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SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS ONLY
This request for information (RFI) and sources sought is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. 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. The submission of pricing, capabilities for planning purposes, and other market information is highly encouraged and allowed under this RFI in accordance with FAR 15.201(e).
The purpose of this sources sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources, their socioeconomic status, and their size classification relative to NAICS 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing size standard of 1,000 employees. Responses to this sources sought will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. This synopsis is neither a request for competitive proposal nor a solicitation of offers. This synopsis is to assist the VA in determining sources only and a solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from responses to this RFI and sources sought.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22 is seeking potential sources capable of supplying Leica HistoCore Lightning S Slide Printer (149061000C1) or Equivalent. The VABBB Research Service at the VA Tucson requires a fast, durable, and automated slide labeling system to support increased histology workflow and ensure consistent, legible, and permanent slide identification.
The proposed action is for a firm-fixed price, one-year contract.
The Government contemplates issuing one (1) solicitation for these supplies to be provided to the following facilities:
VA Tucson Healthcare System
3601 South 6th Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85723
Contractor shall provide the following information:
Vendor:
Address:
Telephone Number:
Business Size:
Socioeconomic Category (i.e. SDVOSB, 8a, VOSB, etc.):
UEI Number:
FSS/ GSA Contract Holder
Yes No
FSS/ GSA Contract Number
Effective Date / Expiration Date
Country of Origin ( COO )
Responses to this sources sought are not request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. Information received as a result of this notice will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether conduct a competitive procurement. This notice does not represent a commitment by the Government to pay for cost incurred in the preparation and submission of information or any other cost incurred as a response to this announcement. Inquiries will only be accepted in writing via email to Jonathan.Ford1@va.gov telephone responses shall not be accepted. Please respond by May 19, 2026, 12:00PM PT.
Note* The Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR) in accordance with 13 CFR § 121.406, September 4, 2019 applies to this acquisition. Additionally, as prescribed on 25.1101(a)(1). FAR 52.225-1 Buy American Supplies and FAR 52.225-2 Buy American Certificate applies to this acquisition.
a) For small business set-asides other than construction or service contracts the prime contractor that s supplying products to the government is required to cover at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacturing those products. The non-manufacturer rule is an exception to that requirement. The rule allows a small business to supply products it did not manufacture as long as those products come from another small business.
b) A manufacturer is defined as a business that, with its own facilities, performs primary activities in transforming inorganic or organic substances, including the assembly of parts and components, into the end product being acquired. In other words, a manufacturer makes or produces products. Businesses may qualify as a non-manufacturer if it meets the following criteria:
Does not exceed 500 employees
Is primarily engaged in the retail or wholesale trade and normally sells the type of products being supplied
Will supply the end products of a small business manufacturer or processor made in the United States, or obtains a waiver of such requirement
See Title 13 Part 121.406 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for detailed information about the non-manufacturer rule.
FAR 52.225-1 Buy American-Supplies (Oct 2022)
(a)Â Definitions. As used in this clause
Commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item
(1) Means any item of supply (including construction material) that is
(i) A commercial product (as defined in paragraph (1) of the definition of commercial product at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101);
(ii)Â Sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace; and
(iii)Â Offered to the Government, under a contract or subcontract at any tier, without modification, in the same form in which it is sold in the commercial marketplace; and
(2) Does not include bulk cargo, as defined in 46 U.S.C. 40102(4), such as agricultural products and petroleum products.
Component means an article, material, or supply incorporated directly into an end product.
Cost of components means
(1) For components purchased by the Contractor, the acquisition cost, including transportation costs to the place of incorporation into the end product (whether or not such costs are paid to a domestic firm), and any applicable duty (whether or not a duty-free entry certificate is issued); or
(2) For components manufactured by the Contractor, all costs associated with the manufacture of the component, including transportation costs as described in paragraph (1) of this definition, plus allocable overhead costs, but excluding profit. Cost of components does not include any costs associated with the manufacture of the end product.
Critical component means a component that is mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States and deemed critical to the U.S. supply chain. The list of critical components is at FAR 25.105 .
Domestic end product means
(1) For an end product that does not consist wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both-
(i) An unmanufactured end product mined or produced in the United States;
(ii) An end product manufactured in the United States, if-
(A) The cost of its components mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States exceeds 60 percent of the cost of all its components, except that the percentage will be 65 percent for items delivered in calendar years 2024 through 2028 and 75 percent for items delivered starting in calendar year 2029. Components of foreign origin of the same class or kind as those that the agency determines are not mined, produced, or manufactured in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities of a satisfactory quality are treated as domestic. Components of unknown origin are treated as foreign. Scrap generated, collected, and prepared for processing in the United States is considered domestic; or
(B) The end product is a COTS item; or
(2) For an end product that consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both, an end product manufactured in the United States, if the cost of foreign iron and steel constitutes less than 5 percent of the cost of all the components used in the end product. The cost of foreign iron and steel includes but is not limited to the cost of foreign iron or steel mill products (such as bar, billet, slab, wire, plate, or sheet), castings, or forgings utilized in the manufacture of the end product and a good faith estimate of the cost of all foreign iron or steel components excluding COTS fasteners. Iron or steel components of unknown origin are treated as foreign. If the end product contains multiple components, the cost of all the materials used in such end product is calculated in accordance with the definition of "cost of components".
