Echo 525 system maintenance and services

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), part of the Department of the Navy's Office of Naval Research, has issued a Notice of Intent to Award a sole source contract for annual maintenance and services on an ECHO 525 system. The intended recipient is Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, and the procurement falls under NAICS code 811210 (Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance) with a size standard of $34 million. The contract will utilize Simplified Acquisition Procedures under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13.106-1(b) for purchases not exceeding $250,000. This is specifically noted as not being a request for competitive proposals or a solicitation for offers. The Federal Supply Code for this procurement is J066, covering maintenance, repair, and rebuild of instruments and laboratory equipment.

The purpose of this Special Notice is to announce the government's intent to award a sole source contract based on the determination that only one responsible source can satisfy the agency's requirements for maintaining the specialized ECHO 525 system. Interested parties have fifteen calendar days from the publication date of August 22, 2025, to respond and demonstrate their capability, with responses due by August 26, 2025. Any response must provide clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government, as information received will only be considered to determine whether to conduct a competitive procurement instead. The government reserves sole discretion in deciding whether to compete this purchase order based on responses received. No reimbursement will be provided for costs associated with submitting capability information, and all correspondence should reference the Notice of Intent number and be directed to the specified point of contact, Richard Key.