This is a SOURCES SOUGHT announcement only. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposal or quote and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. 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 businesses capable of providing the following: Alaris Software Support Maintenance and Repair for VISN 17. If this is within your capability, please respond with the information below: Company Name Address, Point of Contact ,Phone, Fax, and Email UEI number GSA Contract (as applicable). Please include Capability Statement that clearly and convincingly identifies your ability to fulfill this requirement. Brochures of product being offered to include specifications. Meet the Buy American statute FAR 52.225-1 Authorized service provider letter from OEM. Interested firms are reminded that in accordance with FAR 4.203, prospective contractors shall complete electronic annual representations and certifications to be considered for award. In addition, FAR 4.203 states that prospective contractors shall be registered in the System for Award Management (www.SAM.gov) database. All Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) and Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) shall be verified in SBA at Small Business Search . Point of Contact for this Sources Sought is: Rafael Rodriguez, e-mail Rafael.Rodriguez2@va.gov Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 17 -5441 Babcock Road Ste. 302, San Antonio, TX 78240. The purpose of this procurement is to acquire infusion pump software management services (SMS) for use in VA North Texas, VISN 17. The Contractor shall provide the Alaris Support Program required to maintain and operate the Alaris Infusion System from BD (formerly CareFusion) . SERVICE SUPPORT TO BE PROVIDED:Â The following components comprise the Alaris Infusion System located at VA North Texas for this requirement. Table 1. Alaris Infusion System Components VA Medical Device Nomenclature System (VAMDNS) Category Model INFUSION PUMPS: MULTITHERAPY: SYRINGE ALARIS SYR MODULE 8110 INFUSION PUMPS: MULTITHERAPY ALARIS PUMP MODULE 8100 INFUSION CONTROLLERS ALARIS PC UNIT 8015 INFUSION PUMPS: ANALGESIC: PATIENT-CONTROLLED ALARIS PCA MODULE 8120 MONITORS: PHYSIO: EXHALED CO2: BEDSIDE/INTRAOP ALARIS ETCO2 MODULE 8300 NETWORKED SERVERS: MEDICAL Alaris Systems Manager; BD Care Coordination Engine SOFTWARE: MEDICAL Guardrails Suite MX; Guardrails Editor; Infusion Knowledge Portal; Alaris System Maintenance Alaris Infusion System Description. Infusion system modules connect to an infusion controller (PCU). The PCU connects wirelessly to the VA enterprise network to transmit and receive data to and from the Alaris Systems Manager server. The Alaris Systems Manager resides on a server (virtual) in a VA data center. Users will access the Alaris Systems Manager server to manage system configuration, retrieve pump connectivity data, capture data analytics, and upload infusion drug libraries. Users will also access software applications such as Guardrails Editor and Infusion Knowledge Portal to manage drug library configuration and analyze reports collected from infusion data. The Alaris System Maintenance software is utilized during performance of Alaris Infusion System maintenance. The Contractor shall provide the SMS required under this contract for the following Alaris Infusion System equipment covered under this contract. All services performed shall support compatibility with the current infusion equipment. Table 2. Supported Alaris Equipment and Software Facility Name Server/Application Name Operating System/Version VA North Texas Alaris Systems Manager Windows Server 2022 LTSC VA North Texas Guardrails Suite MX Version 12.x VA North Texas Alaris System Maintenance Version 12.x SCOPE OF WORK The Contractor shall provide software management services for the Alaris Infusion System server and software components identified in Table 2 above. The services shall be in accordance with the tasks and deliverables as described in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). For those components of the system subject to software updates, the Contractor shall complete all system enhancements and patching with clear communication and preparation. The Contractor shall communicate all enhancements and support activations required to keep the system running effectively to the primary point of contact (POC) or the contracting officer representative (COR). All maintenance and updates shall be scheduled at least three (3) days in advance with the COR. Information Security Considerations All VA sensitive information shall be protected at all times, in accordance with VA Local site guidelines. The Contractor shall report any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to the COR. Any wireless connectivity to the VA network must be compatible with 802.11b/g/n and FIPS 140-2 compliant. Any remote service support requires a Memorandum of Understanding/Interconnection Security Agreement (MOU/ISA) with the VA. DELIVERABLES The Contractor shall perform/provide the following services: Training The Contractor shall include on-site nursing clinical support training for practice reinforcement that can be used for compliance rounds and hospital best practices. One