SPECIAL NOTICE
Q -- Health Physics Services
- Notice Date
- 10/21/2020 12:09:06 PM
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- 241-NETWORK CONTRACT OFFICE 01 (36C241) TOGUS ME 04330 USA
- ZIP Code
- 04330
- Solicitation Number
- 36C24121Q0036
- Archive Date
- 12/20/2020
- Point of Contact
- John Shawki, Contract Specialist, Phone: 774-826-3192
- E-Mail Address
-
issa.shawki@va.gov
(issa.shawki@va.gov)
- Awardee
- null
- Description
- The Department of Veteran Affairs, Networking Contracting Office (NCO1) located in Brockton, MA intends to enter into a sole source procurement, pursuant to the authority of FAR 6.302-1, with Landauer, Inc. for the following requirement: Statement of Work A dosimetry program is highly regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Maintaining a dosimetry program and records program requires using a reliable dosimetry processor. Failure to maintain accurate records, and an appropriate dosimetry program that provides individual monitoring devices or equipment could result in severe penalties, lawsuits, fines, and/or the revocation of our permit to use byproduct material under the MML issued to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the NRC. Loss of our permit would result in the termination of all Nuclear Medicine Clinic Operations, all other clinical and therapeutic uses of radioactive materials, and the research use of radioactive materials. Penalties and fines could also be levied. For purposes of this contract, the terms personnel dosimeter is an individual monitoring device that requires processing to determine the radiation dose, and that is used by VA Boston Health Care System to comply with 10CFR20.1201, with other applicable provisions of Title 10 Chapter 20, or with conditions specified in the license. As required by federal law specified in 10CFR20.1501, personnel dosimeters must be processed and evaluated by a dosimetry processor-- (1) Holding current personnel dosimetry accreditation from the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and (2) Approved in this accreditation process for the type of radiation or radiations included in the NVLAP program that most closely approximates the type of radiation or radiations for which the individual wearing the dosimeter is monitored. It is important that the contractor awarded this contract hold the actual NVLAP certification and maintain the actual data base of dose records. Specifications for personnel monitoring services for the Boston Healthcare System (BHS) are provided herein. Monitoring services are to be provided at the initial setup in the approximate quantities shown below. The contract shall be for a period of one year, with renewal optional for four years. The cost of the contract should be presented in terms of the total annual cost, and expressed as the cost per badge type, according to the number of each badge type. No additional charges will be incorporated or expected, with the exception of non-returned or damaged badges and holders and emergency readings. Credit will be given for all fees assessed for lost/late badges upon return. If personnel monitoring services do not meet specifications, the contract may be terminated by the government. The selected dosimetry vendor service company shall have a well-established and demonstratively successful means of providing the goods and services described in these specifications. This document contains specifications for both the dosimetry devices and the dosimetry service. The dosimetry vendor must be able to demonstrate and provide the licensing and specific requirements listed upon request. I. Dosimetry Device Specifications: The dosimetry device specifications are described as follows: A. The selected vendor shall be the primary supplier of the personal dosimeters, and shall be in direct control of the design, modifications to, and quality of the personal dosimeters. The selected vendor shall supply necessary personnel dosimeters of a NVLAP certified type or combination of types. At the present time BHS presently has 24 series with Approximately 300 personnel dosimeters to be processed monthly and holding current NVLAP accreditation in ANSI N13.11 categories IA, IIA, IIIA, IV, and V. Approximately 30 finger ring dosimeters to be processed monthly. Approximately 30 personnel dosimeters to be processed monthly and holding current NVLAP accreditation in ANSI N13.11 categories IA, IIA, IIIA, IV, and V, and having neutron exposure detection capabilities. Approximately 10 personnel dosimeters to be processed quarterly and holding current NVLAP accreditation in ANSI N13.11 categories IA, IIA, IIIA, IV, and V. Some individuals may have multiple badges. Fetal monitoring devices may be required. Personnel dosimeter results will be reported in units of mrem for shallow dose, lens of eye dose and deep dose. A portion of the body badges are used as room area monitors. B. The devices shall be supplied according to the following specifications: 1. The vendor's dosimetry service shall be currently accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology for all required radiation testing categories. 2. Written specifications shall be provided, prior to bid evaluation, on dosimetry devices defining: (a) Minimum detectable reported dose; (b) Energy discrimination capabilities including accuracy, precision, and (c) Maximum range of reported dose for the various energy ranges concerned, primarily: a. Less than 100 KeV photons b. 100 KeV through 250 KeV photons c. Greater than 250 KeV up to and including Cs-137, Co-60 d. Photons from a 6/18 MeV external beam linear accelerator e. Beta radiations f. Neutrons (fast and thermal) 3. Dosimetry devices shall be routinely delivered to the customer prior to the next exchange date. Exchange dates are the first day of any month. 4. The delivery of dosimetry devices is required within 7 calendar days of record creation for additions of new personnel or additional badges for existing personnel, unless a rush shipment is requested. The creation of a single record shall automatically provide all individual dosimetry devices for the current month and all subsequent months. When a rush shipment is requested, the dosimetry device(s) shall be received within 3 calendar days of record creation. 5. Shipping containers shall be reusable for return of the devices to vendor. Return shipping labels shall be supplied by the vendor. 