9310--Reprographic Printing Paper

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION ABOUT PRICING, DELIVERY, THE MARKET, AND CAPABILITIES IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI FOR PLANNING PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes 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 15.201(e), 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/RFI DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a Sources Sought Notice / RFI only. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice / RFI is to gain information about potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 322230 (size standard of 750 Employees). Responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI, further RFIs and/or a solicitation or other announcements may be published. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking sources capable of providing Reprographic Printing Paper equivalent to brand Hammermill. CLIN DESCRIPTION QTY UOM 0001 Hammermill Premium Laser Paper Part# HAM104604 or equal 5760 RM 0002 Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover Part# HAM120023 or equal 4608 RM 0003 Hammermill Premium Laser Print Paper Part# HAM104620 or equal 2880 RM 0004 Hammermill Great White Recycled Copy Paper Part# HAM86700 or equal 960 RM STATEMENT OF WORK General: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System located at 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles CA, 90073 has a requirement for replacement Reprographic Printing Paper equivalent to the Hammermill, to support the service reproduction center within the medical facility and Community-Based outpatient Clinics (CBOC) locations. The required materials will be used to create a variety of pamphlets, brochures, books, business cards as well as to create posters, flyers, and book binding. Scope: VA GLA Healthcare System is looking to purchase Reprographic Printing Paper to fulfill the printing needs of the facility. The contractor is required to provide brand name or equal equipment that meets or exceed the physical, functional, and performance of the listed salient characteristics in this section. Requirements/Salient Characteristics: CLIN 0001 Hammermill Premium Laser Paper Part# HAM104604 or equal Quantity: 5760RM Must come with 18 pallets equaling 5,760 reams. Must be standard letter size of 8.5"×11". Must be ultra smooth and laser optimized with a basis weight of 24 lbs to reduce show-through on duplex brochures/pamphlets and supports crisp color graphics in patient-facing prints. Must have a brightness of greater than or equal to 98 (U.S.) for high contrast and clear clinical charts/brand elements, improving perceived quality. Must have a standard letter size of 8.5"×11" minimizing tray changes/misfeeds. Must be acid-free to support long-term storage of VA materials without yellowing. Must have controlled moisture/curl to ensure reliable high-volume production with minimal jams/rework. CLIN 0002 Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover Part# HAM120023 or equal Quantity: 4608RM Must come with 14 pallets equaling 4,608 reams. Must be standard letter size of 8.5"×11". Must have a cover weight of 80 lbs ( 216 gsm) to provide stiffness and durability for booklet covers, business cards, and heavy brochures through finishing/mailing. Must have an extra-smooth surface to support high-fidelity color/toner blending and clean solids for professional covers/posters. Must have a brightness level greater than or equal to 100 (U.S.) to maximize color pop and legibility for graphics-rich materials. Must be able to run on digital color copiers/laser printers to ensure production on existing devices; no specialty press required. Must be acid-free to extend life of bound/admin materials stored on site. CLIN 0003 Hammermill Premium Laser Print Paper Part# HAM104620 or equal Quantity: 2880RM Must come with 9 pallets equaling 2,880 reams. Must have a sheet size of 11"×17" required for posters, spread layouts, imposition/folding, and signage. Must be ultra -smooth with a 24lbs basis weight for duplex tabloid jobs need opacity and toner adhesion to prevent show-through and ensure crisp color detail. Must have a brightness level greater than or equal to 98 (U.S.) to maintain professional visual quality for large-format pieces. Must be acid-free with controlled curl/moisture for larger sheets demand, stable feeding, and flatness for finishing. CLIN 0004 Hammermill Great White Recycled Copy Paper Part# HAM86700 or equal Quantity: 960RM Must come with 3 pallets equaling 960 reams. Must be standard letter size 8.5"×11". Must have a recycled content of 30% PCW to meet VA sustainability goals while maintaining office-grade performance. Must have a 20lb basis weight for cost-effective everyday forms/memos and adequate stiffness for routine B/W prints. Must have a brightness level greater than or equal to 92 (U.S.) to ensure legible contrast for standard office usage. Must be acid-free with dependable feeding to prevent yellowing and minimize jams in high-volume devices. Period of Performance: 10 Months ARO Place of Performance: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System 11301 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90073 Delivery Schedule The contractor is required to coordinate delivery with designated station POC. Items are not to be shipped all at once and shall only be shipped on a quarterly basis. The list of Reprographic Printing Paper characteristics is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive, of the supplies/services that are required. If your company is interested and capable of providing the required supplies/services, please provide the information indicated below. Incomplete responses to the questions below this notice will not be accepted. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Submit your capabilities statement illustrating how your organization can/cannot meet the SOW. For instances where your company cannot meet the SOW, please explain. For instances where your company can meet the SOW requirement(s), please show how your company meets/exceeds each requirement. (2) Please review the SOW and provide any additional feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. (3) 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. (4) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified in this RFI? (5) Are you the manufacturer, authorized distributor, and/or can your company provide a solution to the required supplies/services described in the list of SOW? (6) If you are a large business, do you have any designated/authorized distributors? If so, please provide their company name, telephone, point of contact and size status (if available). (7) If you re a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified. (8) Limitations on Subcontracting: How does your business ensure compliance with the limitations on subcontracting as outlined in 13 CFR § 125.6? (9) Are the items you are identifying/providing considered Commercial of the Shelf (COTS) items as defined in FAR Part 2.101 under commercial items? (10) Non-Manufacturer Rule: If applicable, can you confirm your business complies with the Non-Manufacturer rule? Specifically, does your company: Provide a product from a small business manufacturer or processor? Not exceed 500 employees? Primarily engage in the retail or wholesale trade and normally sell the type of item being supplied? Take ownership or possession of the item(s) with its personnel, equipment or facilities in a manner consistent with industry practice? (11) Please indicate whether your product conforms to the requirements of the Buy American Act? (12) What is your lead time to deliver a single unit with all components? Is there scale in lead time with greater quantities? Please elaborate. (13) What is estimated life span of your solution? What support/services does that entail? (14) Does your proposed equipment have FDA clearance? Please specify what FDA clearance(s) have been obtained. (15) Does your organization offer a leasing solution? Please elaborate. (16) Does your company have a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract? If so, please provide the contract number(s). (17) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract holder, are all the items/solutions you are providing information about available on your schedule/contract? Please state if all or some items are available on the contract. (18) 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 for any type of award. (19) Please provide your SAM.gov Unique Entity ID/Cage Code number. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Melissa.Ramirez8@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Monday, February 23rd, 2026 by 10:00 AM Pacific Local Time. All responses to this Sources Sought/RFI will be used for planning purposes only. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI are not considered a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. If further RFIs and/or a solicitation or other announcement is issued as a result of the information provided from this RFI, all interested parties must respond to the specific posting separately IAW the specifications of that announcement.