Continuous Whipping Mixer

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service seeks quotations for one continuous whipping mixer, with offers due September 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time. This is a total small business set-aside under NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing), with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees.

Place of performance is Erdenheim, PA 19038, with delivery required 60 days after award to the NEA Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. The mixer must be designed for continuous aeration and foaming of liquid feedstocks, particularly dairy-based formulations, using a rotor/stator mixing head or equivalent high-shear continuous aeration mechanism with a jacketed head for temperature control. The equipment shall process small batches at rates as low as 5 kg/h with benchtop-appropriate dimensions, feature independent user control over pump rate, mixing head speed, and air incorporation rate, and operate standalone without connection to other processing equipment. Safety requirements include a prominent emergency shutdown button and automated back pressure monitoring with shutdown at limit exceedance. Comprehensive user documentation must accompany delivery. The offeror is responsible for identifying the recommended operating viscosity range.

The solicitation uses lowest price technically acceptable evaluation criteria, prioritizing price fairness and reasonableness, followed by technical acceptability and past performance. Award will be firm fixed-price. Quotations are offered on a brand name or equal basis; offerors claiming equal products must submit detailed descriptive literature demonstrating equivalency to salient characteristics. Pricing must remain firm for 90 days from the offer due date. Questions must be submitted via email to shalunda.mix@usda.gov no later than three days before solicitation closing. Payment is by electronic funds transfer through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP), and contractors must maintain current SAM registration. Buy American compliance is required.