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For Official Government Use Only Page 11 of 11 Sources Sought Synopsis Requested submittal Information: Contractors having the skills, capabilities and capacity necessary to perform the stated require... For Official Government Use Only Page 11 of 11 Sources Sought Synopsis Requested submittal Information: Contractors having the skills, capabilities and capacity necessary to perform the stated requirements should submit a response of no more than 5 pages in length, single spaced, 12-point font minimum. The Government will not review any other data or attachments that are in excess of the 10 pages. Companies should provide clear and unambiguous evidence to substantiate their capability to fulfill these requirements. Interested parties shall furnish the following minimum information: 1. Company name and address. 2. Company point of contact name, telephone number and email address. 3. Is your business large or small? 4. If small, does your firm qualify as a small, emerging business, or small disadvantaged business? 5. If disadvantaged, specify under which disadvantaged group and if your firm is certified under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act 6. Is your firm a certified Hub zone firm? 7. Is your firm a woman-owned or operated business? 8. Is your firm a certified Service-Disabled Veteran or Veteran Owned Small business (SDVOSB or VOSB)? 9. If your firm is a SDVOSB or VOSB, are you registered with VetBiz Registry? If not, please register at: http://vip.vetbiz.gov/general_user/register/default.asp 10. Does your firm have a DUNS number? If so, please provide. If not, you must register with Dun & Bradstreet at: http://www.dnb.com 11. Is your firm registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1? If not, please register as soon as possible. 12. If the company holds a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Contract, list the GSA Contract Number and relevant SINS. 13. Does your firm have a website address? Please provide. 14. Does your company have the capability to provide medical physicist services in support of the Government s requirement? 15. Does your company provide for product service code and federal supply codes: R425 Professional: Engineering/Technical services? 16. What commercial practice is used to determine rates? 17. Capabilities/Qualifications: A written response providing clear and unambiguous evidence to substantiate the capacity to fulfill this requirement. Description of the capabilities/qualifications/skills your company possesses to perform services described in the scope of work. 18. Do you need to subcontract any portion of work to provide these services stated herein? 19. Past Experience: Brief summary of the company history relative to similar requirements. Offer may provide the following information on a maximum of three similar projects for which the responder was a prime or subcontractor. a. The name, address, and value of each project. b. The Prime Contract Type, Firm Fixed-Price, or Time and Material. c. The name, telephone and address of the owner of each project. d. A description of each project and why it is relevant to this requirement. Include difficulties and successes. e. Your company s role and services provided for each project. 20. What are the common qualifications of the people who are providing these services? The Department of Veterans Affairs is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting further market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for Medical Physicist Services. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes assigned to this procurement are 541990: Professional, Scientific and Technical Services There is no solicitation at this time. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1) organization name, address, email address, website address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to 1) provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition, and multiple awards may be made. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the listed services in Appendix 1: Purpose and Objectives are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by October 21, 2020 at 17:00 pm EST. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to james.vickerman@va.gov and all questions listed under the requested submittal information answered, accordingly. If you have any questions concerning this opportunity please contact: James Vickerman by email. APPENDIX 1: Purpose and Objectives SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS: The Contractor shall provide all labor, material, supplies, equipment, transportation, software and qualified personnel, to provide medical physicist services in support of the Finger Lakes Health VA Radiation Safety Program. Radiology departments are located in Rochester, Canandaigua, and Bath. All work is performed on site at the VA facilities listed below. A working day shall be considered Monday through Friday, not counting Federal Holidays, unless agreed upon with the RSO. Work may be performed during normal off hours with adequate coordination with the Finger Lakes Health VA. There will be no extra charge for working during normal off hours. For example, performing checks on equipment during early evening hours or a Saturday/Sunday when the patient work load is less and the equipment is more readily available. Qualifications Prior to commencing work all contractor employees shall meet certain criteria to perform work under this contract as a Medical Physicist. All qualifications are subject to review by the VA Finger Lakes Health System Chief of Staff and approval by the VA Finger Lakes Health Director. 