6. The dosimetry devices, including additions, shall be provided in presorted and individually packaged and labeled containers in accordance with the criteria established by the Government s Radiation Safety Officer at the time of setup. 7. Primary sorting and distinction will include unlimited series separation by groups of users. Series coding shall be alphanumeric. 8. All transactions regarding the vendor service including, but not limited to, user additions, deletions, changes, inquiries, etc., shall be exclusively between the Government s Radiation Safety Officer or designee and the vendor. 9. Shipments shall include individual printed packing lists for each group of users. The individual packing lists shall include the numerical order of the dosimeters. Other information provided in the listing shall include, but is not limited to, the following: a. Social security number b. Badge control identification c. Badge type d. Prescribed wear period, by date 10. Dosimetry devices shall provide obvious, distinct, color coding for easy special purpose identification while being worn. Dosimeter colors shall alternate with each wear period. 11. The vendor shall provide a method for calculating and reporting Effective Dose Equivalent or Effective Dose automatically for designated badge wearers. 12. Badges shall be identified with clearly visible and descriptive nomenclature, to aide in proper wear positioning of ""Collar"", Chest or ""Waist"" badges. 13. The ring badge shall have at least three sizes, be waterproof, have a permanent label, and be capable of withstanding cold sterilization. The ring badges shall be color coded for alternate months. 14. Body badges shall be waterproof and have a permanent label. C. The vendor shall have and maintain control of web access capability to a data base that contains dosimetry records for BHS dating back to at least 2007. The Government should be able to at a minimum: 1. Add, transfer, or delete personnel 2. Add additional badges to existing personnel 3. Review records (wearer, badge type, frequency, dose history, etc.) 4. Summarize results (exposure levels, ALARA, etc.) 5. Review exposure histories per entire account 6. Review exposure histories for an individual 7. Add lifetime cumulative dose for an individual 8. Add current year dose for an individual 9. Reactivate wearers and badges 10. Assign spare badges 11. List unreturned badges 12. Download data files for unreturned badges 13. Download data files for badge readings (exposures for specified periods) The on-line system shall be sufficiently easy to use such that it is more efficient to use than manually requesting changes by telephone. D. The Government s Radiation Safety Officer or designee shall be notified by telephone or email of all readings above the levels set by the Government s Radiation Safety Officer within 24 hours from the reading of the dosimeter. The system shall be capable of setting different notification levels for separate series codes within an account. E. The vendor shall automatically provide and maintain permanent records archiving. F. The vendor shall ensure timely response to customer inquiries by assigning a specific representative who shall be accessible during regular working hours through a toll free phone system. G. The vendor shall provide emergency processing of dosimetry devices when requested. This processing shall be completed within 24 hours of receipt of the device by the vendor. The Radiation Safety Officer or designee shall be notified of the processing results by telephone or email within 24 hours of receipt of the device by the vendor. H. There should be no charges for unreturned or damaged dosimetry devices. I. BHS shall not be charged for shipping costs associated with the following activities: (a) Duplicate shipments of dosimetry devices; (b) Rush shipments of dosimetry devices (2nd day delivery) associated with but not limited to, personnel additions, transfers, or provision of additional spare badges; (c) Priority shipments of dosimetry devices when devices are not received as specified. J. BHS shall not be charged for the following: (a) Set up or transfer of an individual; (b) Deletion of an individual; (c) Reactivation of an individual; (d) Series or group separation; (e) Complete computer system capabilities as stated including access time (Medical Center owned or vendor provided equipment); (f) Computer diskette information; (g) Training of personnel to adopt vendor's service; (h) Adjustment of dose record by Radiation Safety Officer II. Other: A. No presorting of the dosimetry devices by the Government shall be required prior to returning the dosimetry devices to the vendor. B. The vendor shall provide a means of tracking all unreturned dosimetry devices, including whole body and ring badges. This information shall be obtainable through data file downloads from the on-line computer system. The information shall be available for downloading on at least a monthly basis and shall be capable of tracking unreturned devices for the past 18 calendar months. C. Radiation dose reports, including monthly, quarterly, year-to-date, and lifetime totals, shall meet the records requirements of the U.S. NRC and OSHA. The vendor shall automatically provide printed and computer updates of records which have had a dose adjustment made by the Government s Radiation Safety Officer. D. The vendor shall automatically provide an NRC Form 5 or equivalent for each monitored individual in each series code, on an annual basis. E. The vendor shall provide a means of maintaining current year dose and lifetime cumulative doses for individuals as requested by the Government s Radiation Safety Officer. F. Complete dosimetry reports shall be routinely provided to the Government s Radiation Safety Office. A second copy of each report, with specified omissions such as sex, social security number, and date of birth, shall be provided upon request and issued for shipment directly to user groups. G. The dosimetry reports shall include a separate fetal dose entry for all pregnant personnel. H. The average shipping time of the completed exposure reports shall not exceed 7 calendar days after receipt of the exposed dosimetry devices by the vendor. Radiation exposure and other reports shall be shipped via a carrier which guarantees second working day delivery. I. The vendor shall automatically provide printed copy wear period, annual summary, and annual statistical summary reports for each account, per calendar