Drinking/Waste Water Analysis Services SN#169007

Sonoma County, through the California Department of Developmental Services' Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), is soliciting bids for a drinking water, surface water, and wastewater analysis services contract (Solicitation Number SN#169007). The procurement seeks a laboratory contractor to perform comprehensive water quality testing, including bacteriological sampling, total organic carbon testing, trihalomethanes testing, and other regulated water analyses. Key requirements mandate that the selected laboratory must be ELAP certified, capable of performing at least 85% of required testing in-house, and located within 75 miles of SDC. The contractor must provide robust analytical services seven days a week, with specific turnaround time expectations: monthly, quarterly, and annual drinking water analysis results must be emailed within 7 days, wastewater analysis results within 10 days, and emergency analysis services completed within 4 hours of request with results delivered within 48 hours. The solicitation's critical dates include a bid submission deadline of March 30, 2016 at 2:00 PM, with a proposed contract award date of April 4, 2016, and a contract period from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

The procurement includes several unique provisions for small and disadvantaged businesses, with a 5% small business preference available and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation goals waived, though DVBE incentives up to 5% will be accepted. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder meeting all specified requirements, with an allocated budget of $4,500 for emergency and unforeseen sampling over the contract term. Bidders must provide pricing on a per-test basis for approximately 30 different water quality analyses, demonstrate capability to provide comprehensive sampling supplies, courier services, and chain of custody documentation, and commit to immediate notification protocols for critical findings such as positive coliform bacteria results. The contractor must also attend a facility orientation (not exceeding 4 hours) prior to contract commencement at no additional cost and be prepared to resample any compromised specimens without additional charge to the state. While no specific incumbent vendor is mentioned, the solicitation emphasizes technical competence, geographic proximity, and rapid response capabilities as key evaluation criteria.