Inactive

LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran s Health Administration / NCO 22 650 East Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ 85012 Description of Action: Th... LIMITED-SOURCES JUSTIFICATION Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran s Health Administration / NCO 22 650 East Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ 85012 Description of Action: The proposed action is for a non-competitive, firm-fixed-price task order to be awarded under General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contract Number 47QTCA21D005U to Computrition, Inc. (Computrition) 8521 Fallbrook Avenue, Suite 100, Canoga Park, California 91304, for Computrition brand name food services management software modules, licenses, and associated technical support services. Description of the Supplies or Services: VA, Veterans Health Administration Phoenix, New Mexico, Southern Arizona and Northern Arizona VA Medical Centers, have a requirement for the renewal of brand-name Computrition Hospitality Suite Software and support services which consists of food services management software, software support/updates, and maintenance for deployed software, as well as procurement of associated technical support services and the procurement of additional add-on modules. Specifically, these sites are seeking renewal of Nutrition Care Management Select (NCM)/ Foodservice Operations Pro Modules (FOM), Room Service Software and Room Service Connect Software Modules, Veteran Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) Health Level 7 (HL-7) Interface Software Modules, and Database Administration services. These four sites also require associated technical support services which are defined as program enhancements, implementation, and training services. This requirement shall also include 24 hours per day, 7 days per week support for the purpose of maintaining and accessing existing software resulting in fully functional, operationally capable as intended by the manufacturer in support of the sites requirements. These sites are also seeking to procure additional Computrition modules such as Single Sign-On, Tray InMotion, Inventory Connect, Nutrition Food Label Module (Label Elite) and Video Display, and additional quantities of NCM/FOM Licenses, HL-7 Interface Monitoring Module. The period of performance shall consist of a 12-month base period with four (4) 12-month option periods. The total estimated value of the proposed action is $955,241.64 inclusive of options. Authority: This acquisition is conducted under the authority of the Multiple-Award Schedule Program. The specific authority providing for a limited source award is Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 8.405-6(a)(1)(i)(B), Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: The proposed source is Computrition, Inc, 8521 Fallbrook Avenue, Suite 100, West Hills, CA 91304. This Computrition Automation Software and Licensing 2 requirement can only be provided by the Original Software Developer (OSD), Computrition, under its GSA MAS contract number 47QTCA21D005U. Based on market research, as detailed in section eight of this justification, no other source can provide the required Computrition brand name software modules, licenses, and associated technical support services. In Fiscal Year 2013, VA commenced utilization of the Computrition software, and developed the necessary environment and customization to allow for the HL-7 interface to Computrition s software, which includes all active inventory, recipes, menus, diets, daily production data, patient preferences and meal selections for food menu management. As such, VA procured multiple modules, as identified in section three of this justification. VA requires renewal of these modules, and the necessary associated technical support services to ensure uninterrupted service for Veterans. Due to the proprietary nature of the deployed software, and the customization of the VA environment, no other solution would be able to be fully compatible and interoperable with the existing environment. Computrition does not authorize any other entity to sell, support, maintain, or train others in the use of their software. The software modules associated with this software package cannot be licensed by any other company given its proprietary nature. Any other brand name software will not be able to function and communicate with the existing databases without an extensive redesign and redevelopment effort. To replace this software with that of another vendor would require a complete rewrite of the existing VistA Menu Management Program and HL-7 interface with additional customizations to provide select menu, spoken menu, room service, enhanced nutrient analysis, patient intake analysis and production. Specifically, currently fielded databases are only able to function and communicate with Computrition software. VA technical experts estimate that it would take a minimum of 2000 hours (approximately 1 year) to implement a solution other than Computrition at all four sites VA Medical Centers. This would involve building databases of recipes, menus, food items, food inventory, food production, ward/room number locations, diets, diet restrictions, likes, dislikes, allergies, etc. required for the software to be operations. Additionally, the software would need to be tested numerous times with the VistA system before being properly deployed, which would further lengthen the transition period. In addition, the existing Computrition software stores Veterans health and diet data through the existing databases. Switching to another brand name software and redesigning and redeveloping this existing architecture will also increase risk of data corruption. There is no automated export/import possible between Computrition Software and another competitor s database for all the data that the teams built, have stored, and currently maintain in the Computrition software. Therefore, the redevelopment of the thousands of line of code would not only be a significant effort, but it would also increase risks to data integrity. Overall, the amount of labor and time incurred by changing vendors at this time would significantly impact daily operations. Included as part of this proposed action is the procurement of additional software modules and ancillary support services, such as training, database administration, and implementation support. No other source, other than Computrition can provide the required modules and support, as no other software and modules are interoperable or compatible with the existing sites environment, as