BCI DNA DNA Sequencing Consumables RFQ vfinal Ohio Buys.pdf

Bureau of Criminal Investigations 1560 St. Rt. 56 London, OH 43140 www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov

Request for Quotations (RFQ)

RFQ # AGO-BCI-LAB-6648-36

DNA Sequencing Consumables

1.0. Overview and Purpose

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office (“AGO”) is seeking quote submissions in response to this Request for Quotations (RFQ) to secure goods or services as defined below.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is an elected official who is the Chief Law Officer for the State of Ohio and its agencies, boards and commissions, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1091. The office consists of about 1,600 employees in nearly 40 distinct sections that advocate for consumers and victims of crime, assist the criminal justice community, provide legal counsel for state offices and agencies, and enforce certain state laws.

The AGO Bureau of Criminal Investigation (“BCI”) Laboratory Division is soliciting quotes for kits and chemicals to perform sequencing of mitochondrial DNA profiles and for genetic genealogy kits. An indefinite quantity of these consumable items will be ordered on an as-needed basis by BCI during an agreed upon term.

Responders to this RFQ are referred to herein as “bidders,” “offerors,” “supplier,” or “vendors” and these references may be used interchangeably throughout this RFQ and have the same meaning.

2.0. Items

Specific Verogen (a QIAGEN company) branded items and item numbers are provided to set the quality standard. If a bidder offers an alternate, it must submit a detailed description of the alternate offered and how the proposed alternate meets or exceeds the quality of the specifications. The AGO reserves the right to determine whether any proposed alternate meets the specifications.

2.1. Item List. The AGO is soliciting firm, fixed pricing for the items listed below.

Ref # Catalog # Item Description UOM

1 15054695 MiSeq FGx Disposable Wash Tubes Each

2 15066817 MiSeq FGx Reagent Kit Each

3 20021681 MiSeq FGx Reagent Micro Kit Each

1 Chapter 109 - Ohio Revised Code | Ohio Laws https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/chapter-109

Ref # Catalog # Item Description UOM

4 V16000086 ForenSeq mtDNA Whole Genome Kit Each

5 V16000120 ForenSeq Kintelligence Kit Each

6 V16000142 ForenSeq MainstAY Kit (96rxn) Each

7 1002137 Freight Charges

2.2. Warranty. The AGO requires items include all standard manufacturer warranties and applicable warranty services.

2.3. Quantity Estimate. The AGO may order an indefinite quantity of the listed items on an as-needed basis during the term of the contract. This is not to be construed as representing any actual order for any amount, or any guarantee that a minimum amount will be purchased after fulfilling the initial request.

2.4. Delivery. Orders resulting from this RFQ will be delivered to BCI Laboratory locations in Ohio.

2.5. Term. The initial term will begin upon signature of the contract up to and including June 30, 2026. The Attorney General may renew the Agreement on the same terms for additional one-year terms ending on June 30, 2029.

2.6. Pricing Requirements. Pricing shall be firm for the term of the contract.

3.0. Vendor Quote Content and Submission

Vendors must provide information and responses as directed within the Ohio Buys Questionnaire and Item Grid. All responses to this RFQ must include the information listed below to ensure the quote submission is considered for this opportunity. Any material deviation from the format or information below or within Ohio Buys may result in rejection of a response.

The vendor’s responses to the information requested will allow for a well-defined comparison of the bids received. Quotes must be valid for no less than 60 days from the quote due date.

1. Item Grid. The vendor must complete the Item Grid, by entering its unit price for each line.

2. Terms and Conditions. Vendors must review the RFQ and the Goods Terms and Conditions and within the Questionnaire must identify and attach any vendor assumptions or exceptions to the AGO Terms and Conditions in vendor’s response and/or state if the vendor holds a current contract with the AGO and include that AGO contract number. If the selected vendor currently holds a contract with the AGO, it is within the AGO’s discretion to amend that contract to include the items solicited in this document, at the prices bid. All other terms and conditions of the existing contract will remain the same.

All responses must be submitted online via Ohio Buys no later than the date listed in the Calendar of Events.

When submitting bid files, vendors should note the following:

• All attachments should be in a searchable PDF format, unless directed differently by this document.

o When directed, other file types may be attached but only the following extensions will be allowed: .docx, .xlsx, .zip.

The AGO has the discretion to select a vendor and to reject responses that are not in the best interest of the AGO, or to cancel this solicitation. The AGO may waive minor defects and/or request clarifications in the responses if doing so does not materially deviate from the specifications or otherwise create an unfair competitive advantage. Any response, revision, improper marking, or amendment to a response or submission may be disqualified

The AGO will not be liable for any costs incurred by a vendor in responding to this solicitation, regardless of whether the AGO awards any contract(s) through this process, decides to cancel this solicitation for any reason, or issue another solicitation if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the AGO to do so.

The AGO reserves the right to negotiate all terms associated with this solicitation. It is entirely within the discretion of the AGO to permit negotiations. A vendor must not submit a response assuming that there will be an opportunity to negotiate any aspect of the response. The AGO is free to limit the negotiations to particular aspects of any response. Vendors should not base their pricing on the assumption of long-term financing by the AGO that extends beyond the upcoming biennium, which ends June 30, 2027.

