7E20--Equipment - Howard Medical Carts BPA - VISN 10

Request for Sole Source Justification >SAT
VHAPG Part 806.3 OFOC Page 1 of 4 Revision: 03 Effective Date: 04/15/24 Acquisition ID#: 36C250-26-AP-0956 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Justification and Approval (J&A) For Other Than Full and Open Competition (>SAT)
Acquisition Plan Action ID: 36C250-26-AP-0956
Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, NCO 10, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Suite M2200, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 in support of all VISN 10 facilities.
Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: This action provides for the establishment of a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) in accordance with FAR 12.201-1(e)(3). The action being approved will be awarded as a new firm-fixed-price BPA.
Description of Supplies/Services Required to Meet the Agency s Needs: 5-year ordering period BPA.
VISN 10 has a requirement for a Blanket Purchase Agreement with Minburn Technologies Group, LLC for Howard Medical Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) equipment. A BPA will streamline the ordering process as the VISN replaces aging equipment and provides new equipment to clinical areas being added through the EHRM implementation process. The current EHRM contractor will utilize barcoding in every procedural and clinical area within a VA hospital facility or outpatient setting.
BCMA carts provide an efficient means of storing, organizing and transporting medications and supplies to patients during the medication administration process, including but not limited, to: medications that have been delivered by pharmacy to the unit, medications pulled from the pharmacy dispensing system by nursing staff, stored ward stock supplies (e.g., cups, syringes) transporting them to the patients, work surface for preparing of medication at point of administration.
BCMA carts are a point-of-care computing and technology-based medication administration recording system. Transfer carts serve the primary function of transferring medication and supplies securely in storage drawers matching the BCMA carts from the pharmacy and medication cabinets.
VISN 10 Facilities that will be covered by the BPA:
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System 2215 Fuller Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Rd. Battle Creek, MI 49037
Chillicothe VA Medical Center 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, OH 45601
Cincinnati VA Medical Center 3200 Vine Street Cincinnati, OH 45220
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center 10701 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106
Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center 420 N James Rd. Columbus, OH 43219
Dayton VA Medical Center 4100 W. Third St. Dayton, OH 45428
John D. Dingell VA Medical Center 4646 John R. Street Detroit, MI 48201
Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center 1481 W 10th St. Indianapolis, IN 46202
VA Northern Indiana Health Care System Fort Wayne Campus 2121 Lake Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805
VA Northern Indiana Health Care System Marion Campus 1700 E 38th St. Marion, IN 46953
Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center 1500 Weiss St. Saginaw, MI 48602
Delivery Lead Times: Accessories 45 Days ARO HI-Care E - 8 to 10 Weeks ARO HI-Paradigm - 10 to 12 Weeks ARO HI-Pinnacle - 16 to 18 weeks ARO

Period of Performance: The intent of the Government is to establish a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with a period of performance of five years from the date of award. This BPA is to have firm-fixed pricing per the price schedule below.
Statutory Authority Permitting Other than Full and Open Competition: ( X ) (1) Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements per 41 USC §3304(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.103-1; ( ) (2) Unusual and Compelling Urgency per 41 USC §3304(a)(2) as implemented by FAR 6.103-2; ( ) (3) Industrial Mobilization, Engineering, Developmental or Research Capability or Expert Services per 41 USC §3304(a)(3) as implemented by FAR 6.103-3; ( ) (4) International Agreement per 41 USC §3304(a)(4) as implemented by FAR 6.103-4 ( ) (5) Authorized or Required by Statute per 41 USC §3304(a)(5) as implemented by FAR 6.103-5; ( ) (6) National Security per 41 USC §3304(a)(6) as implemented by FAR 6.103-6; ( ) (7) Public Interest per 41 USC §3304(a)(7) as implemented by FAR 6.103-7;
Demonstration that the Contractor s Unique Qualifications or Nature of the Acquisition Requires the Use of the Authority Cited Above (applicability of authority): The purpose of this BPA is to procure Howard Medical Equipment from Minburn Technologies to support VISN 10 facilities with upcoming Federal EHR implementation. The BCMA system is a vital tool to safely verify a patient s identity and validate medications against active orders for our veterans. All patient care areas use this system to ensure each veteran is receiving the appropriate medications and that all passing of medication is accurately documented and recorded to VistA/CPRS, then the Federal EHR. The BCMA system was an initiative developed by VHA and is used widely throughout every hospital. Now with the Federal EHR, barcoding will be utilized in every patient care area for scanning of medications, specimens, wristband labels, surgery infusions and all procedural areas. VISN 10 is in the process of standardizing all medical carts to Howard Medical carts and requires these additional carts to be compatible with existing Howard Medical equipment, providing interchangeable parts and communication with the existing Power Manager, Med Manager and Power Display software. The carts are programmed with VA- approved Power Manager, Med Manager and Power Display software.
