This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Solicitation No. 36C25726Q0603 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). This RFQ and all incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2026-01.
This requirement is being solicited as a Full and Open Competition.
PRINCIPAL NAICS CODE: 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: 6632 - Analysis Instruments, Medical Laboratory Use
The Amarillo Veterans Affairs Healthcare System requires Integrated Microbiology instruments using the Cost-Per-Test (CPT) invoicing method supporting the Amarillo Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Lubbock VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic. The instrumentation shall include automated blood culture detection systems at the Amarillo VA Medical Center and automated organism identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (ID/AST) systems supporting both Amarillo and Lubbock laboratory operations. The instrument shall be able to simultaneously perform the testing as described below and meet the performance characteristics for accuracy and precision as defined by the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Equipment must maintain, or preferably reduce, the number of workstations or overall labor required to accomplish the required testing by each laboratory. The proposed solution should support an integrated microbiology workflow between blood culture detection and ID/AST systems to minimize manual intervention and improve operational efficiency. Equipment shall be acquired for each of the clinical laboratories located at the AVAHCS facilities listed below. Blood culture instrumentation shall be required at the Amarillo VA Medical Center, which serves as the primary microbiology laboratory for AVAHCS.
(1) Blood Culture Testing (Amarillo) - Estimated quantity is 2,400 blood culture sets across both sites annually.
(2) Organism Identification / Susceptibility Testing Central Laboratory (Amarillo) - Gram-negative isolates: ~366 - Gram-positive isolates: ~514 - Other organisms (e.g., Haemophilus/Neisseria): minimal - Yeast identification: currently not performed; future capability of interest (including Candida auris) Satellite Site (Lubbock)
- Gram-negative isolates: ~155 - Gram-positive isolates: ~105
(3) Antibiotic Information
(a) Gram-Negative Organisms (including Enterobacterales): Amikacin, Ampicillin, Ampicillin/Sulbactam, Cefazolin, Cefoxitin, Ceftazidime, Ceftriaxone, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Levofloxacin, Meropenem, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, Tetracycline, Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole
(b) Urinary Pathogens (as applicable): Ampicillin, Ampicillin/Sulbactam, Cefazolin, Ceftriaxone, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Levofloxacin, Meropenem, Nitrofurantoin, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole
(c) Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Amikacin, Aztreonam, Ceftazidime, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Levofloxacin, Meropenem, Piperacillin/Tazobactam
(d) Gram-Positive Organisms (including Staphylococcus species): Ceftaroline, Clindamycin, Erythromycin, Levofloxacin, Linezolid, Oxacillin, Penicillin, Tetracycline, Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole, Vancomycin
(e) Enterococcus species: Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Linezolid, Penicillin, Tetracycline, Vancomycin
(f) Streptococcus species (including fastidious organisms): Ampicillin, Ceftriaxone, Clindamycin, Erythromycin, Levofloxacin, Penicillin, Tetracycline, Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole, Vancomycin
(g) Streptococcus pneumoniae: Ceftriaxone, Clindamycin, Erythromycin, Levofloxacin, Penicillin, Tetracycline, Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole, Vancomycin
Evaluation. (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers:
Technical
Past Performance
Price
(b) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.
(c) Evaluation Approach. The Government will evaluate quotations using the comparative evaluation process outlined in RFO 12.203(c)(2), where quotations will be compared to one another to determine which provides the best benefit to the Government. The Government reserves the right to consider a quotation other than the lowest price that provides additional benefit(s). Quotations may exceed minimum requirements of the solicitation. The Government reserves the right to select a quotation that provides benefit to the Government that exceeds the minimum requirements of the solicitation but is not required to do so. Each response must meet the minimum requirements of the solicitation.
This procurement is subject to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and includes FAR 52.225-5, Trade Agreements and FAR 52.225-6, Trade Agreement Certificate.
