RFQ 10A 250724-27.pdf

State of Maine RFQ# 10A 250724-27 Rev. 1/28/2025

STATE OF MAINE

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

OFFICE OF STATE PROCUREMENT SERVICES

RFQ # 10A 25072400000000000027

Single Quadrupole (SQ) Mass Spectrometer (MS), Ionization Source(s), Gas Chromatograph (GC), Software and Data System

Quotations/Responses Due: Friday, August 29, 2025 not later than 4:00 p.m. local time

Note: All questions and responses must be provided via the State of Maine’s e-Procurement system: AdvantageME / Vendor Self Service (VSS). Questions can be submitted up to 48 hours prior to closure date and time. Not all questions will be answered.

General Instructions on Bidder Questions

It is the responsibility of each Bidder to examine the entire RFQ and to seek clarification by submitting questions through the Q & A List tab on the Solicitation page in the CGI Vendor Self Service (VSS). Any answers to questions will appear there as well. It is the vendor's responsibility to log in to view all questions and answers posted. Additional information obtained any other way will not be valid.

In the event that you must contact us for any other reasons than the Q & A previously mentioned, only the Buyer listed on the Solicitation page may be contacted from the time this RFQ is issued until award notification is made. No other person/State employee is empowered to make binding statements regarding this RFQ. Violation of this provision may lead to disqualification from the bidding process, at the State’s discretion.

Summary

For this competitive Request for Quotations (RFQ) process, the State of Maine Office of State Procurement Services (“OSPS”) is acting on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (“Requesting Department”). OSPS and the Requesting Department seek quotations (also referred to as “bids” or “responses” herein) to provide the goods/services listed above.

This document provides instructions and descriptions of requirements for this competitive process.

RFQ REQUIREMENTS

1. Required Documents

All bids MUST include the following documentation, or the bid will be deemed incomplete and will not be evaluated.

• Quote: The quote must minimally contain the following for each item bid:

o Manufacturer Name o Part Number o Confirmation that prices are FOB Destination o Number of calendar days to receipt of product and software After Receipt of

Order (ARO)

• Manufacturer Literature: Literature from the manufacturer documenting each specification for each items bid listed in Appendix B of this document will be met.

• Equivalency Documentation: An equivalency document must be attached for any specification identified as equivalent in bid documents. Equivalency will be determined by the requesting Department.

2. Other Bid Documents

In addition to the required documents, cost, delivery, and other information required in VSS, all bids should contain the following information. All documents listed below, if not attached to the bid, MUST be received within fifteen (15) days of notification of intent to award or the contract will not be executed.

• Warranty Information

• Appendix A: Bid Cover Page and Responsible Bidder Form

3. Submitting a Quotation

a. Quotations Due: Quotations must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern

Standard Time (EST), on the date listed in VSS. Quotations received after the 4:00 p.m. deadline will not be accepted.

b. Submission Instructions: Bidders must submit their bids in the State of Maine’s electronic procurement system: Advantage “Vendor Self Service” (VSS). More information on this system can be found at the following internet link:

https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/vendor-self-service-system

c. Multiple Quotations: Unless specifically prohibited in Section 1 of this RFQ, Bidders are permitted to submit multiple quotations for this RFQ, offering alternative items or pricing for the State of Maine to consider in its best value determination.

d. Withdrawal of a Quotation: Bidders are permitted to withdraw their own quotations up until the due date and time for receipt of quotations. To do so, a Bidder must enter the VSS system (as referenced above), identify and open their submitted https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/vendor-self-service-system https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/vendor-self-service-system quotation located in the Solicitation Responses tab, and click the “Withdraw” button found at the bottom of the screen. Quotations cannot be withdrawn after the due date and time for receipt of quotations.

e. Attachments: Any attachments provided with the Advantage VSS bid submission must be in MS Word, MS Excel, or Adobe (.pdf) format, unless otherwise specified in Section 1 of this RFQ. Vendors are encouraged to submit supporting documentation that aid the requesting department in understanding how the bid conforms to the requirements. The VSS attachment file size limit is 15Mb. Please contact the buyer for this RFQ if you must submit attachment files larger than this.

f. Vendor specifications: Unless otherwise stated in this RFQ document, limited specification information will be required upon submission of a bid in response to this RFQ. However, a Bidder’s response should include an affirmative statement that their bid complies with all requirements of this RFQ, unless the Bidder specifically addresses how its bid differs from the specifications, and why the differences should be deemed acceptable by the State.

