Portable Photosynthesis System

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B21Q0097 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2021-06. This solicitation will be a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside. The associated NAICS code is 334519, Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 500 employees and the PSC code is 6630.

The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following products:

001) Portable Photosynthesis System

Scope of Work:

The USDA-ARS Agroecosystems Management Research Unit (AMRU) of the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment (NLAE) in Ames, IA is requesting quotes for a portable photosynthesis system capable of rapidly quantifying leaf-scale photosynthesis and gas exchange in field, greenhouse, and laboratory conditions.

Background:

This instrument will assist our unit with the requirement to fulfill ongoing research obligations under National Program 216 Sustainable and Resilient Cropping Systems for Midwestern Landscapes (5030-12210-003-00D). This instrument will provide rapid, scientifically robust data pertaining to leaf-scale gas exchange in a variety of cropping systems. This data will inform research goals pertaining to crop growth and development, as well as system-wide nutrient balances and environmental quality.

Technical Requirements: 

• The instrument must be capable of measuring simultaneously measuring absolute CO2 and H2O in leaf gas samples with the following sensitivity:
  • CO2: up to 3000 ppm with a sensitivity of ±1 ppm
  • H2O: up to 75 mb with a sensitivity of ±1.5%
• The instrument must be operational under ambient lighting and have the capacity to control photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) levels up to 3000 µmol m-2 s-1 with a sensitivity of ±5%.  
• Leaf chambers must be up to 9 cm2, with the potential for using apertures to make the sample area adjustable
• The instrument must be able to maintain customized leaf temperature, CO2, H2O, and PAR levels during measurement periods:
  • Leaf temperature: ±0.5 C
  • CO2: ≤±1 µmol mol-1 variation at 400 µmol mol-1 from any orientation
  • H2O: ≤±1 µmol mol-1 variation at 400 µmol mol-1
  • PAR: <1 µmol m-2 s-1
• The instrument must be portable and easily moved by one individual
• The instrument must come with accompanying software to transfer data from the instrument to commonly used formats (e.g., .csv, .xlsx)
• The instrument should be equipped to rapidly (< 6 min) measure photosynthetic carbon assimilation CO2 response curves
• The leaf chambers must be equipped with a light source capable of measuring chlorophyll a fluorescence simultaneously with leaf gas exchange

Note: Quoted products should be USA Manufactured if at all possible.

Government Furnished:

Contractor will not require access to government facilities as related to this purchase.

Evaluation Factors:

Lowest price, technically acceptable. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable quote. The lowest priced quote will be evaluated first; if not found acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated, and so on until an acceptable quote is identified. The government will not review higher priced quotes if the lowest priced quote is determined to be technically acceptable. For a vendor’s quoted products to be considered technically acceptable, they must meet all of the technical requirements identified in the solicitation/SOW.

Key Deliverables:

• Portable Photosynthesis System.
• 1-year Manufacturer Warranty
• Training for Instrument Operators.
• Emergency Services

Delivery:

Delivered to be made to USDA-ARS, AMRU, 1015 N. University Boulevard, Ames, IA, 50011 by or before September 30, 2021 (09/30/2021).

The vendor shall provide all items F.O.B: destination. Location of the Government site is aboard USDA-ARS Ames, IA and will be identified in the contract. The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed Price contract.

Submitting a Quote:

To be eligible for an award, all contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration. A contractor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet) number is required in order to register. Vendor must also include their DUNS# on their quote.

To be eligible, all vendors must also be registered in SAM under the specific NAICS code listed as part of this request for quote. If a prospective vendor is not registered under the specified NAICS code and would qualify to be registered under it then they must update their SAM registration prior to submitting a quote.

Finally, to be eligible, all vendors must be NDAA 889 Certified. If they do not currently have a NDAA 889 Certification, then they must complete the attached NDAA 889 Certification form and submit in GSA eBuy so that they can be added to the list of NDAA 889 Certified vendors.

The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting contract will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting contract.

Offerors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote on SF 1449 (see attached). The quote should include all fees, delivery charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase.

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email all quotes on the SF 1449 to  aaron.dimeo@usda.gov by no later than Monday, August 9, 2021 at 5:00 PM CST.

Questions must be submitted through email to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov and are due no later than5:00 PM CST on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Answers to any questions received by that time will be posted as an amendment to this posting.

