General Purpose (GP) Near Infrared (NIR) Analyzer

The USDA Forest Service seeks one General Purpose Near-Infrared Analyzer for the Agricultural Research Service, with quotes due September 24, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST to Contracting Officer Sarah Cotton at sarah.cotton@usda.gov. The procurement is a 100% small business set-aside under NAICS 334516, Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing.

Delivery is to the Sea Plant Genetic Resources Conservancy facility in Griffin, Georgia, with period of performance September 30, 2026, through March 31, 2027. The analyzer must perform non-destructive, non-contact near-infrared analysis on whole seeds, meals, flours, powders, pastes, slurries, and other agricultural materials without destructive grinding. It shall support calibration models for moisture, oil, protein, sugars, starch, fiber, fatty acids, amino acids, ash, and tannins across multiple crop types including peanut, sorghum, sesame, and sweet potato. Analysis time must be less than one minute with accuracy consistent with ISO 12099 performance standards. The instrument must include automatic diagnostics, wavelength standardization, outlier detection, and internal and external reference standards. Software must support data acquisition, calibration import and modification, results reporting, data export in standard formats (CSV, XML, spreadsheet-compatible), chemometric model support using PLS or ANN algorithms, and audit-ready tracking for research compliance. The analyzer shall operate on Windows-based integrated or connected computing systems with standard U.S. electrical compatibility.

The specification permits procurement using "Brand Name or Equal" approach, listing three acceptable models: Unity XT-R/XT-F, Buchi NIRFlex N-500, and PerkinElmer DA 7250. Award will be made on a firm fixed-price basis to the lowest-priced, technically acceptable offer. Evaluation criteria include price, past performance, technical product data, and delivery information. Vendors must submit a technical data sheet and, if not the original equipment manufacturer, documentation of authorization to resell. A Certificate of Conformance per FAR 52.246-15 is required. Questions are due September 14, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST. Offerors are limited to one quote per company and must hold prices firm for 90 calendar days from receipt date. The small business size standard is 1,250 employees.