time during the base year of the contract period and any subsequent option year, the Contractor must provide one eight (8) hour day of on-site clinical consulting at each facility for every 500 infusion devices installed at that facility. The training must include nursing staff interactions with the devices and recommending improved practices for medication safety. The COR will provide the Contractor with requested training dates for each facility during the base year of the contract and any subsequent option year. The Contractor will work with the COR in good faith to reasonably accommodate the requested training dates. The Contractor shall provide a written report to each facility for each practice reinforcement visit. The Contractor shall include a workshop with clinical peers to support customer adoption of Infusion Knowledge Portal software and enhance interpretation skills of IKP data. Workshop shall be for a period of 2 days and hosted by the Contractor at VA North Texas once during the base year of the contract and each subsequent option year (annually). The COR will provide the Contractor with requested workshop dates for each facility during the base year of the contract and any subsequent option year. The Contractor will work with the COR in good faith to reasonably accommodate the requested workshop dates. Workshop shall cover defining and creating a systematic approach to analyzing Guardrails Reporter software alerts and refine drug libraries, dose limits, and clinical advisories to achieve maximum impact for the organization. The Contractor shall provide access to online education. Video content must be made available, upon request, to VA education staff and allowed to be uploaded by the VA to internal learning management systems. The Contractor shall include Suite training sessions with clinical peers to refresh skills on the use of Infusion Knowledge Portal and Editor training. The training sessions shall be available monthly and can be used as needed. The Contractor shall provide tuition annually for up to two (2) VA representatives to attend the System Data Workshop. Support The Contractor shall provide phone or email access to highly qualified Pharmacy Consultants and Insight Consultants to address customer data set questions and concerns and assist with the interpretation of CQI data. The Contractor shall, to their best efforts, provide a resolution turnaround time of 48 hours from the initial phone call or email communicating a customer issue. The Contractor shall provide access to qualified Pharmacy Consultants who hold the RPh credential and have at least 3 years experience working with BD Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) information to make recommendations for improved safety limits on specific pharmaceutical products. The Contractor shall provide access to Insight Consultants (formerly CQI Managers) who must have at least 3 years experience working with BD CQI information to make recommendations for improved safety limits on specific pharmaceutical products and other data set parameters. The Contractor shall provide live technical telephone support with BD authorized support professionals who are based in the United States. The team must be ready to assist and provide support for equipment covered in this contract from 8:00am to 5:00pm CST, Monday through Friday. The Contractor shall provide Insight Consultant data support via phone or email from 8:00am to 7:00pm CST, Monday through Friday, for questions related to the use of the software and interpretation, review, and consulting of data. Data & Analytics The Contractor shall provide real-time monitoring of the Alaris Systems Manager to ensure system uptime, functionality, optimization, and health in accordance with the national MOU/ISA between the Contractor and VA which is made part of this contract and is incorporated by reference herein. The Contractor shall provide concise, actionable information on the hospital s infusion management practices, without requiring analytical or reporting software installation or in-house technical resources. This includes unlimited access to a web-based portal defined by hospital with analytics reports and the ability to view all infusions. The Government can request a quarterly phone call or report with the data analyst to review the findings in this report. The Contractor shall provide analytics reports and the ability to view all infusions (not just those outside of prescribed ranges). This information must be web-based and be accessible to an unlimited number of users per hospital. These services would require hosting on a vendor platform but must not contain any sensitive information, in accordance with the national MOU/ISA. Software Updates & Maintenance If the Contractor releases updates to the applications or server identified in Table 2 to enhance the security or operation of the software, the Contractor shall deliver the enhancement to the Government in machine-readable form with instructions to assist the Government with installing the enhancement. These enhancements will be provided to the Government within 60 days of their issuance or data of first commercial availability, with no additional charge to the Government, for installed instances