Description
This notice is being published in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 5.101 (a) (2) requiring dissemination of information on proposed contract actions. This notice of intent to award a sole-source contract pursuant FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), for purchases not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold, contracting officers may solicit from one source if the contracting officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization). The Alexandria Veterans Affairs Medical Center (AVAMC) in Alexandria, Louisiana, has a requirement for service and repair of one (1) Sterrad NX All Clear sterilizer unit. Contractor shall provide all management, licensing, transportation, tools, supplies, equipment, parts, supervision, personnel, and labor necessary to provide support via telephone, planned maintenance including preventative maintenance, unscheduled, and emergency service. The Government intends to award a firm-fixed price contract to Advanced Sterilization Products, 33 Technology Dr, CA 92618. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed contract action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive proposals. This is a written notice to inform the public of the Governments intent to award on a sole source basis. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition will be advantageous to the Government. Please contact Tammy DeMille, Contract Specialist at tammy.demille@va.gov with responses or questions regarding this requirement. This notice will close on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 2:00PM Central Standard Time (CST). 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. PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT: 1.0 SCOPE This is a non-personal contract. Contractor shall provide all management, licensing, transportation, tools, supplies, equipment, parts, supervision, personnel, and labor necessary to provide support via telephone, planned maintenance including preventative maintenance, unscheduled, and emergency service as specified in section 2 for 1 - Sterrad NX All Clear unit, Serial number 4033215452. 2.0. Deliverables 2.1 Facility Alexandria VA Medical Center, 2495 Shreveport Hwy 71, Pineville, LA 71360 2.2. Support via telephone. 2.2.1. Contractor shall issue the AVAMC a customer support telephone contact number for technical support. 2.2.2. The VA personnel will contact the contractor customer support center when service is necessary. If contractor support personnel are not available to assist over the phone, the AVAMC shall expect a return call within 2 hours. 2.3. Scheduled Service 2.3.1. Preventative Maintenance (PM) 2.3.2. Contractor shall maintain an Inspection and preventative maintenance (PM) schedule for the Sterrad NX All Clear unit, Serial number 4033215452 according to OEM specifications. • PM includes Labor and Travel to perform the OEM's Periodic Manufacturer's Certification, electrical safety checks, and software updates for no additional charge. • PM parts shall be included for no additional charge. 2.4. Unscheduled and Emergency Service 2.4.1 On-site Response Times • Based on the priority of the service issue, the AVAMC shall expect contactor service personnel on site by the next business day or as mutually agreed. Equipment that is down is expected to be returned to service on the first call or by the next business day or as mutually agreed. • All costs associated with travel, labor, and parts shall be included in the contract price. 2.5. Documentation • Upon completion of service, the services performed will be documented on the work orders and provided by contractor Field Service technician to the Sterile Processing department. 3.0. GENERAL INFORMATION 3.1 Period of Performance • The period of performance for this contract shall be for one Base period of 12 months and four 12-month option periods. 3.2. Hours of Operation. • The daytime hours of operation are 0800 to 1630 Central Standard Time (CST), Monday – Friday, excluding federal holidays. • If the Contractor wishes to perform any services outside of the normal hours of operation, the Contractor shall coordinate with the AVAMC Sterile Processing department. 3.3. Federal Holidays. The Contractor will not be required to work any of the following federal holidays: New Year’s Day - 1 January Martin Luther King Day - 3rd Monday in January President's Day - 3rd Monday in February Memorial Day - last Monday in May Juneteenth - 19 June Independence Day - 4 July Labor Day - 1st Monday in September Columbus Day - 2nd Monday in October Veteran’s Day - 11 November Thanksgiving Day - 4th Thursday in November Christmas Day - 25 December • If a holiday falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed. If a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed. If a holiday falls on a scheduled service day, the Contractor shall be responsible for rescheduling services for the first day post the holiday observance. 3.4. English Language Requirement. All Contractor personnel shall read, understand, speak and write English fluently. 3.5. Communication. Contractor personnel shall maintain open and professional communication with government personnel at all times. Complaints validated by an AVAMC employee will be reported to the CO. Failure of the Contractor to take corrective action on validated complaints raised by the AVAMC, or the CO will be considered a failure to perform. 3.6. Appearance. Contractor personnel shall present a professional, conservative, and neat appearance. Contractor personnel shall report for duty in a professional manner, in appropriate attire and having complied with socially acceptable standards of personal hygiene. 