STERILE PROCESSING SERVICES

The Defense Health Agency HCD West is seeking industry input through a sources sought notice to establish a firm-fixed-price contract for off-site sterile processing services in support of David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, California. The scope of work involves the end-to-end management of government-owned reusable medical instruments, including collection, transportation, cleaning, decontamination, assembly, packaging, sterilization, and timely return delivery. Contractor facilities must maintain full operational capability with qualified personnel and equipment to meet strict processing standards outlined in AAMI ST-79, AORN guidelines, CDC infection control recommendations, and manufacturer Instructions for Use. Key performance requirements include 24 to 36 hour standard turnaround and a 24-hour emergency turnaround for urgent instrumentation, with daily Bowie-Dick and ultrasonic testing, weekly biological indicator testing per load, and the use of Class 5 chemical indicators within all packaging. Environmental controls mandate a storage environment of ≤75°F temperature and 30–60% humidity with minimum four air exchanges per hour, while transportation requires climate-controlled, closed, leak-proof containers maintaining 65–72°F. All sterilized shipments must include traceable documentation with chain-of-custody logs, load numbers, sterilizer IDs, and processing dates, with full QA records retained for three years. The contractor is fully liable for any lost or damaged government instruments and must designate a contract manager available weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding federal holidays, unless operational demands require otherwise. The contract includes a one-year base period beginning June 1, 2026, with three one-year option periods extending through May 31, 2030. Evaluation is expected to follow a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable approach, with mandatory compliance with all quality standards serving as pass/fail criteria. The place of performance is the contractor’s facility, ideally within a 2–3 hour travel radius of Travis AFB, with all deliveries occurring at the medical center. Contractor personnel must comply with Travis AFB access and security requirements, though no formal security clearance level is specified. No pricing data, contract line items, or award value is available as this is a market research notice, not a solicitation, with the formal procurement anticipated to follow based on responses received by May 12, 2026.