H_JUSTIFICATION_FOR_OTHER_THAN_FULL_AND_OPEN_COMPETITION.docx

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

PLASTIC PIPETTE TIPS

I. Background The Vaccine Research Center (VRC) is in need of these pipettes and tips for daily experiments. The Tips and pipettors ensure an accurate volume of a solution or a liquid. It is used in the laboratory, generally for quantitative chemical analysis. If one wanted to determine the concentration of a specific substance in a solution, one would take a known volume of solution using a pipette; and, then perform an analytical procedure such as a titration to determine the amount of that substance. Knowing the amount of that substance and the volume (as delivered by the pipette), one can then calculate the concentration of that substance.

This request in submitted as a Brand Name request. The pipettes used by researchers need to be correctly calibrated to the equipment and aftermarket or generic tips cause leakage. The leakage in turn cause extreme variations in testing results. We must maintain continuity of equipment to ensure that experimental results are not influenced by new variables and to avoid any long delays in testing products from other suppliers. Changing variables would prevent the correct interpretation of the experiments in progress.

II. Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition ☒ 41 USC 1901(e)(2) and FAR Part 13.106-1: Brand Name Through Market Research the Brand Name justification was confirmed by Rainin having distributors of the requested products:

The pipettes used by researchers need to be correctly calibrated to the equipment and aftermarket or generic tips cause leakage. The leakage in turn cause extreme variations in testing results. We must maintain continuity of equipment to ensure that experimental results are not influenced by new variables and to avoid any long delays in testing products from other suppliers. Changing variables would prevent the correct interpretation of the experiments in progress.