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AMENDMENT 0001 (Dated 05/12/2023):

This amendment (0001) is being issued to add a questions and answers document to the solicitation attachments. See the solicitation attachments for the questions and answers document. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B23Q0107 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-02. The associated NAICS code is 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing; with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees and the PSC code is 6640. This solicitation is a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside.

The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following product(s):

001) DNA Extraction Robot

Scope of Work:

The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS) Midwest Area (MWA) Administrative Office’s Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team on behalf of the USDA-ARS Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit (EIDMRU) located at 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, WI 54449 is requesting quotes for a DNA Extraction Robot.

Background:

Our labs currently require one DNA Extraction Robot to replace the manual workflow for highly concentrated samples and standards in our standard workflow process. Our two labs share 2 such units in total currently, which are required to keep up with the pace of sample analyses for our combined research programs (nearly 20,000 assays per year). Due to the risk of contamination on the instruments, any samples expected to be highly concentrated (such as fecal matter, wastewater, etc.) or positive control oligos for standard curves are handled in a separate lab space than the environmental water samples. Manual preparation of these samples is time consuming, and efficiency and throughput would both benefit from automation. These instruments are crucial to both research programs, as they perform a critical step in the workflow of extracting bacterial, protozoan, and viral DNA and RNA from environmental research samples.

Technical Requirements:

Supply a DNA Extraction Robot instrument with the following technical specifications:

• A benchtop extraction instrument capable of processing environmental samples.


• Spin-column based DNA and RNA extraction for various environmental sample extraction kits.


• Plug and play performance with pre-installed programs available for all sample types (water, fecal, soil) to extract and purify RNA, genomic DNA, and viral nucleic acids.


• On-board centrifuge, heated shaker, pipetting system, and robot gripper necessary for reagent and tube/column movements.


• Built-in UV light to decontaminate between runs.


• Installation and training

Travel:

To USDA-ARS EIDMRU located at 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, WI 54449 for installation and training.

Key Deliverables:

• DNA Extraction Robot


• Shipping/Freight/Delivery


• Installation


• Training

Delivery:

Product delivery, installation, and training at 2615 Yellowstone Drive, Marshfield, WI 54449 by July 30, 2023.

Evaluation Factors:

Pursuant to FAR 52.212-2, the criteria for evaluation and basis for award will be Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA). Technical acceptable is define as meeting ALL of the technical requirements identified on the Statement of Work and reiterated in the solicitation description. The Government intends to make one Firm-Fixed Price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) quote received. "LPTA" means the best value is expected to result from selection of the technically acceptable quote with the lowest evaluated price. The lowest priced quote will be evaluated first; if NOT found technically acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated, and so on until a technically acceptable quote is identified. The Government will NOT review higher priced quotes if the lowest (or a lower) priced quote is determined to be technically acceptable.

Submitting a Quote:

Failure to demonstrate compliance with ALL instructions presented herein will constitute sufficient cause to reject a quote without further discussions. All responsible sources may submit a quote which will be put into considered for award.

Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote in accordance with FAR 52.212-1. The applicable FAR clauses and provisions for this acquisition are included in the attachments to this solicitation. The Government anticipates making one Firm-Fixed Price award.

Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote along with all other requested and required documentation (such as completed FAR provisions) to be included as part of ALL offeror’s responses. The quote should include any and all fees, charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase.

The solicitation attachments include FAR clauses, a Statement of Work (SOW), and FAR provisions. Be sure to read and review ALL of the attachments and to complete any and ALL additional documentation required as part of your quote submission. Of critical importance is to review the SOW as it contains the requirements for this acquisition.

In addition, all submissions should include the FAR clauses and provisions completed in their entirety. The FAR clauses and provisions constitute the terms and conditions for submitting a quote in response to this solicitation as well as the terms and conditions of the anticipated award. The FAR provisions apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes. The FAR clauses apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes as well as to the resulting award. The FAR clauses will be included as part of the resulting award. Please review ALL of the FAR clauses and provisions and be certain to complete all of the FAR clauses and provisions that require the offerors impute (i.e. all boxes are checked, blanks are filled in, and tables are completed). Please provide a completed copy of the FAR provisions FAR 52.204-24 (Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment), FAR 52.212-3 (Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Products and Commercial Services), and FAR 52.225-18 (Place of Manufacture), with any quote.

Please ensure your quote will be current and that the price quoted will NOT expire for a minimum of 30 days.

To be eligible to be put into consideration for award, ALL vendors who respond to this solicitation must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration at the time their quote is submitted. A vendor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required in order to register. Vendors must also include their UEI# on their quote. Vendors should also include their SAM status as well as the business size and socio-economic status(es) for the applicable NAICS code.

As the Buy American Act applies to this acquisition, vendors should provide the full legal name of the manufacturer as well as the manufacturing location’s full street address (for USA made) or the country of origin (for foreign made) products included in their quote. A statement or certification from the manufacturer as to the manufacturing street address or country of origin would be preferred.

Also, be certain all quotes included the vendor’s full legal name, physical address, individual unit prices for all items quoted, the total quoted price, an estimated time to delivery or completion, the quote submission date, the quote expiration date, and all other relevant information.

The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting award will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting award. Invoices to be billed quarterly in arrears.

Questions in regards to this combined synopsis/solicitation must be submitted through email to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov (NO calls with questions will be accepted) and are due by NO later than Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT). Answers to any questions received by that time will be posted as an amendment to this combined synopsis/solicitation. No questions will be answered after this date unless determined to be in the best interest of the Government.

Only electronic submissions made via email will be accepted (NO verbal quotes made by phone call, quotes submitted by USPS mail, or quotes submitted in the body of an email). Please email all quotes in writing along with completed FAR provisions as well as ALL other requested and required documentation to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov by NO later than Monday, May 15, 2023 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT).

NOTE: Be absolutely certain to reference the RFQ number “12505B23Q0107” and/or title of the solicitation “DNA Extraction Robot” in the subject, body, and/or attachments on your quote submission email to ensure your submission can be located and attributed to this solicitation. Failure to do so could potentially result in your submission being deemed “unresponsive” and as a result your quote may NOT be put into consideration for award (as your quote may NOT be located when searching the recipients email to ensure all responses to the solicitation have been logged before making an award determination).

Attachments/Links