THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This Sources Sought Notice is intended for information and planning purposes only at this time; and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Because this is a Sources Sought announcement, no evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents. No solicitation exists. Therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 4, Network Contracting Office 4 (NCO 4), is seeking information and potential qualified sources capable of providing an American-made laboratory Slide Printer/System that closely match the salient characteristics of the Epredia brand. The printers will be delivered to the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center, located in Pittsburgh, PA 15215. Scope: P&LMS requires four replacement of Laboratory Slide Printers/System which are currently problematic and at the end of life. The equipment is used daily in conjunction with labeled tissue cassettes which contains patient information and barcode which can withstand many chemicals/solvents to which they are exposed. The tissue cassette barcode is utilized during grossing, embedding and sectioning allowing electronic tracking of the patient tissue sample. The labeling system can reduce technician time and most importantly errors which can cause potential harm to patient care. These slide printers transfer the information from the cassettes to label the glass slides. The brand used for comparison is Epredia Slide Mate AS Slide Printer. General Requirements: Specifications as set forth in this proposal are minimum specifications and shall not be construed as limiting the overall quality, quantity, or performance of the instrument. The offeror shall meet or exceed the minimum requirements and shall be held responsible for the performance and overall quality of the requested instrument during the instrument s warranty period. The instruments, based upon the specifications requested, shall be the newest and the most current model. A refurbished is not acceptable. Four (4) Slide Printers Equipment Required: Must have reliable and proven labeling information which will not be compromised by chemicals used in processing tissues and staining slides. Must fit into spaces currently occupied by similar printers in use. No larger than 9.5 x 5 x 12 inches Must have an integrated tracking and process verification. Must have two slide hoppers. Product must be reliable and able to be archived without degradation. Must be durable and able to withstand high volume, daily use. Legibility and versatility of font and data before and during the process is essential. Compatibility of cassette and slide software is essential. Must be compatible with the system currently in use (Thermosphere Scientific Print mate and Slide mate System). Additional Requirements: The vendor/distributor and/or the manufacturer must provide all necessary procedure manuals, troubleshooting manuals and operator manuals. Delivery: All equipment deliveries must be coordinated with the Biomedical department prior to delivery. Failure to do so may result in the return of the equipment at vendor cost. Responses to this RFI should include company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and point of contact e-mail, DUNS Number, Cage Code, size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification code (NAICS) 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. The Small Business Size Standard for this NAICS code is 1,00 employees. Please answer the following questions: 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), Small Business (SB), Large Business, etc.)? Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this notice? Are you the manufacturer, distributor, or an equivalent solution to the items being referenced above? Can you provide an American-made version of the product that closely match the salient characteristics of the Epredia brand? This Sources Sought Notice will be conducted in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received via e-mail to mcdaniel.brayboy@va.gov no later than, 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on May 27, 2025. This notice will help the VA in determining available potential sources only. Do not contact VA Medical Center staff regarding this requirement, as they are not authorized to discuss this matter related to this procurement action. All questions will be addressed by the Contract Specialist, McDaniel Brayboy III. All firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice are advised that their response is not a request for proposal, therefore will not be considered for a contract award. If a solicitation is issued, information will be posted on the Contract Opportunities website for all qualified interested parties at a later date, and interested parties must respond to the solicitation to be considered for award. This notice does not commit the government to contract for any supplies or services. The government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this Source Sought Notice. Information will only be accepted in writing by e-mail to Contract Specialist, McDaniel Brayboy III at mcdaniel.brayboy@va.gov DISCLAIMER This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this notice that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. 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 notice.