3.7. Contractor Identification. All Contractor personnel attending meetings and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious are required to identify themselves as such to avoid being mistaken for Government officials. Contractors performing work at Government workplaces shall provide their employees with an easily readable identification (ID) badge indicating the employee's name, and the Contractor's name. Contractors shall require their employees to wear the ID badges visibly when performing work at Government workplaces. Contractor personnel must also ensure that all e-mails, documents, or reports they produce are suitably marked as Contractor products or that Contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. All signature blocks e-mails shall indicate the Contractor's name. 3.8. Weapons, Firearms, and Ammunition. Contractor personnel are prohibited from possessing weapons, firearms, or ammunition, on themselves or within their Contractor-owned vehicle or privately-owned vehicle while on any Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans’ Health Administration’s property. 4.0 INFORMATION SECURITY 4.1. BACKGROUND In accordance with VA policy, contractors’ storage, generation, transmission or Exchanging VA sensitive information requires appropriate security controls to be in place. The VA Information Security Program policy – VA Directive and Handbook 6500 and additional 6500 series directives and handbooks - provide the framework for information security within VA. 4.1.1. The scope of this contract shall not include the acquisition of only commodities or goods (e.g. equipment or software) except as necessary for repairs or OEM required software updates to the equipment within the scope of this contract where software updates or repairs do not allow for contractors to connect to the VA network. 4.1.2. This contract shall not involve VA Sensitive information. 4.1.3. This contract requires services of contractor personnel which will not perform a function that requires access to a VA system or VA sensitive information (e.g., system administrator privileged access to a VA system, or contractor systems or processes that utilize VA sensitive information). 4.1.4. This contract may require use of a contractor owned Information Technology (IT) system or computer assets located at an offsite location. 4.1.5. The contractor-owned IT system shall not be connected to a VA network. 4.1.6. The contractor shall have exclusive administrative control of the contractor owned IT components. 4.1.7. The scope of this contract shall not include processing or storing VA Information. 4.1.8. This contract shall not include services that involve connection of contractor-owned IT devices (such as a laptop computer or remote connection from a contractor system) to a VA internal trusted (i.e., nonpublic) network. 4.1.9. The scope of this contract does not involve storage, generating, transmitting, or exchanging VA sensitive information. 5.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP) 5.1 INTRODUCTION This quality assurance surveillance plan (QASP) is pursuant to the requirements listed in the performance work statement (PWS) entitled STERRAD NX STERILIZER SERVICE AND REPAIR. This plan sets forth the procedures and guidelines the AVAMC Biomedical office will use in ensuring the required performance standards or services levels are achieved by the contractor. 5.1.1. Purpose 5.1.1.2. The purpose of the QASP is to describe the systematic methods used to monitor performance and identify required documentation and resources to be employed. The QASP provides a means for evaluating whether the contractor is meeting the performance standards/quality levels identified in the PWS. 5.1.1.3. This QASP defines the roles and responsibilities of all members of the project team, identifies the performance objectives, defines the methodologies used to monitor and evaluate the contractor’s performance, describes quality assurance documentation requirements, and describes the analysis of quality assurance monitoring results. 5.2. Performance Management Approach 5.2.1. PWS structures the acquisition around what service or quality level is required, as opposed to how the contractor should perform the work (i.e., results, not compliance). This QASP will define the performance management approach taken by the Sterile Processing department at the Alexandria VA Medical Center to monitor and manage the contractor’s performance to ensure the expected outcomes or performance objectives communicated in the PWS are achieved. Performance management rests on developing a capability to review and analyze information generated through performance assessment. The ability to make decisions based on the analysis of performance data is the cornerstone of performance management. This analysis yields information that indicates whether expected outcomes for the project are being achieved by the contractor. 5.2.2. Performance management represents a significant shift from the more traditional quality assurance (QA) concepts in several ways. Performance management focuses on assessing whether outcomes are being achieved and to what extent. This approach migrates away from scrutiny of compliance with the processes and practices used to achieve the outcome. A performance-based approach enables the contractor to play a large role in how the work is performed if the proposed processes are within the stated constraints. The only exceptions to process reviews are those required by law (federal, state, and local) and compelling business situations, such as safety and health. A “results” focus provides the contractor flexibility to continuously improve and innovate over the course of the contract if the critical outcomes expected are being achieved and/or the desired performance levels are being met. 5.3. Performance Management Strategy 5.3.1. The government representative(s) will monitor performance to determine how the contractor is performing against communicated performance objectives. The contractor will be responsible for making required changes in processes and practices to ensure performance is managed effectively. 5.4 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 5.4.1. The Contracting Officer (CO/KO) The CO is responsible for monitoring contract compliance, contract administration, and cost control, and resolving any differences between observations documented by the Sterile Processing department of the AVAMC and the contractor. The CO may designate one full-time COR as the government authority for performance management. 