4. General Instructions

a. The Bidder must submit a cost quotation response that covers the goods and term of the contract, including any optional renewal.

b. The cost quotation shall include the costs necessary for the Bidder to fully comply with the contract terms and conditions and RFQ requirements.

c. Failure to provide the requested information may result in the exclusion of the quotation from consideration, at the discretion of OSPS.

d. No costs related to the preparation of the quotation for this RFQ or to the negotiation of the contract with the Department may be included in the quotation.

e. The State is exempt from the payment of Federal, State and local Taxes on articles not for resale. Please provide quotations that do not include these taxes. Upon application, an exemption certificate can be furnished by the State at the point of contract finalization.

5. Quotation Evaluation and Selection

Evaluation of the submitted quotations shall be accomplished as detailed below:

a. State of Maine RFQ documents are evaluated on a Best Value basis. The term “Best Value” may take into consideration the qualities of the goods or services to be supplied, their conformity with the specifications listed in the RFQ, the purposes for which they are required, the date of delivery, and the best interest of the State.

Once the goods or services have been determined to conform to the specifications then OSPS will make its award decision based on the lowest price among the Bidders. Delivery days can be a factor in awarding.

b. The State reserves the right to not make an award to the lowest price bidder when that bidder has had documented poor performance, and/or a contract terminated or not renewed within the last five years.

c. At the discretion of OSPS, if a Bidder’s submission is deemed to not conform to the specifications listed in the RFQ, or otherwise not conform to the requirements of the RFQ, then that Bidder’s submission may not be considered for contract award.

d. In the event that no Bidder submission conforms to the specifications of this RFQ, then OSPS may choose not to make any award. Alternatively, OSPS may make an award to the Best Value Bidder whose specifications most closely meet the specifications of this RFQ. For example, if there are five specification requirements, and two responses are received with one Bidder meeting four requirements, and one bidder meeting three requirements, then OSPS, at its discretion, may make a contract award to the Bidder meeting four requirements.

e. If the specifications provided with this RFQ are of a technical nature, then OSPS’s RFQ Coordinator, at his or her discretion, may seek to use an evaluation team comprised of subject matter experts, end-users from the Requesting Department, or other State Department representatives. In such a case, the evaluation team will judge the merits of the quotations received in accordance with the best value criteria defined in the RFQ.

6. Negotiations

a. No Best and Final Offers: The State of Maine will not seek a best and final offer (BAFO) from any Bidder in this procurement process. All Bidders are expected to provide their Best Value pricing with the submission of their quotation.

b. OSPS reserves the right to negotiate with the successful Bidder to finalize a contract at the same rate or cost of goods and services as presented in the selected quotation. Such negotiations may not significantly vary the content, nature or requirements of the quotation or the RFQ to an extent that may affect the price of goods or services requested. OSPS reserves the right to terminate contract negotiations with a selected Bidder who submits a proposed contract significantly different from the quotation submitted in response to the RFQ.

c. In the event that an acceptable contract cannot be negotiated with the highest ranked Bidder, OSPS may withdraw its award and negotiate with the next-highest ranked Bidder, and so on, until an acceptable contract has been finalized.

Alternatively, OSPS may cancel the RFQ, at its sole discretion.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR RFQ AND CONTRACT

PART I GENERAL INFORMATION ON RFQs

A. Purpose and Background

The State of Maine (“State”) Department of Administrative and Financial Services (“Department”), Office of State Procurement Services (“OSPS”) acts as the purchasing agent on behalf of all Executive Departments and other agencies within State Government. For this competitive Request for Quotations (RFQ) process, OSPS is acting on behalf of the Requesting Department listed on the cover page. OSPS and the Requesting Department seek quotations (also referred to as “bids” or “responses” herein) to provide the goods/services as defined above in Section 1 of this document. This document provides instructions for submitting quotations, the procedure and criteria by which the Bidder(s) will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State and the awarded Bidder(s). Following Bidder selection and upon reaching a mutual agreement, the State and the selected Bidder will enter into a contract – taking the form of a State of Maine Master Agreement or Buyer Purchase Order (all generally referred to as “contract” herein), as applicable.

