Automatic Robotic Machines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is seeking to procure five automatic robotic machines to support diagnostic testing and surge capacity operations at the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL). These instruments must be capable of performing multiple critical laboratory functions, including sample preparation (aliquoting, decapping, recapping, and plate sealing), PCR mastermix preparation using kit-based reagents, serological assays (ELISA-based testing with plate washing and incubation capabilities), and sequencing preparation tasks such as library preparation and amplification. The solicitation will be issued as an Unrestrictive Request for Quotation (RFQ), meaning all responsible sources are eligible to submit quotations for consideration by the agency. The contract will be structured as a firm-fixed-price commercial agreement. All written questions regarding this procurement must be submitted to Contracting Specialist Kathy Melby at Kathleen.melby@usda.gov, with responses due by October 23, 2025.

This pre-solicitation notice indicates no set-aside designations have been applied to this procurement, allowing unrestricted competition among qualified vendors. No incumbent contractor or award value information is provided in this pre-solicitation announcement. The acquisition involves five units of analytical laboratory equipment classified under NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) and PSC code 6640 (Laboratory Equipment and Supplies). Certain items within this acquisition are subject to World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreement provisions, which may impose specific sourcing or compliance requirements. The extremely compressed timeline, with the pre-solicitation posted on October 22, 2025, and questions due the following day, suggests rapid procurement execution.