6830--Research Gas

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 20 is soliciting research-grade gases and delivery services for the Portland VA Medical Center, with proposals due August 13, 2026. The procurement is a 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-aside; offerors must be certified and registered in the SBA certification database at time of offer submission.

Place of performance is the Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, Oregon. The contractor will deliver compressed gases (argon, nitrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon dioxide in various purities and sizes), liquid nitrogen in Dewars, dry ice pellets, and custom gas mixes bi-weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays between 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM to 71 laboratory locations across five buildings. On-site delivery time averages 2–4 hours per delivery day. The contractor must disconnect and reconnect liquid nitrogen tanks connected to freezers, fill open-mouth liquid nitrogen dewars in-lab (government-owned), and respond to emergency deliveries within 24 hours (estimated at 10 annually). The contractor must maintain all applicable federal, state, and local licenses and FDA certifications, including State Board of Pharmacy Wholesale Distributor Licenses. Contractor personnel must obtain VA-issued PIV badges, complete security training and biosafety certifications, and maintain detailed invoicing and inventory records.

The contract period runs from November 1, 2026, through October 31, 2031, with a base year and four one-year option periods. Pricing must be submitted on a firm fixed-price basis for all line items covering the base year and all option years. The Portland VA Health Care System maintains over 200 VA-funded research grants encompassing 490 active research protocols. Evaluation criteria include technical capability, pricing, and past performance. The NAICS code is 325120, Industrial Gas Manufacturing; the PSC code is 6830, Gases: Compressed and Liquefied. The contracting office is the Network Contracting Office 20, Vancouver, Washington; the point of contact is Contracting Officer Nazanin Kreiner at nazanin.kreiner@va.gov or (208) 429-2033.