B. General Provisions

1. Issuance of this RFQ does not commit OSPS or the Requesting Department to issue an award or to pay expenses incurred by a Bidder in the preparation of a response to this RFQ. This includes attendance at personal interviews or other meetings and software or system demonstrations, where applicable.

2. All responses to this RFQ should adhere to the instructions and format requirements outlined in this RFQ and all written supplements and amendments (such as OSPS’s answers to the Bidders’ questions submitted through the VSS), as issued by OSPS.

Responses are to follow the format and respond to all questions and instructions specified above in the “Submitting a Quotation” section of this RFQ.

3. Bidders shall take careful note that in evaluating a quotation submitted in response to this RFQ, the Department may consider materials provided in the quotation, information obtained through interviews/presentations (if any), and internal information of previous contract history between OSPS and the Bidder (if any). OSPS also reserves the right to consider other reliable references and publicly available information available in evaluating a Bidder’s experience and capabilities, if needed. All responses to this RFQ shall be considered to be authorized to legally bind the Bidder, and if selected for award, shall contain or be considered to contain a statement that the quotation and the pricing contained therein will remain valid and binding for a period of at least 180 days from the date and time of the bid opening.

4. The RFQ and the selected Bidder’s quotation, including all appendices or attachments, may be incorporated in the final contract.

5. Following announcement of an award decision, all submissions in response to this RFQ will be considered public records available for public inspection pursuant to the State of Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) (1 M.R.S. §§ 401 et seq.).

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/1/title1sec401.html http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/1/title1sec401.html

6. OSPS, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to recognize and waive minor informalities and irregularities found in quotations received in response to this RFQ.

7. OSPS reserves the right to authorize other State Departments to use the contract(s) resulting from this RFQ, if it is deemed to be beneficial for the State to do so.

8. All applicable laws, whether or not herein contained, shall be included by this reference.

It shall be Bidder’s responsibility to determine the applicability and requirements of any such laws and to abide by them.

C. Eligibility to Submit Bids

Public agencies, private for-profit companies, and non-profit companies and institutions are invited to submit bids in response to State of Maine Requests for Quotations.

D. Delivery Terms

For the purchase of goods, OSPS and selected Bidder will decide upon a delivery date in accordance with the State’s requirements and the terms offered in the Bidder’s quotation.

Unless stated otherwise in Section 1 of this RFQ, all deliveries are expected with shipping terms of “Free on Board (FOB) – Destination”. The State intends for this to mean that all goods shall be priced in the bid response to include shipping charges, if any, to the State’s desired location. The “FOB – Destination” shipping term is also intended to mean that the State shall not bear any responsibility for the goods in question until the State takes possession of them at the destination point of delivery.

E. Alternate Bids and Approved Equals

When, in bid forms and specifications, an article or material is identified by using a trade name and catalog number of a manufacturer or vendor, the term “or approved equal,” if not inserted with the identification, is implied. Any Bidder that seeks to propose an alternate item from what is specified in this RFQ should refer to State of Maine Statute 5 MRSA §1825-B, for “Bids, awards and contracts”, found here:

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/5/title5sec1825-B.html

F. Appeal of Contract Awards

Any person aggrieved by the award decision that results from this RFQ may appeal the decision to the Director of the Bureau of General Services in the manner prescribed in 5 MRSA § 1825-E and 18-554 Code of Maine Rules, Chapter 120 (found here: Chapter 120). The appeal must be in writing and filed with the Director of the Bureau of General Services, 9 State House Station, Augusta, Maine, 04333-0009 within 15 calendar days of receipt of notification of contract award.

If this RFQ results in the creation of a pre-qualified or pre-approved list of vendors, then the appeal procedures mentioned above are available upon the original determination of that vendor list, but not during subsequent competitive procedures involving only the pre-qualified or pre-approved list participants.

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/5/title5sec1825-B.html https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/policies-procedures/chapter-120 https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/policies-procedures/chapter-120

PART II CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION AND CONDITIONS

A. Contract Document

The successful Bidder will be required to execute a contract in the form of a State of Maine Buyer Purchase Order, Contract Agreement to Purchase Services or State of Maine Master Agreement.

