Description
Synopsis: The Department of Veterans Affairs, Program Contracting Activity Central, St. Louis (PCAC) Office, intends to award a sole source commercial purchase order in accordance with FAR Parts 12 & 13. The North America Industry Classification System Code [NAICS] is 511130 Book Publishers and the size standard is 500 Employees. The government has determined that Wolters Kluwer Health (DBA: Facts and Comparisons) is the only source that can satisfy this agency requirement. The requirement is for a license renewal agreement with Wolters Kluwer Health for Price RX. Price RX is a web-based software application that delivers quick and simple access to Medi- Span's Master Drug Database (MDDB) for pricing and product information, with powerful analytical, formulary and reporting tools. All responsible sources may submit a response, which if timely received, will be considered by The Department of Veterans Affairs, PCAC St. Louis Office. This synopsis is for notification purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation for bids or proposals. Any company that feels they have items that meet the needs of the Government must submit their technical data (2 pages or less) to support their claim. The information must explain the company's ability to overcome propriety information. The Government does not intend to pay for any information provided under this synopsis. Acquisition Plan Action ID: VA-20-00021447 Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Regional Procurement Office Central. Purchase order number 730-20-3-3047-0022. Brief Description of Supplies/ Services required and the intended use/Estimated Amount: This request is for the renewal of and continued access to Wolters-Kluwer Price Rx PRO s Medi-Span Master Drug Database (MDDB) web database. Unique characteristics that limit availability to only one source, with the reason no other supplies or services can be used: The PriceRX software is proprietary software developed by Kluwer Health. Therefore, the license is available only from Kluwer Health, the developer. Through prior years (2011) telephonic conversations and email communication with the (former) company representative Patti Roseboom (Drug Information Specialist, 317-735-5306) it has been determined that PriceRX is developed and solely licensed through Wolters Kluwer Health. There are other drug registries in the industry, but for the purposes of how the ePharmacy team utilizes Medi-Span, Medi-Span is the only drug registry that meets the business need. Any drug registry other than Med-span will not serve our needs as it will not provide us direct online access to ensure VHA repackaged products are entered in the registries utilized by the top PBMs. Wolters Kluwer Health is uniquely qualified as the only vendor who has a tool that meets the needs of the government. Market Research has been done on other web-based applications that contain pharmaceutical drug availability and pricing and no other product contains the comprehensive information that the Price Rx database holds. Wolters Kluwer Health has access to the information that the Department of Veterans Affairs needs to track the drug registrations to ensure revenue is collected for dispensed prescriptions. Description of market research conducted and results or statement why it was not conducted: This is a request to renew the license agreement with Wolters Kluwer Health for Price Rx Pro. Price Rx Pro is a web-based software application that delivers quick and simple access to Medi-Span's Master Drug Database (MDDB) for pricing and product information, with powerful analytical, formulary, and reporting tools. Wolters Kluwer Health is the only known source that has this application. This requirement is to provide access to the Price Rx Pro web-based tool for 3 authorized users. This is a renewal of the current license. This will allow the eBusiness Solutions Pharmacy team to have access to a live database which delivers comprehensive pricing and product reference information on currently available pharmacy drugs and provide a way for the eBusiness Solutions office to track if a particular product is loaded in the Medi-Span drug product registry. Many third-party payers use Medi-Span for drug product information, and knowing the status of a product in Medi-Span is essential in the follow-up of certain third party claim rejects. Access into the Medi-Span registry helps eBusiness Solutions prevent lost revenue across the VHA as a result of a particular product not being registered in Medi-Span timely. Market research was done online with other products, but Wolters Kluwer is the only vendor with access to the Price Rx database with direct on-line access that contains all necessary information. An internet search for NDC drug registries was conducted on April 2, 2019, that identified several potential free websites. However, upon using the websites the needs of eBusiness Solutions could not be met.