The award will be made to the vendor that offers the lowest priced responsible and responsive submission.

4.0. Calendar of Events

• RFQ issued date: October 27, 2025

• Inquiry Period Begins October 27, 2025

• Inquiry Deadline November 3, 2025; 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time

• Quote due date: November 12, 2025; 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time

5.0. Communication and Inquiries

Unless the AGO advises differently, all contact is to be in writing using the Ohio Buys website. Ohio Buys provides the primary platform for Supplier partners to engage in procurement activities with the State of Ohio. For additional information on using Ohio Buys follow the link provided below:

• Ohio Buys for Suppliers

All inquiries and responses will be posted to the Ohio Buys website. The due date for any inquiry within the intent and scope of this solicitation must be received by the date listed in the Calendar of Events.

Vendors may make inquiries regarding this solicitation any time during the inquiry period listed in the Calendar of Events and Deadlines. To make an inquiry, vendors must login to Ohio Buys, navigate to the solicitation, open the inquiry tab, and submit their inquiry. Vendors will not receive a personalized e-mail response to their question, nor will they receive notification when the question has been answered.

https://procure.ohio.gov/bidders-and-suppliers/resources/01_selling+to+the+state

Vendors may view inquiries and responses on the Ohio Buys Public Solicitations page by opening the Solicitation Overview and navigating to the inquiries section of that page.

If Vendors experience technical difficulties accessing the Ohio Buys website where the solicitation and its related documents are published, they may contact the Ohio Shared Services Help Desk through one of the options listed here:

• Email OBM.ContactCenter@obm.ohio.gov and put "Ohio Buys" in the subject line.

• Phone 614-338-4781 or 1-877-644-6771.

6.0. Terms and Conditions

The selected vendor may not ship any items to the AGO, and no work may commence until the selected vendor receives an AGO purchase order and, if determined by the AGO, an AGO contract as well as all other applicable agreements are executed.

The AGO Attachment – Goods Terms and Conditions is included with this RFQ. The RFQ and, unless otherwise determined by the AGO, the Attachment constitute the terms and conditions for this AGO purchase. Vendors must review the RFQ and Goods and Conditions and must identify any exceptions to the Terms and Conditions and/or state if the vendor holds a current contract with the AGO and the AGO contract number in the vendor’s response. If exceptions are not noted in the response, the vendor stipulates the vendor’s acceptance of the Goods Terms and Conditions and RFQ requirements.

Additionally, the selected vendor(s) may be required to sign various AGO forms and/or agree to comply with certain requirements prior to commencement of work.

Any BCI lab visitor will be required to review and sign BCI Visitor DNA Collection Form. DNA lab policy and procedures are designed to minimize the potential for contamination. The signed BCI Visitor DNA Collection form gives appropriate consent to have a DNA sample collected and analyzed using forensic identity DNA markers.

Once the selected vendor reports to the AGO, all work will be conducted in accordance with AGO policies, procedures, coding standards, and best practices as instructed by the AGO.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office is subject to Ohio Revised Code Chapter 149, known as the Ohio Public Records Act. Consequently, the Offeror understands that all documents submitted in response to this RFQ are considered public records and will be released when a public records request is made by anyone, including news media, competitors, or other interested parties, in accordance with the law. If you contend that certain clearly marked portions of your response constitute an exception to Ohio's public records law, you must submit your legal basis in support of that assertion with your response. The legal basis must include the Ohio statute that applies to exempt that specific information and a description of why that specific information is covered by the cited statute.

If a public records request is made for any portion of the documents that you have submitted and you have not clearly marked such documents as information constituting an exception to Ohio's public records law, mailto:OBM.ContactCenter@obm.ohio.gov your information will be released immediately. If a public records request is made for such information and you have clearly marked portions of your response as information constituting an exception to Ohio's public records law, and you have submitted the legal basis supporting such claim, the AGO will release a redacted version of your information to the requester and notify you that a request was made and that a redacted version of your response was released. Should the requester indicate that the redacted version is not sufficient for their purposes, you then will be immediately responsible for obtaining an order from a Franklin County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas enjoining release of your clearly marked information constituting an exception to Ohio's public records law.

If a public records request is made for such information and you have clearly marked portions of your response as information constituting an exception to Ohio's public records law, but you have not submitted the legal basis supporting such claim, the AGO will release your information to the requester and notify you that a request was made and that your response was released. Do not mark your entire response/submittal as information constituting an exception to Ohio's public records law. If your entire response/submittal is so marked, the AGO will not consider your offer.

The terms and conditions of this solicitation are subject to Ohio Revised Code Section 9.27 - State Contracts

- Invalid Terms and Conditions. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 9.27, the AGO is prohibited, among other things, from including provisions by which the AGO agrees to indemnify and hold harmless a vendor. These provisions, if added to an agreement, are immediately unenforceable. Vendors must not include prohibited terms subject to Ohio Revised Code Section 9.27 in their standard terms and conditions, manufacturer warranties, and applicable warranty services.

The selected shall be engaged by the AGO solely on an independent contractor basis, and the vendor shall therefore be responsible for all the vendor’s business expenses, including, but not limited to, employees’ wages and salaries, insurance of every type and description, and all business and personal taxes, including income and Social Security taxes and contributions for Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Compensation coverage, if any.