THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT/RFI 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/RFI only. The purpose of this Sources Sought/RFI/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 334516 (size standard of 1000 employees). Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI/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. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 22 Long Beach Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources who can possibly provide Modular Mouse Coffin Assembly/Circadian Mice Coffin that at a minimum meet the brand name and/or can possibly provide an equal product for the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Located: 3350 La Jolla Village Drive - San Diego, CA; 92161. Brand name Information: Manufacturer: La Jolla Alcohol Research, Inc Nomenclature: Modular Mouse Coffin assembly Circadian Mouse Coffin Assembly Mouse Coffin Model Number: (no model number) Item # Product Number Description Country or Origin Qty 01 Chrono-3-Lambda Modular Coffin Assembly US 1 Equal to product Information: Salient Characteristics: Modular Coffin Assembly Must be 6 inches off the ground to comply with the IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). Must be constructed on 4 hard rubber caster wheels with 4 in diameter, including wheel locks. The cabinet's frame will be made of a 1.5 aluminum tube structure, the inside and door of the cabinet will be made of a cut to -to-size plexiglass, minimum 1/8 thick, and will require a black vinyl cover on each panel to block out lights from the surrounding environment. The thickness and tightness of the construction will also allow soundproofing to remove confounding variables. Dimensions of entire system must be (84 wide, 34 deep and 82 tall including 6 off ground). Each of the coffin doors (3 total) must be 82 wide x 22.5 tall and include a steel spring hinge (height: 3 inches, Width: 2 inches, leaf thickness: 0.08 inches, knuckle diameter: 0.3 inches) will be used as the opening mechanism. The door must be downward opening with a metallic latch to pull door for secure seal. Shelving, the cabinet will feature 3 shelves that can fit 6 cages (separately sourced) with cage dimensions of 16 L x 10.5 W and 14.5 H. Must have 3 coffins stacked on top of each other. Each coffin is 84 wide and 25 tall. So, with total of coffin, with 6 caster, the total height of the system is 82 inches. The coffin must be designed to accommodate sleep disruption and future hypoxia studies. For hypoxia studies the cabinet must be built to tightly control oxygen levels, therefore must: Feature a gasket seal around the doors made of EPDM Rubber Gas Inlet for O2 flow, 1/4 outer diameter for an expected gas flow of 1-5L/min LED lights: aluminum-backed LED tape for white and red spectrum light Ventilation System: The entire system will have three separate coffins, and each will have its own independent ventilation system. The coffin space towards the back side will require space for 2 fans for exhaust and 2 fans for inlet flow. This will create an air-circulation system that is single-speed. The independent airflow can then be merged by three hoses into the VA central vent system. We will work with VA engineers to figure out how to connect unit to central vent system. The research space committee can work with VA engineers to connect our system to the correct VA ventilation systems that are already designed to safely remove hazardous fumes or air. A slot for HEPA filters (0.3uM) will also be available for the exhaust outlet; this will offer a second future-proof option where the ventilation in the coffin can be safely directed to circulate into the room. For airflow within system: Fan dimensions for both exhaust and inlet 119mm L x 119mm H x 38mm. Fan Airflow: 2.97m^3/min. Fan Noise: 51.0dB(A). This is sufficient to reduce disruptive sound component in studies. Inlet: Type of tubing: tube must be made from a flexible PTFE for longevity, rigidity, flexibility, and visible for inspection. Must also be 3/4 to 1 in diameter. Exhaust: Tubing: 2 flexible PVC duct hose with one way valve with inner diameter of 50mm and 2 damper size For airflow to central ventilation system: With wye splitter to join chambers into larger trunk line that is a aluminum duct that is 3 to 4 in diameter Power The cabinet must be constructed with a 120V outlet on each of the three coffins (3 total) to control lighting within each coffin allowing for simultaneous studies. Vendor must provide a training session for VA staff on how to properly operate the equipment The information identified above is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive and to indicate the quality of the supplies/services that will be satisfactory. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the supplies/services that fulfill the required specifications. If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought-out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as 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) 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.)? (2) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified in this RFI? (3) Are you the manufacturer, authorized distributor, and/or can provide equivalent solution to the items being referenced above? If applicable, please provide the manufacturer name and business size. (4) Is the end product manufactured in the United States; and is the cost of the components made in the U.S. at least 60% of the total cost of components required to manufacture the end product? If the item is not manufactured in the U.S., please provide the country of origin. (5) 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). (5) If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above or an equivalent solution, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified? (6) If you intend to subcontract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and completion of job. (7) 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. (8) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract holder, are all the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract? Please state if all or some items are available on the contract. (9) 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. (10) Please submit your capabilities statement illustrating your organization s ability to meet the described salient characteristics or equal to items for planning purposes; show clear, compelling and convincing evidence that all equal to items" meet all the salient characteristics. (11) Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. (12) Please provide your SAM.gov Unique Entity ID/Cage Code number. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Rochelle.Malveaux@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than 06/2/2025 by 11:00AM PST. 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.
