6515--Autonomous Healthcare Delivery Robotview on SAM.gov

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 pr…