REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY
THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION, THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, Market Research, to conduct market research. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or guarantee to issue a solicitation in the future. This Sources Sought Notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Not responding to this Sources Sought Notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. This announcement is based on the best information available at this time and is subject to future modification.
The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification/socioeconomic status (service-disabled veteran owned small business (SDVOSB), veteran owned small business (VOSB), women owned small business, HUB Zone, 8(a), small business or large business), relative to the assigned NAICS code. A solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the government-wide point of entry business opportunities website http://www.sam.gov, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this RFI.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 10 located in Ann Arbor, MI requires local reference laboratory testing for STAT and time-sensitive, Anatomic Pathology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Hematology testing on behalf of the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. Laboratory shall be available for testing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the ability to complete time-sensitive testing within one (1) hour from sample collection. A draft a copy of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) is below and is the only information available at this time.
Location:
1481 West 10th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
NAICS Code: 621511 Medical Laboratories
Size Standard: $41.5 Million
Product Service Code (PSC): Q301 Medical Reference Laboratory Testing
Responses:
All Responses shall be submitted via email to Jessica.Bryant5@va.gov, due by 9/2/2026 at 09:00AM EDT and shall include the following:
Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills, and ability to fulfill the Government's requirements. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed 10 pages.
The capability statement must identify the responder's business type and size, and relevant Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), GSA, or SAC contract number.
The capability statement must provide company name and address, point of contact, phone/fax/email, NAICS Code(s), and SAM Unique Entity ID.
Provide Relevant sub-contracting information.
Provide CLIA certificate of accreditation listing analyte specialties and sub-specialties.
The laboratory shall be Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) accredited, licensed/ accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), The Joint Commission (JTC), or any other licensing and/or accreditation as required by law in order to perform the required testing listed in the Performance Work Statement (PWS).
DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT
Part I: General Information
Introduction
The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center (RLR VAMC), Pathology and Medicine Service requires Anatomic Pathology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Coagulation, and Hematology laboratory testing services along with STAT testing and time-sensitive specimen samples that are too unstable for long-distance transportation to be completed within 8 hours, as required.
Background
The mission of the RLR VAMC laboratory is to complete diagnostic testing in support of patient care. Indianapolis RLR VAMC receives referrals from VA facilities at Ft. Wayne and Marion, Indiana, and from several Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC). The required laboratory tests are not performed in-house for reasons such as low testing volume, and specialized equipment which is not available in-house. There are times when the established stability of a laboratory specimen is a very short period of time. In such cases, the tests cannot be sent out of the local community for testing as the specimen will expire prior to being able to be tested. The VA Directive 1101.13(1) Appendix B mentions that STAT prioritization is a one (1) hour turn-around time from collection to results for urgent care of patients. Due to the timeliness of STAT testing requirements, it is essential to have a relationship with a local testing facility to provide Anatomic Pathology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Hematology and STAT testing services.
Scope of Work
The RLR VAMC requires local laboratory testing services for it s laboratories. The laboratory shall The laboratory shall be Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) accredited and in good standing with either the College of American Pathologists (CAP) or The Joint Commission (JC) and maintain full compliance with federal and state accreditations and organizational requirements. Contractor shall provide courier services and all necessary supplies, equipment, and transportation. Contractor shall provide all requirements listed within this Performance Work Statement for the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center located at 1481 West 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 for one base year and four, one (1) year option years to be exercised at the Governments discretion.
Part II: Requirements
Technical Requirements
Laboratory testing requirements include services for the following specimen types that may be requested on a per specimen basis:
Serum
Plasma
Whole Blood
Urine
Stool
Body fluids
Slide smears
Anatomic Pathology tissue blocks
Nasal Samples
Bronchiolar lavage samples
VTM diluted samples
Cultures
AFB samples
The RLR VAMC will provide the Contractor with:
Full patient name
Full patient social security number (RLR VAMC MRN)
Date of birth
Collection date
Collection time
RLR VAMC accession number
Source of collection (when applicable)
Deliverables
The Contractor shall provide an initial inventory of supplies to the Laboratory no later than three (3) business days after the effective date of this contract and shall re-stock supplies when requested by the RLR VAMC. The Contractor shall furnish specialized collection containers and/or kits when different from the common collection containers routinely used by the RLR VAMC.
