Responses must be received no later than Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 10:00AM EST. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION. THE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER: This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this Sources Sought Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought Notice. SOURCES SOUGHT DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a sources sought notice only. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 334516. Responses to this sources sought notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought notice, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought notice are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 5 Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources that can provide Liaison XL Analyzer for the Baltimore VA Medical Center. ITEM INFORMATION ITEM NUMBER DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT 0001 1.00 EA __________________ __________________ LIAISON XL ANALYZER 0002 1.00 EA __________________ __________________ LIAISON XL ANALYZER SERVICE-LIAISON XL GRAND TOTAL __________________ Statement of Work Purpose: Requesting the procurement of immunoassay analyzer, reagents, consumables, supplies, maintenance, and off-site customer training for testing of HIV and Quantiferon TB Gold Plus through purchase for the Immunology testing area at the VAMHCS Baltimore. Scope: The Contractor will provide an immunochemistry analyzer with designated options, all system software, UPS, monitor, scanner, printer, technical support, customer training, and business hours service plan. The test menu must include at least: Quantiferon TB Gold Plus, and HIV. The Contractor shall: Deliver, install, and set up the instrument and components. Provide test validation guidance and validation supplies. Provide technical support and guidance. Provide reagents, consumables, and supplies as requested by VANTHCS staff. Provide set up for interfaced result reporting, which includes LIS physical connection and translation (drivers), and any required (additional) interface connection license(s). Provide instrument repairs and scheduled preventive maintenance for the instrument and system components. Provide basic and advanced operator training. Location: The analyzer shall be located at and testing will be performed in the Immunology section of Microbiology Laboratory 4D151, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service, VAMHCS Baltimore. 10 N. Greene St., Baltimore Md. 21201. Performance Requirements: The following are required: Testing Requirements: The test menu must include Quantiferon TB Gold Assay, and other assays listed in Section 1, Scope. Assay calibrations stable for 30 days. Analyzer must be able to auto-rerun and auto-dilute samples. System Requirements: The system must contain random access technology. The system must have minimal daily maintenance, and tracking capabilities of when maintenance has been completed. The system should have technology to prevent sample carryover, preferably disposable pipettes. The system must feature error-proof reagent and commodity design with built in safeguards to prevent reagent mix-ups, probe crashes and unnecessary downtime. Sample carrier must be capable of utilizing different tube sizes in one carrier, thus avoiding the need for pre-analytic sorting. The system must have the capabilities of continuous loading of reagents, calibrators, controls, and sample without interruption. Connectivity Requirements: (Note: Does not use the following software: Windows XP Embedded Service Pack 3, Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP.) System is fully interfaced with VistA via Data Innovations: System accommodates automated (interfaced) reporting through Data Innovations (DI) to eliminate the need for manual interpretation and manual data entry. Maintenance: The Contractor shall perform preventive maintenance at intervals specified by the manufacturer to ensure proper equipment performance. Preventive Maintenance includes the following: Delivery of parts or materials for Preventive Maintenance. Testing all components for proper test performance. Equipment shall reproduce results according to manufacturer s specifications. After Preventative Maintenance, the Contractor shall submit a detailed work report for notice at no additional cost. The Contractor shall provide all preventive service materials at no additional cost to the government. Technical Support: Support Personnel will be available during business hours each business day, and live representatives via the Contractor s message center will be available by telephone at all other times. Technical support shall be available via telephone during business days (and by message center after hours) to provide troubleshooting assistance or to answer testing inquiries. On-site technical support shall be available for escalations within 48 hours. On-site Repairs: For issues that the Contractor determines to require on-site support, the Contractor shall dispatch one or more Support Personnel, normally within 48 business hours after documentation. The Contractor shall submit a detailed work report to include all required materials. The Contractor shall provide all parts and materials at no additional cost to the government. The Contractor shall remove all parts, equipment or materials replaced, or upgraded by the Contractor due to and not limited to repairs, replacements, recall, and upgrades without any cost to the government. Training: The contractor shall provide the following: Initial on-site operator training for analyzer. One additional on-site or off-site Basic Operator class per year. Handouts and training materials in sufficient quantity for each participant. These are off-the-shelf courses. The contractor shall provide lesson plan, course materials and media (DVD s, CD s, videos, etc. if required), and editable procedures at no additional cost. Additional on-site training as requested by VAMHCS at no additional charge. Safety: The Contractor shall immediately notify VAMHCS of any changes in reagent kit composition, procedure modification, recall notification, or any changes that will affect the performance of the test or procedure according to FDA regulations. Test Performance: All tests, procedures, and equipment must perform at manufacturer s specifications. Deviations from the performance specifications shall be corrected by the Contractor. Test performance will be evaluated by and not limited for performance thru peer comparison, quality control and CAP peer evaluation. The vendor shall reimburse VAMHCS for any costs and/or supplies related to tests sent to a referral laboratory when testing is not available through no fault of the facility due to reagent problems, other product issues, instrumentation failure, or other factors.  The assessed damages shall be applied to the invoice in the form of a credit or deduction. Deliverables and Supplies: This order is for the purchase of an instrument/system for testing. Reagents and supplies will be purchased under a separate agreement. The Contractor shall deliver all supplies necessary for test performance at no Government cost. The Contractor shall deliver all and not limited to operational, maintenance, troubleshooting, small repairs, equipment specifications, and test manuals. The Contractor shall install the equipment and perform test verification according to manufacturer specification and regulatory requirements. The Contractor shall provide supplies: reagents and consumables for test menu. Additional testing may be added at the discretion of VAMHCS. Any additional testing shall be negotiated between the Contractor and VAMHCS. In the event that requested supplies are on back-order, Contractor is to provide information as to the estimated time of availability. The Contractor shall deliver all invoices for review according to the established contract at the end of each billing cycle. All items not contracted shall be specifically detailed on the invoice including description, quantity acquired, and government cost. Any changes in reagents or equipment modifications shall be immediately disclosed by the Contractor electronically as well as by postal mail with supporting documentation of the change, and detailed guidance for implementation within twenty-four hours of its application. Additional charges incurred by the government to provide the continuity of contracted tests to patients and not limited to outsourcing, transportation, and or any other additional cost shall be covered by the Contractor at no additional charge to the government. Contractor Security Contract Requirements: This Contractor requires no access to VAMHCS or any VA information system. The analyzer will be interfaced to the VAMHCS information system through Data Innovations. There will be supervised access when the Contractor is physically present for technical support, service calls, and scheduled preventative maintenance. Place of Performance: Department of Veterans Affairs Baltimore VA Medical Center 10 N. Greene St. Baltimore MD 21201 The information identified above is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive and to indicate the quality of the supplies/services that will be satisfactory. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the supplies/services that fulfill the required specifications. If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought-out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought-out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc. (2) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI? (3) Are you the manufacturer or distributor of the items being referenced above (or equivalent product/solution)? What is the manufacturing country of origin of these items? (4) If you are a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above (or equivalent product/solution), do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified? (5) Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with NASA SEWP or any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract type and number. (6) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC or NASA SEWP contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the referenced items/solutions available on your schedule/contract? (7) Please provide general pricing for your products/solutions for market research purposes. (8) Please submit your capabilities in regard to the salient characteristics being provided and any information pertaining to equal to items to establish capabilities for planning purposes? *** Submissions addressing Section (8) should show clear, compelling, and convincing*** evidence that all equal to items" meet all required salient characteristics. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice shall be submitted via email to Michael.Jones16@va.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Thursday, March 13, 2025, 10:00AM EST. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this Sources Sought Notice. Responses to this notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.
