(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial supplies prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12.6, and supplemental information included in this notice. Simplified procurement procedures will be used as well as commercial item acquisition regulations per FAR 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The reference number for this effort is AMSDAFBL-0017-5 and the solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). (iii) The provisions and clauses incorporated into this solicitation document are those in effect at the time of publication. Provisions and clauses incorporated by reference have the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. The full text of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) can be accessed on the Internet at http://farsite.hill.af.mil/ (iv) NAICS Code is 334516 and the size standard is 500 employees. No set asides apply. (v) This requirement for a consists of one (1) line item: (1) Quantity 1 Complete High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC ) system, Firm Fixed Price. (vi) Description: Only quotations for a complete system will be considered. Individual component quotations will not be considered. A complete system consists of the following components: (1) Binary pump with degassing capability (2) Programmable auto-injector. (3) Guard column. (4) C18 column. (5) Column heater with controller. (6) Kobra cell post column derivitization system (7) Scanning fluorescence detector. (8) Computer hardware with monitor. (9) Printer (10) Software, with HPLC program (11) tubing, ferrules, connectors to connect all pieces of the HPLC to one another. (vii) Deliverables and acceptance of deliverables will be FOB destination, USDA AMS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOOGY Afatoxin Satellite Laboratory – 6567 Chancey Mill Road, Blakely, Georgia 39823 (viii) The provision at 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial applies to this solicitation. The provision at 52.212-2 Evaluation - Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. The following text is added to Paragraph (a) of FAR 52.212-2: The following factors shall be used to evaluate offer in a trade off process: Technically capability is approximately equal to price. The Contractor quoting the system with the overall best value will be selected for award. The HPLC is intended for use in the AMS Science and Technology program and will be used in the analysis of nuts, feeds, food, and other commodities to determine the amount of aflatoxin that might be present in those commodities. The HPLC will definitively determine if the analyte is aflatoxin and measure its presence in the commodity in parts per billion. The HPLC can and will be used to measure other analytes such as capsaicin found in hot sauce and vitamin A in various commodities. Please submit a brief technical explanation describing the quoted systems ability to perform analysis as stated above. (x) The provision 52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. The contractor shall return a completed copy of the Offeror Representations and Certifications with their quotation. A copy of the provision may be attained from http://www.arnet.gov/far. (xi) The clause at 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. (xii) The clause at 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. The following FAR clauses identified in FAR 52.212-5 are considered checked and are applicable to this acquisition: 52.222-3 Convict Labor; 52.222-19 Child Labor – Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies; 52.222-26 Equal Opportunity; 52.222-21 Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; 52.222-35 Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.222-36 Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities; 52.222-37 Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans; 52.225-3 Buy American Act – North American Free Trade Agreement-Israeli Trade Act; 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases; 52.225-15 Sanctioned European Union Country End Products; 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer Central Contractor Registration (CCR). To be awarded this contract, the offeror must be registered in the CCR. CCR information may be found at http://www.ccr.gov. (xvi) Quotations are due to the United States Department of Agriculture, Minneapolis Contracting Office, 100 North Sixth Street, Butler Square, 5th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55403 by close of business day, September 21, 2005. Faxed quotes are acceptable. (xvii)The assigned Purchasing Agent is Ms. Jayne Frommes. Ms Frommes may be reached at
[email protected], (612) 336-3221 or by fax at (612) 370-2136A COMPLETE QUOTE WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) Pricing for each item, which provides the price per unit. 2) Signature of the offeror on the page which lists the price. 3). Quotes should be of sufficient detail to determine their adequacy. 4) A completed copy of the provisions at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items or confirmation that this has been completed on-line. If an offerors quote does not contain all of the items listed above, the quote may be considered incomplete for evaluation purposes and no further consideration will be given to the offerors quote, thereby making an offeror ineligible for award.