A federal contracting office in Saint Paul, MN posted “J041--Sources Sought - Ice Machine Cleaning Services for the Minneapolis VA Medical Center” (Sources Sought) on SAM.gov on October 6, 2026. Responses are due October 9, 2026. NAICS 811310.
The Minneapolis VA Medical Center is conducting market research in accordance with FAR 17.207 Exercise of Options for Ice Machine Cleaning Services as described in the Statement of Work below. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE only looking for businesses to provide the services listed in the Statement of Work below for market research purposes. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this notice. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS OR PRICING AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS NOTICE. This notice shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Responses to this notice will be treated only as information for the Government to consider as part of their market research efforts. The information provided will be used by the Government in developing its acquisition strategy regarding possible set aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Veteran-Owned, and other socio-economic categories of small business. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to pay for the information submitted in response to this notice and parties responding will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs incurred in responding to this notice. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 811310, Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance, with an SBA Small Business Size Standard of $12.5 Million. If you are a vendor capable of providing the requested information and required services described below with competitive pricing, send your information with a description of proof of capability and answers to all questions to:
[email protected] on or before Friday, October 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM Central Time. Please provide answers as appropriate to the following questions in the table below with your response to this Sources Sought. Failure to respond accurately to the following questions may affect the acquisition strategy. Failure to respond to the questions at all, or not respond to select individual questions, will result in your response being determined as non-responsive. 1. Please provide all socio-economic categories of your firm (e.g., SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB, Large Business, 8a, etc.) as well as your firm s SAM Unique Entity ID number (replaces DUNS number) and Government Contract POC. 2. State whether the requested services may be ordered against a government contract awarded to your organization (e.g Federal Supply Schedule (FSS), General Services Administration (GSA), etc.). 3. State if subcontracting is contemplated for this requirement and what percentage of the work will be subcontracted and for what tasks. 4. Provide estimated lead time to deliver a fully functioning solution as described in the Statement of Work below. 5. Complete the ITEM INFORMATION directly below this section for market research pricing for the services described in the Statement of Work. ITEM INFORMATION ITEM NUMBER DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT 0001 70.00 EA $___________ $___________ Perform ice machine cleaning services for the Minneapolis VA Medical Center during the month of January 2027 per the Statement of Work. Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 01-01-2027 POP End: 12-31-2027 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 811310 - Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: J041 - Maintenance, Repair, and Rebuilding of Equipment - Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Air Circulating Equipment 0002 70.00 EA $___________ $___________ Perform ice machine cleaning services for the Minneapolis VA Medical Center during the month of July 2027 per the Statement of Work. Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 01-01-2027 POP End: 12-31-2027 PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 811310 - Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: J041 - Maintenance, Repair, and Rebuilding of Equipment - Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Air Circulating Equipment *If applicable, VAAR 852.219-75 VA Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Veteran Owned Small-Businesses or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small-Businesses.* *If applicable, FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting, will apply to the potential solicitation if set-aside for Small-Businesses.* DISCLAIMER This Sources Sought is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. In accordance with 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 Sources Sought. The deadline for this information is 12:00 PM Central Time on Friday, October 9, 2026. PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF WORK Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MPLS VAMC) Ice Machine Cleaning Services Objectives: Establish an ice machine cleaning service contract with an experienced contractor that can provide cleaning and servicing for up to 70 ice machines at the MPLS VAMC of the following brand names: Scotsman, Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, and Follett. Statement of Work: The Contractor shall provide all labor and tools necessary to perform cleaning and servicing on a variety of ice machines. Ice machine cleaner, condensate tablets, water filters, and air filters will be provided by the MPLS VAMC. The Contractor is responsible for all other items needed to perform services. Services will be performed on a semi-annually basis. Ice machines will be cleaned, serviced, and maintained in accordance with manufacturers service manual. At a minimum, the Contractor will follow procedures set forth in the manufacturer s Equipment Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual or applicable maintenance and service manual for the unit being serviced. The number of ice machines will fluctuate from year to year. There are currently 70 ice machines in service; however, this number could be increased upon mutual agreement by the MPLS VAMC and the vendor based on the needs of the MPLS VAMC. Semi-Annual Maintenance All machines must be cleaned two times per year with the first cleaning in January and the second in July. All cleanings must be scheduled with the Contracting Officer s Representative/Point of Contact (COR/POC) to ensure