140R3026Q0098-Flow_Analyzer_Combined_Synopsis_Solicitation_RFO_Compliant.docx

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (FAR 12.202-1) SEAL Analytical AA500 Segmented Flow Analyzer RFQ Number 140R3026Q0098

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with RFO part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation number 140R3026Q0098 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ) for the following:

The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Interior Region 8: Lower Colorado Basin, Regional Management Office (RMO) requires a SEAL Analytical AA500 Segmented Flow Analyzer (AA500) to support ongoing water‑quality monitoring and nutrient‑analysis activities critical to the agency’s mission.

This acquisition is a SOLE SOURCE requirement, following is the justification:

“The Bureau of Reclamation requires the acquisition of an AA500 to support ongoing water‑quality monitoring and nutrient‑analysis activities critical to the agency’s mission. The AA500 will replace the existing SEAL AA3 analyzer, which is aging, increasingly difficult to service, and operationally unreliable. Replacement with the AA500 ensures continuity of operations, maintains method comparability, and preserves compatibility with existing consumables, methods, and workflows. The AA500 is an integral component of established analytical procedures for key nutrient parameters, and shifting to an alternative manufacturer would require revalidation of multiple laboratory methods, retraining of personnel, and changes in consumable inventories—resulting in significant delays, cost increases, and operational disruption.

Market research and manufacturer correspondence confirm that SEAL Analytical is the exclusive manufacturer, distributor, and authorized service provider for the AA500 and all related AA‑series continuous flow analyzers within the United States. No third‑party vendor is authorized to sell, service, or support SEAL instruments, and SEAL does not supply parts or consumables to any outside companies for resale. As such, SEAL is the only responsible source capable of providing the required equipment, support, and consumables necessary for proper operation, long‑term maintenance, and warranty compliance. The Government’s requirement cannot be satisfied by any alternative manufacturer without compromising method integrity, laboratory comparability, and supportability.

The AA500 incorporates multiple proprietary capabilities not available in competing SFA or continuous flow systems. These features include software‑controlled automatic pump platen engage/disengage which fully releases pump tubes for extended tubing life and allows true unattended system startup and shutdown; 2.0 mm all‑glass manifolds that minimize blockages and allow visual confirmation of chemical flow; modular standalone architecture for simplified maintenance; software‑controlled reagent switching and wash cycles that reduce operator burden and carryover; true dual‑beam LED detection for high‑stability absorbance measurements; thermostatically enclosed detection systems; and a unique software‑based debubbling algorithm that eliminates the need for mechanical debubblers and increases throughput. These capabilities are exclusive to SEAL and represent functional requirements for the Bureau’s nutrient monitoring workload that no alternative system can meet.

Failure to procure the AA500 would result in substantial operational and scientific consequences. Without a fully functioning segmented flow analyzer, the laboratory would be unable to process required nutrient samples, jeopardizing water‑quality reporting, environmental compliance obligations, and mission‑critical decision‑making. Replacement with a non‑SEAL system would necessitate redevelopment and validation of nutrient methods, staff retraining, disposal or replacement of incompatible consumables, and the loss of instrument‑to‑instrument continuity in long‑term datasets—significantly increasing costs and delaying program operations. Based on exclusive manufacturing rights, proprietary capabilities, operational continuity requirements, and the absence of any authorized alternative vendors, SEAL Analytical is the only responsible source capable of providing the AA500. Therefore, a sole source award is fully justified.”

This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Circular number FAC: 2026-01.

NAICS: 334516- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing.

(ii) Line Items:

(SFA Nutrient Analyzer)

Operation and 2 sets Reagent Valves for auto start-up/shutdown

Performance Period:

Delivery, installation and training shall be completed within 180 days of award.

(iii) The Statement of Work (SOW) provides more detailed information about the requirement and is attached to this RFQ as Attachment 1-SOW for Flow Analyzer.

(iv) Delivery: FOB Destination

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 500 Date Street Building 1000 Boulder City NV 89006

Deliveries will be accepted between the hours of 7am-2pm, local time, Monday through Friday. Federal Holidays are excluded. Point of Contact for delivery will be provided at time of award.

The contractor must protect all parts/equipment from corrosion, deformation, dents, dings, scratches, ruptures, breaks, punctures, abrasions, cuts, and other types of damage during storage, handling, transport, and delivery.

(v) The following PROVISIONS are applicable to this commercial item acquisition:

52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Products and Commercial Services are applicable to this RFQ. The following addendum is also applicable to this RFQ.

--Addendum to FAR 52.212-1

This addendum replaced the term “offer” with “quote” within the provision 52.212-1.

