THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE 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 12.
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 12, 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 DESCRIPTION
This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a sources sought/RFI only. The purpose of this sources sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 339112- Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (size standard of 1,000 Employees). Responses to this sources sought will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 02 Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources that can provide surgical instruments that meet minimum salient characteristics described below for the Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Healthcare System:
To Be Delivered to:
Margaret Cochran Corbin VA Healthcare System
423 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Seeking domestic-end surgical instruments only.
This sources sought is for a compact, on demand laboratory labeling solution capable of printing durable, legible information directly onto both microscope slides and tissue cassettes. The system must support rapid point of use printing, integrate with laboratory information systems, reduce manual labeling errors, and produce reliable barcode and text markings on standard slide and cassette media. The requirement includes two on demand slide labeling printer and one on demand cassette labeling units.
Salient Characteristics:
All instruments furnished under this contract must meet the following standards:
Instruments must be considered reusable by the manufacturer, made/assembled in the United States, and must be constructed of a minimum of 316 grade forged surgical stainless steel. It is preferred that 420 to 440 grade equivalent forged surgical stainless steel is utilized when applicable. Titanium surgical instruments must be constructed with a minimum of a 6AL4V and 6AL4V ELI.
Instruments from other countries, including but not limited to Pakistan, India, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, etc., shall not be provided to the VA under this contract. Likewise, any single use instruments shall not be provided under this contract.
All instruments purchased must be sterilized either via 270-275 degree Pre-Vac Steam Cycle or via a Hydrogen Peroxide sterilization cycle (i.e., in a Sterrad or V-Pro Max sterilizer). Gravity cycles at 250 degrees are limited to the type of instrument being purchased and must have SPS approval prior to purchase.
The vendor ensures that the facility receives the highest quality surgical instruments free of functional defects in workmanship and materials. The vendor will replace any surgical instrument that does not meet these requirements when used for their intended surgical purpose at no cost. These instruments are made from the finest, high-quality stainless steel. The vendor must be an established company that has provided similar surgical instruments to major university hospitals or major academic medical centers.
It is preferred that all instruments awarded under this contract offer a lifetime guarantee against breaking and damage.
Instruments must be able to be sharpened or repaired by manufacturers or third-party instrument repair organizations.
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:
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 under this RFI?
(3) Are you the manufacturer, distributor, or an equivalent solution to the items being referenced above?
(4) If you are a large business, do you have any designated 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 sub contract 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 sub contracted work and completion of job.
(7) Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with NASA SEWP or any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number.
(8) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC or NASA SEWP contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/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 any type of award.
(10) Please submit your capabilities in regard to the salient characteristics being provided and any information pertaining to equal to items to establish capabilities for planning purposes?
(11) Will the items you will be providing manufactured domestically in the United States or are they foreign manufactured items?
(12) Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A.
(13) Please provide your Sam.gov Unique Entity ID number.
Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Sanchez.Reid@va.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than August 12,2026 at 12:00PM EST. 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 the responses to this sources sought. Responses to this sources sought notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.
