Brand-Name Justification - Rigaku Icon-X (OC-OCS-26-C-4920) - POSTING COPY (redacted).pdf

BRAND-NAME JUSTIFICATION

Limiting the Requirement to the Rigaku Icon-X — FAR 13.106-1(b); FAR 11.105

Action / Order Title Three (3) Rigaku Icon-X Handheld 1064nm Raman Spectrometers Center Item Number (CIN) OC-OCS-26-C-4920 Requiring Activity OC / OCS / OSLES / NFCC — National Forensic Chemistry Center, Cincinnati, OH Contracting Office OAGS / Division DAP / Branch FSB Estimated Value [Redacted] – below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold NAICS / PSC 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) / 6640

(Laboratory Equipment and Supplies) Date July 10, 2026 Competition Brand-name; unrestricted as to source/business size (resellers may compete)

1. Requirement and Nature/Description of the Acquisition

The NFCC requires three (3) Rigaku Icon-X handheld 1064nm Raman spectrometers, including on-instrument commercial spectral libraries and a three-year manufacturer warranty, for field/mail-facility identification of narcotics, precursors, cutting agents, and related substances. This justification supports specifying the Rigaku Icon-X by brand name; award will be made for the Icon-X, with competition permitted among any responsible sources (e.g., authorized resellers) offering that brand.

2. Authority

This brand-name justification is prepared under FAR 13.106-1(b) (soliciting on a limited/brand-name basis for acquisitions at or below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold) and FAR 11.105 (use of brand-name in requirements). It documents why only the Rigaku Icon-X will satisfy the Government's need, consistent with the market research.

3. Salient Characteristics Unique to the Rigaku Icon-X

Market research evaluated fourteen handheld Raman instruments. Only the Rigaku Icon-X meets every mandatory salient characteristic. The distinguishing requirements, and why competing products fail them, are:

• 1064 nm laser wavelength — required to suppress fluorescence on dark/colored/mixed samples common in mail-facility casework. Thermo Fisher (TruScan/TruNarc/Gemini), Agilent (Resolve, 830 nm), and several Metrohm units are 785 nm and cannot meet this.

• 490 mW maximum laser power — Thermo Defender Omega (480 mW), Metrohm TacticID-1064 ST

(450 mW), and TacticID-Mobile (220 mW) fall short.

• 6-13 cm-1 spectral resolution — the only small-business option, SIMTRUM, reaches only 10 cm-1 and does not meet the requirement.

• Interoperability and mission continuity — the Icon-X uses a 13,200+ entry commercial library and

NFCC's established Rigaku workflow, requires no user calibration (polystyrene-rod verification, eliminating benzonitrile), and offers a higher operating-temperature threshold and faster scan processing suited to IMF satellite-lab and field conditions. These characteristics, taken together, are met only by the Icon-X.

4. Market Research Supporting the Brand-Name Basis

The Market Research Memorandum documents the fourteen-instrument evaluation (Rigaku Icon-X and

CQL Max-ID, Rigaku Progeny ResQ, Thermo Fisher TruScan/TruNarc/Gemini/Defender Omega, Agilent

Resolve, Metrohm TacticID-N Plus/Mobile/1064 ST/MIRA XTR, SIMTRUM, and Detectachem Apex R7).

Each alternative fails one or more mandatory salient characteristics (wavelength, power, or resolution) or is end-of-life/withdrawn. The Icon-X is the only product that satisfies all requirements at a fair and reasonable price ([unit price redacted]).

5. Efforts to Promote Competition

Restricting to the Icon-X brand does not eliminate competition: the requirement will be solicited on an unrestricted basis, and any responsible source able to furnish the Rigaku Icon-X (including the manufacturer's authorized resellers) may compete on price. The solicitation will be publicized as required, and the salient characteristics will be stated so the basis for the brand-name restriction is transparent.

6. Determination

I determine that only the Rigaku Icon-X handheld 1064nm Raman spectrometer will meet the

Government's minimum need, for the reasons stated above, and that specifying this item by brand name under FAR 13.106-1(b) and FAR 11.105 is justified. Competition will be sought among all responsible sources offering the specified brand.

______James P. Jenrette III___________________________________

James Jenrette

Contracting Officer / Contract Specialist, OAGS/DAP/FSB

Date: _7/10/2026______________