65--DISTRIBUTION OF MEDICAL/SURGICAL SUPPLIES

The Department of Veterans Affairs National Acquisition Center (NAC), Hines, Illinois, intends to contract for the distribution of medical/surgical products and related services for delivery to VA Medical facilities located in the following California (VISN 21) areas: Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Livermore, San Jose, Seaside, Modesto, French Camp, Martinez, Chico, Redding, Sacramento, McClellan Business Park, Oakland, Travis, Vallejo, San Francisco, Fresno, and Reno, Nevada. VA intends to award a requirements contract for a base period of 12 months, one 12-month option, and one 20-month option. Award will be made on the basis of the following cascade preference: Receipt of two or more technically acceptable, competitive proposals from small-business concerns; or, award will be made on the basis of full and open competition should award is not made to a small business concern. All interested parties are encouraged to submit offers. Award will be made under trade-off procedures and the factors of distribution fees, past performance and technical capabilities will be considered. Offerors will be required to demonstrate their technical capabilities in person before a technical evaluation panel approximately two weeks after the closing date of the solicitation at a Northern California VA facility. Offerors must possess the experience, technical capabilities, skills, distribution facilities, resources, product lines, transportation systems, clean storage areas, and web-based ordering systems to service customers with the breadth and depth of medical/surgical product lines required by VA facilities by the solicitation closing date. Offerors are required to deliver products in bulk and in low unit of measure next-scheduled business day. Clean storage areas for low unit of measure deliveries are a critical requirement of this procurement that must be met by offerors before award is made. Clean storage areas must have positive air flow, must be free of corrugated boxes, and must be physically separated fr! om other warehouse areas. Solicitation No VA-797-06-RP-0004 will be electronically issued in commercial item format in accordance with FAR Part 12 on or about May 26, 2006 with a closing date 30 days from the solicitation issuance date. The NAICS code for this procurement is 423450. The solicitation, any future amendments and other miscellaneous documents will be available electronically for download at the following URL on or about May 26, 2006: http://www.fedbizopps.gov. No paper copies of the solicitation will be available, and no telephone requests for paper copies of the solicitation will be accepted. Interested offerors are advised to continuously check this URL for any changes to this solicitation. All responsible sources may submit an offer that if timely received, will be considered. The point of contact for this procurement is Maria Ramirez, +1 (555) 000-0000. Questions can be e-mailed to: contact@example.gov