Q301--Transcription of Anatomic Pathology Specimens Veterans Administration Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

The Washington DC VA Medical Center is conducting this Sources Sought to identify contractors who possess capabilities to provide the services described in the Statement of Work below. As permitted by the FAR Part 10, this is a market research tool being utilized for the informational and planning purposes. Your responses will assist the Government in the development of its acquisition strategy. Response is strictly voluntary it is not mandatory to submit a response to this notice to participate in formal RFQ process that may take place in the future. However, it should be noted that information gathered through this notice may significantly influence our acquisition strategy. All interested parties will be required to respond separately to any solicitation posted as a result of this sources sought notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. We appreciate your interest and thank you in advance for responding to the sources sought. This service will be implemented using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 561410. If a small business is interested in this procurement, they must provide at least 51 percent of the services rendered. NOTES All Capability Statements/Responses to this Sources Sought Notice shall be submitted via email only to jennifer.elkins2@va.gov. Telephone, Fax, or any other form of communication inquiries will not be reviewed or accepted. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be received no later than February 20, 2026 at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). This Sources Sought Notice may or may not assist the VA in determining sources only. A solicitation is not currently available. If a solicitation is issued, it may or may not be announced at a later date, and all interested parties shall respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this Sources Sought Notice. DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked a proprietary will be handled accordingly in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses incurred associated with responding to this RFI. Statement of Work for Transcription of Anatomic Pathology Specimens Veterans Administration Medical Center, Washington, D.C. General This Statement of Work (SOW) outlines the requirements and expectations for the transcription of anatomic pathology specimens at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C. (VAMCDC), 50 Irving Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20422. The transcription services will involve converting raw diagnostic and procedural information from dictated reports into accurate, standardized electronic records within the hospital's pathology reporting system. The goal is to ensure timely and accurate transcription of anatomic pathology reports, which are essential for patient care and treatment decisions. Performance Period: Base Plus Four Option Years March 1 , 2026 through February 28, 2027 March 1, 2027, through February 28, 2028 March 1, 2028, through February 28, 2029 March 1, 2029, through February 28, 2030 March 1, 2030, through February 28, 2031 Scope of Work The contractor will provide tra11Scription services for anatomic pathology specimens processed by the VAMCDC. These services will include, but are not limited to: Transcription of Pathology Reports: Accurate transcription of pathology reports dictated by pathologists, including but not limited to, specimen descriptions, diagnoses, and any relevant clinical data. Transcription of Surgical Pathology Specimens: Reports generated from the evaluation of surgical specimens such as biopsies, excisions, and resection margins. Review for Accuracy: The transcription service will involve reviewing transcribed documents for consistency and clarity, ensuring accuracy against the original dictated or handwritten notes. Formatting and Standardization: Transcriptions must adhere to VAMCDC formatting and documentation standards, including proper medical terminology, patient identification information, and standardized report templates. Electronic Submission: All finalized transcription work will be submitted in a standardized digital format compatible with VAMCDC VISTA Laboratory System for integration into the patient's medical record. Contractor Responsibilities The contractor shall: Provide qualified transcriptionists with specialized knowledge in anatomic pathology. Ensure timely delivery of transcribed reports in accordance with VAMCDC agreed-upon deadlines (typically 8-12 hours after receipt of dictation). Adhere to all applicable VA privacy policies, including but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, ensuring all patient information is managed securely and confidentially. Ensure that transcription is accurate, with minimal errors, and free from typographical or medical inaccuracies. Correct any errors or discrepancies identified by the VA within a reasonable time frame at no additional charge. Maintain continuous communication with the VA's designated point of contact to resolve any questions or issues related to transcription work. Requirements Task Description and Deliverables The purpose of pathology transcription services is to transcribe dictation that will cover Pathology type workload. Voice recordings, to include contractor-owned /leased digital dictation systems, are to be sent from or recorded directly from VAMCDC. The contractor must provide medical transcription services in prescribed formats from highly specialized medical dictation. The dictation must cover all types of Pathology workload for the Laboratory Department, including Surgical Pathology, Bone Marrow, Autopsy and Cytology case reports, grossing, microscopic description, diagnosis, amendments, addendums, consults, submitted cases, special studies and any other information for pathologic­ clinical correlation. The Contractor must transcribe from voice recordings (either Government-owned digital dictation system or a Contractor-owned system) into VISTA laboratory system in correct Government required format. The Contractor must provide reports that conform to CAP/JHACO standards. CAP/JAHCO requirement information in reports include the patient's full name, patient number, requesting