Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chief, Acquisition and Materiel Management (90C), One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55417

B -- SPECIAL STUDIES SOL RFP 618-94-00 DUE 031500 POC Mavis Nelson 612-725-2189 Under statutory Authority 41 U.S.C. 253 (1) the Government anticipates entering into sole source procurement negotiations with Cini-Little Schachinger, LLC, Dagsboro, DE. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 1.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This procurement is being conducted under FAR Subpart 13.5 test program; simplified acquisition procedures apply. VA will conduct the procurement according to a combination of FAR Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, and Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, and Part 36.6 A/E Services. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; a written solicitation will not be issued but refer to Government No. RFP 618-94-00. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through FAC 97-15. SIC Code 8742 applies with size standard of $5 million. The VA Medical Center (VAMC), Minneapolis MN is seeking theservices of a health care materials handling and materials management consultant to provide a technical assessment of the Amscar automatic transport system (ATS) that is currently operating at the facility. The Consultant shall analyze the medical center's bulk materials handling requirements for now and the foreseeable future. Based on the technical assessment of the ATS and the analysis of the medical center's bulk materials handling requirements, the Consultant shall prepare written reports for the VAMC ATS Committee. The reports shall make firm, well supported recommendations as to the future disposition of the Medical Center's ATS. The Consultant shall recommend the most economical and advantageous ATS system, i.e. upgrading the existing ATS, replacing the ATS without expansion, replacing and expanding the ATS, or replacing the ATS with a manual transport system. The analysis of bulk materials handling shall address the distribution of medical/surgical supplies, laundry distribution and collection, patient meal distribution and tray return, the distribution of interoffice mail, warehouse operation, and the distribution of miscellaneous supplies. The reports shall address such issues as management efficiency, life cycle costs, cost savings, etc. The following goals and objectives and scope of work applies to this procurement: Analyze the current and future bulk materials transport needs of the medical center, taking into consideration the current master plan; recommend alternative transport solutions, which respond to the current and future materials transport needs of the medical center; develop recommendations pertaining to operational areas or functions; i.e. Laundry, Nutrition and Food Service, SPD, etc.; determine the feasibility of expanding the existing ATS to include other functions or services; insure that recommended alterations to the bulk material handling system are compatible with existing systems wherever possible; to accomplish the goals and objectives, this study must define and analyze the medical center's bulk material transport needs relative to the existing hospital ATS system. Once this step has been completed, the Consultant shall recommend a materials handling/transport system that is responsive to the efficient movement of bulk material at the VAMC while giving due consideration to the safety of patients and staff, as well as operating costs and pertinent regulations. The materials handling and associated materials management systems recommended should reduce expenses/costs, increase service levels, simplify work and improve work flow for both clean and soiled materials. The Consultant shall work with the medical center ATS Committee to accomplish the tasks required to properly document the material management and transport system needs of the medical center, and to ensure that any recommendations made by the Consultant are compatible with systems philosophies and the medical center's master plan. For data collection and Materials Management/Transport Systems Overview, the Consultant shall be responsible for the following tasks: Documentation of the ATS database using the interview process; the technical assessment of the existing Amscar system; documenting the existing traffic conditions of the present ATS system and proposed traffic conditions for other systems under study, such as the warehouse and mailroom; shall conduct interviews of all appropriate medical center departments to determine requirements for materials transport for now and the near future; shall determine volumes, philosophies and methodologies, basing the interviews on an approved schedule. For the physical equipment and systems review, all of the findings from the various work efforts and tasks outlined below shall be incorporated into the Interim Data Report and Site Survey Summary. The Consultant shall review the existing Amscar system (including dedicated elevators) to determine the general physical condition (level of maintenance and service) and modernization potential; shall review the SPD transport requirement to determine volume and philosophies related to bulk materials handling/transport systems; shall review Nutrition and Food Services transport requirements to determine volume and philosophies related to bulk materials handling/transport systems, paying special attention to the proposed change in food service; shall review Laundry transport requirement to determine volume and philosophies related to bulk materials handling/transport systems; shall review the Warehouse and Mail Room bulk transport requirements to determine potential for inclusion in an expanded ATS. Interim Data Report And Site Survey Summary shall be submitted to the medical center ATS Committee, providing an overview of all data collected, a summary of the findings related to the equipment and systems under study, and an overview of the medical center's Material Management Transport System philosophies and methodologies; a Final Data Report and Site Survey Summary shall be submitted to the medical center after the medical center ATS Committee has had an opportunity to review the Interim Data Report and Site Survey Summary. The purpose of the review shall be to finalize data requirements, and to determine an