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This Sources Sought Notice is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this Sources Sought Notice will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise because of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort.
The information provided may be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs in developing its acquisition approach, statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this Sources Sought Notice or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice.
The purpose of this sources sought announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Veteran Owned Small Businesses, 8(a), HubZone and other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the services described below.
Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Responses to this notice shall include the following: (a) company name (b) address (c) point of contact (d) phone, fax, and email (e) DUNS number (f) Cage Code (g) Tax ID Number (h) Type of small business, e.g. Services Disabled Veteran Owned small Business, Veteran-owned small business, 8(a), HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business, Small disadvantaged business, or Small Business HUBZone business and (i) must provide a capability statement that addresses the organizations qualifications and ability to perform as a contractor for the work described below
Work to be performed:
This solicitation is to provide the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Truman VAMC with a wireless communication system that is capable of interfacing with the currently existing nursing call system to expand communication capabilities throughout the facility footprint with no major performance degradation or lapse in coverage. Hemo/Onc The wireless communication system must be designed for scalability as well as expandability through intersystem connections that may/could interface with VistA/CPRS and the pending Cerner Electronic Health Medical Record (EHMR). All work will be completed remotely. This system will have to deliver alarms and notification to the appropriate staff members, Staff assignments and continue to be managed as indicated by table below:

Third Party System
Integration Detail
Model
Middleware Platform
Staff Assignment for Alarm Routing
Rauland
Nurse Call Notifications
Responder V
Vocera Engage
Vocera
Vista CPRS
ADT
N/A
N/A
N/A
B. BACKGROUND

The Truman VA currently uses several different systems (pagers, phones, nurse call, etc.) to communicate with the medical team, patients, and families. To enhance the Joint Commission safety goals for timely care, checking on patients frequently enough to prevent falls and injury, and reducing alarm fatigue, the Truman VA needs to obtain a system that can directly connect a caregiver to a patient, a provider, a coworker, or another procedure area, for rapid response when time is critical. The system needs to prioritize telemetry alarms, bed alarms, call bells, STAT orders, new orders, pain reassessment, IV pump alarms and tube feeding pump alarms. The medical center needs a system that uses wireless communication devices to connect all services for timely and safe response to patient and employee needs. The medical center additionally needs (as evidenced by the response to Covid-19 care and safety requirements) to have wireless voice activated phone devices that can be used hands free, be placed under PPE while not losing function and safely attach with a clip or break-away lanyard. The medical center needs a wireless service with capabilities to text individuals or groups securely, work on variable devices, and assure the communication benefit of direct and immediate contact can be utilized facility-wide, across multiple disciplines. The use of such a device saves service area time, reduces unneeded risk, and expedites workflow throughout the Medical Center, community clinics and field services.

C. SCOPE OF WORK

1. Project Manager will be assigned to this project at order acceptance by the Contractor. Project scheduling requests for project kick-off and other engagement activities, including but not limited to, Vocera workshop; Vocera call flow design; installation and implementation; end user training and go-live services; as well as the required Vocera resources for these project activities, can only be committed by the assigned Vocera Project Manager.
The Vocera Project Manager will schedule a project kick-off call with the Government to officially initiate the project, review the scope of services to be provided, introduce team members, set expectations, and develop a communications plan.

2 Vocera Integration Design Review Services

Deliverable: Vocera Communication Design and Notification Design Workbook (Design)

2.1 Remotely review the system modifications needed to the existing voice, messaging, and integrated designs.
Vocera will provide Customer with an updated Notification Design Workbook and Communication Design.

2.2 Configure the current active Directory integration from the government s staging environment to the production environment

2.3 Push the Active Directory integration from the government s staging environment to the production environment

2.4 Any variation from the best practice System Installation, Configuration and Testing Services deployment model may result in additional work effort and require a Change order for the required work as result of those changes.

2.5 Conduct Solutions Validation of the Vocera solution, working with the Truman VA team to troubleshoot issues which may arise during the end-to-end testing

2.6 Vocera will provide an implementation Report documenting the initial configuration of the system at the completion of the installation.

3. Alarm Integration: Engage Configuration and Testing Services

Deliverable: Implementation Report

3.1 Modify the alarm configuration of the existing third-party integrations.

3.2 Vocera will work with the third-party to enable nurse call system caregiver to call back functionality (if applicable).

