Inactive

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) is in the process of planning a requirement in which a contractor will be required to provide a Zeiss OS HD-OCT 60... The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) is in the process of planning a requirement in which a contractor will be required to provide a Zeiss OS HD-OCT 600 with AngioPlex OCT Angiography Version 9.5 for use in the new Palo Alto Health Care System. Please see salient characteristics attachment. This is a brand name or equal requirement. This sources sought notice is for market research purposes only. A determination on the contract type, mechanism for procuring the services, and possible set-aside will not be made by the Government until after the market research has been completed. No proposals are being requested or accepted at this time. The anticipated North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) for this requirement is 339112 Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing - and the SBA size standard is 1000 employees. REQUESTED INFORMATION and PROCEDURES Qualified companies are encouraged to respond. Please respond using the attached Vendor Response Form. This Sources Sought Notice is a required component of a complete and systematic process to evaluate interested parties in order to minimize cost both to potentially interested parties and the Government. Interested sources are also encouraged to submit product literature in response to this notice. Any submission of such product literature or catalog cut sheets will be treated separate from, and will have no bearing on, any subsequent evaluation of proposals submitted in response to any resulting future formal Request for Proposal. No basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought Notice or Government use of any information provided. Elaborate proposals or pricing information are neither required nor desired. Any innovative and new conceptual ideas to achieve the stated objective are encouraged. No solicitation document exists for this request for Sources Sought. This notice is for informational purposes only; it is not a request for proposals, nor should it be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for any effort expended into responding to this sources sought announcement. Set-Asides, Limits on subcontracting, and the Non-Manufacturer Rule 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. To qualify as a small business under a small business set-aside contract, the offeror must be considered a small business under the NAICS code assigned to the procurement. In addition, the small business must either (1) be the manufacturer of the end item being produced (and the end item must be produced in the US) or (2) comply with the non-manufacturing regulations in 13 CFR 121.406. Summary of Non-Manufacturing regulations: The small business cannot exceed 500 employees; The small business is primarily engaged in the retail or wholesale trade and normally sells the type of item being supplied; The small business takes ownership or possession of the item(s) with its personnel, equipment, or facilities in a manner consistent with industry practices; and The small business will supply the end item of a small business manufacturer, processor, or producer made in the United States, unless the SBA has issued a waiver to this requirement. When multiple items are being acquired, a waiver is not required if at least 50% of the estimated contract value is composed of items that are manufactured by small businesses. Additional information can be found on SBA s website (www.sba.gov) and in SBA s Contracting Guide (https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide). Essential Information Regarding Small Business Set-Asides for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses VA s Veterans First Contracting Program: The Veterans First Contracting Program applies to VA contracts only. VA has a preference to award contracts to verified service disabled Veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) first then to verified Veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) when market research provides a reasonable expectation that the VA will receive two or more offers from eligible SDVOSB/VOSB firms at a fair and reasonable price. To be eligible for a VA SDVOSB or VOSB set-aside, the firm must be verified in the VA s Office of Small Business Utilization s (OSDBU) Veteran Information Pages (VIP) database as an SDVOSB or VOSB at the time the firm submits its offer to the VA, and must comply with SBA s Nonmanufacturer Rule and VA s gray market requirements (see below). Additional information on VA s Veterans First Contracting Program can be found on OSDBU s website at https://www.va.gov/osdbu/verification/. AUTHORIZED DEALER/DISTRIBUTOR VERIFICATION This requirement is for new equipment ONLY; remanufactured or gray market items will not be accepted. Gray market, also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer. Gray market items are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) goods sold through unauthorized channels in direct competition with authorized distributors. This procurement is for new OEM medical supplies, medical equipment and/or services contracts for maintenance of medical equipment (i.e. replacement parts) for VA Medical Centers. No remanufactures or gray market items will be acceptable. Vendor shall be an OEM, authorized dealer, authorized distributor or authorized reseller for the proposed medical supplies, medical equipment and/or services contracts for maintenance of medical equipment (i.e. replacement parts), verified by an authorization letter or other documents from the OEM, such that the OEM s warranty and service are provided and maintained by the OEM. All software licensing, warranty and service associated with the medical supplies, medical equipment and/or services contracts for maintenance of medical equipment shall be in accordance with the OEM terms and conditions. The delivery of gray market items to the VA in the fulfillment of an order/award constitutes a breach of contract. Accordingly, the VA reserves the right enforce any of its contractual remedies. This includes termination of the contract or, solely at the VA s election, allowing the Vendor to replace, at no cost to the Government, any remanufactured or gray market item(s) delivered to a VA medical facility upon discovery of such items. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS/DELIVERY SPECIFICATIONS/WARRANTY SPECIFICATIONS Please reference attachment. SUBMITTAL OF RFI RESPONSE Please complete the attached Market Research Vendor Response Form. Contracting Office Address: Program Contracting Activity Central 6150 Oak Tree Blvd. Independence, OH 44131. Submit responses to Sandra.Mruk@va.gov and Roberto.Dejesus2@va.gov.