of the software. As applicable, the Contractor will install updates remotely through the Contractor s remote access solution. The Contractor shall use commercially reasonable efforts to correct errors in the software that materially affect the functionality of the software. All labor, time, materials, equipment, travel, service manuals, and supplies necessary to provide the services required under this contract shall be included in the contract price. One time during each annual period, the Contractor will perform one (1) on-site technical service visit for up to eight (8) hours for each 80 PC units to download CQI data and upload the Government s drug library data set onto the licensed units. The Contractor shall provide telephone support to the Government regarding the operation of and potential errors in the software. The Contractor shall provide enhancements to the Guardrails Suite MX and Guardrails Editor software when commercially available. This includes providing any updates to the Alaris Systems Manager that are required to install the newest version of Suite MX software. The Contractor shall provide Alaris Systems Manager service patch management of the operating system, Systems Manager application, and other software components. The Contractor shall provide rigorous testing before deployment of software patches and updates, including customized patch cycles and notifications options. All software patches and updates shall be provided at no additional cost to the Government. Remote management of the server shall be delivered in accordance with the most current version of the national MOU/ISA between VA and the Contractor. The Contractor shall provide CareFusion Coordination Engine (CCE) service patch management of the operating system, CCE application, and other software components. The Contractor shall provide rigorous testing before deployment of software patches and updates, including customized patch cycles and notifications options. All software patches and updates shall be provided at no additional cost to the Government. Remote management of the server shall be delivered in accordance with the most current version of the national MOU/ISA between VA and the Contractor. The Contractor shall provide remote installation of server system patches, including the operating system, Alaris Systems Manager, and other system components which will be patched regularly. Software update/enhancement installations shall normally be scheduled and performed outside normal business hours, 8:00am to 5:00pm CST Monday through Friday, of coverage at no additional charge to the Government. The COR may approve software installations outside of these hours to meet facility needs. Unscheduled Maintenance (Emergency Repair Service) The Contractor s Field Service Engineer (FSE) shall respond via phone call to the COR or his/her designee immediately after receipt of telephoned emergency repair service notification twenty-four (24) hours per day. If the problem cannot be corrected by phone, the FSE will commence work (on-site or remote desktop response) within two (2) hours after receipt of the notification and will proceed progressively to completion without undue delay. This requirement for response time shall be the same for both service calls during the VA normal business hours and after-hour service calls. The COR will provide the Contractor with (a) an accurate description of the software error; (b) the steps necessary to reproduce the software error, if available; (c) if required, the data being processed at the time of the software error and associated log files; and (d) the severity of the software error, including the circumstances that lead to the software error. The COR and the Contractor will communicate and mutually agree on the severity level of the software error in writing. Scheduled Maintenance The Contractor shall perform patches and enhancements to the software components identified in Table 2 to ensure the Alaris Infusion System equipment and software perform in accordance with the latest OEM maintenance procedures and protocols. Patching shall be provided for all environments: pre-production, production, and training environments. Scheduled software maintenance shall be scheduled at least three (3) days in advance with the COR. An outline of the scheduled software maintenance procedures shall be provided to the COR. The Contractor shall provide and utilize procedures and checklists with worksheet originals indicating work performed, as applicable. This documentation shall be provided to the COR at the completion of the scheduled software maintenance. The Contractor shall provide written description of scheduled software maintenance. This description shall include an itemized list of the procedures performed. Scheduled software maintenance services shall include, but need not be limited to, the following: Reviewing operating system software diagnostics to ensure that the system is operating in accordance with the manufacturer s specifications Performing remedial software maintenance of non-emergent nature Returning the equipment to the operating condition, per OEM standards Providing documentation of services performed. This will be a Base year plus Five (5) Option tears Contract.
