Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source Blood Bank Analyzer System and Reagents for testing ABO/Rh Blood Types

The Department of the Army Medical Command has published a Special Notice announcing its intent to award a sole-source contract to Werfen USA, LLC for automated blood bank analyzer systems and reagents at Martin Army Community Hospital (MACH) at Fort Benning, Georgia. This notice covers the lease of blood bank testing equipment, including service, maintenance, consumables, and disposables required for ABO/Rh blood type testing. The contracting authority is the Fort Hood Health Contracting Branch, Medical Readiness Contracting Office - West, which intends to execute this as a firm fixed-price contract under FAR 13.501(a)(1)(ii) for simplified procedures covering certain commercial items. The contract will be awarded to Werfen USA, LLC, located at 180 Hartwell Road, Bedford, MA 01730, as the sole vendor capable of meeting the government's specific requirements. Market research conducted by the government determined that only one vendor could fully satisfy the operational needs of the medical facility.

The primary objective of this sole-source award is to secure high-throughput blood bank analyzer systems capable of processing 100-120 tests per hour to support the testing of blood samples from new military recruits during basic training processing at Fort Benning. The contract period of performance will commence on October 1, 2025, and is structured as a base year with four option years available. Although a sources sought notice was posted from July 23-28, 2025, which received four responses, only Werfen USA was determined to meet the government's requirements due to their proprietary Capture-R (CAP) Ready technology and Neo Iris Systems. The notice explicitly states this is not a request for competitive proposals and that no telephonic inquiries, capability briefings, or competitive quotes will be accepted, with responses due by August 18, 2025. The government reserves sole discretion in determining whether to proceed with competition based on any responses received to this notice.