In addition to the requirements of the Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisitions provision of this solicitation, each offeror shall submit a quote in accordance with the instructions contained in this provision.

1) If this solicitation is amended, all terms and conditions that are not amended remain unchanged and in full force and effect. Vendors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment and provide confirmation upon submission of the offeror’s quote.

2) Quote Instructions:

a. Price: Provide proposed unit price and total price for all CLINS included in this RFQ. Identify and include all applicable discounts as the quote shall reflect best and final pricing.

b. Technical Specifications: The technical specifications, at a minimum, shall address the government’s need identified in Attachment 1-SOW for Flow Analyzer and include manufacturer’s catalog literature and/or specifications sheet for the proposed Flow Analyzer.

3) Documents submitted in response to this RFQ must be fully responsive to and consistent with the following:

a. Period of acceptance of quotes. The Quoters agrees to hold prices in its quote firm for a minimum of 30 days from the date specified for receipt of quotes.

b. Provide Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and Contractor E-mail Address.

4) The Government reserves the right to cancel this RFQ, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this RFQ, the Government has no obligation to reimburse a vendor for any costs.

52.212-2, Evaluation

(a) The Government intends to establish a single Firm-Fixed Price purchase order with the contractor based on a fair and reasonably priced responsive quote from a responsible quoter. Factors to be evaluated: (a) Price and (b)Technical Specifications.

52.203-18, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation 52.204-7, System for Award Management—Registration 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations-Representation 52.222-48, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment–Certification 52.222-56, Certification Regarding Trafficking in Persons Compliance Plan 52.225-2, Buy American Certificate

(vi) The following CLAUSES are applicable to this commercial item acquisition:

52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct 52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights 52.203-19, Prohibition on Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel 52.204-13, System for Award Management—Maintenance 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations 52.222-3, Convict Labor 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons 52.222-90, Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors 52.223-23, Sustainable Products and Services 52.224-3, Privacy Training 52.225-1, Buy American-Supplies 52.226-8, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party 52.233-3, Protest After Award 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated By Reference 52.252-6, Authorized Deviations in Clause

Additional contract requirements include the following clauses and provisions:

DIAR 1452.201-70 Authorities and Delegations (Sep 2011)

(a) The Contracting Officer is the only individual authorized to enter into or terminate this contract, modify any term or condition of this contract, waive any requirement of this contract, or accept nonconforming work.

(b) The Contracting Officer will designate a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) at time of award. The COR will be responsible for technical monitoring of the contractor's performance and deliveries. The COR will be appointed in writing, and a copy of the appointment will be furnished to the Contractor. Changes to this delegation will be made by written changes to the existing appointment or by issuance of a new appointment.

(c) The COR is not authorized to perform, formally or informally, any of the following actions:

(1) Promise, award, agree to award, or execute any contract, contract modification, or notice of intent that changes or may change this contract;

(2) Waive or agree to modification of the delivery schedule;

(3) Make any final decision on any contract matter subject to the Disputes Clause;

(4) Terminate, for any reason, the Contractor's right to proceed;

(5) Obligate in any way, the payment of money by the Government.

(d) The Contractor shall comply with the written or oral direction of the Contracting Officer or authorized representative(s) acting within the scope and authority of the appointment memorandum. The Contractor need not proceed with direction that it considers to have been issued without proper authority. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, with as much detail as possible, when the COR has taken an action or has issued direction (written or oral) that the Contractor considers to exceed the COR's appointment, within 3 days of the occurrence. Unless otherwise provided in this contract, the Contractor assumes all costs, risks, liabilities, and consequences of performing any work it is directed to perform that falls within any of the categories defined in paragraph (c) prior to receipt of the Contracting Officer's response issued under paragraph (e) of this clause.

(e) The Contracting Officer shall respond in writing within 30 days to any notice made under paragraph (d) of this clause. A failure of the parties to agree upon the nature of a direction, or upon the contract action to be taken with respect thereto, shall be subject to the provisions of the Disputes clause of this contract.

(f) The Contractor shall provide copies of all correspondence to the Contracting Officer and the COR.

(g) Any action(s) taken by the Contractor, in response to any direction given by any person acting on behalf of the Government or any Government official other than the Contracting Officer or the COR acting within his or her appointment, shall be at the Contractor's risk.

DOI-AAAP-0028 Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements-Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) (Feb 2021)

Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U. S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). 'Payment request' means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in the contract, or the clause 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items included in commercial item contracts. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov .

Under this contract, the following documents are required to be submitted as an attachment to the IPP invoice:

**NONE – DO NOT UPLOAD ANY ATTACHMENTS TO IPP**

**Email invoice to: angela_craig@ios.doi.gov and teri_ruiz@ios.doi.gov ** Concurrent to submitting an invoice in IPP, the contractor may submit any supporting documentation to the contract specialist at . Contractors are cautioned that supporting documentation e-mailed to the contracting officer must not conflict with the IPP submission. Conflicts between the IPP submission and supporting documentation may result in a delay in approval and/or rejection of submitted invoices.

When e-mailing supporting documentation to the contracting officer, the subject line of the email shall be formatted as follows: Contract Number, Invoice Number, Contracting Officer's last name (e.g., 140R2018R00000_Invoice No. 1_Smith). The invoice shall be attached to the email and named using the following format: Contract Number, Contractor Name, Invoice Number, Invoice Amount (e.g., 140R2022R00000_World Test, Inc. - Inv. No. 1 - $5,678).

Invoices shall not include information that would compromise Personally Identifiable Information, such as full social security numbers, dates of birth, etc. The final invoice shall be submitted and will be approved in accordance with payment terms and conditions contained in the contract, after all, if any, settlement actions are complete. The contractor must clearly identify the last payment as the ‘Final Invoice’. The Contractor shall also submit an electronic copy of the IPP invoice to angela_craig@ios.doi.gov once the invoice has been submitted to IPP. Failure to email the invoice may cause significant delay or possible rejection of your payment request.

The Contractor must use the IPP website to register access and use IPP for submitting requests for payment. The Contractor Government Business Point of Contact (as listed in SAM) will receive enrollment instructions via email from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRBSTL) within 3 – 5 business days of the contract award date. Contractor assistance with enrollment can be obtained by contacting the IPP Production Helpdesk via email IPPCustomerSupport@fiscal.treasury.gov or phone (866) 973-3131.

If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to use IPP for submitting invoices for payment, the Contractor must submit a waiver request in writing to the Contracting Officer with its proposal or quotation.

WBR 1452.201-80 Contracting Officer’s Representative’s Authorities and Limitations -- Bureau of Reclamation (May 2018)

(a) (a) Performance of the work under this contract shall be subject to the technical direction of the Reclamation Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). The term "technical direction" is defined to include, without limitation:

(1) Inspecting and accepting or rejecting work performed under the contract.

(2) Representing the Government in technical phases of the work. The COR is responsible for the technical administration of the contract and will provide instructions and interpretations to the Contractor on all technical matters relating to the contract. The COR will supervise or oversee all Government technical and administrative personnel assigned to assist the COR.

(3) Reviewing and, where required by the contract, approving submittals of technical data, shop drawings, samples, literature, plans, or other data required to be delivered by the Contractor to the Government.

(b) The Contractor will receive a copy of the written COR designation from the Contracting Officer. It will specify the extent of the COR's authority to act on behalf of the Contracting Officer.

(c) Technical direction must be within the scope of work stated in the contract. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to determine if a change is within the scope of the contract; therefore, the COR does not have the authority to, and may not, issue any technical direction that - (1) Constitutes a direction of additional work outside the Contract requirements;

(2) Constitutes a change as defined in the contract clause entitled "Changes;"

(3) In any manner causes an increase or decrease in the total contract cost, or the time required for contract performance;

(4) Changes any of the expressed terms, conditions or specifications of the contract; or

(5) Interferes with the Contractor's right to perform the terms and conditions of the contract.

(d) All technical direction shall be issued in writing by the COR.

(e) The Contractor must proceed promptly with the performance of technical direction duly issued by the COR in the manner prescribed by this clause and within its authority under the provisions of this clause. If, in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction by the COR falls within one of the categories defined in (c)(1) through (c)(5) of this clause, the Contractor must not proceed and must notify the Contracting Officer in writing within five (5) working days after receipt of any such instruction or direction and must request the Contracting Officer to modify the contract accordingly. Upon receiving the notification from the Contractor, the Contracting Officer must - (1) Advise the Contractor in writing after receipt of the Contractor's letter that the technical direction is within the scope of the contract effort and does not constitute a change under the Changes clause of the contract; or

(2) Advise the Contractor that the Government will issue a written change order.

(f) A failure of the Contractor and Contracting Officer either to agree that the technical direction is within the scope of the contract or to agree upon the contract action to be taken with respect to the technical direction will be subject to the provisions of the clause entitled "Disputes."

(vii) Quote(s) are due July 22, 2026 at 1500 EST. responsible quoters are requested to submit a quote for this requirement. Quotes shall be submitted via email to angela_craig@ios.doi.gov.

(viii) N/A

End of Combined Synopsis/Solicitation