This is a SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this sources sought must be in writing. The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below. The priority is to find two or more Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB). Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) DUNS number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number and (h) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS OBJECTIVES: Surgical instrument repair and refurbishment is a highly specialized vocation. Finding a contractor with a strong knowledge base of the specific instruments used at VA San Diego Healthcare System, Nursing and Sterile Processing Service Patient Care Services is crucial. Acquiring an annual contract for this requirement ensures cost efficiency by having highly skilled technicians conduct repair services without damaging or breaking instruments; standardization through the use of the same company for all repairs; and time saving processes from having one point of contact and consistent plans of action. CONTRACT TYPE: The Government intends to award a firm-fixed price contract resulting from this solicitation. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance shall for one year as described in the contract. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: The required Maintenance and Repair Service of Surgical Instruments shall be performed at: VA San Diego Healthcare System 3350 La Jolla Village Dr. San Diego, CA 92161 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall furnish all necessary labor, supervision, materials, supplies and equipment necessary to perform repair and replacement services of various types of surgical instruments that are contained in various instrument sets and the refurbishment of containers/lids. This shall include ALL of the surgical instruments currently in use at the Veterans Affairs VA San Diego Healthcare System. The repair services are required on a weekly and on as needed basis to ensure that the VA has the safest and most reliable instruments on hand to use on our Veteran patients. SCOPE OF WORK: - Repair / Refurbishment of Surgical Instruments Repairing/ Refurbishment and Restoring Instruments to meet best practice functional demands, Using Service recommends 2-3 times per year set turn. This is an average; as high use sets will require additional attention throughout the year. The preferred method or preventative maintenance is working in tandem with VA s OR Schedule (Operating Schedule). The contractor shall perform the required service including but are not limited to: Laparoscopic Instrument Service: Sharpening Resetting Aligning Adjusting Repair with part replacement Cleaning/Oiling New Flush port Straightening Repair/replacement of cautery posts Thumb screws Skirts Inner stem resetting Repair/replacement of shaft insulation Repair/replacement of ratchet assemblies Repair/replacement of valves Repair/replacement of springs Repair/replacement of resealing of handles New Needles/hooks/spatulas On-site laparoscopic Insulation Testing and Replacement (Lap) Removal of Old Color Coating Final Inspection performance Complete rebuilding or replacement of laparoscopic instrument components including replacement of all parts as necessary General Instrument Service: Complete inspection and evaluation of all general and micro instruments Disassembly when applicable Sharpening Refurbishment Align and adjust as required for optimal performance Re-insulation Tape/color coating removal and tape re-application Replace damaged or worn carbine inserts Repair ratchet, jaw and shank as required Ultrasonic cleaning and revitalization Perform all furnishing to include labor, parts to perform all refurbishment, maintenance and repair on instrumentation listed to guarantee the proper functionality of the instrument according to the manufacturer s specifications. Instruments that are damaged or broken during the refurbishment process shall be repaired or replaced with an identical instrument Replace worn, missing or broken parts Direct communication to instrumentation specialist Entire set completion Buffing Cleaning/oiling as needed Refinish on request On-going quality control review Trays serviced according to case volume Ensuring that all sharps, such as scissors, rongeurs, osteotomes, elevators and curettes are checked for sharpness, fractures, proper tension, lose or missing screws, alignment etc. The availability of a Repair Technician that works with Nursing and Patient Care Sterile Processing Services staff to ensure each instrument is inspected, repaired and returned to industry or preference requests. All surgical instruments and sets shall be inspected and evaluated for continued best practice performance and restoration. Instruments are restored to like new conditions. Each surgical set in the fleet shall be inspected, repaired and refurbished on an as needed basis. Recommend the use of the instrument tracking system to track the repair program. Any surgical instruments that are deemed unrepairable at the time of repair/refurbishment shall be replaced under the program. Refurbishment Program: - Refurbishment repair service program entails: All ringed instruments are inspected for alignment, boxlock tension and fractures. All forceps are inspected for alignment, proper spring tension and fractures. Special attention is focused on delicate instruments and teeth alignment. All sharps, such as scissors, rongeurs, osteotomes, elevators and curettes are checked for sharpness, fractures, proper tension, loose or missing screws, alignment etc. Ensuring all instruments are repaired to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) standards, only proper screws, springs are used in the repair process. No center punching of screws in rongeurs/kerrisons etc. After sharpening and repairing all the instruments, they are placed in an ultrasonic cleaner which removes debris and oxidation. REPAIR PROCESS: Prior to commencing work on hospitals instruments, the contractor shall conduct a set evaluation to determine specific needs of the facility and coordinate a proper schedule for routine maintenance and refurbishing. Knowing the number and usage of sets allows the Contractor to determine a proper schedule for routine maintenance and refurbishing. Generally, instrument sets should be scheduled for sharpening every 3-4 months. Ortho, Spine, Lami & Endo sets more often depending on need. Repair specialist shall provide the required service about 8 to 12 sets in a day, depending upon the size, type of trays and service required. Certain sets take longer than others but on average a tray can be serviced in about 45 minutes. Instrument sets are opened and repaired one at a time in order to keep instruments together. Containers shall also be inspected and repaired as needed; removing dents, tightening or replacing latches, replacing broken rivets, rails, retention plates, and gaskets are all part of the repair utilizing OEM replacement parts. Surgical grade stainless