Addenda 1 S000000204 IFB Automated Liquid Handling System.pdf

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STATE OF ARKANSAS

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND SHARED SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT

501 Woodlane St., Ste. 220 Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1023

INVITATION FOR BID

SOLICITATION DOCUMENT

SOLICITATION INFORMATION

Solicitation Number: Addenda 1 S000000204 Solicitation Issued: December 20, 2022

Description: Automated Liquid Handling System

Department: Arkansas State Police – AR State Crime Lab

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND DELIVERY OF RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

Bid Opening Date: January 11, 2023 Bid Opening Time: 1:30 p.m., Central Time

Bid responses for this Invitation for Bid must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system.

It can be accessed at https://arbuy.arkansas.gov. Bids received after the submission deadline may be rejected as untimely. See section 1.2 for information regarding Live Bid Openings.

TSS OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

TSS OSP Buyer: Julia Shackelford Buyer’s Direct Phone Number: 501-371-6079

Email Address: Julia.shackelford@arkansas.gov TSS OSP’s Main Number: 501-324-9316

TSS OSP

Website:

https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/ https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/ https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/

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SECTION 1 – REQUIREMENTS

• Do not provide responses to items in this section unless specifically and expressly required.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This Invitation for Bid (IFB) is issued by the TSS Office of State Procurement (TSS OSP) on behalf of the Arkansas State Police (ASP) to obtain pricing and a contract for an Automated Liquid Handling System for the Arkansas State Crime Lab (ASCL). The Automated Liquid Handling System will be used in sample preparation and extractions.

Direct all questions, comments, or concerns you may have regarding this solicitation to the TSS Office of State Procurement, not ASP/ASCL.

1.2 LIVE BID OPENING

Use the information below to view the bid opening in Microsoft Teams Meeting:

Join on your computer, mobile app, or room device Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 210 858 588 146 Passcode: 5mLUG4

Download Teams | Join on the web Or call in (audio only) +1 501-244-3310,140760131# United States, Little Rock Phone Conference ID: 140 760 131# Find a local number | Reset PIN

1.3 CLARIFICATION OF SOLICITATION

A. Submit any questions requesting clarification of information contained in this Solicitation via the solicitation posting in ARBuy by 10:00 a.m., Central Time on or before January 3, 2023.

1. For each question submitted, Prospective Contractor should reference the specific solicitation item number to which the question refers.

2. Prospective Contractors’ written questions will be consolidated and answered by the State as deemed appropriate. The State’s consolidated written response is anticipated to be posted to the solicitation posting in ARBuy by the close of business on January 4, 2023. If Prospective Contractor questions are unclear or non-substantive in nature, the State may request clarification of a question(s) or decline to answer.

B. The Prospective Contractor should notify the TSS OSP buyer of any term, condition, etc., that precludes the Prospective Contractor from submitting a compliant, Responsive Bid. Prospective Contractors should note that it is the responsibility of the Prospective Contractor to seek resolution of all such issues, including those relating to the terms and conditions of the contract, prior to the submission of a bid.

C. Prospective Contractors may contact the TSS OSP buyer with non-substantive questions at any time prior to the bid opening.

D. An oral statement by TSS OSP will not be part of any contract resulting from this solicitation and may not reasonably be relied on by any Prospective Contractor as an aid to interpretation unless it is reduced to writing and expressly adopted by TSS OSP.

1.4 DEFINITION OF TERMS

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A. Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms defined in Arkansas Procurement Law have the same meaning herein.

B. The terms “Invitation For Bid,” “IFB,” and “Solicitation” are used synonymously in this document.

C. The terms “Arkansas State Crime Lab (ASCL)” and “Department” are used synonymously in this document.

D. “Prospective Contractor” means a responsible bidder who submits a Responsive Bid in response to this solicitation.

E. “Requirement” means something required.

F. “Responsive Bid” means a bid submitted in response to this solicitation that conforms in all material respects to this IFB.

G. “Shall” and “Must” mean the imperative and are used to identify requirements.

H. “Specification” means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature, of a commodity or service. “Specification” may include a description of any requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a commodity or service for delivery.

I. “State” means the State of Arkansas. When the term “State” is used herein to reference any obligation of the State under a contract that results from this solicitation, that obligation is limited to the Department using such a contract.

