Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
Sterile Compounding Services
Department of Veterans Affairs
AI summaryOnly service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) can bid on this Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) request. The VA, for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, wants a contractor to test and certify the sterile compounding cleanrooms, hoods and staff at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital pharmacy in San Antonio, Texas. It is a firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price, whatever the work costs) contract with a 12-month base period and four 12-month options. The response due date is November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Central. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 20, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of another version of this notice: check what changed on SAM.gov. The notice looks incomplete: Only part of the main solicitation file (S02_36C25727Q0032 .pdf) was read: the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 with the quote submission instructions, how and where to submit quotes, the question deadline, the supplemental insurance requirements, personnel vetting, the limitations on subcontracting wording and the option year 4 price lines were left out. Check them on SAM.gov. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) can bid on this Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) request. The VA, for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, wants a contractor to test and certify the sterile compounding cleanrooms, hoods and staff at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital pharmacy in San Antonio, Texas. It is a firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price, whatever the work costs) contract with a 12-month base period and four 12-month options. The response due date is November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Central.
Who can bid (5)
- Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) designated in SAM as certified by the SBA; the contract is a total set-aside for certified SDVOSBs
- Testers registered with the Controlled Environment Testing Association (CETA) as Registered Certified Professionals for Sterile Compounding Facilities (RCP SCF); no equivalent standards allowed
- Biological safety cabinets must be certified by an NSF-accredited field certifier (NSF/ANSI 49 is the cabinet standard)
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- Samples analyzed by an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory (EMLAP for microbiological samples, IHLAP for wipe samples)
- Evidence with the proposal that none of the contractor's employees are on the OIG excluded parties list
Things to watch (7)
From the version posted Oct 20, 2026.
- Serious: Certified SDVOSBs only. Only service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses certified by the SBA and designated in SAM can bid; other small businesses cannot.
- Serious: Specialist credentials required. Testers must be CETA registered professionals, cabinet certifiers must be NSF-49 accredited, and labs must be ISO/IEC 17025 accredited; a firm without these cannot do the work.
- Worth checking: Testing frequencies differ inside the performance work statement. Personnel testing is monthly in one section and every 6 months in another, and viable air sampling is monthly in one place and semi-annual in another; ask which governs.
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- Worth checking: Past performance surveys must come from your references. References, not the bidder, must email completed surveys to the VA by the date given.
- Worth checking: Limits on subcontracting apply. The contract includes the FAR limitations on subcontracting clause, which restricts how much work a set-aside winner can pass to other firms; its text wasn't read.
- Worth checking: Payment can be delayed or withheld for missed reporting. Failing to tell the VA about failed units or assessments before leaving the site can delay or stop payment.
- Minor: Wear parts are one lump line. All blower motors, bulbs, capacitors and filters needed to pass certification fall under one line (1 JB, job) per period, so cost risk sits with the bidder.
Read from the notice and 11 attachments. Show which files.
