SYNAPT G2-Si_UGA572 mass spectrometer service agreement

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service is soliciting quotations for a comprehensive service agreement to maintain, calibrate, and repair a Waters SYNAPT G2-Si_UGA572 mass spectrometer under Solicitation Number 1232SA26Q0293. The services include scheduled preventive maintenance, repair and replacement of worn components using genuine Waters parts, instrument and software upgrades, and customer support including remote technical assistance and diagnostics. All service engineers must be factory-certified by Waters and utilize only authentic Waters parts to ensure instrument integrity. The government will evaluate quotations using a lowest-price technically acceptable approach, with technical acceptability rated as either acceptable or unacceptable based on demonstrated ability to meet all requirements, and past performance evaluated as acceptable, neutral, or unacceptable. Pricing must be firm for 90 calendar days from receipt, and interested parties must submit any clarification questions to Brian.Fien@usda.gov by March 17, 2026, at 12:00 PM Pacific Time, with quotations due by March 22, 2026.

This is an unrestricted acquisition with no small business set-aside, though the contracting officer has indicated the government's intent to award on a single-source basis to Waters Corporation, the incumbent contractor since 2016 under contract 12905B22P0047. The estimated contract value is $359,858, structured as one one-year base period covering Fiscal Year 2026 plus four one-year option periods through Fiscal Year 2030, for a total potential contract duration not to exceed five years. Market research has confirmed that only Waters can provide the required specialized services, as the SYNAPT G2-Si instrument is linked to multiple Waters systems, software packages, and instruments, with exclusive upgrades and support available solely through Waters. The service will be performed at the USDA-ARS Wheat Health, Genetics and Quality Research Unit in Pullman, Washington 99164, where the mass spectrometer supports mission-critical ion mobility mass spectrometry research characterizing the rhizosphere metabolome of wheat and other crops to identify metabolites promoting drought and heat stress tolerance.