WARFIGHTER SCREENING

Sources Sought

This Sources Sought notice is issued by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to identify potential small business concerns capable of fulfilling a requirement for Warfighter Screening. This notice is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation or commitment to award a contract.

Interested parties should demonstrate capability to satisfy the government's requirement as identified in the Draft Minimum Requirements Document. Specific details of the requirement are not provided in this notice, but responses should address company capabilities and experience relevant to the minimum requirements.

• Submission Deadline: 28 January 2026 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time.

• Submission Method: Electronically to Mike Hornberger at michael.hornberger.1@us.af.mil.

• Required Subject Line: "Warfighter Screening." Emails without this subject line may be filtered out.

• Allowable Attachments: .PDF, .doc, .docx, .xls, or .xlsx. Other file types may be deleted.

• NAICS Code: 325413

• Interested Small Business concerns must identify their interest and capability.

• Responses should include identification of whether the company is a Small Business and its category (e.g., 8(a), HubZone).

• The government will not accept quotes at this time.

• This notice does not obligate the government to award a contract or pay for quote preparation costs.

• Responses will be used for an initial review of market capabilities.

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

To procure fully automated, walk-away, integrated, random-access platforms for high-throughput diagnostic testing (immunoassays and molecular analysis) for Warfighter Screening at the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Epidemiology Laboratory.

• Contract Type: Five-year (base plus four option years) cost per test (kit) contract.

• Services/Products: Instrumentation, instrument automation, middleware software, reagents, quality control, consumables (including collection kits), and support.

• Tests to be Performed:

  • Immunoassays: HIV-1/2, HTLV I/II, HBsAg (with automated confirmation), Anti-HBc, Anti-HCV.
  • Nucleic Acid Amplification Assays: HIV ½, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus.

• Workload: Projected 30K tests in the base year, with a 20% annual increase.

• Assay Approval: All assays must be FDA-approved for donor screening.

• Immunoassay Throughput: At least 280 results per hour.

• Nucleic Acid Amplification Throughput: At least 380 results per 8-hour shift.

• Uptime: Guaranteed minimum of 95% for all instruments.

• Test Turnaround Time: Immunoassay incubation not more than 28 minutes; Nucleic Acid Amplification not more than 4 hours for the first result.

• Data Integration: Bidirectional interface compatible with DHA MHS GENESIS laboratory information system for automatic test order and result transmission.

• Quality Control: Immunoassay platforms must have onboard statistical analysis; Nucleic Acid Amplification platforms must not release results without valid QC.

• Period: Five-year contract (base year plus four option years).

• Place: United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Epidemiology Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH.

• Instrumentation: Must accommodate continuous specimen loading, sample bar code reading (multiple symbologies), automatic clot detection, and automatic test reflex capability.

• Middleware: Must integrate both assay components and provide real-time metrics (turn-around time, auto-verification percentage, QC values, sample integrity).

• Installation & Training: Vendor responsible for transportation, delivery, installation, calibration, validation, and comprehensive training (onsite and off-site).

• Maintenance & Repair: Vendor must provide scheduled maintenance, all necessary parts and labor, and onsite technical support within 24 hours for instrument failures. Downtime must not exceed 48 hours per occurrence. Emergency onsite repair within 8 hours for simultaneous failures.

• Environmental: Provide guidelines for safe disposal of hazardous materials and waste.

• Water Source: If required, vendor must provide and maintain an automated water purification system.

• Upgrades: Instrumentation may be upgraded based on mutual agreement and technological advancements.