6135--BIO-MEDICAL, COVID-19 PAPR BATTERIES FOR VENTS, CO

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office 15 intends to award a sole source contract under the authority of 41 U.S.C 253(c) (1) FAR 6.302-2 Unusual and Compelling Urgency, to Bio-Medical Devices International, Inc, 17171 Daimler Ave, Irvine CA 92614 In response to the 2009 Influenza Pandemic, VISN 15 purchased MaxAir Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) using emergency management funds to ensure facility readiness in the event of an outbreak of airborne transmitted diseases. Truman VA received MaxAir PAPR units in October 2010 as a result of this purchase. Each PAPR unit is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. In August 2016, a VA Medical Center reported that a MaxAir PAPR lithium-ion battery exploded and caught fire during charging. Since the August 2016 incident, MaxAir Systems issued a Lithium-Ion Battery Advisory and MaxAir Ensure Readiness Program to its customers. This advisory updated recommendations for battery management and included a new recommendation to replace batteries every four years. Summary of Work: Replacement batteries and chargers will be purchased to ensure the use of the latest technology and in accordance with the updated recommendations from MaxAir Systems. Seventy (70) lithium-ion batteries and seventy (70) new chargers will be purchased to increase the number of PAPRs available for immediate use. OSHA s Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) and Truman VA s Respiratory Protection Program (HMP 589A4-065) require that only respirators that have been certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) be selected and used in accordance with terms of the certificate. Furthermore, NIOSH states that worker safety can be compromised by using replacement component parts or accessories that are not NIOSH-approved for the specific respirator (DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2016-107). The MaxAir PAPR is a component system that has been certified by NIOSH. In order to maintain the NIOSH respirator certification, only MaxAir components (manufactured by Bio-Medical Devices International) can be used. Therefore, replacement batteries must be those specifically manufactured for the MaxAir PAPR as supplied by Bio-Medical Devices, International (BMDI). The equipment will be sent to the Harry S. Truman VAMC located at 800 Hospital Drive, Columbia MO 65201. The NAICS code is 339113 with a size standard of 750 employees. This notice of intent to award a sole source contract is not a request for competitive quotes. There will be no solicitation available for competitive quotes. Phone calls will not be accepted. The point of contact for this action is Contract Specialist Jeanine Wallace, who can be reached at [email protected]. The Network Contracting Office 15 address is: VA Heartland Network 15, Network Business Office, Contracting Office, 3450 South. 4th Street, Leavenworth, KS 66048.