65--Reagents

Center for Health Care Contracting, 2107 17th Street, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 78234, intends to award a sole source contract to Applied Biosystems, LLC. for Reagents. The proposed contract action is for supplies for which the government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003 (41 U.S.C. 428a) and the Test Program for Certain Commercial Items, 13.501(a), only one source reasonably available. The requested reagents are as follows: (1) N8080260 dNTP MIX w/dTTP, 1ml, 10mM, 100 ea; (2) 450006 Custom PRISM Primer 80,000 Picomoles, 1 ea; (3) 4352757 3130 POP-6 TM Polymer (7ml), 60 ea; (4) 4335611 POP7, box of 30 bottles, 1 box; (5) 4307176 dGTP BDT RR 100 RXN, 30 kits; (6) 4352755 POP 4 (7ml) 3130, 84 ea; (7) 4337452 Big Dye TF V1.1 RR 5000 & Seq Buffer, 3 kits; (8) 4304971 Sequence Detection Primer, 80,000 PICOMO, 6 ea. Only Applied Biosystems (AB) is capable of providing the required supplies and reagents in support of 65 highly specialized scientific instruments. Comparable products with even the very slightest differences would compromise the compatibility and consistency of DNA identification. The use of non AB reagents that deposit or cause to deposit residual matter in any AB instrument flow path may lead to instrument failure. This may require remedial repairs outside the maintenance agreement that may double or triplicate the price, and suspend DNA processing. The Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) is an American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) accredited forensic lab, which means the FBIs Quality Assurance Document is followed. Based on accreditation adherence (section IV of the Master Operating Plan and the FBIs QAS document), all reagents and equipment must be developmentally validated by the company and internally validated by the laboratory as well as pass a stringent quality control before being released for casework. Further, AFIPs mission requires consistency and standardization of testing to accomplish its overall mission and to maintain credibility, therefore, accuracy is critical to AFIP's mission. The AFDIL is equipped with 65 instruments that are optimized to specifically operate with Applied Biosystems reagents. Vital to the DNA identification mission is the need for reproducible and accurate test results with no lot to lot variability as determined through extensive internal validation studies. The sequencing, typing, amplification, quantitation, and other stages of DNA identification process are performed using reagents compatible with the specific analysis laboratory equipment/instruments. Only Applied Biosystems (AB) is capable of providing the required supplies and reagents in support of 65 highly specialized scientific instruments. Comparable products with even the very slightest differences would compromise the compatibility and consistency of DNA identification. This requirement is for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL), Rockville, MD 20850. In accordance with FAR Part 13.501(a), Center for Health Care Contracting intends to award a sole source contract to Applied Biosystems, LLC for Reagents, under NAICS code 334516.