The South Texas VA Health Care System (STVAHCS) in San Antonio, Texas is seeking Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), or Small Business sources capable of meeting the requirement listed below. The acquisition will be accomplished using commercial item procedures in accordance with FAR Part 12. NOTE: TO QUALIFY SDVOSB AND VOSB VENDORS MUST BE CERTIFIED IN THE VA VENDOR INFORMATION PAGES (VIP) DATABASE. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 325413. Any SDVOSB, VOSB, or Small Business firms who wish to identify their interests and capability to provide this product must provide product specifications, performance, and delivery information by notifying the Contracting Officer no later than 4:00 PM Central Time, February 8, 2022. Notification shall be e-mailed to Robyn Nussbaum, at [email protected]. Any vendor who responds to this Notice must provide credentials to perform the requirement as outlined in the below scope. DISCLAIMER This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this Notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, 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 Notice. Scope The STVHCS has a need for reagent red blood cells for the Blood Bank Laboratory of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service at Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital. These reagent red blood cells are used in tests employing the principles of hemagglutination for the detection and identification of blood group antibodies. Technical Requirements: Any new brand will need to allow sufficient time for validation. Red blood cell reagents must be validated and meet all AABB and all other Laboratory regulatory requirements for use in the Blood Bank Laboratory. Vendor must provide sufficient validation kits if they are different from the Incumbent vendor at no charge previous to the contract award. All Reagent Red Blood Cells must be prepared in a buffered preservative solution containing adenosine and adenine to retard hemolysis and/or loss of antigen city during the shelf life. Complement Control Cells: must be ready to use and able to confirm reactivity of anti-C3 component of anti-Human Globulin. Reference A2 Cell and A1, B: must be able to determine reverse blood group. Check Cells: must be a single vial pool of group O red blood cells that have been sensitized with an IgG antibody to rule out false negative results with the Coombs Test. Must be prepared as a 4- 6% suspension. Cell Panel: must have at minimum a 10-Cell panel with a unique Techcell that is an aid to determine next workup step. Must include a vial of buffered preservative diluent that may be used in place of saline for preparation of an auto-control. 3 Cell Antibody Screen: must be a 3-cell Antibody Screen and contain R1R1, R2R2 and rr red cell donor phenotypes. The cells must be Homozygous expression of Fy, Jk, M, N, S, s. QC Test System: must provide daily quality control of routine reagents. The Contractor is required to provide a continuously stocked inventory of Blood Bank reagents, supplies, disposables, and any other materials required to properly perform tests in Blood Bank such that Blood Bank operations are not interrupted. These items shall be of the highest quality, to assure precision and accuracy. Expiration date must be clearly marked all supplies. Alert/Notification of any delays in shipment as well as any or all technical advisory/recalls/alerts, prior to or simultaneously with field alerts should be forwarded to the designated individuals determined at contract award. Special handling for emergency orders of supplies: In the event that the supplies are found to be defective and unsuitable for use in Blood Bank, or the Contractor has failed to comply with the requirements for routine supply delivery, the Contractor is required to deliver the supplies within 24 hours of receipt of a verbal order for emergency delivery. If either circumstance has occurred, the Contractor shall deliver to the Government site in the most expeditious manner possible without additional cost to the Government, the necessary consumables in sufficient quantity as required to allow operation of the Blood Bank for one week (under normal Government test load volume). If additional requests for emergency supply delivery are required by the Government, they shall be honored by the Contractor until the arrival of the laboratory of the monthly standing order/routine supplies delivery. Location These reagents will be used in the Blood Bank laboratory located in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service s San Antonio Laboratories of the STVAHCS. Period of Performance This is a base plus four option years contract. See Price Schedule. Deliverables/Supplies: CLIN ITEM CODE DESCRIPTION QUANTITY 001 Z482U ALBAcyte C3 Coated Red Blood Cells 26 002 Z406U ALBAcyte A2 cells 26 003 Z401U ALBAcyte A1 cells (sold separately) 52 004 Z411U ALBAcyte B cells 52 005 Z443U ALBAcyte IgG Sensitized