Eddy Jet 2W (Or Equal) Automated Spiral Plater and SphereFlash (Or Equal) Colony Counter Platform

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document is a solicitation for the purchase of an Automated Spiral Plater (Eddy Jet 2W) and a Colony Counter Platform (SphereFlash). The government intends to make one award for this requirement.

• The core requirement is the purchase of specific laboratory equipment: an Automated Spiral Plater and a Colony Counter Platform.

• Salient characteristics for these items are detailed in "Attachment 2 – Specifications."

• Offerors providing "or equal" items must meet or exceed all salient characteristics and provide descriptive literature, illustrations, or drawings to demonstrate compliance. Simply stating compliance is insufficient.

• The USDA requires delivery of all items no later than 60 days after award; early deliveries are accepted.

• The anticipated contract type is a firm fixed price requirements contract.

• The period of performance is not explicitly stated but delivery is required within 60 days of award.

• Pricing must be submitted for all items to be considered responsive.

• Quotes will be evaluated based on the lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) criteria.

• Price will be evaluated for fairness and reasonableness per FAR 12.204.

• Technical acceptability will be evaluated based on meeting salient characteristics and providing adequate descriptive literature.

• Past performance will also be evaluated as acceptable, neutral, or unacceptable.

• The lowest priced offer will be evaluated for technical acceptability first. If not acceptable, the process continues with the next lowest priced offer.

• Questions must be submitted via email to melissa.santos@usda.gov by Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 4:00 PM Central Time.

• Offers must hold prices firm for 90 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers.

• The document lists several clauses related to small business concerns, including "Notice of Total Small Business Aside" (52.219-6) and "Utilization of Small Business Concerns" (52.219-8), suggesting potential set-aside considerations or requirements.

• "Equal Low Bids" (52.219-2) is also listed.

• Offerors are not required to meet a specific qualification requirement to be eligible for award.

• This solicitation incorporates numerous Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Agriculture Acquisition Regulation (AGAR) clauses and provisions by reference. Offerors are advised to review these carefully.

• The shipping address for deliverables is: USDA, ARS, 1815 N University Street, Peoria, IL 61604.

• The document also outlines procedures for filing agency protests with the USDA Ombudsman Program.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Peoria, Illinois, requires a replacement for their existing automated spiral plater and colony counter platform to support mission-critical research for expanding markets and creating new uses for U.S. agricultural products.

This document outlines the technical requirements for a new automated spiral plater and colony counter platform. The vendor must deliver and install the equipment, along with providing training.

Automated Spiral Plater:

• Capable of various dispensing modes (uniform, linear, logarithmic).
• Utilizes sterile dispensing tips to minimize cross-contamination without waste fluid management.
• Automatically aspirates samples and changes tips.
• Supports 90 mm and 150 mm Petri dishes.
• Customizable dispensing modes.
• Reproducibility >99%.
• Cycle time between sample dispensing <45 seconds.
• Capable of generating threefold dilution gradients and up to 5 log range.
• Conforms to AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, sec. 977.27(4) and ISO 7218.

Automated Colony Counter:

• Capable of imaging and counting various plate types (<2 seconds).
• Ability to add/remove colonies from image analysis.
• Ability to define zones to exclude from counts.
• Automatic calibration and verification.
• Reads 60 mm, 90 mm, and 100 mm Petri dishes.
• Saves results in a report table.
• Produces and retains original plate images and algorithm settings.
• Software compatibility with the spiral plater dispensing programs for accurate colony forming unit counts.

Deliverables:

1. Delivery and Installation with government-provided PC (within 120 calendar days after contract award).
2. Training on instrument and software (immediately following installation or within one month).

Not explicitly stated, but the project is for USDA ARS in Peoria, Illinois.