The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/ Pland Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Science and Technology (S & T)  Program  in Edinburg, TX intends to award a sole source purchase order for 1ea Oxford Aztec EDS for the Hitachi Tabletop SEM with Truemap and accessories  

Information regarding this product may be found at https://nano.oxinst.com/products/eds/

Rationale – Brand Name

In accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i) and FAR 13.106-3(b)(3)(i).  )For acquisitions greater than the micro-purchase threshold but less than the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) the Contracting Officer may solicit from one source only if the Contracting Officer determines that the circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand name, etc.).

USDA APHIS PPQ Science and Technology already owns a  Tabletop SEM. They wish to purchase an accessory for use with the Hitachi Tabletop SEM. The add-on accessory they want to purchase is the Oxford Aztec Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) with TruMAP.   Any pursuit of comparable products at this time would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government due to non compatibility of components and methods currently in use.

Background

The Hitachi Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope was purchased to facilitate recognition of morphological traits not visible under light microscopy to aid discrimination of species. The addition of Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy will allow evaluation of the elemental composition of specimens. The information gained from EDS may provide information in pest invasion routes or sites of origin.

This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive proposals.  The formal Solicitation# PPQ1118207 for quotes closes  4pm (mt) on 03/08/2024.    The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 334516   Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, and the Small business size standard is 1,000 Employees

Responses received after the response date or without the required information will be deemed nonresponsive to the synopsis and will not be considered. Capability statements may be sent (via email only) to: Carol Dingess, Contracting Officer /[email protected].