H--Quality Assurance Criteria for Radiological Analyses

This is not a notice for a solicitation. This is only a Request for Information (RFI). The government does not intend to award a contract or any type of agreement on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information solicitated under this RFI. This is NOT a request for proposal or an invitation to bid but merely a request for information. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) is considering incorporating the following Quality Assurance Criteria in its solicitation and subsequent contract for radiological analyses. Comments are being requested concerning feasibility and difficulty in meeting these criteria. This RFI is part of the Market Research that is being conducted prior to the announcement of the RFP. Acronyms:LCS - Laboratory Control Sample.MS - Matrix SpikessLC - sample specific Critical LevelssMDC - sample specific Minimum Detectable ConcentrationCSU - Combined Standard Uncertainty QA Criteria - For the specifications provided below, no action is to be taken for a single occurrence but action is to be taken when a parameter specification has been exceeded three times in a single batch of samples (17 samples) or when trending indicates that a parameter specification has been exceeded more than 5% in 30 consecutive days. Exceptions to this application are noted for certain parameters.1. Chemical yields shall be between 60-110%; the yield shall be less than 100% plus 2 times the standard uncertainty of the yield with a 110% upper bound limit.2. Recoveries for both LCSs and MSs shall be between 80-110%; the recovery shall be less than 100% plus result plus 2 times the standard uncertainty of the recovery with a 110% upper bound limit.3. A blank result shall not exceed the ssLC of the analysis.4. Negative results shall not exceed 1.65 times the CSU of the result.5. For duplicate samples, the difference between results shall be 3 times the square root of the sum of each CSU squared is unacceptable with no exception.6. The ssMDC for a measurement should be less than the contractual MDC.7. The ssLC should be approximately of the ssMDC.8. The ssLC should be approximately two times the CSU when a result is negative.9. The ssLC should be approximately two times the CSU when a positive result is less than two times the CSU.10. The CSU of the result should be approximately 1/3 of the ssMDC when the result is below the ssMDC.11. When a result is greater than five times the ssMDC, the CSU of the result should be greater than the ssMDC. RFI responses will be accepted in hard copy or electronic submission. All proprietary and restricted information provided in response to this synopsis should be clearly marked. Responses should indicate if the vendor is a large or small business. Please ensure you have included your email address, mailing address, and telephone number in the body of the response. All responses shall be in the English language. Responses must be submitted to Maureen Corbett, Contracting Officer, at [email protected]. Responses are due on or before May 8, 2008.