The Terms and Conditions used with the aforementioned contract types may be found on the Office of State Procurement Services’ website at the following links:

BPO and MA Terms and Conditions

In the event that the State of Maine’s Standard Terms and Conditions or RFQ provisions do not otherwise cover contractual scenarios that are specific to the goods or services being purchased under this RFQ, then the State is willing to consider a Bidder’s standard terms and conditions. Consideration or use of a Bidder’s standard terms and conditions shall only occur under the general agreement that in the event of a conflict, the State of Maine’s Standard Terms and Conditions and RFQ provisions shall take precedence.

Other forms and contract documents commonly used by the State can be found on the Office of State Procurement Services’ website at the following link:

https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/forms

B. Independent Capacity

In providing services and performing under the contract, the successful Bidder shall act independently and not as an agent of the State of Maine.

C. Payments and Other Provisions

The State anticipates paying the selected Bidder for goods and services received, on the basis of net 30 payment terms, upon the receipt of an accurate and acceptable invoice. An invoice will be considered accurate and acceptable if it contains a reference to the State of Maine contract number, contains correct pricing information relative to the contract, and provides any required supporting documents, as applicable, and any other specific and agreed-upon requirements listed within the contract that results from this RFQ.

The State of Maine reserves the right to pay for goods purchased through this solicitation by any of several available means, which include but may not be limited to check, EFT, and/or procurement card. Bidders are advised that state statute precludes sellers from imposing a surcharge on credit or debit card purchases (text follows):

“9-A MRSA §8-509 (1): A seller in a sales transaction may not impose a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit card or debit card in lieu of payment by cash, check or similar means.”

Appendix A

STATE OF MAINE

BID COVER PAGE

Bidder’s Organization Name:

Chief Executive - Name/Title:

Tel: Cell: E-mail:

Headquarters Street Address:

Headquarters City/State/Zip:

(provide information requested below if different from above) Lead Point of Contact for Bid - Name/Title:

Tel: Cell: E-mail:

Street Address:

City/State/Zip:

By signing below Bidder affirms:

• Their bid complies with all requirements of this RFQ;

• This bid and the pricing structure contained herein will remain firm for a period of 180 days from the date and time of the bid opening;

• That no personnel currently employed by the Department or any other State agency participated, either directly or indirectly, in any activities relating to the preparation of the Bidder’s proposal;

• That no attempt has been made or will be made by the Bidder to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a proposal; and

• The undersigned is authorized to enter into contractual obligations on behalf of the above-named organization.

Name: Title:

Authorized Signature: Date:

Responsible Bidder Form

By signing this document, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the aforementioned organization, its principals, and any subcontractors named in this proposal:

a. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, and declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from bidding or working on contracts issued by any governmental agency.

b. Have not within three years of submitting the proposal for this contract been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for:

i. fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a federal, state or local government transaction or contract.

ii. violating Federal or State antitrust statutes or committing embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;

iii. are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State or Local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (b) of this certification; and

iv. have not within a three (3) year period preceding this proposal had one or more federal, state or local government transactions terminated for cause or default.

c. Have not entered into a prior understanding, agreement, or connection with any corporation, firm, or person submitting a response for the same materials, supplies, equipment, or services and this proposal is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud. The above-mentioned entities understand and agree that collusive bidding is a violation of state and federal law and can result in fines, prison sentences, and civil damage awards.

• Failure to provide this certification may result in the disqualification of the

Bidder’s proposal, at the discretion of the Department.

To the best of my knowledge all information provided in the enclosed proposal, both programmatic and financial, is complete and accurate at the time of submission.

Name: Title:

Authorized Signature: Date:

Appendix B

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

Equivalent Bid Items: Equivalent items may be bid; however all equivalent item bids MUST include documentation to prove equivalency. The final decision on equivalency will be determined by the requesting Department.

Prices: Bid Price must be with shipping terms of “Free on Board (FOB) – Destination”. The State intends for this to mean that all goods shall be priced in the bid response to include shipping charges, if any, to the State’s desired location. The “FOB – Destination” shipping term is also intended to mean that the State shall not bear any responsibility for the goods in question until the State takes possession of them at the destination point of delivery.

