J065--689-23-4-7441-0228: RADIOLOGY EQUIPMENT SERVICES (VA-23-00063841) - Ashley Zannikos

Q: How will this contract be evaluated? It was unclear in the solicitation what the evaluation criteria would be.

A: The proposal will be evaluated based upon technical compliance, past performance, and price. The aforementioned evaluation factors are listed in order of greatest importance.

Q: Will there be any preference given to SDVOSB and VOSB firms?

A: No. Based on Market Research and the results of the Sources Sought notice there is not a reasonable expectation that two or more SDVOSBs or VOSBs can meet the minimum requirements in accordance with the Performance of Work Statement. Therefore, this requirement is set aside for Small Businesses, which includes SDVOSBs and VOSBs.

Q: In the SOW, paragraph 3, there is a bolded note that incorrectly cites NHPP requirements for scanners to be surveyed by physicists before getting put back into service. VHA Directive 1105 clarifies this (below). Will the CT VA revise the SOW to adhere to this language?

k. Biomedical Engineering Service/Section. The biomedical engineering service is responsible for: restoring the equipment back to the manufacturer s specifications prior to patient use after repairs or service have been performed. NOTE: Facilities must establish written processes to perform testing by a biomedical engineer or a service engineer to validate dose output and image quality following repairs, and to obtain a Medical Physicist inspection within 30 days of the repair.

l. Medical Physicist. The medical physicist is responsible for performing initial and annual testing, and testing within 30 days after repairs or service on all X-ray producing equipment.

A: According to VHA Handbook 1105.04, 11b:

Equipment Testing by a Medical Physicist. The technical quality assurance program must include testing by a medical physicist of all imaging equipment producing x-rays. The equipment must be tested after installation, but before first clinical use, annually thereafter, and after each repair or modification that may affect patient dose or image quality. Testing after repair or modification must be performed before clinical use of the equipment. The testing, including a summary of methods, instruments used, measurements and deficiencies identified, must be documented in a written report signed by the medical physicist.

VA CT does not have the ability to test several of the imaging equipment s that produce x-rays after each repair or modification that may affect patient dose or image quality. Testing after repair or modification must be performed before clinical use of the equipment. Therefore, patient care is significantly impacted by the down time of these machines. VA CT presents a unique patient care challenge that justifies the 4 hour response time required.

Q: How many hours per year should offerors plan on including in their bids for tasks outside of annual equipment testing? Would these other services be quoted separately?

The SOW listed CT protocol review, comparison of patient doses with national practices, onsite fluoro safety training, guidance on nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapy procedures, radiation shielding surveys and design, dose reconstruction for patients and staff, skin dose calculations, fetal dose calculations, dose rate surveys in adjacent areas to imaging equipment, and availability for short-notice inspection of equipment, potentially after hours.

There did not appear to be any estimate for how frequently these services would be required. Our experience has been that providing these services can account for at least 20% or more of the total level of effort involved in providing comprehensive medical physics support to a client.

A: A brief description of tasking and estimated occurrences are provided below for industry to gauge the breadth of work. The Government is not bound to the estimated occurrences of tasking below:

CT protocol review and comparison of patient doses in accordance with national practices should be included in the annual inspection of the equipment.

Onsite Fluoro safety training should be scheduled once a year.

Guidance on nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapy procedures tasking consists of answering questions about completed reports, or asking other guidance questions. Unlikely to exceed one call or email question per month.

The dose reconstruction for patients and staff should be infrequent and estimated at once per year.

The required shielding designs vary per year. It is estimated to be required 1 to 4 times per year.

Radiation shielding surveys and design, dose reconstruction for patients and staff, skin dose calculations and fetal dose calculations should be infrequent and is estimated to be required once per year.

Dose rate surveys in adjacent areas to imaging equipment should be a part of routine acceptance testing of new equipment. Frequency will vary. We don t relocate equipment often, but do get new equipment several times each year.

Availability for short-notice inspection of equipment, should be provided based on the type of equipment to be inspected. This is most often for a CT scanner tube replacement. Four to six unscheduled calls for this service should be anticipated per year.

Q: Do you have a timeline of when you plan to make a selection on this contract - before the summer is over?

A: The Government does not have an estimated date of award at this time.