SF30-RFQ_36C25627Q0042_QA_Amendment_0001

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Veterans Integrated Service Network 16 seeks routine and surge Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) testing services for water quality analysis at three Gulf Coast facilities, with proposals due October 22. The procurement is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business set-aside issued under GSA Schedule 36 (Scientific Equipment and Services).

Place of performance spans three VA locations: Biloxi VA Medical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi; Pensacola VA Clinic/JACC in Pensacola, Florida; and Panama City Beach VA Clinic in Panama City Beach, Florida. Estimated annual sample volumes are 35 samples (Biloxi), 46 samples (Pensacola), and 20 samples (Panama City Beach).

The contractor must hold ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation through an ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement signatory body. Pensacola and Panama City Beach locations also require state-level environmental accreditation from the Florida Department of Health/NELAP; Biloxi does not require Mississippi State Department of Health certification for water-management samples. Testing must follow Standard Methods 9215 C (spread-plate method) using Plate Count Agar at 35°C for 48 hours, with HPC results ≥500 CFU/mL reported to the Contracting Officer's Representative. Routine collections occur Monday through Thursday with 24-hour hold times; eight-hour Safe Drinking Water Treatment Rule hold times require same-day or dedicated courier service at premium cost. Contractors must participate in annual proficiency testing. Pricing uses per-sample unit pricing with fully burdened costs including transportation and cold-chain logistics; per-shipment conversion is not acceptable. Key personnel (Program Manager, Quality Assurance Manager, Laboratory Technical Director, Senior Microbiologist, and Logistics Lead) may be fulfilled by a single individual if all qualifications are met. The NAICS code is 541380, Testing Laboratories and Services; PSC is B533, Special Studies/Analysis—Water Quality. The Government does not guarantee minimum quantities, specific collection frequencies, or award value. Amendment 0001 was issued October 15, 2026.