The Veteran Health Administration proposes to continue contract services with current vendor on the basis of other than full and open competition with the American College of Radiology (ACR) Radiation Oncology Accreditation Program. Contract # VA741-12-P-0049 0001 was awarded to ACR for base year 4/1/12 through 3/31/13 with 2 options years. The Option was not exercised timely and the contract has expired. A new contract will need to be put in place for a base year + 1 option year. ACR accreditation validates that radiation therapies in the accredited center meet acceptable standards of both the ACR and American Society for Radiation Oncology for safety and efficiency. This is the only real protection Veterans have from unsafe or poorly designed therapies, which are too frequently found in community radiation oncology practices. The current contract, ACR, has proven their ability to provide third party, impartial peer review and evaluation of patient care providing recommendations for improvement based on nationally recognized guidelines, including ACR and American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) guidelines and technical standards, ACR Appropriateness Criteria® and the American Association of Physics in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group reports. ACR completed the first contract with VHA with outstanding results. Contract award number is VA268-13-C-0003. For any questions regarding this award, contact Justin Fraser at
[email protected].