Inactive Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Aside (FAR 19.14)

The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information & Technology (OIT), IT Operations and Services at Hines Information Technology Center (HITC) located at building 215, on t... The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information & Technology (OIT), IT Operations and Services at Hines Information Technology Center (HITC) located at building 215, on the Hines VA Campus. HITC provides benefits and services to Veterans of the United States. In meeting these goals, HITC strives to provide high quality, effective, and efficient Information Technology (IT) services to those responsible for providing care to Veterans throughout all the points of the Veterans throughout the United States, in an effective, timely and compassionate manner. VA depends on Information Management / Information Technology (IM/IT) systems to further meet mission goals. The HITC processes data that is considered a lifeline to Veterans and constant availability of that data is crucial. The HITC facility department is responsible for ensuring the data center will not experience any power loss or electrical outage under any circumstance, 24 hours a day and seven days a week (24/7). In order to accomplish the mission and goals of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the HITC is required to refurbish and/or recondition the existing electrical switchgear, main and circuit breakers This is the contract’s main requirement to refurbish the existing breakers to restore reliability of system integrity. This project also incorporates an optional bid to replace the data center's existing disposable/1-time use wall-mounted electrical panel breakers. HITC’s switch gear breakers are 30+ years old and far beyond their expected service life. Required preventative maintenance has not occurred as per the standards and NEC codes, particularly they haven’t been cleaned, re-lubricated and/or exercised properly because of the 24/7/365 operational status requirement. The local utility company’s power provides inconsistent reliability and was the cause of three emergency replacements in the last three years. HITC’s switch gear breakers are all custom fabricated Square D or Siemens breakers to fit in the Westinghouse frames. This has required support from out-of-state custom fabrication shops to support our needs and has taken up to 3 months to attain the refurbished switchgear.