year. These summaries shall include a listing by user groups, of every person badged at any time during the year. Other information provided for each listing shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) Group or series number; (b) Badge number and type; (c ) Annual and lifetime dose; (d) Social security number; (e) Date of birth; (f) Sex; (g) Deep dose and shallow dose for each monitoring period; (h) Extremity dose; (i) Internal dose reported by Radiation Safety Officer; (j) Total Effective Dose Equivalent; (k) Data on all currently issued devices regarding late returns, unreturned, and deleted devices. K. The vendor shall provide a means to electronically download exposure data information using the on-line computer system. L. The vendor shall provide individual termination summary reports for each individual removed from an account upon request. N. Form 5 reports are to be delivered to the BHS by the May 1 (or approximately 120 day calendar days) after the end of the previous calendar year. O. The vendor shall be able to automatically assign dose IAW 105CMR120.211 P. The vendor shall supply the name and phone number of a project manager for this contract. III. Service Documentation: A. The vendor shall provide documentation verifying its ability to fulfill the commitments set forth within this document. This documentation shall be provided prior to any contractual agreement and shall include the following: (a) Representative samples of reports and summaries as previously specified; (b) Samples of computer-generated data in the same format as previously specified; (c ) A list of medical centers and hospital customer references, with dosimetry needs similar to those of the BHS, including neutron monitoring. B. If, at any time during the contract period, the vendor fails to meet any contract specification, the contract may be canceled by BHS with a sixty day letter of notification of cancellation of service. IV. Other Features or Services: The vendor is requested to provide information and costs for any specialty items such as: (a) Computer diskette reports; (b) Individual termination summary reports; (c) Exposure reports; (d) ALARA reports; (e) Annual exposure summary reports; (f) Unreturned badge reports; (g) Annual statistical summary for entire account; (h) dose estimating tools such as EstiMate; and services or web features that have not been included above which the vendor would like to offer. Additionally, the Contractor shall: ensure that dosimeters are zeroed prior to shipment, apply for, obtain and maintain any certifications required by governing federal, state, or local agencies, participate in performance evaluation programs required by federal, state, or local agencies, comply with the requirements of an approved quality assurance program plan, provide VA the current revision of the quality assurance program plan, if requested, provide VA with sufficient QC and calibration data to assure that analytical results of dosimetry are accurate and analyzed within the established envelope of quality, if requested, provide the value of the Lc / MDA, in the same units as results (mrem), provide the signature of the person responsible for the quality of the report or his/her designee, and read the dosimeters on an as needed basis. Cognizant regulatory agencies and VA representatives shall be granted access to Contractor facilities, personnel, equipment, and records related to VA utilized vendor provided services. Contractor shall be responsible for notifying NVLAP, and VA prior to making a change in dosimeters used, or other equipment, materials, software, analysis models, or techniques that were considered to be primary components of a dosimetry program. If changes are made, the Contractor shall submit evidence supporting a conclusion that the modified system will be technically equivalent to the accredited system. The NAICS code for this requirement is 541690 with small business size standard of $16.5 Million. Landauer, Inc. is the only contractor capable of performing the required work because Landauer, Inc. has been maintaining our data base of dose records since 2007. When the dosimetry vendor is switched the data base records are not transferred. Individuals dose records revert to zero, and regulatory compliance is not maintained. Additionally, a dosimetry program is highly regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Maintaining a dosimetry program and records program requires using a reliable dosimetry processor who is in direct control of the dosimeters. Failure to maintain accurate records, and an appropriate dosimetry program that provides individual monitoring devices or equipment could result in severe penalties, lawsuits, fines, and/or the revocation of our permit to use byproduct material under the MML issued to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the NRC. Loss of our permit would result in the termination of all Nuclear Medicine Clinic Operations, all other clinical and therapeutic uses of radioactive materials, and the research use of radioactive materials. Penalties and fines could also be levied. As required by federal law specified in 10CFR20.1501, personnel dosimeters must be processed and evaluated by a dosimetry processor (1) Holding current personnel dosimetry accreditation from the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and (2) Approved in this accreditation process for the type of radiation or radiations included in the NVLAP program that most closely approximates the type of radiation or radiations for which the individual wearing the dosimeter is monitored. It is important that the contractor awarded this contract hold the actual NVLAP certification and maintain the actual data base of dose records. Landauer, Inc. is the only provide be that holds the actual NVLAP certification and maintains our data base. This notice of intent is not a solicitation nor is it a request for proposal. However, interested parties that believe they can satisfy the requirement listed above must clearly identify their capability to do so in writing by Monday, October 26, 2020 at 9:00 am EST time. Responses should be sent to John Shawki at issa.shawki@va.gov. Information submitted in response to this notice will be used solely to determine whether competitive procedures could be used for this acquisition. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition
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