Inactive Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (specific to Department of Veterans Affairs)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6150 Oak Tree Boulevard, Suite 300 Independence, Ohio 44131 Name of Requirement: Electronic Signature Pad Omaha Pkg. 53 Action:... U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Program Contracting Activity Central 6150 Oak Tree Boulevard, Suite 300 Independence, Ohio 44131 Name of Requirement: Electronic Signature Pad Omaha Pkg. 53 Action: 36E776-20-AP-0093 RFI / Sources Sought: 36A776-20-Q-0153 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE **IMPORTANT: Please read this notice in full BEFORE responding!** INTRODUCTION This Request for Information (RFI) / Sources Sought Notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA is issuing this RFI / Sources Sought to locate qualified, experienced, and interested potential sources capable of providing the products described herein and in the attached Draft Statement of Work (SOW) and Vendor Market Research Response Form. Please review this RFI / Sources Sought and identify whether your company has the capability and interest in providing the items listed or equivalent items that possess the salient characteristics as described in the draft SOW. Please utilize the Market Research Vendor Response Form when responding to ensure all required information is included in your response. Responses will not be considered as quotes or offers, nor will any award be incurred by interested parties in responding to this RFI / Sources Sought. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) Market Research may result in a solicitation for Electronic Signature Pads for use in the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Healthcare System (VA NWIHCS) Ambulatory Care Center, located in Omaha, Nebraska (see salient characteristics, delivery specifications, and warranty specifications). SET-ASIDE Complete responses to this notice will assist the VA in determining any potential set-aside for the requirement. Not providing all information requested in response to this notice may result in the VA being unable to determine a vendor potentially capable of satisfying the requirement and, subsequently, if the rule of two criteria is not met, a specific set-aside category may not be decided by the Contracting Officer. AUTHORIZED DEALER/DISTRIBUTOR VERIFICATION For market research, the VA must be able to determine if an item is being sourced from the gray market or if the item is being provided by an authorized dealer/distributor. Gray market items are Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) goods sold through unauthorized channels in direct competition with authorized distributors. Gray market items are also known as parallel market. Parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer. Any potential solicitations and procurements will be for new OEM supplies, equipment and/or services contracts for maintenance of equipment (i.e. replacement parts) for VA Medical Centers and/or facilities. No remanufactured, gray market, or parallel market items will be acceptable. Be advised any future solicitation that results from this RFI / Sources Sought, will include the requirement for vendors to provide authorized dealer verification for all items of equipment. This RFI / Sources Sought is for new equipment ONLY; remanufactured, gray market or parallel market items will not be acceptable sources. Any vendor interested in responding to this RFI / Sources Sought shall be an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) authorized dealer or distributor for the equipment/system such that OEM warranty and services are provided and maintained by the OEM or that the OEM gives authorization to the vendor to fulfill all warranty, service, and/or preventative maintenance obligations for the equipment on their behalf. All software licensing, warrant, and service associated with the equipment/system shall be in accordance with the OEM terms and conditions. An EXAMPLE of an acceptable OEM Authorized Dealer letter is attached (SEE ATTACHMENT 3). SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS/DELIVERY SPECIFICATIONS/WARRANTY SPECIFICATIONS See attached documents: Attachment 1: Draft Statement of Work Attachment 2: Vendor Market Research Response Form Attachment 3: EXAMPLE OEM Authorized Dealer Letter SUBMITTAL OF RFI RESPONSE If you believe you are capable of meeting this requirement, please provide a complete response no later than Friday February 21 at 1:00 PM (Eastern). A response is considered complete if all items below are provided Filled out Vendor Response Form attached to this RFI/Sources Sought (See Attachment 2) OEM Authorized Distributor Letter(s) provided (See Attachment 3) Further, if you believe a different NAICS code or Product Service Code (PSC) is a better fit for the subject requirement, please provide that information to us as well. NAICS: NAICS CODE NAICS CODE DESCRIPTION PSC: PSC CODE PSC DESCRIPTION NOTE: This Request for Information (RFI) is solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or obligation on the part of the Government. Per FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers, shall not be used as a proposal, and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Neither unsolicited proposals nor any other kinds of offers will be considered in response to this notice. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents; however, the Government does reserve the right to contact any respondent and/or respondent reference to obtain additional information. At this time, no solicitation exists; therefore, please do not request a copy of the solicitation. Any resulting procurement action will be the subject of a separate, future announcement. The information is provided for discussion purposes and any potential strategy for this acquisition may change prior to any solicitation release. The acquisition strategy, evaluation methodology, contract type, and any other acquisition decisions are yet to be determined.