Quantity: The expected purchase quantity is one (1) unit. There is no guaranteed award associated with this bid opportunity. All purchases will depend on the bid results and departmental budget. The State of Maine reserves the right to negotiate the purchase of additional units at the bid price for six months after the award is officially made.

Delivery Locations: The vendor must deliver to the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, 47 Independence Drive, 2nd FL, Augusta, ME 04330

Award: The State anticipates making one (1) award as a result of this RFQ process, all items must be bid to be considered. The State reserves the right to not make an award. The award will be made to the lowest total bid price that meets the posted specifications.

Delivery and Inspection: The requested items will be inspected after delivery. If shipment is deemed unacceptable the delivery will be refused and will be returned at the risk and expense of the selling vendor.

Delivery Date: These items are needed immediately, delivery date After Receipt of Order (ARO) may be factored into the bid award decision.

GC/SQ Technical Specification

The following specifications are for a Single Quadrupole (SQ) GC/MS, which includes the Mass Spectrometer (MS), Ionization Source(s), Gas Chromatograph (GC), Software and Data System.

The following list includes the technical specifications for each component of the system, general system requirements and warranty.

Mass Spectrometer (MS) Specifications

Specification Description Justification

Mass and Spectral Accuracy (With optional Accurate Mass Package)

Mass Accuracy – 1 µL injection of 100 pg/µL OFN, scanning from 50 to 300 u, will give its monoisotope at at m/z 271.987 ±0.005

Spectral Accuracy - 1 µL injection of 100 pg/µL OFN, scanning from 50 – 300 u, spectral accuracy will be 99.0%

Nominal mass data may sometimes be inadequate to identify or confirm a compound, necessitating a measurement with increased mass and spectral accuracy.

Stainless Steel Ion Source Helium Carrier Gas Sensitivity, Scan Mode

1 pg OFN >= 250:1 S/N scanning from 50-300 u at nominal m/z 272 ion demonstrated at install

Sensitivity is critical to meeting and/or exceeding analysis requirements especially for low detection level. For scan sensitivity S/N measurement the scan range must be reflective of normal operation parameters.

Ultra Inert Column of conventional size and Ultra Inert inlet liner

The installation check out column should be the conventional dimension 30m x 0.25mm I.D. x 0.25µm for Helium Carrier Gas Ultra Inert Column, which the Manufacture offers the MS Library for major GC/MS applications using that column. The inlet liner should be Ultra Inert for demonstration of installation check out.

The system can be “ready- to-go” after the installation for most GC/MS users without venting MS.

Detector Type The Mass Spectrometer’s detector shall be a Series II Triple-Axis HED-EM, which places the HED-EM doubly off- axis from the axis of the transmission quadrupole.

This design increases sensitivity because it allows ion collection to be maximized (increased signal) and neutral noise to be reduced below off-axis detector designs.

Accessibility to Mass Filter

The Mass Filter and Detector should be placed on the same plate as Ion Source for better accessibility.

The accessibility of Mass Filter and Detector will affect the labor for troubleshooting by engineer in case of repair. This ensures less time for repair, resulting in the lower cost of ownership.

Trace Ion Detection (TID)

The proprietary electric noise reductions of scan MS data to improve the quality of mass spectrum.

This filter improves the Mass Spectrum Library Search and S/N values for many applications.

Gain Normalization Autotune

The Mass Spectrometer must have a Gain Normalized Autotune which optimizes the EM’s gain to ensure the optimal balance between ion count, linearity and EM life expectancy.

Gain Normalization provides consistent sensitivity during the aging of the EM and consistent ion counts between multiple GC/MSD systems.

Scan Rate The Mass Spectrometer shall have an electronic scan rate of 20,000 u/sec

A fast scan rate allows for more data points to be collected across a peak, thereby ensuring better spectral information.

Scan rate PLUS write to disc rate determine how much mass information can be gathered per unit time.

The faster the rates, the more information gathered, resulting in better spectra, synchronous SIM/Scan capability, or the ability to handle narrow peaks resulting from

FAST GC.

Stainless steel ion source

The mass spectrometer must use an ion source where the metallic parts are constructed from stainless steel.

