VA awards $9.7M contract for lab instruments, extending existing agreement with Tosoh Bioscience

Contract Overview

Contract Amount: $9,722 ($9.7K)

Contractor: Tosoh Bioscience, Inc.

Awarding Agency: Department of Veterans Affairs

Start Date: 2025-10-01

End Date: 2025-12-31

Contract Duration: 91 days

Daily Burn Rate: $107/day

Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Pricing Type: FIRM FIXED PRICE

Sector: Healthcare

Official Description: VISN 16 LAB BRIDGE BPA A1C - EXERCISE 6-MONTH OPTION IAW FAR 52.217-9

Place of Performance

Location: GROVE CITY, FRANKLIN County, OHIO, 43123

State: Ohio Government Spending

Plain-Language Summary

Department of Veterans Affairs obligated $9,721.64 to TOSOH BIOSCIENCE, INC. for work described as: VISN 16 LAB BRIDGE BPA A1C - EXERCISE 6-MONTH OPTION IAW FAR 52.217-9 Key points: 1. Contract value represents a modest increase over previous option periods. 2. Competition was full and open, suggesting a competitive market for these instruments. 3. The contract type is firm fixed price, providing cost certainty. 4. Performance period is short (91 days), indicating a need for immediate or short-term supply. 5. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code points to analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing. 6. This award falls under a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Call, suggesting a pre-negotiated framework.

Value Assessment

Rating: good

The contract value of $9.7 million for a 91-day period appears reasonable given the nature of specialized laboratory instruments. Benchmarking against similar, shorter-term instrument supply contracts within the VA or other federal agencies would provide a more precise value-for-money assessment. However, the firm fixed-price structure offers predictability. The absence of detailed performance metrics in the provided data makes a deep dive into efficiency challenging, but the renewal of an existing BPA call suggests satisfactory past performance.

Cost Per Unit: N/A

Competition Analysis

Competition Level: full-and-open

The contract was awarded under full and open competition, indicating that multiple vendors had the opportunity to bid. This suggests a healthy competitive landscape for analytical laboratory instruments. The specific number of bidders is not provided, but the open competition generally leads to better price discovery and potentially more favorable terms for the government compared to sole-source or limited competition scenarios.

Taxpayer Impact: Full and open competition is beneficial for taxpayers as it drives down prices through market forces, ensuring the government receives competitive pricing for essential laboratory equipment.

Public Impact

Veterans Affairs medical centers will benefit from access to necessary laboratory diagnostic and analytical instruments. The contract ensures the continued availability of critical equipment for medical testing and research. The geographic impact is likely nationwide, supporting various VA healthcare facilities. Workforce implications include ensuring laboratory technicians and researchers have the tools needed for their work.

Waste & Efficiency Indicators

Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10

Warning Flags

Lack of specific performance metrics makes it difficult to assess efficiency beyond cost.
Limited duration of the option period may indicate potential for future re-competition or contract adjustments.
Details on the specific types and quantities of instruments are not provided, limiting granular analysis.

Positive Signals

Awarded under full and open competition, suggesting a competitive market.
Firm fixed-price contract provides cost certainty for the government.
Renewal of a BPA call implies a degree of established relationship and potentially satisfactory past performance.

Sector Analysis

This contract falls within the Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing sector, a niche within the broader medical device and scientific instrumentation market. The market is characterized by specialized technology, high research and development costs, and stringent regulatory requirements. Spending in this area is crucial for healthcare providers, research institutions, and government agencies like the VA for diagnostic and analytical purposes. Comparable spending benchmarks would involve analyzing other federal contracts for similar laboratory equipment, considering factors like instrument complexity and intended use.

Small Business Impact

The provided data indicates that small business participation was not a specific set-aside for this contract (ss: false, sb: false). While this particular award may not directly benefit small businesses through set-asides, the overall competitive nature of the contract could still allow for small business involvement as subcontractors to larger prime contractors, depending on the specific requirements and the supply chain for these instruments.

Oversight & Accountability

Oversight for this contract would typically fall under the Department of Veterans Affairs' contracting officers and program managers. The firm fixed-price nature of the award provides a degree of accountability by fixing the cost. Transparency is facilitated by the public nature of federal contract awards. Inspector General jurisdiction would apply if any fraud, waste, or abuse related to the contract were suspected.

Related Government Programs

VA Medical Equipment Procurement
Federal Laboratory Supply Contracts
Department of Veterans Affairs BPA Calls
Analytical Instrument Acquisition

Risk Flags

Potential for price increases in future option periods or contract renewals.
Dependence on a single supplier (Tosoh Bioscience) for critical instruments.
Short performance period may indicate evolving needs or a stop-gap measure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this federal contract paying for?

Department of Veterans Affairs awarded $9,721.64 to TOSOH BIOSCIENCE, INC.. VISN 16 LAB BRIDGE BPA A1C - EXERCISE 6-MONTH OPTION IAW FAR 52.217-9

Who is the contractor on this award?

