Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
580-27-1-255-0018 Steris Base Contract
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryCombined synopsis/solicitation 36C25627Q0058 (Steris Base Contract): the Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contract Office 16 (36C256), wants maintenance and repair support for Steris sterilizers, washers and related equipment at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX. Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) can bid. The response due date is November 5, 2026, 2:00 PM Central. The base period runs November 16, 2026 to November 15, 2027, with Option 1 from November 16, 2027 to November 15, 2028. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
The notice looks incomplete: Part of the solicitation file (36C25627Q0058_1.docx) was attached but not read: the middle of the file was left out, including most of the line item price schedule and some contract clauses. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Combined synopsis/solicitation 36C25627Q0058 (Steris Base Contract): the Department of Veterans Affairs, Network Contract Office 16 (36C256), wants maintenance and repair support for Steris sterilizers, washers and related equipment at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX. Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) can bid. The response due date is November 5, 2026, 2:00 PM Central. The base period runs November 16, 2026 to November 15, 2027, with Option 1 from November 16, 2027 to November 15, 2028.
Who can bid (7)
- Be a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) designated in the System for Award Management (SAM) as certified by the SBA; offers from other businesses will not be considered. A joint venture can qualify if its SDVOSB partner performs at least 40 percent of the work
- Stay within the services limit on subcontracting: no more than 50% of the amount the VA pays you may go to firms that are not certified SDVOSBs or veteran-owned small businesses
- Have an established business with an office and full-time staff, including a fully qualified, OEM-certified field service engineer and a qualified backup
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- Field service engineers must have completed formal OEM training and have at least two years of experience on the covered equipment; send written assurance and a list of credentials for each make and model before award
- Have the agreement for remote connection to VA equipment (MOU/ISA) with the Veterans Health Administration in place before award, and show it to the contracting officer and COR
- Demonstrate an active security clearance before award
- Carry general liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence and property damage liability of at least $500,000, plus state workers' compensation
How to submit: Email to felicia.lovelady@va.gov. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (10)
From the version posted Oct 26, 2026.
- Serious: Set aside for SDVOSBs certified by SBA. Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses certified by SBA and listed in SAM can bid; other businesses are not considered.
- Serious: OEM-certified technicians and Steris experience required. You need OEM-trained field service engineers with two years on this equipment, and three healthcare examples of servicing similar Steris equipment, or the quote is unacceptable.
- Serious: Network connection agreement and clearance needed before award. You must have an agreement with the Veterans Health Administration for remote access to the equipment, and show an active security clearance, before award.
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- Worth checking: Subcontracting limit certification must be sent with the quote. At least half of the money paid to you must stay with SDVOSB or veteran-owned firms; a missing certificate makes the offer ineligible.
- Worth checking: Site visit on October 28, 2026 and questions due the same day. The site visit is at 9:00 AM local time at Building 100, Main Lobby; the text does not call it mandatory. Questions are due by email at close of business on October 28, 2026.
- Worth checking: Payment cut for downtime and liability for lost production. Monthly payment drops as downtime passes 24 hours and reaches 100% at 33 hours or more, and the VA can bring in another firm after 33 consecutive hours.
- Worth checking: All parts, travel, manuals and tools are the contractor's cost. Price must cover parts, labor and travel; the VA provides no tools, test equipment or service manuals, and only new OEM parts are allowed.
- Worth checking: Invoicing: monthly in one section, quarterly in another. Section B.1 says monthly in arrears for completed work, while the payment section says invoices go in arrears at the start of each quarter; ask the contracting officer which governs.
- Worth checking: Two-hour phone response, any time of day. Your engineer must answer a phone call within two hours, 24 hours a day, and be on site within 24 hours if it cannot be fixed remotely.
- Minor: One Option 1 line shows a different start date. One option line item lists November 6, 2027 as the start of Option 1, while the other option lines say November 16, 2027.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- 36C25627Q0058_1.docx (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Preventive maintenance (PM) visits on the Steris equipment in Appendix A, per the maker's latest procedures, with checklists and worksheets given to the VA's contracting officer's representative (COR) after each visit
- Corrective (repair) service: a phone response within two hours, any time of day, and on-site work within twenty-four hours if it cannot be fixed remotely
- Technical phone support 24x7, chamber cleaning, recall alert monitoring, and access to the Steris M! Link portal and app
- A 99% equipment up-time commitment, with payment reductions when monthly downtime passes 24 hours
- New original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts only, with all labor, parts and travel included in the price
- Written service reports for every visit, signed by the field service engineer (FSE) and a VA employee
- Emergency non-routine repairs on a separate line, not to exceed $1500 per repair, each approved by the COR
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP): one set price, whatever the work ends up costing. Commercial services; invoices monthly in arrears for completed work in Section B.1
- Period of performance
- Base: November 16, 2026 to November 15, 2027. Option 1: November 16, 2027 to November 15, 2028. Clauses 52.217-8 and 52.217-9 also allow extensions
- Place of performance
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA): the lowest-priced quote that meets all technical capability and past performance requirements wins
- Offers due
- November 5, 2026, 2:00 PM Central
- How to submit
- Email to felicia.lovelady@va.gov
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical Capability: (a) Experience: at least three examples of servicing and repairing similar Steris (OEM) equipment in a healthcare setting; (b) Certification: resumes of qualified personnel with certifications and training on the listed equipment
- Past Performance: reference contacts and Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) reviews, with no rating below satisfactory in the last three years
- Price: every line item, including option periods, from the Section B.3 price schedule
What to include when you submit
- Email the quote package to felicia.lovelady@va.gov so it is received by the response due date and time
- Include the solicitation number, your name, address, telephone number and unique entity identifier (UEI), and a statement of how far you agree with all terms
- Complete Section B.1 (1)(a): contractor contact name, title, phone, email and SAM UEI
- Complete and sign the Section B.3 price schedule for every line item, including all option periods
- Complete and sign the Section C.7 certificate of compliance with the limits on subcontracting (VAAR 852.219-75); offers without it are not considered
- Technical Capability, Experience: send at least three examples of servicing and repair of similar Steris equipment in a healthcare setting, from your own contracts and any planned subcontractors
- For each example give the customer's legal name, contract number, contracting officer or customer contact, services and equipment, size and scope, and key personnel
- Technical Capability, Certification: send resumes of qualified personnel with all relevant certifications and licenses and proof of training on the listed Steris equipment
- Submit your questions by email by close of business on October 28, 2026, with the solicitation number in the subject line
Not in the notice text
- Part of the solicitation file (36C25627Q0058_1.docx) was attached but not read: the middle of the file was left out, including most of the line item price schedule and some contract clauses
- Whether there are option periods beyond Option 1 is not shown in the text that was read
- The Government's estimate or contract value is not stated
- Section D says a Wage Determination is attached; it was not in the text that was read
- Quantities and unit for each price schedule line are only partly shown (the lines read show 2.00 EA each)
Eligibility and how to respond
- Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified through SBA's VetCert can bid as the prime contractor. Not certified through VetCert yet? Apply on VetCert (SBA), or start with the SDVOSB guide. More open service-disabled veteran-owned set-asides under NAICS 811210
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to felicia.lovelady@va.gov. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 26, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- 256-Network Contract Office 16 (36C256), Ridgeland, MS
- Product/service code
- J065 · Maint/Repair/Rebuild of Equipment – Medical, Dental, and Veterinary Equipment and Supplies
- Business type
- Equipment repair & maintenance (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 811210)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
- Open SDVOSB set-aside contracts
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, SDVOSB (service-disabled veteran-owned small business), Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
COMBINED SYNOPSIS SOLICITATION SEE ATTACHMENT