1. Medical Physicists shall meet the following education, certification, and qualification standards: 1. Hold a Master s Degree in Medical Physics, Health Physics or a related field. 2. Hold current Board Certification in Diagnostic Radiological Physics by the American Board of Radiology and or American Board of Medical Physics. 3. Medical physicist should have experience in: a) CT Optimization b) Calibration and testing of diagnostic x-ray equipment. 2. Medical Physicist duties shall not be reassigned to a Technologist or any other individual without written approval by the VA Radiation Safety Officer or his/her designee. 3. Medical Physicist must adhere to VHA Handbook 1105.04, Fluoroscopy Safety, dated June 21, 2018. Contractor shall comply with radiation protection standards 29 CFR 1910.1096 and immediately report any unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facticity radiation workers or patients to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). General Requirements 1. Contractor shall perform Annual QC Testing on existing Diagnostic x-ray equipment (Radiographic, Fluoroscopic, CT, DR, Digital Radiographic plates, and MRI safety check) to meet the requirements of the VA Finger Lakes Health System Radiation Safety Program. Reference Appendix 1 for a list of equipment to be tested. 2. Additional testing is also required as follows: a. Acceptance testing of new devices, usually 1 per year. b. Full inspection of repaired or adjusted equipment that may affect the radiation output or image quality c. Testing of each replacement X-ray tube prior to patient use. d. Testing of diagnostic monitors used by Radiologists and Technologists for patient imaging. 3. Contractor is to provide written reports of surveys and test results in a timely manner. 4. Contractor will respond promptly to any discrepancies found from external inspections. Provide written response to outside agencies when applicable. 5. The qualified medical physicist shall provide consultation for additional services as needed, i.e., safety training, and medical events involving radiation exposure. 6. The qualified medical physicist shall review all Radiation Safety Policies and Procedures with attention to compliance with regulations of NHPP and JCAHO. 7. Contractor is to submit a list of key personnel with the offer. Define each individual s education, certification and licensure. Scheduling and Response Times 1. All annual tests will be scheduled in advance. 2. All testing on new devices or repaired or adjusted equipment requires one business day response time, in order to maintain functionality and minimize the effect on patient care. 3. A written report of the results shall be provided to the service supervisor or RSO within Thirty (30) working days after completion of the inspection. Equipment Performance Evaluation and Quality Control Test The Contractor shall conduct equipment inspections or quality control surveys of the imaging equipment listed below. The Contractor shall ensure the imaging equipment s compliance with applicable federal regulations and ACR recommendations, and shall include, but not be limited to, monitoring the following basic performance characteristics: 1. Equipment Inspections The Contractor shall conduct equipment inspections or quality control surveys of the imaging equipment listed below. The Contractor shall ensure the imaging equipment s compliance with applicable Federal regulations and ACR recommendations, and shall include, but not be limited to, monitoring the following basic performance characteristics. The actual number and types of imaging units required to be checked may vary with replacement of existing units or purchase of new equipment. Estimated Quantities and Locations Description # Advanced Imaging Devices / Equipment (CT, PET/CT, Mammography, MRI, Nuclear Medicine Audits) 3 Rad/Fluoro/Tomo Tubes (X-Ray, Digital, Fluoro, C-Arm) 10 Minor Radiographic Tubes (Dental, DEXA) 23 Consultations 36 * Patient dose evaluation is included 1. BATH VA CENTER, 76 Veterans Ave, Bath, NY 14810 2. CANANDAIGUA VA CENTER, 400 Fort Hill Ave, Canandaigua, NY 14424 3. ROCHESTER OUTPATIENT CENTER (ROPC), 260 Calkins Rd, Henrietta, NY 14467 A. Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment Physics inspections of radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment shall comply with the VA Finger Lakes Health Radiation Safety Program and the ACR Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance monitoring of Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment. The performance of each radiographic and fluoroscopic unit must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable): 1. Integrity of unit assembly. 2. Collimation and radiation beam alignment. 3. Fluoroscopic system resolution. 4. Automatic exposure control system performance. 5. Fluoroscopic automatic brightness control performance (high-dose-rate, pulsed modes, field-of-view [FOV] variation). 6. Image artifacts. 7. Fluoroscopic phantom image quality. 8. kVp accuracy and reproducibility. 9. Linearity of exposure versus mA or mAs. 10. Exposure reproducibility. 11. Timer accuracy. 12. Beam quality assessment (half-value-layer). 