SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS
INTRODUCTION
The Medical Readiness Contracting Office-West (MRCO-W), Fort Cavazos, Texas is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement to provide Reagents on a Cost Per Test (CPT) for an Automated Hematoxylin and Eosin Slide Stainer Analyzer located to be used at Martin Army Community Hospital (MACH), Fort Benning, GA 31905.
The intention is to procure this CPT analyzer lease on a competitive basis. This request is anticipated to result in a Firm Fixed-Priced contract. It is projected that the requirement will be for a 12- month base period only with performance commencing 1 October 2025 to include correlation and validation of equipment. Contact with Government Personnel, other than the Contract Specialist identified at the bottom of this notice, by any potential offeror, or their employees’, regarding this requirement is strictly prohibited.
BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.
DISCLAIMER
“THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A “REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)” TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT.”
REQUIRED SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS/CAPABILITIES
-Provide analyzers that are FDA approved, 100-240V, and use FDA approved software for FDA approved testing reagents.
-Provide medium to high capacity analyzer that can result at least 180 slides or higher per hour.
-Analyzer must have automated programming start, testing and shutdown capability.
-Analyzer should perform continuous loading and or batch loading.
-Analyzer should perform online drying and offline drying.
-Analyzer must have barcode reader and disk drive with read and write and USB port for loading and downloading data and on board operator's/ troubleshooting manuals.
-Ensure that if system requires a water purification/ filtration system it, installation, service, maintenance and supplies required throughout the period of performance to operate the filtration system is included.
-Must include installation of tubing or any other supplies required for water source or waste drain for operation.
-Analyzer Operating system must be compatible with Windows 10 or higher.
-Provides analyzer that interfaces with laboratory information system (LIS) Cerner and/ or anatomical pathology laboratory information system (APLIS) CoPath Plus.
-Provide analyzer that can interface with a specimen tracking system.
-Analyzer must provide capability for data and information storage and data management including maintenance.
-Provide on-site technical support and all reagents and supplies required for installation, validation/correlation of analyzers to bring to a fully operational status is included.
-Provide equipment repairs scheduled and unscheduled as well as preventive maintenance.
-Provide 24 hour telephonic troubleshooting.
-Respond to service calls within four hours or the morning of the next duty day if after 5:00pm Monday-Friday and correct deficiencies within 24 hours after arrival on-site.
-Provide temporary analyzer until the original analyzer is repaired or permanently if the original analyzer can’t be repaired within 5 days.
-Provide alternate testing and/or validation for extended analyzer downtime/ failure.
-Provide on-site technical support for installation of analyzers to bring to and maintain at fully operational status including required reagents and supplies.
-Provide initial training at vendor’s facility for two personnel and on-site training as needed.
-Ensure proper packaging of reagents, supplies, and equipment and that they are shipped at proper refrigerated or frozen temperatures according to manufacturer environmental specifications.
-Provide FDA approved reagents for use in clinical testing with expiration dates no less than 6 months of delivery date that function properly and pass lot to lot testing.
-Provide ready to use reagents that do not have to be prepared.
-Ensure all shipments arrive Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 3:00pm EST; excluding holidays and weekends.
-Respond to phone calls regarding shipment discrepancies the same day of notification and discrepancy will be corrected within 24 hours.
-Notify the laboratory if there is a recall on any reagents or equipment within 24 hours.
-Provide customer notification of updates on any reagents in writing within 5 business days and ensure continuity of services and availability of reagents during reagent revision when required.
--Provide all software and part upgrades at no additional cost.
-Must be able to start and obtain DOD Risk Management Framework (RMF) IT cybersecurity certification requirements for analyzer.
-Provide system that is combination of closed and open.
-Provide system that applies reagents/ stains directly to each individual specimen slide and can user programmable for staining protocols not a reagent bath.
-Provide system that performs rinsing and online automated glass cover slipping.
-Provide analyzer that does not require hazardous chemical xylene.
-Analyzer must include online venting for fumes and filters.
-Analyzer must be able to provide the following test menu: Hematoxylin and Eosin staining and coverslipping
•Proposed vendor MUST be able to travel to Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, GA 31905
Reagents List:
Product Annual Total
BLUING 24
CLEANING SOLUTION 84
DIFFERENTIATING SOLUTION 24
EOSIN 24
HEMATOXYLIN 132
ORGANIC SOLUTION 60
TRANSFER FLUID 48
WASH 60
COVERSLIP ACTIVATOR(2PACK) 12
GLASS COVERSLIPS 12
ELIGIBILITY
The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 325413 In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing.” The Small Business Size Standard is 1,250 employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 6550- in vitro diagnostic substances, reagents, test kits and sets.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Responses to this Sources Sought Notice should demonstrate the firm's ability, capability, and responsibility to deliver the products listed above. In response to this notice, interested parties shall submit a written Statement of Capability limited up to 5 pages and shall include the following information:
•Offeror’s name, address, point of contact, phone number, and e-mail address.
•Offeror’s interest in providing a proposal/quote on the solicitation when it is issued.
•Offeror’s capability to meet personnel requirements.
•Offeror’s capability to perform a contract of this magnitude and complexity (include offeror’s capability to provide Reagents on a Cost Per Test (CPT) for an Automated Hematoxylin and Eosin Slide Stainer Analyzer.
Documentation of appropriate products must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary means to compete for this acquisition.
•Offeror’s type of small business and Business Size (Whether 8(a), HUB Zone, Women-Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, etc.), or Large Business Status, should be documented in the Statement of Capability.
Interested parties are responsible for marking information that is proprietary in nature. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this notice or any follow up information requests. The Government is not obligated to, nor will it, pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this sources sought notice. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. No subcontracting opportunity is anticipated. A determination by the Government to not compete this proposed contract action based on the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.
Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to the Contract Specialist, Fredicinda Jones, in either Microsoft Word or Portable Document Format (PDF), via email fredicinda.d.jones.civ@health.mil no later than 11:00 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST) on 16 June 2025 and reference this synopsis number in subject line of e-mail and on all enclosed documents. Telephonic inquiries will NOT be honored. All interested businesses must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov to be eligible for award of Government contracts. Information and materials submitted in response to this request WILL NOT be returned. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.