Cells 52 006 Z473U ALBAcyte Antibody ID Panel (16 cell) 13 007 Z451U ALBAcyte Antibody Screening 26 008 Z481U ALBAsure QC Kit 26 CLIN ITEM CODE Quantity Dates 1 Z482U 2 each 4/13/2022 5/11/2022 6/8/2022 7/6/2022 8/3/2022 8/31/2022 9/28/2022 10/26/2022 11/23/2022 12/21/2022 1/18/2023 2/15/2023 3/15/2023 6 Z473U 1 each CLIN ITEM CODE Quantity Dates 2 Z406U 2 each 4/27/2022 5/25/2022 6/22/2022 7/20/2022 8/17/2022 9/14/2022 10/12/2022 11/09/2022 12/07/2022 1/4/2023 2/1/2023 3/1/2023 3/29/2023 3 Z401U 4 each 4 Z411U 4 each 5 Z443U 4 each 7 Z451U 2 each 8 Z481U 2 each Government Inherent Functions: Contractor shall not perform inherently governmental functions. This includes, but is not limited to, determination of agency policy, determination of Federal program priorities for budget requests, direction and control of government employees, selection or non-selection of individuals for Federal Government employment including the interviewing of individuals for employment, approval of position descriptions and performance standards for Federal employees, approving any contractual documents, approval of Federal licensing actions and inspections, and/or determination of budget policy, guidance, and strategy. General Duties, Requirements, and Expectations: Be professionally competent to handle required duties. Work with staff to ensure safety measures are in place and documented. Services provided under the terms of this contract are required to be in compliance with the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation policies and all applicable Federal, State and Government laws required by the Veteran s Healthcare System and VHA Handbook 1106.1. Information Systems Officer, Information Protection: The contractor will not have access to VA Desktop computers, nor will they have access to online resources belonging to the government while conducting services. If removal of equipment from the VA is required, any memory storage devices, such as hard drives, solid state drives and non-volatile memory units will remain in VA control and will not be removed from VA custody. Privacy Officer: The contractor will not have access to Patient Health Information (PHI), nor will they have the capability of accessing patient information during the services provided to the VA. Records Manager: There will be no federal records created, maintained, used, or dispositioned with this contract; regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.]. VHA Supplemental Contract Requirements for Ensuring Adequate COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors 1. Contractor employees who work in or travel to VHA locations must comply with the following: Documentation requirements: 1) If fully vaccinated, shall show proof of vaccination i. NOTE: Acceptable proof of vaccination includes a signed record of immunization from a health care provider or pharmacy, a copy of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (CDC Form MLS-319813_r, published on September 3, 2020), or a copy of medical records documenting the vaccination. If unvaccinated and granted a medical or religious exception, shall show negative COVID-19 test results dated within three calendar days prior to desired entry date. Test must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use or full approval. This includes tests available by a doctor s order or an FDA approved over-the-counter test. Documentation cited in this section shall be digitally or physically maintained on each contractor employee while in a VA facility and is subject to inspection prior to entry to VA facilities and after entry for spot inspections by Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) or other hospital personnel. Documentation will not be collected by the VA; contractors shall, at all times, adhere to and ensure compliance with federal laws designed to protect contractor employee health information and personally identifiable information. 2. Contractor employees are subject to daily screening for COVID-19 and may be denied entry to VA facilities if they fail to pass screening protocols. As part of the screening process contractors may be asked screening questions found on the following website: COVID-19 Screening Tool. Regularly check the website for updates. Contractor employees who work away from VA locations, but who will have direct patient contact with VA patients shall self-screen utilizing the COVID-19 Screening Tool, in advance each day that they will have direct patient contact and in accordance with their person or persons who coordinate COVID-19 workplace safety efforts at covered contractor workplaces. Contractors shall, at all times, adhere to and ensure compliance with federal laws designed to protect contractor employee health information and personally identifiable information. 3. Contractor must immediately notify their COR or Contracting Officer if contract performance is jeopardized due to contractor employees being denied entry into VA Facilities.