The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Services, National Veterinary Services , Surveillance, Preparedness and Response (USDA/APHIS/NVSL/SPRS) (Office of Kansas City, MO , is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and technical capability of qualified commercial businesses capable of providing coated and uncoated Plastic poly tubes 8 ml 13 x 100 ml Packaged: 1000 tubes and 1000 caps per box The USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS), Kansas City, MO utilizes bleeding tubes for the collection of blood samples from cattle and swine. The blood sample is then sent via common carrier various laboratories for testing. There are several off the shelf tubes and caps of acceptable quality on the market. This notice is intended for the off-the-shelf products. If solicited; Offers’ must clearly demonstrate their ability to comply with the time frame for submission and approval of first article samples and the delivery requirements that would be specified if solicited. SPECIFICATIONS The bleeding tubes shall be 13 x 100 millimeters, made from polypropylene copolymer plastic (reground material shall not exceed 10%), transparent (industry standard), chemically stable, withstand extremes in pressure without warping or otherwise changing shape or losing integrity, not shatter under pressure and have a rounded bottom. Each tube has a plastic plug-type push-in cap which extends 5/16" (inch) above the top of the tube when inserted. The plug-type cap shall provide a leak-proof seal when inserted into the tube. This seal must prevent leakage of blood samples in transit to laboratories via package delivery services and the U.S. Postal Service. The transport boxes for these tubes must fit inside partitions holding 40 tubes size 6 5/16 L x 2 7/16 W x 3 ½ H. The partition holding the tubes is placed inside a box w/lid Size 6 3/8 L x 2 ½ W x 3 7/8 H. The lid must fit securely on the box. This box with tubes is placed final in a master shipping box size 6 7/8 L x 3 ½ W x 4 9/16 H for the transport. The tube furnished shall be centrifugeable at high speeds and withstand a minimum of 150 degrees Fahrenheit without distortion, clouding or loss of shape and thickness. There shall be no burrs or irregularities which could cause the tubes to tip or wobble and result in a spillage of the blood sample. The tube must ensure rapid clotting of blood from various species of animals and prevent the adherence of the clot to the walls of the tube. This requirement is necessary to allow the efficient separation of the clot from the serum. COATING PROCEDURES It is required for the bleeding tubes be coated on the inside only. The outside of the tube may be coated at the contractor's discretion. The coating must be a polyalkylene glycol base stock lubricant, with a water solution ratio of 1:18. The Polyalkylene glycol lubricant is required and is the only lubricant that can be used. The following methods have been successfully used to coat the inside of the tubes: 1. Tubes may be sprayed with a power-type sprayer until the inside of the tube is moist and dried by using heat or air until all water is evaporated. 2. The tubes may totally immersed in the solution so that the solution wets the inside of each tube for 5 seconds. The tubes must be drained and then dried using heat or air until all water is evaporated. Interested sources are encouraged to complete and return Attachment 1 to the contracting office. Telephonic inquiries will not be honored. Please email all questions regarding subject item(s) prior to Sources Sought closing date to
[email protected] . This is not a request for competitive proposals, but instead a market research method to determine interested sources. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. No requests for capability briefings will be honored as a result of this notice. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. Please provide SAM uei Number, and point of contact information. The Government will not award a contract based on the information received, nor reimburse participants for information or samples they provide. Information or materials provided is strictly voluntary. Please Email (only) Attachment 1 to Carol Dingess at
[email protected] . Please be sure to include notice #SS23Q0254 on subject line. Closing date for submissions of Attachment_1 Statements of Capability is August 18, 2023 at 4:00PM MST. Anyone wishing to do business with the USDA must be listed in the government’s System for Award Management Registrar now known as SAM . You may register on line with http://sam.gov A prospective awardee shall be registered in the SAM database prior to award, during performance and through final payment of any contract resulting from a solicitation. Vendors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the SAM database accessed through http://sam.gov or by calling Central Contractors Registration @ 1-866-606-8220 The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 339112 Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing. The Small Business Size Category is 1000 employees. The Government intends to provide all information regarding this notice via this web site . The Federal Government is not responsible for notifications to offerors regarding notices, solicitations or amendments. It is the Vendor’s responsibility to check this web site http://sam.gov periodically for updates. Telephone and email requests will not be accepted