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B21Q0097 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2021-06. This solicitation will be a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside. The associated NAICS code is 334519, Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing, with a small business size standard of 500 employees and the PSC code is 6630.

The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following products:

001) Portable Photosynthesis System

Scope of Work:

The USDA-ARS Agroecosystems Management Research Unit (AMRU) of the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment (NLAE) in Ames, IA is requesting quotes for a portable photosynthesis system capable of rapidly quantifying leaf-scale photosynthesis and gas exchange in field, greenhouse, and laboratory conditions.

Background:

This instrument will assist our unit with the requirement to fulfill ongoing research obligations under National Program 216 Sustainable and Resilient Cropping Systems for Midwestern Landscapes (5030-12210-003-00D). This instrument will provide rapid, scientifically robust data pertaining to leaf-scale gas exchange in a variety of cropping systems. This data will inform research goals pertaining to crop growth and development, as well as system-wide nutrient balances and environmental quality.

Technical Requirements: 

• The instrument must be capable of measuring simultaneously measuring absolute CO2 and H2O in leaf gas samples with the following sensitivity:
  • CO2: up to 3000 ppm with a sensitivity of ±1 ppm
  • H2O: up to 75 mb with a sensitivity of ±1.5%
• The instrument must be operational under ambient lighting and have the capacity to control photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) levels up to 3000 µmol m-2 s-1 with a sensitivity of ±5%.  
• Leaf chambers must be up to 9 cm2, with the potential for using apertures to make the sample area adjustable
• The instrument must be able to maintain customized leaf temperature, CO2, H2O, and PAR levels during measurement periods:
  • Leaf temperature: ±0.5 C
  • CO2: ≤±1 µmol mol-1 variation at 400 µmol mol-1 from any orientation
  • H2O: ≤±1 µmol mol-1 variation at 400 µmol mol-1
  • PAR: <1 µmol m-2 s-1
• The instrument must be portable and easily moved by one individual
• The instrument must come with accompanying software to transfer data from the instrument to commonly used formats (e.g., .csv, .xlsx)
• The instrument should be equipped to rapidly (< 6 min) measure photosynthetic carbon assimilation CO2 response curves

Note: Quoted products should be USA Manufactured if at all possible.

Government Furnished:

Contractor will not require access to government facilities as related to this purchase.

Evaluation Factors:

Lowest price, technically acceptable. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable quote. The lowest priced quote will be evaluated first; if not found acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated, and so on until an acceptable quote is identified. The government will not review higher priced quotes if the lowest priced quote is determined to be technically acceptable. For a vendor’s quoted products to be considered technically acceptable, they must meet all of the technical requirements identified in the solicitation/SOW.

Key Deliverables:

• Portable Photosynthesis System.
• 1-year Manufacturer Warranty
• Training for Instrument Operators.
• Emergency Services

Delivery:

Delivered to be made to USDA-ARS, AMRU, 1015 N. University Boulevard, Ames, IA, 50011 by or before September 30, 2021 (09/30/2021).

The vendor shall provide all items F.O.B: destination. Location of the Government site is aboard USDA-ARS Ames, IA and will be identified in the contract. The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed Price contract.

Submitting a Quote:

To be eligible for an award, all contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration. A contractor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet) number is required in order to register. Vendor must also include their DUNS# on their quote.

To be eligible, all vendors must also be registered in SAM under the specific NAICS code listed as part of this request for quote. If a prospective vendor is not registered under the specified NAICS code and would qualify to be registered under it then they must update their SAM registration prior to submitting a quote.

Finally, to be eligible, all vendors must be NDAA 889 Certified. If they do not currently have a NDAA 889 Certification, then they must complete the attached NDAA 889 Certification form and submit in GSA eBuy so that they can be added to the list of NDAA 889 Certified vendors.

The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting contract will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting contract.

Offerors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote on SF 1449 (see attached). The quote should include all fees, delivery charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase.

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Please email all quotes on the SF 1449 to  aaron.dimeo@usda.gov by no later than Monday, August 9, 2021 at 5:00 PM CST.

Questions must be submitted through email to aaron.dimeo@usda.gov and are due no later than5:00 PM CST on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Answers to any questions received by that time will be posted as an amendment to this posting.