H--On-Site Diagnostic Medical Physics Services for Annual Calibration and Confirmatory Shielding Surveys of Ionizing Radiation Producing Machines and Nuclear Me...

This is a Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of all qualified sources (small and other than small) to perform a potential requirement.Purpose and Objectives: Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method. NAICS code: 541690 and sized standard is $15.0M. NOTE: Respondent claiming SDVOSB and VOSB status must be registered and CVE verified in VetBiz Registry https://www.vip.vetbiz.va.gov/.Project requirements: The Contractor shall furnish all labor, material, supplies, equipment and qualified personnel to provide on-site diagnostic medical physics support or services for the annual calibration and confirmatory shielding surveys of ionizing radiation producing machines and Nuclear Medicine

Gamma Cameras at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, KY, under the terms and conditions stated here in and must adhere to requirements in current applicable US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21 and Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), US Nuclear Regulatory (NRC) Title 10, The Joint Commission (JC) requirements for diagnostic imaging services and VHA requirements as identified in the following publications:VHA Directive 1129, Radiation Protection for Machine Sources of Ionizing Radiation, Issue Date February 5, 2015 VHA Directive 1105, Management of Radioactive Materials, Issue Date February 5, 2015 VHA Directive 1105.04, Fluoroscopy Safety, Issue Date June 21, 2018The Joint Commission Diagnostic Imaging Requirements, Issued August 10, 2015https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/AHC_DiagImagingRpt_MK_20150806.pdfStandards Revisions for Organizations Providing Fluoroscopy Services, Issued June 25, 2018https://www.jointcommission.org/changes_to_requirements_for_organizations_providing_fluoroscopy_services/The Contractor shall comply with radiation protection standards in US Department of Labor (DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.1096 and immediately report any unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facility radiation workers, patients or members of the public to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).A. Delivery: All work shall be performed by a qualified medical physicist (QMP) who is a Diagnostic Medical Physics or Diagnostic Radiological Physics Certified by the American Board of Radiology (ABR); in Diagnostic Imaging Physics by the American Board of Medical Physics; or in Diagnostic Radiology Physics by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine or possessing a minimum of a Masters degree in Medical Physics or an approved/recognized applicable Masters degree program. Certification will meet current American College Radiology (ACR) requirements. Documentation of QMP s current qualifying certification must be provided to Bio Medical Engineering and the RSO when services are scheduled. The QMP shall perform imaging equipment (x-ray equipment, nuclear medicine cameras, PET/CT cameras, mammography units, and MRIs) annual calibrations (physicists inspection) and provide a written report that includes the machine manufacturer, model name/number, room location, and EE number if one is assigned. The documented reports content will ensure compliance with the current American College of Radiology (ACR) Quality Standards and JC requirements. Any deficiencies or non- conformances discovered during the inspection shall be immediately verbally communicated to the service supervisor of Bio Medical Engineering and the RSO prior to the QMP leaving the facility. Deficiencies or non-conformances which represent unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facility radiation workers or patients shall be reported to the RSO immediately upon discovery. A written report of the results of an identified deficiency shall be provided to Bio Medical Engineering and the RSO within five (5) working days after completion of the inspection. All imaging equipment shall be inspected at least annually, not to exceed 14 months.The QMP shall provide the following; consultation for additional services as needed, i.e., safety training; review CT protocol optimization at least annually; and review Fluoroscopy protocols at least annually. The QMP shall assist in the development of a comprehensive technical quality assurance program (QA) (e.g., technique charts, repeat/reject analysis monitoring, monitoring of exposure indices to radiographic image receptors, QA program for display monitors, QA for CT, monitoring of dose metrics from fluoroscopy studies), which complies with ACR recommendations, for all modalities. The QMP shall review at least annually the QA program.Review all rooms housing ionizing radiation to ensure proper regulatory required posting.The QMP may be assisted by other properly-trained persons in obtaining test data for performance monitoring. These individuals must be trained by the medical physicist in the techniques for performing the tests, the function, and limitations of the imaging equipment and test instruments, the reasons for the tests, and the importance of the test results. The medical physicist must be present at the facility for the annual testing and must promptly review, interpret, and approve all data measurements and test results.B. Equipment Calibrations/Inspections: The Contractor shall conduct equipment inspections or quality control surveys of the imaging equipment listed below. The Contractor shall ensure the imaging equipment s compliance with applicable federal regulations and ACR recommendations, and shall include, but not be limited to, monitoring the following basic performance characteristics: 1) Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment: Physics inspections of radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment shall comply with the ACR Technical Standard for Diagnostic Medical Physics Performance Monitoring of Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Equipment. The performance of each radiographic and fluoroscopic unit must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):a) Integrity of unit assembly.b) Collimation and radiation beam alignment.c) Fluoroscopic system resolution.d) Automatic exposure control system performance.e) Fluoroscopic automatic brightness control performance (high-dose-rate, pulsed modes, field-of-view [FOV] variation).f) Image artifacts.g) Fluoroscopic