AWARD
D -- Registration of Wireless Medical Telemetry Service Comsearch
- Notice Date
- 5/5/2010
- Notice Type
- Award Notice
- NAICS
- 517210
— Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)
- Contracting Office
- Department of Veterans Affairs;Center for Acquisition Innovation-Austin;1701 Directors Blvd;Suite 600;Austin TX 78744
- ZIP Code
- 78744
- Solicitation Number
- VA798A10RP0044
- Archive Date
- 5/29/2010
- Point of Contact
- Brian G Cox
- E-Mail Address
-
ct
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Award Number
- VA798A-10-P-0147
- Award Date
- 4/29/2010
- Awardee
- ANDREW LLC;19700 JANELIA FARM BLVD;ASHBURN;VA;201472405
- Award Amount
- $87,314.00
- Description
- JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION WIRELESS MEDICAL TELEMETRY SERVICE REGISTRATION Upon the basis of the following justification, I hereby approve the issuance of the contractual action described below using other than full and open competition, pursuant to the authority cited herein. 1. Requesting Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs: Telecommunications 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Room B-47 Washington, D.C. 20420 Contracting Activity: Center for Acquisition Innovation-Austin: Contract Division 00D3 1615 Woodward Street Austin, Texas 78772 2. Nature of Action Being Approved: This justification and approval sets forth the facts and request approval for the issuance of a sole-source contract with Comsearch for the performance of 12-months, from date of award with four option years. The proposed life-cycle price is estimated at contract cost is estimated at $400,000.00, which includes a base year of $80,000.00 and $80,000.00 for each of the four one-year option periods. 3. Description of Service and Supplies: The Department of Veteran Affairs, Center for Acquisition and Innovation, plans to contract with Comsearch for deployment, registration and management service of high band frequency transmitters throughout VA Medical Centers on a soles-source basis. This service will provide frequency coordination registration for wireless medical telemetry (WMTS) equipment at all Veteran Administration's medical facilities. The objective of this contract is to successfully deploy and manage frequency transceiver and access points at regional VA Medical Centers to ensure secure and reliable communication between VA Medical Centers. 4. Statutory Authority: The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1) as implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-(a)(2). The authority permits issuing a contact on a sole-source basis because this service is unique and is available from only one supplier (Comsearch). 5. Rationale Supporting Use of Authority Cited Above: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an order designating the American Society for Health Care Engineering of the American Hospital Association (ASHE/AHA) to serve as the frequency coordinator for the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS). The FCC also mandated that all transmitters operating in WMTS bands must be registered with ASHE to ensure interference-free operation. The ASHE then selected Comsearch as their technical partner in providing frequency coordination services. In addition, the FCC has also mandated that a database of all federal civilian WMTS equipment be maintained by one company, Comsearch. Below is an excerpt from the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Telecommunication, Part 95.1121 that support this justification for other than full and open competition. TITLE 47 - Telecommunication, Chapter I - Federal Communication Commission, Subchapter D - Safety and Special Radio Services: Part 95 - Personal Radio Services, subpart h - Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) - 95.1121 - Specific requirements for wireless medical telemetry devices operating in the 13951400 MHz and 14271429.5 MHz bands. Due to the critical nature of communications transmitted under this part, the frequency coordinator in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) shall determine whether there are any Federal Government systems whose operations could affect, or could be affected by, proposed wireless medical telemetry operations in the 13951400 MHz and 14271429.5 MHz bands. The locations of government systems in these bands are specified in footnotes US351 and US352 of 2.106 of this chapter. 6. Efforts to Solicit Potential Sources: Justification and Approval for Other Than Full and Open Competition was posted to FedBizOpps on December 15 through December 31, 2009. No vendor responded with objections or questions. Attached is the FedBizOpps Sources Sought Synopsis. 7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable: The Contracting Officer will determine that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable based on historical data from the previous contract, V200P-1766-101-7J7020 and current market prices for similar wireless registrations. 8. Market Research: Market Researches was conducted by posting a presolicitaion notice on FedBizOpps, researching the FCC rule part 95 (47CFR 95, Subpart H), and internet research for the AHA/ASHE issue regulatory advisory. A Sources Sought Synopsis was posted to FedBizOPPS on December 15, 2009. No interested parties responded to the synopsis: See Attachment 1: FedBizOpps-Presolicitation-Notice-Posting, and Synopsis. A registry of frequencies must be maintained in a single location to eliminate the potential for duplicate frequency assignments which cause interference. Because of the safety of life issues, NTIA and FCC who shared the band designated one organization to manage the spectrum for WMTS and that organization is ASHE. This is for spectrum management, not a product or service, only a Federal regulation of spectrum assignments. The VA is not buying anything; VA is paying for a registration fee to protect against someone else using the same frequencies at the same place. The VA does not own the spectrum, only reserved use at specific locations. Vets are being monitored on unprotected spectrum at multiple locations because the hospitals have deemed the risk of death due to interference as less than the risk of not monitored at all. That risk will continue until the frequencies get registered. All efforts to find other potential sources were not effective, because based on the Federal Regulations there are no other vendors that can provide WMTS spectrum coordination for telemetry operations required by all VA Medical Hospital equipment. See attachment 2: FCC 00-211 9. Other Supporting Data: N/A 10. Other Interested Sources: None 11. Future Competitive Plans: Future plans for competition will be accomplished when there are more designated sources available from the FCC to provide coordination. 12. Future barriers to competition: Any subsequent acquisition will also be sole sourced to Comsearch because it was approved and selected as ASHE's technical partner.
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