steel instruments that are beyond repair shall be replaced with exact instruments (exact vendor, catalog number and quantity) before the set is returned to VASDHS. No substitutions are acceptable. Damaged instruments are the property of VASDHS and will be returned to the facility for turn-in according to established procedures. Curettes, osteotomes, rongeurs, and scissors shall be sharpened according to original manufacturer specifications. Documentation is required. Instruments are not to be replaced with other vendor items. Vendor specific rigid containers, base, lid, basket shall be maintained to as new specifications. Missing or damaged handles shall be replaced with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. Damaged filter holders will be repaired. If they cannot be repaired, they will be replaced with OEM components. Colorized container lids shall have the color coat replaced when excessive scratching off of the color is noted by facility representative. Instruments marked with 2-D data matrices shall have the data matrix protected during repair so that it can be scanned per instrument tracking protocol. A maintenance schedule shall be developed between vendor and facility representatives within 10 business days of contract award. Work shall be completed within agreed to timeframes. As instruments are removed from the container, they are counted and separated. Hemostats and ring handled instruments are checked for alignment, boxlock tension and fractures. Tissue forceps checked for alignment, proper spring tension and fractures. Special attention is focused on delicate instruments and teeth alignment. All sharps are checked for use. For example: Scissors shall be tested using latex material, rongeurs and kerrisons should snap card stock, osteotomes, elevators and curettes should dig into a sharpie pen. Other instruments are tested and checked for fractures, proper tension, loose or missing screws, alignment, etc. The repair vans shall carry an assortment of springs, screws and other OEM replacement parts to ensure a cost-effective same day repair. An inventory of new Needleholders shall also be kept in the van for warranty replacement and needleholder swap on select patterns. After sharpening and repair, all stainless instruments are placed into the ultrasonic cleaner which removes debris and oxidation. The instruments are rinsed with clean water, counted again, and placed back into the container where attention is given to protect the sharps. When an instrument is worn or damaged beyond repair, an instrument card shall be filled out explaining why it is tagged non-repairable. It is then bagged, with the instrument count sheet attached so the hospital knows what tray the instrument came from for re-ordering. There are different ways of keeping track of trays that have been serviced. Contractor shall work together with the requesting service to determine the best solution. For example: By placing a dated label on the container requesting service can visually see when the tray was serviced while sitting on the shelf. Inputting service dates onto an Excel spreadsheet a maintenance schedule is used that informs Contractor when the next service is due. Some hospitals utilize instrument management systems such as Instacount or Censitrac which flags sets for servicing. Contractor shall develope an on-line work order system that tracks service history and informs the technician when trays are due. Whatever the need, there's a tracking system that can be put in place. At the end of the day an on-line work order is generated by the technician showing the work performed, line-item pricing and trays serviced. Pricing on this order is predetermined by the existing contract. Contractor shall require a signature from hospital personal and the repair technician gives a copy of the work order to the needed departments. The technician will confirm the next repair date with a follow up phone call or an email to the Contractor. For further education, the repair technician shall organize a care and handling in-service with hospital staff and show how they can test instruments for sharpness/functionality. This knowledge is especially helpful while SPD technicians assemble trays for surgery. The Repair Van shall always maintain an open-door policy to hospital staff and full access to the repair specialist. Contractor shall be committed to meeting the instrument repair needs of the customers. Satisfaction repair surveys shall be provided to the contractor at the end of period of performance to help ensure that hospitals are getting the best service possible from the Contractors trained technicians. EQUIPMENT IN THE REPAIR PROCESS: Ultrasonic Cleaner: All stainless instruments go through the sonic cleaner during the repair process. Trinco Bead Blaster: Sets are completely refurbished by using a fine glass bead material in the blaster. This process brings the instruments to a like new, satin finished, condition. Care is taken during this process not to remove manufacture etching, part numbers, tape or other identifiable markings on the instruments. Drill Press: The drill press shall be used for a variety of functions: Drilling holes for taping, drilling out broken rivets on containers, spinning replacement screws for filing, etc. Buffers & Bench Grinders: A variety of wheels are used on the buffing motors that have unique functions. From hard core sanding to bright finish buffing, these are the tools of the trade that make the instruments function at their best. Evacuation System: All motors and grinders are tied into a central evacuation system that sucks the dust into a contained filtered storage unit, keeping the repair lab free from airborne particles. Stereo Boom Microscope: This is a 10x-30x powered unit that is used to see instruments up-close for sharpening and inspection. From eye instruments to kerrisons and curettes, this microscope is a must. Microtron Unit: Used in conjunction with the microscope and by inserting a variety of diamond burs into the hand piece, the working end of instruments are sharpened. (rongeurs, curettes etc.) Demagnetizer: Demagnetizing instruments are especially useful on micro sets and needleholders. It is very annoying to surgeons when suture needles clings to instruments. Diamond Duster: This tool applies tungsten-carbide diamond dust to the worn jaws of micro instruments and needleholders. Endo Hipot Tester: Testing Lap & Endo insulation service shall be provided by the technicians. If an instrument fails the test, new medical grade insulation replaces the old. Hand Tools: A variety of specialized hand tools are needed to complete needed repairs. By utilizing unique files and customized equipment the skilled craftsmen are proficient in the art of hand finishing. TECHNICIAN: Repair Technician shall be available to personally work with the Central Supply, Operating Room, and Surgical staff to ensure each instrument is inspected, repaired and returned to the original specifications for form, fit and function.
