Transaxial Slice Image Quality

Each Mammography unit (including interpretation readings stations)

Report shall meet all original equipment manufacturer, Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), and American College of Radiology (ACR) requirements in place at the time of inspection to ensure VA compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines.

The board-certified health physicist will perform an annual MRI physics survey to meet the current Joint Commission standards in place at the time of survey.

The board-certified health physicist will perform an annual mammographic Tomosynthesis physicist survey to meet the current Food and Drug Administration standards in place at the time of survey.

The Contractor will assume the duties of Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) for the facility.

The RSO duties will include:

The Contractor will provide radiation safety and hazardous materials (HAZMAT) training to the nuclear medicine technical staff annually.

The Contractor will review all pertinent records to verify compliance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), National Health Physics Program (NHPP), Joint Commission (JC), and state requirements on a quarterly basis. The documented audit shall be itemized and a pass/fail or not applicable designation indicated. Itemization shall include:

1. 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 19

Posting Requirements

Training

Exposure Reports

10 CFR 20

Radiation Protection Program

Occupational Dose Limits for Adults

Summation of Internal and External Doses

Dose to an embryo/fetus

Dose Limits for Public

Compliance with a-e

Surveys and Monitoring

Monitoring Requirements

Security of Stored Material

Control of Material Not in Storage

Posting Requirement

Labeling Containers

Receiving and Opening Packages

Waste Disposal

Records of Radiation Protection Programs

Records of Surveys

Prior Occupational Dose

Records of Individual Monitoring Results

Records of Dose to Public

10 CFR 35

Written Directives

Procedures for Administering Requiring a Written Directive

Possession, Use and Calibration of Instruments used to measure the activity of unsealed byproduct material

Calibration of Survey Instruments

Determination of dosages of unsealed byproduct material for medical use

Requirements for possession of sealed sources and brachytherapy sources

Labeling of vials and syringes

Surveys of ambient radiation exposure rate

Release of individuals containing unsealed byproduct material or implants containing byproduct material

Provision of mobile medical service

Decay in storage

Records of authority and responsibilities for radiation protection programs

Records of radiation protection program changes

The Contractor shall prepare all license applications and amendments, including interpretation of and responsive actions to regulatory agencies.

The Contractor shall attend quarterly Radiation Safety Committee meetings held at the VA.

The Contractor shall maintain and support the VA s As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) program.

The Contractor will ensure all aspects of the I-131 Thyroid Quality Management Program are within compliance standards. Compliance standards will be reviewed quarterly and revised as requirements dictate.

The Contractor will provide a review summary of the radiation safety program for the preceding twelve (12) months on a quarterly basis. The review summary will include:

Date of most recent medical physicist survey

List of all authorized users and areas of use

Name of the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)

NRC license number and date of expiration

List of all personnel who exceeded ALARA I and/or II including possible causes

List the date of the last geometry (including the individual who performed it)

List dates for all training

I-131 Thyroid Quality Management Program compliance

Verifies the radiation dose displayed on any diagnostic CT system is within 20% of the actual radiation dose as required by JC standard EC.02.04.03, EP #17.

List date and due date of survey meter calibration.

Nuclear medicine audit on a pass/fail/not applicable basis as defined in section I of this document.

List the dates of the previous four (4):

Medical physicist surveys

Dose calibrator accuracy checks

Leak tests and sealed source inventories

Linearities (including the individual who performed the linearity)

Gamma camera and SPECT/CT quality controls

Well counter surveys

Thyroid probe quality control testing

Survey meter quality control testing

Radiation Safety Subcommittee meetings

The Contractor will provide approximately 94 film and ring badges to support radiology staff, nuclear medicine staff, and all others deemed necessary by the Radiation Safety Committee. The Contractor will review and sign quarterly dosimetry reports. The Contractor will identify those staff who have exceeded ALARA I or ALARA II and recommend ways to reduce radiation exposure to those staff in the future. In addition, the Contractor shall provide individual, annual dosimetry reports for any badged VA employee or VA contractor who exceeds the radiation dose limit outlined in 10 CFR 20.1502. Any annual dosimetry report will be given to the Contracting Officer s Technical Representative (COTR) no later than 90 days after the close of the calendar year.

The Contractor will be responsible for reviewing the Nuclear Medicine policy and procedure manual to ensure all policies/procedures are up to date and in compliance with current standards. The Contractor shall sign the first sheet of the manual attesting to its completeness annually or at any time policy changes. The Contractor will provide review of imaging policies and procedures encompassing other modalities when necessary.

The Contractor, in his or her capacity as the RSO, will be available by telephone and/or e-mail, on a continuous basis, for consultation when questions or problems arise.

CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS

The Contractor will be board certified in Medical Physics by the American Board of Radiology in either Diagnostic Medical Physics or Nuclear Medical Physics or both. A copy of the Contractor s certification document must be included in the proposal.

The Contractor will meet education and training requirements as defined in 10 CFR 35.50 to be recognized as a Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). Documentation attesting to the necessary education and training must be included in the proposal.

At least ten (10) years experience is preferred.