Near-infrared Spectrophotometer with calibrations

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service is preparing to procure a near-infrared spectrophotometer with calibrations for oat quality analysis, with a response deadline of August 26, 2026. No set-aside applies.

The instrument must quantitatively measure six oat quality traits—protein, moisture, oil/fat, starch, beta-glucan, and total digestible fiber—using vendor-supplied calibration models. The spectrophotometer must operate in the 900-1700 nm wavelength range in reflectance measurement mode and analyze at least one of four sample types: whole oats, oat groats, oat flour, or oat flakes. Required capabilities include sample analysis in 30 seconds or less, a benchtop footprint of approximately 20 inches width by 24 inches depth, magnetically positioned and 360-degree rotating sample dishes, and operation by non-scientifically trained personnel with very low operator-dependent measurement variation.

Additional mandatory features include non-destructive sample analysis, minimum 10-year instrument lifespan with regular maintenance, ability to export spectra data in non-vendor-specific formats, unrestricted sharing of in-lab-developed calibrations, automatic outlier detection, automated wavelength standardization, automatic lamp and spectrophotometer stability monitoring, user-replaceable lamp, vibration resistance, and at least three USB connections. Vendor must provide calibration-development software as a one-time purchase, not subscription, along with technician installation and training and 1-2 years of unlimited support for instrument use and calibration development. Preferred features include reflectance-based diode array detectors without moving parts, sample dishes requiring no cleaning, and internal NIST-standard detector calibration.