J066--FY24: SURGICAL INSTRUMENT REPAIR SERVICE

Questions and response - Surgical Instrument Repair Service The closing date is extended to February 13, 2024. A new price schedule and Statement of work are attached. Will a serial number list be provided? No. A container list will be provided. Is the requirement moving over to the sterilizer maintenance contract instead? No We are not aware of any regulatory requirements for the technician to have certifications from the International Association of Healthcare Central Services Materials Management (IAHCSMM) or the Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) or that the training program must be approved through the Department of Labor. Can you please explain why this solicitation requires instrument sharpening technicians to have these certifications? Certifications from these certifying bodies ensures instrument sharpening technicians have intimate knowledge of sterile processing standards and procedures. It would provide confidence to the VHA that the instrument servicer understands instrument quality standards, instrument inspection, and safety testing as listed for both certifications. (See Below) CBSPD SPD SURGICAL INSTRUMENT SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION SCOPE OF PRACTICE - The population being certified by this examination consists of personnel who reprocess facility owned or loaned surgical instruments and devices including the care of surgical instruments, identification of surgical instruments by proper name, components, assembly and configuration of individual instrument sets, instrument inspection and safety testing, loaner implant sets and components for on-site and/or off-site facilities. The Certificant Board considers this exam an advance practice exam because the candidate must be certified as a sterile processing technician as one of the criteria to sit for the exam. However, this exam is considered minimum competency for surgical instrument processing. This examination is administered nationally and internationally. The workplace setting for candidates includes Hospitals (all sizes) and Ambulatory Surgery Centers where the functions described above are performed. HSPA FORMALLY IAHCSMM Certified Instrument Specialist (CIS) Content & Composition of the Examination The CIS exam will test your proficiency in these areas: 1. Instrument Cleaning & Decontamination Processes 2. Instrument Identification 3. Instrument Inspection, Testing & Assembly 4. Preparation & Packaging 5. Sterilization & High-Level Disinfection (HLD) 6. Human Factors Impacting Instrument Systems The requirement to provide 2 technicians in the mobile service van per service day limits us in providing these services. This is not a typical requirement among VA hospitals across the country that we currently service and is not necessary to provide the onsite sharpening services of this solicitation. Would you accept 1 technician per service day to provide the necessary services? No. One technician means our items scheduled for maintenance that day will be out of service for longer. Gainesville is a high functioning facility whose instruments are utilized to the highest capacity and cannot afford extra downtime. If the solicitation is requiring repairs for scope, power, and video equipment, will those items be paid for via a separate purchase option as we see no item number designated to device repair in order to price those items in the Cost Schedule? The solicitation will not require repairs for scopes, powered, or video equipment. On page 23, You mention sterilizer chamber cleaning at 5 facilities, i.e., a. VAMC Gainesville: Bi-annual service b. VAMC Lake City: Bi-annual service c. Villages Clinic: Annual service d. Tallahassee Clinic: Annual service e. Jacksonville Clinic: Bi-Annual service Can you provide the number of sterilizers and sizes at each facility? a. VAMC Gainesville: 4 Sterilizers Amsco Evolution 54" b. VAMC Lake City: 2 Sterilizers Amsco 400 48" c. Villages Clinic: 2 Sterilizer Century 16/20 d. Tallahassee Clinic: 3 Sterilizers AMSCO 400 16/20 e. Jacksonville Clinic: 3 Sterilizers AMSCO 400 16/20 Where in the Price Cost Schedule do you want the sterilizer chamber cleanings priced? A new price schedule is attached and includes chamber cleaning. Are the rolling stock visits in addition to the onsite tray maintenance visits? Can we add additional days to the 6 visits at Gainesville to cover the cart services? The rolling stock visits are in addition to the onsite tray maintenance. 6 visits may be added to cover. Can you provide the period of performance? 60 months Will there be a need for laser marking instrumentation? No. Instrument Training Program must be approved through the Department of Labor. Technical staff must be certified by either (HSPA) or (CBSPD). Are these disqualifiers? There is no certified training program for instrument repair, all standards are subjective and as a small business these can be burdensome to pursue. Yes, these are disqualifiers. The cost of certification is $140 from HSPA and $128 for the CBSPD. These are minor costs for any small business and should be seen as the cost of doing business in the surgical instrument repair industry. It is the position of the NF/SG Sterile Processing Service that we set the high standard for the maintenance of our instruments, and we will not lower the bar to match that of the private sector or smaller less experienced VHA systems. You have a separate Statement of Work for Chamber cleaning. But there is no separate place to quote this service. We would need to know the following. How many chambers are there at each site and the sizes or model# to quote this service? Answered by question 5. What it the anticipated timeframe for the award of this contract? April 1st 2024