SPECIAL NOTICE
U -- Veteran's Engineering Resource Center (VERC) Support
- Notice Date
- 10/13/2009
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 611310
— Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Boston Healthcare System;Contracting Officer (90C);940 Belmont Street;Brockton MA 02301
- ZIP Code
- 02301
- Archive Date
- 10/18/2009
- Point of Contact
- Cheri K. WicksEmail only; no phone calls accepted.
- E-Mail Address
-
Contracting Officer's email
(cheri.wicks@va.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Boston Healthcare System, has a requirement for expertise and support in engineering science applications for a healthcare setting. A fixed price contract with a base of November 16, 2009, through November 15, 2010 with four (4) 1-year option periods is anticipated and shall be awarded. It is the Government's belief that only Northeastern University possesses the required capabilities to successfully meet this requirement. It is the Government's intention to solicit and negotiate only with this source. Please refer to the Sole Source Justification. This is not a solicitation; it is notice of intent to sole source a requirement. Inquiries/information received after the established deadline shall not be considered. The submission of any data for review shall not impede award of this contract as planned. The Government does not intend to pay for information solicited. This synopsis is issued pursuant to FAR 6.302-5. JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 1. Identification of the agency and the contracting activity: The agency is the Department of Veterans Affairs. The activity is New England Healthcare Engineering Partnership (NEHCEP), a Veteran's Engineering Resource Center (VERC). 2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved. The nature of the action is a sole source solicitation to Northeastern University.. 3. The description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency's needs (including the estimated value). The New England Healthcare Engineering Partnership (NEHCEP) has received funding from the national office of Systems Redesign to establish a Veteran's Engineering Resource Center. Included in this award is funding to establish academic relationships with University departments of engineering. One of the academic affiliates is Northeastern University department of engineering. The estimated total value of this service is $640,209 for the base year. Total estimated value is approximately $3.4M. 4. Identification of the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition. FAR 6.302-5, Authorized or Required by Statute and 38 U.S.C. 8153(a)(3)(A) provides: "If the health-care resource required is a commercial service, the use of medical equipment or space, or research, and is to be acquired from an institution affiliated with the Department in accordance with section 7302 of this title, including medical practice groups and other entities associated with affiliated institutions, blood banks, organ banks, or research centers, the Secretary may make arrangements for acquisition of the resource without regard to any law or regulation (including any Executive order, circular, or other administrative policy) that would otherwise require the use of competitive procedures for acquiring the resource." 48 CFR 873.104(a) provides: "Without regard to FAR Part 6, if the health-care resource required is a commercial service, the use of medical equipment or space, or research, and is to be acquired from an institution affiliated with the Department in accordance with section 7302 of title 38 U.S.C., including medical practice groups and other approved entities associated with affiliated institutions (entities will be approved if determined legally to be associated with affiliated institutions), or from blood banks, organ banks, or research centers, the resource may be acquired on a sole source basis." 5. Demonstration of the contractor's unique qualifications: The New England Healthcare Engineering Partnership (NEHCEP) located at VISN 1 and Boston VA Healthcare System has been created through special funding provided by the VHA Systems Redesign Program Office. The purpose of the VERC is to facilitate innovative solutions to health care delivery challenges identified by national, network, and facility leadership as well as to propose important opportunities for change and improvement. Central to this award is to create partnerships with university engineering departments. These faculty and students will work to provide engineering solutions to critical VA operational issues and will work closely with VA leadership, and clinical staff. These university partnerships were developed and laid out in the proposal documents that were submitted prior to the award. Now that our VERC has been awarded funding we are moving to establish the contracts with these universities so that the work can commence. An Affiliation Agreement with Northeastern University has been signed. Towards that end, NEHCEP requires an contract with Northeastern University to provide engineering expertise through its faculty and students, to the center as a whole, and for projects designated by NEHCEP leadership. 6. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as is practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under 5.202 applies. FAR 6.302-5, Authorized or Required by Statute 7. Determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the government will be fair and reasonable. The costs are based on standard academic salaries and stipends for students which are set by the University, and these practices are in keeping with standards of practice in use at academic educational institutions. A determination of fair and reasonable pricing will be made prior to award. 8. Description of the market survey conducted (i.e., names of firms and date(s) the firms were contacted) and the results or a statement of the reasons a market survey was not conducted. During the proposal development process VISN 1 solicited the involvement of universities and explored the interest of a large number of potential collaborators. Ultimately, Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and MIT were identified as the most suitable academic partners. 9. Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition, such as an explanation why technical data packages, specifications, or engineering descriptions, statements of work, or purchase descriptions suitable for full and open competition have not been developed or are not available. The VA and NEHCEP will be working with multiple academic institutions, Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and MIT. 10. A listing of the sources, if any that expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition. The VA and NEHCEP will be working with multiple academic institutions, Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and MIT. 11. A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers to competition before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services required. The VA and NEHCEP may solicit additional universities in the future as the work expands. This is one of the goals of the Veteran's Engineering Resource Centers.
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