Medical Physics Services for Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility in Belcourt, ND

Sources Sought: Medical Physics Services for Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility (QNBMHCF) in Belcourt, ND

Sources Sought Notice Number: IHS-SS-26-1524266

This Sources Sought Notice is for informational and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation, an obligation or commitment by the Indian Health Service.

This notice is intended strictly for market research to determine the availability of Indian Economic Enterprises (IEE).

Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. The anticipated applicable NAICS code for this acquisition is 541690, for Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services- other relevant NAICS codes will be considered based on responses received (such as conference centers, etc.)

1. BACKGROUND

The IHS is an agency within the Department of Health & Human Services and is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Indian Health Service provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 567 federally recognized tribes, in 35 states. The Indian Health Service Headquarters is located in Rockville, MD and then divided into twelve (12) physical areas: Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson.

The Great Plains Area Office (GPAO) works in conjunction with 19 Indian Health Service Units and Tribal Managed Service Units to provide health care to approximately 130,000 Native American located in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.

QNBMHCF falls under the GPAO and provides medical care to approximately 14,550 tribal members living on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. The Service Unit was built in 1967 with renovation and clinic expansion completed in 1992, to provide an expanded level of outpatient health care services specifically designed to meet the needs of our population. Services include: 24 Hour Emergency Services, Laboratory, Radiology (CAT Scan & Mobile MRI) and 24-Hour Pharmacy Services, Optometry, Dental, Clinic, Emergency, Podiatry, Same Day Clinic, and Behavioral Health.

1. OBJECTIVE

Medical Physics Services at the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility in Belcourt, ND.

1. SCOPE

A. All imaging equipment shall be inspected at least annually.

not to exceed 14 months. Other inspections as defined below (new equipment, repairs, shielding,

etc.) shall be completed as needed. A complete electronic report in

"pdf' format shall be provided to Biomedical Engineering and the Radiation Safety Officer

(RSO) within 48 hours after completion of the inspection. A printed (hard copy) version of the

report results shall be provided within 15 working days after completion of the inspection.

Missed or errors in performance for required elements will be corrected at the expense of the

contractor. If errors are found in reports, corrections in "pdf' form will be submitted

expeditiously.

B. The qualified diagnostic Medical Physicist shall perform imaging equipment (x-ray

equipment, nuclear medicine cameras, PET/CT, ultrasound units, and MRs) inspections to ensure

compliance with the current American College of Radiology (ACR) and Mammography Quality

Standards Act (MQSA) requirements. Any deficiencies or non-conformances discovered during

the inspection shall be verbally communicated to Biomedical Engineering and the RSO prior to

the qualified diagnostic medical physicist leaving the facility. Deficiencies or non-conformances

which represent unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facility radiation

workers or patients must be reported to the RSO immediately upon discovery.

C. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall perform acceptance testing of all new or

relocated imaging equipment prior to first clinical use. The acceptance testing shall comply with

ACR and MQSA requirements. Any deficiencies or non-conformances discovered during the

inspection shall be verbally communicated to Biomedical Engineering and RSO prior to the

qualified diagnostic medical physicist leaving the facility. Deficiencies or non-conformances

which represent unsafe conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facility radiation

workers or patients shall be reported to Biomedical Engineering and the RSO immediately upon

discovery.

D. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall perform a full inspection of imaging equipment

after repairs or modifications that may affect the radiation output or image quality where

required. In cases where the unit may not be used clinically until inspected by a physicist, the

inspection must be completed within 72 hours after the facility contacts the contractor, Any

deficiencies or non-conformances discovered during the inspection shall be verbally

communicated to Biomedical Engineering and the RSO prior to the qualified diagnostic medical

physicist leaving the facility. Deficiencies or non-conformances which represent unsafe

conditions with the potential to adversely impact the facility radiation workers or patients shall be

reported to Biomedical Engineering and the RSO immediately upon discovery. Where acceptable,

the physicist will review and accept the repairs report from Engineering.

E. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall provide consultation for additional services as

needed, i.e., safety training. There is a separate line item in the price schedule for these services.

F. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall review CT protocols at least annually.

G. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall provide shielding design calculations for each

new, replaced, or relocated x-ray imaging system. The calculations for each shall comply with

the National Council for Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Report No. 147, and,

for dental units, NCRP Report No. 145, and shall be documented in a written report which

includes a diagram showing adjacent areas. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall

perform a shielding survey to verify the structural shielding was installed per the shielding design

report and complies with the design goals.

H. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall assist in the development of a comprehensive

technical quality assurance (QA) program (e.g., technique charts, repeat/reject analysis

monitoring, monitoring of exposure indices to radiographic image receptors, QA program for

display monitors, QA for CT, monitoring of dose metrics from fluoroscopy studies), which

complies with ACR recommendations, for all modalities. The qualified diagnostic medical

physicist shall review at least annually the QA program.

I. The qualified diagnostic medical physicist shall review the report from Engineering to verify

compliance of any necessary corrective action performed to correct deficiencies found. The

contractor will perform a follow-up inspection if necessary, according to ACR, MQSA, or other

relevant standards.

1. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS/ AND PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

All work shall be performed by a Qualified Medical Physicist (QMP) or the QMP must be onsite

providing direct quality control supervision during measurements made by a medical physicist

assistant/technician. A Qualified Medical Physicist is a person who is certified by the American

Board of Radiology, American Board of Medical Physics, or the Canadian College of Physicists

in Medicine. The contractors must submit evidence of board certification with their quote.

Required Test Equipment

• Densitometer

• SMPTE Test Pattern or another similar test pattern or phantom image having a wide

range of gray scales.

The same test image should be used each time.

1. TYPE OF ORDER

This is a firm fixed price purchase order.

1. ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The anticipated period of performance will be 12 months after date of award.

1. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Quentin N Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility

1300 Hospital Loop

Belcourt, ND 58316

1. REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

N/A

1. PAYMENT

Payment will be rendered once all supplies are shipped and accounted for and invoice is uploaded into IPP to be paid.  

10.0     Capability Statement/Information:

Interested parties are expected to review this notice to familiarize themselves with the requirements of this project. Failure to do so will be at your firm’s own risk. The following information shall be included in the capability statement:

1. A general overview of the respondents’ opinions about the difficulty and/or feasibility of the potential requirement, and any information regarding innovative ideas or concepts.

2. Information in sufficient detail about the respondent’s (a) current capability and capacity to perform the work; (b) prior completed events of similar nature/size; (c) organizational experience and management capability; and (d) examples of prior completed Government contracts and other related information.

3. The respondents’ UEI number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc.) Pursuant to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 541690, for Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services, or comparable NAICS

4. Any other information that may be helpful in developing or finalizing the requirements of the potential acquisition.

5. The capability statement shall not exceed 10 single-sided pages (including all attachments, resumes, charts, etc.) presented in single-space and using a 12-point font size minimum, in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper size, and 1 inch top, bottom, left and right margins.

6. All proprietary information should be marked as such. Statements should also include an indication of current certified small business status; this indication should be clearly marked on the first page of your capability statement (preferably placed under the eligible small business concern’s name and address). Responses will be reviewed only by IHS personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

7. Applicable company GSA Schedule number or other available procurement vehicle.

8. Fill out attached Indian Firm Representation Form and return with response.

11.0   Closing Statement

Point of Contact: Farrah Azure, Purchasing Agent, at Farrah.Azure@ihs.gov  

Submission Instructions:

Interested parties shall submit capability via email to Farrah Azure, at Farrah.Azure@ihs.gov . Must include Sources Sought Number IHS-SS-26-1524266 in the Subject line. The due date for receipt of statements is March 3, 2026, 12:00 p.m. Central Time.

All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered.

This notice is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of IHS.

IHS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, IHS may issue a Request for Quote (RFQ).

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against IHS shall arise as a result of a response to this notice or IHS’s use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement.

Disclaimer and Important Notes. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.

Confidentiality. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.