Notice of Intent: Talos Service Contract

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service intends to award a sole source firm-fixed price purchase order to FEI Company for preventative maintenance services on a Talos F200C G2 Transmission Electron Microscope, with the work to be performed at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas. This action is being pursued under FAR Part 12 procedures for commercial items, and although it is a sole source procurement, the government is inviting all responsible sources to submit capability statements by July 5, 2026, to determine whether competition is practicable. Evaluation of responses will follow a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) methodology, where technical acceptability is binary—only OEM or OEM-approved providers of the Talos F200C G2 are eligible—and past performance must be rated acceptable or neutral, with price being the deciding factor among qualified offerors. The contractor must restore the dormant microscope to full operational status, including calibration of electron optics, vacuum, cooling, and control systems, and deliver a detailed report of services rendered, all in compliance with FEI Company’s manufacturer specifications. All personnel performing the work must be certified by ThermoFisher Scientific, be U.S. citizens, undergo background checks, and operate under constant escort while onsite at the NBAF facility. The contract includes stringent special requirements prohibiting the use of government data for AI/ML training, restricting marketing use of government identifiers, preventing unilateral contract modifications, and forbidding indemnification clauses or restrictive software licenses. The contractor must comply with numerous FAR clauses including security prohibitions, business ethics, whistleblower protections, trafficking in persons, and subcontracting limitations, while adhering to F.O.B. destination delivery terms and submitting invoices to the designated USDA APHIS office in Minneapolis for payment via electronic funds transfer. No contract value is provided as pricing will be determined by the selected offer, and the government retains full discretion over award decisions, with no obligation to compensate respondents for costs incurred in submitting a capability statement. Contract administration is overseen solely by the Contracting Officer, Kathy Melby, with no designated Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative.