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

Sources Sought The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service Disabled Veteran Ow... Sources Sought The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB), Small Business Manufacturers, other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing items requested, as well as any large businesses. The results from this source sought notice will be used to determine set-aside. The intended contract is a firm-fixed price supply purchase. The SBA Non-Manufacturer Rule is applicable, and a waiver will not be sought for this potential acquisition. The Department of Veterans Affairs, NCO20 is looking for BRAND NAME or EQUAL sources of the following: MFG PN Item Qty A2O A2O® Advanced Automated Osmometer for routine osmolality determination utilizing the freezing-point method 1 SKC-A20 A20 Convenience Kit - Clinical 1 INSTALL-A20 Instrument Installation & Customer Training 1 VAL-A20 Instrument Validation Services 1 SC-A20-3Y-ACP Service Contract, A20, 3 Year, Advanced Care Plus 1 Salient Characteristics: The A2O® Advanced Automated Osmometer is manufactured by Advanced Instruments, LLC. and allows for customized sample testing protocols to be developed specific and unique to the desired laboratory or testing method. The equipment must meet the minimum of the following: Fully automated, multi-sample, freezing point method analyzer. Built-in quality control software package. 115/120 VAC. Ethernet/LIS connectivity. On-board printer. Full calibrated range: 0 4000 mOsm/kg H2O. Initial and pre-test barcode scanning for positive specimen identification. Removable 20-position carousel for easy sample loading. Sample test volume >50 µL. Turn-Around-Time <180 sec. Dimensions: Width: <24 Inches                     Height: <24 Inches                        Depth: <24 Inches Weight 70 lbs. Customer training shall be for a minimum of 2 hours and shall be held for between 2 6 individuals. Instrument validation services shall be a method and accuracy comparison against the current instrument and shall be conducted in a manner that will ensure that the new equipment will meet both CAP and CLIA guidelines. The warranty shall be a minimum of 1-year manufacturer s warranty with 3 years of extended care past the initial 1-year manufacturer s warranty period. Both of these shall include annual preventative maintenance conducted via site visit. If at any time during these warranty periods the instrument becomes unusable, a loner instrument shall be provided at no cost (included in the cost of the service contract). Warranties shall include all parts, labor, and travel expenses during their period of coverage. Potential contractors shall provide, at a minimum, the following information to dane.gift@va.gov. 1) Company name, address, and point of contact, phone number, e-mail address, and DUNS. 2) Please identify your company s size in comparison to the anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. To be considered a small business your company must have fewer than 1,000 employees. This notice is to determine the marketplace for this specific requirement. Please check one of the following: [ ] yes [ ] no Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) [ ] yes [ ] no Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) [ ] yes [ ] no Small Business Manufacturers [ ] yes [ ] no All other Small Business (SB) [ ] yes [ ] no Other than Small Business 3) The Government is not obligated to nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought notice. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. Notice to Potential Offerors: All Offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System Award Management (SAM located on the web at www.sam.gov). It is desirable that any Offeror to have completed their business Online Representations and Certifications Application in the System for Award Management (SAM). 4) Any Service Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses who respond to a solicitation on this project must be registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise VetBiz Registry located at http://vip.vetbiz.gov. 5) If not a manufacturer, only authorized representatives/providers/distributors of the manufacturer will be considered. Equipment must be new, no used or refurbished equipment accepted. Please provide a proof of authorized dealer or reseller letter from manufacturer. 6) This is a brand name or equal requirement. As such, the salient characteristics reflect the physical, functional, or performance characteristics that equal products must meet to satisfy the Government s needs. To be considered for any potential solicitation, offers of equal products, including equal products of the brand name manufacturer, must: (a) Meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this sources sought; clearly identify the item by Brand name, if any and make/model number. (b) Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or a clear reference to descriptive data or information available that identifies that the equal item meets or exceeds the salient characteristics required by the Government. (c) Please provide a courtesy quote in response to this request to evaluate price reasonableness for any set-aside determination. (d) This equipment will need to be connected to the VA network, so interested parties should also fill out the attached VA Form 6500 and submit that along with your courtesy quote. Responses are due by 12/15/2020 3:00 PM EST, to the Point of Contact. Shipping Address: Portland VA Health Care System Warehouse 1601 East Fourth Plain Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98661 Point of Contact: Dane Gift Contracting Specialist Dane.Gift@va.gov 360-816-2762