Lead Dust Sampling Materials & Analysis

The City of Pittsburgh's Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI) issued a solicitation (2025-RFP-283) seeking qualified EPA-accredited laboratories recognized under the National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) to provide lead dust sampling materials and analytical testing services. This procurement supports the City's recently enacted 2021 ordinance aimed at mitigating lead exposure risks, especially among children, by incorporating lead inspection requirements into rental property inspections and establishing a lead inspection program for child care facilities. The contract will span three years and requires laboratories to supply environmental testing materials, conduct accurate lead analyses of dust, paint, and soil samples, and deliver reliable results with documented quality assurance consistent with EPA, HUD, ASTM, and ISO/IEC 17025 standards. The scope mandates strict compliance with the Laboratory Quality System Requirements (LQSR) Revision 3.0 under NLLAP, emphasizing management and technical quality controls including personnel qualifications, validated analytical methods with defined detection limits and precision criteria, sample handling, calibration, and thorough documentation. Laboratories must maintain traceability through unique sample labeling and chain-of-custody procedures while adhering to mandatory quality control protocols such as calibration verifications and control sample frequencies. Delivery and inspection occur at the laboratory facilities within Pennsylvania, with contract administration centered in Pittsburgh. Though the solicitation outlines extensive technical and procedural standards to ensure analytical integrity and regulatory compliance, it does not specify pricing, FAR clauses, contract types, or formal evaluation factors, focusing instead on the laboratory’s ability to meet stringent lead testing and reporting requirements to support the City’s public health objectives.