1.5 SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE AUTOMATED LIQUID HANDLING SYSTEM

A. The Contractor shall provide an automated liquid handling system which must include all of the following components or component equivalents approved by the ASCL:

1. Fully automated with minimal technician operation or assistance needed after the beginning of analysis.

2. Capable of Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) integration with the established system at the ASCL.

3. Capable of providing consistent results with an option to retrieve archived data.

4. Bar-code reader enabled that can read carriers, tubes, and plates.

5. Have an 8-channel liquid handling arm with a disposable tip assembly and a filtration system.

6. Pipetting arms must not need system liquids in order to pipette.

7. Pipetting arms must be able to pipette quantities including but not limited to 0.5 µL to 1000 µL.

8. The system must not require ventilation in a hood.

9. Have safety door locks and a safety shield.

10. Able to hold a minimum of three (3) different reagents.

11. Capable of pipetting into 48 and 96-well plates as well as 2.0 mL micro-centrifuge tubes.

12. Liquid detection in each channel using capacitance and/or pressure measurements.

13. Capable of conducting analysis on the following:

a. Whole blood, post-mortem blood, urine, oral fluid, vitreous humor, and synthetic blood or urine.

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14. Able to re-rack tips after the disposal of used tips into a waste container.

15. Option for a built-in orbital shaker for room-temperature shaking as well as heated incubation shaking. The shaker must have a microplate adapter to satisfy forty-eight (48) and ninety-six (96) well plates.

16. Option to install a vacuum module for solid phase extractions/supported liquid extractions.

1.6 EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES FOR THE AUTOMATED LIQUID HANDLING SYSTEM

A. The Contractor shall provide an automated liquid handling system that meets the compliance and method optimization software, per automated liquid handling requirements.

B. The Contractor shall provide complete installation of the automated liquid handling system and all associated equipment on site.

C. The Contractor shall provide the following equipment to include but not be limited to:

1. Instrument and components required to produce the results as stated in this IFB

2. Computer

3. Touch screen panels, if applicable

4. Touch screen monitor, if applicable

5. Wireless mouse and keyboard

6. Barcode scanner

7. Carrier holders for sample analysis with adapters for microfuge tubes and for 13mm tubes

8. Current software for analysis

1.7 SYSTEM WARRANTY, SERVICE STANDARDS, AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AUTOMATED

LIQUID HANDLING SYSTEM

A. The Contractor shall provide a one (1) year warranty to cover defects in material and workmanship and must cover all costs associated with the following:

1. Labor

2. Parts

3. Transportation costs

4. Travel time and expense

5. Other costs associated with such repair, replacement, and/ or service.

6. All equipment included with initial purchase of automated liquid handling system.

B. The Contractor shall include one (1) set of service manuals, parts list, and operating manuals when the automated liquid handling system is delivered to ASCL.

C. ASCL will notify the Contractor in writing if anytime during the first-year warranty period the automated liquid handling system does not perform in accordance with the manufacturer's specification.

D. The Contractor shall pick up the equipment at the Contractor's expense and replace with equipment that meets or exceeds prior assembled equipment.

E. Should the replaced equipment's performance remain unacceptable to ASCL, ASCL reserves the right to request a full return of the purchase price, (including taxes and shipping cost)

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F. The Contractor shall guarantee for five (5) years, manufacturer replacement parts, labor, and consumables.

G. The Contractor shall provide a multi-year preventative maintenance plan and pricing for the automated liquid handling system, when requested by ASCL.

H. ASCL reserves the right to purchase service agreement and preventative maintenance services.

1.8 APPLICATIONS TRAINING AND INTEGRATION/ UTILIZATION FOR THE AUTOMATED LIQUID

HANDLING SYSTEM

A. The Contractor shall include in the Unit Price a minimum of two (2) days of training which must include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. System Operations

2. Maintenance, including but not limited to, preventative maintenance

3. Troubleshooting

4. Software

5. Data processing including LIMS integration assistance

B. The Contractor shall provide maintenance training to be performed by analysts in the laboratory and provide the training for that specified maintenance.

1.9 DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

A. The Contractor shall provide all transportation expenses for the automated liquid handling system, which includes, FOB Destination, Freight/Shipping Paid.

B. ASCL requests delivery within thirty (30) Business Days after ordering.

1. If this delivery timeframe cannot be met, the Contractor shall state the alternate number of Business Days in the Bid Response Packet that is required to place the commodity in the designated location as specified in Section 1.10.

2. Failure to state the alternate number of days in the Bid Response Packet obligates the Contractor to complete delivery within thirty (30) Business Days. Extended number of Business Days may be considered when in the best interest of the State.

C. All deliveries must be made during normal State Business hours and within the agreed upon number of days unless otherwise arranged and coordinated with the Department.

D. The Contractor shall immediately notify ASCL of any anticipated delays or plant shutdowns that will affect the delivery requirement.

E. The Contractor shall be responsible for loss or damage that occurs during shipping, prior to the order being received by the Department.

F. The Contractor shall properly package the automated liquid handling system to prevent damage during shipping.

G. The State assumes no liability for commodities produced, processed, or shipped in excess of the amount specified on the Department’s purchase order.

