Request for Information - Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) Probe Cleaner

This is a Request for Information (RFI), Sources Sought Notice, issued by Naval Medical Center Portsmouth seeking information from prospective vendors. The purpose of this request is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of qualified sources and whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis; this does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Offerors are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued. All interested vendors must have an active Cage Code in the System for Award Management (SAM). For the purpose of a potential acquisition, the NAICS is 339113 - Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing, PSC is 6530 Hospital, Furniture, Equipment, Utensils, and Supplies. The proposed contract is anticipated to be a firm-fixed price contract, which is a one-time buy with a delivery date of 30 September 2026.

NOTE: At this time no solicitation exists. Therefore, please do not request a copy of the solicitation. NO PHONE CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED. It is the responsibility of any potential Offeror to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation.

1. RFI Title: Automated transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe cleaner/disinfector.

2. LOCATION: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth

                       620 John Paul Jones Circle

                       Portsmouth, VA 23708-2197  

3. BACKGROUND: NMCP Cardiology requires an automated transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe intended for use in cardiology, electrophysiology, anesthesiology, and echocardiography services where TEE probes are utilized. NMCP requires an automated transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe cleaning and high-level disinfection system that meets the following essential characteristics: 

1. Must be capable of performing fully automated pre-cleaning, cleaning, and high-level disinfection within a single system, without reliance on separate manual pre-cleaning processes or additional handling steps outside of the system.
2. Must be FDA-cleared specifically for automated reprocessing of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probes.
3. Must be fully compatible with Philips TEE probe platforms currently in use and planned for future implementation, including the ability to process all probes using the same system without exclusions.
4. Must support a single, standardized reprocessing workflow for all TEE probes, eliminating the need to maintain multiple cleaning methods.
5. Must not require parallel manual or semi-automated reprocessing workflows for any subset of probes.
6. Must utilize a validated enzymatic cleaning process designed specifically for TEE probe reprocessing as part of the automated cycle.
7. Must provide repeatable, validated cleaning and high-level disinfection cycles to ensure consistent compliance with infection prevention standards for semi-critical devices.
8. Must minimize direct handling of probes to reduce variability and risk of cross-contamination.
9. Must support high-volume clinical operations without introducing workflow delays or inefficiencies.
10. Must be a commercially available system with manufacturer-supported installation, service, and consumables as part of a complete and validated reprocessing solution.

4. DESCRIPTION: NAICS is 339113 Surgical Appliance and Supplies manufacturing; PSC  6530 Hospital Furniture, Equipment, Utensils, and Supplies.

RFI SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Responses to the RFI shall adhere to the following formatting and outline instructions:

1. All submissions shall be made electronically and be in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF.

2. Cover Page (1 page)

• Title
• Organization
• Responder’s technical and administrative points of contact (name, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses).
• Cage Code

3. Capabilities statement SHALL meet the essential characteristics listed above.

RESPONSES DUE: April 17, 2026, by 5pm EDT

SUBMISSION TO: Ms. Cynthia Scharnowske, cynthia.e.scharnowske.civ@health.mil and Ms. Carol Uebelacker, carol.e.uebelacker.civ@health.mil.