A stainless source requires less cleaning and will allow dirtier samples/matrices

Pumping System

255 L/s turbo pump with

2.5 m3 /hr mechanical pump

High capacity turbomolecular pump supports high gas flow rates.

Directly heated and bakeable monolithic quartz structure, hyperbolic form quadrupole

Mass Spectrometer must utilize a Quadrupole Mass Filter consisting of a monolithic quartz structure. A quadrupole consisting of 4 separate rods is NOT acceptable.

The rods must have a true hyperbolic shape in keeping with quadrupole theory. The Quadrupole is to be is independently heated and its temperature is to be user-selectable from 100 – 200˚C.

The quadrupole mass filter is the heart of the instrument. The monolithic structure is important because individual rods can become mis-aligned and are less reliable for maintaining mass stability and accuracy.

Quartz provides excellent thermal stability and reduces thermal expansion to maintain excellent performance. True hyperbolic shaped quadrupole rods ensure lower field errors and provide the best possible ion transmission while maintaining resolution across the full mass range. Heating of the quadrupole by independent temperature control keeps the system clean, stable, and reduces thermal variation of the quadrupole.

Heating to 200 ˚C allows robust operation and bake out.

Gold and titanium multilayer metalized hyperbolic electrode surfaces.

The quadrupole is to have its electrode surfaces covered by titanium composite and gold thin and thick films.

Gold conductors have excellent electrical conductivity without the undesirable oxidation typical of metal quadrupole rods. These properties reduce the need for cleaning.

Mass Range The instrument must scan from

0.6 to 1091 u

A high mass range is needed to analyze higher molecular weight compounds such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers used in fire retardants. System should have a way to verify accurate mass assignment.

SIM Capacity The mass spectrometer shall have the capability to create 100 SIM ion groups with up to 60 ions per group

A large capacity of ion groups and ions per group allow the analysis of complex samples in dirty matrices.

SIM speed Down to 0.1 msec More ions per group can be monitored.

High Performance Synchronous SIM/Scan

The mass spectrometer’s electronics must have the efficiency to support synchronous SIM/Scan.

Synchronous SIM/Scan is a mode of operation that enables collection of both SIM data and full scan data in the same acquisition cycle. The fast electronics of the GC/MS system provide very fast and flexible SIM and Scan. SIM dwell times can be set in 1 msec increments from higher than 100 msec to as low as 1 msec dwell, allowing rapid analysis with more compounds and more samples.

Synchronous SIM/Scan allows:

• confirmatory information – full scan data for library search capability

• maximum sensitivity as provided by

SIM for trace analysis in dirty matrices

Automated SIM setup

The mass spectrometer must have an automated SIM setup that can convert a full scan method to a SIM or SIM/Scan method. The software must automatically configure the number of SIM groups, SIM cycles across the peak, and the ions added to each group.

SIM setup is a time consuming and potentially error filled process. Automation of this process saves time and reduces error.

High Vacuum Pumping Speed

The high-vacuum region must utilize an air-cooled high- vacuum turbo pump with a minimum pumping speed of 255 L/s (Helium) Turbo Pump with 2.5 m3/hr mechanical pump

Pumping speed determines how quickly the MS can be ready for use and more importantly the maximum allowable column flow rate. Air cooling is better than water cooling as it is simpler.

Max column flow rate for data acquisition (for optimal chromatography and sensitivity flow should be between 1and 2 ml/min in EI and 2 and 4 in CI- Higher flows are used on mega bore column, not useable for Trace analysis and/or fast chromatography

4 mL/min for turbo pump. Flow rate determines how quickly a compound is eluted from the column and should be fast enough to give a short time of analysis without compromising the separation and the sensitivity

Recommended maximum sustained column flow to

MS

50 mL/min The high sustained column flow to MS is required for backflushing and cooling the MS analyzer at venting MS.

Retention Time- Locking software

The mass spectrometer data system must have an integrated retention time-locking module for analyzing target compounds in complex matrices. The software module must provide the creation of custom compound databases as well as the utilization of vendor provided databases. Vendor databases include:

pesticides and endocrine disruptors, PCB’s, VOC’s, Fatty Acid Methyl Esters, Drugs of Abuse, and Flavors and Fragrances.

