6515--Replacement Automated Medication Dispensing System Salt Lake City Health Care System (SLCHCS) 36C25925Q0433

SYNOPSIS DESCRIPTION: The Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 19 Rocky Mountain Acquisition Center, 6162 S. Willow Drive, Suite 300, Greenwood Village CO 80111 intends to solicit sources to enter into a firm-fixed price contract to provide a replacement automated medication dispensing system for the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center and surrounding outpatient clinics. The solicitation package may be available for download on or about July 14th, 2025. The applicable NAICS code is 339112 Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 1,000 Employees. This solicitation is a 100% unrestricted. The solicitation reference is 36C25925Q0433 Replacement Automated Medication Dispensing System and should be referenced in all correspondence/ inquiries. All information for this solicitation will be posted on Contract Opportunities at https://www.sam.gov/. No hard copies of the solicitation will be provided. Any amendments to this solicitation will be available at this website and offerors are advised that they are responsible for obtaining amendments to this solicitation at this website prior to the time of responding to the solicitation. This is the pre-solicitation notice only.

This solicitation is for a replacement automated medication dispensing system, installation and implementation, as well as removal and disposal of the existing equipment at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center and surrounding VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

Questions and Answers Salt Lake City Health Care System Automated Medication Dispensing System **Please note Potential vendors should only reference the current information provided in the solicitation for this requirement. Any information obtained prior to the posting of this solicitation should not be used by vendors to determine what to include in their potential quotes. The solicitation was built to describe the current need of the each location and this information might be different from information a vendor may or may not have received in previous years. **The solicitation was generated to describe the current needs of the facilities. It is the responsibility of each vendor to determine the best information and products to provide within their quotes based on the information given in the solicitation. In the interest of fair competition, the station team cannot and will not provide any preferences and will not be able to apply preferences during the evaluation stage. Vendors will only be considered if their quote package includes all specified documents and information by the quote deadline. Section Functional and Technical Specifications and Attachment A With the stated 25% expansion yearly over 5 years, please provide patient acuity types and numbers of beds or patients each ADC will support daily for all areas targeted for expansion to decentralized cartless model (cartless = 85%+ meds housed in ADCs on patient units vs current model of 40% or less; meds currently are Pharmacy delivered in patient specific carts daily). Please only reference the most recent information provided in the solicitation. It is up to the vendor to determine what the quantity and configurations would be required to meet the requirements found within the Statement of Work (SOW) section of the solicitation. The only additional data we can provide is that the ADCs used within the inpatient wards at the main facility (2-East, 2-West, 2-N, 3-A, 3-West, IPU, Sarrdom Room A, Sarrdom Room C, and SICU) usually support 10-15 patients daily. With expansion to a decentralized cartless model in mind (increase of 25% capacity of meds on the units in ADCs yearly x 5 years), please provide the construction walkthrough information mentioned and gathered by Pharmacy and Facilities to accommodate for additional hardware if needed? Any construction to the facility would occur based on the equipment proposed by the vendor for that space. Logistics will be discussed during the post-award meeting with the selected vendor to determine timelines and any construction (if needed). Please confirm which locations will need ADCs that have no automation currently, and please include the patient acuity, bed numbers or number of patients and med orders supported by that net new ADC that is not already quoted/configured? Please only reference the most recent information provided in the solicitation. Currently, no automation is found at all of the outpatient clinics and several departments within the facility listing found in the Statement of Work (SOW) section of the solicitation. A minimum of 57 cabinets addresses both the areas with current ADCs and areas that do not have automation capability currently. Please provide PROPOSED med lists for areas targeted to move to decentralized cartless model? If that med list is not available or accurate, please provide BCMA (Administration) doses and volumes for all Profiled areas for the last 6 months so that we may project a Finished Drug Count for all proposed ADCs moving to the Cartless model. All mediation lists were provided within the SOW section of the solicitation for both locations that currently have ADCs and for areas that do not have automation already. Salient Characteristics Does VASLC prefer Patient Specific Medication storage to be in metal locked lidded tamper proof bins that are automatically assigned via the software to the specific PATIENT (NOT the bed numbers), and does VASLC prefer the software to manage and provide exact real time view of Patient Specific Bin inventory, dose and order updates, as well as Patient Transfers via automated prompts to Nurses and Technicians? The minimum requirement is for locking lids with patient specific medication storage with a locking mechanism. Other details such as metal locking bins are up to the discretion of the vendor to determine whether it meets the requirements found within the SOW section of the solicitation. In regard to inventory, please reference the SOW section of the solicitation for information regarding real time inventory tracking and other inventory requirements. Does VASLC prefer the patient specific med label printer to be included with the ADC, and internally integrated and supported by the software and not a third party? The minimum requirement for printers is listed in the SOW section of the solicitation. Does VASLC prefer a 10-year life cycle for the equipment that will be quoted in this RFQ? There is no life cycle minimum requirement in this SOW section of the solicitation. Does VASLC prefer Single Dose Dispensing in areas where there are high volumes of high-risk narcotics? (therefore, nurses do not need to count remaining doses in a bin after issuing a single dose). The minimum requirement within the SOW section of the solicitation is Provide secure dispensing of controlled substances with single unit dispensing restricting access to more than required dose. It is up to the vendor to determine if single dose dispensing meets this requirement and all others in the SOW section of the solicitation. Does VASLC prefer guided light technology for Nursing and Pharmacy Technicians to guide them to the exact location for the medication sought? It is the vendor s determination on whether this functionality is required to meet the minimum requirements found within the SOW section of the solicitation. The carousel requirements state have a mechanism (e.g., display pointing to correct location of drug) to identify where drug is stored . Does VASLC prefer a single database and single server? (Context to the value provided): Ensures data integrity with meaningful use-compliant EHR systems Creating more efficient enterprise-wide inventory management New sites can easily be accommodated without additional infrastructure The versatility of the platform enables you to configure an optimal inventory distribution system across your enterprise Shared database reduces system and formulary maintenance and helps prevent errors Interoperability with EHRs streamlines clinical workflow Scales to large and growing health systems, providing enterprise-wide inventory management Analytics based on more comprehensive data provides greater inventory visibility and diversion monitoring insights The SOW section of the solicitation states The licenses must allow for the interconnection between all locations on a single platform. It is up to the vendor to determine if a single site/single database meets this requirement and all others in the SOW section of the solicitation. Does VASLC prefer a real time closed loop reporting when they migrate to VISTA? (Issue to Administration data in a single real time report AND Administration data viewable in Diversion Monitoring software). It is up to the vendor to determine if a real time closed loop reporting meets all requirements related to diversion and all others in the SOW section of the solicitation. Does VASLC prefer remote queuing, wasting, overriding and med searching embedded in Cerner EHR (MPages) aka true VISTA Interoperability (not a link)? Currently VASLC is not scheduled to transition to the Federal EHR until 2029, however, it is a requirement that replacement equipment is able to communicate with Federal EHR via HL7 messaging to mitigate this transition. Does the RFQ require all net new refrigerators? Would VASLC prefer automated fully CDC approved refrigerator locks with real time temperature and inventory reporting, and/or refrigerated bins with guiding lights that can be installed in and are compatible with most Follett or Helmer models? The minimum requirement is for all net new refrigerators. Line Item 0005 - Please validate the size and dimensions of current carousels: (height, depth, width). Please provide CAD drawings. Will the new carousel height go into the ceiling? Current carousels are product: Taylst Model: VC 3046225200-10. CAD drawings are unavailable, and the current carousels do go into the ceiling. It is up to the vendor on whether the new carousel will go into the ceiling. When does installation start? The delivery lead time of the selected vendor will be a major factor in determining when installation will begin. However, the overall expectation is that installation should commence as soon as possible. A post-award meeting shall occur in which the station team and winning vendor discuss the logistics of this requirement. What is the date all equipment must be delivered? It is the station s understanding that the delivery lead time may vary substantially from one manufacturer and/or vendor to the next. As a result, a definitive date was not proposed within the solicitation. Part of the vendors quote packages must include the provision of delivery lead times for each line item. Vendors should make every effort to provide the most accurate information as delivery lead time has been included as an evaluation factor. **The post-award meeting with the station team and the winning vendor would then determine the most reasonable timeline for delivery and installation. Please clarify that these are cabinets and FDA approval is not required Part of this requirement includes cabinets (Automated dispensing cabinets) but other items are included that would not be considered cabinets. Please ensure all items are addressed if your company chooses to submit a quote by the deadline. The solicitation states All equipment shall be FDA approved. The equipment should already have FDA approval by the quote submission deadline. Any submissions with equipment still pending FDA approval shall not be considered. Per the FDA website, automated dispensing cabinet systems are considered medical devices and must have FDA clearance. Per the FDA, the system consists of the cabinet itself as well as the software to operate the system and are subject to FDA regulations. The FDA website does not mention that barcode scanners, printers, auxiliary accessories as part of the clearance though.

The solicitation for the Automated Medication Dispensing System is hereby extended to Tuesday, August 12th, no later than 12 pm Mountain Standard Time. Vendors must provide all required documentation and information by the quote deadline in order to be considered.