3650--763-26-2-228-0242 -Lancaster CMOP Low to Medium Volume TCA and Sorting Loops Project (VA-26-00039446)

Sources Sought Notice

This is a Sources Sought announcement for market research purposes regarding the "Lancaster CMOP Low to Medium Volume TCA and Sorting Loops Project" (Solicitation Number: 36C77026R0007). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Dallas Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) in Lancaster, Texas, requires the installation of a new, fully integrated Tablet and Capsule Automation (TCA) system and a redesigned loop sorter area to maintain and expand production capacity, improve safety, and replace aging automation. The goal is to improve throughput, eliminate single points of failure, and ensure seamless integration with existing systems.

• TCA System: Automated dispensing for low- to medium-volume prescriptions, including automated labeling, accurate dispensing, imaging, weighing, capping, sealing, and routing. Must deliver 5,725 completed vials per shift, maintain a maximum reject rate of 2.1%, support at least 350 unique NDCs, and ensure 100% product selection accuracy with patient safety safeguards.
• Loop Sorter Area: Design and installation of a new loop sorter area to handle combined throughput from all TCA equipment with a 20% growth margin. Includes new conveyors, depucking systems, routing mechanisms, integration with current puck packing stations, and replacement of legacy conveyance hardware.
• Systems Integration: Contractor will be responsible for full design, software development, hardware installation, testing, and documentation. Requirements include a distributed Microsoft-based software architecture, detailed audit logging, cybersecurity compliance (PIV/PKI authentication), and integration with VA IT environments.
• Deliverables: As-built drawings, control logic, network diagrams, maintenance plans, spare parts, and user/administrator training.

This is NOT a solicitation. Quotes are not being solicited at this time. Vendors are required to answer specific questions to be considered a viable source for future needs. Responses must include:

• Answers to questions regarding manufacturer status, authorization, and manufacturing location.
• Confirmation of ability to meet PWS requirements.
• Company POCs (Name, Phone, Email).
• Company's SAM Unique ID Number.
• Company's Capability Statement.
• Relevant Past Performance History (within the past 5 years).

Responses are due via email to Kelley.Cunningham@va.gov on or before May 12, 2026, at 3:00 PM CT.

Not specified in this notice.

• This notice is for information and planning purposes only (FAR Part 10).
• It does not constitute a solicitation or commitment to award a contract.
• The Government will not reimburse respondents for costs incurred.
• No individual feedback will be provided.
• Referenced attachments: "PWS TCA System Installation" and "Attachment 1 for Dallas CMOP TCA Low to Medium Volume."

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Dallas Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) requires a contractor to design, furnish, install, integrate, and commission a new, faster, safer, more reliable, and more flexible Tablet Capsule Automation (TCA) system and loop sortation area. The goal is to expand automated capacity, optimize existing equipment, and replace aging hardware to increase throughput and support future workload growth.

• New Low/Medium Volume TCA Area: Must include a minimum of 350 dispensers supporting at least 350 unique National Drug Codes (NDCs), integrated replenishment stations, and ancillary support systems.

• New Loop Sortation System: Redesign to receive, sort, and divert pucks from both new and existing TCA equipment without impacting production throughput. This includes de-pucking vials into totes, routing pucks to packing stations, and returning empty pucks.

• Integration: The new system must be fully integrated with the existing Pharmacy Operating System (POS), CMOP production systems, and National CMOP data infrastructure.

• Key Equipment: Includes puck ponds, conveyance, sorting equipment, depuckers, labelers, scales, dispensers, canisters, cameras, exception stations, workstations, verification stations, cappers, sealers, HMIs, and associated controls.

• Software: Software-intensive project requiring close coordination with CMOP programmers for seamless data exchange, audit trails, and operational messaging. Must use VA-approved Microsoft platforms and .Net technology.

• Throughput: Minimum of 5,725 vials per 7.5-hour shift (449 prescriptions/hour).

• Accuracy: Product selection accuracy of 98% with 100% immediate detection of system failures. Accuracy for vial filling is 100%.

• Reject Rates: Shall not exceed 2.1% cumulative overall per shift.

• Availability: 99% operational uptime during the one-year warranty period.

• Location: VA Dallas CMOP, 2962 South Longhorn Drive, Lancaster, TX 75134-2118.

• Installation Deadlines: Loop sortation by June 30, 2027; Low/medium TCA hardware and software by June 30, 2028.

• Work Hours: Contractor access from 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, and 6:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Monday-Friday. Off-hours work requires advance written approval.

• Safety: Compliance with OSHA, USP, NIOSH, NFPA, UL standards. Ergonomic design to minimize operator strain. Lock-out/Tag-out (LOTO) procedures required.

• Security: Compliance with VA security standards, including two-factor authentication (PIV cards).

• Documentation: Comprehensive "as-built" documentation, including technical manuals, drawings, and software code.

• Training: On-site training for operators, maintenance, and IT personnel.

• Warranty: One (1) year warranty with 4-hour on-site response time for critical failures.

• Testing: Phased testing program including functional, integration, certification, limited stress, and large-scale stress testing.

Other / Unclassified

This document provides supporting details for the "Dallas CMOP TCA Low to Medium Volume" project. It outlines the physical space requirements for a new Temperature Controlled Area (TCA), approximately 2,500 square feet, which must include storage, replenishment carts, and vertical secure storage. The document also details current and proposed operational processes for loop, de-puckering, and sortation areas, emphasizing the need for a contractor-designed system capable of handling multiple and single vials, sorting, de-pucking into totes, and robust software for tracking and audit trails with an error rate below 1%.

It includes extensive examples of operational event logs, audit trails, and detailed procedures for various aspects of the TCA system, such as order processing, canister replenishment, and pharmacist verification. Specific requirements for message formats between the legacy system and the TCA are also provided.

This document is highly relevant for potential bidders as it details the physical space, functional requirements, operational processes, and system capabilities expected for the new TCA. It provides critical insights into the existing workflow, desired improvements, and the technical specifications for the automation and tracking software. The detailed operational flows, audit trail examples, and specific message requirements will help bidders understand the scope of work, design appropriate solutions, and estimate resource needs. The information on canister replenishment and verification procedures is particularly important for understanding the end-to-end operational context.