INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE The Department of Veterans Affairs, VHA Regional Procurement Office Central, Network Contracting Office 10, intends to enter into a sole source procurement for a 12-month lease of Olympus BF-MP190F Ultra-Slim Bronchoscopes and BF-XT190 Therapeutic Bronchoscopes for the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, 2215 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. The Department of Veterans Affairs intends to modify an existing scope lease blanket purchase agreement with Olympus America, Inc., 3500 Corporate Parkway, Center Valley, PA 18034 to include the BF-MP190F and BF-XT190 bronchoscopes. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 339113 Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing, and the Business Size Standard is 750 Employees. A sole source procurement is being conducted with Olympus America, Inc. for the following reasons: All VISN 10 facilities use the same equipment, and these scopes can also support all facilities within VISN 10 as circumstances require. The Medical Affiliate (University of Michigan) also uses the same scopes. Consideration of different scopes would result in many tertiary effects that would, at a minimum, create very high and unnecessary cost and, in the worst case have a significant impact upon patient safety. Availability is further limited to only one source due to the following reasons: System: Each scope requires a Light Source and a Processor which are interchangeable between all scopes and associated hardware . Not included in the contract, but required for the system to function is software. VAAAHS uses Provation and it communicates with Olympus systems. Changing scopes would require changing the software. Continuity of Care: All staff and physicians, both internal and from the Medical Affiliate, would have to learn how to use different equipment - this would have a significant impact upon Medical Affiliate staff who would have to switch types of scopes when they move between facilities - which results in training costs, delays in service/access and potential patient safety issues/risks. Unnecessary development of new training processes and SOP's. Re -installation costs - removal of existing equipment and installation of new equipment. Loss of use to other Services within the facility - Surgery, ENT, Urology - would not be able to connect the Endoscopy scopes unless they also purchased Light Sources and Processors compatible with the new equipment. Initial patient wait times will increase during the early learning stages which would likely impact patient access. A new brand of scopes will result in the requirement for new supplies and consumables, none of which would be common with, and thus unable to support, other current systems within VAAAHS. High-Level disinfection equipment and protocols would have to be changed. Current technology software would no longer be usable in its current form and would require purchase of changes or new software. Logistical Considerations: While any contract would include the necessary equipment and hardware, the parts of the contract that are not included include reprocessing, software and BioMed support. All reprocessing costs would double as there are other Olympus scopes being used in the facility and have common reprocessing procedures. A new vendor would add an unnecessary cost due to different reprocessing requirements. Current compatible software would require purchase of software that is compatible with the new contractor. BioMed would incur additional workload due to the learning and supply requirements of a dissimilar product. The above administrative, training, patient safety, and procedural issues are not anticipated to be offset by any amount of cost savings achieved through competition. IAW FAR 13.106-1(b), this contract action will be established with a single source, Olympus America, Inc., because Olympus America, Inc. is the original equipment manufacturer of the bronchoscopes, and such equipment falls within the general scope of the existing lease BPA with Olympus America, Inc. This notice satisfies the requirement at FAR 5.201(b)(1) to publicize the proposed contract action. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals or quotes. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement. A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Interested persons may identify their interests and capability to respond to this requirement no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Friday, March 19, 2021. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate the ability to meet the subject requirement. This information shall be provided at no cost or obligation to the Government. Interest/capability statements shall be submitted to Jeffrey Rozema via e-mail at
[email protected]. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.