THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. THE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). 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. IAW 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. SOURCES SOUGHT/RFI DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a Sources Sought/RFI. The purpose of this Sources Sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 811210 (size standard of $34 Million). Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought/RFI, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Akisha.Woods@VA.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Friday, May 5, 2023, by 2:00 PM CT. All responses to this Sources Sought/RFI will be used for planning purposes only. If a solicitation is issued as a result of the information provided from this RFI, all interested parties must respond to that solicitation separately IAW the specifications of that solicitation announcement. Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI notice is not considered a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. STATEMENT OF WORK The Contractor shall furnish all labor and materials to provide full service for relocating one Government owned Biomerieux Vidas instrument located at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) located at 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive, Temple, TX. GENERAL INFORMATION The instrument needs to be relocated due to a construction project within the Microbiology department, in Temple to be able to continue patient specimen testing. SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED The contractor shall provide all labor, materials, parts, equipment, tools, travel time and transportations required to perform these services at no additional cost to the Government. Relocation Agreement (Biomerieux Vidas): Technical Support: Telephone service for technical support will be provided twelve (12) hours per day, five (5) days per week. Instrument Move: The moving of the two instruments from current location to location designated by the Microbiology supervisor or designee. Preventive Maintenance (PM): Any preventive maintenance inspections required after instruments have been moved will be coordinated with the Microbiology Supervisor. Maintenance will comply with all applicable regulations and manufacturers specifications, and will include, but is not limited to, the following: Reviewing operating system diagnostics to ensure that the equipment is operating within its specifications. Calibrating and cleaning. Replacing any worn or defective parts. Installing and maintaining all software updates (bug fixes etc.) and software upgrades (software feature enhancements) at no additional charge to Government. Repair: Contractor will provide all parts, labor, and return shipping costs associated with Instrument repair if incurred during the duration of this Agreement. Routine parts replacement includes any device associated with the Instrument, except consumable items such as printer cartridges or other supplies identified in the Operator s Manual. On-site service calls are to be performed during normal work hours, Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm local time. Contractor shall use reasonable efforts to schedule on-site service to occur on the first business day after Technical Support receives the request and determines the need for on-site service. Parts: The Contractor shall furnish and replace all necessary parts as required to return equipment to full manufacturers published specifications. All parts supplied shall be OEM (Biomerieux Vidas) parts and compatible with existing equipment. The contractor shall use new parts only. Re-built or backward-engineered parts are not permitted. PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS Contractor personnel must be directly trained and qualified to work on all components of the tissue processing equipment and the latest revisions of hardware and software as required by the manufacturer (Biomerieux). Contractor personnel must be able to provide proof of successful completion of training and certification by the manufacturer (Biomerieux). ID BADGES/PARKING/SMOKING POLICY BADGES: All Contractor personnel are required to wear identification (ID) badges during the entire time they are on the VA grounds. Contractor ID badges must have an identification picture, name of the individual and the represented company depicted on it. VA badges will also need to be worn while on VA grounds and may be obtained through the VA Police Dispatch Center or from the Laboratory Administrative Office. PARKING: It is the responsibility of Contractor personnel to park only in designated parking areas. Parking information is available from the VA Police Service. The VA will not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor s personnel under any circumstances. SMOKING: Smoking is not permitted within or around the VA Healthcare System facilities. SERVICE SCHEDULE All services will be performed during normal working hours of coverage unless authorized by the Contracting Officer s Representative (COR). Normal hours of coverage are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding federal holidays and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a National Holiday. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a legal holiday by U.S. Government agencies. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as a legal holiday. DELIVERY For the delivery of service, provide the purchase order (PO) to the Microbiology Supervisor or COR and deliver services to the following address: Bldg 163 Room 1D105 Central Texas Veterans Health Care System 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive Temple, TX 76504 SERVICE CALLS Contractor personnel will report to the supervising official of the equipment to be serviced. Routine service calls are hereby defined as necessary to diagnose and repair equipment problems which can be performed during normal working hours. Response time of the Contractor for routine service calls shall be coordinated within twenty-four (24) hours after being officially notified. The term Response time of the Contractor indicates the physical presence of a fully qualified technician on station within the specified time frame. Official notification is hereby defined as the time a service call is placed with the Contractor. DOCUMENTATION The Contractor shall provide individual service reports that reference services performed on the equipment. The following information must be provided in each service report: Date of service Summary of problem and action taken Equipment details (description, equipment ID, serial number, etc.) Labor hours Parts and other expenses Purchase order number The service report must be approved and signed by the CTVHCS Microbiology Supervisor or designee. A copy of each report must be left with CTVHCS Microbiology Supervisor or the COR at the time the services were completed. SECURITY The C&A requirements do not apply. A Security Accreditation Package is not required. The Biomerieux Vidas instrument is being relocated and will not require an exchange of VA sensitive information. EVALUATION CRITERIA Technical/Performance Capabilities: All Service Field Engineers are Biomerieux certified for the Vidas Only certified Biomerieux OEM (or Biomerieux approved) parts will be used for repair. Past Performance/Technical Excellence Positive Government Past Performance Record (CPARS/PPIRS) In the absence of Government Past Performance records, availability of 4 references who can validate experience within the past 3 years regarding: Quality of Service Quality of Products (repair parts) Timeliness of performance/delivery Customer Service/Satisfaction

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