MSHA - Asbestos Lab BPA

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for laboratory analysis services to evaluate asbestos fibers and mineral fibers in health enforcement samples collected from mining operations nationwide. The selected contractor must be American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) certified and National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) accredited to provide quantitative analysis services for a broad range of industrial hygiene and environmental samples. Key requirements include the ability to conduct analyses using Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM), Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), as well as maintain comprehensive quality control procedures with 10% internal quality control samples and 10% replicate analyses. The government will evaluate proposals using Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable (LPTA) source selection procedures, meaning award will be made to the lowest-priced proposal that meets all technical requirements and demonstrates price reasonableness. Quote submissions are due by April 30, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET, and the base performance period will run from May 15, 2026 through May 14, 2027, with three optional 12-month extension periods available.

This solicitation is set aside for Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB) under NAICS code 541380 (Testing Laboratories and Services) with a size standard of $19 million. The contractor must be prepared to analyze approximately 1,000 samples annually across multiple line items, including mineral fiber analysis via PCM (350 samples with 5-day turnaround; 20 samples with 3-day turnaround), asbestos air sample analysis via TEM (25 samples), asbestos bulk sample analysis via PLM (150 samples with 5-day; 20 samples with 3-day turnaround), vermiculite analysis (15 samples), erionite analysis (5 samples), and wipe/overload sample analysis (5 samples each). The contractor must also be prepared to provide expert witness testimony and litigation support as needed to support MSHA enforcement activities. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the solicitation notice. The place of performance is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where services will support MSHA's Pittsburgh Safety and Health Technology Center (PSHTC) Laboratory operations. The selected laboratory will supplement the existing government capabilities for analyzing health enforcement samples collected by MSHA inspectors and personnel at mining operations throughout the United States and its territories.