5.4.2 The COR The COR, if delegated by the CO, is designated in writing by the CO to act as their authorized representative to assist in administering a contract. COR limitations are contained in the written appointment letter. The COR is responsible for technical administration of the project and ensures proper government surveillance of the contractor’s performance. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or authorize any contractual changes on the government’s behalf. Any changes the contractor deems may affect contract price, terms or conditions must be referred to the CO for action. The COR will have the responsibility for completing QA monitoring forms used to document the inspection and evaluation of the contractor’s work performance. Government surveillance may occur under the inspection of services clause for any service relating to the contract. 6. IDENTIFICATION OF REQUIRED PERFORMANCE STANDARDS/QUALITY LEVELS The required performance standards and/or quality levels are included in Attachment 1, Performance Requirements Summary. 7. METHODOLOGIES TO MONITOR PERFORMANCE 7.1 Surveillance Techniques To minimize the performance management burden, simplified surveillance methods shall be used by the government to evaluate contractor performance when appropriate. The primary method of surveillance will include periodic monitoring, which shall be performed by the COR or other government employees. 8. Customer Feedback 8.1. The contractor is expected to establish and maintain professional communication between its employees and customers. The primary objective of this communication is customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the most significant external indicator of the success and effectiveness of all services provided and can be measured through customer complaints. 8.2. Performance management drives the contractor to be customer focused through initially and internally addressing customer complaints and investigating the issues and/or problems, but the customer always has the option to communicate complaints to the CO or the Sterile Processing department as opposed to the contractor. 8.3. Customer complaints, to be considered valid, must set forth clearly and in writing the detailed nature of the complaint, must be signed, and must be forwarded to the Sterile Processing department. The Sterile Processing department will accept those customer complaints and investigate same. 8.4. Acceptable Quality Levels 8.4.1. The acceptable quality levels (AQLs) included in Attachment 1 for contractor performance are structured to allow the contractor to manage how the work is performed. For certain critical activities, such as emergency service calls, the desired performance level is established at 95 percent. Other levels of performance are keyed to the relative importance of the task to the overall mission performance at Alexandria VA Health Care System. 9.0 Quality Assurance Documentation 9.1. The Performance Management Feedback Loop The performance management feedback loop begins with the communication of expected outcomes. Performance standards are expressed in PWS. 10. Monitoring Forms 10.1. The government’s QA surveillance, accomplished by the Sterile Processing department will be reported using the Government’s monitoring form. The forms, when completed, will document the government’s assessment of the contractor’s performance under the contract to ensure the required results. 10.1.2 The Sterile Processing department will retain a copy of all completed QA surveillance forms. 11. ANALYSIS OF QUALITY ASSURANCE ASSESSMENT 11.1. Reporting 11.1.1 At the end of each contract year the Sterile Processing department will prepare a written report summarizing the overall results of the quality assurance surveillance of the contractor’s performance. This report and the completed quality assurance monitoring forms will become part of the QA documentation. It will enable the government to demonstrate whether the contractor is meeting the stated objectives and/or performance standards, including cost/technical/scheduling objectives. 11.2. Reviews and Resolution 11.2.1. The Sterile Processing department may require the contractor’s project manager or designated alternate to meet with the Sterile Processing department and other government personnel as deemed necessary to discuss the performance evaluation. If the need arises, the contractor will meet with the Sterile Processing department as often as required or per the contractor’s request. The agenda of the reviews may include: • Monthly performance assessment data and trend analysis • Issues and concerns of both parties • Projected outlook for upcoming months and progress against expected trends, including a corrective action plan analysis • Recommendations for improved efficiency and/or effectiveness • Issues arising from the performance monitoring processes 11.2.2. The Sterile Processing department must coordinate and communicate with the contractor to resolve issues and concerns regarding marginal or unacceptable performance. 11.2.3. The Sterile Processing department and contractor should jointly formulate tactical and long-term courses of action. Decisions regarding changes to metrics, thresholds, or service levels should be clearly documented. Changes to service levels, procedures, and metrics will be incorporated as a contract modification at the convenience of the procuring CO. 12.0. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND/OR SERVICES. 12.1. Contractor Furnished Items and Services. Except for those items or services specifically stated in this PWS to be government-furnished, the Contractor shall furnish everything required to perform this contract in accordance with all of its terms and conditions. It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure Contractor personnel are familiar with and understand the contents of this PWS as well as the company’s handbooks/handouts, etc. prior to beginning work. 12.2. Utilities. The Government will provide the utilities necessary for the Contractor to perform services in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.