1.10 DELIVERY: FOB DESTINATION

Arkansas State Crime Lab

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Attention: Kristen Mauldin #3 Natural Resource Drive Little Rock, AR 72205

1.11 ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

A. ASCL will inspect and accept or reject the product(s) within thirty (30) days of receipt.

B. ASCL has the option to return any product(s) within the thirty (30) day timeframe for any reason.

C. The Prospective Contractors bid must include a “total satisfaction” return policy for all products and must not impose any liability on the State for such returns.

1. ASCL will not incur any penalties for any returned items.

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SECTION 2 – GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

• Do not provide responses to items in this section unless specifically and expressly required.

2.1 TYPE OF CONTRACT

A. As a result of this IFB, TSS OSP intends to award a contract to a single Contractor.

B. The anticipated starting date for any resulting contract will be from date of award, except that the actual contract start date may be adjusted unilaterally by the State for up to three (3) calendar months. By submitting a signed bid in response to the IFB, the Prospective Contractor represents and warrants that it will honor its bid as being held open as irrevocable for this period.

2.2 CONTRACTOR SELECTION

A. Award will be made to the lowest-bidding, responsible Prospective Contractor.

B. TSS OSP and/or ASCL reserves the right to request additional documentation from the Prospective

Contractor at any time to complete the review of the Prospective Contractor’s bid submission.

Requested documentation must be received by TSS OSP within (72) hours of written or verbal request.

2.3 RESPONSE DOCUMENTS

A. All bid responses must be submitted through ARBuy, the State’s eProcurement system. The system can be accessed at https://arbuy.arkansas.gov.

B. Bid Response Packet

1. The following are bid submission requirements and must be submitted as part of a Prospective

Contractor’s bid response.

a. Signed Bid Signature Page. Signature may be ink or digital. (See Bid Response Packet.)

b. Completed Bid Response Packet, which must be in the English language.

c. Completed Pricing Response submitted in ARBuy. Pricing must be proposed in U.S. dollars and cents.

d. Proposed Subcontractors Form. The utilization of any proposed subcontractor is subject to approval by the Department.

e. Exceptions Form.

f. Copy of Prospective Contractor’s Equal Opportunity Policy.

2. The following items, which must be submitted prior to a contract award to the Prospective Contractor, may also be included with the Prospective Contractor’s bid response:

a. EO 98-04 Contract & Grant Disclosure Form.

b. Signed Addendum, if applicable

3. DO NOT include any other documents or ancillary information, such as a cover letter or promotional/marketing information.

2.4 ACCEPTANCE OF REQUIREMENTS

A. Unless a Prospective Contractor expressly and conspicuously identifies any exception or exceptions to any of the Requirements in the Requirements Section(s) of this IFB by listing them on the Exceptions Form (See Bid Response Packet), Prospective Contractor understands and agrees its submission of a bid to represent that its bid meets all such Requirements.

https://arbuy.arkansas.gov/

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B. A Prospective Contractor’s bid may be rejected if the Prospective Contractor takes exception to any Requirements in the Requirements Section(s) of this IFB.

2.5 ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A. This IFB incorporates all of the Solicitation Terms and Conditions located on the TSS OSP website here (Agencies – Forms and Reporting – Solicitation Templates):

https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/agencies/forms-and-reporting/.

B. Any special terms and conditions included in this solicitation shall override the Solicitation Terms and

Conditions.

C. Unless a Prospective Contractor expressly and conspicuously identifies any exception or exceptions to any of the terms in the Standard Commodities Contract by listing them on the Exceptions Form (See Bid Response Packet), Prospective Contractor agrees and shall adhere to all terms if selected as the successful Contractor. Items identified as non-negotiable may only be modified if the legal requirement is satisfied and approved by the State. The Standard Commodities Contract can be viewed on the TSS OSP website here (Agencies – Forms and Reporting – Solicitation Templates):

https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/agencies/forms-and-reporting/.

D. A Prospective Contractor’s bid may be rejected if a Prospective Contractor takes exception to any terms or conditions in the documents listed in 2.5.A and 2.5.C.

2.6 PRICING

A. Prospective Contractor shall enter pricing in the ARBuy e-Procurement portal only.

B. Prospective Contractor shall include all costs in their bid price, excluding taxes, that is associated with fulfilling the Requirements of this IFB including but not limited to the following:

1. FOB Destination, shipping/freight, and handling cost paid.

2. Product Data Specification Sheets.

3. Warranty.

4. Installation.

5. Two (2) day training.

C. If any cost is not identified by the successful Contractor but is subsequently incurred to achieve successful operation, the Contractor shall bear this additional cost.

D. DO NOT submit any ancillary information not related to actual pricing.

https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/agencies/forms-and-reporting/ https://www.transform.ar.gov/procurement/agencies/forms-and-reporting/