DA01--Software maintenance and support for MyPath® tools in support of VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation for bids, proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources to perform a potential requirement. The responses received from interested contractors will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method. The intended contract is a firm-fixed price. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Network Contracting Office (NCO) 20, is conducting market research to identify potential sources which can provide the following in support of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System (VAPSHCS), Seattle, Washington. VAPSHCS has a need for a base plus three (3) option year contract for maintenance and support for MyPath® tool, MyPath Postpartum® tool and dissemination site, while capturing and storing analytics, and as requested, working with the project team to upgrade the tool. Vendor shall be an OEM, authorized by the OEM (Nitid Bit, LLC) to provide maintenance and support services for proposed equipment/system, verified by an authorization letter or other documents from the OEM. All software licensing, warranty and service associated with the equipment/system shall be in accordance with the OEM terms and conditions. For set-asides: Please indicate in your response whether you can comply with VAAR 852.219-75, VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting and FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (e.g., will not pay more than 50 percent of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities) should a set-aside be considered. Full text of clauses can be found here: 852.219-75, VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting: https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/vaar852.asp#85221975 FAR 52.219-14: https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-52#FAR_52_219_14 Potential candidates having the capabilities necessary to provide the stated services at a fair and reasonable price are invited to respond to this Sources Sought Notice via e-mail to Jennifer Robles at jennifer.robles1@va.gov no later than May 27, 2026, 1PM, Mountain Time. No telephone inquiries will be accepted. RESPONSES SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: Company name, address, SAM UEI, and business size; point of contact name, phone number, and e-mail address; whether supplies/services are presently offered on a current GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract, NASA SEWP, or any other Federal contract. If offering a system with similar physical characteristics, please include business size of manufacturer for Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR) determination. NAICS Code 541511, $34 Million, is applicable to determine business size standard. Any questions or concerns may also be directed via email to Jennifer Robles at jennifer.robles1@va.gov. Tasks and Deliverables.
Task 1 Ongoing maintenance and hosting for the MyPath tool, MyPath Postpartum tool, and the informational MyPath Dissemination Page. Task 1 is intended to be recurring during each option year. Task 1.1 - Ongoing support and maintenance for the MyPath tool, MyPath Postpartum tool, and the informational MyPath Dissemination Page. This includes hosting the three sites, fixing bugs as they arise, and making updates to content as requested by the VA team to keep the sites up to date with current medical information. Vendor will provide a hosting server and software developer time. Project team are responsible for communicating with the vendors team about bugs that need to be fixed or desired content changes. Vendor will work with the VA project team to plan for when each change/bug fix will be completed and how many hours of software developer time is required before carrying out the work. Vendor will be responsible for maintaining website hosting without interruptions to ensure the MyPath tools and informational Dissemination Page remain active websites. Task 1.2 - Host server(s) for MyPath, MyPath Postpartum, information site, analytics data. Vendor will be responsible for hosting the server(s) where website analytics data are stored, maintaining the code which automatically collects and stores the analytics data about the use of the MyPath tools during the ongoing MyPath dissemination and implementation activities within VA. Vendor will provide the VA team with access to the data through the analytics servers. The analytics data contain no personal identifiers such as names or email addresses for individual users and IP addresses are automatically scrambled (de-identified) to protect privacy. Task 2 Upgrades to website VA project team has plans to continue to upgrade and enhance the content and functionality of the tools in significant ways when funding becomes available. These upgrades aim to make the tool more accessible and more responsive to the needs of Veterans and to update the tool s aging design and software code infrastructure to ensure the tool is experienced as a modern, user-friendly website. In addition, new research and clinical guidelines periodically require updating the algorithms and content of the birth control decision support section of the tool, which is significantly more complex that content updates within other sections of the tool. 2.1 Addition of Lactation Module to MyPath Postpartum VA Office of Women s Health (OWH) leaders have requested that the project team build additional lactation support available within the MyPath Postpartum tool. This would involve design work, such as creation of new graphics/illustrations, and software development work to create new pages, add new interactions (such as discussion topics that can be selected by the user and added to their summary page), and connections between this content and the other parts of the tool. This content should be responsive (i.e. adaptable depending on device type) and seamlessly integrated within the tool as a whole. 2.2 Update birth control module to be more responsive to users self-reported past birth control experiences During VA project team s VA-funded Randomized Controlled Trial of the MyPath tool, the team identified a need to update the current decision support module that helps users select birth control methods that match their preferences. The birth control module asks users about their preferences regarding birth control efficacy, how it is used, and potential side effects. In addition, the tool captures which birth control methods users have used in the past and whether the user did or did not like each past method. Trial participants noted that while the module seems responsive to many of their preferences, their past experiences are not accounted for in recommendations or the final Summary Page. Updates to the algorithm and design of the birth control module would aim to better reflect users concerns and preferences about certain methods based on past experiences, ultimately assisting them in communicating their history and preferences with provider(s). 2.3 Updates and modernization of MyPath graphics The MyPath tool was designed using user-centered design principles, in close collaboration with a group of women Veterans; however, the main design elements, such as pictures, illustrations, and user-interface elements are now nearly a decade old and have started to appear dated. This task would involve iterative consultations and revisions with a graphic and/or user-centered designer in collaboration with the VA s project team and women Veterans to rethink elements of the design and user-interface of the MyPath and MyPath Postpartum tools to give it an updated and modern feel, while retaining the informational content and birth control decision-support module which are research-tested and evidence-based. The software development time needed to build the updated design resulting from Task 2.3 are captured separately under Task 2.4 below. 2.4 Updates and modernization of MyPath software code base The MyPath code base is now nearly a decade old. The aging code infrastructure leads to latency and has become costly and burdensome for the software team to maintain in its current form. This task would aim to update the code for the tool overall, to improve security, reduce latency, and to simplify ongoing maintenance of the tool. In addition, this task would deploy graphic and user-interface updates to modernize the look and feel of the tool that are the product of Task 2.3 above. Deliverables Deliverable Description Delivery Date 1 Ongoing maintenance and hosting As needed every month 2 Upgrades to website As ordered by project team
Performance Monitoring VA project team leader will provide oversight of the work, which will be measured by meeting project deadlines in a timely fashion and regularly assessed quality of the work in achieving the stated project goals. This regular performance evaluation will be recorded in minutes that will be available to the Station POC for review. The Station POC will work with VA project team leader and the project team to complete the required annual performance evaluation. Security Requirements The C&A requirements do not apply, and the Security Accreditation Package is not required. Vendor will not have access to VA sensitive or protected information. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI). Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1). VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor s information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA s information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA s sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12. Place of Performance. The work will be conducted at the office of the contractor. Period of Performance. Base year plus three option years. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This Sources Sought Notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. The Government will treat any information received as proprietary and will not share such information with other companies. Any organization responding to this Sources Sought Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. The Government may or may not issue a solicitation as a result of this announcement. There is no solicitation available at this time.