End product means those articles, materials, and supplies to be acquired under the contract for public use.
Fastener means a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. Examples of fasteners are nuts, bolts, pins, rivets, nails, clips, and screws.
Foreign end product means an end product other than a domestic end product.
Foreign iron and steel means iron or steel products not produced in the United States. Produced in the United States means that all manufacturing processes of the iron or steel must take place in the United States, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, except metallurgical processes involving refinement of steel additives. The origin of the elements of the iron or steel is not relevant to the determination of whether it is domestic or foreign.
Predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both means that the cost of the iron and steel content exceeds 50 percent of the total cost of all its components. The cost of iron and steel is the cost of the iron or steel mill products (such as bar, billet, slab, wire, plate, or sheet), castings, or forgings utilized in the manufacture of the product and a good faith estimate of the cost of iron or steel components excluding COTS fasteners.
Steel means an alloy that includes at least 50 percent iron, between 0.02 and 2 percent carbon, and may include other elements.
United States means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and outlying areas.
(b) 41 U.S.C. chapter 83, Buy American, provides a preference for domestic end products for supplies acquired for use in the United States. In accordance with 41 U.S.C. 1907, the domestic content test of the Buy American statute is waived for an end product that is a COTS item (see 12.505(a)(1)), except that for an end product that consists wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both, the domestic content test is applied only to the iron and steel content of the end product, excluding COTS fasteners.
(c) Offerors may obtain from the Contracting Officer a list of foreign articles that the Contracting Officer will treat as domestic for this contract.
(d) The Contractor shall deliver only domestic end products except to the extent that it specified delivery of foreign end products in the provision of the solicitation entitled "Buy American Certificate."
(End of clause)
FAR 52.225-2 Buy American Certificate (Oct 2022)
(a)(1) The Offeror certifies that each end product, except those listed in paragraph (b) of this provision, is a domestic end product and that each domestic end product listed in paragraph (c) of this provision contains a critical component.
(2) The Offeror shall list as foreign end products those end products manufactured in the United States that do not qualify as domestic end products. For those foreign end products that do not consist wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both, the Offeror shall also indicate whether these foreign end products exceed 55 percent domestic content, except for those that are COTS items. If the percentage of the domestic content is unknown, select no .
(3) The Offeror shall separately list the line item numbers of domestic end products that contain a critical component (see FAR 25.105).
(4) The terms commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item, critical component, "domestic end product," "end product," and "foreign end product" are defined in the clause of this solicitation entitled "Buy American-Supplies."
Line Item No.
Country of Origin
Exceeds 55% domestic content
(yes/no)
______________
_________________
_________________
______________
_________________
_________________
______________
_________________
_________________
(b)Foreign End Products:
(b)[List as necessary]
(c) Domestic end products containing a critical component:
Line Item No. ___
[List as necessary]
(d) The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the policies and procedures of part 25 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
(End of provision)
The Following below is a description of the Salient Characteristics for the Supplies Needed For This Requirement:
Salient Characteristics - Physical & Functional
Leica HistoCore Lightning S Slide Printer (#149061000C1) OR EQUIVALENT
A fully functional UV-based slide labeling system meeting all technical and operational criteria
All required accessories, components, and consumables
Configured touchscreen interface and pre-installed software
Demonstrated LIS connectivity and data integration
Complete documentation: user manuals, technical specifications, warranty information
Handling labeling histological glass slides from multiple manufacturers
Must operate with dual channel loading in both on-demand and batch print modes up to 15 slides/min
Must perform reliably with minimal operator intervention
Must use labels resistant to heat, solvents, and standard histological stains
Must use non-adhesive based labels nor thermal-transfer ribbon
Achieving a minimum print resolution of 2,500 DPI with the ability to print 2D barcodes
Must have 3-layer air filtration system
Must be Laboratory Information System, LIS, compatible
Providing a user-friendly, integrated touchscreen interface
Item
Description
Qty
1
Product Code: 149061000C1 HistoCore LIGHTNING S
1
2
Product Code: 14061061490 Batch_assy
1
3
Product Code: 14061061591 Scanner_asm_bs
1
4
Product Code: 14061062260 master_filter_bs
1
5
Product Code: 9AP_LIGHT_SWCONFIG Lightning Laser Printer SW Configuration
1
6
Product Code: 14041157009 Power cord USA - 15 AMP
1