discussed above, and no other source has access to the necessary proprietary information and training materials, other than the Original Software Developer (OSD). In order for any source to be able to provide the required associated technical support services, would require direct access to the proprietary source code in order to generate fixes, patches, and updates, which will then be able to be pushed into production. Without these required services from the OSD, VA appreciably increases the risk that software will cease functioning properly and endanger Veteran patient safety. Additionally, due to the proprietary restrictions imposed by the OSD, no other source can provide the balance of the required services, such as training and implementation. Furthermore, Computrition software is the only software that is capable of satisfying the Governments for a HL-7 interface with VistA. Computrition has replaced the VistA Menu Management Program for the majority of VA Nutrition and Food Services operations. The interface HL-7 refers to a set of international standards for transfer of clinical and administrative data between software applications used by various healthcare providers. HL-7 provides the Computrition Foodservice nutrition software with the pertinent data from VistA. The interface provides a uni-directional download of admission, discharges, and transfers of all patients 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. These software downloads update the patient's record in the menu management program and provide date of birth, social security number, and diet order. If this information is not constantly downloaded, patient safety is violated. Additionally, no other source, other than the OSD, provides software that can interoperate with deployed technologies, such as the Interactive Patient Care Systems. Additionally, in order for any source to be able to provide the required associated technical support services, direct access to the Computrition proprietary source code would be required to generate fixes, patches, and updates. Without these required services, VA increases the risk that the software would cease to function properly and endanger Veterans patient safety. Failure to procure the required Computrition software and technical support would result in unnecessary delays for Veterans to receive proper nutritional care and healthcare. Based on the above, only procuring the required Computrition brand name software modules, licenses, and associated technical support services from the OSD will satisfy the Governments requirement. Efforts to Obtain Competition: Market research was conducted, details of which are in the market research section of this document. This effort did not yield any additional sources that can meet the Government s requirements. There is no competition anticipated for this acquisition. In accordance with FAR 5.301 and 8.405-6(a)(2) the award notice for this action will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website and this justification will be made publicly available within 14 days of award. Further, this justification will be posted with the Request for Quotation in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(b)(2). Actions to Increase Competition: The Government will continue to conduct market research to ascertain if there are changes in the marketplace that would enable future actions to be competed. Additionally, prior to exercising of the option, VA will conduct market research to determine if software with the same functionality is approved for use in VA. Market Research: Market research efforts were conducted by the Contract Specialist via an Internet search in July 2023 to determine whether any nutrition software companies meet the needs of these four sites. Based upon the research, two companies, CBORD and Vision Software, had the general capabilities to perform the proposed effort. However, only Computrition possesses the integration abilities with CPRS and VistA, Cerner, and Getwell Network to ensure uninterrupted services for the Veterans. Based upon this research, it was determined that there are not any other similar food services management products that provide all the required functionality. Additionally, in July 2023, market research was conducted by the Contract Specialist to determine if there were additional Government distribution channels for the required software licenses, maintenance, and implementation services. The search yielded no results confirming that there are no resellers that can provide the required brand name Computrition software licenses, maintenance, and implementation services. Computrition, Inc. offers a proprietary software package that includes food service operations management, nutritional care management/automated diet office and Point of Sale functionality. Computrition, Inc. does not authorize any other entity to sell, support or train this software. Therefore, Computrition, Inc. is considered to be the sole source provider of this functionality. The software modules cannot be licensed by any other company. Therefore, no competition is anticipated for this effort as Computrition, Inc. is the only capable vendor and has proprietary rights over its software maintenance and upgrades. In October 2023, the Contract Specialist contacted Computrition to determine if there were additional Government distribution channels for the required software licenses, maintenance, and implementation services. Computrition responded with an email dated October 24, 2023, confirming that there are no resellers that can provide the required brand name Computrition software licenses, maintenance, and implementation services. This email has been made a part of the file. Based on this market research, it was determined that there are no other vendors capable of providing the Government with the required Computrition software licenses, maintenance, and implementation services. As a result, this effort will be solicited as a sole source to Computrition, 8521 Fallbrook Avenue, Suite 100, West Hills, California 91304 under its General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contract Number 47QTCA21D005U. Other Facts: None Technical and Requirements Certification: I certify that the supporting data under my cognizance, which are included in this justification, are accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. _________________________ Tim Garrity / Contracting Officer Determination of Best Value: I hereby determine that the proposed contract action will represent the best value to the Government consistent with FAR 8.404(d). The Government will compare the proposed prices to Computrition s GSA MAS, since GSA has already determined that the prices on the FSS contract are fair and reasonable, as well as the Independent Government Cost Estimate. Additionally, price discounts will be sought. ___________________________ Tim Garrity / Contracting Officer Procuring Contracting Officer Certification: I certify that this justification is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief. ___________________________ Tim Garrity / Contracting Officer

