Solicitation
Bemidji Area Wide Teleradiology Services for Diagnostic Interpretation of Radiologic Studies
Department of Health and Human Services · Indian Health Service
AI summaryIndian Health Service (IHS), Bemidji Sub-Area, wants a small business to read X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, mammography, bone density (DEXA) and heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) images remotely for the Red Lake and Cass Lake hospitals in Minnesota. It is a 100% small business set-aside, firm-fixed-price (FFP) indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract: orders are placed as needed at set prices. The base year runs April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028 with four one-year options, and the response due date is November 13, 2026, 1:00 PM CT. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 22, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 13, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 22, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov.
Indian Health Service (IHS), Bemidji Sub-Area, wants a small business to read X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, mammography, bone density (DEXA) and heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) images remotely for the Red Lake and Cass Lake hospitals in Minnesota. It is a 100% small business set-aside, firm-fixed-price (FFP) indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract: orders are placed as needed at set prices. The base year runs April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028 with four one-year options, and the response due date is November 13, 2026, 1:00 PM CT.
Who can bid (7)
- 100% small business set-aside under NAICS 621512; only small businesses can bid.
- Active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM).
- Contractor accredited by The Joint Commission or another relevant accreditation organization.
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- At least two radiologists with Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) certification able to read mammography.
- Every interpreting radiologist must be board certified or board eligible by the American Board of Radiology or equivalent, hold a current unrestricted U.S. state medical license if required, and hold a current teleradiology certification per Minnesota state requirements.
- Radiologists need a minimum of two (2) years of experience in teleradiology and no Medicare, Medicaid or other federal sanctions and no Office of Inspector General reports for civil or criminal charges.
- Use a HIPAA-compliant, FDA-approved teleradiology platform with a DICOM system that connects to each service unit's image archive (PACS).
How to submit: Email the complete proposal; the letter lists contracting officer Jennifer Richardson (jennifer.richardson@ihs.gov) and contract specialist Mary Simon (mary.simon2@ihs.gov) but does not say which address receives proposals. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (12)
- Serious: SAM.gov and the solicitation disagree on the set-aside. SAM.gov lists a set-aside for small businesses, but the solicitation the AI read says no set-aside. Ask the contracting officer which applies before you bid.
- Serious: 100% small business set-aside. Only small businesses can bid; larger firms are not eligible.
- Serious: Accreditation and mammography-certified radiologists required. The contractor must be accredited by The Joint Commission or similar and have at least two MQSA-certified radiologists; a business without these cannot meet the requirements.
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- Worth checking: Response due date may conflict between documents. SAM.gov, the notice and the instruction letter say November 13, 2026, 1:00 PM CT, but the SF 1449 text appears to show 11/12/2026 in its offer due date block. Ask the contracting officer which governs.
- Worth checking: Exam quantities differ between the bid schedule and the PWS. The bid schedule line quantities do not match the per-hospital counts in the PWS, and MRI has a schedule quantity but no count in the PWS. Quantities are estimates only, but they drive the evaluated price.
- Worth checking: Pricing basis is described three ways. The schedule prices each exam, the evaluation text asks for an all-inclusive hourly rate, and invoicing allows a flat monthly rate. Ask the contracting officer how to price.
- Worth checking: STAT reads within 30 minutes, with round-the-clock coverage. Urgent studies must be signed within thirty (30) minutes at 95% compliance, with after-hours, weekend and holiday coverage, which needs enough radiologists on call.
- Worth checking: Radiologist credentialing and Minnesota certification before work starts. Each radiologist must be credentialed and privileged by IHS and hold a Minnesota teleradiology certification; credentialing starts at least 90 days before the expected start.
- Worth checking: Award without discussions. The Government intends to award from the first offers, so the initial offer should hold your best price and technical terms.
- Worth checking: Strict privacy and breach reporting terms. The Business Associate Agreement requires reporting suspected or confirmed breaches within one hour of discovery and makes the contractor liable for HIPAA investigation costs.
- Minor: Interface and connectivity costs are the contractor's. All costs to set up and maintain connections to IHS systems must be built into the price.
- Minor: Minimum guarantee is small. The guaranteed minimum is $10K, set only if the contractor can provide radiologists for interpretation services; actual orders depend on need.
Read from the notice and 3 attachments. Show which files.
- Business Associate Agreement RFP 75H70527R00001 Area Wide Teleradiology.pdf (read)
- RFP 75H70527R00001 Area Wide Teleradiology.pdf (read)
- Instruction to Offerors Letter Bemidji Area Wide Teleradiology Services.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Read and sign routine and STAT (urgent) interpretations of X-rays, CT, MRI, ultrasound and other imaging, with subspecialty reads as needed.
- Read echocardiograms; Red Lake estimates approximately eight (8) studies per month, and Cass Lake may need them too.
- Cover after-hours, weekend and holiday reads; Cass Lake operates a hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Meet turnaround targets: STAT within thirty (30) minutes; routine studies, mammography DBT (digital breast tomosynthesis, 3D mammograms) and echocardiograms within 24 hours preferred and 48 hours required, at 95% compliance.