physician, date and time of collection, date, and time of receipt by the lab, date and time reported and results. The Contractor must provide medical transcription services to transcribe and type from specific dictated in prescribed formations that may differ based upon report type, specimen type and facility accepted practices. The required formats will be provided upon contract award. Description of files: VA will provide files: (1) Recorded in English (NOTE: Some participants will have regional accents), Including specification of formatting, e.g., line spacing, removal of speech disfluencies, etc. Note: Live recording may vary in audio quality and not be automatable, requiring traditional line by line manual transcription. Hours of Operation Transcription services are required Munday through Friday, except federal holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, National Independence Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Hours of operation should coincide to meet Turn Around Times (TAT) requirements for transcribing dictation. Turn Around Times (TAT) Reports following the completion of all dictations must be within 8 to 12 hours from receipt. All transcriptions mut be completed no later than 7:00am EST Monday through Friday. Transcription of corrected reports must meet the same standards as above, except for a shorter turnaround time. Corrected reports must be completed within 4 hours. Critical or urgent reports, as identified by the VA pathologist, must be completed within 4 hours from the time of receipt. Weekly or bi-weekly status updates, depending on the volume of transcription work. 5.5 Contractor Ability Must have a current Business Associate Agreement (BAA) as mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and defined at 45 CPR 160.103 and amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) with the Department of Veteran Affairs. Maintain current status on any required VA training, e.g., VA Talent Management System (TMS), Privacy and HIPAA Training and VA Privacy and fl1formation Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior. Ensure strict adherence to all security requirements for all contents and systems of reports applicable to this contract, meeting all requirements as imposed by HIPAA and JCAHO. Manage varying volumes of work, maintaining staff available to meet rush requirements or high-volume period needs. Accurately transcribe demographic and clinical information for all cases. Correct immediate and final cases with transcription errors or with incomplete work to allow pathologists to re-access cases, input addendums for outside facilities that provide a definitive diagnosis for surgical and autopsy cases, accession submitted cased, accession slides, blocks and specimens submitted from external providers and/or facilities, and "accession in error" cases with unalterable data (i.e. patient demographics, order error, etc.). A rough estimate of corrections, addendums, submitted cases, external slide, block, and specimen submission, and "accession in error" cases is 20% of the cases. 5.6 Technical Skills and Personal Requirements Laboratory professionals who perform highly technical pathology transcription must possess the appropriate knowledge and skills associated with pathology and transcription. Extension knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, CPT, and ICD coding is required. The contractor must provide and train sufficiently qualified personnel to perform the services specified in this contract beginning on the established start date of the contract. Laboratory Reports must comply with the HIPAA regulations necessary with the HIPAA clauses included. The information provided in the reports must comply with CAP and JAI-ICO standards. The Contractor must ensure strict adherence to all security requirements for all contents and systems of reports to this contract, meeting all requirements as imposed by HIPAA and JCAHO. Technical Requirements Pathology Reporting Requirements The contractor must work with laboratory staff to troubleshoot and correct errors with the Pathology Reports. The contractor must cumulatively transcribe dictations upon receipt into a single report based on the VISTA report format until the report is finalized. Contractor shall return transcribed notes to VA using one of two methods: (1) direct entry into VISTA laboratory system, or (2) uploading directly to VISTA laboratory for the respective VA facility. The contractor will be notified of any changes to the method of returning reports thirty calendar days in advance to the change. The contractor shall have thirty calendar days to identify any changes or adverse impact to the CO and COR. The government will provide addenda via electronic voice file to transcriptionist for entry into the VISTA Laboratory System. Specifications Dictations from the Laboratory Department must be provided to the contractor using telephone-based dictation devices. The dictation system must connect to the hospital's One-VA Virtual Private Network (VPN), but the server must be the responsibility of the contractor and must be a secure system to ensure I-IIPAA Compliance. The laboratory department may require customization of the dictation call flow and software. Dictation systems must meet fault tolerance and backup capabilities to avoid any delays in transcription. The government must provide a copy of the department accession number protocol to the Contractor prior to commencement of work. Equipment The contractor must use existing VA tools and software to deliver transcription services. The Government must provide user information to access VISTA Lab System. The government must terminate the use of these access codes upon identification of misuse of data and/or termination of this contract. Information Security and System Access Any remote access to VA systems that contain sensitive information must be done through the One-VA Virtual Private Network (VPN)VPN access, the contractor will be required to complete all security requirements. The contractor must be able to secure and maintain all necessary clearances for all transcriptionist to access the VISTA system and meet all required security requirements for VAMCDC staff to use existing telephone lines to transmit data for transcription. VISTA, CPRS or