13. Fluoroscopic entrance exposure. Maximum output for all clinically used settings. 14. Image receptor entrance exposure. 15. Equipment radiation safety functions. 16. Patient dose monitoring system calibration. 17. Video and digital monitor performance. 18. Digital image receptor performance. 19. Grids used with portable x-ray units shall be imaged for uniformity. B. Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR) Physics inspections of CR and DR equipment shall comply with American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM) Report Number 93, Acceptance Testing and Quality Control of Photostimulable Storage Phosphor Imaging Systems. The performance of CR and DR must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable): 1. Component and Imaging Plate Physical Inspection and Inventory 2. Imaging Plate Dark Noise and Uniformity 3. Exposure Indicator Calibration 4. Linearity and Auto-ranging Response 5. Laser Beam Function 6. Limiting Resolution and Resolution Uniformity 7. Noise and Low-Contrast Resolution 8. Spatial accuracy 9. Erasure Thoroughness 10. Aliasing/ Grid Response 11. IP Throughput 12. Positioning and Collimation Errors C. CT Scanners The physics inspection shall conform to the 2012 ACR Computed Tomography Quality Control Manual. The performance of each CT scanner shall be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable): 1. Review of Clinical Protocols 2. Review CT Optimization at least annually 3. Scout Prescription and Alignment Light Accuracy 4. Image thickness Axial Mode 5. Table Travel Accuracy 6. Radiation Beam Width 7. Low-Contrast Performance 8. Spatial Resolution 9. CT Number Accuracy 10. Artifact Evaluation 11. CT Uniformity 12. Dosimetry ( the scanner displayed CTDIvol values must be within +/-20% of the measured CTDIvol values) 13. Gray Level Performance of CT Acquisition Display Monitors D. Dental The physics inspection shall conform to the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), Quality Control Recommendations for Diagnostic Radiography Volume 1 Dental Facilities July 2001. The performance of each dental x-ray shall be annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable): 1. Collimation 2. Beam quality (half value layer) 3. Timer Accuracy and Reproducibility 4. kVp Accuracy and Reproducibility 5. mA or mAs Linearity 6. Exposure Reproducibility 7. Entrance Skin Exposure Evaluation 8. Technique Chart Evaluation 9. Image uniformity (artifact evaluation) E. Display Monitors The physics inspection shall conform to the AAPM On-line Report No. 03, Assessment of Display Perform for Medical Imaging Systems. The performance of each display monitor shall be evaluated initially, acceptance testing, and at least annually thereafter. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable): Acceptance testing (Table 7 from AAPM On-line Report No. 03) and (Table 8c form AAPM On-line Report No. 03) 1. Geometric distortions 2. Reflection 3. Luminance response 4. Luminance dependencies 5. Resolution 6. Noise 7. Veiling glare 8. Chromaticity Equipment 1. Government Furnished Equipment and Software: The Government will provide the following 1. CT image quality phantoms 2. Contractor Furnished Equipment and Software: The Contractor shall provide all other equipment and software not specifically cited above to perform the requirements of this contract. At a minimum: 1. Testing all diagnostic x-ray equipment 2. CT scanner Miscellaneous Evaluations (Radiographic, Fluoroscopic, CT, PET/CT, Nuclear Medicine) 1. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall provide shielding design calculations for each new, replacement, or relocated x-ray imaging system. The calculations for each shall comply with the National Council for Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Report No 147 and, for dental units, NCRP Report No.145 and shall be documented in a written report, which includes a diagram showing adjacent areas. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall perform a shielding survey to verify the structural shielding was installed per the shielding design report and complies with the design goals. A written report of the shielding survey shall be provided to the RSO within five (5) workings days after the shielding survey has been completed. 2. The qualified medical physicist shall assist in the development of a comprehensive technical quality assurance program (QA) (e.g., technique charts, repeat/reject analysis monitoring, monitoring of exposure indices to radiographic image receptors, QA program for display monitors, QA for CT, monitoring of dose metrics from fluoroscopy studies), which complies with ACR recommendations, for all modalities. 3. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall follow up on any discrepancies found on previous inspections including external i.e., ACR, JCAHO, IOG, VORP or internal audits. 4. Travel/Transportation 1. The Contractor shall provide all transportation necessary to perform the requirements of this contract, if included in services. 2. All travel related costs, including lodging or any other miscellaneous costs shall be the sole responsibility of the contractor and shall be included in the finished fixed unit price on the Price Schedule. 3. The Contractor shall not charge the hourly rate for services while in transit to any of the sites. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with 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 RFI.