that proper documentation of these cleanings can be completed. Display an Out of Service placard or sign on ice machine in plain sight while ice machine is being serviced. Inspect ice machine. Notify COR/POC, or HVAC Shop if ice machine is non-operational or is damaged. Turn off ice machine. Remove all ice from ice storage bin or dispenser and discard. Change the ice machine water filter and pre-flush filter. Apply a sticker and/or mark on the unit or filter with the date of replacement. Date will be visible for random inspections. Inspect and clean air-cooled condenser. Clean or change air filters. Compressed air will not be used to clean air filters or coils. Add Nickel Safe (or equivalent) ice machine cleaner that meets NSF standards and place ice machine in clean cycle. After cleaning cycle is complete, disconnect electrical power to the ice machine and dispenser. Remove scale and residue from drain pan/reservoir. Remove all water and ice distribution tubes and soak them in an ice machine cleaner. Manually clean inside and outside of tubes to remove any contamination (mold, residue, and foreign deposits). Rinse all parts with fresh hot water. Clean exterior and interior side walls, base, evaporator, sensors, plastic parts, bins, reservoirs, and dispenser. Clean and sanitize condensate tubes and storage bin drain. Flush evaporator, water distribution, and ice distribution systems after cleaning with cleaning solutions. Rinse all areas with clean hot water. Restart the machine and run through two cycles of ice making, and then dispose of this ice. Fully sanitize each ice machine after cleaning or service. MPLS VAMC lock out /tag out procedures will be followed if at any time a unit is to be taken out of service for an extended period (examples: waiting on parts, continuation of repair, cleaning the following day, etc.). An Out of Service sign will be placed on the unit, and the service technician shall notify the COR/POC. CONTRACTOR CERTIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS: The Contractor shall be a duly licensed and trained HVAC/R Mechanic. The Contractor shall provide such certifications to the COR/POC. All technicians performing service will be EPA 608 certified, either Type I or Universal certification. Certification. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations (40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F) under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require that technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified. Technicians are required to pass an EPA-approved test to earn Section 608 Technician Certification. The tests are specific to the type of equipment the technician seeks to work on.  Tests must be administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization. The Contractor s Service Technician(s) performing the maintenance and repair services shall have at least two (2) years of experience maintaining, cleaning, and repairing ice machines or similar HVAC/R equipment. The selection, assignment, and management of the Contractor s employees is the responsibility of the Contractor. For work under this contract, the Contractor shall not employ any individual identified as a potential threat to the health, safety, security, and general wellbeing, or operation of the MPLS VAMC facilities or personnel. The Contractor is fully responsible for performance and conduct of his/her employees and subcontracted employees. The Contractor shall not allow any employee to perform work under this Contract while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other incapacitating agent. Working hours: Anticipated hours of work will be Monday through Thursday from 7:00 am 5:00 pm. Additional hours must be coordinated through the COR/POC. Work will not be performed on weekends or federal holidays. Observed Federal Holidays: New Year s Day Martin Luther King Birthday Washington s Birthday Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veteran s Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Submittals: EPA Certifications and resumes of technicians performing the service. References: Manufactures Service and Maintenance Manuals of the ice machines Safety: The Contractor is responsible for maintaining a safe working environment for their employees as well as the MPLS VAMC Staff. Work areas will be kept cleaned throughout the day and all trash and demolished materials properly disposed of daily. Appropriate Personnel Protective Equipment will be worn while performing work on the MPLS VAMC Campus. Clean up any spills and post a yellow Wet Floor sign until dry. Notify The MPLS VAMC EMS Section @ 612-467-2009 if leak or spill cannot be contained. Technicians will not leave tools, parts or other items unattended while performing services. If technicians leave the work area, all items must be secured in a locked container. Security: Contracted personnel will need to obtain a PIV security badge prior to performing services at the MPLS VAMC. The Contractor s employees will work with COR/POC to provide documentation throughout the badging process. Appropriate Contractor staff (as determined by the VA) performing the duties of the Statement of Work shall complete TMS 10176 Infosec/Rules of Behavior Training to receive a badge. Contractor s employees will submit fingerprints and all required documents within five (5) business days of award date of contract. Contractor s personnel will utilize a temporary vendor s security badge until a permanent security PIV badge can be issued. Temporary badge use will not exceed 30 calendar days. Contractor staff shall be escorted while in MPLS VAMC sensitive locations. The Contractor s Technicians are required to check in with the COR/POC upon arrival at the facility to obtain access and any additional instructions, task explanations, and project location information. Daily performance log sheets are required to be submitted to the COR/POC daily. Parking/Storage: Parking is available in parking lots 11, 43A, and 43B for vehicles (automobiles and Pickup trucks). Larger vehicles, equipment, job site trailers, or storage containers must utilize parking lot 43A only. The Contractor s contact information (name and phone number) is required to be displayed on all vehicles, equipment, trailers, or containers that are stored overnight at the MPLS VAMC. Dropping off tools and materials at the loading dock is permitted but no parking is allowed in the loading dock area. Unattended vehicles in unauthorized parking areas will be ticketed by MPLS VAMC Police.
