BL121-25 Provision of Water Quality Analytical Services on an Annual Contract

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners issued Invitation to Bid BL121-25 for the provision of water quality analytical services on an annual contract basis for the Department of Water Resources. This competitive sealed bid solicitation seeks qualified laboratories to perform analytical testing on wastewater, biosolids, potable water, and surface water samples across eleven sections of analytes, including taste and odor compounds (MIB, Geosmin, Anatoxin-a, Microcystin variants, and Nodularin), regulatory drinking water PFAS compounds under UCMR 5 compliance, non-regulatory drinking water PFAS for research purposes, regulatory and non-regulatory wastewater and biosolids PFAS, and Total Oxidizable Precursors (TOPs) PFAS in both biosolids and aqueous matrices. The estimated quantities range from 3 to 172 samples per analyte section, with turnaround time options including 24-hour rush service, standard service, and 12 business day service. Bidders were required to submit sealed bids by 2:50 P.M. on November 7, 2025 (extended from the original November 5, 2025 deadline via Addendum #2), with public bid opening at 3:00 P.M. at the Gwinnett County Financial Services - Purchasing Division in Lawrenceville, Georgia. A pre-bid conference was held on October 21, 2025, via Web-Ex, with a question submission deadline of October 23, 2025, at 3:00 P.M. Required qualifications include National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP), Department of Defense (DOD), and/or American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) accreditation, as well as Georgia EPA approval for wastewater, ambient stream, and stormwater analyses. Bidders were permitted to submit proposals for partial lists of analytes across multiple sections rather than requiring bids on all sections, and testing methodologies acceptable for analysis include derivatives of EPA methods 544 and 545, as well as standard method 6040D. The contract is scheduled to begin December 15, 2025, or upon Board of Commissioners approval, with an initial four-year term followed by four optional renewal periods of twelve months each.

Firms currently appearing on the Gwinnett County ineligible source list are prohibited from submitting bids during any period of debarment, suspension, or placement on the ineligible source list, and all bid submissions must include a signed copy of the addendums to be considered responsive. The solicitation documents do not identify any set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or other restricted bidder categories. All unit pricing must include costs associated with sample collection bottles, shipping materials via FedEx or UPS, analytical services, and related supplies, with sample kits to be delivered within seven calendar days of request and analytical results reported within 28 calendar days of sample receipt in both Adobe PDF and Microsoft Excel formats. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners awarded the contract on November 26, 2025, to four vendors: Pace Analytical Services, LLC ($49,572.00), Metiri Analytical Group, Inc. ($110,916.00), Enthalpy Analytical, LLC ($64,495.00), and Eurofins Eaton Analytical, LLC ($52,458.00), for a combined base bid total of $72,942.00 annually. The contract includes renewal options with pricing increases of 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent, with all awarded vendors committing to hold pricing firm through the renewal periods. The County reserves the right to reject any or all bids, award to multiple vendors, and negotiate terms with the lowest responsive and responsible bidders, with agreement termination available for cause with ten days' notice or for convenience with 30 days' notice.