Tecan EVO-200 Upgrade to current system.

The Veteran s Administration (VA) Office of Research and Development, Service Area Office East in Pittsburgh, PA intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with the Tecan U.S. in Morrisville, NC. The requirement is to acquire a Tecan Freedom EVO 200 upgrade to a system that is currently installed and in use at the VA Boston Healthcare System in Boston, MA.
Any proposed system upgrade shall be compatible with the Tecan systems currently installed in the facility. Any compatible upgrades shall offer the following accessories/services as a minimum:
One (1) Complete TECAN FREEDOM EVO 200 SYSTEM UPGRADE
Background: The Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC) Core Laboratory processes and stores specimens for clinical trials run by the VA Cooperative Studies Program. The laboratory is involved in a large-scale genomics project that require processing of up to 1000 samples a day in addition to ongoing processing for other Cooperative Studies Program projects. The requested equipment is required to guarantee accurate normalization of DNA extracted from human blood samples. The new system shall be able to pick the right DNA sample for the sample-send-outs from a given worklist. The lab currently has two Tecan based systems (EVO 150 and Tecan EVO 200) currently installed and in-use in the VA lab. The lab requires an upgraded EVO 200 system that is compatible with the systems currently installed. The new system is essential to develop protocols for sample send-outs other than DNA. The new system will also serve as a back-up to the current systems.
Item: Procurement of a modified TECAN Freedom EVO 200 to be used as a DNA Normalizer and for preparing plates for send out. Not to be used with the blood processing robot. The required equipment is an automated liquid handling robot designed for high throughput processing of bio-specimen samples. The TECAN Freedom EVO 200 shall be modified by the manufacturer for high throughput assessment and normalization of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) samples purified from human blood and for preparing plates for send out. A current system based on the Tecan EVO 150 and Tecan EVO 200 units is currently installed and in-use in the VA lab. The system has gone through extensive protocol development under certain requirements to enable the accurate and efficient send-outs of DNA samples.
The new system shall include one (1) TECAN Freedom EVO 200 Base Unit and include the Robotic arm, 8-tip liquid handling arm, workable carriers, Ziath 2D-scanner, 1D-barcode scanner, room temperature storage, pick and place arm, decapper, Capit_all Integration components, software, computer installation and training.
Price shall include freight, installation, training, and a minimum one (1) year warranty.
Delivery: Receipt of goods and installation should be complete within 60 days of award.
Place of Performance: VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Room RB-8
The sole source is pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, however; any responsible source who believes it is capable of meeting the requirement may submit a capability statement and supporting documentation to the contracting office no later than Wednesday, August 6, 2018 (10:00 AM, EST). Interest/capability statements may be sent to Michael Haydo at Michael.haydo@va.gov. No telephone responses will be accepted. A determination not to compete the proposed requirement based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government..