Sources Sought_CMS_FA700026Q0072.pdf

Sources Sought FA700026Q0072: Compact Benchtop Mass Spectrometer

SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS

Compact Benchtop Mass Spectrometer (CMS) System

United States Air Force (USAF) Date: July 6, 2026

Response Due: July 20, 2026

Notice Details Notice Type Sources Sought

Posted Date 06 July 2026

Response Due Date 20 July 2026 at 10:00 AM MDT

NAICS Code 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing

Small Business Size Standard 1,000 Employees

Product Service Code (PSC) 6640 – Laboratory Equipment and Supplies

Points of Contact

Primary Point of Contact:

Ronald Wilson Contracting Officer Email: ronald.wilson.26@us.af.mil

Alternate Point of Contact:

Dawson Hopkinson Email: dawson.hopkinson@us.af.mil

1. Disclaimer This is a Sources Sought notice issued solely for market research and planning purposes. This is NOT a Request for Quote (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP), or an Invitation for Bid (IFB). It does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued. The Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this notice; all costs associated with responding to this notice will be solely at the interested party’s expense.

2. Background & Requirement The United States Air Force (USAF) is conducting market research to identify potential sources capable of providing a Compact Benchtop Mass Spectrometer (CMS) System. The system must be a research-grade compact mass spectrometer and associated accessories designed for chemical reaction monitoring, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) integration, and educational course support.

The required system must meet or exceed the Government's minimum technical requirements as detailed in the provided Attachment 1 – Salient Characteristics. These requirements include, but are not limited to:

• Compact, benchtop single quadrupole mass spectrometer design.

• Dual Ion Sources: Electrospray Ionization (ESI) and Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI).

• Mass-to-charge (m/z) scanning range of at least m/z 10 to m/z 2,000.

• Automated background-subtraction peak detection and deconvolution software utilities.

• Operation via standard North American 110V electrical outlets.

3. Requested Information Interested parties who believe they have the capability to provide a product meeting these requirements are invited to submit a capability statement. Please format your response to specifically address the following:

A. Company Profile

• Company Name and Address.

• CAGE Code and Unique Entity ID (UEI).

• Point of Contact (Name, Title, Phone Number, and Email Address).

B. Socio-Economic Status

• State your business size under NAICS Code 334516 (Size Standard: 1,000 Employees).

• Indicate any applicable socio-economic categories (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-

Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business).

• Non-Manufacturer Rule (NMR) Note: If you are a small business distributor/non-manufacturer, please explicitly state if the product you intend to supply is manufactured by a small or large business.

C. Capability Statement & Existing Contracts

• A brief description of your product's capability to meet or exceed the salient characteristics outlined in Attachment 1. Please state the specific Make and Model you would propose.

• Are these items available on any existing Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), General

Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedules (MAS), or other Enterprise contract vehicles? If so, please provide the contract number.

• Indicate if the product meets the definition of a Commercial Product under FAR 2.101.

• Identify the Country of Origin for the manufactured end product to assist with Trade Agreements

Act (TAA) / Buy American Act (BAA) applicability determinations.

4. Submission Instructions All responses and inquiries must be submitted via email to the Primary and Alternate Points of Contact listed above.

Responses must be received no later than 20 July 2026 at 10:00 AM MDT. Please include "Sources Sought Response: Compact Mass Spectrometer - [Your Company Name]" in the email subject line.

5. Ombudsman

(a) An ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition. When requested, the ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The existence of the ombudsman does not affect the authority of the program manager, contracting officer, or source selection official. Further, the ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals, the source selection process, or the adjudication of protests or formal contract disputes. The ombudsman may refer the interested party to another official who can resolve the concern.

(b) Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. Consulting an ombudsman does not alter or postpone the timelines for any other processes (e.g., agency level bid protests, GAO bid protests, requests for debriefings, employee-employer actions, contests of OMB Circular A-76 competition performance decisions).

(c) If resolution cannot be made by the contracting officer, the interested party may contact the ombudsman, Mr. James Anderson, 8110 Industrial Drive, STE 103, USAFA, CO 80840, Telephone number 719-333-2074, FAX 719-333-9018, Email: james.anderson.72@us.af.mil. Concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations that cannot be resolved at the Center/MAJCOM/DRU/SMC ombudsman level, may be brought by the interested party for further consideration to the Air Force ombudsman, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (ADAS) (Contracting), SAF/AQC, 1060 Air Force Pentagon, Washington DC 20330-1060, phone number (571) 256-2395, facsimile number (571) 256- 2431.

(d) The ombudsman has no authority to render a decision that binds the agency.

(e) Do not contact the ombudsman to request copies of the solicitation, verify offer due date, or clarify technical requirements. Such inquiries shall be directed to the contracting officer.

(End of clause)