4. Solution Validation Services

Deliverable: Notification Design Workbook (Solution Validation)

4.1 Conduct remote testing with VA Staff to demonstrate the customized design configuration in a controlled, pre-go-live setting. Both technical and clinical teams should participate to verify functionality as designed.

4.2 Vocera will debrief the hospital team (PM, clinical leadership, system admin) with the final analysis of the Solution Validation and discussions will focus on any issues/concerns, technical hurdles, validation of the system and next steps.

Schematics/Space considerations?
The project manager will work with BioMed, the engineer and Informatics to ensure that hardlines have been installed and that all servers are installed and functional so that company can link all the switches together for proper function of the Vocera system. This is a service that can be done online via computer and no onsite visit is needed.
D. CLINICAL COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENT EXAMPLES

STAT orders response to increase Staff Efficiency and Patient Safety.
All orders/requests can be accepted, escalated or if no response auto escalated to another staff member able to handle the need.
Emergent call light notification, ability to set notifications to check patients, post PRN, fall risk, symptom management assessment, etc.
Code Blue (cardiac arrest), Code Orange (disruptive behavior), and Rapid Response Team (RRT) events group communication, info texted from the computerized patient records system (CPRS) or Electronic Health Medical Record (EHMR) for team to have info before they arrive.
Lab alerts, vital signs (VS) alerts, communication and ability to notify or escalate.
Workflow communication related to Discharge: patient ready to discharge, transportation status, medications ready for pick up, discharge packet delivered to desk and other communication between services and care team members.
Bed availability and room change workflow: staff aware, ready to send/receive, Environmental Management System (EMS) staff, bed cleaned, group includes supervisors, Nursing Officer of the Day (NOD) Bed Control, Medical Team members.
Alarm management, communication to devices and escalated to prevent the noise and agitation alarms cause elderly and patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Alarms for missed treatment, workflows for diagnoses as determined by the Veterans Affairs (VA) clinical teams.
Communication for patient who leaves the unit against medical advice (AMA) and group communication for search and welfare check information.
Alerts for system failures, call system, switch to generator or uninterrupted power source devices, Negative airflow alarm communication and info to Maintenance, or Biomedical engineering.

Staff call for emergent assistance - silent Code Orange over devices, with location and room.

E. The CONTRACTOR shall provide connection to the call system with a PRI card/T1 connection to the existing phone system and Rauland 5 Nurse Call system.

The alarm management system must manage the following alarms and alerts:
Current Rauland 5 Nurse Call System
VISTA/CPRS record system that is planned to be upgraded to Cerner in the future
including pain reassessment
Critical lab values
New Orders
STAT orders
Phillips Telemetry System
Bed Alarms from the following be manufactures are wide ranging from but not limited to; CHG, Hill Rom, Kreg,
. Tube Feeding Alarms
Alaris IV Pump Alarms
Independent house-wide paging system.
Active Directory

The alarm management system must change out integration to new CONTRACTORs without additional expense to the Truman VA VAMC as equipment is upgraded.

F. Project Tasks:

CONTRACTOR will provide the necessary configuration documentation, guidance and installation assistance as required to meet the Truman VA objectives.
CONTRACTOR will perform the following tasks to implement the solution described in this SOW. Tasks will be completed during normal business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday, excluding Government-observed holidays, unless otherwise negotiated and noted in this SOW.
Prior to commencing the implementation services, CONTRACTOR will perform a network assessment for the location to ensure the current infrastructure will support and is properly configured to ensure the desired call quality is obtained. Any associated costs with the remediation of any issues identified by the network assessment are outside the scope of this Statement of Work, including any additional hardware or software that may be required.
Planning and Design:
CONTRACTOR will perform a network assessment on the infrastructure for the location prior to commencing the backend systems implementation and shall include:
O Simulating converged traffic on the infrastructure to measure delay, jitter and packet loss
O The system must utilize the Truman VAMC wireless infrastructure (Med WIFI)
O Perform a wireless site survey of the areas that will be utilizing the wireless IP phones. Based on the results of the wireless survey the CONTRACTOR will make recommendations for changes (if any) that will be needed to support VoIP communication. NOTE: This could result in the need to purchase additional access points, cabling, installation services that are not covered in this SOW.

