Gamry Potentiostats n Cages

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation has issued a Special Notice announcing its intent to award a sole source procurement for specialized laboratory equipment under NAICS code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing). The procurement, valued at $35,215, involves the purchase of two Gamry Instruments Reference 620 potentiostat systems, including associated paint test cells and Faraday shields, from Gamry Instruments, Inc. The notice is set aside for total small business participation and was posted on July 31, 2025, with responses due by August 15, 2025. The Bureau's Acquisition and Operation Branch in Denver, Colorado will execute this procurement to support their Materials and Corrosion Laboratory operations. This is explicitly not a solicitation but rather a notification of the agency's intention to proceed with a single-source award.

The Bureau justifies the sole source approach based on the unique technical capabilities of the Gamry Reference 620 potentiostats, which provide exceptional accuracy for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements on high impedance protective coatings due to their ability to measure very low currents. The agency requires continuity with existing equipment, staff training, and technical support, as they currently operate four Gamry potentiostats in their laboratory. Firms believing they have equivalent technical capabilities may submit capability statements and business profiles within fifteen days of the notice for market research purposes, though no quotations or proposals will be accepted. The procurement authority derives from Federal Acquisition Regulation 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), which permits single-source acquisitions when only one source can satisfy agency requirements. The equipment must be delivered within 90 days and include a minimum two-year warranty with lifetime technical support for immediate production-level laboratory operations.