Autonomous Healthcare Delivery Robot

THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION ABOUT PRICING, DELIVERY, THE MARKET, AND CAPABILITIES IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI FOR PLANNING PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. SOURCES SOUGHT/RFI DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a Sources Sought Notice / RFI only. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice / RFI is to gain information about potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 334510 Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought Notice / RFI, further RFIs and/or a solicitation or other announcements may be published. The purpose of this procurement is to acquire autonomous healthcare delivery robot system for interior use at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System Pharmacy (VALBHS). 1. Functional and Performance Requirements The system shall autonomously transport and deliver critical Pharmacy medical supplies, pharmacy orders, and similar healthcare items within interior areas of VA Long Beach without continuous human teleoperation during normal operation. The system shall employ self driving obstacle avoidance technology that uses at least two sensing modalities from among 3D vision, eye safe laser ranging, and sonar (or functionally equivalent technologies) to map and navigate the facility while avoiding people and obstacles in a dynamic hospital environment. The robot shall be capable of continuous transport operations at a nominal walking pace appropriate for safe operation among staff and patients (approximately 2 4 miles per hour), with the ability to adjust speed as needed to comply with VA safety policies. 2. Payload and Capacity The robot shall provide at least one lockable, top loading cargo compartment designed for interior healthcare use. The primary cargo compartment shall have a total internal volume of at least 41 liters (approximately 11 gallons). The cargo compartment shall support a minimum payload of 50 pounds of medical items (e.g., linens, infusion pumps, towels, pharmacy totes, blood products, specimen racks). The system shall include configurable or removable internal accessories (e.g., liners, trays, baskets, or equivalent) that allow safe carriage of a variety of healthcare items such as prescription medications, 24 hour urine bottles, IV bags, test tube racks, and food containers commonly used at VA Long Beach. 3. Physical Characteristics The mobile robot width shall not exceed approximately 20 inches, enabling safe passage through standard VA corridors, doorways, and elevators. The overall height of the robot shall be approximately 37 inches to maintain visibility and accessibility for staff in nurse stations and corridors. The system shall be constructed of sturdy, resilient, easy to clean materials suitable for VA clinical environments, with smooth exterior surfaces compatible with commonly used hospital grade disinfectants. 4. Power and Endurance The robot shall support at least 24 hours of operation in a typical healthcare duty cycle with intermittent charging (i.e., the robot automatically or manually docks to recharge between runs without being removed from service for a full working day). The system shall include a docking/charging station compatible with standard 110 volt AC power, with a footprint not exceeding approximately 18 inches wide by 8 inches high by 10 inches deep. 5. Navigation and Maneuverability The robot shall support multiple navigation modes, including point to point delivery and other facility defined behaviors (e.g., delivery, usher, mingle, or functionally equivalent modes) that support VA logistics and clinical workflows. The robot shall have an effective turning radius of 0 feet (i.e., shall be capable of point turns in place) to maneuver in tight spaces such as corridors, patient room entries, and pharmacy/laboratory areas. 6. Communications and User Interface The system shall communicate with facility infrastructure using secure wireless communication, including Wi Fi; support for wide area connectivity (e.g., LTE or equivalent) is desired or shall be offered if commercially available. The system shall allow VA staff to initiate, monitor, and manage deliveries through a user interface appropriate for clinical and logistics personnel with minimal training (e.g., on robot touchscreen, workstation client, or mobile application). The user interface shall provide clear, task oriented controls and shall avoid vague performance descriptors such as user friendly or fastest, consistent with sound salient characteristics practices. 7. Environment and Support The system shall be designed and configured for interior use in VA healthcare facilities, including inpatient wards, outpatient clinics, ancillary services, and associated clinical spaces. The contractor shall provide technical and maintenance support appropriate for 24/7/365 VA healthcare operations (e.g., remote support, troubleshooting assistance, and replacement or repair procedures), consistent with commercial practices for mission critical hospital equipment. 8. Trade Agreements Act and Domestic Preference The offered robot system (including docking station and integrated software) shall comply with applicable Trade Agreements Act (TAA) requirements and other domestic preference requirements referenced in the RFQ, as implemented in FAR Part 25 and applicable VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) clauses, as incorporated by the Contracting Officer. Offerors shall identify the country(ies) of origin of the end product(s) and shall certify compliance with TAA and applicable Buy American/domestic preference requirements in accordance with the solicitation s FAR/VAAR provisions and clauses. If an offered end product is not TAA compliant or domestic, the offeror shall clearly disclose this in its quotation so that the VA Contracting Officer can determine acceptability and apply any required price evaluation preferences or restrictions. 9. Competitive, Non Brand Name Basis These salient characteristics are expressed as minimums or approximate maximums (e.g., at least, not to exceed approximately ) to allow full and open competition; no specific brand name or model is required. Any commercial item that meets or exceeds all enumerated salient characteristics shall be considered technically acceptable, subject to the RFQ s evaluation criteria (e.g., price and past performance) and all other terms and conditions. Descriptive literature submitted with quotations shall clearly demonstrate how the quoted product meets or exceeds each salient characteristic; literature that merely reproduces marketing claims without quantifying key performance metrics may be deemed insufficient. If your company is interested in and capable of providing the required supplies/services, you MUST provide the information indicated below OR your intent, interest to participation, and information provided will not be considered as valid for research purposes. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Submit your capabilities statement illustrating how your organization can/cannot meet the list of DRAFT/SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS/SOW requirements. For instances ...