The system needs to operate in 5 GHz bandwidth.
CONTRACTOR will perform any installation required for devices associated with the system acquired.

Hardware/Middleware/Nurse Call Solution
Mobile Communication for Nurses:

O Simple integration with existing nurse call system to send alerts directly to Wireless Device/Phones providing the nurse or clinician the option to respond immediately, via a phone call or acknowledgment, at their convenience.
Device Messaging

O From a web browser, or from a phone, secure text messages can be sent to groups of people or individuals on their devices nearly instantaneously.
O Messages sent using Device Messaging use a secure encrypted non-SMS delivery mechanism. No PHI resides on the end point devices.
O Message templates can be configured for emergency notification situations such as a severe weather alert.
O Individual reply and group reply options are included.
O Access restrictions may be enabled such that only key users can send the messages.
O This solution minimizes the need for overhead paging systems to be used for mass notifications. It can also reduce the number of phone calls that might need to be made from person to person.

G. INSTALLATION TEST AND ACCEPTANCE:

Conduct remote testing with VA Staff to demonstrate the customized design configuration in a controlled, pre go-live setting. Both technical and clinical teams should participate in order to verify functionality as designed.
Vocera will debrief the hospital team (PM, clinical leadership, system admin) with the final analysis of the Solution Validation and discussions will focus on any issues/concerns, technical hurdles, validation of the system and next steps.
Schematics/Space considerations?
The project manager will work with BioMed, the engineer and Informatics to ensure that hardlines have been installed and that all servers are installed and functional so that company can link all the switches together for proper function of the Vocera system. This is a service that can be done online via computer and no onsite visit is needed.
Truman VAMC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Truman VAMC understands that all services performed by CONTRACTOR will be based on the following assumptions and Truman VAMC responsibilities.
Government Responsibilities:

To facilitate a productive engagement, Customer is responsible for the following:
Provide a single point of contact to manage the Vocera implementation, obtain resources, schedule client personnel, and review and approve engagement deliverables.
Acquire and configure all related server and network hardware and resources as identified by Vocera in the Deployment Sizing Matrix (and/or specifications provided by Vocera at time of project initiation). Ensure hardware required for Vocera System is ready at the time services are provided. This includes rack mounting servers, procuring IP address for servers, and configuring servers to network.
Schedule all client personnel as necessary for implementation activities, and review and approve engagement deliverables.
Ensure that all necessary client IT and clinical personnel as identified by Vocera are available at mutually agreed times and dates to support key meetings, including but not limited to call flow design meeting, installation, assessment, and training.
Ensure that all necessary client IT and clinical personnel as identified by Vocera review and completion of deliverables. Any changes to deliverables will be handled through a change order process. Change Order request can be initiated by either the Client or by Vocera.
Assign technical resources that have access and adequate permissions on the Vocera servers and configuration computers.
Customer must ensure VMWare ESX is available for virtual environment configuration.
Schedule all remote Vocera Standard services in local time between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday thru Friday. There is a 20% upcharge for Premium services which are delivered outside of these hours. Vocera services are performed in 8* hour days.
Designate a single point of contact to whom all CONTRACTOR communications may be addressed and who has the authority to act on all aspects of the services throughout the duration of the project; such contact shall be available during normal hours of business (Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 16:30pm local time, excluding holidays)
Supply access information and credentials to the engineer(s) for all existing equipment that needs to be configured or may need to be modified
Specify physical and logical network topology for Truman VAMC existing network infrastructure and identify connectivity requirements for other network-attached devices (system implementation without physical and logical network topology confirmation will require Truman VAMC authorization and responsibility acceptance)
Arrange for network access to terminate the equipment
Disposal services to remove boxes and packing materials
Provide usernames and passwords to network equipment
Designate and provide scheduled access to Information Assurance personnel for required IA processes
Set up EE device and equipment tracking
Apply for and provide proof of any required Interim or Final Authority to Connect/Operate documentation, as well as any waivers (e.g., JITC or Defense Information Security Agency (DISA))
Truman VAMC maintains responsibility for ensuring compliance with specific Change Review Boards or end-user notification of outage events.
Truman VA VAMC is responsible for ensuring CONTRACTOR is notified of any Change Review Board requirements or other outage events that may impact/delay performance of contracted objectives
Truman VAMC will provide appropriate Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)server access to provision system backups prior to and following installation/upgrades