Retention Time-Locking allows the analyst to get the same retention times from day to day and from instrument to instrument in any location regardless of operator, detector type or column maintenance.

Sleep/Wake mode (GC and

MSD)

The Gas Chromatograph must have clock time programmability to allow a user to have the instrument come on at a specified time, and be at operating temperature and stable when use is required. This will also allow the user to program automated shutdown times.

Sleep/Wake mode should also be available on MSD for power saving.

Clock time programming will allow power and gas savings by automatically putting the instrument in a “sleep” mode, which uses minimal power and gas flow rates. It will also save operator time by having the instrument at full readiness when the user arrives for work in the morning.

Sequence actions

Tuning MS, Sleep/Wake, etc. are available as the actions of Sequence.

Availability of these actions ensure the data quality by calibrating MS with tuning, power saving by Sleep and so on for more productivity.

Fast venting When Vent Cycle is started, GC recognizes and optimizes the column flow to cool down the MSD faster.

Fast venting is the best way to cool down the MSD analyzer without damaging the Ion Source and other parts inside vacuum manifold at the time of maintenance.

Mass Spectral Library

Includes latest NIST MS Library Bundle includes over 350K EI spectra for over 300K compounds (40K increase) and GC Methods/Retention indices library (nist_ri) with 139K compounds

Comprehensive mass spectral library enables the identification of diverse compound classes.

Gas Chromatograph (GC) Specifications

Ambient temperature and pressure compensation

The Gas Chromatograph must have ambient temperature and pressure compensation for all pneumatics for all inlets, detectors and auxiliary pneumatics.

This compensation ensures stable retention times, area reproducibility and detector baselines regardless of changing ambient conditions.

EPC/EPR

microchannel design

GC pneumatics must have a pneumatics design based on microchannels that serves as a restrictor for pneumatic control instead of using a frit.

This microchannel-based design protects against gas contaminants such as particulates, water, and oils, and provides significant improvements in reliability and longevity over earlier generation GC designs using frits for restrictors.

Touchscreen User Interface on GC

Touchscreen user interface must utilize capacitive touchscreen technology with glass interface/overlay.

Capacitive touchscreen technology provides superior responsiveness and finer resolution than resistive touchscreen technology. Glass overlay offers superior resistance to laboratory environment impact.

on GC

Must never require a stylus to perform touchscreen functions.

Additional user interface components may hinder timely access if lost or misplaced.

on GC

Touchscreen must not require calibration upon GC installation nor anytime thereafter.

Ease of use and accuracy of touchscreen interface is negatively impacted if recalibration is required.

Browser User Interface

A Browser Interface must provide access to:

- Connectivity to check status or run diagnostics from anywhere within your network

- Built-in self-guided diagnostics and maintenance capabilities

- Method and sequence editing without the need for a data system

- Easy access to logs and complete user documentation

GC browser interface allows easy access GC information.

GC browser interface allows access to GC information independent of software being used.

Allows for multiple independent connections to facilitate collaboration.

Remote Access Remote access must be available directly into GC, independent of any computer being used.

Remote access directly to the GC, independent of any software being used.

DA Express GC must be able to provide via a browser user interface without the need for software:

- editing/storage of GC acquisition methods

- editing/storage of GC data analysis methods

- editing/storage of sequences

- data analysis using just one screen each for:

- data acquisition

- integration settings

- calibration tables

- report options

Allows for a complete analysis solution without the need for more complex and expensive chemical data systems.

Diagnostics GC, via a graphical browser user interface, must show diagnostic procedures in progress.

Showing progress of diagnostics provides feedback the procedure is working.

Blank evaluation GC must be able to evaluate a GC blank run datafile internally for peak areas, peak heights baseline noise and signal levels on the GC for GC (non-MS) detectors.

Blank evaluation allows identification of problems such as baseline excursions, unexpected peaks, and elevated baseline.

They are critical to accurate quantitative analysis and are often required by regulatory agencies as part of the quality control process.

Recording and evaluating data on the GC allows blank evaluation independent of software being used.

Automated Self- Testing

GC must perform, automated self-monitoring of over 20 GC and ALS parameters. If failure occurs, GC must provide an indication to user and record in the appropriate log.

