Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract to Biolog

The Food and Drug Administration intends to award a sole source firm-fixed price commercial purchase order to Biolog Inc. for the Integrated Dual-Mode Microbial Phenotypic Analysis System, justified under FAR 6.302-1 due to the unique capability of Biolog’s system to simultaneously measure redox respiration and optical density growth kinetics while maintaining compatibility with the FDA’s existing proprietary phenotypic microarray plates and validated workflows. Market research confirmed no other supplier offers a commercially available alternative with these integrated functions, making Biolog the only responsible source. The acquisition is conducted under simplified procedures per FAR Part 12 as a commercial item purchase, with a NAICS code of 334516 for Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing, and no set-aside provisions are applied. The place of performance is Laurel, Maryland, while the contractor is located in Hayward, California, and the contracting office is based in Rockville, Maryland. The notice is not a competitive solicitation, but any firm wishing to be considered must submit a capability statement by July 9, 2026, to Janice Heard at janice.heard@fda.hhs.gov, with the government retaining full discretion to determine whether to open the requirement to competition based on those responses. No pricing, delivery schedule, packaging, inspection criteria, or contract clauses are detailed in the notice, as it serves as a pre-award announcement under streamlined commercial procurement rules, and no formal evaluation factors, warranties, or special requirements are specified. The acquisition is non-competitive, with no competitive bidding, cost analysis, or trade-off evaluation anticipated, and the government will award directly to Biolog unless a viable alternative capability is demonstrated through the submitted statements.