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Contract Opportunity

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION.
THE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 12.
DISCLAIMER
This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. IAW FAR 12, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.
SOURCES SOUGHT DESCRIPTION
This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a sources sought/RFI only. The purpose of this sources sought/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 334516- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (size standard of 1,000 Employees). Responses to this sources sought will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this sources sought, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this sources sought synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 02 Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources that can provide PrintMate as On-Demand System and PrintMate AS Cassette Printer that at a minimum meet the following salient characteristics for the Hudson Valley Healthcare System:
To Be Delivered to:
Hudson Valley Medical Center Castle Point Campus
41 Castle Point Road
Wappingers Falls, NY 12590

The VA has a preference for domestic (manufactured in the United States) content where available.
Salient Characteristics:
For Cassette Printer
Print Method: Thermal Transfer (Ribbon)
Print Speed: ~10 seconds per cassette
Connectivity: USB
Power: 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 150 VA
Footprint: Compact, designed for grossing stations
Media: Thermal transfer ribbon (approx. 20,000 prints/roll) PrintMate cassettes
Color: Black print on cassette
Capacities: Available in 150, 450, or 900 cassette hopper sizes
Weight (Unit Only): Approx 31 lbs. (14 kg)

Features and Benefits:
Point-of-Use Printing: Prints needed cassettes directly at the grossing station
Workflow Automation: Prints barcodes for downstream processes
Reduces Error: Eliminates manual handwriting for better accuracy
Ease of Use: Cassettes come in tubes for easy loading

For the SlideMate

Must have on demand slide generating capability by scanning the barcode printed on the tissue cassette block at the individual microtomy workstation
Label must transfer directly onto the glass slide with no additional step
Must have a small footprint (no more than 13 d x 7 w x 12 h)
Must have a heat transfer toner as the printing method. Etchers are unacceptable as they require excessive maintenance and generate glass particles and pose potential health risks due to inhalation of glass particles and dust when performing printer maintenance
Ink must be able to withstand subsequent staining protocols without loss of clarity and intensity
System must allow use of microscope slides produced by a variety of manufacturer
If label is on paper, label must not be removable or peelable
Printer must allow the ability to print manually programmed single slides
Must offer a variety of font sizes and customization of label information to include accession number, stain type, level of cut and facility identification
This customization must be editable by laboratory staff
Vendor must provide 10 Thermal Transfer Ribbon for 5 years
Vendor must provide Hot foil Transfer Paper 5 rollsx5tubes for 5 years
Replacement equipment must be new not refurbished

The information identified above is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive and to indicate the quality of the supplies/services that will be satisfactory. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the supplies/services that fulfill the required specifications.

If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions:
Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), HUBZone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.)?
(2) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified under this RFI?
(3) Are you the manufacturer, distributor, or an equivalent solution to the items being referenced above?
(4) If you are a large business, do you have any designated distributors? If so, please provide their company name, telephone, point of Contact and size status (if available).
(5) If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above or an equivalent solution, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified?
(6) If you intend to sub contract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to sub contracted work and completion of job.
(7) Does your company have an FSS contract with GSA or the NAC or are you a contract holder with NASA SEWP or any other federal contract? If so, please provide the contract number.
(8) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC or NASA SEWP contract holder or other federal contract holder, are the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract?
(9) General pricing of your products/solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate any type of award.
(10) Please submit your capabilities in regard to the salient characteristics being provided and any information pertaining to equal to items to establish capabilities for planning purposes?
(11) Will the items you will be providing manufactured domestically in the United States or are they foreign manufactured items?
(12) Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A.
(13) Please provide your Sam.gov Unique Entity ID number.
Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Sanchez.Reid@va.gov. Telephone responses shall not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than June 22,2026 at 10:00AM EST. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this sources sought. Responses to this sources sought notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.

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