USDA-ARS-SAA, Richard B. Russell Center, 950 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605-2720

66 -- FILMLESS AUTORADIOGRAPHY SYSTEM SOL RFQ-021-4384-00 DUE 062200 POC Elaine Wood, Contracting Officer, 706-546-3534 E-MAIL: Click here to contact contracting officer, woode@ars.usda.gov. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number RFQ-0021-4384-00 is issued as a request for quotations and incorporates provisions and clauses that are in effect through FAC 97-14. The proposed contract is 100% set-aside for small businesses The standard industrial classification code is 3826. The small business size standard is 500 employees. General specifications and application of instrument: An instrument is needed for gel and blot analysis that will combine storage phosphor autoradiography with non-radioactive fluorescent labeling techniques. It should possess the following specific imaging capabilities: Storage phosphor autoradiography (excitation source of 635 nm) Direct blue-excited fluorescence (excitation source of 450 nm) Chemifluorescence (excitation source of 450 nm) Ability to later upgrade instrument to permit direct red-excited fluorescence Specifications for instrument are: Must function without consumables (such as gases, etc) Must be able to scan sequencing gel-sized samples (35 x 43 cm) Sample exposure must take place in cassettes independent of the instrument (so that multiple radioactive samples can be simultaneously exposed to multiple screens for rapid sample processing by keeping the instrument maximally available for scanning) Must be possible to do storage phosphor screen exposure and scanning in room light and at room temperature without any special darkroom apparatus or loading docks Must operate on a single software program to control the instrument, scan the sample, acquire the image and analyze the data from all three scanning modes (storage phosphor autoradiography, direct blue-excited fluorescence and chemifluorescence) Data from all three types of analysis (storage phosphor autoradiography, direct blue-excited fluorescence and chemifluorescence) must be stored in a common format to allow easy interchange of data from different types of analysis Operating software, especially the image analysis parts of it, must be user-friendly and based on the Windows NT operating system so that scanning can continue while the computer is being used to quantitate previous scans Storage phosphor screens must be based on Europium crystals, which are sensitive to beta and gamma radiation, x-rays and ultraviolet light Must have a linear dynamic range of sufficient orders of magnitude (i.e. four or five) to permit detection of strong and weak signals on a single sample Must be able to export images in industry standard 8 bit TIFF format and image quantitation data for use with multiple Windows-based programs, including Excel Delivery is required within 60 days ARO. Delivery is FOB Destination to USDA, ARS, Ft. Pierce, FL. Descriptive literature showing the quoted item meets or exceeds all specifications included herein must accompany the quotation. The government anticipates award of a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsive/responsible offeror whose offer conforms to the solicitation and is most price advantageous to the government. The provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The contracting officer will make award based on price and price-related factors. Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provision at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror/Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, and FAR 52.222-70, Compliance with Veterans Employment Reporting Requirements with its proposal. Far 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statues or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses cited in 52.212-5 are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6; 52.203-10, 52.219-8; 52.222-26; 52.222-35, 52.222-36, 52.222-37; 52.225-3; 52.222-18; 52.225-21. The contractor shall extend to the Government the full coverage of any standard commercial warranty normally offered in a similar commercial sale, provided such warranty is available at no additional cost to the Government. Acceptance of the standard commercial warranty does not waive the Government's rights under the Inspection clause nor does it limit the Government's rights with regard to the other terms and conditions of this contract. Acceptance testing will be performed during the training session as specified by item 9. In the event of a conflict, the terms and conditions of the contract shall take precedence over the standard commercial warranty. The contractor shall provide a copy of its standard commercial warranty (if applicable) with its response. Responses are due 4:00 pm local time, June 21, 2000 at USDA Agricultural Research Service, 950 College Station Rd, Athens, GA 30605-2720 (or POB 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677). POC Elaine Wood, Contract Specialist, 706/546-3534 or fax 706/546-3444. Posted 06/06/00 (W-SN461825). (0158)

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