Benchtop Bioreactor System

Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), a State University of New York (SUNY) institution located in Troy, New York, is seeking sealed proposals for a benchtop bioreactor system intended for mammalian cell culture and Good Manufacturing Procedures (GMP) bioprocess education. The procuring jurisdiction is Rensselaer County, New York. The required system must include one benchtop bioreactor with a working volume of 0.5L to 5L capable of supporting both multi-use autoclavable and single-use vessel formats from a single control platform, with a controller that can simultaneously operate a minimum of two bioreactor vessels through an integrated touchscreen Human Machine Interface (HMI), support at least four pumps and four gas/flow control channels, and include native data acquisition and logging capabilities suitable for undergraduate students with limited laboratory experience. Deliverables include equipment installation, calibration, validation, routine maintenance, and comprehensive user documentation written at an undergraduate level that does not require advanced technical training or programming knowledge. Required qualifications for vendors include demonstrated presence in the educational and life sciences market with documented prior experience supporting academic laboratory programs, qualified technical staff capable of installation and maintenance, a minimum one-year parts and labor warranty from installation, U.S.-based technical support beyond the warranty period, and readily available replacement parts and consumables without extended lead times. Proposals will be evaluated on functional compliance with specifications (30%), ease of use for undergraduate instruction (30%), total cost of ownership including consumables (30%), and vendor support quality (10%). Sealed proposals must be submitted by 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 30, 2026, via the Bonfire online portal at https://hvcc.bonfirehub.com, in person, or by mail to Tabitha D'Attilio, Director of Business Services & Procurement, at Hudson Valley Community College, 80 Vandenburgh Avenue, Troy, NY 12180, with RFP opening scheduled for 2:15 PM the same day. The successful respondent will be notified within 30 working days after RFP opening, with HVCC providing written confirmation of final acceptance within 10 days after testing, training, and system validation are completed, and implementation must be completed by the end of June to allow training completion before the late August academic year commencement.

The RFP documents do not identify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific organization types or disadvantaged enterprises, indicating that proposals are open to all qualified vendors capable of meeting the specifications and requirements. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement materials. Vendors must comply with New York State prevailing wage requirements under Section 103-a, b, c, and d of the General Municipal Law, register with the NYS DOL Contractor Registry, and obtain and maintain comprehensive insurance coverage naming HVCC, the County of Rensselaer, and the State University of New York as additional insureds, with policies rated A- or better by AM Best. All deliveries must be prepaid and shipped F.O.B. to HVCC's Central Receiving at 80 Vandenburgh Avenue, Troy, with acceptance limited to 9:00 AM through 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and snow days. Contractors must guarantee equipment against faulty materials and workmanship for one year after acceptance and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including non-discrimination requirements under Executive Order 11246 and the New York Human Rights Law. The procurement documents do not specify an award value or budget range for this solicitation.