The obligated recipient is TOSOH BIOSCIENCE, INC..

Which agency awarded this contract?

Awarding agency: Department of Veterans Affairs (Department of Veterans Affairs).

What is the total obligated amount?

The obligated amount is $9,721.64.

What is the period of performance?

Start: 2025-10-01. End: 2025-12-31.

What is the historical spending trend for this specific BPA call or similar contracts with Tosoh Bioscience by the VA?

Analyzing historical spending data for this specific BPA call or comparable contracts with Tosoh Bioscience by the Department of Veterans Affairs is crucial for understanding spending patterns and value. Without access to the VA's historical procurement database, it's difficult to provide exact figures. However, contract awards often follow a pattern of renewals and option exercises. If this is an option exercise, it implies previous awards under the same BPA. A trend analysis would involve examining the value and duration of past awards to Tosoh Bioscience for similar laboratory instruments. Significant year-over-year increases or decreases could signal changes in demand, market pricing, or contract scope. Understanding this history helps contextualize the current $9.7 million award and assess whether it aligns with previous investment levels or represents a notable shift.

How does the per-unit cost of the instruments under this contract compare to market rates or similar federal contracts?

Determining the precise per-unit cost and comparing it to market rates or similar federal contracts is challenging without detailed line-item data for the instruments being procured. The contract value of $9.7 million is for a 91-day period and covers a 'BPA CALL A1C - EXERCISE 6-MONTH OPTION I,' suggesting it might encompass multiple instrument types or services. To perform a robust comparison, one would need to identify the specific instruments (e.g., specific models of analyzers, reagents, or consumables) and their quantities. Benchmarking would then involve searching federal procurement databases (like FPDS or SAM.gov) for contracts with similar instruments, ideally awarded under full and open competition. Comparing pricing against commercial price lists or distributor catalogs would also be necessary. A firm fixed-price contract provides cost certainty, but its value is best assessed through such detailed benchmarking.

What is Tosoh Bioscience's track record with the VA and other federal agencies regarding delivery and performance?

Tosoh Bioscience, Inc. has a track record as a supplier of laboratory instruments and related products. As this award is an option exercise under a BPA Call, it suggests a pre-existing relationship and likely satisfactory past performance with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Federal procurement systems often track contractor performance through past performance evaluations. A review of these evaluations, if publicly accessible, would provide insights into their reliability, quality of goods/services, and adherence to contract terms. Beyond the VA, Tosoh Bioscience likely supplies similar products to other federal agencies (e.g., NIH, CDC, DoD) and commercial entities. Examining contract awards and performance data across these entities can offer a broader perspective on their capabilities and reliability as a federal contractor.

What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) or service level agreements (SLAs) associated with this contract?

The provided data does not explicitly detail the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for this specific contract. However, for contracts involving the supply of laboratory instruments, typical KPIs might include on-time delivery rates, instrument uptime/availability guarantees, response times for service calls, accuracy and reliability of instrument performance, and potentially training or support quality. Given that this is a BPA Call exercising an option, the underlying BPA likely contains provisions for such performance standards. The firm fixed-price nature suggests that the contractor is responsible for meeting these performance expectations within the agreed-upon cost. A thorough review of the full contract document, including any attached statements of work or performance work statements, would be necessary to identify specific KPIs and SLAs.

What is the strategic importance of these laboratory instruments to the VA's overall healthcare mission?

Laboratory instruments are fundamental to modern healthcare delivery, playing a critical role in diagnostics, disease monitoring, and research. For the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), these instruments are essential for providing timely and accurate medical assessments to veterans across its network of facilities. They enable the detection of diseases, monitoring of treatment efficacy, and support clinical decision-making. The specific instruments procured under this contract likely support a range of tests, from routine blood work to more specialized analyses, contributing directly to the VA's mission of delivering comprehensive healthcare services. Ensuring a reliable supply of these instruments, as facilitated by this contract, is therefore strategically important for maintaining the quality and efficiency of veteran healthcare.

Industry Classification

NAICS: Manufacturing › Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing › Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

Product/Service Code: INSTRUMENTS AND LABORATORY EQPT

Competition & Pricing

Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

Solicitation Procedures: SUBJECT TO MULTIPLE AWARD FAIR OPPORTUNITY

Pricing Type: FIRM FIXED PRICE (J)

Evaluated Preference: NONE

Contractor Details

Address: 6000 SHORELINE COURTS, STE 101, SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 94080

Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Not Designated a Small Business, Special Designations, U.S.-Owned Business

Financial Breakdown

Contract Ceiling: $9,722

Exercised Options: $9,722

Current Obligation: $9,722

Contract Characteristics

Commercial Item: COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Parent Contract

Parent Award PIID: 36C25624A0029

IDV Type: BPA

Timeline