appropriate course of action for the later phases of this study. The Consultant shall incorporate any changes or corrections received from the medical center ATS Committee into the Final Data Report and Site Survey Summary. The finalized data report shall be the basis for further work efforts. A Materials Management/Transport Systems, Executive Summary shall be submitted to the medical center to provide an overview of the bulk materials/transport system as it currently exists and as it will have to be modified to address the medical center's present and future needs that include safety of patients, staff, and visitors in the hallway used by the ATS, economic considerations, maintainability of future ATS systems, flexibility, etc. This document will summarize the management and operational aspects as opposed to the hardware system issues discussedin the Interim/Final Data Report and Site Survey Summary. Upon receiving changes, additions, corrections, or clarifications to the data, the Consultant shall make necessary adjustments to optimize the study and analysis phase. The study and analysis phase shall follow completion of the data collection and materials management/transport systems overview phase. The Consultant shall perform appropriate study and analysis tasks to address and qualify potential bulk materials handling solutions and systems for the medical center. This work effort shall include alternative analysis, life cycle costing, full time equivalent staff (FTE), analysis and other appropriate studies needed to determine the viability of various alternatives and to develop preliminary recommendations. Basic data included in the Final Data Report and Site Survey Summary shall be used for this purpose. Based on the findings of the aforementioned work efforts, the Consultant shall prepare and provide to the medical center a preliminary Bulk Materials Handling/Transport System Study which shall serve as a "recommendation and implementation" document for the planning and design of a materials management system for the medical center. This report shall detail the basic recommendations made for the bulk materials transport system together with all studies and supporting data. It will contain complete cost estimates for all recommendations, dimensioned sketches or drawings as needed to illustrate the planning and design recommendations, and an integrated master transport plan for now and the near future. The Consultant shall meet with the members of the medical center ATS committee to review the preliminary Bulk Materials Handling/Transport System Study. After the review meetings, the Consultant shall make any additions, corrections, or adjustments required and issue a final Bulk Materials Handling/Transport System Study. Provide three hard copies and a computer diskette(s) of all reports. Any drawings provided with the final report shall be AutoCAD 14 compatible on accurate backgrounds (provided by VAMC upon request). The text of the report shall be Microsoft word compatible. Spreadsheets ( for cost analysis etc.) shall be in Microsoft Excel for Windows. The content of all required reports shall meet or exceed all generally accepted professional standards for an engineering study of this kind. The Consultant is encouraged to make any recommendations to the ATS Committee regarding the scope or methodology outlined in this work statement that would increase its value to the VAMC. The above authority is cited and justification made based on the determination that the Government's minimum needs can best be satisfied by services available from one source. Other persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement by 4:30 p.m. local time, March 15, 2000. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, all interests received on or before March 15, 2000 will be considered by the Government. A determination bythe Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses received as a result of this notice of intent will normally be considered for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Based on responses received, the Government may continue negotiations with only those offers responding to this combined solicitation/advertisement. All responsible sources that can meet these requirements and provide services as listed may respond to this solicitation by submitting cost and technical proposals; include location and past performance history; additional evaluation factors, but not limited to, are experience with projects of similar scope; knowledge of services, key people to be used, references, technical acceptability as determined by the information submitted which demonstrates understanding of the project, management capabilities and approach, methods used to assure prompt and quality service. Consultant must not be affiliated with any manufacturer of ATS systems,and consultant should so state in their technical proposal. The following provisions and clauses shall apply to this procurement: FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998) and incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address (es): http://www.arnet.gov/far (FAR) and http://www.va.govoa&mm/vaar/ (VAAR); FAR 52.212-1, Instruction to Offers Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation of Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-3 Representations and Certifications Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes of Executive Orders Commercial Items; FAR 52.216-18 Ordering; FAR 52.216-19 Order Limitations; FAR 52.216-21 Requirements; VAAR 852.270-4 Commercial Advertising; VAAR 852.219-70 Veteran-owned business; 852.219-70 Protest Content; 852.236-76 Correspondence; 852.237-70 Contractor Responsibilities; 852.270-1 Representatives of Contracting Officers; and 852.233-71 Alternate Protest Procedure. Technical and Cost Proposals shall include all information required in 52.212-1, Schedule of Prices Offered, a completed copy of provision 52-212-3, and be submitted to the attention of Mavis Nelson, VA Medical Center Room 4G-107 One Veterans Drive Minneapolis MN 55417. For further information contact Mavis Nelson at 612-725-2189 or Fax 612-725-2072. All offers must be received no later than close of business (4:30PM CST) on March 15, 2000. Faxed proposals will be accepted followed by mailed hard copy. Posted 02/24/00 (W-SN428090). (0055)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0008 20000228\B-0001.SOL)