Micro-Oxymax Respirometer Expansion & Upgrading

This solicitation, numbered 1232SA26Q0540, is a Total Small Business Set-Aside under FAR 19.5 targeting HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, with NAICS code 334516, for the expansion and upgrading of a Micro-Oxymax Respirometer system. The procurement is issued as a Request for Quotation by the USDA Agricultural Research Service under the Department of Agriculture, with the contracting officer being Lynn Hults. The sole deliverable is a single Micro-Oxymax 20 Chamber System with Accessories from Columbus Instruments, which must be fully compatible with existing systems and meet current state-of-the-art standards for scientific reproducibility. The government has mandated a brand-name-only procurement, rejecting any substitute or equal products unless comprehensive technical justifications are submitted, and will evaluate quotations using a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable approach, where only the lowest-priced offer that meets all technical and past performance thresholds will be considered. The contract requires strict compliance with food safety regulations, including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FSMA, and the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, with all packaging and materials required to meet FDA standards for safe food contact, CONEG lead and heavy metal limits, and specific labeling requirements including traceability codes, nutrition facts, and USDA shield usage where applicable. Packaging must be delivered in palletized, stretch-wrapped units meeting detailed structural specifications and must not be transported near contaminating substances. Delivery is F.O.B. Destination to PWA Bioproducts Research in Albany, California, with performance required between May 12 and August 14, 2026. Offerors must certify compliance with Federal anti-discrimination laws and the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, and are prohibited from promoting DEI initiatives that violate Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, with this certification required as a material condition of payment. All payments will be made electronically via EFT, and offers must remain firm for 90 days. Proposals must be submitted by May 8, 2026, at 1700 ET, with mandatory completion of specified form blocks and inclusion of required representations, including Buy American compliance and child labor certifications.