VISN 10 has a requirement for a long term, sustainment plan to meet the needs of additional clinical areas being supplemented with the expansion of barcoding and specimen labeling in the Federal EHR system and to maintain patient identification needs. The current EHRM contractor utilizes barcoding in every procedural and clinical area within each VA hospital facility and outpatient setting, which means barcoding will be used in all 70-plus CBOCs, and every clinical ward and procedure area in all VISN 10 facilities. The Federal EHR implementation Go-Live activities have resumed, and VA will begin to go live in April 2026.
Standardization will ensure continuity and consistency of operations and will eliminate additional training, servicing and procurement costs associated with procuring carts from another manufacturer. Additionally, mitigating patient safety risk due to the transfer of training and historical knowledge of Howard Medical BCMA carts. Clinician familiarity with the Howard Medical BCMA carts eliminates any learning curves and therefore increases productivity since the staff is already fully trained on the proper operation of the Howard Medical BCMA carts. Furthermore, the historical investment in the carts are a key consideration for the continued standardization to the Howard Medical BCMA carts.
Currently, Minburn Technology Group, LLC, is the only authorized distributor and source for the procurement of these carts without the Veteran s Health Administration experiencing substantial duplication of cost that could not be expected to be recovered through competition and unacceptable delays in fulfilling its requirements.
Minburn was responsible for the onsite set-up and integration of the carts under the Phase I and Phase II orders for the Howard carts. Minburn has intimate knowledge and familiarity with the existing systems, configuration and needs of the VISN 10 medical centers to ensure that the work is completed, and equipment is integrated and functioning properly with no delays as effectively and efficiently as practicable.
Description of Efforts Made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as deemed practicable: Market research was conducted, details of which are in the market research section of this document. This effort did not yield any additional sources that appear to meet the Government s requirements. There is no competition anticipated for this acquisition. An intent to sole source will be posted through SAM.gov prior to award to confirm there are no other sources.
Determination by the CO that the Anticipated Cost to the Government will be Fair and Reasonable: The Contracting Officer will use a comparison of the proposed price with prices found reasonable on previous purchases to show the pricing is fair and reasonable IAW FAR 15.404-1(b). 
Description of the Market Research Conducted and the Results, or a Statement of the Reasons Market Research Was Not Conducted: As described in Section 6 above, market research, in accordance with FAR Part 10, was conducted. An intent to sole source will be posted through SAM.gov prior to award to confirm there are no other sources.
SBA Small Business Search (SBS) was searched under NAICS 334118 and SD/VOSBs and 550 concerns were found. SBS was searched under NAICS 334118 and keywords medical cart and only one (1) concern was found. The contractor was Triton Light Medical LLC; however, they are not a distributor of Howard Medical carts. GSA was searched under Howard Carts and many items were found; however, these items were from manufacturers other than Howard Technology Solutions. NAC was searched under Howard Carts and no results were found. 334118 has a Nonmanufacturer Rule class waiver for Printers, Computer, Manufacturing. The VA Rule of Two cannot be met, nor can the SBA Rule of Two. An SDVOSB sole source IAW VAAR 819.7008 also cannot be executed as the total BPA value is more than $5 million. Howard Medical carts are made in the United States. However, there are ancillary peripheral items that attach to the cart system as (e.g., barcode scanners, monitors, mice, keyboards, computing devices, etc.) which may not be made in the United States. However, these IT items are covered under the Buy American Act exception at FAR 25.103(e). The items are available on SEWP. Howard Technology Solutions, the OEM, confirmed that Minburn Technology Group, LLC (an SDVOSB) is the only authorized distributor for the region in which VISN 10 facilities are located. The manufacturer does not sell directly. Minburn s SEWP contract ends in April 2026, and it is not possible to establish a BPA off of a SEWP contract.
Any Other Facts Supporting the Use of Other than Full and Open Competition: There are no other supporting facts.
Listing of Sources that Expressed, in Writing, an Interest in the Acquisition: Minburn Technology Group, LLC 9716 Arnon Chapel Road Great Falls, VA 22066
A Statement of the Actions, if any, the Agency May Take to Remove or Overcome any Barriers to Competition before making subsequent acquisitions for the supplies or services required: In order to maintain standardization, subsequent acquisitions will likely be noncompetitive until such time as the equipment to be purchased under this acquisition reaches its end of useful life. At that time, market research will be conducted in order to identify manufacturers of this type of equipment that can satisfy the Government's needs.