Q201--HCR- Medical Physicist Contract for Radiology and Dental (VA-26-00023708)

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought Notice only and is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 Market Research, in order to conduct market research. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a guarantee to issue a solicitation in the future. This RFI 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 RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if issued. Determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract action based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. This announcement is based on the best information available at this time and is subject to future modification. The purpose of this announcement is to gain knowledge of current market capabilities in relation to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541990 with a Size Standard $19.5 Million. The Product Service Code (PSC) is Q201- Medical- Managed Healthcare Network Contracting Office (NCO 2) of the Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of the VISN 2 Upstate Medical Centers (Albany & Finger Lakes VA Medical Center) is seeking a contractor (s) to assist with medical physicist services. The Contractor shall provide all labor, material, supplies, equipment, transportation, software and qualified personnel, to provide medical physicist services in support of the Finger Lakes & Albany Health VA Radiation Safety Program. Radiology departments are located in Rochester, Canandaigua, Bath and Albany. All work is performed on site at the VA facilities listed below. A working day shall be considered Monday through Friday, not counting Federal Holidays, unless agreed upon with the RSO. Work may be performed during normal off hours with adequate coordination with the Finger Lakes Health VA. There will be no extra charge for working during normal off hours. For example, performing checks on equipment during early evening hours or a Saturday/Sunday when the patient work load is less and the equipment is more readily available. The Finger Lakes Health VA is looking for pricing for 1 year plus 4 possible 1-year extensions. The Finger Lakes Health VA has the option of not exercising an option year. The Finger Lakes Health VA has the option of terminating the contract due to lack of performance of the medical physicist. Prior to commencing work all contractor employees shall meet certain criteria to perform work under this contract as a Medical Physicist. All qualifications are subject to review by the VA Finger Lakes/Albany Health System Chief of Staff and approval by the VA Finger Lakes Health Director. 1. Medical Physicists shall meet the following education, certification, and qualification standards: 1. Hold a Master s Degree in Medical Physics, Health Physics or a related field. 2. Hold current Board Certification in Diagnostic Radiological Physics by the American Board of Radiology and or American Board of Medical Physics. 3. Medical physicist should have experience in: CT Optimization Calibration and testing of diagnostic x-ray equipment. 2. Medical Physicist duties shall not be reassigned to a Technologist or any other individual without written approval by the VA Radiation Safety Officer or his/her designee. 3. Medical Physicist must adhere to VHA Handbook 1105.04, Fluoroscopy Safety, dated June 21, 2018. Contractor shall comply with radiation protection standards 29 CFR 1910.1096 and immediately report any unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facticity radiation workers or patients to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). General Requirements Contractor shall perform Annual QC Testing on existing Diagnostic x-ray equipment (Radiographic, Fluoroscopic, CT, DR, Digital Radiographic plates, and MRI safety check) to meet the requirements of the VA Finger Lakes Health System Radiation Safety Program. Reference Appendix 1 for a list of equipment to be tested. Additional testing is also required as follows: Acceptance testing of new devices, usually 1 per year. Full inspection of repaired or adjusted equipment that may affect the radiation output or image quality Testing of each replacement X-ray tube prior to patient use. Testing of diagnostic monitors used by Radiologists and Technologists for patient imaging. Contractor is to provide written reports of surveys and test results in a timely manner. Contractor will respond promptly to any discrepancies found from external inspections. Provide written response to outside agencies when applicable. The qualified medical physicist shall provide consultation for additional services as needed, i.e., safety training, and medical events involving radiation exposure. The qualified medical physicist shall review all Radiation Safety Policies and Procedures with attention to compliance with regulations of NHPP and JCAHO. Contractor is to submit a list of key personnel with the offer. Define each individual s education, certification and licensure. Scheduling and Response Times All annual tests will be scheduled in advance. All testing on new devices or repaired or adjusted equipment requires one business day response time, in order to maintain functionality and minimize the effect on patient care. A written report of the results shall be provided to the service supervisor or RSO within Thirty (30) working days after completion of the inspection. Equipment Performance Evaluation and Quality Control Test The Contractor shall conduct equipment inspections or quality control surveys of the imaging equipment listed below. The Contractor shall ensure the imaging equipment s compliance with applicable federal regulations and ACR recommendations, and shall include, but not be limited to, monitoring the following basic performance characteristics: 1. Equipment Inspections The Contractor shall conduct equipment inspections or quality control surveys of the imaging equipment listed below. The Contractor shall ensure the imaging equipment s compliance with applicable Federal regulations and ACR recommendations, and shall include, but not be limited to, monitoring the following basic performance characteristics. The actual number and types of imaging units required to be checked may vary with replacement of existing units or purchase of new equipment. Estimated Quantities and Locations Description # Advanced Imaging Devices / Equipment (CT, PET/CT, Mammography, MRI, Nuclear Medicine Audits) 3 Rad/Fluoro/Tomo Tubes (X-Ray, Digital, Fluoro, C-Arm) 10 Minor Radiographic Tubes (Dental, DEXA) 23 Consultations 36 * Patient dose evaluation is included 1. BATH VA CENTER, 76 Veterans Ave, Bath, NY 14810 2. CANANDAIGUA VA CENTER, 400 Fort Hill Ave, Canandaigua, NY 14424 3. ROCHESTER OUTPATIENT CENTER (ROPC), 260 Calkins Rd, Henrietta, NY 14467 4. ALBANY STRATTON VA MEDICAL CENTER 113 Holland Ave. Albany, NY 12208 A. Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment Physics inspections of radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment shall comply with the VA Finger Lakes Health Radiation Safety Program and the ACR Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance monitoring of Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment. The performance of each radiographic and fluoroscopic unit must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable): Integrity of unit assembly. Collimation and radiation beam alignment. Fluoroscopic system resolution. Automatic exposure control system performance. Fluoroscopic automatic brightness control performance (high-dose-rate, pulsed modes, field-of-view [FOV] variation). Image artifacts. Fluoroscopic phantom image quality. kVp accuracy and reproducibility. Linearity of exposure versus mA or mAs. Exposure reproducibility. Timer accuracy. Beam quality assessment (half-value-layer). Fluoroscopic entrance exposure. Maximum output for all clinically used settings. Image receptor entrance exposure. Equipment radiation safety functions. Patient dose monitoring system calibration. Video and digital monitor performance. Digital image receptor performance. Grids used with portable x-ray units shall be imaged for uniformity. B. Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR) Physics inspections of CR and DR equipment shall comply with American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM) Report Number 93, Acceptance Testing and Quality Control of Photostimulable Storage Phosphor Imaging Systems. The performance of CR and DR must be evaluated at least…