- Deliver signed reports through a secure platform that meets the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA, the federal health-privacy law) and connects to IHS image archive (Picture Archiving and Communication System, PACS) and health-record systems at the contractor's own cost.
- Exam volume is unclear: the bid schedule lists General Radiology 8550 Each, Ultrasound 1920 Each, CT 4450 Each, MRI 500 Each, DEXA 200 Each, Mammography 1155 Each, Echocardiograms 96 Each per year, while the performance work statement (PWS) gives different per-hospital counts (for example Red Lake: 5,500 general X-rays and 2,000 CT; Cass Lake: 5,000 general X-rays and 400 CT).
- Provide a roster of credentialed radiologists, monthly volume reports, peer case reviews (minimum of 20 per service unit twice a year) and attend quarterly meetings.
- Supply mammography Lead Interpreting Physician duties and monitor and physicist quality-control records for the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) inspections.
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP) indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ); task orders are firm fixed price. The schedule quantities are for pricing and evaluation and do not represent what the Government will order.
- Period of performance
- Base year April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028, plus four one-year options (through March 31, 2032)
- Place of performance
- Bemidji, MN per SAM.gov. Services are for the Red Lake and Cass Lake service units in Minnesota, and images are read remotely.
- Estimated value
- Maximum contract value of 5M across all task orders (written as "5M"); minimum guarantee order of $10K
- How they'll choose
- Best value (most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered). Technical Approach and Staffing combined with Past Performance are significantly more important than Price. The Government intends to award without discussions.
- Offers due
- November 13, 2026, 1:00 PM CT (from the version posted Oct 13, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email the complete proposal; the letter lists contracting officer Jennifer Richardson (jennifer.richardson@ihs.gov) and contract specialist Mary Simon (mary.simon2@ihs.gov) but does not say which address receives proposals
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical Approach and Staffing (50%): understanding of the scope, approach to timely and accurate interpretations, staffing plan (qualifications, board certification, licensure, experience), coverage (routine, after-hours, surge), quality assurance and error reduction, credentialing and privileging support
- Price (30%): reasonableness and realism; option years are added to the base for evaluation
- Past Performance (20%): quality and accuracy, timeliness and responsiveness, customer satisfaction, performance in similar healthcare or federal settings; three relevant references
What to include when you submit
- Complete Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449, the form you sign and return as your offer) blocks 12, 17 and 30.
- Complete Section B.1, Contract Administration Data.
- Complete Section B.5, Schedule of Price/Costs: a price for every line (base year and each of four option years); pricing must reflect option-year pricing.
- Provide Section E (Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.212-2) evaluation material: Technical Approach and Staffing, Past Performance and Price.
- Provide a Word document with three (3) current and available references for relevant past performance, each with a contract number, total dollar amount, point of contact, telephone number and email address.
- Past performance must show relevant teleradiology work, including the contract amount, term and the agency served.
- Include verification that all required information is in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.
- Include the acknowledgment of the Business Associate Agreement (Attachment 1), the HIPAA agreement for handling patient health information.
- Hold prices firm for 30 calendar days from the date offers are due, unless the solicitation says otherwise.
After award, you must have
- Radiologists must be credentialed and privileged by IHS before performing services; IHS starts credentialing at least 90 days before the expected start. From RFP 75H70527R00001 Area Wide Teleradiology.pdf:
…d. IHS credentialing process will begin at minimum 90 days in advance of estimated entry on…
- Complete an Interconnection Security Agreement and Business Associate Agreement with IHS before performing any work. From RFP 75H70527R00001 Area Wide Teleradiology.pdf:
Contractor shall complete an Interconnection Security Agreement and Business Associate…
Not in the notice text
- The instruction letter says to email proposals but does not say whether to send them to the contracting officer or the contract specialist.
- No question deadline, site visit or conference is stated.
- Whether the HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template (accessibility form) must be submitted for your platform is not clear.
- When the patient-data security plan (server and reading-center locations) is due is not stated.
- Indian preference clauses (HHSAR 352.226-1 and 352.226-2) are listed by reference and their text is not in the documents.
Eligibility and how to respond
- Set aside for small businesses: only a business that counts as small under this notice's NAICS code can bid as the prime contractor. More open small business set-asides under NAICS 621512
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email the complete proposal; the letter lists contracting officer Jennifer Richardson (jennifer.richardson@ihs.gov) and contract specialist Mary Simon (mary.simon2@ihs.gov) but does not say which address receives proposals. 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 13, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Bemidji Sub-Area,, MN
- Product/service code
- Q522 · Medical – Radiology
- Business type
- Medical & healthcare (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 621512)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 13, 2026
- Oct 13, 2026 · Solicitation (this version)Due Nov 13, 2026
- 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
- Set-aside contracts explained
Terms on this notice: Solicitation, Set-aside
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Bemidji Area Wide Teleradiology Services for Diagnostic Interpretation of Radiologic Studies at the Red Lake Service Unit and Cass Lake Service Unit. This will be awarded as a Firm Fixed Price, IDIQ, Base plus 4 One Year Options. **This is set aside for 100% Small Business** This RFP closes on 11/13/2026@ 1:00 pm CT.
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