BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MEDICAL/SURGICAL PLANNED PRODUCERS This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) rescinds DPSC BAA announcements for Sutures, solicitation number SPO200-96-1007; Bandages, solicitation number SPO200-96-1000; and Orthopedic Supplies, solicitation number SPO200-96-1002. Concept papers submitted in response to the superseded BAAs will be retained and considered. This BAA is restricted to Industrial Planned Producers, or manufactures who intend to become planned producers, for medical items. This BAA's primary focus is on Medical/Surgical items with broad commodity groups being considered in the following priority: Sutures Orthopedic Supplies Bandages Other Medical/Surgical Items The Defense Personnel Support Center (DPSC) seeks unique and innovative concept papers regarding the support and availability of planned medical defense items to be used during mobilization or for contingencies. Contingencies include national emergencies, humanitarian actions or when otherwise authorized. Specifically, the DPSC wishes to maintain and/or expand a viable industrial base with sufficient sustainment capability to meet DoD requirements for planned producer items. Sustainment is considered to be the ongoing resupply of material to the Armed Forces deployed to meet mobilization or contingency requirements. The sustainment program includes items which have been identified by the military services as potential shortfalls to readiness, and includes medical planned producer items and items needed for personnel support, as well as some military-unique medical items. Concept papers are limited to medical/surgical items as listed above or items that are related to the above commodity groups. The objective of this BAA is to solicit ideas on how to develop new strategies utilizing advanced manufacturing and inventory management techniques to improve the ability of the industrial base to quickly respond to increased customer demands, and to ensure that the services are planning for the right items. The goal of the concept is to effectively reduce the overall cost to the government while maintaining the availability of, and access to, sufficient quantities of planned defense items to cover the services' requirements. DPSC is looking for coverage, on the broadest possible range, for the planned items, accurate on-line inventory visibility of the range of items, optimal responsiveness to high-volume requirements for each of those items, and a minimum of up-front pre-delivery government expenditure. This announcement also seeks solutions to achieve an interface with planned producers so that the military planning process is updated with information regarding emerging product-of-choice changes or the reduced usage of an obsolete item. This data is critical to maintain planning lists with current items and for supporting operations with the latest technology. The concept paper must focus on and discuss seven main areas. In response to this BAA, concepts will be individually evaluated based on the following criteria; 1) The incorporation and use of Electronic Commerce (EC) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) as the means of data transfer. EDI is the computer to computer or computer to VAN transmission of business data in ANSI-X12 format. This announcement seeks electronic solutions to achieve a paperless exchange of information for inventory management as well as for purchasing and distribution processes for the planned items. 2) Product Range. Planned producer's ability to cover a wide range of planned items. The list of planned items for sutures, orthopedic supplies and/or bandages will be furnished upon request, to the DPSC point of contact, in Excel or Access format. Lists for other products will be generated in the future. The planned producers ability to provide access to a wide range of items in a product line which exceeds the current planned items will be favorably considered. 3) Sustainment Capability. A planned producer's capability to meet the government's sustained requirements for the range of planned items. A manufacturer's ability to supply quantities to DoD which are within their current production capacity, as well as in excess of their normal production capability, will be evaluated. Only those firms which demonstrate the capability to provide large volumes of medical items in a timely manner will be considered. 4) Financial Commitment. Planned producers must demonstrate how inventories will be managed to handle sustainment items and how stock will be rotated to ensure the dating of commercial material will be within the guidelines of commercially acceptable business practices. Planned producers are required to minimize DoD's financial commitment to support increased inventory levels or contingency arrangements. DoD is prepared to invest funds to procure stock or components to be held and stored at the planned producer's facility to ensure timely delivery of quantities sufficient to meet the military services' sustainment needs. However, those sources willing to make a financial investment will be considered more favorable than those that require significant government assistance. 5) Management System. DPSC is looking for those manufacturers proposing innovative approaches in the areas of stocking, inventory control, inventory rotation, asset visibility, and line item trend analysis. Asset visibility should include inventory levels and sales volumes for the planned items, as well as the potential for visibility of other product lines, in order to conduct effective trend analysis and readiness planning. 6) Distribution System. The planned producer must demonstrate an ordering and shipping system which supports EDI and provides intransit visibility. 7) Universal Product Number (UPN). In order to maintain accurate data and cross references, all items in this program must have an UPN assigned. Upon receipt and evaluation of concept papers, DPSC may decide to award contracts to those interested sources who have submitted ideas which appear to be strategically advantages to DPSC. Planned producers are not competing against each other, rather, they are attempting to demonstrate that their proposed approach has potential application to the DPSC corporate mission requirements. There may be multiple awards. The decision to award will be based on the technical merit of each individual concept as evaluated in the seven areas delineated above. Concept papers may be submitted by interested sources at any time during which the BAA is in effect. Faxed concept papers will not be accepted. During the effective period of this BAA, respondents may submit more than one concept paper to provide alternate concepts or additional planned items not previously submitted for consideration. Please submit concept papers to: DPSC MRII (Medical Readiness) Attn: Maureen Keating, Contracting Officer 2800 South 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19145 After assessing the merits of concept papers, participation will be restricted to those submittals who offer an opportunity for significant support of the overall program objectives of expanding the industrial base for mobilization and contingencypurposes, and providing asset visibility for planning analysis. Contracts may be negotiated with one or more sources capable of providing similar products in order to meet total sustainment level quantities. Discussions concerning the technical aspects of the proposed concepts will be strictly controlled to ensure government personnel do not disclose any information to other firms which might help improve the technical quality of their submissions or provide specific details or technical approaches which may have been submitted on the same item(s). A long term stable business relationship with planned producers is sought. Therefore, a contract with a base year and nine option years will be proposed. Contracts awarded to test concepts proposed under this BAA will specify measurable program objectives and contractor reporting requirements which will be used to monitor progress and assess the probability of long term success of the business practices applied. This BAA will remain open until rescinded by DPSC. All responsible sources may submit offers which DPSC shall consider. All discussions and inquiries concerning this announcement shall be conducted through the DPSC point of contact; Maureen Keating, Contracting Officer, telephone 215-737-5772, fax 215-737-5555, address as above. Any planned producer wishing additional clarification of the concept may submit to the POC, in writing or telephonically, a Request For Information visit to your facility and a briefing may be arranged. WEB: DPSC MEDICAL HOME PAGE, HTT://WWW.DPSC.DLA/MIL/MEDICAL/MEDMAIN.HTML. E-MAIL: CONTRACTING OFFICER, MAUREEN KEATING, DPSC-MRII MEDICAL READINESS OFFICE, mkeating@dpsc.dla.mil.

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