Inactive

This serves as notification that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cincinnati Acquisition Division (CAD), intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Spectro Analytical Instruments,... This serves as notification that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cincinnati Acquisition Division (CAD), intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Spectro Analytical Instruments, Inc. (Spectro) located in Mahwah, NJ, to provide an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer with a Paschen-Runge mounting of a concave grating in Rowland Circle polychromator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), and its regional counterparts. This procurement is being conducted under the authority of FAR Part 13.106-1(b), soliciting from a single source. The EPA's need has the following minimum specification requirements: - The NEIC Laboratory provides legally defensible analytical data for OECA's criminal and civil enforcement programs. To provide defensible data in support of criminal and civil investigations it is critical that we follow approved methods exactly; therefore, we must meet the criteria listed in EPA Method 200.7 as follows: - Instrument performance must provide stable inter-element correction factors over one year within +/- 10%. - Instrument blanks must be within +/- the instrument detection limit. - Initial calibration verification must be within +/- 5% of the true value, - Continuing calibration checks must be within +/- 10% of the true value. - It must be an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. - The instrument must have the Paschen-Runge mounting of a concave grating in Rowland Circle Optical Alignment to avoid aberrations associated with 2-dimensional Echelle based systems. - The polychromator must provide full first order wavelength coverage. - For superior stability the instrument must have a sealed and thermally stabilized optical system that does not require an external chiller or constant purge gas. The NEIC laboratory cannot accommodate an external chiller. - Wavelength coverage must be from 130nm to 770nm and resolution must be less than 0.016 nm across the entire wavelength range. Must be able to analyze for the halogens. - The Rf generator should be solid state design, free running, computer controlled and provide a power range of 500-2000 Watts to handle complex matrices high in salt or organics. - It must provide a single exposure simultaneous measurement of all wavelengths (whether in the acquisition method or not) for speed and productivity. - It must provide true axial and true radial view of the plasma. - It must be capable of handling a variety of sample matrices including environmental, organics and high salt solutions. - This product will be located in the Denver Federal Building in Denver, Colorado Spectro is the only manufacturer which uses a Rowland Circle Optics Alignment, which is key to meeting the EPA Method 200.7 performance criteria. Spectro's equipment is also the only ICP-OES that has a wavelength range from 130nm to 770nm with consistent resolution less than 0.016nm. The Spectro Arcos ICP-OES is the only ICP-OES instrument design on the market today which uses the Paschen-Runge mounting of a concave grating in Rowland Circle optical alignment design, includes the ability to analyze for halogens, and doesn't require an external chiller. Spectro's equipment is also the only ICP-OES instrument that has demonstrated it can meet the EPA 200.7 Rev, 4,4 (1994) method criteria as required by 40CFR, Part 136.3, Table 1B, stating the instrument performance must provide stable inter-element correction factors over one year within +/- 10% and instrument blanks must be within +/- the instrument detection limit. Also, the initial calibration verification must be within +/- 5% of the true value, and continuing calibration checks must be within +/- 10% of the true value. Finally, the instrument must be able to handle a variety of sample matrices including environmental, organics and high salt solutions, and the instrument must be able to analyze for halides. This requirement will utilize FAR Part 13. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334516 Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing. The government anticipates awarding a firm-fixed price contract. The government intends to issue a solicitation to Spectro on or about August 31, 2020. Spectro is the only known source able to satisfy this requirement. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. This notice satisfies the requirement at FAR 5.101(a)(1) for publicizing the proposed contract action. Notwithstanding, any firm that believes it is capable of meeting the EPA's requirement MUST submit documentation if they wish to be considered. Supporting evidence must be furnished in sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance. Such documentation must be submitted electronically to ingram.mark@epa.gov no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time on August 28, 2020. Telephone responses will not be honored. A determination not to compete the proposed contract based upon the responses received to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.