other Automated Information System Procedure The contractor must enter patient repo11s into the VISTA Laboratory System and/or CPRS computer network or other computer information systems. The contractor must furnish all necessary transcription equipment, supplies, parts, tools, and labor to perform this contract. Uploading reports to the wrong VHA facility is considered a privacy/security violation and is a reportable incident under HIPAA. Applicable Documents a. In the performance of the task associated with this contract, the Contractor shall comply with the following requirements: i. Identify all applicable documents, regulations, industry standards, VA requirements, etc. If the regulation/standard/statute is not readily available for all potential offerors, provide a copy of it so it can be included in the solicitation and contract. Quality Control The contractor shall implement the following quality control measures: Error Rate Monitoring: Monitor and maintain an error rate of no more than 2% in all transcribed documents. Errors will be documented, and a repot1 detailing the corrections will be provided to the VA on a regular basis. Review Process: Transcribed reports will be subject to a quality review by a certified medical professional, if required, to ensure all pathology terms and findings are accurately represented. Performance Evaluation: The contractor's performance will be periodically evaluated by the VA based on accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with VA protocols. Deliverables The contractor will deliver the following: Transcribed Reports: All pathology reports transcribed in a clear, concise, and accurate format. Audit Logs: An electronic log of all transcribed reports with timestamps of completion, submission, and any corrections made. Quarterly Performance Review: A summary of transcription error rates, turnaround times, and any issues encountered during the contract period. Confidentiality and Security The contractor must: Ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and any other relevant federal, state, or local laws concerning patient confidentiality and data security. Implement secure file transfer protocols to ensure that all data is transmitted securely. Provide a data security plan outlining how sensitive medical records and patient information will be protected throughout the transcription process. Performance Standards Performance will be measured based on the following criteria: Accuracy Rate: 98% accuracy in the transcription of anatomic pathology reports. Timeliness: 100% of reports delivered within the agreed-upon timeframe (8-12 hours or 4 hours for urgent cases). Customer Satisfaction: High levels of satisfaction as measured by feedback from the VA hospital staff, including pathologists and other medical personnel. Proposals It is the clear intent of the Government to awards this BPA to a single vendor for the Washington DC transcription services for anatomic pathology. The government will make the contract award considering the service option that best meets the operational needs of the Washington, DC facility and it compliance with the evaluation factors of this solicitation. Vendors must provide in their offer the following: Technical approach: Description of transcription process, quality control measures, and compliance with VA security standards. Experience and Qualifications: Demonstration of experience in anatomic pathology transcription, HIPAA compliance and familiarity with VA VISTA laboratory system. Technology and Security Plan: Description of the secure and transcription platform data protection measures Pricing Proposal: Detailed cost breakdown, including per-line pricing and any additional fees. Past Performance: References from similar contracts in healthcare or government laboratory setting. Evaluation of Offers Minimum Requirements. Each respondent for award shall meet all the minimum specifications as outlined in General Requirements. Evaluation Factors. The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Experience and Past Performance (Technical). Consideration will be given to relevant experience, past performance evaluation, references, adherence to contract turnaround times and quality. Performance reliability and ease/efficiency of operation (Technical). Consideration will be given to quality of work such as history of transcription accuracy, turnaround time of reports, error rates, capacity and scalability of work, staffing levels, client support and flexibility. Technical capability and compliance ((Technical): Consideration will be given to HIPAA compliance, meet VA-Specific requirements, demonstrate anatomic pathology experience, data protection and security and background checks. Price. Price means the proposed price or cost as identified in the price schedule of the solicitation. Additional costs incurred that are necessitated to ensure the successful operation of the solicited service and that will be borne by the Government will be added to the proposed price to insure a fair and equitable price comparison. The satisfaction of the Technical Factors is significantly more important than cost or price. As technical factors become more equal, the importance of price may become more significant. Required Information. For the VA to evaluate firms on these factors, firms must provide the technical information described in the section above that is entitled Proposals , in addition to their pricing information. Not providing this information may prevent full consideration of the quotation. Invoice Schedule Invoices shall be submitted once a month for services rendered during the previous month. Only one invoice may be submitted per month. The contractor's failure to include the necessary information or a more frequent invoice submission than authorized will result in invoices being rejected. Payment will be made upon receipt of a properly prepared detailed invoice, prepared by the Contractor, validated by the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR), and submitted to VA FSC, P.O. Box 149971, Austin, TX 78714 or faxed to the Austin Processing Center at 512-460-5540. An adequately prepared invoice will contain: Invoice Number and Date Contractor's Name and Address Accurate Purchase Order Number Supply or Service provided. Total amount due