7910--NX EQ Autonomous Floor Scrubber (VA-26-00008377)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, through its Strategic Acquisition Center, awarded Contract 36C10X26D0007 to Aviate Enterprises, Inc. for the procurement of NX EQ Autonomous Floor Scrubbers and associated service plans under Solicitation 36C10G26R0008. The contract is valued at $9,012,929.40 and has a five-year period of performance running from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2031, with deliveries made nationwide to various VA Medical Centers under individual delivery orders. The solicitation was set aside exclusively for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, and the procurement follows commercial-item acquisition procedures under FAR Part 12, with a firm fixed-price structure. The equipment must be new OEM Tennant® NX EQ Autonomous Floor Scrubbers or equal products, meeting stringent technical specifications including autonomous navigation, safety features, battery runtime, and the ability to operate without VA network access; refurbished, remanufactured, or gray market items are strictly prohibited. The award decision was made through a trade-off process, prioritizing technical capability and past performance over price, with technical factors being significantly more important than past performance, and both non-price elements vastly outweighing cost. Technical evaluation focused on safety, design, performance, and quality, with sub-factors such as collision avoidance, touchscreen controls, ease of maintenance, real-time analytics, and battery efficiency critical to achieving an acceptable rating. Past performance was assessed using completed questionnaires and government records like CPARS, evaluating quality of service, timeliness, cost control, and business relations. Contract administration requires electronic invoice submission exclusively through the VA’s Tungsten e-Invoice Program or X12 EDI format, with paper invoices rejected. The contract includes detailed reporting requirements via Attachment C, mandatory compliance with numerous FAR and VAAR clauses covering subcontracting restrictions, whistleblower rights, business ethics, prohibited payments, and cybersecurity, and includes specific provisions for inspection and acceptance at the destination. All proposals had to be submitted in four clearly labeled PDF volumes with no hyperlinks or compressed files, and the contract stipulates strict adherence to packaging, labeling, and delivery terms defined under FOB Destination requirements.