R499--Electronic Lab Reporting for COVID-19 (VA-26-00005477) API | Shelko/Rhodes

Notice of Intent to Sole Source: 36C77625Q0265

Implementation of CARES Act 18155- Electronic Lab Reporting for COVID-19

Introduction:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) intends to issue a sole source contract to Associate of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) for electronic lab COVID-19 reporting. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b) soliciting competition; soliciting from a single source (including brand name), where acquisitions conducted under Simplified Acquisition Procedures are exempt from the requirements of FAR Part 6, but still require a justification using the format of FAR 6.303-2. The NAICS code for this procurement is 813920 and the Small Business Administration Size Standard is $23.5 Million.

Justification:

On March 13, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared an emergency by the President of the United States. Subsequent to this declaration, Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a memo entitled "COVID-19 Pandemic Response, Laboratory Data Reporting: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Section 18115" dated June 4, 2020 that set a deadline of 1 August 2020 for all laboratories conducting COVID-19 testing to report daily testing activity to State or local public health departments within 24 hours of the results being known. In April 2020, COVID-19 was also named as a Nationally Notifiable Disease, and reporting to individual State Departments of Health (DOHs) was required. Although the public health emergency expired in May 2023, and COVID is no longer a Nationally Notifiable Disease as of 2025, 38 states and Washington, DC still mandate reporting of COVID tests to DOHs. Given the volume of testing performed by VA, there is a compelling need to maintain the existing service that automates COVID-19 laboratory testing activity reporting to state public health agencies.

The Associate of Public Health Laboratories AIMS platform has been the only service identified by DHHS that provides an acceptable option for single intake point to reach all the State jurisdictions in which VHA operates. AIMS has existing connections to all 50 state public health departments, the CDC, and several local public health organizations. Because VHA has facilities throughout the United States, the AIMS platform is the most cost-efficient approach in that a single interface to this repository provides information to all states as opposed to individual interfaces for each state. Having a single point of intake reduces the administration, configuration, and maintenance level of effort required to report the required COVID-19 tests to each State DO

Background:

This is a non-personal services contract to support the routing of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) electronic lab reports to a centralized intake service for further distribution to the appropriate State Department of Health and Federal Agencies concerned with aggregating COVID-19 testing efforts and results for epidemiological processing. See the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) for additional details.

Submittal Information:

As stated above, this is an Intent to Sole Source. No solicitation document is available and telephone calls will not be accepted. However, any responsible source who believes it is capable of meeting the requirement may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which may be considered by the agency, only if received by the closing date and time of this notice. Responses shall provide detailed information that demonstrates the vendor is capable of meeting all requirements as detailed in the PWS A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government.

Responses to this notice are due in writing via email on or before 4:00 PM EST on August 18, 2025, no later than 1:00PM EDT to Ron Shelko via email at Ronald.Shelko@va.gov, and Michelle Rhodes at Michelle.Rhodes@va.gov.

All responses must include the following information: Company name, Cage code, SAM UEI, Dun & Bradstreet number, Company address, Point of contact name, Phone number, Fax number, GSA contract (if applicable) and email. The subject line for correspondence should clearly display: 36C77625Q0265

Attachments: Performance Work Statement (PWS)