Attachment 3 - JA for Under SA.pdf

This is a Decision to Restrict Competition under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold filed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The document justifies the restriction of competition for Requisition Number 1173705, issued by USDA-ARS Roman L. Hurska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (126538) through the USDA-ARS Acquisition and Property Division (1232SA).

The acquisition involves procuring a laboratory-grade blots and gels imaging system and associated supplies from Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc, located at 4000 ALFRED NOBEL DR, HERCULES, CA 94547 USA (UEI: KBN4ZDJ47ZB9). This critical scientific equipment is essential for the Meat Safety and Quality research unit to capture high-sensitivity images of protein and DNA gels and chemiluminescent western blots for analyzing samples. The restriction to Bio-Rad is justified because the current system uses proprietary Image Lab Software for databasing and analyzing blot and gel images, and the existing hardware is experiencing irreparable issues requiring replacement. The proposed Bio-Rad system utilizes the same proprietary software, ensuring access to previously captured images and the ability to reanalyze archived data. Purchasing equipment from any other manufacturer would prevent access to years of accumulated image data and result in significant costs for re-analyzing samples and labor. Market research confirmed that Bio-Rad is the only manufacturer with equipment compatible with the proprietary Image Lab Software, establishing the sole-source justification for this restricted competition acquisition.