Lab Accreditation Services

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides a response to a vendor's question regarding the incumbent contractor and whether the requirement is a recompete or a new project.

• Incumbent/Recompete Status: The requirement is a recompete.
• Incumbent Contractor: American Association of Laboratory Accreditation.
• Award Number: W81XWH22P0032.

This clarification confirms the opportunity is a recompete and identifies the incumbent contractor and their award number, which may be relevant for bidders researching past performance.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation (HT942726QE003) is for Lab Accreditation services for The Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen (DCPH-A). The acquisition is for commercial products and services and is being conducted as an unrestricted procurement. A single award is anticipated.

• Laboratory Accreditation services in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and TNI Standards: 2016, Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) accreditation.

• Services are described in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and QASP, which are attached.

• The contract type is anticipated to be Firm-Fixed Price (FFP).

• The period of performance includes a Base Period and four Option Periods.

  • Base Period: 31 Mar 2026 to 30 Mar 2027
  • Option Period 1: 31 Mar 2027 to 30 Mar 2028
  • Option Period 2: 31 Mar 2028 to 30 Mar 2029
  • Option Period 3: 31 Mar 2029 to 30 Mar 2030
  • Option Period 4: 31 Mar 2030 to 30 Mar 2031

• Place of Performance is the Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen, MD.

• Offerors must submit quotations in two volumes: Volume I (Non-Price Factors: Technical Approach / Past Performance) and Volume II (Price).

• Volume I must include company name, address, POC, Cage Code, and DUNS Number. It shall not include pricing information.

• Volume II must include unit price and total price for all CLINs. Offerors are to quote FFP pricing. A Commercial Price List may be included in Volume II.

• Questions are due no later than 17 February 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern and should be submitted via email to Jeffrey Sprecher and Courtney Piar. Answers will be provided via amendment.

• Quotations are due no later than 20 February 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

• Award will be made on a competitive best value tradeoff basis, considering technical approach, past performance, and price. Technical Approach and Past Performance are more important than Price when combined.

• Offerors must achieve a minimum rating of Acceptable for Evaluation Factor I (Technical Approach) and Evaluation Factor II (Past Performance), and Factor III (Price) must be determined complete/fair and reasonable.

• This acquisition is unrestricted.

• NAICS Code: 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), with a size standard of $14 million.

• The solicitation incorporates FAR clauses by reference and in full text, including those related to payment instructions via Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF) and contract administration.

• DFARS clauses related to safeguarding covered defense information and cyber incident reporting, and prohibitions on certain telecommunications equipment are included.

Other / Unclassified

This document is a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) for a contract to provide the Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen (DCPH-A) Laboratory Science (LAB) Directorate with third-party accreditation for environmental and biological analytical methods. It outlines the government's process for determining if the contractor meets performance standards. The QASP details what will be monitored, how, by whom, and how results will be documented. It is a living document intended to ensure objective, fair, and consistent evaluation of contractor performance.

This QASP details the government's surveillance and oversight process for contractor performance. While not a solicitation itself, it provides insight into the performance standards and evaluation methods that will be used to assess the contractor. Bidders can use this document to understand the government's expectations regarding quality control, reporting, and adherence to standards such as ISO 17025:2017 and NELAC Institute (TNI) requirements. Key roles and responsibilities for government oversight personnel (PM/FSM, CO, COR, ACOR) are defined, as well as contractor representatives. The document also includes a Surveillance Matrix outlining specific performance objectives, standards, inspection methods, and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) for various deliverables, such as certificates, scopes of accreditation, and assessment reports. Performance rating definitions (Exceptional, Very Good, Satisfactory, Marginal, Unsatisfactory) are also provided, which will be used to evaluate the contractor's performance.

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

To provide laboratory accreditation services for the Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen (DCPH-A) Laboratory Sciences Directorate (LAB) to ensure the quality and effectiveness of its sample analysis data, supporting Department of Defense (DoD) readiness and warfighter health and safety.

• Provide third-party accreditation for the DCPH-A LAB's environmental and biological analytical methods.

• Accredit methods according to ISO 17025:2017, The NELAC Institute (TNI) Volume 1, Management and Technical Requirements for Laboratories Performing Environmental Analysis 2016, and DoD Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) for PFAS methods (EPA 533 and EPA 537.1).

• Perform bi-annual onsite assessments of the LAB's technical operations and quality management system.

• Extend expiration dates of current accreditations to prevent lapses until contractor assessment is complete.

• Provide documentation of accreditation, including certificates and scopes, with new expiration dates.

• Notify the LAB of requirements for accreditation renewal and suspense dates.

• Assess published and internally developed methods for scope expansions.

• Provide quotes for scope expansion requests.

• Conduct initial and ongoing surveillance activities for DoD ELAP accreditation.

• Period of Performance: Base period from 31 March 2026 – 30 March 2027, with four option periods extending through 30 March 2031.

• Place of Performance: Primarily at the contractor's facility, with onsite assessments at the DCPH-A LAB located at 8300 Ricketts Point Road, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010.

• Contractor personnel must comply with all security requirements, including Anti-Terrorism (AT) Level I Training and iWATCH Training.

• Contractor must provide qualified and certified auditors.

• Contractor must adhere to specific deliverable timelines for reports, certificates, and quotes.

• Services are non-personal and severable.

• Contractor must ensure personnel identify themselves as contractors and do not allude to military rank.