Assumptions:

Vocera is not responsible for the following:
Troubleshooting or maintaining hardware infrastructure, including servers, network, SQL Server Database, and the PBX
Third party system interfaces (licensing, configuration, and interoperability)
Configuration of telephony switch / PBX
Wireless remediation, including but not limited to configuration and/or adjustment to network controllers / settings
Deployment of MDM solution.
Allocation of names and locations of access points
Any services not included in this Statement of Work are considered out of scope

Services Quotation Summary:

Based on our understanding of your requirements, we estimate that 35 hours of Vocera Services will be required. All work will be completed remotely.
Vocera staff are assigned and scheduled based on agreed to schedules. Any changes to confirmed schedules may cause scheduling conflicts or may cause Vocera to forfeit non-refundable costs incurred. Therefore, once a schedule for Vocera staff has been agreed to by Customer, schedule changes that do not have Vocera prior written approval and/or at least two (2) weeks prior notice are subject to delay fees. Delay fees may include non-refundable costs incurred and contracted services fees of scheduled work for the delayed staff previously scheduled. These fees will be managed through a Change Order to this Statement of Work.
In the event additional services are required due to Customer not meeting the requirements outlined under Assumptions , project schedule delays and/or changes related to Customer deliverables, activities, wireless network and infrastructure readiness, staff availability for scheduled meetings and end user training, staff assignments, etc., If this occurs, the Vocera project team will communicate with Customer regarding the additional scope and estimated cost of these additional services.
Please allow a minimum of six (6) weeks after receipt of the completed Vocera order for kick-off and scheduling of the engagement.

Contract Administration Data
All contract administration functions will be retained by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Contracting Officer will be the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of
the requirements under this contract. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting
Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer will be
authorized to make commitments or issue changes that affect price, quantity, or quality of
performance of this contract. In the event the Contractor effects any such change at the direction of
any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered unauthorized and no
adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred as a result
thereof.

Contracting Officer s Representative
Pursuant to VAAR Provision 852.270-1, Representatives of Contracting Officer, the
designated representative for this contract will be determined at award.

Acronyms and Definitions
CDR: Contract Discrepancy Report. Report issued by the Government to the contractor to
document a supply or service found to be unacceptable during contract performance.
CLIN: Contract Line-Item Number. Unit of work (or service) to be performed (or delivered) by the
contractor as a pay item.
CO: Contracting Officer. A person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate
contracts and make related determinations and findings.
COR: Contracting Officer s Representative. An individual, including a Contracting Officer s
Representative (COR), designated and authorized in writing by the contracting officer to perform
specific technical or administrative functions.
QA: Quality Assurance. Actions taken by the government to assure contracted services meet PWS
requirements.

Personnel
Non-Personal Services
This is a non-personal services contract. Personnel rendering services under this contract are not
subject either by the contract s terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and
control usually prevailing in relationships between the government and its employees. The
Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service s performing
services herein. Such contract service s shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn,
is responsible to the Government.
Contractor Compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
The Contractor shall comply with any and all legal provisions contained in the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1952, As Amended; its related laws and regulations that are enforced by
Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Department of Labor as
these may relate to non-immigrant foreign nationals working under contract or subcontract for the
Contractor while providing services to Department of Veterans Affairs patient referrals.
Important information: The Government is not obligated to, nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this source sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to an acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. Currently a total set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms is anticipated based on the Veterans Administration requirement with Public Law 109-461, Section 8127 Veterans Benefit Act.
However, if response by Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms proves inadequate, an alternate set-aside or full and open.
Any response to this source selection from Interested parties must be received NLT 02/20/2023, 1200 PM CST.
Attention: Michael Murphy, Contracting Specialist.
Email: Michael.murphy7@va.gov

Please reference 36C255-23-Q-0153in the subject line.

Please provide your Unique Entity ID so that your organization can be identified in SAM.GOV and VetBiz if organization is claiming SDVOSB preference.

Only organizations with an active SAM.GOV account can be considered.

Utilize this link to either start a new registration or to renew the organization s registration.

https://sam.gov/content/home

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