BLOOD BANK TESTING
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Department of the Air Force, specifically the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is conducting a Sources Sought to identify market capabilities for Blood Bank Testing. This is market research for a potential five-year (base plus four option years) cost-per-test agreement for a fully automated, integrated blood banking testing platform. The NAICS code is 325413 (In Vitro Diagnostic Substances, Reagents, Test Kits And Sets). Responses are due January 28, 2026.
Scope of Work
The requirement is for an automated, walkaway, integrated blood banking testing platform for the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Epidemiology Laboratory (Epi Lab). The platform must be capable of continuous high throughput in vitro immunohematology testing, including automated pre-transfusion testing for ABO/Rh Group, Antibody Screen (3-cell), Serial Dilutions for Titration Studies, and Quality Control (QC) Testing. Key technical requirements include:
- Use of column agglutination technology (gel cards).
- Automation of liquid pipetting, reagent handling, incubation, centrifugation, reaction grading, and interpretation.
- Non-proprietary system liquids and up to 24 hours walkaway time.
- Reagent red blood cells and gel cards manufactured in the U.S. with U.S.-based donors.
- Benchtop installable, capable of sampling from primary or aliquot tubes.
- Middleware interface with MHS GENESIS via serial connection, supporting user-defined rules, specimen tracking, and QC analysis.
- Instrumentation, reagents, and middleware must be FDA approved.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Sources Sought (Market Research)
- Anticipated Duration: Five-year contract (base plus four option years) for the future requirement.
- Set-Aside: Specifically seeking information from Small Business concerns.
- Response Due: January 28, 2026, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
- Published: January 21, 2026.
Evaluation
This is not a solicitation. Responses will be used to gather information on industry capabilities. Interested Small Business concerns should identify their interest and capability by providing:
- Company name, CAGE code, address, Point of Contact (POC), phone, and email.
- Small Business designation (e.g., 8(a), HubZone).
- A description of relevant company capability and experience.
Additional Notes
Responses and questions should be sent electronically to Mike Hornberger at michael.hornberger.1@us.af.mil. The email subject line must be "Blood Bank Testing". Acceptable attachment file types are .PDF, .doc, .docx, .xls, or .xlsx. .zip and .exe files are not allowed.