THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION ABOUT PRICING, DELIVERY, THE MARKET, AND CAPABILITIES IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI FOR PLANNING PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes 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 Notice / RFI only. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice / RFI is to gain information about potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 334516 (size standard of 1,000 Employees). Responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI, further RFIs and/or a solicitation or other announcements may be published. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking sources capable of providing Biosafety Cabinet to VA Greater Los Angeles Research Service. The list of draft salient characteristics is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive, of the supplies/services that are required. Salient Characteristics: The Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Research Service is requesting the following requirement for the purchase of a biosafety cabinet for Level 2 biohazard sample processing and analysis. It will be used for spinning down blood samples, separating out plasma, and running urinalysis in a filtered, negative pressure cabinet onsite when subjects come in for visits for Assessing an Electroencephalography (EEG) Biomarker of Response to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Major Depression study. NOTE: Potential offers must be aware that the items being acquired are procured as Brand Name or Equal. For those items that are or equal , a description of the salient characteristics is outlined below. The FAR Clause 52.211-6 Brand Name or Equal applies to this acquisition. Any items quoted as equal not confirming to the requirements of clause 52.211-6 will be considered non- responsive and not considered for award. No remanufactures or gray market items will be acceptable. Vendor shall be an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), authorized dealer, authorized distributor or authorized reseller verified by an authorization letter or other documents from the OEM. Dimension must be no bigger than 42.3 W x 31.2 D x 89.2-95.2 H. Nominal Width must be a minimum of 3 Nominal Sash Opening must be a minimum of 10 Must meet Electrical requirement of 115V, 60 Hz, 12A Exhaust Volume: 303-379 CFM Electronically Commutated Motor (ECM) Must have Constant Airflow Profile (CAP) airflow monitoring system Intrinsically-safe negative pressure design Air-Wave Entry System. Contain-Air Negative Pressure Channel Must supply and exhaust 99.99% efficient HEPA filters. 99.999% efficient ULPA filters available Must be able to be interior-mounted, line-of-sight color LCD with MyLogic OS Must displays filter life, status messages for alarm conditions and alerts. Message must be displayed in English. Bright, 90-150 footcandle, glare-free LED lighting located outside the contaminated work area Must have fully-closing, clear a minimum of1/4" tempered safety glass sash Curved stainless steel inlet grille with Reserve-Air Secondary Airflow Slots Must have a minimum of two electrical duplex receptacles. Flush-mounted-stainless steel with dampened hinges. Single outlets on 230V models. One outlet on each side, with ground fault interruption (115V) Must have user-programmable startup & shut down equivalent to Smart-Start System. Must have a System reduces blower speed when sash is closed equivalent to Night-Smart Interior must be Leak-tight stainless steel interior to avoid rust and damages. Exterior must be powder-coated steel exterior to avoid rust and damages. Must have a removable towel catch located under work surface. Must have a code-activated electronic security lock for safety. Must have a maximum of 22.6" (57 cm) sash opening and provide a minimum of 27.0" (69 cm) viewing height. Must have a minimum of 10° Angled sash with counterbalanced, easy lift mechanism Must be ADA-Compliant touchpad control on right side post Noise level must be less than 63 dBA Heat load 990 BTU/hour (4 models) Removable, seamless type 304 stainless steel, dished work surface with lift out knobs Must have a minimum of Nominal inflow velocity of 105 fpm (0.5 m/sec) Must have a minimum of Nominal downflow velocity of 55 fpm (0.3 m/sec) Must have a minimum of 70% air recirculation Overall depth x height: 31.2" x 61.7" (79.2 x 156.7 cm) Must have a minimum of 10 (3 m) power cord with plug. Must have a Built-in timer and digital clock. Biosafety cabinet must be ETL listed, NSF international listed, ADA-compliance, ISO 5 conditions per ISO 14644-1 and 2. If your company is interested and capable of providing the required supplies/services, please provide the information indicated below. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Submit your capabilities statement illustrating how your organization can/cannot meet the list of SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS requirements. For instances where your company cannot meet the SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS requirement(s), please explain. For instances where your company can meet the DSALIENT CHARACTERISTICS requirement(s), please show how your company meets/exceeds each requirement. (2) Please review the list of SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS requirements and provide any additional feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. (3) Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), HUBZone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc. (4) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified in this RFI? (5) Are you the manufacturer, authorized distributor, and/or can your company provide a solution to the required supplies/services described in the list of SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS? (6) If you are a large business, do you have any designated/authorized distributors? If so, please provide their company name, telephone, point of contact and size status (if available). (7) If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified. (8) Limitations on Subcontracting: How does your business ensure compliance with the limitations on subcontracting as outlined in 13 CFR § 125.6? (9) Are the items you are identifying/providing considered Commercial of the Shelf (COTS) items as defined in FAR Part 2.101 under commercial items? (10) Non-Manufacturer Rule: If applicable, can you confirm your business complies with the Non-Manufacturer rule? Specifically, does your company: Provide a product from a small business manufacturer or processor? Not exceed 500 employees? Primarily engage in the retail or wholesale trade and normally sell the type of item being supplied? Take ownership or possession of the item(s) with its personnel, equipment or facilities in a manner consistent with industry practice? (11) Please indicate whether your product conforms to the requirements of the Buy American Act? (12) What is your lead time to deliver a single unit with all components? Is there scale in lead time with greater quantities? Please elaborate. (13) What is estimated life span of your solution? What support/services does that entail? (14) Does your proposed equipment have FDA clearance? Please specify what FDA clearance(s) have been obtained. (15) Does your organization offer a leasing solution? Please elaborate. (16) Does your company have a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract? If so, please provide the contract number(s). (17) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract holder, are all the items/solutions you are providing information about available on your schedule/contract? Please state if all or some items are available on the contract. (18) General pricing of your products/solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate for any type of award. (19) Please provide your SAM.gov Unique Entity ID/Cage Code number. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Hestia.Sim@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Tuesday, August 13, 2024, by 10:00 AM Pacific Local Time. All responses to this Sources Sought/RFI will be used for planning purposes only. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI are not considered a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. If further RFIs and/or a solicitation or other announcement is issued as a result of the information provided from this RFI, all interested parties must respond to the specific posting separately IAW the specifications of that announcement.

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