Elementar Vario Max Cube or equivalent

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service seeks an Elementar Vario Max Cube elemental analyzer with associated equipment and consumables, with quotations due August 12, 2026 and questions due August 7. This is an unrestricted procurement carrying no small business set-aside; all responsible sources may compete.

Place of performance is Bushland, Texas, specifically the Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at 2300 Experiment Station Road. The Livestock Nutrient Management Research Unit requires a combustion-type analyzer to support increased carbon and nitrogen analyses during the 2026–2030 research cycle. The analyzer must feature a high-temperature furnace with oxygen dosing for automated sample combustion, capability to analyze sample sizes up to 5 grams or 5 milliliters of solids and liquids, an autosampler holding up to 90 samples, and precision to measure carbon at 10 parts per million in soil samples with up to 500 milligrams total detection capability. Additional salient characteristics include flexibility to use either helium or argon carrier gas, automatic ash removal, compatibility with existing Elementar VarioMAX consumables, laboratory bench footprint of 2 meters by 2 meters or less, Windows PC control software, and a 10-year warranty on the furnace and thermal conductivity detector cell. Delivery is F.O.B. destination within 60 days, with delivery required by September 29, 2026.

Quotes must be submitted electronically to lynn.hults@usda.gov; faxed or hard copy submissions are not accepted. Vendors must be registered and active in SAM.gov at quote submission and award. Award will be made on a firm-fixed-price basis using lowest-price technically acceptable evaluation criteria; only the lowest-priced quote receives initial technical evaluation, with evaluation proceeding to the next-lowest quote if the first is unacceptable. Responses must include detailed comparative specifications demonstrating capability; quotes merely restating specifications without comparative analysis will not receive further consideration. NAICS code is 334516 with small business size standard of 1,000 employees.