65--PACEMAKERS-INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE

The NF/SG Veterans Healthcare System, specifically the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, FL, intends to negotiate a sole source contract with Medtronic Inc. for the procurement of Medtronic Dual Chamber (DDD) dial-driven pulse generators, model 5388. These external cardiac pacemakers are essential medical devices used to electrically stimulate the heart in patients with abnormal cardiac rhythms and are crucial as temporary life-support measures until permanent devices can be implanted. The urgent need arises from the requirement to replace unserviceable equipment critical to patient care. The procurement will be conducted under VAAR 873, 38 USC 8153, and FAR 6.302-1 regulations, emphasizing the sole source nature of this negotiation. Interest in this procurement must be formally expressed with supporting literature to the Contracting Officer by August 31, 2011, at 4:00 pm EST via email, with no telephone inquiries permitted. Responses will be used solely to assess whether a competitive procurement process should be initiated but such a decision remains at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. The North American Industry Classification System code applicable is 423450, and the contracting office is based in Tampa, FL, under the Department of Veterans Affairs. This notice explicitly states it is not a request for competitive proposals but rather a notification of intent to sole source the specified life-critical pacemaker devices.