Inactive

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a sol... This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this Sources Sought must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified vendors, to include Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses and Veteran Owned Small Businesses, interested and capable of providing the services described below. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. The North American Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is NAICS: 513210-Software Publishers ($47M) PSC: DA10-IT and Telecom Business Application/application Development Software as a Service. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) Company name (b) Address (c) Point of contact (d) Phone, fax, and email (e) SAM Unique Identification number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of business (large or small) (i) If small business, type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran-owned small business, and (j) Must provide a capability statement that addresses the organization s qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below. MENU AND FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT (MFSM) SOFTWARE SOFTWARE OVERVIEW The Contractor shall provide Menu and Food Service Management (MFSM) software that shall link to the in-house patient database VISTA and may be integrated with other VA systems as necessary for shared services and production reports. The software shall accommodate future growth, changes in meal service or delivery systems, and be capable of individualization within facility specifications. The Contractor shall provide the MFSM software with a graphical user interface (GUI) display in a windows-based environment. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE The Contractor shall provide a system capable of supporting autonomous Nutrition and Food Service operations; which includes associated clinics, alternative food delivery locations, AND Community Based Outpatient Clinics. The Contractor shall provide a centralized database with schemas to support these autonomous operations. The Contractor shall provide a system able to accommodate multiple data feeds (HL7 or comparable) from each of the autonomous operations. The Contractor shall provide a System Architecture Document detailing data base and functional architecture including data centers, facilities, and intra-relationships of these. Deliverable: A. MFSM System Architecture Document 3. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall provide a fully integrated MFSM software module that interfaces with both VISTA and the Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) software described in Section 6. The MFSM software shall, at a minimum, be capable of the following: 1) System Security · Provide the user with the ability to edit/overwrite selected fields in a file (as opposed to only being allowed to overwrite an entire file) · Provide the Software Administrator the ability to grant read-write, read-only, or hidden access on a field-by-field basis to other users 2) Ingredients · Receive ingredient cost and data updates from vendors · Add/update ingredients · Calculate amount of food to be ordered where some waste is expected as part of the food preparation process (as opposed to edible portion) · Electronic transmittal of food orders to vendors · Maintain quantity and cost inventory · Ability to use menus to calculate the quantities of food to be ordered. Calculations shall incorporate information from the menu, forecasted/actual census needs, on-hand inventory, and anticipated use linked to vendor stock numbers. 3) Recipes · Enter/edit recipes · Must allow to code recipes for allergies and diet restrictions · Calculate portion sizes and yields based on entered recipe to assist in identifying ingredient and recipe errors. · Must allow for alterations in yield based on cooking loss/gain. (E.g., fried foods gain fat and many foods lose water based on time cooked.) · Capable of adjusting recipe to production scale · Show difference between recipes for Ready to Serve (RTS) product, scratch product, and product with embedded recipe · Capable of calculating and displaying nutrient analysis 4) Production Planning and Details · Automatically create tally of patient menus · Use the information from automatic tally to generate production, inventory, ordering, and shipping reports · Provide production forecasting · Provide production reports including pull lists, advance production, special handling, and ingredient control measurement lists · Provide Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and tracking reports · Provide lists for tube feeding and floor stock delivery · Utilize par stock concept to maintain and replenish stock 5) Menus · Allow multiple serving sites at one time · Calculates and display cost and nutritional content as menu is developed · Capable of one-time correction for menu in use without loss of original cycle 6) Patient Specific Preferences and Allergies · Ability to identify potential allergens in foods and in existing menus · System must be able to selectively eliminate foods per patient preferences/cultural restrictions/allergies 7) Forecasting · Maintain historical data and provide reporting tools for trend analysis and identification of potential problems with production, distribution, purchasing, inventory, product sources, waste and pilferage · Provide production forecasting · Allow for multiple approaches to forecasting 8) Accounting · Provide customizable reports. Report settings shall provide the ability to filter the data. Report settings shall be able to be saved for future use. These reports shall be viewable on the screen, printed, or exported to a variety of other formats such as Excel, PDF, HTML, Rich Text, and graphic. · Provide costing reports that analyze user defined periods · Display costs on-screen during recipe and menu implementation The Contractor shall provide Software User documentation that shows step-by-step instructions. The Contractor shall provide a system capable of supporting facility specified