phantom image quality.h) kVp accuracy and reproducibility.i) Linearity of exposure versus mA or mAs.j) Exposure reproducibility.k) Timer accuracy.l) Beam quality assessment (half-value layer).m) Fluoroscopic entrance exposure. Maximum output for all clinically used settings.n) Image receptor entrance exposure.o) Equipment radiation safety functions.p) Patient dose monitoring system calibrationq) Video and digital monitor performance.r) Digital image receptor performance.s) Grids used with portable x-ray units shall be imaged for uniformity 2) Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR): Physics inspections of CR and DR equipment shall comply with the American Association of Physicist in Medicine (AAPM) Report Number 93, Acceptance Testing and Quality Control of Photostimulable Storage Phosphor Imaging Systems. The performance of CR and DR must be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):a) Component and Imaging Plate Physical Inspection and Inventoryb) Imaging Plate Dark Noise and Uniformityc) Exposure Indicator Calibrationd) Linearity and Auto-ranging Responsee) Laser Beam Functionf) Limiting Resolution and Resolution Uniformityg) Noise and Low-Contrast Resolutionh) Spatial accuracyi) Erasure Thoroughnessk) Aliasing/Grid Responsel) IP Throughputm) Positioning and Collimation Errors 3) For CT Scanners: The physics inspection shall conform to the 2012 ACR Computed Tomography Quality Control Manual. The performance of each CT scanner shall be evaluated at least annually. (Including PET/CT units). This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):a) Review of Clinical Protocolsb) Scout Prescription and Alignment Light Accuracyc) Image Thickness Axial Moded) Table Travel Accuracye) Radiation Beam Widthf) Low-Contrast Performanceg) Spatial Resolutionh) CT Number Accuracyi) Artifact Evaluationj) CT Number Uniformityk) Dosimetry (the scanner displayed CTDIvol values must be within +/- 20% of the measured CTDIvol values)l) Gray Level Performance of CT Acquisition Display Monitor 4) Dental: The physics inspection shall conform to the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD), Quality Control Recommendations for Diagnostic Radiography Volume 1 Dental Facilities July 2001. The performance of dental x-ray inspections shall be annually or every 2 years. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):a) Collimationb) Beam quality (half value layer)c) Timer Accuracy and Reproducibilityd) kVp Accuracy and Reproducibilitye) mA or mAs Linearityf) Exposure Reproducibilityg) Entrance Skin Exposure Evaluationh) Technique Chart Evaluationi) Image uniformity (artifact evaluation) 5) For MRI: The physics inspection shall conform to the 2004 ACR Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quality Control Manual. The performance of each MRI scanner shall be evaluated at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):a) Magnetic field homogeneityb) Geometric accuracyc) Inter-slice RF interferenced) Slice position accuracye) High contrast resolutionf) RF coil performance 1a) Volume coils signal to noise ratio 1b) Volume coils image uniformity 1c) Volume coils ghosting ratio 1d) Phased array coils' signal to noise ratio 1e) Surface coils signal to noise ratiog) Slice thickness accuracyh) Low contrast detectabilityi) Soft copy displaysj) Technologist s QC programk) Site phantom inventoryl) Site RF coil inventory 6) Nuclear Medicine: The physics inspection shall conform to the ACR annual performance tests for nuclear medicine cameras (including PET/CT units). The performance of each nuclear medicine scanner shall be at least annually. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):a) Intrinsic Uniformity: fail criteria: > 5.0%b) System Uniformity: fail criteria: > 5.0%c) Intrinsic or System Spatial Resolution: fail criteria > 3.5 mm barsd) Relative Sensitivity: fail criteria: COV > 2.5%e) Energy Resolution: fail criteria: >12%f) Count Rate Parameters: fail criteriag) Formatter/Video Displayh) Overall System Performance for SPECTi) System Interlocksj) Dose Calibrators (Geometry (if applicable), Accuracy)k) Thyroid Uptake and Counting Systems 7) Mammography: The physics inspection will include all FDA/MQSA annual calibration requirements. 8) Display Monitors: The physics inspection shall conform to the AAPM On-line Report No. 03, Assessment of Display Perform for Medical Imaging Systems. The performance of each display monitor shall be evaluated initially, acceptance testing, and at least annually thereafter. This evaluation should include, but not be limited to, the following tests (as applicable):Acceptance testing (Table 7 from AAPM On-line Report No. 03)a) Geometric distortionsb) Reflectionc) Luminance responsed) Luminance dependenciese) Resolutionf) Noiseg) Veiling glareh) ChromaticityAnnual testing (Table 8c. from AAPM On-line Report No. 03)a) Geometric distortionsb) Reflectionc) Luminance responsed) Luminance dependenciese) Resolutionf) Noiseg) Veiling glareh) ChromaticityC. Quality: Contractor shall guarantee the quality of the equipment furnished and utilized during work performed will be calibrated according to manufacturer recommendations and any applicable regulatory requirements if applicable.There are approximately 40 equipment items requiring the services but could increase or decrease.Information sought: Response to this announcement shall not exceed 10 pages and should include the following information: (1) A tailored capability statement indicating the firm s ability to provide a product and related services; and shall include documentation referenced in paragraph A. Delivery (2) The respondents DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., SDVOSB/VOSB, etc,) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code; (3) Information should be provided electronically in a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Please e-mail your response with the above information to david.milner@va.govwith the subject line "Sources Sought Notice # 36C24919Q0232/your company name by April 10, 2019, 12pmCT.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 Federal Business Opportunities. 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. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). Contact Information: David Milnerdavid.milner@va.gov Office Address :Department of Veterans Affairs;Network Contracting Office 9;1639 Medical Center Parkway;Suite 400;Murfreesboro TN 37129 Location: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Set Aside: N/A