Fresno Blood and Blood Products

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for the provision of blood and blood products on an "AS NEEDED" basis to the VA Central California Health Care System (VACCHCS). The procurement is a sole source solicitation to Central California Blood Center.

• Furnish and deliver blood and blood products as available when ordered.

• All blood must be collected by closed system under aseptic conditions and labeled with expiration dates not exceeding 42 days (AS-1) or 35 days (CPDA1) from collection.

• Blood supplies must be free of hemolysis and clots.

• Vendor must provide 100% "volunteer donors" blood.

• Deliveries must be made within two (2) hours for STAT/Emergency orders and four (4) hours for stock orders.

• Fresh Frozen Plasma must have expiration dates at least nine (9) months in advance when shipped.

• Vendor must provide current FDA licensure and AABB accreditation documentation.

• Reference laboratory services for red cell antibody identification must be available 24/7.

• Plasmapheresis/cytopheresis services must be available 24/7.

• Vendor employees must wear visible company identification on VACCHCS property.

• Contract Type: Not explicitly stated, but implied to be a contract for supplies.

• Period of Performance: Base contract period is 06-01-2026 to 05-31-2027.

• Estimated Value: Not explicitly stated, but the size standard for NAICS 621991 is $40 Million.

• Proposal or quote submission instructions: Response is due via email only to leah.smith@va.gov.

• Evaluation criteria: Price only. The Government will evaluate the price by adding the total of all line item prices, including all options.

• Key deadlines or milestones: Offer Due Date is 05-06-2026 at 11:00 AM PDT. Questions must be received 2 business days prior to the closing date.

• This acquisition is listed as UNRESTRICTED or SET ASIDE. The specific set-aside is not detailed in the provided sections, but the NAICS code is 621991 with a size standard of $40 Million.

• The "Estimated Usage Price Schedule" and "Estimated Quantity Price Schedule.xls" are referenced as attachments.

• The solicitation incorporates by reference numerous FAR and VAAR clauses, including those related to contract terms, small business program representations, and electronic submission of payment requests.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet titled "Estimated Quantity Price Schedule.xlsx". It appears to be a pricing schedule or a list of items with associated costs, likely intended for use in a solicitation or contract related to blood and blood components, laboratory tests, and related services.

The spreadsheet contains several categories of items, including:

• Blood and Blood Components: Various types of blood products such as Low Titer O Whole Blood (LTOWB), Red Blood Cells (Leuko-reduced, Deglycerolized), Platelets (LVDS, Irradiated), Plasma (Fresh Frozen, Liquid), and Cryoprecipitate.
• Special Procedures: Services like Irradiation of Blood Products, Restocking Fees, and pick-up/delivery charges.
• Clinical Laboratory Test Charges: Tests such as CMV, Sickle Cell Workup, Hematocrit, and various titering and phenotyping procedures.
• Reference Laboratory Test Charges: Includes ABO/Rh testing, Antibody Identification Panels, Phenotyping, and Adsorption/Elution services.
• Transfusion Service Recipient Testing: Type and Screen, Type and Crossmatch, and Transfusion Reaction Work-up.
• Additional Products or Services: Consultations, transfer bags, and empty blood bags.

Bidders should review this document to understand the estimated quantities and potential pricing for a wide range of blood products, laboratory services, and related items. This information is crucial for developing accurate cost proposals and assessing the financial scope of the opportunity. It details specific units of measure and types of services for which pricing is expected.

Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition

This document justifies a sole-source procurement for blood and blood products for the Fresno VA Medical Center (VAMC). The procurement is a new firm-fixed-price, estimated quantity purchase order.

• An extensive list of blood and blood products.

• On-call delivery to the Fresno VA Medical Center.

• STAT delivery within two (2) hours of order placement.

• Contract Type: Firm-fixed-price, estimated quantity purchase order.

• Period of Performance: One (1) year, from 06/01/2026 to 05/31/2027.

This document is a justification for sole-source procurement, not a solicitation. Therefore, there are no proposal submission or evaluation instructions.

• Competition is restricted because only one responsible source (Central California Blood Center) can satisfy the agency's requirements.

• The Central California Blood Center is the only entity FDA registered to store and distribute blood products to the Fresno VA within the required short delivery timeframes.

• The Non-Manufacturer Rule will not apply, and no set-aside can be held.

• The procurement is a sole source to a Large Business.

• The contracting activity is the Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contract Office (NCO) 21 on behalf of VISN 21, VACCHCS, Fresno VAMC.

• The statutory authority for this restricted competition is 41 U.S.C. § 1901, implemented by FAR 12.102(b).

• Market research confirmed that while other vendors collect plasma, they are not authorized to store and distribute to others as required. Small Business Administration search tools did not yield capable vendors due to FDA requirements and short delivery times.

• The VA will continue market research to determine if future requirements can be competed.