CFX Duet Real-Time PCR System and Accompanying Software

The USDA Agricultural Research Service, through its Contracting Operations Branch in Beltsville, Maryland, is awarding a firm-fixed-price contract for the acquisition of a CFX Duet Real-Time PCR System and accompanying CFX Maestro Software 2.3 for Windows PC, with delivery required by June 30, 2026, to the Honeybee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research Laboratory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The solicitation, numbered 1232SA26Q0496, was posted on May 12, 2026, with proposals due by 3:00 p.m. Central Time on May 8, 2026, submitted exclusively via email to Monte Jordan at monte.jordan@usda.gov, and must include a completed firm-fixed-price quotation on company letterhead containing the offeror’s SAM Unique Entity Identifier, a signed Price Schedule of Line Items, and a detailed Technical Proposal demonstrating clear understanding of the equipment’s salient characteristics and compliance through supporting documentation such as datasheets or brochures. Evaluation will follow a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) methodology, where offers must first be determined technically acceptable by meeting all specified product requirements and providing sufficient technical documentation, and then the lowest-priced acceptable offer with acceptable or neutral past performance will be selected. All items must be delivered F.O.B. destination, with no pricing information provided in the solicitation documents, indicating that pricing will be determined solely by offeror submissions and subject to strict compliance with Buy American, DEI nondiscrimination, and subcontractor eligibility clauses. The contract incorporates key Federal Acquisition Regulation clauses including 52.225-1 (Buy American), 52.222-90 (Addressing DEI Discrimination), 52.203-6 (Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales), and 52.204-13 (SAM Maintenance), with affirmative certifications required for anti-lobbying, SAM registration, and Buy American compliance, and specific prohibitions on indemnification, data exploitation, AI training using government data, third-party terms, and marketing use of government identifiers. Packaging and marking requirements are minimal, mandating only that products be clearly labeled with brand, make, and model, with no specific barcoding, preservation, or MIL-STD standards enforced. The government retains full rights of inspection and acceptance at the delivery location, with no formal contract administration data, payment office details