Gram Stain Machine

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeks one automated Gram stain machine for delivery to its Veterinary Services Division diagnostic laboratory in Ames, Iowa, with quotations due September 7, 2026, and questions due September 3. This is a Total Small Business set-aside; only small business concerns are eligible.

Place of performance is Ames, Iowa. The machine must accommodate a 12-slide carousel with 26 mm × 76 mm microscope slides, achieve a rapid cycle time of 6–8 minutes, and operate at rotation speeds from 10 to 1,000 rpm. It must include a touch screen display with numeric and alphanumeric programming keys, reagent and specimen traceability, user traceability with administrator password protection, and automatic clean cycles. Dimensions are 22 inches width by 10 inches height (lid closed) by 21 inches depth. Reagent settings must provide nine operator-selected decolorizer levels and three settings each for crystal violet and iodine (low, medium, high), plus three fixation settings. The machine must be manufactured in the USA with an 18-month reagent shelf-life. Delivery is required within 60 days of award. The contractor must supply a user manual, preventive maintenance kit, a complete set of gram stain reagents, empty bottles for deionized or distilled water and alcohol, a waste bottle with level detection, and nozzle cleaning solution. NAICS code is 334516 with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees. Award is firm fixed-price to one contractor. Evaluation criteria are technical approach (ability to meet schedule and requirements), price (fair and reasonable), and past performance (acceptable, neutral, or unacceptable). Prices must remain firm for 90 calendar days from the offer due date. F.O.B. Destination applies unless F.O.B. Origin is specified with estimated shipping costs included.