Please note that this is NOT a request for quotes or proposals, the Government is seeking information for market research purposes only. The Government may or may not issue solicitation documents. The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, are conducting a market survey for qualified firms capable of providing the required Water Treatment Services for Dialysis outlined below. Applicable NAICS code is 221310 size standard $7.0 million. Responses to this notice must be submitted in writing (email or fax is acceptable) and received no later than May 21, 2010. No telephone inquires will be accepted. Description of work to be performed includes: STATEMENT OF WORK: WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM: The Contractor shall furnish (a) a quality water treatment system; (b) consumable supplies; (c) emergency repair service and preventative maintenance and (d) operator training for Government personnel. SPECIFICATIONS: Minimum water system requirements: Capacity: 6000L/day or 1600 gal/day; Rate: 13.2 L/min or 3.5 gal/min; Pressure: Minimum water pressure of fifteen psi (15psi) must be maintained to each dialysis station at times; Water Quality: Must be able to produce at all time from untreated raw cold and softened hot water the following: a) Resistance: 1 megaohm-cm or higher; (b) Purity: Trace metal content, chloramines, halogen gases, and particulate matter larger than 0.2 micron not to exceed AAMI standards. (A) General. The Contractor shall perform chemical analyses every 6 months in August and February on feed water to determine the compatibility of the device(s) with the feed water and the suitability of the device(s). The result of the chemical analyses shall be available to the VA. (B) Materials Compatibility. Components of water treatment devices which contact the water shall not interact chemically or physically so as to adversely affect the purity of the product water. Chemicals infused into the water such as iodine, acid, and flocculants shall be shown to be non-dialyzable or shall be adequately removed from product water; when necessary, monitors or test procedures to verify removal of additives shall be provided. Contractor shall provide to the VA upon request, documentation of manufacturers toxicological investigation and testing. (C) Deionization. Deionizer systems, when used to prepare water for dialysate, shall be monitored continuously to produce water of one megohm-cm or greater specific resistivity (or conductivity or one microsiemen/cm or less) at 25 degree C. Resistivity monitors shall be temperature compensated. An audible and visual alarm shall be activated when the product water resistivity falls below this level. Feed water for deionization systems shall be pretreated with activated carbon filtration, unless the system can be shown to not produce nitrosamines. (D) Reverse Osmosis. (E) Sediment Filters. Sediment filters shall have an opaque hosing or other means of inhibit proliferation of algae. (F) Carbon Filter Media. A 5-micron filter or other means shall be provided to prevent fouling of the equipment downstream by fines released by the carbon filter. Exhausted carbon filter media shall be discarded and replaced with new media. (G) Automatic Water Treatment Regeneration Devices. These devices shall prevent excessive levels of contaminants, such as sodium chloride, in the product water during regeneration. (H) Piping and Storage Tanks. The product water distribution system shall not contribute chemicals, such as copper, zinc, and lead, or bacterial contamination to the treated water. (I) Compliance with Maximum Level of Chemical Contaminants in Water. Chemical analyses of the water contaminants shall be obtained by using methods referenced in the American Public Health Association's "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water, and Wastewater" (Applicable Document 2.2) and/or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 'Methods of Chemical analysis of Water and Wastes' (Applicable Document 2.4), and/or other equivalent analytical methods. Samples shall be collected at the entrance of water to the dialysate supply system. Appropriate containers and pil adjustments shall be used to ensure accurate determination. In addition to, contractor shall perform analysis of the feed raw water and product water once each year to document AAMI and JCAHO requirements. (J) Constant recirculation 24 hours a day is required to maintain bacterial quality requirements while simultaneously maintaining product water pressure at each dialysis station during usage. Recirculation loop exists to and from site. 1. The contractor shall provide maintenance tools (labor and parts) to keep the system in good operating condition and subject to security regulations. The Government shall provide the contractor access to the system to perform maintenance service. 2. Preventive Maintenance. Contractor will provide regular, schedule maintenance to assure the continued reliable operation of the equipment. These preventive maintenance visits shall be of a frequency, which conforms to the manufacturer's operation and maintenance instructions for the supported equipment. However, intervals between scheduled maintenance services shall be the same as those provided to commercial customers for the same model of equipment. 3. Emergency Repair: Emergency repairs shall be performed after notification that the equipment is in-operative. The contractor shall provide the Government with a designated point of contact and shall make arrangements to enable his maintenance representative to receive such notification. 4. Contractor shall provide, in the event of an RO failure, a by-pass system which will allow for raw water to be processed directly by deionization which too will meet AAMI standards. 5. Contractor shall provide all services, labs and supplies including a disinfectant for disinfectant of the entire system including the distribution loop in the event of microbiological contamination. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SERVICE: TRAINING: The contractor, without additional charge to the 'Government, shall provide training, to operating personnel upon installation of the contractor's system. The purpose of this synopsis is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification (service disabled veteran owned small business, veteran owned small business, HubZone, 8(a), small disadvantaged business, small business, or large business) relative to NAICS 221310 (size standard of $7.0 million per annum). Responses to this synopsis will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. Responses to this notice should include company name, a service capability statement, examples of similar facilities to which you have provided similar services to, DUNS Number, address, point of contact, and the size of your business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Is your business large or small? (2) If small, does your firm qualify as a small, emerging business, or small disadvantaged business? (3) If disadvantaged, specify under which disadvantaged group and if your firm is certified under Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act? (4) Is your firm a certified HubZone firm? (5) Is your firm a woman-owned or operated business? (6) Is your firm a certified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small or Veteran Owned Small Business? Responses to this notice must be submitted in writing (email or fax is acceptable) and received no later than May 21, 2010. No telephone inquires will be accepted. A solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued it will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website http://www.fbo.gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this announcement. Email:
[email protected] Fax: 317-988-1809