This is a sources sought announcement only. This is not a solicitation for proposals and no contract will be award from this announcement. The purpose of this announcement is to perform market research to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 621511, Medical Laboratories with a size standard $41.5 Million. The VHA Network Contracting Office (NCO) 16 is seeking to identify any vendor capable of providing Reference Laboratory services in support of VISN 16 medical facilities. Veteran healthcare and patient safety are paramount and non-negotiable within the mission of the Department of Veteran Affairs. Due to the critical nature of Reference Laboratory services, the role of market research is an essential element of building an effective strategy for the acquisition of Reference Laboratory services, the following documentation requested must be provided and any performance objectives succinctly addressed unambiguously. This information supports a specialized standard (FAR 9-104-2) of prior experience to assist with market research efforts and the development of an effective acquisition strategy. documentation and performance objectives sought: Must provide a list of Contractor s testing laboratory location(s). Include address, CLIA licensure number, Lab Director, and name of accrediting agency for each testing site. Must provide documentation that the Contractor s laboratory (ies) is/are certified as meeting the requirements of the Department of Health and Human Services Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988 (CLIA-88). Must provide a list of VHA laboratories with a currently established and fully operational LEDI bi-directional interconnectivity between the respective VA VistA LIS and Contractor s LIS. Include the types of tests successfully bi-directionally interfaced at each VHA laboratory. Must provide documentation that the Contractor s laboratory is fully licensed and accredited ensuring compliance with CLIA, The College of American Pathologists (CAP), The Joint Commission on Laboratory Accreditation (TJC), and/or other state regulatory agencies as mandated by federal and state statues. Must be able to provide documentation of a current, VA approved Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Interconnectivity Security Agreement (ISA) for bi-directional interfacing/interconnectivity to provide Laboratory Electronic Data Interchange (LEDI) interconnectivity between the awarded Contractor s testing laboratory(ies) laboratory information system (LIS) and VHA Laboratories VA VistA LIS. Must provide documentation of the Contractor s laboratory accreditation test activity menu that can demonstrate the ability to perform the complete test menu including IHC staining listed in the attached test workbook. The expectation is that testing is to be performed by the primary laboratory with minimal referral to external/3rd party laboratories. Must be able to provide a copy of their current CLIA certificate(s), including their respective lab certification codes and effective dates. If laboratory accreditation is secured from an agency with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) deemed status, such as CAP, TJC, etc., a copy of the complete accreditation certificate(s), to include the accreditation test activity menu, must be provided for each testing location. Prior experience. This sources sought is a request for prior experience and documentation to support prior experience. Prior experience in actually providing Reference Laboratory services is an essential component of determining responsibility and capability of this specialized standard and necessary for adequate contract performance. For clarity and to avoid any misinterpretation, it is worth noting that prior experience is not past performance.  Prior experience refers to whether an offeror has done similar work before; whereas, past performance describes how well the offeror has done that work. This is not a request for past performance. Responses to this sources sought must include the following information: 1. Your company name, address, contact person name, phone number, fax number, e-mail address(s) and ueiSAM number (i.e. LV91LJ4B1Z98), DUNS number, and company website if available. 2. Your company GSA/FSS contract number if available. 3. Socio-economic status of the business (i.e. SDVOSB/VOSB, 8(a), HUB Zone, Women Owned Small Business, Small disadvantaged business, or Small Business HUB Zone business) 4. Capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capabilities are sought. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. 5. Vendors are requested to submit estimated market research pricing with their responses. The estimated pricing will be considered when determining a procurement strategy for the future requirements. Vendors are encouraged to incorporate pricing on the attached Testing Workbook when submitting market research pricing. All pricing should be valid for 90 days and documented as such. 6. Notice of Intent to Sole Source. At this time, the current acquisition strategy is a full and open competitive procurement until determined after the close of this notice. If there are no responses to this notice, a determination by the Government not to compete based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. No response is a response. Interested vendor should submit an email to [email protected]. All responses must be received in writing no later than 12:00 PM CST/local time on March 19, 2024 and shall include all necessary documentation on the ability to satisfy the Government s requirements. Vague or incomplete submissions of capabilities will be considered dated, inaccurate, and irrelevant information and will not be used in the development of any acquisition plan or procurement strategy. Questions or inquiries will not be answered or acknowledged, and no feedback will be provided. This is not a solicitation and there is no solicitation document available at this time. DISCLAIMER: This notice is issued solely for informational and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to form a binding contract. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this notice.

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