concurrent users without a noticeable reduction in speed and/or processing. Deliverables: A. MFSM Software licenses with rights to program recovery B. MFSM Software User Documentation 4. DATA FILES The Contractor shall build and provide the initial food data sets prior to software implementation. Food data files shall consist of Government-provided data including ingredients, recipes, menus, food preferences, and allergies. Deliverable: Food Data File 5. MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY (MNT) SOFTWARE 6. MNT SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall provide a fully integrated Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) software module that supports select and non-select tray ticket inpatient meal delivery systems for the VA facility. The fully integrated MNT software module shall interface with both VISTA and the MFSM Software and shall include the following capabilities: 1. Select Menu 2. Patient Cardex 3. Nutrient Analysis (Data from USDA, manufactures data, branded items) 4. Early/Late trays The Contractor shall provide a fully integrated MNT software module that shall: 1. Contrast between self-select and non-select options. 2. Provide a comprehensive food allergy and preferences package including: a. Ability to assign recipe preferences (as a dislike or like) b. If it is a disliked preference, the software shall automatically replace the menu item as designated by the preferences, c. Provide a report for the associated preferences for any given recipe d. Flag preference conflicts on the screen or printout menu. 3. Provide meals on altered schedules and customize to patient needs 4. Provide nutrient analysis of menus and individual patient s calorie counts. 5. Automatically pre-edit and correct menus and tray tickets. The user shall be provided with the ability to: a. Initiate performance of checks and corrections of the menus offered, and selections made for each patient to account for diet restrictions, calculated meal patterns, allergies, drug/food interaction, likes, dislikes, and preferences b. Display corrections on the screen or printed. c. Flag on the screen or on a printout menu conflicts for diet restrictions, food preferences, and allergies. 6. Provide nourishment management (supplemental feedings) that shall be automatically assigned via menus and are patient specific. 7. Allow supplemental feedings to be ordered for a specific day of the week and meal service time. 8. Nourishment labels shall be able to be printed using multiple formats and sizes as well as displaying multiple nourishment items on a single label. The Contractor shall provide software user documentation that shows step by step instructions. The Contractor shall provide a system capable of supporting facility specified concurrent users without a noticeable reduction in speed and/or processing. Deliverables: A. MNT Software licenses with rights to program recovery B. MNT Software User Documentation 7. VISTA HL-7 INTERFACE SOFTWARE MODULE 8. HL-7 DATA INTERFACE REQUIREMENTS The Contractor shall adapt, test, and implement all software with a Clinical Information System (CIS) HL7 unidirectional interface with VISTA/CPRS Electronic Health Record (EHR) and the Nutrition Automated Information System (AIS) software within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) National System. The interface shall provide a link to the in-house patient database, VISTA, and shall have the ability to integrate with the VA community-based clinics or other VA systems as necessary for any shared services and production reports. The Contractor shall satisfy the requirements of the Class III Field Development process and shall pass all the technical reviews. The Contractor shall provide a test plan and test report for the testing of the HL7 interface software. The Contractor shall provide user manuals for the HL7 interface software. The software HL7 interface engine shall provide continuous data transmission from VISTA for the following data elements: 1. Name 2. Social Security Number (SSN) 3. Religion 4. Allergies 5. Date of Birth 6. Race 7. Diagnosis 8. Height 9. Weight 10. Diet Orders 11. Enteral Feeding Orders 12. Ward/Room/Bed Assignments 13. Dining Locations The contractor shall provide a system capable of supporting facility specified concurrent users without a noticeable reduction in speed and/or processing. Training: All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems: Response to Training Section: Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix E relating to access to VA information and information systems. Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security & Privacy Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security training. Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually complete required privacy training; and Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required by VA personnel with equivalent information system access (to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.) PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Place of performance will be at VA hospitals: Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, and Albuquerque. Important information. The Government is not obligated to, nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this Sources Sought synopsis request. 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. The VA is mandated by Public Law 109-461 to consider a total set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business set aside. However, if response by Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms proves inadequate, an alternate set-aside or full and open competition may be determined. No sub-contracting opportunity is anticipated. Notice to potential offerors. All offerors who provide goods or services to the United States Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov and complete Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Additionally, all Service- Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses or Veteran Owned Businesses who respond to a solicitation on this project must be registered with the US Small Business Administration (SBA) Veteran Small Business Certification (VetCert), located at https://veterans.certify.sba.gov. All interested Offerors should submit information by e-mail to Joshua.Villalta-Solis@va.gov. All information submissions shall be received no later than 17:00 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. After review of the responses to this announcement, the Government intends to proceed with the acquisition and a subsequent solicitation may be published.