Intent to Award Sole Source - Hamilton Robotics NGS Star System Services

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services, has published a Special Notice announcing its intent to award a sole source contract to Hamilton Company of Reno, Nevada. The procurement is for maintenance services of a Hamilton Robotics NGS star pipetting system used by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL). This is explicitly not a request for quotes or proposals, but rather a formal notification of the agency's intention to proceed with a sole source award. The contract will be structured as a firm-fixed-price arrangement under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b) for simplified acquisitions. The procurement falls under NAICS code 811210 for Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance with a small business size standard of $34.0 million.

The Special Notice serves to inform the contracting community of USDA's justification for bypassing competitive procurement procedures due to Hamilton Company being the sole qualified manufacturer and service provider for this specialized laboratory equipment. The system requires maintenance services that support critical scientific research including antimicrobial resistance studies, World Mycobacterium Bovis Project work, and HPAI outbreak testing. While this is not a competitive solicitation and requests for copies will not be honored, responsible sources may submit responses to Connor Tees at Stephen.Tees@usda.gov by the July 29, 2025 deadline. Any responses received will be considered solely to determine whether the government should conduct a competitive procurement instead. Respondents must provide detailed, current, accurate, and complete information, though the final determination to proceed with sole source procurement remains entirely at the government's discretion.