MFT and GFT Testing and Incubation Services at VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network 21 is soliciting an Environmental Microbiology Lab services contract to process, incubate, analyze, and report results for microbiological surface samples, Gloved Fingertip and Thumb (GFT) samples, and Media Fill Testing (MFT) at VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System in Reno, Nevada. The contractor must be an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited laboratory under the Environmental Microbiology Lab Accreditation Program (EMLAP) and must perform all services in-house without outsourcing. Key requirements include processing samples in accordance with 2023 United States Pharmacopeia standards, supplying all sampling kits and materials for sample preservation and transport, maintaining chain-of-custody documentation, incubating and analyzing samples at specified temperatures and durations, reporting results within three business days of testing completion, and notifying the facility of test failures within one business day. Personnel performing analysis must be licensed and qualified environmental microbiologists or technicians. The solicitation deadline for offers is March 15, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT, with vendor questions due by March 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM PST. Offers must be submitted electronically in three separate PDF volumes addressing technical qualifications, past performance, and pricing.

This is a 100% small business set-aside with an estimated contract value of $19 million. The contract period consists of a base year from March 26, 2026 through March 25, 2027, plus four option years, with government authority to extend services in increments up to six months under FAR 52.217-8 for a maximum total extension of six months. No incumbent contractor is identified in the solicitation documents. The wage determination WD 2015-5595 Revision 27 (effective December 3, 2025) applies to the contract, establishing prevailing wage rates for Washoe and Storey counties in Nevada with fringe benefits including health and welfare compensation and paid leave requirements. Services will be performed in Reno, Nevada 89502, and invoices must be submitted monthly in arrears through the Tungsten electronic invoicing system to the VA Financial Services Center. Two amendments have been issued to the original solicitation, with Amendment 0001 extending the offer deadline to March 15, 2026, and Amendment 0002 clarifying that the contractor must provide all testing supplies including media kits and media bags as part of their deliverables.