- S02_36C25727Q0032 .pdf (read)
- D.1_PWS 2026-2031 Sterile Compounding Services Contract - 10152026.pdf (read)
- D.2_Appendix A_Equipment List.pdf (read)
- D.3_Appendix B_Competency Assessment_Hand Hygiene and Garbing.pdf (read)
- D.4_Appendix C_Competency Assessment_Hazardous Drug Manipulation Technique.pdf (read)
- D.5_Appendix D_Competency Assessment_Proper Cleaning and Disinfection Procedures of LAFWs .pdf (read)
- D.6_Appendix E_Competency Assessment_Proper Cleaning and Disinfection Procedures of BSCs .pdf (read)
- D.7_Appendix F_Competency Assessment_Cleaning and Disinfection.pdf (read)
- D.8_Appendix G_Competency Assessment_Daily Cleaning and Disinfection .pdf (read)
- D.10 PAST PERFORMANCE SURVEY.pdf (read)
- D.9_WAGE DETERMINATION 2015-5253 dated 08-27-2026.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Test and certify the primary engineering controls (PECs: the biological safety cabinets (BSCs) and laminar airflow hoods where drugs are mixed), at least every 6 months, with video-recorded smoke tests
- Test and certify the cleanrooms (secondary engineering controls: 3 anterooms and 4 buffer rooms plus the hazardous drug storage room): airflow, air changes per hour, room pressure, filter leak tests and particle counts, every 6 months
- Monthly viable (living organism) air and surface sampling of the hoods and classified rooms: 84 Each a year
- Hazardous drug surface wipe sampling: 6 Each a year, with 6 samples per designated area; repeat within 5 business days if contamination is found
- Test compounding staff for aseptic technique (gloved fingertip and thumb sampling and media fill testing): 160 Each a year for 80 staff, plus initial qualification for 20 Each
- Retest within one week after a failure (remedial testing: 1 Each for hoods and cabinets, 20 Each for staff)
- Report pass or fail on the day of certification, send full reports within two weeks, and report failures to the site contact (24 hours for equipment failures)
- Repair or replace routine wear parts (blower motors, light bulbs, capacitors, air filters) needed to pass certification: 1 JB (job)
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (FFP); combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services, quotes evaluated under simplified acquisition procedures
- Period of performance
- 1 base year (January 11, 2027 to January 10, 2028) + 4 option years of 12 months each, the last ending January 10, 2032; up to 6 more months may be added under the option to extend services
- Place of performance
- Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, Texas 78229
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Comparative evaluation (quotes compared side by side) for a firm-fixed-price award that is best value on price and other factors; the VA plans to award without discussions
- Offers due
- November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM Central
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical Capability: meeting the performance work statement; a quote found not technically capable is not evaluated further
- Past Performance: Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) reviews, past performance surveys and other history; a firm with no record is rated neutral
- Price: the total of the base period and all options is evaluated, and significantly unbalanced option prices may make a quote unacceptable
What to include when you submit
- Complete and sign blocks 30a, 30b and 30c on page 1 of the Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449: the form you sign and return as your offer) to be considered for award
- Follow the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 (Instructions to Offerors) for the required documents; its details weren't in the text read
- Send evidence with your proposal that none of your employees are on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) excluded parties list
- Have past performance references email completed surveys directly to Stephanie.Reeves@va.gov and Shannon.Hodgson@va.gov; the survey is not sent by the bidder
- Price every line in the base period and all four option periods
Not in the notice text
- Only part of the main solicitation file (S02_36C25727Q0032 .pdf) was read: the Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 with the quote submission instructions, how and where to submit quotes, the question deadline, the supplemental insurance requirements, personnel vetting, the limitations on subcontracting wording and the option year 4 price lines were left out. Check them on SAM.gov
- Only part of the performance work statement (D.1_PWS) and the wage determination 2015-5253 dated August 27, 2026 (D.9) was read; the wage determination text couldn't be read, so check its rates on SAM.gov
- Whether there is a site visit or pre-quote conference is not in the text read
- The contract's dollar value is not stated
- Appendix H (the classified spaces list) is mentioned in the performance work statement but wasn't among the files read
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 541380
- How and where to submit is in the notice text and its attachments on SAM.gov.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Notice type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- Office
- 257-Network Contract Office 17 (36C257), San Antonio, TX
- Product/service code
- Q301 · Reference Laboratory Testing
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541380)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 20, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Nov 4, 2026
- Oct 20, 2026 · Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (this version)Due Nov 4, 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
- 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
The South Texas Veterans Health Care System requires contractor services to perform testing and certification of sterile compounding facilities, including primary and secondary engineering controls as described in the attached Performance Work Statement (PWS), at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital Pharmacy Service. All work shall be performed in accordance with applicable standards and the related testing described in the attached PWS. The contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, and documentation needed to fulfill the requirements outlined in the PWS.
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