Contractor shall be responsible for transporting all samples to the Contractor facility for patient testing via courier when services are needed. Contractor shall provide STAT courier to pick up samples for STAT and time-sensitive testing within thirty (30) minutes of request.
Contractor shall provide STAT and time-sensitive test results within one (1) hour from the time the result is determined via phone to the RLR VAMC Laboratory.
Contractor shall complete STAT and time-sensitive testing from the time of specimen pickup within one (1) hour for urgent care and four (4) hours for all other tests. STAT or time-sensitive testing shall be completed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include testing on holidays.
Contractor shall complete routine samples within two (2) days from the time of specimen pickup. Contractor shall provide a list of routine testing that cannot meet this standard prior to award. Routine or batched testing shall be picked up a minimum of twice daily.
Contractor shall provide a list of batched testing prior to award. Contractor shall have results available within four (4) days from the time of specimen pickup for batched samples of routine nature. Batch testing is identified in advance of sending the testing.
Contractor shall cancel test orders with no charge upon notification from the RLR VAMC given prior to the start of the testing process.
Contractor shall promptly notify VAMC Laboratory via phone if a specimen arrives at the Contractor s address and is found to be improperly collected or degraded in transit, with no charge to the RLR VAMC.
Contractor shall return calls and/or emails from the VAMC Laboratory within 24 hours concerning specimens and test results.
Contractor shall make preliminary and final reports accessible via a secure portal or fax to the VAMC laboratory at the designated fax number. Report shall include:
The patient s full name
Full patient social security number (RLR VAMC MRN)
The patient s date of birth
The facility s name and address where testing was performed
The facility s CLIA number
The specimen collection date
The specimen collection time
The specimen collection site/source, when applicable.
The date reported
The time reported
The associated RLRVAMC accession number
The results include units of measurement and reference ranges, if applicable.
Other comments and interpretation information related to the specimen type, specimen testing, and test results.
Other Requirements
Contractor shall include all labor, materials, maintenance, technical support, project management and supervision, travel and expenses, training, software, software licenses, software updates and support that are necessary to furnish the required services in test pricing.
Contractor shall not bill for any test not listed in this contract unless tests are added via modification and supplemental agreement authorized and awarded by the Contracting Officer (CO). These tests may only be billed via the BPA contract after modification approval.
Contractor shall bill RLR VAMC monthly through the Tungsten system and include an itemized listing of the testing services performed for each patient. Contractor shall not include any Personal Health Information (PHI) or Personal Identifiable Information (PII) on any invoices.
Contractor shall maintain full compliance with applicable Federal and State regulations. All services provided under this contract shall be performed in conformance with HIPAA, and other applicable national, state, and local regulatory agencies. Contractor shall maintain Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) certificate of accreditation, and in good standing with The Joint Commission (JC) and the College of American Pathology. A copy of the CLIA certificate shall be provided to the RLR VAMC upon award when a new certificate is granted.
Contractor s Laboratory Director shall be a licensed American Board of Pathology certified pathologist. The Contractor shall make sure employees have current and valid professional certifications before starting work under this contract. All contractor personnel shall meet the performance characteristics for accuracy and precision as defined by the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and maintain required licenses. The Contractor shall maintain current licenses and certificates and provide copies of such to VA upon reasonable written request.
All applicable VA and VHA policies, procedures and directives shall be followed by the Contractor. The Contractor shall continuously meet or exceed all Joint Commission Hospital standards and provide oversight of care, treatment and services provided through contractual agreement standard LD.04.03.09. The patient population treated within the covered areas consists of veterans with varying physical, psychiatric, and psychological needs. Their conditions are in many cases, directly related to the individual s service to this country. Contract personnel shall provide compassionate care with respect for the special needs of the veteran population served.
