Sources Sought Notice to obtain instruments and reagents to perform automated microbial identification and susceptibility testing for the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services

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Contract Opportunity

The Medical Readiness Contracting Office West (MRCO) issuing this Sources Sought Notice to find potential sources to obtain instruments and reagents to perform automated microbial identification and susceptibility testing for the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services – Microbiology Laboratory, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Required assays are listed below. A base period of performance from 01 October 2026 through 30 September 2031 will be required for this action.

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT – This is a Sources Sought Notice and is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future. Solicitations are not available at this time and requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the United States Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government. Not responding to this Sources Sought Notice does not preclude participation in any future RFQ, should one be issued. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

The Government will use responses to this notice in formulating its acquisition strategy. If the Government does not receive sufficient information in response to this notice to verify the potential for competition exists, it is possible that a sole-source contract, supported by a Justification and Approval document, will be issued to support the Government's requirement. MRCO-W is seeking the following information (please answer paragraph below with your response):

Company name, CAGE code, and point of contact information (including phone number and email address), and socio-economic category(ies) as related to NAICS 325413 (In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing), such as 8(a), HUBZone, Women-Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Small, or Other-than-Small.

Our customer, the Department of Pathology, Microbiology Laboratory at BAMC requires the following reagents, consumables, calibrators, controls:

Capability Statement (limited to ten pages), describing how your company meets the below objectives, providing additional proof (such as FDA approval) where appropriate:

Basic Requirements:

The contract must include automated mass spectrometry rapid microbiology identification testing; automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing; and automated biochemical identification testing. The number of tests per year is identified in the workload data table (Table 1). All methodologies should be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Test Menu and Special Requirements for Awarded Contractor: Vendor must meet, or improve, each Laboratory's existing turn-around times as a minimum and should produce rapid results (within 8–12 hours). Vendor must be capable of supplying instruments, reagents and associated consumables for automated testing of the following:

• Automated mass spectrometry rapid microbiology identification testing


• Automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing


• Automated biochemical microbial identification testing

Analytical Systems:

• Analytical systems (instruments, software, and uninterruptable power supply) will be provided by the contractor to meet the testing requirements outlined above. All system maintenance and service will be provided by the contractor as part of the contracting agreement.


• Instrumentation must include an automated component that facilitates ease of sample preparation and seamless input of data via barcode scanning.


• A printer to produce hard copies of patient reports and other reports must be provided.


• Instrumentation, software, and associated components must meet Risk Management Framework, Informational Security, and ATO requirements as outlined by Brooke Army Medical Center, to include running Windows 11, Microsoft 2022 for the server, and SQL 2022 for the database.


• Instrumentation, software, and associated components must be able to integrate with MAESTRIA™ and/or MYLA® software as well as MHS Genesis.


• Instruments must be able to correctly identify and perform antimicrobial sensitivities from a pure culture of unknown microbiological organism.


• Instruments must be able to identify a wide range of organisms: Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and anaerobic bacteria, yeast, fungi, and fastidious organisms.


• Instruments must have the proven ability to detect emerging resistance mechanisms (e.g., ESBL, MRSA, VRE, carbapenemase-resistant organisms).


• Instrument must be in compliance with CLSI/EUCAST guidelines for MIC determination and reporting.


• Instrument and associated software must be able to provide automated alerts for atypical results and resistance detection.


• Instrument and associated software must have epidemiological trending and reporting capabilities.


• Instruments must contain built-in quality control features and automated nephelometry for consistency.


• Instrument and associated software must have the ability to expand or upgrade panels and software as needs evolve.

Reagents and Supplies:

• Contractor shall provide all reagents necessary to conduct testing as per workload data table on the testing identified. Reagents must be compatible with government owned BioMérieux Vitek 2 XL and BACT/ALERT® VIRTUO ® systems.

• All assays must have a minimum shelf life of six (6) months upon receipt by the laboratory. If this requirement cannot be met, the Contracting Officer Representative must agree on shelf-life accommodation in response to the Solicitation for Bid.

• These reagents and any associated consumables shall be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• Assays must be compatible with storage at room temperature (20-250C) OR standard refrigeration (2-80C). If temperature-sensitive shipment is required, vendor will confirm as part of the final contract.

• Quality of Reagents, Supplies and Disposables: The contractor shall ensure that all supplies provided/ordered for use on their equipment will be of the quality necessary to produce a quality product. The reagent quality must be high enough to satisfy proficiency testing standards of the CAP and the Joint Commission. In the event that the supplies are found to be defective and unsuitable for use with the contractor's equipment or the contractor has failed to comply with the requirements herein, the contractor is required to deliver the supplies within 1 week of receipt of the verbal order.

• Vendor must provide 5 years of FDA field action notifications, if possible.

• All reagents shall be provided by the manufacturer of the equipment; be marked with the required storage temperature and expiration dates; be maintained at the proper storage temperature during transportation from the Contractor’s storage facility to the U.S. Government acceptance site and be delivered on time at the appropriate storage temperature. Preservation and packing - Preservation and packing shall be performed in accordance with the best commercial practices and in such a manner to afford adequate protection against any damage during shipment from source to destination.

• The reagents must perform within the manufacturer’s stated/published package inserts. Deliveries of required items will be called in to the Contractor by the designated Contracting Officer’s Representatives. Orders will be delivered within five (5) business days of requested date of delivery.

• Emergency orders will be delivered within 5 business days using overnight shipping, or, if this shipping requirement cannot be met, the Contractor shall identify the guaranteed emergency order shipping method that can be accommodated in their response to the Solicitation for Bid.

The response due date for this Sources Sought Notice is 1:00 PM CST, 29 December 2025. All questions and comments regarding this announcement shall be submitted via e-mail to medina.l.woodson.civ@health.mil and salameya.paulouskaya2.civ@health.mil.

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