Sources sought for Blood and Blood Products for QNBMHF in Belcourt ND 58316.

Sources Sought: Provide blood and blood products to the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Healthcare Facility (QNB) in Belcourt North Dakota.

Sources Sought Notice Number: IHS-SS-26-1524548

This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, an obligation or commitment by the Indian Health Service.

This notice is intended strictly for market research to determine the availability of small businesses.

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. The anticipated applicable NAICS code for this acquisition is 541380, Testing Laboratories and Services- other relevant NAICS codes will be considered based on responses received (such as conference centers, etc.)

1.0 BACKGROUND

The IHS is an agency within the Department of Health & Human Services and is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Indian Health Service provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 567 federally recognized tribes, in 35 states. The Indian Health Service Headquarters is located in Rockville, MD and then divided into twelve (12) physical areas: Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson.

The Great Plains Area Office (GPAO) works in conjunction with 19 Indian Health Service Units and Tribal Managed Service Units to provide health care to approximately 130,000 Native American located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.

QNBMHCF falls under the GPAO and provides medical care to approximately 14,550 tribal members living on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. The Service Unit was built in 1967 with renovation and clinic expansion completed in 1992, to provide an expanded level of outpatient health care services specifically designed to meet the needs of our population. Services include: 24 Hour Emergency Services, Laboratory, Radiology (CAT Scan & Mobile MRI) and 24-Hour Pharmacy Services, Optometry, Dental, Clinic, Emergency, Podiatry, Same Day Clinic, and Behavioral Health.

2.0 SCOPE

Provide QNB with blood and blood products.  These products will be used to provide direct patient care in our ER, OR, and OB wards.  This firm-fixed-price Purchase Order will be for one base year and 4 option years.  Vendor will ship out new Red Blood Cell (RBC) stock every two to three weeks.  Old stock will be shipped back to the vendor when new stock arrives.  Plasma and Platelets will be sent on an as needed basis.  Packed red blood cells will be automatically delivered every two to three weeks. 

3.0    TYPE OF ORDER

This is a firm fixed price purchase order.

4.0 ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Period of Performance: Base + 4 option years

5.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility

1300 Hospital Loop

Belcourt, ND 58316

6.0 REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

Delivery Location:
Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility
Belcourt, ND 58316

7.0 PAYMENT

IPP Invoice clause:

HHSAR 352.232-71 Electronic Submission of Invoice Payment Requests (Feb 2022)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause-

Payment request means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for contract financing payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), "Content of Invoices" and the applicable Payment clause included in this contract.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this clause, the Contractor shall submit payment requests electronically using the Department of Treasury Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) or successor system. Information regarding IPP, including IPP Customer Support contact information, is available at www.ipp.gov or any successor site.

(c) The Contractor may submit payment requests using other than IPP only when the Contracting Officer authorizes alternate procedures in writing in accordance with HHS procedures.

(d) If alternate payment procedures are authorized, the Contractor shall include a copy of the Contracting Officer's written authorization with each payment request.

(END OF CLAUSE)

Unless otherwise agreed to by the contracting officer per HHSAR 352.232-71(c), the use of IPP shall take precedence over previously established invoicing procedures."

In compliance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) M-15-19 memorandum Improving Government Efficiency and Saving Taxpayer Dollars Through Electronic Invoicing directing Federal agencies to adopt electronic invoicing as the primary means to disburse payment to vendors. Invoices submitted under any award resulting from this solicitation will be required to utilize the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) in accordance with HHSAR 352.232-71, Electronic Submission and Processing of Payment Requests

IPP is a secure, web-based electronic invoicing system provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasurys Bureau of the Fiscal Service, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRSTL). If your organization is already registered to use IPP, you will not be required to re-register- however, we encourage you make sure your organization and designated IPP user accounts are valid and up to date.

The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov

If you require assistance registering or IPP account access, please contact the IPP Helpdesk at (866) 973-3131 (M-F 8AM to 6PM ET), or IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov

8.0       Capability Statement/Information:

Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize themselves with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm’s own risk. The following information shall be included in the capability statement:

1. A general overview of the respondents’ opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts.

2. Information in sufficient detail about the respondent’s (a) current capability and capacity to perform the work; (b) prior completed events of similar nature/size; (c) organizational experience and management capability; and (d) examples of prior completed Government contracts and other related information.

3. The respondents’ UEI number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) Pursuant to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 541380, Testing Laboratories and Services, or comparable NAICS

4. Any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requirements of the potential acquisition.

5. The capability statement shall not exceed 10 single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper size, and 1 inch top, bottom, left and right margins.

6. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by IHS personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

9.0   Closing Statement

Point of Contact: Jody Keplin, Purchasing Agent, at Jody.Keplin@ihs.gov  

Submission Instructions:

Interested parties shall submit capability via email to Jody Keplin, at Jody.Keplin@ihs.gov . Must include Sources Sought Number IHS-SS-26-1524548 in the Subject line. The due date for receipt of statements is October 8, 2026 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.

This notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of IHS.

IHS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, IHS may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ).

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against IHS shall arise as a result of a response to this notice or IHS’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

Disclaimer and Important Notes. This 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. Any organization responding to this 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. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.