Automated self-monitoring alerts of a wide range of parameters that alerts the user to internal system failures to speed diagnoses to minimize downtime.

Early Maintenance Feedback (EMF) Counters

For EMF counters, must be able to differentiate between injections onto columns for configured flowpath vs.

overall oven cycle.

Distinguishing between actual injections onto columns vs the number of oven cycle runs provides more accurate column usage/lifetime information.

Early Maintenance Feedback (EMF) Counters

For EMF counters, must have over 45 total counters available for tracking various inlet, detector and ALS parameters and consumables usage.

Tracking inlet and detector components and consumables usage can help users plan to change these items before they fail and cause unplanned downtime or poor operating results.

Inlet maintenance

SSL

Inlet sealing system is built in standard with each S/SL inlet for quick, easy, injector liner changes in under 30 seconds.

Fast, easy inlet maintenance helps minimize instrument downtime.

SSL/EPC

Pressure Programming Rate

SSL EPC inlet is capable to program either up or down at a rate of up to 689 kpa/min or 100 psig/min and no additional accessory is needed.

A fast-programming rate enables fast changes from one pressure setpoint to another.

Total flow range

SSL

Must be able to set total flow range: 0 to 500 mL/min N2, 0 to 1,250 mL/min H2 or He

A wide range for setting total flow enables the widest range of applications.

Data/ Communication interfaces

The GC must have all these data and communications interfaces

- LAN

- Two analog output channels (1-V, and 10-V output available) as standard

- Remote start/stop

LAN communication allows instrument access to the network.

ALS interface ALS Interface standard. GC must provide power and communications for one ALS (Automated Liquid Sampler) injector and one autosampler tray (150 vials) without need for separate control board or power box).

No extra control/power boxes to clutter the lab bench or add cost.

ALS

configuration

Included ALS with 16 sample turret and 150 sample extension tray.

Injector and tray install easily without the need for alignment.

Supports high sample capacity. Allows easy utilization of ALS on either front or back position

RTL

Retention Time- Locking software

The GC data system must have an integrated retention time-locking module with the ability to eliminate retention time differences due to maintenance, detection system or physical location allowing any GC or GC/MS detection system to measure the same retention time for compounds of a specific method, not retention index.

Retention time locking (RTL) allows one to precisely match the chromatographic retention times of any GC system to those of another GC system with the same column and method making it ideal for standardization of QA/QC measurements.

RTL ensures long-term repeatability on a given instrument and correct retention times when you transfer a method, install a column, or perform routine column maintenance without the need to update your calibration table, timed events table, and integration events table.

Customer Alerts of Early Maintenance Feedback

Must be able to run software on any customer PC in the lab that can compare Early Maintenance Feedback (EMF) data against industry-specific criteria provided and send an e-mail alert when limits are reached

More timely maintenance (based on actual instrument usage) on high use or critical instruments which can help reduce downtime and sustained instrument performance

General System Requirements

Multiple instrument and detector control and acquisition

The MS data system must be capable of controlling 2 complete GC/MSD systems and 2 additional GC’s with one detector each simultaneously from a single PC data system.

Being able to control and acquire multiple signals simultaneously increases the flexibility and capability of the system while lowering costs by not having to have multiple data systems.

Made in US The gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer systems must be made in the USA.

Made in USA

10-Year Value Guarantee

System shall have a ten-year value guarantee such that vendor shall have ten years’ guaranteed parts and comprehensive service available or give residual value credit for replacement.

Ensures the long-term investment value of the capital purchase.

Appendix C

COST RESPONSE

RFQ # 10A 20250723000000000137

All responses to this RFQ will require a cost quotation response, in a format selected by the State of Maine. That format is described below.

All bids must be entered in the Vendor Self Service (VSS).

All bids must have a bid price (Unit Price). This is the quoted price that will be used for evaluation purposes. The price must be filled in using numbers and a decimal point only.

Example: If your bid is for one dollar you would enter 1.00

All bid must have the estimated days from award of contract to receipt of unit (Delivery Days). This will be entered as CALENDAR DAYS. Only numbers can be entered.

Example: If you expect to be able to deliver the unit in two weeks you would enter 14

If you have any details you want us to know about your bid or the item you are bidding write them in the Comments section.