6506--NOTICE OF INTENT SOLE SOURCE to The American National Red Cross a Firm Fixed Price Contract for Blood and Blood Products for the Nebraska Western-Iowa Health Care System

The Department of Veterans Affairs, through Network Contracting Office 23, intends to sole source a firm-fixed-price, five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract to The American National Red Cross for the supply of blood and blood products to support the Nebraska Western-Iowa Health Care System, primarily serving the Omaha VA Medical Center. The contract will encompass a base period from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with four additional one-year option periods, requiring the contractor to provide 24/7/365 availability of leukoreduced and pathogen-reduced red blood cell units, platelets, plasma derivatives, and therapeutic apheresis services. All products must be sourced from FDA-registered U.S. facilities, meet AABB and CLIA standards, and be delivered with strict timelines: STAT orders within one hour and ASAP orders within four hours. Inspection and acceptance will occur at the Omaha VAMC Blood Bank, where the government will evaluate product integrity, temperature compliance, labeling accuracy, and absence of contamination. Pricing for all 76 line items remains TBD, with no contract value estimate provided, and no option quantities specified at the line-item level. The contractor must maintain inventory levels in coordination with the facility, ensure proper packaging and temperature-controlled transport per FDA and AABB guidelines, and issue credits for returned products. All responses to this notice of intent must be emailed to Joseph Bennett at Joseph.Bennett@va.gov by 5:00 PM CT on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, with the subject line strictly including the solicitation number 36C26326Q0861. No formal evaluation factors, weights, or award methodology are stated, but the contract type suggests a price-based award. The Red Cross, identified by SAM UEI G69LHXJ3ABL5, is the intended sole source, and no other offerors are being solicited. The contracting officer is the sole point of contact, with no named contracting officer’s representative designated. Performance will be executed at the Omaha VA Medical Center, with all services and deliveries centered on that location. The contractor is required to ensure full compliance with FDA Title 21 CFR, AABB standards, CLIA certification for laboratory testing, and DOT regulations for transport. While a price schedule and performance specifications are referenced, no attachments are listed in Section J, and no details on packaging materials, barcoding, invoicing systems, or